Himalayan serow spotted in Assam

Himalayan serow spotted in Assam A Himalayan mammal, somewhere between a goat and an antelope, has been confirmed as the newest creature to be spotted in Assam. The Himalayan serow, a goat-antelope, in the 950-sq.km Manas Tiger Reserve. The animal — a high-altitude dweller usually found 2,000-4,000 metres above sea level — was seen being chased by wild dogs.  The serow has been spotted for the first time in the tiger reserve or anywhere else in Assam, but “this does not mean the animal never visited our forests before. The sightings of rare animals and birds in Manas is an outcome of better access to remote parts of the protected area where extremists and hunters once ruled. “There are chances of more faunal species, found in the higher reaches, being spotted in the park.” The Reserve is contiguous with the 1,057-sq. km. Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan. The black-necked crane was also recently sighted in Manas. A pair each of such cranes was sighted on January 10 and February 18. The Buddhists revere the bird that nests in the Tawang region. Officials in Manas said the critically endangered whitebellied hero was also seen, birders had sighted the colourful Mandarin duck in the Maguri-Motapung wetland near eastern Assam’s DibruSaikhowa National Park. This duck was last spotted in Assam 118 years ago. Read Panna Tiger Reserve Himalayan serow A biologist has decribed a Himalayan serow as resembling a cross between a goat, a donkey, a cow, and a pig. It’s a medium-sized mammal with a large head, thick neck, short limbs, long, mule-like ears, and a coat of dark hair. There are several species of serows, and all of them are found in Asia. The Himalayan serow, or Capricornis sumatraensis thar, is restricted to the Himalayan region. Taxonomically, it is a subspecies of the mainland serow (Capricornis sumatraensis). Himalayan serows are herbivores, and are typically found at altitudes between 2,000 metres and 4,000 metres (6,500 to 13,000 feet). They are known to be found in eastern, central, and western Himalayas, but not in the Trans Himalayan region. Spiti lies in the cold mountain desert region of the western Himalaya, and its valley floor has an average elevation of 4,270 metres above sea level. Serows are generally not found at this altitude, and never before has a serow been seen in the Himalayan cold desert. Wildlife officials believe this particular animal may have strayed into the Spiti valley from the Rupi Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary in adjoining Kinnaur. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Himalayan serows have experienced significant declines in population size, range size and habitat in the last decade, and this is expected to continue due to intensive human impact. Previously assessed as ‘near threatened’, the Himalayan serow is now been categorised as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed under Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which provides absolute protection. Himalayan serows are solitary by nature, and even though it has been sighted twice, it is “too clever” to be caught for rescue purposes. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now

Tholpavakkoothu – A puppet master with a chip in the brain

Tholpavakkoothu – A puppet master with a chip in the brain When tradition meets modernity, the result can sometimes be amazing. A puppet with robotic movements may not sound very charming but in a melding of traditional art and cutting edge technology, a shadow leather puppet in Kerala’s famous temple art Tholpavakkoothu is being animated by a robot. For the first time, the famous shadow leather puppets will tell stories of the epic Ramayana with the help of robots. M. Lakshmana Pulavar and his son Sajeesh Pulavar from Harishree Kannan Tholpavakkoothu Kala Kendra, Koonathara, are set to animate their leather puppets using robotics with help from Inker Robotics, owned by Rahul Balachandran. The first robotic leather puppet was installed at the Palakkad District Heritage Museum, which was inaugurated by Minister for Museums Kadannappally Ramachandran,. Although there is a wide variety of art and cultural symbols showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Palakkad at the museum, the shadow leather puppets installed at Navarasa zone-5 have been a big draw with visitors with their robotic movements. According to Lakshmana Pulavar, the most difficult part of Tholpavakkoothu is the limb movements of the puppets. Tholpavakkoothu is a traditional temple art in Kerala having its roots in Palakkad and neighbouring regions. It used to be performed in the Bhadrakali temples of Palakkad, telling tales from the Ramayana. It is also known as Nizhalkkoothu and Olakkoothu. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now

