DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam –12th June 2024

Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – POLITY

Context: As the 18th Lok Sabha prepares to meet, the TDP and JD(U), key allies of the BJP in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), are said to be jockeying for the post of Speaker.

Background:-

• After a pro tem or temporary Speaker administers the oath to new members, the Speaker is chosen to be the Presiding Officer of the House.

About Speakers post

• The Speaker has a key role in parliamentary democracy. The Constitution of India provides for the offices of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker who, according to Article 93, are to be elected “as soon as may be” after the commencement of the House.
• The Speaker is elected by a simple majority in the House. The term ends with the dissolution of the House, unless the Speaker resigns or is removed from office before that.
• A motion of no-confidence can be moved against the Speaker with notice of 14 days as per Article 94 of the Constitution. Separately, the Speaker, like any other member of the House, can face disqualification.
• There are no specific qualifications for becoming Speaker, which means any member is entitled to be considered. However, the post of Speaker is distinct from other members in the House.
• The salary of the Speaker is drawn from the Consolidated Fund of India unlike for other MPs, which flow from a statute voted on by the House itself.

Powers of the Speaker

• Conducting house: The conduct of government business is decided by the Speaker in consultation with the Leader of the House. Prior permission of the Speaker is required for members to ask a question, or to discuss any matter.
• Question and Records: The Speaker decides the admissibility of a question raised by a member, as well as how the proceedings of the House are published. The Speaker has the power to expunge, in full or in part, remarks that she may consider to be unparliamentary. Critical remarks against the ruling party may not be published if the Speaker decides to expunge them.
• Casting Vote: According to Article 100 of the Constitution, which talks about voting in the Houses, the Chairman of Rajya Sabha or Speaker of Lok Sabha, or any person acting as such, “shall not vote in the first instance, but shall have an exercise a casting vote in the case of any equality of votes”.
• No-confidence Motion: One of the most important times when a Speaker’s impartiality impacts the Opposition is when a motion of no-confidence is moved against the government.
• Disqualification of members: The Tenth Schedule or the anti-defection law, introduced to the Constitution through the Fifty-Second (Amendment) Act, 1985, gives the Speaker of the House the power to disqualify legislators who ‘defect’ from a party.
• In the landmark case Kihoto Hollohan versus Zachillhu in 1992, the Supreme Court upheld the power vested in the Speaker and said that only the final order of the Speaker will be subject to judicial review.
• In 2020, the Supreme Court had ruled that Speakers of Assemblies and Lok Sabha must decide disqualification pleas within three months except in extraordinary circumstances.

Source: Indian  Express

Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – HISTORY

Context: The Jharkhand Governor and Chief Minister recently paid tribute to tribal icon Birsa Munda on his death anniversary.

Background:

• Birsa Munda’s life and struggles are celebrated as an unparalleled example of service to the nation, and his legacy continues to inspire the ideals of patriotism and resistance against injustice.

Key Takeaways

• Birsa Munda was a folk hero and a tribal freedom fighter from the Munda tribe.
• He was born on November 15, 1875, in Ulihatu village in present-day Jharkhand.

Role in Freedom Struggle:

• He led an Indian tribal mass movement in the Bihar and Jharkhand belts in the early 19th century against British colonisation.
• He rallied the tribals to fight against the forceful land grabbing carried out by the British government.

Birsa Munda Revolt:

• The Birsa Munda revolt, also known as the Munda Rebellion or Ulgulan (meaning ‘The Great Tumult’), was a significant tribal uprising against British colonial rule in India.
• It took place in the late 19th century, primarily in the Munda belt of Khunti, Tamar, Sarwada, and Bandgaon regions
• In response to the introduction of the Zamindari system in tribal areas, Birsa Munda declared “Ulgulan”, or revolt, against the British and the Dikus (outsiders) in 1894.

Religious Influence:

• He created a faith called ‘Birsait’ and propagated the principles of Hindu religion.
• Known as ‘Dharti Abba’ or the Earth Father, Birsa Munda stressed the need for the tribals to study their own religion and not forget their cultural roots.
• Legacy:
  • His struggle against exploitation and discrimination against tribals led to the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act being passed in 1908.
  • The act restricted the passing on of land from the tribal people to non-tribals.
  • The state of Jharkhand was created on his birth anniversary in 2000.
• Death:
  • He died on June 9, 1900, at the age of 25.

