Our wishes for the national success,
Be an officer and serve the Nation.
- KarpathuIAS

When change is thrust upon us by internal shifts, the contexts of our lives, or conditions in the larger world, we can show our love by ways we confront challenges together.

➖ @UPSC_2018 ➖

Complete_Winners_List_of Padma Awards 2018
==============

Padma Vibhushan
@UPSC_2018

1. Shri Illaiyaraja
Art-Music
Tamil Nadu

2. Shri Ghulam Mustafa Khan
Art-Music
Maharashtra

3. Shri Parameswaran Parameswaran
Literature and Education
Kerala

Padma Bhushan

4. Shri Pankaj Advani
SportsBilliards/Snooker
Karnataka

5. Shri Philipose Mar Chrysostom
Others-Spiritualism
Kerala

6. Shri Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Sports-Cricket
Jharkhand

7. Shri Alexander Kadakin
(Foreigner/Posthumous)
Public Affairs
Russia

8. Shri Ramachandran Nagaswamy
Others-Archaeology
Tamil Nadu

9. Shri Ved Prakash Nanda
(OCI) Literature and Education
USA

10. Shri Laxman Pai
Art-Painting
Goa

11. Shri Arvind Parikh
Art-Music
Maharashtra

12. Ms. Sharda Sinha
Art-Music
Bihar

Recent events in the Supreme Court

#KARPATHUIAS

The Chief Justice of India (CJI)
allegedly decides the roster the way he sees fit

But the judges next to him in seniority are equally keen that it be done the conventional way

A certain trust deficit exists within the fraternity of judges

Would NJAC Act have reduced such a possibility?

The National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) was conceived as a six-member body comprising, ex-officio, the CJI, the two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, and the Union minister of law

In addition, there were to be two eminent persons who would be selected by a committee comprising the CJI, the prime minister of India, and the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha

In the matter of the appointment of the Supreme Court and the high court judges, two members combined could exercise a veto power on a candidate

In the proposed NJAC, the judiciary, with three members in a six-member committee, where a two-member coalition can exercise a veto, would have only 50% of the voting power

Judicial primacy Vs Exclusivity

The ideal of judicial primacy as embodied in Articles 124 and Articles 217 of the Constitution has been lauded as a guarantor of judicial independence in appointments

Primacy should imply that if the judges are united, the candidate they back must get appointed

The ideal of judicial primacy need not be equivalent to the demand of judicial exclusivity

Judicial exclusivity refers to the exclusive right of judges to be involved in the selection process as in the current system of the collegium

Does NJAC violate judicial primacy?

 Taking into account the views and votes of entities outside the judiciary in the event the judges are disunited violates exclusivity but not primacy

In the absence of exclusivity, it is possible for a candidate not preferred by the CJI to become a judge

When consulted by the president, as required by the Constitution, the CJI would have to convey its support for a candidate not of its choice

Changes that can be made in proposed NJAC

A five-member NJAC consisting of the CJI, two Supreme Court judges, the Union law minister, and one person of eminence chosen should be considered

To preserve judicial primacy, it is best to do away with the veto altogether and allow any member to file a dissenting note

This dissent can be shared for public consumption after a certain amount of time has elapsed

Way Forward

B. R. Ambedkar had warned against the overweening influence of the executive in judicial appointments

This does not imply that executive participation should be wholly absent

The selection of the person of eminence must work on consensus to prevent the collusion of the political class

In view of allegations of corruption in the judiciary, especially related to the alleged collusion between some judges and lawyers, the relaxation of judicial exclusivity in the manner proposed allows a certain degree of social oversight on judicial appointments.

Protocol for Star Rating of Garbage-Free Cities
@UPSC_18
@UPSC_2018
#KARPATHUIAS

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched the ‘Protocol for Star Rating of Garbage-Free Cities’ in Goa. It has been developed under Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban for rating cities on 7-star rating system based on multiple cleanliness indicators for solid waste management.