Panel seeks more data to clear Sputnik V

Panel seeks more data to clear Sputnik V A Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization has sought more data on Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine trials from Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories to accord emergency use authorisation for the COVID-19 antidote. “The committee recommended that [the] firm should submit immunogenicity and safety data of Phase II and III trial as per approved protocol for further consideration. Further, the firm is requested to present its data with more clarity, “We understand the importance of effective investigation and we will approach the regulator with the requisite data soon.” The SEC meeting asked Covaxin maker Bharat Biotech, which sought permission to conduct phase III clinical trial of the vaccine candidate in children aged 5-18 years, to submit efficacy and safety data of ongoing Phase III clinical trial in adults along with the age subgroup analysis. 20 mn doses for Brazil, Bharat Biotech said it has signed an agreement with Brazil for supplying 20 million doses of Covaxin. Under the deal worth 1.6 billion reals ($290 million), the vaccine will be delivered in the second and third quarter of 2021. “There is a strong interest in Covaxin from many countries and the company is fully committed to ensuring supplies promptly and efficiently,”. Read Also Sutra Model Sputnik V Sputnik V is the world’s first registered vaccine based on a well-studied human adenoviral vector-based platform. Sputnik V is already registered in more than 35 countries. The ongoing Sputnik V post-registration clinical trial in Russia involved more than 31,000 volunteers. Phase 3 clinical trials of Sputnik V have been conducting in the UAE, India, Venezuela and Belarus. Sputnik V is one of the three vaccines in the world with efficacy of over 90%. The Vaccine’s efficacy is confirmed at 91.6% based on the analysis of data on 19,866 volunteers, who received both the first and second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine or placebo at the final control point of 78 confirmed COVID-19 cases. RDIF jointly with partners and manufacturers is ramping up the production of Sputnik V. The cost of one dose of the vaccine for international markets is less than $10 (Sputnik V is a two dose vaccine). The lyophilized (dry) form of the vaccine can be stored at a temperature of +2 to +8 degrees Celsius, which allows for easy distribution worldwide, including hard-to-reach regions. The vaccine supplies for the global market will be produced by RDIF’s international partners in India, Brazil, China, South Korea and other countries. The vaccine is named after the first Soviet space satellite. The launch of Sputnik-1 in 1957 reinvigorated space research around the world, creating a so called “Sputnik moment”for the global community. Read Also Technological revolution Covid19 Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now

