UPSC Key- May 22, 2023: Know about Clean Note Policy, Legal Tender, and The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance (2023)

FRONT PAGE

SBI says no ID or slip needed for exchange of Rs 2,000 notes

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination:General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- State Bank of India (SBI) Sunday said no requisition form and identity proof are required to exchange Rs 2,000 notes. On May 19, the day the notes were withdrawn from circulation by the Reserve Bank of India, SBI had instructed its branches to exchange the notes with a requisition slip. With Sunday’s clarification, any member of the public can exchange ten Rs 2,000 notes across the counter in any branch without any identity proof or slip. Other banks are also expected to follow the same route. However, if a SBI customer wants to deposit the notes surrendered in his account, he may have to submit the requisition slip which is the normal practice.

• What happened to Rs 2000 notes?

• Quick Recap-THE RESERVE Bank of India (RBI) Friday announced the withdrawal of its highest value currency note, Rs 2,000, from circulation, adding that the notes will continue to be legal tender. It said the existing Rs 2,000 notes can be deposited or exchanged in banks until September 30, but set a limit of “Rs 20,000 at a time”. The central bank advised the public to deposit Rs 2,000 notes introduced during demonetisation in November 2016, when Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes were withdrawn into their bank accounts and/ or exchange them into notes of other denominations at any bank branch. It also advised banks to stop issuing Rs 2,000 notes with immediate effect.

• Why did the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announce the withdrawal of its highest-value currency note, Rs 2,000, from circulation?

• Rs 2,000 notes have been withdrawn under the RBI’s which policy?

• What is the clean note policy of RBI?

• For Your Information-The Rs 2,000 note was introduced in November 2016 under Section 24(1) of RBI Act, 1934, primarily to meet the currency requirement of the economy in an expeditious manner after the withdrawal of legal tender status of all Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in circulation at that time. “The objective of introducing Rs 2,000 banknotes was met once banknotes in other denominations became available in adequate quantities. Therefore, printing of Rs 2,000 banknotes was stopped in 2018-19,” the RBI said, adding that “it has also been observed that this denomination is not commonly used for transactions” and “the stock of banknotes in other denominations continues to be adequate to meet the currency requirement of the public”.

• Will the Rs 2000 banknotes continue to be legal tender?

• What is legal tender money?

• Could there be a repeat of the demonetisation chaos of 2016?

• What is the value of Rs 2000 notes in circulation currently?

• What steps are banks supposed to take now?

• Demonetisation of Rs 500 and 1000 currency notes-Know the background

• How demonetization impacted on the GDP for the current year? (Know short-term and Long term effect)

• Does demonetization served the purpose of curbing black money and terror funding? (What economic survey said about it?)

• Demonetisation has been implemented twice in the past-When, why and how?

• Demonetisation in 1946 and 1978 and Demonetisation in 2016-compare and contrast

• Demonetisation in 2016 was the decision taken in haste and not gone into the nitty-gritties of this step-Do you agree?

• Demonetisation in 2016-How it impacted common man?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍RBI withdraws Rs 2,000 notes from circulation, asks all to exchange or deposit them by Sept 30

📍Why has the RBI withdrawn Rs 2,000 notes?

Previous UPSC Prelims Questions based on Same Theme:

📍Which one of the following statements correctly describes the meaning of legal tender money? (GS1, 2018)
(a) The money which is tendered in courts of law to defray the fee of legal cases
(b) The money which a creditor is under compulsion to accept in settlement of his claims
(c) The bank money in the form of cheques, drafts, bills of exchange, etc.
(d) The metallic money in circulation in a country

Finding mates for India’s single African jumbos: It’s complicated

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

Mains Examination:General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story– The zoos at Delhi and Mysuru are grappling with a tall order. Can they and should they find mates for Shankar and Richie, the only two African elephants in the country? Shankar, aged around 27, has been the Delhi zoo’s sole African elephant since 2001, when a female elephant brought with it died. And at the Mysuru zoo, Richie, an African bull elephant in its 20s, has been alone since 2016 after its father Timbo died. African elephants, the largest land mammals, are different from Asian elephants. Both Shankar and Richie are housed separately from the Asian elephants at their respective zoos. But African or Asian, all elephants are social animals, which explains the search for prospective mates. This issue, however, has run into a quagmire of monetary, legal, logistical and, importantly, ethical considerations. Not to mention, availability.

