Explanation :

The Model Code of Conduct for guidance of political parties and candidates is a set of norms which has been evolved with the consensus of political parties who have consented to abide by the principles embodied in MCC. Hence, statement 1 is wrong as it doesn’t have any statutory backing.

In general, there used to exist an ambiguity that MCC comes into force from the day of polling or the day of announcement of election by the Election Commission. The apex court in Union of India vs. Harbans Singh Jalal and Others case in 2001, made it clear that it comes into force from the day of announcement of election schedule. Hence, statement 2 is only correct answer.

Why the Question?

With the recent announcement of election schedules in the state of MP, Chhattisgarh, etc. the Model Code of Conduct has also come into force, so we thought to apprise our students about the MCC, which is important for Prelims.

Source Name : The Hindu, ECI Website

Explanation :

Explanation: As per Section 20 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Chief Electoral Officer of a State/ Union Territory is authorised to supervise the election work in the State/Union Territory.

While, the “Returning Officer” of a parliamentary or assembly constituency is responsible for the conduct of elections in the parliamentary or assembly constituency concerned. Hence, the correct option is (c).

Source Name : ECI Website

Explanation :

Ghost nets are classified under abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear which includes lines, traps, hooks, dredges and buoys. Hence, statement 1 is wrong.

It destroys the Benthic ecosystem which is present in the lowest level of water body, as most nets are non-biodegradable hence it leads to microplastic ingestion by Marine life too.

Source Name : The Hindu​

Explanation :

The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from the northern Odisha through Andhra Pradesh, Telangana to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka and in the Wayanad region of Kerala. Hence, statement 1 stands incorrect.

“Araku Valley” is present in Eastern Ghats and Anantgiri Hill of Eastern Ghats has “Borra Cave” which is one of the deepest caves of India (made up of Karstic limestone).

Peaks of Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats are not high enough to be snow-capped e.g. Jindhagada Peak (1690 m) in Araku Valley, Arma Konda (1,680 m) are high peaks but are not that high to have snow cover.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

All the given animals/birds/insects are Pollinators, but earlier we used to consider Ants as poor pollinators as they used to scare the other pollinators. But, in a recent study on rare wild Jamun in Kerala, it has been established that “White footed ants” acted as an excellent pollinators. Hence, students should be aware with such information as options in Prelims can be tweaked.

Purpose of the Question

We wanted to quell the information from the minds of the students that all Ants are poor pollinators. So, we have framed this question to bring this to the notice of our students.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

The CAATSA includes sanctions against countries that engage in significant transactions with the Russian, Iranian and North Korean, Defence and Energy sectors. The US has imposed sanctions on Venezuela too, but it is not listed in CAATSA.

Why has US imposed sanctions on Russia?

•2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine

•Involvement in the Syrian civil war

•Meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election

Why is it in news?

The World was watching India, whether it will show its spine while going for Defence deal with Russia (S-400) or it will buckle under the pressure of US. India showed to the world that it follows its independent policy.

Source Name : IDSA, The Hindu

Explanation :

GTF is a unit of TA deployed in the service of the Ganga with the approval of Ministry of Defence for four years till 2020. TA is not the first line of defence; it is the second line of defence after regular Army. Hence, statement 2 is wrong.

Functions of GTF

Their functions will include planting trees to check soil erosion, patrolling sensitive river areas for biodiversity protection, patrolling ghats, monitoring river pollution, and assisting during floods/natural calamity in the region. Hence, the correct statements are 1and 3 only.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

“Mount Kilimanjaro” with its three volcanic cones - "Kibo", "Mawenzi", and "Shira", is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. So, it is very evident that it is an example of Volcanic Mountain not the Fold Mountain. So, statement 1 and 2 both are wrong. (See map to look into the location of Tanzania).It is the highest mountain in Africa, about 4,900 metres (16,100 ft) from its base, and 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level. The mountain is part of the Kilimanjaro National Park and is a major climbing destination. The mountain has been the subject of many scientific studies because of its shrinking glaciers and disappearing ice fields.