Source: Hindustan Times

Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – Government schemes

Context: A new quantum computing study claims that a recent finding in the production, storage and retrieval of “quantum data” has brought us one step closer to the quantum internet.

Background:

• The study, conducted by researchers from Imperial College London, the University of Southampton, and the Universities of Stuttgart and Wurzburg in Germany, utilized a specialized photon source to achieve this feat.

About QUANTUM DATA

• Quantum data refers to information stored and processed using the principles of quantum mechanics.
• Unlike classical data, which is represented by binary states (0s and 1s), quantum data is represented by quantum bits or qubits.
• Qubits can exist in multiple states simultaneously due to a property called superposition, and they can be entangled with other qubits, allowing for a kind of interconnectedness and correlation that classical bits cannot achieve.
• Applications of Quantum Data:
• Cryptography: Quantum key distribution (QKD) leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to create secure communication channels that are theoretically immune to eavesdropping.
• Optimization problems: Quantum algorithms can potentially solve complex optimization problems more efficiently than classical algorithms.
• Simulating Quantum Systems: Quantum computers can simulate other quantum systems, which is useful for understanding chemical reactions, materials science, and fundamental physics.

Source: Live Science

Syllabus

• Prelims – POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

Context: The Delhi High Court has recently made a significant ruling regarding the jurisdiction of the Central Information Commission (CIC) over the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds.

Background:

• The court ruled that the Central Information Commission does not have the authority to comment on the utilization of MPLADS funds by Members of Parliament.

About CENTRAL INFORMATION COMMISSION (CIC):

• The Central Information Commission (CIC) is a statutory body in India, established under the provisions of the Right to Information Act (2005).
• It is not a constitutional body.
• It functions as the overseer for implementing the RTI Act in the organizations of the Central Government as well as Union Territories (UTs).
• Composition:
  • The Central Information Commission consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information Commissioners.
  • They are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of:
  • The Prime Minister as the Chairperson,
  • The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and
  • A Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
• Qualifications of Members:
  • The Chief Information Commissioner and the Information Commissioners should be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in Law, Science, and Technology, Social service, Management, Journalism, Mass media, Administration and governance.
• Tenure of Members:
  • The tenure of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners in India has been a subject of change.
  • As per the latest information, the tenure has been reduced from the earlier five years to now three years, or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
  • This amendment aligns with the government’s effort to reform the functioning of the CIC under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
  • It’s important to note that they are not eligible for reappointment after their tenure ends.
• Responsibility:
  • The CIC acts upon complaints received from individuals who have been unable to submit requests of information to a Central or State Public Information Officer due to either the officer not having been appointed, or the respective officer refused to entertain the application under the Right to Information Act (RTI Act).

Source: Live Law

Syllabus

• Prelims – Current Event

Context: The President of Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu, was one of seven leaders from India’s neighbourhood who attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in at Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 9.

Background:

• Muizzu’s presence was significant, given the way he has positioned himself politically vis à vis India, and the crucial strategic aspect to the India-Maldives relationship.

About INDIA MALDIVES RELATIONS

• Muizzu came to power on November 17 last year on an ‘India Out’ plank.
• The India Out campaign had begun in 2020 as the Maldives opposition’s protest against then President Ibrahim Solih’s policies that were perceived to be friendly towards New Delhi, but had soon turned into a movement against India’s alleged military presence in the archipelago, which both the Solih government and India denied.
• Muizzu demanded the withdrawal of all Indian military personnel from Maldives. Consequently, the final batch of Indian soldiers — who were stationed in the Maldives to operate and maintain two helicopters and three Dornier aircraft India had previously gifted to the country were replaced by civilians in May.
• Like his mentor, former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, under whose rule (2013-18) the India-Maldives relationship deteriorated severely, Muizzu has openly aligned his country with China, India’s geopolitical rival in the Indian Ocean.
• The Chinese influence in the Maldives has increased steadily over the past couple of decades.
• The island nation is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which has led to an influx of Chinese money and a strengthening of the relationship between the two countries — at the expense of India.
• For India, the Maldives is a crucial ally, important to secure its maritime periphery and to keep an eye on the larger Indian Ocean region where China is making aggressive moves.
• Regardless of Muizzu’s pro-China, anti-India posturing, the Maldives cannot simply “let go” of India. It is heavily dependent on Indian imports in almost all important sectors, from food to life-saving medicines, and aircraft used in search and rescue missions.
• At a time when relations between India and the Maldives are at a low, Muizzu’s visit sends an encouraging signal. Some groundwork for a reset in the relationship has been done over the past couple of months.
• In April, India approved the highest-ever export quotas for essential commodities — eggs, potatoes, onions, sugar, rice, wheat flour and pulses, river sand and stone aggregates — to Maldives for 2024-25 under a unique bilateral mechanism that has been in effect since 1981.
• Significance of Maldives for India:
  • Maldives’ proximity to the west coast of India, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean imbues it with significant strategic importance to India. The security scenario in India’s periphery in the Indian Ocean is very much linked to the maritime strength of Maldives.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus

• Mains – GS 3

Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced new rules and regulations to enhance the scope of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments.

Background:

• The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), used for immediate money transfers through mobile devices, has become the fastest-growing payment mode in the country. Since its launch, the volume of digital transactions in India has increased exponentially.

Unified Payments Interface (UPI):

• It was developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016 and built over Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) infrastructure.
• It powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank), merging several banking features e.g., transfer of funds, etc.
• It is designed to enable peer-to-peer inter-bank transfers through a single two-click factor authentication process.

Features of Unified Payments Interface (UPI):

• It simplifies transfers using the recipient’s UPI ID, be it a mobile number, QR code, or Virtual Payment Address, eliminating account numbers.
• Earlier, only the deposited amount could be transacted through the UPI System. But now using the credit line on UPI enables pre-sanctioned credit lines from banks via UPI.
• It eliminates the need to enter bank details or other sensitive information each time a customer initiates a transaction.
• It enhances cross-operability, enabling 24/7 transactions.
• It uses technologies like the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) and the Aadhaar-Enabled Payment System (AEPS) to ensure that payments between accounts go smoothly.
• The users can both send and receive money offline through any compatible device that supports Near Field Communication (NFC) using UPI Lite X.
• It facilitates push (pay) and pull (receive) transactions and even works for over-the-counter or barcode payments, as well as for multiple recurring payments such as utility bills, school fees, and other subscriptions.
• UPI Tap and Pay allows NFC-enabled QR codes at merchants to complete payments, with a single tap without entering the PIN.

Concerns/Issues/Challenges associated with UPI:

• Expanding UPI to accommodate a global user base will require adhering to data protection, financial laws, and regulations of different countries posing regulatory and compliance challenges.
• The recent Parliamentary panel’s report, titled ‘Digital Payment and Online Security Measures for Data Protection’ recently highlights that foreign entities like PhonePe and Google Pay dominate the Indian fintech sector. For example, the market share of PhonePe is 46.91% and Google Pay is 36.39% in terms of the transaction volume in October-November 2023, whereas for BHIM UPI it is 0.22%.
• UPI faces various threats by cybercriminals who may exploit vulnerabilities in the system or use social engineering techniques to gain access to sensitive information leading to financial losses.
• UPI poses a significant challenge for cross-border transactions that includes managing currency conversion and exchange rates while facilitating payments and loading money into the wallet.
• UPI remains a barrier to its widespread adoption especially among individuals with a lack of familiarity with digital payments, leading to financial fraud.

Source: NDTV

Q1.) With reference to the Birsa Munda, consider the following statements:

1. He led an Indian tribal mass movement in the Bihar and Jharkhand belts in the early 19th century against British colonisation.
2. His struggle against exploitation and discrimination against tribals led to the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act being passed in 1908.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Q2.) With reference to the Quantum data, consider the following statements:

1. Quantum data refers to information stored and processed using the principles of quantum mechanics.
2. Quantum data is represented by quantum bits or qubits.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Q3.) With reference to the Central Information Commission (CIC), consider the following statements:

1. The Central Information Commission is established under the provisions of the Right to Information Act 2005.
2. It consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information Commissioners.
3. The members of the CIC are appointed by the are appointed by the President of India.

How many of the statements given above are not correct?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. All three
4. None

Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!!

ANSWERS FOR ’  12th June 2024 – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs.st

Q.1) – c

Q.2) – c

Q.3) – c