• African Elephants-Know their features

• For Your Information-According to the WWF, Two genetically different African species exist: the savanna elephant and the forest elephant, with a number of characteristics that differentiate them both. The African savanna elephant is the largest elephant species, while the Asian forest elephant and the African forest elephant are of a comparable, smaller size. Asian elephants differ in several ways from their African relatives, with more than 10 distinct physical differences between them. For example, Asian elephants’ ears are smaller compared to the large fan-shaped ears of the African species. Only some male Asian elephants have tusks, while both male and female African elephants grow tusks.

• What are the three types of elephants?

• Asian Elephants vs African Elephants-Compare and Contrast

• Is the Asian elephant related to the African elephant?

• What is difference between Asian elephant and African elephant?

• Do you Know-Elephants have defined social structures. Herds of elephants are matriarchies, with the oldest female leading the way. They consist of female family members of any age and male offspring. Pubescent male elephants leave their herds and generally operate in bachelor male herds. Older males are often solitary.

• African elephant- What is their IUCN List?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ASIAN AND AFRICAN ELEPHANTS? AND 10 OTHER ELEPHANT FACTS

Previous year prelims question based on same theme:

📍With reference to Indian elephants, consider the following statements: (Please refer UPSC prelims question paper 2020)
1. The leader of an elephant group is a female.
2. The maximum gestation period can be 22 months.
3. An elephant can normally go on calving till the age of 40 years only.
4. Among the States in India, the highest elephant population is in Kerala.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

THE CITY

Haryana CM launches community policing, outreach programme

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination:General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said a Road Safety Week was being observed in the state from May 21 to carry out repair works at black spots on the roads across the state and organise awareness drives. At a Raahgiri Day event, which promotes the concept of car-free streets, as the chief guest near Mount Olympus School in Gurgaon’s Sector 79, Khattar also launched ‘Haryana Uday’, a community policing and outreach programme. The programme, set to be implemented from June 1, aims to strengthen community ties and promote better relations between the district administration, law enforcement agencies and the public.

• What is community policing?

• What are the basic elements of community policing?

• What is the main objective of community policing?

• What is the role of community policing in crime prevention?

• What does community policing involve?

• Community Policing-what are the challenges?

• Examples of Community Policing in India-Recall

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Community policing- Citizens are the best resource to keep their area safe: Court

Tracing the history of St Stephen’s, among the oldest colleges at DU

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:History of India and Indian National Movement.

Main Examination:General Studies I: The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- A two-storey red brick building located in Delhi University’s North Campus, St Stephen’s College has behind it decades of history and several eminent alumni who went on to occupy the highest levels of bureaucracy.

• St Stephen’s College-What is the history of this college?

• For Your Information-Founded on February 1, 1881, by Rev Samuel Scott Allnutt, also the first principal of the college, Stephen’s was a product of the Cambridge Mission to Delhi. It was first housed in Shish Mahal in Chandni Chowk from 1881 to 1890. It then moved to a building designed by Swinton Jacob, chief engineer of Jaipur State, near St James Church on December, 8, 1891. It was on October 1, 1941, that the college moved to its present location at
Delhi University Enclave.

• What was the Cambridge Mission to Delhi?

• St Stephen’s College designed by Walter George, has a distinct architectural style-what are those?

• Who introduced Gothic architecture in India?

• What is the most famous example of Gothic architecture in India?

• What is the Victorian style of architecture?

• What are the characteristics of Victorian architecture?

• What role did education play in Indian independence?

• What was the role of Delhi University in India’s freedom movement?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Their own worst enemy; how Britain’s education policy cost it the Empire’s Crown Jewel

GOVT & POLITICS

PM in Papua New Guinea, to host key summit with 14 Pacific nations

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination:General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held talks with his Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape took stock of their bilateral relations and discussed ways to further augment cooperation in areas like commerce, technology, healthcare and climate change. Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit the country, also reiterated India’s support and respect for the priorities and wishes of the Pacific Island nations.

• Map Work-Papua New Guinea and other Pacific Island nations

• What is Oceania?

• Significance of India-Papua New Guinea relations-Know in detail

• What is Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation?

• Who are the members of the FIPIC?

• Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)-What is the rationality behind FOIP?

• What Does a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ Actually Mean?