Why the Question on Mt. Kilimanjaro?

Recently, ace mountaineer from Ongole, sk. Himmamsa has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro (Uhuru Peak), so we have framed the question related to the topic.

Source Name : The Hindu, Geography and You

Explanation :

India has launched 'Operation Samudra Maitri' to assist victims of earthquake and tsunami in Central Sulawesi Province of the Republic of Indonesia. Two IAF Aircrafts, C-130J and C-17, departed carrying onboard medical personnel and relief material, and three naval ships have also been mobilized to carry out humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Source Name : MEA Website​

Explanation :

Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX) is a naval exercise between India and Japan which is being held after 5 years (last it was held in 2013) at Visakhapatnam. The conduct of JIMEX-18 after five years is indicative of an upswing in the Indo-Japanese defence relations and the continued efforts of both Governments to work closely to enhance safety and security of the global commons in keeping with ‘rule based order’.

Source Name : PIB

Explanation :

“Arabian peninsula” borders Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, but if we look into the location of “Saudi Arabia”, to be precise, it is located between “Red Sea and Persian Gulf”.

Why the question on Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia is in news because of Yemen crisis and recently a journalist has been killed (as per version from Turkey side) in the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Turkey. So, it is advisable to be well versed with the mapping work related to Saudi Arabia.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

“Marrakesh Treaty” is to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print-disabled. It was signed under the aegis of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It came into force after 20 countries ratified this. The EU was the 70th country to sign this.

Benefits of signing Marrakesh Treaty

• Relaxed copyright norms.
• It will facilitate access to published works for the millions of blind, visually impaired and otherwise print-disabled persons in India. It would go a long way in establishing equal rights and opportunities for education and employment for them.
• Plan is there to build an International library for the disabled people.

Source Name : PIB, The Hindu

Explanation :

Ahmadiyya Community is a sect of Islam which originated from India and spread all across the world. It was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1889. The Ahmadiyya movement was against the ideas of Christian Missionary and ideals of Arya Samaj. It proposed a universal religion for all humanities in line with the idea of Brahmo Samaj. The Ahmadiyyas opposed jihad or sacred war against non-Muslims and stressed fraternal relations among all people. The movement spread Western liberal education among Indian Muslims and started a network of schools and colleges to spread its ideas. They are considered as ‘Minority’ or sometimes “Non-Muslim” by the Muslim community worldwide and Pakistan in particular.

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

Ever since the 1990s, when countries started discussing climate change and began negotiating an international arrangement for tackling it together, the objective, both explicit and implicit, has been to limit rising global average temperatures to within 2°C from pre-industrial times — a reference to the period between 1850 and 1900, the decades roughly coinciding with the so-called Second Industrial Revolution. Hence, statement 2 is wrong.INDCs are also not big enough to achieve even the 2°C target (as per the report); so, statement 1 is also wrong.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

Romer’s Contribution: Earlier Scientists used to think that sustained growth over the long run depended on technological progress, which was in turn related to the creation of new ideas. But, they struggled to pin down how new ideas emerged, and how innovation interacted with other market activity. In Romer’s models of growth, the market generates new ideas. But, the pace at which they are generated, and the way in which they are translated into growth, depend on other factors—such as state support for research and development or intellectual-property protections and this has revolutionised the market economy.

Nordhaus’ Contribution: He combined mathematical descriptions of how emissions affect atmospheric carbon concentrations with those of how atmospheric carbon affects global temperature, and how changes in temperature interact with economic activity. So, his theory has helped to devise policy better in coordination with the Environment.

Source Name : The Economist​

Explanation :

Iran is a country which borders Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. It doesn’t have border with Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Students must remember that “Chabahar” Port, which India is developing, does not open in “Persian Gulf”; to be precise it opens up in “Gulf of Oman”.

Why the Question?

Iran is in the news because of sanctions from US, and India sticking to its stand to import crude oil from Iran. So, a question may come on Iran this time as it is constantly in the news.

