11-05-2021

11-MAY-2021

The Hindu News Analysis – 11th May 2021 – Shankar IAS Academy
S. Page Number*
News Articles
No. C B D H T

1 Past year Preliminary Questions Session Prelims 2020

2 Pakistan government to set new rules to meet FATF requirements 11 11 13 11 11

3 Adhikari elected Leader of Opposition 9 9 9 9 9

4 SEBI’s sustainability reporting norms mandate ESG overview 12 12 14 12 12

5 Decoding inequality in a digital world (Editorial) 6 6 6 6 6

6 On the edge (Editorial) 6 6 6 6 6

7 Prelims Practice Questions

@ end of the video
8 Mains Practice Questions
*C – Chennai; B – Bengaluru; D – Delhi; H – Hyderabad; T – Thiruvananthapuram

1
 11-05-2021

Previous Year Question – Prelims 2020 Biofuels

Q. According to India’s National Policy on Biofuels, • Any hydrocarbon fuel - produced from organic
which of the following can be used as raw matter in short period of time.
materials for the production of biofuels?
• Solid, liquid or gaseous.
1. Cassava
2. Damaged wheat grains • Replace or used in addition to diesel, petrol
or other fossil fuels - transport and other
3. Groundnut seeds
applications.
4. Horse gram
• Generate heat and electricity.
5. Rotten potatoes
6. Sugar beet • National Policy on Biofuels - Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy.
Select the correct answer using the code given
below: • National Policy on Biofuels (2018) - Sugarcane
(a) 1, 2, 5 and 6 only Juice, Sugar Beet, Sweet Sorghum, Corn,
(b) 1, 3, 4 and 6 only
(c) 2, 3, 4 and 5 only Cassava, Damaged food grains like wheat,
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 broken rice, Rotten Potatoes.

2
 11-05-2021

Hundi

Previous Year Question – Prelims 2020 • Financial instruments - Medieval India.

Q. Which of the following phrases defines the • Trade and credit transactions.
nature of the ‘Hundi’ generally referred to
 Remittance instruments.
in sources of the Post Harsha period?
 Credit instruments.
(a) An advisory issued by the king to his
subordinates  Bills of exchange.

(b) A diary to be maintained for daily • Hundi - unconditional order in writing made
routine by a person directing another to pay a
(c) A bill of exchange certain sum of money to a person named in

(d) An order from the feudal lord to his the order.

subordinates • No legal status and not covered under the
Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.

Parliamentary system

Previous Year Question – Prelims 2020 • Constitution of India - parliamentary form of

Q. A parliamentary system of government is
one which
(a) All political parties in the parliament
are represented in the government
government.
• Articles 74 and 75 - Centre;
Articles 163 and 164 - states.
• Executive is responsible to the legislature.

(b) The government is responsible to the • Cabinet government/responsible government/

Parliament and can be removed by it Westminster model of government - Britain,

(c) The government is elected by the Japan, Canada, India.

people and can be removed by them • Collective Responsibility - bedrock principle of

(d) The government is chosen by the parliamentary government.
parliament but cannot be removed by • Ministers are collectively responsible to the
it before completion of a fixed term Parliament in general and to the Lok Sabha
in particular (Article 75).

3
 11-05-2021

Previous Year Question – Prelims 2020 Emperor Ashoka

Q. Who among the following rulers advised • Maurya dynasty - converted to Buddhism.
his subjects through this inscription?  Horrific effects of war in Kalinga.
“Whoever praises his religious sect or
 Champion and patron of Buddhism.
blames other sects out of excessive
devotion to his own sect, with the view of • Erected pillars and edicts - all over
glorifying his own sect, he rather injures subcontinent.
his own sect very severely”
 Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
(a) Ashoka
• Rock edicts - public places and trade routes.
(b) Samudragupta
• FOURTEEN ROCK EDICTS - Major Rock
(c) Harshavardhana
Edicts.
(d) Krishnadevaraya

Major Rock Edict XII

Growth in essentials of all religions can be done in different ways, but all of them
have as their root restraint in speech, that is, not praising one's own religion, or
condemning the religion of others without good cause. And if there is cause for
criticism, it should be done in a mild way. But it is better to honor other religions
for this reason. By so doing, one's own religion benefits, and so do other religions,
while doing otherwise harms one's own religion and the religions of others. Whoever
praises his own religion, due to excessive devotion, and condemns others with the
thought "Let me glorify my own religion," only harms his own religion.

