Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for January 23, 2024. If you missed the January 22, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here

FRONT PAGE

January 22, 2024

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India

Mains Examination: General Studies I: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Marking a milestone in India’s socio-political history, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation Monday in the consecration of the idol at the new Ram temple in Ayodhya, underlining that it is an inspiration to “move towards a brighter future”, that “Ram is not vivaad (dispute), Ram is the samadhan (solution), Ram is for everyone”.

• January 22, 2024- Why is this date so important in the modern era?

• What happened on January 22, 2024?

• What is Pran Pratistha?

• Importance of Ram and Ramayana-Know in detail

• Ayodhya Ram Mandir-Know in detail

• Ayodhya Ram Mandir-What is the cost of making the temple?

• Ayodhya Ram Mandir-What are the features of the new temple?

• “No iron or steel has been used in the construction of the grand structure”-How is it made?

• What was the religious dispute about?

• What is the controversy behind the Ram temple?

• What is the criticisms for the Ram temple?

• Ayodhya Ram Mandir-Is politics taking precedence over social or cultural aspects, or the opposite?

• “As the temple replaces a 16th-century Mughal-era mosque razed by radical Hindu groups in 1992, many Indians hail it as a sign of Hindu reawakening from centuries of foreign subjugation, including rule by Muslim dynasties such as the Mughals”-Do you agree with the same?

• What is the significance of the temple in India?

• What is the cultural significance of temples?

• What are the effects of temples in Indian society-Discuss from ancient to medieval to modern era.

• How temples in India contributes in the economy?

• “Why Temple? Why not a hospital?” “Why not IIT or IIM?”-How far you agree with this kind of analogy?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????MANY, NOT ONE

????Ram is not fire, Ram is energy. Ram is not just ours, Ram belongs to everyone

????Pran pratishtha at Ayodhya Ram temple today: What is this ceremony, how it is performed

????The Ram Rekha

EXPRESS NETWORK

PM announces scheme to install rooftop solar systems in 1 cr homes

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Hours after presiding over Ram Mandir event in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evening illuminated diyas at his residence in Delhi marking an early Diwali celebration. This came shortly after he led the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

• What is the Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana?

• Rooftop Solar Scheme-Know in detail

• What is India’s current solar capacity?

• Why is an expansion of solar energy important for India?

• For Your Information-Launched in 2014, the scheme aims to expand India’s rooftop solar installed capacity in the residential sector by providing Central Financial Assistance — the financial assistance to the eligible projects as per MNRE Guidelines — and incentives to DISCOMs (distribution companies). The programme’s goal is to increase rooftop solar installed capacity to 40 GM by March 2026 and it is currently in its second phase. Owing to the scheme, the country’s rooftop solar has increased from 1.8 GW as of March 2019 to 10.4 GW as of November 2023.

A consumer can avail of benefits of the scheme through DISCOM tendered projects or through the National Portal (www.solarrooftop.gov.in), Minister of New and Renewable Energy RK Singh said in a written response to a query raised in Lok Sabha last year.

“On the National Portal, the consumer has the choice to select any vendor and choose the brand and quality/efficiency of solar equipment. The DISCOMs role is limited to issuing of technical feasibility approval, installation of net-meter and inspect the system,” he added. After installation and inspection of the system, the subsidy is sent directly to the bank account of the consumer.

Moreover, “surplus solar power units generated from the rooftop solar plant can be exported to the grid as per the metering provisions issued by respective SERCs (State Electricity Regulatory Commissions)/JERCs (Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission). The consumer can receive monetary benefits for the surplus exported power as per the prevailing regulations.”

However, this target couldn’t be achieved. As a result, the government extended the deadline from 2022 to 2026. The Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana seems to be a new attempt to help reach the target of 40 GW rooftop solar capacity. Essentially, it is a scheme that will involve installing solar power systems at rooftops for residential consumers.