• Do you think that the Free and Open Indo-Pacific is actually meant to contain China?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍PM Modi underlines importance of free and open Indo-Pacific

Previous Year Prelims Questions Based on Similar theme:

📍With reference to the “G20 Common Framework”, consider the following statements:
1. It is an initiative endorsed by the G20 together with the Paris Club.
2. It is an initiative to support Low Income Countries with unsustainable debt.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (GS1, 2022)
📍Which one of the following statements best reflects the issue with Senkaku Islands, sometimes mentioned in the news? (Refer GS1 2022 for complete question)

Previous Year Mains Questions Based on Similar theme:
📍The newly tri-nation partnership AUKUS is aimed at countering China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. Is it going to supersede the existing partnerships in the region? Discuss the strength and impact of AUKUS in the present scenario. (GS2 UPSC Mains, 2021)
📍What is the significance of Indo-US defence deals over Indo-Russian defence deals? Discuss with reference to stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (GS2, UPSC Mains, 2020)

World health meet: PM for equity in health care

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination:General Studies II: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday virtually addressed the 76th World Health Assembly in Geneva. While congratulating the organisation for “serving the world for 75 years”, Modi said the pandemic showed there was a need for greater collaboration and health equity. He mentioned that India showed its commitment towards international cooperation during the pandemic by shipping 300 million vaccine doses to over 100 countries, many from the Global South. He said, “I am sure that supporting equal access to resources will be a top priority for the WHO in the coming years.” The PM’s call for equity in healthcare comes in the backdrop of India’s G20 presidency where one of the priority areas is creating a global network for manufacturing medical countermeasures – diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines – so that everyone has access to it.

• What is World Health Assembly?

• Where is the 76th World Health Assembly to be held?

• Is India member of World Health Assembly?

• What is the purpose of the World Health Assembly?

• World Health Organization (WHO)-Know in detail

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍75 years of the WHO: Not a ‘global health police’

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Capital brazenness

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:Indian Polity and Governance

Mains Examination:General Studies II: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: The Government of India’s ordinance to take over control of “services” in Delhi is an act of breathtaking brazenness. It bodes ill for the future of democracy. Suspend your partisan allegiances for a moment, and think beyond the technicalities of the case. As early as 2015, the government tried to take over the control of services in Delhi. This was an attempt to control Delhi that went way beyond the power of the Union government as currently specified in the law. The Union government has legitimate interests in the governance of Delhi. But provisions for protecting these interests already exist. Instead, the Union government, much against the spirit of democracy, and long settled practice in Delhi, seeks to place all administrative officers under its own control.

• The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023-Know the key provisions

• Quick Recap- The Centre on Friday (May 19) promulgated an Ordinance extending powers to the Delhi lieutenant governor over services in the administration of the national capital – basically, the power to transfer and appoint bureaucrats posted to Delhi. The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, is seen as a bid to nullify last week’s ruling by a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court that handed over the reins of “services” to the Delhi Government. The court had then underlined the importance of the people’s mandate in a democracy expressed through an elected government.

• Can a decision of the Supreme Court be undone?

• How does the ordinance fare against the judgement of the Supreme Court?

• For Your Information-Two constitution benches of the Supreme Court, in 2018 and on May 5, have dealt with the issue of the powers of the Delhi government. Both these judgements involve the interpretation of Article 239AA of the Constitution that deals with the governance structure of the national capital. In 1991, when Article 239 AA was inserted, Parliament also passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 to provide a framework for the functioning of the Legislative Assembly and the government of Delhi. The ruling on May 5 places three constitutional principles – representative democracy, federalism and accountability – to an elected government within the interpretation of Article 239AA. The judgement also recognises “principles of democracy and federalism” to be part of the basic structure of the Constitution. Since the the basis for the Court’s decision is found in interpretation of constitutional provisions, it can be debated whether a law amending the GNCTD Act, 1991 will suffice to nullify the effect of the judgements. The Delhi government can argue that a legislation that nullifies the effect of the ruling must be an amendment to the Constitution and not just an amendment to the statutory law. The Court also clearly held that Part XIV of the Constitution that contains provisions for regulating the employment of persons to the public services under the union and States is applicable to union territories which includes Delhi.

• Can the Ordinance impact the basic structure of the Constitution?

• What was the Supreme Court’s verdict on May 11?

• What was the issue before the Court?

• For Your Information-In 2015, a Union Home Ministry notification said that the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi shall exercise control over “services”. The Delhi government challenged this before the Delhi High Court, which in 2017 upheld the notification. On appeal, a two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court referred the issue to a larger constitution Bench. In 2018, a five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by then CJI Dipak Misra, in a unanimous verdict laid down the law that governs the relationship between Delhi and the Centre. The ruling was in favour of the Delhi government. While the Constitution bench decided the larger questions, the specific issues were to be decided by a two-judge Bench. In 2019, two judges, (who were also part of the larger 5-judge Bench in 2018), Justices Ashok Bhushan and AK Sikri, delivered a split verdict on the specific issue of “services.” The split verdict then went to a three-judge Bench and eventually a five-judge Constitution Bench, which has now delivered its verdict.