Key Facts

Indicators: These include Door to Door garbage Collection, source segregation, sweeping, scientific processing of waste, bulk generator compliance, scientific land filling, construction and demolition management, plastic waste management, dump remediation & citizen grievance redressal system etc.
Rating: Cities will be rated as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 star based on their compliance with protocol conditions specified for each of rating. City will be given rating of 3 star or above only after it is declared ODF (Open Defecation Free).
Cities can self-declare themselves as 1-star, 2-star or 4-star provided that MoHUA carry out additional verification through independent third party to certify cities as 3-star, 5-star or 7-star. Cities need to get themselves recertified every year to retain their star-status.


Significance

It provides stakeholders with single metric to rate a city’s cleanliness, rather than separately evaluating multiple factors which contribute to city’s overall cleanliness and garbage free status. It will assess many cities for having higher stars as compared to only one city being “Cleanest city” under Swachh Survekshan.

What exactly happens when a Vegetable is Boiled? Why does it become soft?

#KARPATHUIAS

There are two components to vegetables that make them crisp, pectin and starch. Pectin, which is basically a type of glue and is also used in jams and jellies for structure, breaks down at 183ºF / 83ºC at a slower rate than the starch cells do. In many cases this allows for more tender vegetables that have a unique texture to them.
There's other things that go on, such as vitamins being leeched into the water, but the temperature affecting the pectin is the reason for the softness.

27 January 2018

#KARPATHUIAS

● Punjab CM Launches Benefits under 'Mahatma Gandhi Sarbat Vikas Yojana'

● India, Vietnam Release First-Ever Commemorative Stamps

● Small Finance and Payments Banks to Offer Atal Pension Yojana

● Usha Ananthasubramanian Becomes 1st Woman IBA Chief

● India to host informal WTO Ministerial gathering in March

● India, Cambodia ink four pacts to strengthen bilateral ties

● Kerala Literature Festival from February 8

● GST on houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna reduced to 8%

● Federal Bank stated that Abhaya Prasad Hota has joined its board as an independent director.

● Delhi wins maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

● Caroline Wozniacki beats Simona Halep to win Australian Open

● Union Government announces PMs Shram Awards for 2016 to 50 workers

● WEF launches Global Centre for Cybersecurity

● India gifts ambulances, educational materials to Nepal

● Maharashtra Government comes up with helipad policy

● Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat launched in Jharkhand

● Chinese scientists clone monkeys for the first time

● Indian Railways has launched a one-of-its-kind touch-screen kiosk as a single-point inquiry station at New Delhi railway station.

● Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw ,Rajiv Lall have been appointed to the board of US India Business Council for 2018.

● Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur launched the women's safety app 'Shakti'.

● India's first floating market is now open in Kolkata's Patuli area in West Bengal

● The leaders of India and ASEAN agreed to boost their maritime ties at a summit in New Delhi.

ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit Issues Delhi Declaration

● The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit was held in New Delhi to praise the 25th commemoration of the foundation of sectoral discourse between two sides under the topic of “Shared Values, Common Destiny”.

● It issued joint explanation titled Delhi Declaration after the whole session concentrating on counter-psychological oppression, personality security, military participation, and reciprocal money related help.

● Key Highlights of Delhi Declaration

√ Strengthening relations:
Called for reinforcing and extending ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership for shared advantage, over the entire range of political-security, monetary, socio-social and improvement collaboration.

√ Terrorism:
Called for fortifying and expanding ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership for shared preferred standpoint, over the whole scope of political-security, money related, socio-social and change joint effort.

√ Cyber-security:
Strengthen cooperation on cyber-security capacity building and policy coordination, including through supporting the implementation of ASEAN Cybersecurity Cooperation Strategy.

√ Transnational crimes:
It called for fortifying collaboration to battle other transnational violations, including individuals carrying, trafficking in people, unlawful medication trafficking, cybercrime, and theft and furnished burglary against ships.

√ Political and Security Cooperation:
Reaffirm significance of keeping up and advancing peace, dependability, sea wellbeing and security, flexibility of route and overflight in the locale.