In a post on X, Modi said: “Today, on the auspicious occasion of the consecration of life in Ayodhya, my resolve has been further strengthened that the people of India should have their own solar rooftop system on the roof of their houses. The first decision I have taken after returning from Ayodhya is that our government will launch ‘Pradhanmantri Suryodaya Yojana’ with the target of installing rooftop solar on 1 crore houses.” He added that the scheme would help not only reduce electricity bills of the “poor and middle class”, but also push India’s goal of becoming self-reliant in the energy sector.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????PM Modi launches new rooftop solar power scheme: What it is, why it is needed

ECONOMY

No relook at duty remission scheme needed due to US, EU action: Official

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The union government does not intend to relook at its Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme after the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) last year imposed countervailing duties on four Indian products citing breach of World Trade Organization (WTO) norms, a government official said.

• Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme-Know in detail

• Do You Know-The RoDTEP scheme, announced in January 2021, refunds embedded duties and taxes, such as VAT on fuel used in transportation, mandi tax and duty on electricity. It replaced the WTO-incompatible Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) scheme, which had faced several challenges from WTO members.

The RoDTEP scheme operates under a budgetary framework and for FY 23-24, Rs 15,070 crore was allocated to boost exports of items such as pharmaceuticals, organic and inorganic chemicals and articles of iron and steel among other items.

• Why United States (US) and the European Union (EU) last year imposed countervailing duties on four Indian products?

• Why are countervailing duties imposed?

• What are anti-dumping and countervailing duties in India?

• Know the difference between anti-dumping and countervailing duties

• What do you understand by the term ‘Dumping’?

• Anti-Dumping Duty, Countervailing Duties (CVDs), Predatory Dumping and Import Duty-Know these Terms

• For Your Information-The US and EU had imposed countervailing duties (CVDs) on paper file folders, common alloy aluminum sheet and forged steel fluid after an anti-subsidy investigation. CVDs are tariffs on imported goods that are imposed to offset subsidies given by the exporting country’s government, aimed at protecting the domestic industry.

“When US investigators come to the manufacturing plants, the exporters should be able to show what they are getting is a remission and not an incentive. They should be able to show that they are paying electricity bills and value-added tax (VAT). But there are problems in maintaining the documents from our exporters side. We are working on a process to familiarize the exporters with the entire documentation process,” the official said.

“There is no need to relook at the scheme. It is WTO compliant. There were few exporters who could not show the documents. some people mentioned it is an incentive because there used to be incentives. So our exporters will have to adapt to the documentation mechanism and the government will be helping in the process,” the official added.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Government extends support under Scheme for Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) till 30th June 2024

EXPLAINED

Drivers of food inflation

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-World food prices have crashed from the peaks scaled in 2022, especially post Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) widely-tracked food price index averaged 143.7 points in 2022 and 125.7 points in 2021, while 98.1 and 95.1 in the preceding two calendar years. But the index – a trade-weighted average of world prices of a basket of food commodities over a base period value, taken at 100 for 2014-16 – fell 13.7% to 124 points in 2023. The decline is even more, at 25.8%, if one compares the latest monthly value of 118.5 points for December 2023 over the all-time-high 159.7 points reached in March 2022, immediately after the war broke out.

• “Food inflation based on the FAO index has been in negative territory since November 2022”-Why?

• “In the coming months, the course of food inflation is likely to be determined more by domestic production, not global, factors”-Comment

• What factor distinguishes Indian inflation from many other developed countries?

• What is Inflation?

• Know the Types of Inflation like Moderate Inflation, Galloping Inflation, Hyper-Inflation, Stagflation, Deflation, Core Inflation etc.

• What are the causes of Inflation in the present situation

• How Inflation is Measured in India?

• What is the Long term, Medium Term and Short-term impact of Inflation?

• New Standard for Measuring Inflation in India and Old Standard for Measuring Inflation-Key Differences

• Steps or Measures Taken by GOI to Control Inflation

• What do you understand by Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and Consumer Price Index? WPI and CPI is published by whom?

• What is the Monetary Policy Committee?

• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is a Statutory Body-True or False?

• What is the Primary Objective of monetary policy in India?

• There are several direct and indirect instruments that are used for implementing monetary policy-What are they?

• What is REPO rate?

• What is Current Repo Rate?

• What’s the RBI assessment on inflation?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Everyday Economics: What are WPI and CPI inflation rates?