4
 11-05-2021

Pg: 11 – C, B, H, T
Pg: 13 – D

5
 11-05-2021

FATF

• Global money laundering and terrorist financing

Part A—Preliminary Examination
watchdog.
Paper I - (200 marks)
• Initiative of the G7 - Canada, France, Germany,
 Current events of national and international
Italy, Japan, U.K. and USA.
importance.
Part B—Main Examination • FATF - inter-governmental body which sets up
PAPER-III international standards

General Studies-II: Governance, Constitution, • Prevent the illegal activities of money laundering
Polity, Social Justice and International Relations. and terrorist financing.
• Important International Institutions, agencies and
• Generate the necessary political - National
fora - their Structure, Mandate.
legislative and regulatory reforms.

• Secretariat - OECD headquarters in Paris.

• 39 members, European Commission and Gulf

Cooperation Council.

Functions Lists

• FATF Recommendations/FATF Standards - ensure • Grey List.

coordinated global response to prevent  Countries - safe haven for supporting

organized crime, corruption and terrorism. terror funding and money laundering.

• Help authorities go after the money of criminals  "Other monitored jurisdictions”.

dealing in illegal drugs, human trafficking.
 Pakistan
• Stop funding for weapons of mass destruction.  Extremely difficult to get financial aid.
• Reviews money laundering and terrorist  Introduce new rules relating to anti-
financing techniques. money laundering cases and change the
prosecution process.
• Continuously strengthens its standards to address
new risks - regulation of virtual assets.  Transfer investigations & prosecution of
anti-money laundering (AML) cases from
• Monitors countries to ensure they implement the
police, provincial anti-corruption
FATF Standards fully and effectively.
establishments to specialized agencies.

6
 11-05-2021

• Black List.

 "Call for action”.

 Non-cooperative in the global effort to Practice Question – Mains

combat money laundering and the financing
GS – II
of terrorism.
Q. Critically analyze the role and
 Iran and North Korea.
effectiveness of FATF (Financial Action
 May be subject to economic sanctions by a Task Force) in combating the financing of
member of FATF. terrorism.

 More levels of scrutiny by banks.

(250 words, 15 marks)

 Set policies around trade and economic

involvement with blacklisted nations.

Pg: 9 – C, B, H, T, D

7
 11-05-2021

Leader of the Opposition (Parliament)

• ‘Shadow Cabinet’
• Each House of Parliament - ‘Leader of the
 British political system
Opposition’.
 Formed by Opposition party to balance the
• Leader of largest Opposition party having not
ruling cabinet.
less than one-tenth seats of the total
strength of the House.  Prepare its members for future ministerial
offices.
• Constructive criticism of the policies of govt
and to provide an alternative govt.  Almost every member in the ruling cabinet is
‘shadowed’ by a corresponding member in the
• Statutory recognition.
opposition cabinet.
• Entitled to salary, allowances and other
 ‘Alternate cabinet’ - change of government.
facilities equivalent to that of a cabinet
minister.  Ivor Jennings - ‘alternative Prime Minister’

• USA - ‘minority leader’.  Status of a minister, paid by the govt.

Leader of the Opposition (State)

• Important functionary of Legislative assembly

and legislative councils.

• Status of minister. • Escorting the Speaker-elect to the rostrum.

• Leader of Largest Opposition party - not less • Seat in front row at the time of Address by
than one-tenth seats of the total strength of the Governor.
the House.

• Raises matters of public importance.

• Extends cooperation to Speaker in conducting

the business of the House.