√ It calls for other legal employments of oceans and to advance serene resolutions of debate, as per all around perceived standards of global law, including 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

√ Economic Ties:
The two sides reaffirmed to work to additionally fortify ASEAN-India financial relations, including through full use and viable execution of ASEAN-India Free Trade Area. They additionally called for quick conclusion to complete and commonly advantageous Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2018 to additionally exchange ties. They likewise anticipate build up ASEAN-India Trade and Investment Center.

√ Physical and digital connectivity:
Reaffirmed their commitment to enhance physical and digital connectivity in line with Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and ASEAN ICT Masterplan (AIM) 2020 by availing $1-billion line of credit (LoC) announced by India. They will also work towards encouraging early completion of India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway Project and extend it to Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam.

√ Conservation and sustainable use of marine resources in Indian and Pacific Oceans and address threats to these resources including illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, loss of coastal ecosystems and the adverse impacts of pollution, marine debris and ocean acidification.

√ Maritime cooperation:
It emphasised need to promote maritime transport cooperation and encourage potential private sector participation in development of seaports, maritime logistics network and maritime services in order to create greater efficient linkages and continue discussions on these priority areas.

√ MSMEs:
It calls for promotion of stable and sustainable growth for MSMEs, including through technology transfer, as well as enhancing capacity building, technical assistance, access to innovation and opportunities to integrate into global and regional value chains were agreed upon.

√ Peaceful exploitation of outer space:
India and ASEAN countries will continue to collaborate in peaceful exploitation of outer space, through implementation of the ASEAN-India Space Cooperation Programme. It will include launching of satellites, sustainable exploitation of ground, sea, atmospheric and digital resources for equitable development of region.

SBI - STATE BANK OF INDIA

#KARPATHUIAS

State bank group means State bank of India and its associates.
- SBI previous name – “Imperial bank of India”.
o Created in – 1921 by amalgamating 3 banks – Presidency of Bengal, Bombay and Madras.
- By enacting SBI Act, 1955 the government partially nationalized imperial bank of India and renamed it as SBI.
- In 1959 – by enacting SBI (Associates) Act, 1959 the government brought 8 banks of former princely states under SBI as its associates. They were -
o State bank of Bikaner
o State bank pf Jaipur
o State bank of Hyderabad o State bank of Indore
o State bank of Mysore
o State bank of Saurasthra o State bank of Patiala
o State bank of Travancore

- State bank of Bikaner and Jaipur were merged and known as SBBJ (state bank of Bikaner and Jaipur)
- 2008 - State bank of Saurasthra was merged with state bank of India.
- Now number of associate banks is 5
- SBI – largest public sector bank in country.
- Previously RBI was having 92% share in SBI.

o To unload RBI from its administrative work and to endow it with only regulatory functions, RBI’s shareholding was transferred to government of India.

Bank rate or discount rate policy

📖 #KARPATHUIAS

• Discount means the process of converting a bill into money at an earlier date than that is mentioned in the bill of exchange (maturity date).
• The discount is carried if the receiver of the bill of exchange needs money urgently.
• In this process, the receiver can approach a bank. The bank accepts the bill of exchange
and pays. For this purpose, it can deduct some percentage of money as interest.
Example – for a bill of exchange of 2000 the bank may pay `1840 after deducting 8% interest.
• On the maturity date, the bank will receive full amount from the purchaser. But if the bank needs money urgently the bank will convert these into monies at a lesser discount rate from RBI.
• Example – at 6% the bank will receive 1880. The profit for bank is 40. This is called as rediscount. This rate is called as bank rate or discount rate. Apart from bills of exchange, the commercial banks get their government securities discounted from RBI.
• To be precise, the bank rate or the discount rate is the rate fixed by the central bank at which it rediscounts first class bills of exchange and government securities held by commercial banks.
• By varying bank rate, the RBI controls the credit. If RBI offers discount at a higher rate (increases the bank rate(BR)) the bank’s profit may be affected. So, it will not approach RBI for discounting or will charge higher discount rate from customer. So the customer may not discount his bill. Hence, the money supply will be low. The reverse is the case when RBI reduces the bank rate. So, depending on the economic condition, RBI alters the bank rate. If there is high inflation, the bank rate will be high and vice versa.