Structural issues of Union Territories

Structural issues of Union Territories Recently, MLAs from the Puducherry Assembly have turned out to be an ingenious move to topple the government. This was done in 2019 with devastating effects in Karnataka. In both cases, the governments lost majority and went out of office. Resigning from the membership of the House is every member’s right. But according to Article 190 of the Constitution, the resignation should be voluntary or genuine. If the Speaker has information to the contrary, he or she is not obliged to accept the resignation. But there is by now a familiar pattern to the resignations of Members of the Legislative Assembly. Such resignations invariably lead to the fall of the government and resignations take place only from the ruling parties in the States which are opposed to the ruling party at the Centre. These parties are, in fact, in a precarious condition because in most cases, the resignations are quite unanticipated and reduce the party’s majority in the House abruptly. Even the most seasoned Chief Ministers who have weathered many storms look flummoxed in the face of this blow. Resignations are done with such precision that the exact number of MLAs required to reduce the majority resign, not more. This mode of toppling a government has an odd attractiveness about it because of its sheer novelty. The beauty of this scheme is that no MLA has to defect and face disqualification and get a bad name. It is a wonderful way to end defection and save the honour of the legislators. The Puducherry development has tremendous political significance. Structural fragility of Union Territories: Composition of the legislature: Article 239 does not meet the democratic aspirations of the people. Therefore, the creation of a legislature and a Council of Ministers is logical and in consonance with the policy of the state to promote democracy. But a closer look at the relevant provisions in the Constitution reveals that this professed aim has often been sought to be defeated by the Union. Article 239A was originally brought in, in 1962, to enable Parliament to create legislatures for the UTs. A legislature without a Council of Ministers or a Council of Ministers without a legislature is a conceptual absurdity. In our constitutional scheme, a legislature is the law-making body and a legislative proposal is initiated by the government, which is responsible to the legislature. Neither can the legislature exist without a Council of Ministers nor can the Council of Ministers exist without a legislature. Similarly, a legislature that is partly elected and partly nominated is another absurdity. In fact, a simple amendment in the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963 can create a legislature with more than 50% nominated members. Issue of nomination: The Government of Union Territories Act provides for a 33-member House for Puducherry of whom three are to be nominated by the Central government. So, when the Union government nominated three members to the Assembly without consulting the government, it was challenged in the court. The Supreme Court (K. Lakshminarayanan v. Union of India, 2019) held that the Union government is not required to consult the State government for nominating members to the Assembly and the nominated members have the same right to vote as the elected members. There is provision for the nomination of members to the Rajya Sabha (under Article 80). The Article specifies the fields from which they will be nominated. The purpose of this nomination is to enable the House to draw on the expertise of those eminent members who are nominated and thus enrich the debate in the House. However, in the case of nomination to the Puducherry Assembly, no such qualification is laid down either in Article 239A or the Government of Union Territories Act. Due to this, the law invites arbitrariness in dealing with the nomination of members to the UT legislature. Administrator’s power: The UTs were never given a fully democratic set-up with the necessary autonomy. The power vested in the administrator (Lieutenant Governor) conflicts with the powers of the elected government of UTs having a legislature. Section 44 of the Government of Union Territories Act and Article 239 AA(4) (proviso) of the Constitution vests the power in the administrator to express his or her disagreement and refer the matter to the President The President decides on the advice of the Union government. So, in effect, it is the Union government that finally determines the disputed issue. This can be reflected in the Chief Minister of Puducherry asking removal of the Lt. Governor. Similarly, in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, one often hears of complaints against the Lt. Governor from the ministers about the non-cooperative federalism being practiced by him. Way Forward: Indian Government can emulate the model of administrative sharing of power between the Union government and the Governments of UTs Both the government and UTs need to imbibe the ethos of cooperative federalism. For effective autonomy to the governments of union territories, there is a need for amendment in the legal and constitutional provisions.  Conclusion: Experience shows that the UTs having legislatures with ultimate control vested in the central administrator are not workable. The redemption for the harried governments of these territories lies in the removal of the legal and constitutional provisions which enable the administrator to breathe down the neck of the elected government. So far as the conspiratorial resignation by legislators to bring down their own government is concerned, the political class will have to rack its brains on how to get the better of the predatory instincts of political parties through constitutional or other means. Read Also Sedition Law Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now

National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)