WEF meeting in Davos 2024: 5 key takeaways

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Main Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-This year’s edition of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting was held from January 15 to January 19. Every year, leaders from various fields, such as business, politics, economics, etc., gather in the Swiss town to discuss challenges facing the world and explore the ways forward. The event has faced criticism for its elite and expensive nature, but the Davos summit still remains relevant, if only for the glimpse it offers into how the rich and powerful react to the most pressing issues.

• Who initiated the World Economic Forum?

• What is the purpose of the World Economic Forum?

• Where is World Economic Forum held?

• What happens at WEF?

• Who funds the WEF and why is the WEF Meeting held at Davos?

• What else happens at WEF?

• World Economic Forum and India-connect the dot

• World Economic Forum-What are the key takeaways?

• For Your Information-The one issue that took centre stage at this year’s WEF meet was Artificial Intelligence (AI). While its many transformational abilities for human welfare were discussed, so were the need for regulation, fear of job losses, the risks of impersonation and misinformation, and the inequalities it can potentially worsen.

The overall mood, however, seemed to be that the positives outweigh the negatives, and human intelligence did not face a major threat from AI. This sentiment was perhaps best encapsulated by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, who until a few months ago was raising warnings of “the risk of extinction from AI”. “Humans know what other humans want. Humans are going to have better tools. We’ve had better tools before, but we’re still very focused on each other,”Altman said in Davos, according to the WEF’s website.

Business leaders spoke of the risk posed by a fragile geopolitical situation, wars in the Middle East and Europe, the threats to global supply chains, and the uncertainty around food security. Yet, no plans or roadmaps for peace were offered about the Israel-Gaza violence. As CNBC said in a report, “Perhaps there are few obvious solutions, or maybe – as multiple conference attendees suggested – many people don’t want to speak out on the conflict in Gaza because they could irritate others or start a rhetorical conflagration.”

Reuters reported that the head of the Palestine Investment Fund estimated at least $15 billion would be needed to rebuild houses in Gaza alone, but Arab states said they would not fund reconstruction unless there was lasting peace. “We agree that regional peace includes peace for Israel, but that could only happen through peace for the Palestinians through a Palestinian state,” Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told a WEF panel.

The need for businesses to adapt to climate change and for countries to unite for action against it despite differences was another hot topic. Ajay Banga, President, World Bank Group, said, we had an “existential climate crisis”on our hands and “a sense of urgency is our only saviour.” Others spoke about the ultimate benefit businesses will reap from adopting sustainable practices and about the need to allocate resources correctly in the fight against climate change.

Belgian trade unionist Luc Triangle reminded rich countries of their role. “Developed countries have to assist in the financing of climate action in the developing countries because if we don’t do that, this inequality will only grow and you will have winners and you will have losers… Rebuilding trust cannot be limited to only a number of countries. It has to include the whole world,” he said, as quoted by the WEF website.

Facing a slowing economy, China tried to attract more investment from the West, which has witnessed some cooling. At 5.2%, China’s GDP growth in 2023 is still below pre-pandemic levels, and it is battling American attempts to isolate it, as evidenced in the semiconductor trade standoff. CNBC quoted Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group, as saying, “China is experiencing very significant structural economic challenges. A lot of companies in the West are no longer investing what they used to invest… But even 3%, 4% growth in China is still fairly meaningful for a lot of companies that are attending the World Economic Forum this year.”

An assessment of Davos 2024 by consulting firm McKinsey and Company says, “India is transforming rapidly as one of the fastest growing large economies in the world. When it comes to technology, talent, healthcare, and other areas, its future in 2024—and beyond—is worth paying attention to.” These sentiments were echoed by industrialist Gautam Adani, who said in a LinkedIn post, “If the first major theme at WEF 24 was about rebuilding trust, the second was about the rise of India.”

India also made its presence felt in ways other than its economic potential. One of the ideas discussed at WEF this year was how investment in women’s health could boost the global economy by $1 trillion annually by 2040. According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB), “One of the key takeaways from the Forum meeting was the announcement of the launch of a Global Good Alliance for Gender Equity and Equality with the support and endorsement by WEF and Government of India. The idea of this alliance emerged from the G20 Leaders’ Declaration and India’s abiding commitment to the cause of women-led development as propounded by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.”