• In short – If BR↑(high) → profit of bank↓(low) → money supply↓
• If BR↓ → profit of bank ↑ → money supply↑
• The rate has direct impact on long—term lending activities of the concerned lending
bodies operating in the Indian financial system. The rate was realigned with the MSF (Marginal Standing Facility) by the RBI in February 2012.

RCEP

(1). RCEP stands for Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

(2). It is a proposed free trade agreement between countries of ASEAN(10 countries) and 6 other countries with which ASEAN has existing FTAs (including India). 

(3). 10 ASEAN nations are :

       a. Brunei, 

       b. Burma (Myanmar), 

       c. Cambodia, 

       d. Indonesia, 

       e. Laos, 

       f. Malaysia, 

       g. Philippines, 

       h. Singapore,

       i. Thailand, 

       j. Vietnam

(4). 6 Other Nations are :

       a. Australia, 

       b. China, 

       c. India, 

       d. Japan,

       e. South Korea and 

       f. New Zealand

(5). RCEP negotiations were formally launched in November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia

(6). RCEP is viewed as an alternative to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, which includes the United States but excludes China

(7). RCEP potentially includes more than 3 billion people or 45% of the world’s population, and a combined GDP of about $21.3 trillion, accounting for about 40 percent of world trade

(8). The combined GDP of potential of RCEP members surpassed the combined GDP of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) members in 2007.

OECD

(1). OECD stands for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

(2). It is an international economic organisation

(3). Established in 1961

(4). Secretariat : Paris

(5). Members : 35

(6). Latvia has joined in July, 2016

(7). Aims to stimulate economic progress and world trade

(8). Its members are committed to Democracy and Market Economy

(9). Most OECD members are high-income economies with a very high Human Development Index (HDI) and are regarded as developed countries

(10). India is not a member of OECD

IORA

(1). IORA stands for Indian Ocean Rim Association

(2). It consists of coastal states bordering the Indian Ocean

(3). The IORA is a regional forum which bring together representatives of Government, Business and Academia, for promoting co-operation and closer interaction among them

(4). 21 member states : South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, Iran, Oman, UAE, Yemen, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and Somalia.

(5). Maldives, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar are not members

(6). Secretariat of IORA is located at Ebene, Mauritius.

(7). The organisation was first established as Indian Ocean Rim Initiative in Mauritius on March 1995 and formally launched in 1997 by the conclusion of a multilateral treaty known as the Charter of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Co-operation

(8). Current chairmanship : Indonesia

(9). Factual Information:

      * The 2017 Indian-Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Summit (March 5-7, 2017) was the first IORA Summit. Held in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

      * Theme was "Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Indian Ocean"

Complete List of Important Events in 2018


10th BRICS Summit 2018 ➡ Johannesburg, South Africa.

13th G-20 summit 2018 ➡ Argentina, Buenos Aires.

44th G7 summit 2018 ➡ At Le Manoir Richelieu in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada.

ASEAN Summits 2018 ➡ Singapore

13th EAST Asia Summit 2018 ➡ At TBD Central Area, Singapore.

30th APEC Summits 2018 ➡ Papua, New Guinea port mores.

7th OPEC International Seminar 2018 ➡ Vienna, Australia.

NATO Summit 2018 ➡ Brussels, Belgium.

CHOGM Summit 2018 ➡ London, United Kingdom.

20th UN Climate Change Summit 2018 ➡ Katowice, Poland.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2018 ➡ Qingdao, China.

51st ADB Annual Meeting 2018 ➡ ADB headquarters, Manila.

4th International Conference on Yoga 2018 ➡San Diego, California, USA.

India Mobile Congress 2018 ➡ New Delhi, India

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)


(1). It is a regional intergovernmental group

(2). It deals with political and economic issues

(3). It includes all Arab states of Persian Gulf except Iraq

(4). Members:

      * Bahrain

      * Kuwait

      * Oman

      * Qatar

      * Saudi Arabia

      * UAE

(5). Established : 1981

(6). All members are monarchies