Prelim Booster News Discussion

LECTURE 11- POLITY

APRIL, 2019
 World’s highest polling station

Why In • Tashigang, a small Himachal Pradesh village has got the

News distinction of the highest polling station in the world.

Tashigang is located at an altitude of

15,256 feet.

It is located in Lahaul-Spiti and forms

part of the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, the
second largest constituency in India.
 SVEEP

• In a first of its kind initiative, 120 Community Radios attended SVEEP

Why In
Workshop of the Election Commission of India (ECI) so as to make
News them contribute their Best for Voter Education & Awareness.

Full name of SVEEP is Systematic Voters’ Education

and Electoral Participation program.

Bodies involved: It is the flagship program of the

Election Commission of India.

Programme Objective: Voter education, spreading

voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in India.
 MEDIA AND ELECTIONS

• The Press Council of India (PCI) issued guidelines for the

Why In
News
media to give objective reports about the election and
cautioned it against the phenomenon of paid news.

Do not indulge in unhealthy election campaigns,

exaggerated reports about any candidate or party during
the elections.
Do not promote reports which tend to promote feelings or
enmity or hatred between people on the grounds of
region, religion, race, caste, community or language.

Refrain from publishing false or critical statements in

regard to the personal character and conduct of any
candidate to prejudice the prospects of that candidate in
the elections.
 MEDIA AND ELECTIONS

• Do not publish unverified allegations against any candidate or

party.
 About Press council of India (PCI)

The Press Council of India was first set up in the year 1966
by the Parliament on the recommendations of the First
Press Commission.

It is a statutory body functioning under the Press Council

Act, 1978.

Objective: Preserving the freedom of the press and of

maintaining and improving the standards of press in India.

Function: It is a quasi-judicial authority. It adjudicates the

complaints against and by the press for violation of ethics
and for violation of the freedom of the press respectively.
 About Press council of India (PCI)
Funding:

• The Council is funded by the revenue collected by it as fee levied on the

registered newspapers in the country on the basis of their circulation. No fee
is levied on newspapers with circulation less than 5000 copies.
• The deficit is made good by way of grant by the Central Government.

Structure:

• Chairman: The Press Council is headed by a Chairman, who has by

convention, been a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India.
• Members: The Council consists of 28 other members of whom
• 20 represent the press and are nominated by the press organisations/news
agencies,
• 5 members are nominated from the two Houses of Parliament and
• 3 represent cultural, literary and legal fields as nominees of the Sahitya
Academy, University Grants Commission and the Bar Council of India.
 Question

Consider the following about the Press Council of India.

1. It is a statutory quasi-judicial autonomous authority
2. The Chairman must be a former head of a public broadcasting unit.
3. University Grants Commission and Sahitya Akademi are given
representation in the
council.
Select the correct answer using the codes below.
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1 only
 Question

D. 1 only
 ‘Veer Parivar App’

• President Ram Nath Kovind recently launched ‘Veer

Why In
News Parivar App’, a mobile application for families of CRPF
personnel killed in the line of duty.

The application will act as an interface between the

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) authorities and
the next of kin of the slain personnel.

It will render all assistance to the families of the

martyred CRPF personnel with regard to issuance
of ex gratia, pensionary benefits and all
information regarding the welfare schemes
introduced for them by the government.
 ‘Veer Parivar App’

The assistance will be provided to the families on a real-time basis.

The CRPF headquarters in Delhi and various group centres across the
country will respond to these issues.
The Android-based app will be installed by the force’s officials
securely on the phone of the families and will not be available over
the app stores.
 Questionnaire for Census 2021

• A Data Users’ Conference was held in New Delhi to

Why In
News deliberate on strategy and questionnaire for Census
2021.

For the first time in the 140 year long Census exercise
in India, data is proposed to be collected through a
mobile app.
According to Registrar General of India users will
finalize the strategy and questionnaire for the Census
2021.
To serve this purpose data user’s conference, the first
formal interaction of the census organization with
various stakeholders was held in Delhi.
 Questionnaire for Census 2021

The reference date for data collection is 1st October 2020 for Jammu
& Kashmir and snow bound areas of Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand
while for the rest of country the reference date is 1st March 2021.

Census in India

• It is conducted in every 10 years.

• It started in 1872.
• Census 2011 data was released on 31st March 2011 by Union
Home Secretary and RGCCI (Registrar General and Census
Commissioner of India) of India.
• Census 2011 was the 15th census of India & 7th census after
Independence.
 Question

Decennial Census exercises in India are conducted and

administered under?
A. Ministry of Planning
B. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
C. Ministry of Home Affairs
D. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
 Question

Correct Answer : C
 Pathalgadi Movement

The Pathalgadi movement was started by tribal groups to resist the

plundering of tribal rights by the state and union governments.

Pathalgadi participants plant a stone order in the tribal villages of

Jharkhand, which dismiss the authority of the central or the state
governments on their villages.

Pathalgadis have their presence in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha

and parts of West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.

The Pathalgadis call themselves the followers of Sati Pati cult of

Gujarat, Sati refers to mother and Pati to father.

The cult claims that the tribals were given rights over rivers, forest
land and forest produce by Queen Victoria.
 Home Expo India 2019

• The 8thedition of HOME EXPO INDIA 2019 has been

Why In
News
organized by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts in
Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

• It has been organized by the Export Promotion

Council for Handicrafts (EPCH).

Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts

• It is an apex body of handicrafts exporters for

promotion of exports of Handicrafts from the country.
• It is a non-profit organization which was established
under the Companies Act in the year 1986-87.
 Asian Tea Alliance (ATA)

Why In • The Asian Tea Alliance (ATA), a union of five tea-growing and
News consuming countries, was launched in Guizhou in China.

