InstaLinks : help you think beyond the issue but relevant to the issue from UPSC prelims and Mains exam point of view. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background. This helps you study a topic holistically and add new dimensions to every current event to help you think analytically
Table of Contents:
GS Paper 2:
1. Review plea on PMLA
2. Disqualification Proceedings
3. Joint River Commission meeting
GS Paper 3:
1. ‘One Nation One Fertiliser’
2. Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022
GS Paper 4:
1. Role of media in curbing misinformation
Facts for Prelims:
1. Anang Tal lake declared monument of national importance
2. Chola Era Idols
3. Labour Codes empower workers: PM
4. e-SHRAM Portal
5. Right of Way Rules Amended for Faster 5G Roll-out
6. ANPR cameras
7. African nations offer India lithium as repayment for aid
8. India poised to become next global SaaS capital
9. Gene CSA6
10. Nepal suspends Gorkha recruitment for Indian Army
11. Yudh Abhyas joint exercise
Syllabus: State legislature-Structure, functioning and conduct of business, powers and privileges etc
Source: The Hindu
Context:
What is an ‘office of profit’?
What are the basic criteria to disqualify an MP or MLA?
SC judgments:
Insta Links:
Office of Profit
Mains Links:
Q. On what grounds a people’s representative can be disqualified under the Representation of People Act, 1951? Also, mention the remedies available to such a person against his disqualification. (UPSC 2019)
Prelims Links:
Which of the following is/are grounds for disqualification of an MP/MLA under the constitution:
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: (b)
Justification:
Refer to the article above
Syllabus: Bilateral, regional and global grouping, India and its neighbourhood
Source: The Hindu, Indian Express
Context:
Common rivers between India and Bangladesh:
Key Highlights:
Ganga Water Treaty 1996:
It is an agreement to share surface waters at the Farakka Barrage(on the river Ganga) near the mutual border between India and Bangladesh.
Insta Links:
Teesta river dispute
Land Boundary Agreement
Mains Link:
Q. Project ‘Mausam’ is considered a unique foreign policy initiative of the Indian Government to improve relationships with its neighbours. Does the project have a strategic dimension? Discuss. (UPSC 2015)
Prelims links:
Teesta river dispute
Land boundary agreement
Ganga and its tributaries
Rivers between India and Bangladesh
With reference to the Teesta river, consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: (c
Justification:
Syllabus: Important aspects of governance/ Internal Security
Source: Indian Express
Direction: If you are giving Mains this time, be thorough with the provisions of PMLA, has it been able to curb money laundering? What changes are required?
Context: SC has agreed to reconsider its verdict upholding two key provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act:
ECIR is the first official document recorded by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) before beginning its investigation, similar to what FIR is with police. SC in its last month’s judgement had said that ECIR cannot be equated with an FIR.
Background: The review petition, filed by parliamentarian Karti Chidambaram questioned the findings of the Supreme Court bench in its July 27 (last month) verdict.
About the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA):
PMLA was enacted in 2002 and it came into force in 2005 as a response to India’s global commitment (including the Vienna Convention) to:
PMLA (Amendment) Act, 2012:
PMLA (Amendment) Act, 2019:
Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement, etc.
Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement, etc.
IntraLinks:
PMLA
Mains Link:
Q. Critically examine the efficacy of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in holding those engaging in money laundering activities accountable before the law.
Prelims Link:
Linkt it with provisions of PMLA, what are International conventions related to it, know about Vienna convention, FATF.
Syllabus: Indian Agriculture
Source: Indian Express
Context: To bring about uniformity in fertiliser brands across the country, the government issued an order directing all companies to sell their products under a single brand name of ‘Bharat’.
About the order:
Government’s argument for introducing this scheme :
Drawbacks of the scheme:
Insta Links
Reforming the fertilizer sector
Mains Links
Q. Discuss the Fertilizer woes in Indian agriculture. Do you think Indian farmers can reduce urea use by half by 2022? Comment.
Prelims Link
In the ‘Index of Eight Core Industries’, which one of the following is given the highest weight?
(a) Coal production
(b) Electricity generation
(c) Fertilizer production
(d) Steel production
Answer: B
Refinery Products> Electricity> Steel> Coal> Crude Oil> Natural Gas> Cement> Fertilizers.
Syllabus: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, the impact of technology on environment etc
Source: PIB
Context:
Batteries covered under the new rules:
Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022:
Basel Convention: It Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal
Insta Links:
E-Waste Management Rules
Mains Link:
Q. Critically analyze the battery waste management Rules, 2022.
Prelims Links:
Which of the following is/are covered under battery waste management Rules, 2022?
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
a. 1 and 2 only
b. 1 only
c. 2 and 3 only
d. 1, 2 and 3
Ans: (d)
Justification:
Refer to the article above
Context: Google to roll out the anti-disinformation campaign in some EU countries
The campaign is designed to build resilience to anti-refugee narratives, in partnership with local NGOs, fact-checkers, academics, and disinformation experts.
Google’s Jigsaw subsidiary will launch a campaign next week to tackle disinformation in Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic about Ukrainian refugees based on research by psychologists at two British universities. Psychologists from the universities of Cambridge and Bristol have produced 90-second clips designed to “inoculate” people against harmful content on social media.
The campaign is designed to build resilience to anti-refugee narratives, in partnership with local non-government organisations, fact-checkers, academics, and disinformation experts.
The spread of misleading and fake information in the United States and Europe through social media networks has led to various governments pushing for new laws to stem disinformation campaigns.
It dates back to 1,060 AD. Anang Tal is situated to the north of Jog Maya temple and approximately 500 metres to the northwest of Qutub Complex. It was built by the 11th Century Tomar king Anang Pal Tomar.