National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) The Action Plan was released on 30th June 2008. It effectively pulls together a number of the government’s existing national plans on water, renewable energy, energy efficiency agriculture and others – bundled with additional ones – into a set of eight missions.  The Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change is in charge of the overall implementation of the plan. The plan document elaborates on a unique approach to reduce the stress of climate change and uses the poverty-growth linkage to make its point.  Emphasizing the overriding priority of maintaining high economic growth rates to raise living standards, the plan “identifies measures that promote development objectives while also yielding co-benefits for addressing climate change effectively. ”It says these national measures would be more successful with assistance from developed countries, and pledges that India’s per capita greenhouse gas emissions “will at no point exceed that of developed countries even as we pursue our development objectives.” Plan in a Nutshell: The guiding principles of the plan are: Inclusive and sustainable development strategy to protect the poor Qualitative change in the method through which the national growth objectives will be achieved i.e. by enhancing ecological sustainability leading to further mitigation Cost effective strategies for end use demand side management Deployment of appropriate technologies for extensive and accelerated adaptation, and mitigation of green house gases Innovative market, regulatory and voluntary mechanisms to promote Sustainable Development Implementation through linkages with civil society, local governments and public-private partnerships International cooperation, transfer of technology and funding National Missions: The core of the implementation of the Action plan are constituted by the following eight missions, that will be responsible for achieving the broad goals of adaptation and mitigation, as applicable. National Solar Mission: The NAPCC aims to promote the development and use of solar energy for power generation and other uses with the ultimate objective of making solar competitive with fossil-based energy options. The plan includes: Specific goals for increasing use of solar thermal technologies in urban areas, industry, and commercial establishments; a goal of increasing production of photo-voltaic to 1000 MW/year; and a goal of deploying at least 1000 MW of solar thermal power generation. Other objectives include the establishment of a solar research centre, increased international collaboration on technology development, strengthening of domestic manufacturing capacity, and increased government funding and international support. National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency: Current initiatives are expected to yield savings of 10,000 MW by 2012. Building on the Energy Conservation Act 2001, the plan recommends: Mandating specific energy consumption decreases in large energy-consuming industries, with a system for companies to trade energy-savings certificates; Energy incentives, including reduced taxes on energy-efficient appliances; and Financing for public-private partnerships to reduce energy consumption through demand-side management programs in the municipal, buildings and agricultural sectors. National Mission on Sustainable Habitat: To promote energy efficiency as a core component of urban planning, the plan calls for: Extending the existing Energy Conservation Building Code; A greater emphasis on urban waste management and recycling, including power production from waste; Strengthening the enforcement of automotive fuel economy standards and using pricing measures to encourage the purchase of efficient vehicles; and Incentives for the use of public transportation. National Water Mission: With water scarcity projected to worsen as a result of climate change, the plan sets a goal of a 20% improvement in water use efficiency through pricing and other measures. National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem: The plan aims to conserve biodiversity, forest cover, and other ecological values in the Himalayan region, where glaciers that are a major source of India’s water supply are projected to recede as a result of global warming. National Mission for a “Green India”: Goals include the afforestation of 6 million hectares of degraded forest lands and expanding forest cover from 23% to 33% of India’s territory. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: The plan aims to support climate adaptation in agriculture through the development of climate-resilient crops, expansion of weather insurance mechanisms, and agricultural practices. National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change: To gain a better understanding of climate science, impacts and challenges, the plan envisions a new Climate Science Research Fund, improved climate modeling, and increased international collaboration. It also encourages private sector initiatives to develop adaptation and mitigation technologies through venture capital funds. The NAPCC also describes other ongoing initiatives, including: Power Generation: The government is mandating the retirement of inefficient coal-fired power plants and supporting the research and development of IGCC and supercritical technologies. Renewable Energy: Under the Electricity Act 2003 and the National Tariff Policy 2006, the central and the state electricity regulatory commissions must purchase a certain percentage of grid-based power from renewable sources. Energy Efficiency: Under the Energy Conservation Act 2001, large energy consuming industries are required to undertake energy audits and an energy labeling program for appliances has been introduced. Implementation Ministries with lead responsibility for each of the missions are directed to develop objectives, implementation strategies, timelines, and monitoring and evaluation criteria, to be submitted to the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change.  The Council will also be responsible for periodically reviewing and reporting on each mission’s progress. To be able to quantify progress, appropriate indicators and methodologies will be developed to assess both avoided emissions and adaptation benefits. Further, as on July 2015, around 27 States and 5 Union Territories have prepared State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) consistent with the objectives of NAPCC, focusing on the state specific issues relating to climate change and strategies to tackle them. 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Electoral Bond