Members of the alliance: Indian Tea Association,

China Tea Marketing Association, Indonesian Tea
Marketing Association, Sri Lanka Tea Board and
Japan Tea Association.

Mandate: Enhancing tea trade, cultural

exchanges, technology exchanges as well as
enhancing global consumption of tea, while
creating a sustainability agenda for the future of
Asian tea.
 Asian Tea Alliance (ATA)

Background: The forging of this alliance comes in the aftermath of the

signing of a MoU in December 2018 between the Indian Tea Association
and China Tea Marketing Association to promote green and black tea
consumption in major tea markets of Europe, the U.S., Russia and West
Asia, besides India and China.

Tea Board of India:

• It is a statutory body established in 1954 under the Tea Act in 1953.

• Objective: To promote the cultivation, processing, and domestic
trade as well as export of tea from India.
• Parent Ministry: Union Ministry of Commerce.
• HQ: Kolkata.
 SAECK

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has so far distributed

Why In
News
over 3,100 Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits (SAECK)
among the States and Union Territories.

Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits (SAECK) is

also known as ‘rape investigation kits’.

Function: Using these, police can collect blood

and semen samples, besides other evidence, to
carry out immediate medico-legal investigation
and aid in furnishing evidence in sexual assault
cases.
 SAECK

The SAECKs were procured with financial support under the

central government's 'Nirbhaya Fund', which was named after
the 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim.

Guidelines: The Directorate of Forensic Sciences (DFSS), a wing of

the Home Ministry, has issued two guidelines –
- one for investigators and prosecutors for collection, storage and
transportation of forensic evidence in sexual assault cases;
- and the second for medical officers dealing with sexual assault
cases.
 Animal Cruelty Issues transferred to Farm Ministry

Context
• Recently the Central Government
has transferred administrative
control and matters concerning cow
shelters, Prevention of cruelty to
animals and its governing laws,
from MoEF&CC to Ministry of
Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare

• Prevention of Cruelty to Animals It was transferred to the Ministry of

Act (PCA) was originally
administered by the Ministry of
Agriculture after being enacted in
1960
Environment later when the government
felt that the law that regulates animal
agriculture should be kept at an arm’s
length distance from the ministry whose
sole purpose is to increase production.
 Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960

• It was enacted to prevent the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering

on animals and to amend the laws relating to the prevention of cruelty to
animals.
• The Animal Welfare Board of India was formed under this Act.
• Section 22 of the PCA Act restricts the exhibition and training of
performing animals - as per the list maintained by the central
government.
• MoEF published Gazette notifications under the PCA Act, in 2017, to
regulate dog breeders, animal markets, and aquarium and pet fish shop
owners.
• Central Government also brought out Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(Regulation of Livestock Market) Rules, 2017 which imposes ban of sale
of cattle in animal markets for the purpose of slaughter.
 Electoral Bonds Scheme

Context
• Supreme Court of India in its
interim order has asked all political
parties to disclose, the details of the
donations received by them
through anonymous electoral
bonds, in sealed covers to the
Election Commission of India.
Electoral Bonds Scheme
 Electoral Bonds Scheme

• The scheme introduced that the a party registered under the

Representation of People’s act, 1951 and securing not less than one
percent of the votes polled in the preceding election is entitled to receive
the electoral bonds.
• Electoral Bonds may be purchased by only citizen of India.

• An individual can buy Electoral Bonds, either singly or jointly with

other individuals.

• The bonds can only be encashed by an eligible political party only

through a bank account with the authorized bank.
 Electoral Bonds Scheme

• Electoral Bonds are valid for fifteen calendar days from the date of
issue.
• If the Electoral Bond is deposited after expiry of the validity period, no
payment is made to any Political Party.
• The Electoral Bond deposited by an eligible Political Party in its account
is credited on the same day.

• The bonds are issued in multiples of 1000, 10000, 1lakh, 10 lakh, 1 crore.
• The cash donation has been capped at Rs. 2000 and beyond that
donations are via electoral bonds.
 Lateral Entry

Context
• The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has selected nine
professionals to work in the capacity of joint secretaries in the
Government of India.
 Lateral Entry

• Lateral Entry refers to the direct induction of domain experts at the

middle or senior levels of administrative hierarchy, rather than only
appointing regular recruits through promotion.
1. The debate of generalists vs. specialists has been an old one in the
discussions of governance reforms.
2. Various professionals, commissions and political commentators have
prescribed Lateral Entry.
3. Earlier in India, experts have been brought by the Government of
India, at specific posts such as the Reserve Bank of India, Chief
Economic Advisor, NITI Aayog among others. But till now it has not
become an institutionalised mechanism of recruitment.
 Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) Verification

Context
• The Supreme Court recently
increased Voter Verified
Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT)
verification to five random
Electronic Voting Machines
(EVMs) in each Assembly
segment/constituency “to
ensure the greatest degree of
accuracy, satisfaction in
election process
 Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) Verification
• Earlier, under the ECI guidelines, only the VVPAT slips from one EVM
in every Assembly segment/constituency was subjected to physical
verification.
• Recently, 21 Opposition parties appealed for VVPAT verification in 50%
or 125 polling booths in each constituency due to the glitches observed in
the VVPAT machines in various assembly elections.
• However, ECI pointed out various issues in implementation of 50%
verification such as:
1. VVPAT counting is a manual job and the risk of error multiplies with
an increase in human intervention.
2. Increased VVPAT slip counting would require extensive training and
capacity building of election officials in the field.
3. The results of elections would be delayed by six days if the Opposition
parties’ demand is met.