The objective of this Alliance is to bring together global best practices, knowledge sharing and investments in the identified areas of women’s health, education, and enterprise,” the PIB said.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????DAVOS SUMMIT

Assam shrine Rahul was stopped from visiting

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India

Mains Examination: General Studies I: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was Monday prevented from visiting Assam’s Batadrava Than, where he was going as part of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. The yatra was stopped for over two hours at Haibargaon in Nagaon, and around 9:30 am, only Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi and Batadrava MLA Sibamoni Bora were allowed past the barricades to visit the Than.

• Know about Barpeta Sattra, a 16th-century Vaishnavite monastery

• What is the Batadrava Than?

• What was Srimanta Sankardeva’s philosophy?

• Are these Thans politically significant?

• Ekasarana Dharma and Vaishnavite

• Neo-Vaishnavite reformist movement and Srimanta Sankaradeva

• What is Sankardeva’s philosophy?

• What is the relationship between the Sattra and the State?

• For Your Information-The Ek Saran Naam Dharma focussed on worship in the form of bhakti (devotion) to Lord Krishna, through singing and congregational listening of His name and deeds. Sankardeva espoused a society based on equality and fraternity, free from caste differences, orthodox Brahmanical rituals and sacrifices. His teaching focused on prayer and chanting (naam) instead of idol worship. His dharma was based on the four components of deva (god), naam (prayers), bhakats (devotees), and guru (teacher).

The Neo-Vaishnavite reformist movement that Sankardeva started is behind the monastic institutions called Thans/Sattras that dot Assam. As the saint travelled across Assam, spreading his teachings, these Sattras/Thans were established as centres of religious, social and cultural reforms in the 16th century. Today, the Sattras promulgate Sankardeva’s unique “worship through art” approach with music (borgeet), dance (xattriya) and theatre (bhauna). Each Sattra has a naamghar (worship hall) as its nucleus and is headed by an influential “Sattradhikar”.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Explained: The political significance of Assam’s Sattras

Free Movement Regime along Myanmar border: rationale and criticism

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: India and its neighbourhood- relations

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday (January 20) announced that the Centre has decided to fence the entire length of the India-Myanmar border to stop the free movement of people. The two countries share a largely unfenced 1,643 km border, which goes through the states of Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

• What is the Free Movement Regime on the India-Myanmar Border?

• What is a Smart Fencing System?

• Why Smart Fencing System along the India-Myanmar Border?

• Do You Know-The border between India and Myanmar runs for 1,643 km in the four states of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. The FMR is a mutually agreed arrangement between the two countries that allows tribes living along the border to travel up to 16 km inside the other country without a visa.

Under the FMR, every member of the hill tribes, who is either a citizen of India or a citizen of Myanmar and who is resident of any area within 16 km on either side of the border can cross over on production of a border pass with one-year validity and can stay up to two weeks. The FMR was implemented in 2018 as part of the Narendra Modi government’s Act East policy at a time when diplomatic relations between India and Myanmar were on the upswing. In fact, the FMR was to be put in place in 2017 itself, but was deferred due to the Rohingya refugee crisis that erupted that August.

The border between India and Myanmar was demarcated by the British in 1826, without seeking the opinion of the people living in the region. The border effectively divided people of the same ethnicity and culture into two nations without their consent. The current IMB reflects the line the British drew. People in the region have strong ethnic and familial ties across the border. In Manipur’s Moreh region, there are villages where some homes are in Myanmar. In Nagaland’s Mon district, the border actually passes through the house of the chief of Longwa village, splitting his home into two.

Apart from facilitating people-to-people contact, the FMR was supposed to provide impetus to local trade and business. The region has a long history of trans-border commerce through customs and border haats. Given the low-income economy, such exchanges are vital for the sustenance of local livelihoods. For border people in Myanmar too, Indian towns are closer for business, education, and healthcare than those in their own country.

• Why is the FMR being discussed critically?

• Is there a problem of drug trafficking or terrorism related to the FMR?

• So should the FMR be removed?

• Know India-Myanmar bilateral relations in detail

• Why is Myanmar important for India?

• Since coup in Myanmar, How India has taken diplomatic approach on Myanmar?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????The ‘free movement regime’ along the India-Myanmar border, and why it has complicated the volatile situation in Manipur

For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.com The Indian Express UPSC Key is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest Updates.