Electoral Bond An electoral bond is like a promissory note that can be bought by any Indian citizen or company incorporated in India from select branches of State Bank of India. The citizen or corporate can then donate the same to any eligible political party of his/her choice. The bonds are similar to bank notes that are payable to the bearer on demand and are free of interest. An individual or party will be allowed to purchase these bonds digitally or through When was electoral bond introduced? The electoral bonds were introduced with the Finance Bill (2017). On January 29, 2018 the government notified the Electoral Bond Scheme 2018. How to use electoral bonds? Using electoral bonds is quite simple. The bonds will be issued in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 100,000 and Rs 1 crore (the range of a bond is between Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 crore). These will be available at some branches of SBI. A donor with a KYC-compliant account can purchase the bonds and can then donate them to the party or individual of their choice. Now, the receiver can encash the bonds through the party’s verified account. The electoral bond will be valid only for fifteen days. The 29 specified SBI branches are in cities such as New Delhi, Gandhinagar, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chennai, Kolkata and Guwahati. When are the bonds available for purchase? The electoral bonds are available for purchase for 10 days in the beginning of every quarter. The first 10 days of January, April, July and October has been specified by the government for purchase of electoral bonds. An additional period of 30 days shall be specified by the government in the year of Lok Sabha elections. Electoral bonds: Conditions Any party that is registered under section 29A of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and has secured at least one per cent of the votes polled in the most recent General elections or Assembly elections is eligible to receive electoral bonds. The party will be allotted a verified account by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the electoral bond transactions can be made only through this account. The electoral bonds will not bear the name of the donor. Thus, the political party might not be aware of the donor’s identity. Are electoral bonds taxable? In February 2017, the then finance minister Arun Jaitley said that the donations would be tax deductible. Hence, a donor will get a deduction and the recipient, or the political party, will get tax exemption, provided returns are filed by the political party. Why were electoral bonds introduced in India? Electoral bonds were being introduced to ensure that all the donations made to a party would be accounted for in the balance sheets without exposing the donor details to the public. The government said that electoral bonds would keep a tab on the use of black money for funding elections. In the absence of electoral bonds, donors would have no option but to donate by cash after siphoning off money from their businesses, the government said. Best Books for UPSC preparation Check Now Why is there a controversy over electoral bond? Experts are of the view that if the electoral bonds scheme had been introduced to bring about greater transparency, the government must not restrain from allowing details of such donations to be made public. Experts and several politicians say that since neither the purchaser of the bond nor the political party receiving the donation is required to disclose the donor’s identity, the shareholders of a corporation will remain unaware of the company’s contribution. Voters, too, will have no idea of how, and through whom, a political party has been funded. Opponents of the electoral bond scheme argue that since the identity of the donor has been kept anonymous, it could lead to an influx of black money. Some others allege that the scheme was designed to help big corporate houses donate money without their identity being revealed. According to civil rights societies, the concept of donor “anonymity” threatens the very spirit of democracy. The Congress party said that the donations made through electoral bonds were equivalent to money laundering. Restrictions that were done away with after the introduction of the electoral bond scheme Earlier, no foreign company could donate to any political party under the Companies Act A firm could donate a maximum of 7.5 per cent of its average three year net profit as political donations according to Section 182 of the Companies Act As per the same section of the Act, companies had to disclose details of their political donations in their annual statement of accounts. The government moved an amendment in the Finance Bill to ensure that this proviso would not be applicable to companies in case of electoral bonds. Thus, Indian, foreign and even shell companies can now donate to political parties without having to inform anyone of the contribution. What does the Supreme Court have to say on electoral bonds? In its order, the Supreme Court said that while it wanted to hear the matter at length at a later stage, for the interim it wanted a situation where the balance was not tilted in anyone’s favour. It has asked political parties to reveal details of the donations they received through electoral bonds to the Election Commission. The poll panel, on the other hand, has been asked to keep all the details in a sealed cover until further orders of the top court. Election Commission of India’s view on electoral bonds The Election Commission on April 10, 2019 told the Supreme Court of India that while it was not against the Electoral Bonds Scheme, it did not approve of anonymous donations made to political parties. “We are not opposed to electoral bonds…but want full disclosure and transparency. We are opposed to anonymity,” Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the poll panel told the apex court. The poll panel’s submissions came during a hearing on bunch of