Source Name : The Hindu, IE

Explanation :

Source Name : IE, The Hindu

Explanation :

The National Security Council (NSC) of India is an executive government agency tasked with advising the Prime Minister's Office on matters of national security and strategic interest. It was established by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1998, with Brajesh Mishra as the first National Security Advisor. Prior to the formation of the NSC, these activities were overseen by the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.

Members of NSC: Besides the National Security Advisor (NSA), the Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA), the Ministers of Defence, External Affairs, Home, Finance of the Government of India, and the Deputy Chairman of the NITI Aayog are members of the National Security Council. Other members may be invited to attend its monthly meetings, as and when required.

What about Strategic Policy Group?

Earlier it was headed by Cabinet Secretary, but now it is headed by National Security Advisor. The Strategic Policy Group is the first level of the three tier structure of the National Security Council. It forms the nucleus of the decision-making apparatus of the NSC. Hence, the only wrong statement is 2.

Members of SPG: Chief of Army, Chief of Navy, Chief of Air Force, RBI Governor, Home Secretary, Defence Secretary and others.

Why it is in news?

Recently, Ajit Doval has been appointed to head this SPG.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

This Act mandates that every employer constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at each office or branch with 10 or more employees. It lays down procedures and defines various aspects of sexual harassment, including aggrieved victim — a woman “of any age whether employed or not”, who “alleges to have been subjected to any act of sexual harassment”, which means the rights of all women working or visiting any workplace, in any capacity, are protected under the Act. Hence, statement 1& 2 are wrong.

Time Frame for Complaint

The Act states that, the complaint of sexual harassment has to be made “within three months from the date of the incident”. For a series of incidents, it has to be made within three months from the date of the last incident. However, this is not rigid. The ICC can “extend the time limit” if “it is satisfied that the circumstances were such which prevented the woman from filing a complaint within the specified period”. The ICC is to record these reasons.

Powers of ICC

The ICC may forward the complaint to the police under IPC Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman). Otherwise, the ICC can start an inquiry that has to be completed within 90 days. ICC has similar powers to those of a civil court in respect of the following matters: summoning and examining any person on oath; requiring the discovery and production of documents. After its verdict and fine (If found guilty), the victim can go to the court within 90 days.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

Indian Air Force has launched an innovative mobile health App named ‘MedWatch’, that will provide correct, scientific and authentic health information to air-warriors and all citizens of India. This app hasfeatures like information on basic First Aid, Health topics and Nutritional Facts; reminders for timely Medical Review, Vaccination and utility tools like Health Record Card, BMI calculator, helpline numbers and web links.

Explanation :

Japan has four major Islands namely, Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Students must be aware with some important cities present in these Islands. We have listed few of them.

Island City Present

1. Hokkaido Sapporo
2. Honshu Tokyo/Yokohama
3. Shikoku Nagoya/Hiroshima/Osaka
4. Kyushu Nagasaki

So, this question may be changed to – ‘match the following type’ of Island with the cities.

Why the Question on Japan?

We have observed that it is one of the favourite regions of UPSC, and in QUAD, Japan and India are directly involved, so it is always safe to be prepared rather than getting caught off guard.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

“Moscow Format” is a Russia led initiative to solve the Afghanistan crisis. Russia wants to take neighboring countries on board along with Taliban. It is of the considered opinion that Afghanistan crisis has converted from “Wound to Canker” and this can’t be cured until or unless Taliban is taken on board.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

This is a biennial report that is released by “IMF”, not the WEF. So, statement 1 is wrong. As per its report, it has trimmed the global growth by 20 basis points as trade war between US and China has impact on the other economies - as all economies are interlinked due to globalisation.

India is expected to grow by 7.3% in 2018, which will make it the fastest growing economy of the world. So, statement 3 is wrong.