• What was the bone of contention?

• What was the Centre’s argument?

• What did the court decide?

• What exactly Supreme Court said in its judgement?

• Do you agree that the Lt. Governor of Delhi has more power? Attest your opinion with some recent incidence.

• What is the 69th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1991?

• The Chief Minister of Delhi is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor (LG)-True or False?

• In Delhi, In the case of difference of opinion between the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) and his ministers, the Lieutenant governor’s (L-G) decision is taken into the consideration-True or False?

• Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991-Know the Key Provisions

• The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021 and Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991-Compare and Contrast

• Know the Key Provisions of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021

• Articles 239AA and 239AB of the Constitution-Know in Detail

• There was Conflict between the Chief Minister of Delhi and the Lieutenant Governor (L-G)-What were the point of conflicts between the two?

• Supreme Court of India’s Verdict in Government of NCT of Delhi vs Union of India and Another in 2018 case-Know in Detail

• National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD) and Other Union territories-Compare and Contrast

• “NCTD, having a sui generis federal model, must be allowed to function in the domain charted for it by the Constitution”-What do you understand by this statement?

• “The Union and NCTD share a unique federal relationship. It does not mean that NCTD is subsumed in the unit of the Union merely because it is not a ‘State’,”-Comment

• The Legislative Assembly of NCTD has competence over entries in List II (state list) and List III (concurrent list) except for the expressly excluded entries of List II. The excluded entries are related to what?

• The Supreme Court also made it clear that “NCTD has legislative and executive power over services, that is, Entry 41 of List II of the Seventh Schedule.” Why did the Supreme Court have to come out with this directive?

• What Centre had contended with Entry 41 of List II of the Seventh Schedule?

• For Your Information-While the Supreme Court said that the legislative and executive power of NCTD over Entry 41 shall not extend to services related to public order, police, and land, these powers would remain with NCTD over “services such as Indian Administrative Services, or joint cadre services, which are relevant for the implementation of policies and vision of NCTD in terms of day-to-day administration of the region shall lie with NCTD”.

• “If a democratically elected government is not provided with the power to control the officers posted within its domain, then the principle underlying the triple-chain of collective responsibility would become redundant”-Elaborate further

• What is the extent of Delhi’s powers now?

• Extent of Delhi’s powers now- Article 239AA specifically excludes land, police and public order from the purview of the legislative powers of the Delhi government. The court acknowledged that these three issues can also have some overlap with “services” “The legislative and executive power of Delhi over Entry 41 (services) shall not extend over to services related to public order, police and land. However, legislative and executive power over such services such as Indian administrative services, or joint card of services, which are relevant for the implementation of policies and vision of NCT of Delhi in terms of day to day administration of the region, shall live with Delhi,” the court said.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍HIJACKING DELHI

📍SC vs Centre in Delhi: Unanimous verdict overturned within days, what can happen now?

📍Supreme Court empowered Delhi govt, Centre gets ordinance to put bureaucrats over CM

EXPLAINED

G7’s climate wishlist, and the realities of efforts to cap warming

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:Current events of national and international importance and General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

Mains Examination:

• General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s Interests.

• General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- A series of recent studies and reports have once again sounded the red alert on climate change, saying the situation was worsening rapidly, and the window of opportunity for effective action was narrowing faster than ever before. Last week, the World Meteorological Organisation said the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold was likely to be breached, at least temporarily, over the next five years. It also said that at least one of the next five years was almost certain to become the warmest year on record.

• How World Leaders have responded?

• “Studies calling for an immediate scale-up of climate action have been appearing almost weekly now. However, the response, though quite substantive in the last few years, does not seem to be able to keep pace”-Analyse the statement

• “The G7 a group of rich and developed nations with the economic heft to create the necessary momentum for global change — repeatedly acknowledged the urgency of the problem but offered little in terms of scaled-up action”-Discuss

• The 2025 peak year-What is this and on what basis this year is selected?

• “The 2025 peak year is not mandated under the Paris Agreement or any other international decision”-Elaborate

• What is net zero?

• Why is net zero important?

• How can net zero be achieved?

• Is there a global effort to reach net zero?

• Are we on track to reach net zero by 2050?

• Difference between ‘Net Zero’ and ‘Carbon Neutral’?