Agri panel cites Godhan Nyay Yojana

Start scheme for procurement of cattle dung from farmers: Agri panel cites Godhan Nyay Yojana   The Standing Committee on Agriculture asked the Centre to launch a scheme for procurement of cattle dung from farmers while citing the Godhan Nyay Yojana — Chhattisgarh government’s cow dung procurement scheme. Scrutinising the demands for grants of the Department of Agriculture, Co-operation and Farmers’ Welfare for 2021-22, the report said, “The Committee are of considered view that procuring of cattle dung directly from the farmers will not only augment their income and provide employment opportunity but also address the problem of stray cattle and promote organic farming in the country as the country has vast cattle population.” Read Also Fasal Rahat Yojana “The Committee, therefore, recommend the Department to initiate a scheme for procurement of cattle dung from farmers in coordination with Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying,” it said, citing the Chhattisgarh scheme which has a provision to procure cow dung from farmers at Rs 2 per kg and sell it back at Rs 8 per kg after processing it into vermicompost. The report also pointed to the large amount of funds surrendered by the agriculture ministry which may “adversely affect implementation” of schemes. “The Committee note that the Department has surrendered an amount of Rs 34,517.70 crore and Rs 17,849.89 crore (tentative) during 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively. Constrained to note that such large amount of funds surrendered would adversely affect the implementation of the schemes,” “The Committee are of the considered view that there should be maximum utilization of funds available under various schemes in order to achieve the targets and benefit the farmers. The Committee recommend the Department to vigorously pursue the matter with the state governments and other concerned organisations.” Read Also Kisan Suryodaya Yojana Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards yours Civils out journey. Feel free to reach to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help JOIN NOW

Sri Lanka invites Myanmar junta’s Minister

Sri Lanka invites Myanmar junta’s Minister BIMSTEC Sri Lanka has invited Myanmar’s junta-appointed Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin for a virtual meeting of members of regional body BIMSTEC, which Sri Lanka currently chairs. Pro-democracy activists in Myanmar slammed the move on social media, as Colombo’s outreach comes just over a month after Myanmar’s military seized power in Yangon. Issue: Hundreds of Facebook users identifying as citizens of Myanmar left a trail of critical comments on the official page of Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry. They urged the Sri Lankan government to stand with the people of Myanmar, and not recognise or accept the military junta as legitimate government. Commenting on Colombo’s invitation, Admiral (Retd.) Jayanath Colombage, Secretary to the Foreign Ministry, said Sri Lanka has invited the incumbent Foreign Ministers of all the fellow BIMSTEC members — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Myanmar, and Thailand. Sri Lanka – Myanmar Close ties Sri Lanka and Myanmar share close religious and cultural ties, as the majority community in both countries follow the Theravada strand of Buddhism. Meanwhile, nearly 40 Sri Lankan activists staged a demonstration outside the Myanmar Embassy in Colombo, in solidarity with Myanmar’s protesting civilians. Unless BIMSTEC expels Myanmar, Sri Lanka has no mandate to exclude them. Seeking to make a distinction between Colombo’s BIMSTEC summit invite to Myanmar, and its stance on the junta takeover. BIMSTEC: The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organization comprising seven Member States lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity. This sub-regional organization came into being on 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration. It constitutes seven Member States: five deriving from South Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and two from Southeast Asia, including Myanmar and Thailand. Initially, the economic bloc was formed with four Member States with the acronym ‘BIST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation). Following the inclusion of Myanmar on 22 December 1997 during a special Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok, the Group was renamed ‘BIMST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation). With the admission of Nepal and Bhutan at the 6th Ministerial Meeting (February 2004, Thailand), the name of the grouping was changed to ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’ (BIMSTEC). The regional group constitutes a bridge between South and South East Asia and represents a reinforcement of relations among these countries. BIMSTEC has also established a platform for intra-regional cooperation between SAARC and ASEAN members. The BIMSTEC region is home to around 1.5 billion people which constitute around 22% of the global population with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of 2.7 trillion economy. In the last five years, BIMSTEC Member States have been able to sustain an average 6.5% economic growth trajectory despite global financial meltdown. Read India Sri Lanka Relations Bay of Bengal: The objective of building such an alliance was to harness shared and accelerated growth through mutual cooperation in different areas of common interests by mitigating the onslaught of globalization and by utilizing regional resources and geographical advantages. Unlike many other regional groupings, BIMSTEC is a sector-driven cooperative organization. Starting with six sectors—including trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism and fisheries—for sectoral cooperation in the late 1997, it expanded to embrace nine more sectors—including agriculture, public health, poverty alleviation, counter-terrorism, environment, culture, people to people contact and climate change—in 2008. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards yours Civils out journey. Feel free to reach to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help JOIN NOW