Some Concerns pointed out by the Report vis-à-vis India

• High Current Account Deficit can be obstacle in the growth of India, if not handled properly. (This CAD is getting worsened due to spike in the price of crude oil in global market)
• India should tighten its Monetary Policy as Inflation is expected to reach 4.7%.
• Government should go for debt cut.

Source Name : Economist, IE

Explanation :

• FAO is a specialised agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Its parent organization is UN Economic and Social Council (UNECOSOC). It was established on 16^th October 1945 and its headquarters is in Rome.

But what does Specialised Agency of UN mean?

• Specialised Agencies are legally independent international organizations with their own rules, membership, organs and financial resources, were brought into relationship with the United Nations through negotiated agreements. Some of the agencies existed before the First World War, some were associated with the League of Nations, others were created almost simultaneously with the United Nations and yet others were created by the United Nations itself to meet emerging needs. Example - FAO, International Civil Aviation Organisation, International Maritime Organisation, International Labour Organisation, etc.

• GIAHS was started in 2002 by FAO. The purpose of GIAHS was to create public awareness, safeguard world agricultural heritage sites. Some example of GIAHS sites in India are Koraput, Kuttanad agriculture, etc. (Students are advised to go through the details of GIAHS on their own).

• Recently, Sikkim has been shortlisted for the “Future Policy Award” by FAO; hence, we have asked the question related to FAO.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

Recently, Cabinet has approved the merger of National Council for Vocational Training, NCVT and National Skill Development Agency, NSDA to establish National Council for Vocational Education and Training, NCVET. This will act as regulator for the India’s skill ecosystem. In the past, most of the country's skill training needs were met through courses offered by the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and under the Modular Employable Scheme (MES), regulated by NCVT. Since this infrastructure was not enough to meet the increasing skill requirements of the country as well as the skilling needs of the growing workforce, Government ceded this space to private players for providing the market oriented skills, but to regulate those players and standardise the skill framework, Government has set up NSDA. So, unnecessary more number of bureaucratic echelons was created and to do away with that, the Government has decided to merge both of them and create a single entity that will look into the complete framework of skill development.

Source Name : PIB

Explanation :

HCI is released by “World Bank”. Hence, statement 1 stands incorrect. Its assessment is based on the parameters of Child Mortality, Health and Education. The parameters named in statement 2 are used in calculating “Global Hunger Index”. So, statement 2 stands incorrect too. This Index has been topped by “Singapore” and India is at 115th position (out of 157 Countries). It is undesirable for a country like India to be behind Nepal and Bangladesh. So, correct statement is 3 only.

Critical Analysis of this Report

• They have taken the report on “Education” from Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), but that report is of 2009 as India stopped participating in that assessment. So, the Data fails to capture the recent developments.
• India does need to improve on its ranking, but prima facie it seems the report is not up to date as after launching of schemes like “Aayushman Bharat”, India can’t lag behind the countries like Nepal, but its counter argument is, this scheme will take some time to start making the difference. So, we advise students to make the opinion on their own citing the pros and cons.

Source Name : IE, Worldbank.org

Explanation :

Tsunami is caused primarily due to strong upheaval in the water body. This strong upheaval can be brought up by Earthquake, Volcanic eruptions or big rock falling in the ocean body (This may include meteorite or big comets falling in the water body too). Rainfall or Cyclones don’t have much impact on the Tsunami.

Note: For more detailed analysis of “Tsunami”, Students are advised to go through Q.no1 of Daily Quiz dated 2nd October.

Source Name : G. C. Leong

Explanation :

PMLA Simplified

• ED issues the order for attaching the property of the accused and that order is valid for 180 days. Once the Adjudicating Authority (That is made by Government of India) confirms that order, ED claims the possession of that property.
• The accused can challenge the order of Adjudicating Authority to the “Appellate Tribunal” within 45 days .If the Appellate Tribunal too gives the decision against the Accused then he can go to High Court or the Supreme Court.

So, both the statements are wrong.

Why the question on PMLA?