• Provided a seat in the front row in the

Assembly.

8
 11-05-2021

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Consider the following statements:
1. In the Lok Sabha, a “Leader of the
Opposition” was recognized for the
first time in 1969.
2. In the Lok Sabha, if a party does not
have a minimum of 75 members, its
leader cannot be recognized as the
Leader of Opposition.
Which of the above statements is/are
correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Pg: 12 – C, B, H, T
Pg: 14 – D

9
 11-05-2021

Sustainability reporting
BRSR format
• Disclosure and communication of environmental,
• Replaces the existing Business Responsibility
social, and governance (ESG) goals and a
Report.
company’s progress towards them.
• Seeks disclosures from listed entities -
• Benefits
performance against the 9 principles of the
 Improved corporate reputation ‘National Guidelines on Responsible Business

 Building consumer confidence Conduct’.

 Overview of material, environmental, social,

 Increased innovation
governance risks and opportunities
 Improvement of risk management.
 Provide approach to mitigate or adapt to
• SEBI’s new format for the ESG reporting - the risks along with financial implications.
Business responsibility and sustainability
report (BRSR) format.

• Social-related disclosures will cover the

• Benefits:
1. Workforce and value chains - gender and
 Disclosures helpful for investors to make
social diversity of employees, occupational
better investment decisions.
health and safety etc.
 Enable companies to engage more meaningfully
2. Communities - CSR etc.
with their stakeholders - focus towards social
3. Consumers - complaints w.r.t data privacy and environmental impacts.
and cybersecurity etc.
• Internationally accepted reporting frameworks:
• Reporting under each principle:
1. GRI - Global Reporting Initiative - most
 Essential indicators - mandatory commonly used reporting framework globally.

 Leadership indicators - voluntary 2. Sustainability Accounting Standards Board

standards (SASB standards).
• Applicable from the financial year 2022-2023.
3. Task Force on Climate-related Financial
• Purpose - to enable comparability across
Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations.
companies, sectors and time.

10
 11-05-2021

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Which among the following are functions of
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)?
1. Promoting the development of securities
market
2. Regulating the business in stock exchanges
3. Registering stock brokers and share
transfer agents
4. Prohibiting insider trader in securities.
Select the correct answer from code given
below.
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 1, 2 and 4 only
c) 2, 3 and 4 only
d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Pg: 6 – C, B, H, D, T

11
 11-05-2021

Part A—Preliminary Examination

Decoding inequality in a digital world
Paper I - (200 marks)
 Current events of national and international importance. Coronavirus pandemic:
 Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development,
Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, • Accelerated the use of digital technologies.
etc.
• Aggravated the already existing Economic
Part B—Main Examination
PAPER-III inequality.
General Studies - II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social
• Access to education, health - inequitable
Justice and International relations
 Issues relating to development and management of Social Editorial - three parts.
Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human
Resources. • Authenticity of uninterrupted education
 Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
• Challenges in the digitalization of health
 Important aspects of governance, transparency and
accountability, e-governance - applications, models,
sector.
successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters,
• Possibilities - exploitation of people’s data.
transparency & accountability and institutional and other
measures.

Education Health

• Great challenges - poor sections. • India - repeated low public spending on health

 Example - students committing suicide • Result - high share of ‘out of pocket’ health
expenditure.
• Government - no one had been deprived of
education  Direct payments made by individuals to
health care providers at the time-of-service
 27% - 60% - no access online classes for a
use
range of reasons
 2018 - OOP health expenditure in India
 Lack of devices, shared devices, and
was over 60%
inability to buy data packs.
• Ongoing shortage of essentials - drugs, hospital
 Unstable internet connectivity, absence of
beds, oxygen, vaccines etc.
a learning environment
• Solution - developing an app for allocation of
• Online education - uninterrupted one
various health services.
 Reality - only the privileged are benefitting

12
 11-05-2021

Data Privacy
• Challenge - lack of available adequate
• Digital services - infrastructure for future
resources to allocate effectively.
exploitation of people’s data.
• lack of adequate resources -
 Example - Indian government intends to create
development of a black market.
a centralized database.
• Digital “solutions” - additional burdens
• Lack of a data privacy law
 Example: booking a slot in CoWIN is
 Health records to end up with private entities
harder for those without phones,
computers and the Internet.  Weaponized against us.