Lingaraj Temple

Lingaraj temple All over in Bhubaneshwara, Lingaraj temple is considered to be the most ancient and the largest of all the temples. The temple has been named so, as to denote the king of the Lingam which is in the phallic form of Shiva. It’s known that when the King of Jaipur in 11th century shifted his capital to the Bubaneshawra city, he embarked on the journey of constructing the Lingaraj temple.. HISTORY OF THE TEMPLE Though, it is believed that some parts of the temple was built originally in the 6th century but was renovated and was build in a fully fledged way only in the 11th century. There is also a mention of this temple in the Brahma Purana which is a revered scripture of the Hindu religion. It’s said that while the construction of the temples was on the verge of completion, the jagannath cult started taking its shape and this fact has been testified by the evidence that Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu are revered here at this temple. The temple is a one among the oldest structures of India and is believed to be a structure which is around 1000 years old. T There is a mythological story associated with the temple which tells us that once Lord Shiva explained to his beloved Parvathi, why he favours the city of Bhubaneshwara more than Banaras. Upon hearing the story, Parvathi embarked on the journey to find out a testimony to the fact. So, she took the form of normal female cattle and went out exploring the city. While she was on her journey, two demons came into her way who wanted to marry her. Even after her continuous refusal, they kept on following her and so in order to keep herself safe, she vanished them and set herself free. After the incidence, Lord Shiva created the Bindu Sara Lake in order to bring in eternity to the space. Read Also Gupta Empire KEY SHRINES AT THE TEMPLE: The main temple has been divided into four distinct parts which are Yajna Shala, Natya Shala, Garbh Griha and Bhoga Mandap. Here the Garbh Griha, the Lingam has been believed to have originated on its own and so is called as Swayambhu and people, therefore worship it both as Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. While entering the temple, a trident can be seen, which consists of a statue of Lord Shiva and two statues of Lord Vishnu on both the sides of the entrance gate. The temple is the witness to the concord of two sects and so is revered as Hari-Hara which has a hidden meaning. Hari is for Lord Vishnu and Hara is for Lord Shiva, which combine together to become Hari-Hara. The Lingam here is believed top have been built of granite and is worshipped everyday with milk, water and bhanga. The Nata temple here has some evidences of the Devadas tradition and also here the Parsva devata which include, the statues of Lord kartikay, Lord Ganesha and Goddess Parvati are placed in different direction. All the statues have been aesthetically decorated with beautiful draperies and ornaments. Read Also The Harappan Culture ARCHITECTURE: There’s a whiff of the Kalinga style in the structural build of the temple! The temple’s structure is made up of the stone of the darkest shade. The temple is built in vast area in Bhubaneshawara and the height of the temple is around 55meteres. Inside the temple premises are a large number of small shrines dedicated to worshipping several Gods and Goddesses. Beautiful scriptures have been carved onto the walls of the temple and all the shrines over there in the temple are safely built. You can enter into the temple through the lion gate where lions on both the sides of the gate and the lions crushing an elephant have been showcased at the lion entrance. Because of an optical influence the temple looks much larger than what it actually is. Practice Prelims Mock Test Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards yours Civils out journey. Feel free to reach to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help JOIN NOW