Recently, ED has attached the property worth Rs 50 crore of Karti Chidambaram, so we thought our students should be aware with the provisions of PMLA.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

Students must remember that IFPRI (The International Food Policy & Research Institute) was involved in publishing this report until this year along with Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide. In this report, IFPRI is not involved (please keep this in mind). Hence, statement 1 is correct.

India has slipped from 100 to 103 ranks, hence statement 2 is incorrect.

The Report assesses countries on four parameters namely:

• Child Stunting—1/6 weightage
• Undernourishment—1/3 weightage
• Child Wasting----1/6 weightage
• Child Mortality---1/3 weightage

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

India has 15,106.7 km of land border and a coastline of 7,516.6 km including Island territories. The length of our land borders with neighbouring countries is as under (Km):

Bangladesh: 4,096.7, China: 3,488, Pakistan: 3,323, Nepal: 1,751, Myanmar: 1,643, Bhutan: 699 andAfghanistan: 106

Source Name : MHA Website, PIB

Explanation :

Background: It is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system. It was created by UNGA on 15 March 2006 by adopting resolution 60/251 to promote human rights globally. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Functions of UNHRC: It is responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them.

Members of UNHRC: UNHRC is made up of 47 UN member states which are elected by UN General Assembly (UNGA) with specific number of seats allocated for each region of the globe. There are five regional grouping with African countries and Asia-Pacific states having 13 seats each. East European states have 6 seats, Latin American and Caribbean states have 8 seats and Western European states have 7 seats. Thus, statements 1 and 2 stand incorrect. The term of each seat is three years, and no member may occupy a seat for more than two consecutive terms (E.g. India was its member from 2011-14 and 2014-2017.

Source Name : IE, Livemint

Explanation :

GDP is the measure of might of the economy but is not the measure of happiness of the people. It does not bother where the money is equally distributed or is concentrated in few hands leading to inequality. Seeing this, country like Bhutan has gone for Gross Happiness Index (GHI) as a measure for growth. This concept of GDP is flawed as it does not take care of love, justice, etc. which are important components of society. It doesn’t account the work done by the mother to run her house. It does not take into account the depletion of natural resources. So, seeing GDP as onlymeasure of growth is a flawed idea.

Why the question on this?

In its recent report, the Estimate Committee of Parliament has pointed these flaws and has asked for the change in the GDP calculation to take these factors into account.

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

Current Account deals with short-term transactions, i.e. transactions less than 1 year. It includes Net Export of Goods, Net invisible and Net Investment income. If we look at it in very broad terms, anything that will boost export and deter Import will led to decline in CAD.

FDI/FII is the part of Capital Account, so it can never be the part of Current Account. So, by this information student can easily eliminate option 2 and 3. If we devalue the currency, it boosts exports and deters import and revaluation of currency will have reverse impact; so, statement 1 stands incorrect. The best way to deal with CAD is to boost export, so incentivising exports will help in reducing the CAD.

Why the question on CAD?

Recently, Government has increased its tariff on imports to contain the CAD, so we thought to frame a question on this to make the things more clear.

Explanation :

• NHRC was constituted under Section 3 of the 1993 Act for better protection of human rights. So, it is very clear that it is a statutory body, not a constitutional one. Hence, statement 1 stands incorrect.
• NHRC has the powers of a civil court. It has the authority to grant interim relief and authority to recommend payment of compensation or damages.
• The one of the major criticism of NHRC is that it has not its dedicated cadre to look into the cases or investigate them; it deploys its officials by deputation and in maximum of the cases state is the party which has done the injustice, so these officers have their loyalty to the parent cadre, hence investigation does not happen in a transparent manner.

Why the question on NHRC?

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of this institution, so we have decided to cover this in detail via series of questions.

Source Name : IE, TH, PIB

Explanation :

“Middle East Strategic Alliance” is a brain child of USA. This is planned to be launched in January next year, with sole motto to contain and mend the way “Iran” works, sometimes it is also referred to as “Arab Nato”. It plans to take all the Arab countries on board who are opposed to Iran.

Source Name : IDSA, IE