Monuments of National Importance: Under the Ancient Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act,1958. The Central Government is authorised to maintain, protect and promote the monuments.
Source: Indian Express
Context: Tamil Nadu Idol Wing CID initiates steps to bring back 6 stolen Chola-era idols from the US. The idol belongs to Nareeswara Siv Temple (Veeracholapuram, Kallakurichi) and was built by Rajendra Chola I.
The return is possible under Mutual Legal Assitance in Criminal Matters between the US and India and ‘The Antiquities and Art Treasure Act (1972) (it makes the export of such item without licensing a criminal offence)
About Rajendra I (1012-1044 A.D.)
Source: The Hindu
Context: The PM inaugurated the two-day National Labour Conference, a meeting of Labour Ministers and Labour Secretaries from Union Territories and States in Tirupati.
About the labour codes:
The new set of regulations consolidates 44 labour laws under 4 categories of Code.
Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS): It aims to provide Rs 3 lakh crore worth of collateral-free, government-guaranteed loans to micro, small and medium enterprises(MSMEs) across India.
Context: SC has directed states to register unorganized workers on the portal within 6 weeks.
About 
Source: PIB
Context: Ministry of Communications, Electronics & IT and the Ministry of Railways has released amendment in the Indian Telegraph Right of Way (RoW) Rules, 2016 to facilitate faster and easier deployment of Telecom Infrastructure.
Right of way is the legal right, established by a grant from a landowner or long usage, to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
The “GatiShakti Sanchar” portal was launched recently for Centralised Right of Way (RoW) approvals. (under the ministry of communication)
PM Gati Shakti Scheme: It was launched in 2021, with the aim of coordinated planning and execution of infrastructure projects to bring down logistics costs.
Note: This is an old graphic ( Ravi Shankar Prasad has been replaced by Ashwini Vaishnav)
Source: Hindustan times
Context: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will install is planning to remove all the toll plazas on the national highways and rely on Automatic Number Plate Reader(ANPR) cameras.
About ANPR Cameras:
ANPR cameras will read the vehicle number plates and automatically deduct toll fees from the bank accounts of the vehicle owners.
Issues: Only those that have come after 2019 will be registered by the cameras. The government plans to come up with a scheme to replace older number plates.
Current Status:
Currently, about 97% of the total toll collection happens through FASTags — the remaining 3% pay higher than normal toll rates for not using FASTags.
Source: Live Mint
Context: India has been approached by several African countries with offers to service part of their development loans by giving access to Indian companies in their mining operations and allowing exports of highly prized lithium and cobalt.
The government has asked domestic metal and mining companies to place their interest in raw materials and other minerals that they require for manufacturing so that these could be sourced from countries where Indian lines of credit have been extended.
India extends development assistance through concessional LoC under the Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme (IDEAS).
Africa has rich deposits of oil, gas and lithium, which has become the most sought-after mineral by countries building their electric mobility infrastructure using lithium-ion batteries.
Source: Live Mint
Direction: A direct Qn was asked on SaaS in this year’s prelims.
Context: The study by CII and EY, titled — India: The next global SaaS capital — cited India is home to about 100-plus unicorns and is rapidly emerging as a hub for SaaS start-ups.
What is SaaS?
Software as a service (or SaaS) is a way of delivering applications over the Internet—as service ( freeing up the need of installing and maintaining software). It is also called Web-based Software.
Status:
What more is needed?
Factors driving SaaS in India:
With reference to “Software as a Service (SaaS)”, consider the following statements: (UPSC 2022)
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: D
All three statements are correct. SaaS allows each user to access programs via the Internet. Outlook, Hotmail or Yahoo! Mail are forms of SaaS
Source: PIB
Direction: Go through once. No need to remember.
Context: A gene called CSA6 has been identified in Candida albicans a fungal species infamous for causing high rates of morbidity and mortality under certain immuno-compromised conditions such as AIDS or during cancer treatment.
Significance: It could hold the key to preventing fungal infection Candidiasis.
Direction: Just go through once.
Source: Indian Express
Context: Nepal has stalled the recruitment of Gorkhas in the Indian Army under the Agnipath scheme, as it feels that it does not conform with provisions of the tripartite agreement signed by Nepal, India and Britain on November 9, 1947
Other concerns: There are concerns about the future of Gorkha recruits when they retire after four years, and the impact of these out-of-job young men — all in their twenties — on society.
Background:
Recruitment of Gorkhas from Nepal began in the British Indian army after the Treaty of Sagauli was signed in 1816 between the government of Nepal and the British East India Company.
Who are Gorkhas?
The name “Gurkha” comes from the hill town of Gorkha from which the Nepalese kingdom had expanded. It has been dominated by four ethnic groups- Gurungs and Magars from central Nepal, the Rais and Limbus from the east.
Related News:
Indian Army Chief, Gen Manoj Pande will receive the ‘Honorary General’ rank in Nepal Army. The practice of Army chiefs of the two countries being the Honorary General of the other side on a reciprocal basis is as old as Gorkha recruitment in the Indian Army.
Source: The Hindu
Direction: Don’t overthink such exercises. Go through it once.
Context: Citing border pacts, China objects to India-U.S. drills
The upcoming fifteenth edition of the “Yudh Abhyas” joint exercise is expected to take place next month in a high-altitude area in Uttarakhand less than 100 km from the LAC.
Argument:
About Yudh Abhyas’s joint exercise
It is one of the longest-running joint military training and defence cooperation ( started in 2004 under the US Army Pacific Partnership Program) between India and the US.
The exercise is hosted alternately between both countries.
Other India-US exercises: Exercise Vajra Prahar (Special Forces’ Exercise), Exercise Tiger Triumph (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief exercise), Cope India (Air Force), Malabar Exercise (naval exercise between QUAD countries), Red Flag (US’ multilateral air exercise).
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