Features of the Representation of People Act

Features of the Representation of People Act Article 324 to 329 of Part XV of the Constitution deals with the electoral system in our country. Constitution allows Parliament to make provisions in all matters relating to elections to the Parliament and State Legislatures. In exercise of this power, the Parliament has enacted laws like Representation of the People Act 1950 (RPA Act 1950), Representation of the People Act 1951 (RPA Act 1951). The act was passed by the parliament under Article 327 of the constitution. It provides for the conduct of election to the parliament and state legislatures.  It also clarifies about the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of those Houses. Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950: All seats in Lok Sabha to be filled by direct election. One seat for every constituency and one person for one seat. In all states and UTs except Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, the extent of a constituency is to be determined by the Delimitation Commissionmade under Delimitation Act 1972. For Sikkim, the extent of assembly to be defined by Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 1976, and Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 1980. Election commission conferred the power to keep Delimitation Order up-to-date. The Presidentof India has been conferred the power to amend orders delimiting constituencies, only after consulting the ECI. In Lok Sabha, there is a reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The ECI has the power to determine the constituencies to be reserved for scheduled tribes in the states of Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Each state to have a Chief electoral officer nominated or designated by Election Commission in consultation with the state government. The Election Commission will also appoint district level election commissioners in consultation with the state government. Each constituency has to have an electoral roll. No person to be registered in electoral rolls of more than one constituency. No Person to be registered more than once in any constituency. A person shall be disqualified for registration in an electoral roll if he is either not a citizen of India or is of unsound mind or is disqualified from voting. The electoral roll for each constituency has to be prepared in the prescribed manner. Any person whose name is not included in the electoral roll of a constituency may apply to the electoral registration officer for the inclusion of his name in that roll. Power to make rules under this act conferred to Central Government, which can exercise this power in consultation with Election Commission. The Civil Courts have also been barred to question the legality of any action of electoral registration officer regarding revision of such electoral roll. 1950 Schedules The First Schedule:Allocation of seats in the House of the People The Second Schedule:Total number of seats in the Legislative Assemblies The Third Schedule:Allocation of seats in the Legislative Councils The Fourth Schedule:Local authorities for purposes of elections to Legislative Councils Representation of People’s Act 1951: Key Highlight: Actual conduct of elections. Administrative machinery for conducting elections. Election offences. Election disputes. By-elections. Registration of political parties. The Representation of People Act, 1951 has great significance for good functioning of Indian egalitarianism because it checks the entry of persons with illegal background into the representative bodies.  Voter Qualification: A person must be anelector in the constituency. The minimum agefor becoming an MLA/MPs (Lok Sabha) is 25 years. At the panchayat and municipality levels, the minimum age limit for contesting elections is21 years. Only an elector can be a representative. If a person is not qualified to vote, he cannot represent the people in parliament . In case of Lok Sabha, if the seat is reserved for SC, a non-SC voter cannot be elected to that seat; if the seat is reserved for ST, a non-ST voter cannot be elected to that seat. He must be from these categories however; he may be a voter registered from any other constituency within India. However, in case of autonomous districts of Assam, Sikkim, ST seat for Lakshadweep, the elector should be enrolled as a voter in the same constituency. The same criteria are followed in legislative assembly of state, barring that the elector should be an eligible voter in the same state. · Disqualification matters If a person is convicted under a punishable offence related to promoting enmity, bribery, undue influence or personation at an election, rape, cruelty towards a woman, creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes, promoting religious acrimony, practice of untouchability, import and export of prohibited goods, any other unlawful activities, FEMA, laws related to Narcotics, terrorism acts, offences related to religious places and religious practices, offences related to insulting the National Insignia, Constitution of India, offence related to practice of Sati and so on… will be disqualified if sent to jail for at least 2 years.This disqualification is for six year after the person is released from jail. The other grounds for disqualification are as follows: If found guilty of corrupt practices Dismissed for corruption Disqualified for a contract entered into with government related matters A person remains disqualified as long as he managing agent, manager or secretary of any government company or corporation If fails to lodge expense accounts of elections Provisions related to political parties: Every association or body in order to become a political party must be registered with the ECIwhose decision regarding registration will be Registered political parties, in course of time, can get recognition as’State Party’ or National Party’. Change in name and addressof a registered political party must be communicated to the ECI. The ECI can not derecognisea party. A registered political party may accept any voluntary contribution by any person or company within India other than a government company. Political parties are not allowed to seek and receive contribution from a foreign source. Each political party has to prepare the report related to contribution more than ` 20,000 from persons and companies in year and submit it to the Election Commission. National Party Vs State Parties: Structurally, a party is recognized as state political party if it has secured at least 6% of the total