• App-based solutions - exclude the poor

Conclusion
entirely or squeeze their access to
scarce health services. • To increase the health expenditure on basic health
services

• To enforce strict laws against medical malpractices

Practice Question – Mains

GS – II
Q. Automated decision-making tools
exacerbate inequalities, especially by
raising the barrier for people to receive
services they are entitled to. Comment.
(250 words, 15 marks)

13
 11-05-2021

Pg: 6 – C, B, H, T, D

News

• Need for an international pressure on Israel to

treat Palestinians with dignity

Israel - Palestine Conflict

• Britain - control over area known as Palestine.

 Jewish minority

 Arab majority.

• Task - national home in Palestine for Jewish

people.

• 1947 - Palestine to be split into separate

Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem
becoming an international city.

14
 11-05-2021

• 1948 - creation of the state of Israel.

 fighting - ceasefire the following year

 Israel controlled most of the territory.

• Jerusalem - Israeli forces in the West, and

Jordanian forces in the East.

• 1967, Israel - East Jerusalem , West Bank,

most of the Syrian Golan Heights, Gaza,
Egyptian Sinai Peninsula.

• Palestinian - Gaza and the West Bank,

Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

• Israel - threaten its existence as a Jewish

state.

• Israel

 Whole of Jerusalem as its capital,

 Past 50 years - built settlements in these

areas,

• Palestinians

 East Jerusalem as the capital of a future

Palestinian state.

• High tensions - East Jerusalem, Gaza and

the West Bank.

• Israel’s claim - resolved as part of a final

Israel-Palestine settlement.

15
 11-05-2021

Practice Question – Prelims

• Israel Q. Israel is bordered by which of the following
 Status quo through force.
countries ?
1. Lebanon
 Move to evict Palestinians - expand
Jewish settlements in the Arab
2. Jordan
neighborhoods of the Old City. 3. Saudi Arabia

 Actions - no positive improvement

4. Egypt
5. Turkey
• Need - pressurize the Israeli government
to at least treat the Palestinians with
Select the correct answer using the code given
below.
dignity.
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 2, 3 and 5 only
(d) 1, 3 and 4 only

16
 11-05-2021

Practice Question – Prelims

Q1. Consider the following statements:
1. In the Lok Sabha, a “Leader of the
Opposition” was recognized for the
first time in 1969.
2. In the Lok Sabha, if a party does not
have a minimum of 75 members, its
leader cannot be recognized as the
Leader of Opposition.
Which of the above statements is/are
correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Practice Question – Prelims

Q2. Which among the following are functions of
Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI)?
1. Promoting the development of securities
market
2. Regulating the business in stock exchanges
3. Registering stock brokers and share
transfer agents
4. Prohibiting insider trader in securities.
Select the correct answer from code given
below.
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 1, 2 and 4 only
c) 2, 3 and 4 only
d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

17
 11-05-2021

Practice Question – Prelims

Q3.Israel is bordered by which of the following
countries ?
1. Lebanon
2. Jordan
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Egypt
5. Turkey
Select the correct answer using the code given
below.
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 2, 3 and 5 only Source – Google Maps
(d) 1, 3 and 4 only

Practice Questions – Prelims

11-05-2021
Q1. A
Q2. D
Q3. B

18
 11-05-2021

Practice Question – Mains Practice Question – Mains

GS – II GS – II
Q. Automated decision-making tools Q. Critically analyze the role and
exacerbate inequalities, especially by effectiveness of FATF (Financial Action
raising the barrier for people to receive Task Force) in combating the financing of
services they are entitled to. Comment. terrorism.
(250 words, 15 marks) (250 words, 15 marks)

19