• For Your Information-The G7 countries put no deadline to ending the use of fossil fuels, only saying that they were committed to accelerating the phase-out of “unabated fossil fuels” in line with 1.5 degree Celsius trajectories. “Unabated” is not clearly defined; they also said they would eliminate “inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” by 2025 or earlier, without defining “inefficient subsidies”.
The G7 also claimed they had stopped financing new fossil fuel-based energy projects “except in limited circumstances”. These circumstances include the need to end the dependence on Russian gas, because of which new investments in the gas sector would be considered legitimate.

• What is G7 group?

• Who are the members of G7?

• Know the name of G7 countries

• Map Work-G7 Countries

• The G7 countries Global GDP

• G7 and India-Know in Brief

• Know the difference between G7 and G20

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍PM at G7: Raise voice against unilateral change in status quo

As prices fall, sunflower blooms

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Main Examination:General Studies III: Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Few commodities have witnessed as much price volatility over the last 2-3 years as edible oils. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s global vegetable oils price index (2014-16 base period value = 100) plunged to a low of 77.8 points in May 2020 at the height of the worldwide Covid lockdowns. It soared to an all-time-high of 251.8 in March 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But by April 2023, it was down to a 29-month-low of 130 points.

• What is Black Sea grain Treaty?

• What’s the deal?

• Map Work-Black Sea

• Why grain deal is rebuked by Russia?

• What has been exported?

• What does this translate into for India?

• Which country India is importing sunflower oil?

• Do You Know-India consumes 23.5-24 million tonnes (mt) of cooking oil annually, out of which 13.5-14 mt is imported and the balance 9.5-10 mt produced from domestically cultivated seed.
Sunflower is the fourth largest consumed oil (2-2.5 mt), behind mustard (3-3.5 mt), soyabean (4.5-5 mt) and palm (8-8.5 mt). Both sunflower and palm oil are almost wholly imported, with their domestic production at hardly 50,000 tonnes and 0.3 mt respectively. This is unlike mustard and soyabean, where the share of domestic output are close to 100% and 30-32% respectively.

• How much sunflower oil is consumed in India?

• For Your Information-Roughly 70% of the country’s sunflower oil consumption is in the South, with Maharashtra (10-15%) and other states making up the rest. One reason for this geographical skew has to do with sunflower being traditionally grown in Karnataka, Telangana, and Maharashtra.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍The other oil

BAKHMUT

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination:General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Ukraine’s President Vlodymyr Zelensky, who is currently at the G7 summit in Japan, on Sunday (May 21) denied claims of the mercenary Wagner Group and Russia that said they have captured the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine. Responding to a reporter’s question about the status of the city, Zelensky said: “Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation as of today.” “We are not throwing people (away) to die,” he added, according to the Associated Press. The President made the comment hours after Western media outlets, such as Reuters, reported that he had “acknowledged the loss of the city”. As per the Reuters report, when he was asked if Ukraine still controls Bakhmut, Zelenskyy replied, “I think no.”

• Map Work- Bakhmut

• What is the significance of Bakhmut?

• Do You Know-Located in Ukraine’s Donetsk province, Bakhmut has been a site of fierce fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian forces for over nine months. If Bakhmut has been captured, it’s an enormous morale boost for Russian troops as they haven’t made any significant gains since mid-2022. Ukraine, meanwhile, might have lost the city but it hopes that the prolonged battle over the city has hampered Moscow’s ability to conduct its own offensive operations, and exhausted its military and supplies.

Map of Bakhmut, Ukraine.

• What would the fall of Bakhmut mean for Ukraine?

• What would the capture of Bakhmut mean for Russia?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Zelenskyy refutes Russia’s Bakhmut capture claims as G7 comes to an end

As DK Shivakumar becomes Karnataka Dy CM, recalling history of post

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination:General Studies II: Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- D K Shivakumar was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka on Saturday after the Congress resolved his contest with Siddaramaiah for the chief ministership in favour of the latter.

• What is the post of Deputy CM?

• What are the powers to deputy CM in India?

• Do You Know-Article 163(1) of the Constitution says “there shall be a Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions”. Neither Article 163 nor Article 164 (“Other provisions as to Ministers”), sub clause (1) of which says “the Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister”, mentions a Deputy Chief Minister. The post of Deputy CM is understood as being equivalent in rank to that of Cabinet Minister (in the state). The Deputy CM enjoys the same pay and perks as a Cabinet Minister.

• “A long standing feature of Indian politics, the appointment of a Deputy Chief Minister represents a political compromise that often follows the formation of a coalition government, or when no single leader commands unchallenged authority in the party in power, and loyalty across all the key interest groups in the state”-Analyse

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍‘Will share power with people of Karnataka’: Congress announces Siddaramaiah as CM, Shivakumar his only deputy

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