Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Main Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
What’s the ongoing story: President Bashar al-Assad’s political survival was under threat Saturday as the Syrian government battled opposition rebellions around the country and, amid protests near the capital Damascus, withdrew forces from several of its suburbs, according to war monitoring groups.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Read about the history of the Syrian civil war.
• What was the “Arab Spring”?
• What is ‘Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’?
• What is the role of international actors such as Russia and Iran in the Syrian Civil War?
• What can be the geopolitical implications of the Syrian Civil War for the Middle East and the world?
• What is Hezbollah?
• What is the status of India-Syria relations?
• Map Work: Aleppo, Damascus, Homs, and other places in news related to the Syrian Civil War.
Key Takeaways:
• The Syrian military denied that its forces had withdrawn from the suburbs of Damascus. Yet al-Assad’s autocratic government, which had until just over a week ago appeared to have a firm grip over much of the country, now seemed to be facing a possible breach of Damascus.
• In addition to the protests. the main rebel offensive had by Saturday reached the outskirts of the strategic city of Homs, only about 100 miles (160 km) from the seat of al-Assad’s power in Damascus.
• The new uprisings present the gravest challenge in years to al-Assad. It is unclear what resources he can marshal to defend the rapidly shrinking territory under his control, especially without the help of one of his staunchest allies, Iran, which began to evacuate its military commanders and personnel from Syria on Friday. Russia, his other important ally through nearly 14 years of civil war, has offered only limited aid.
• An array of different groups have been taking territory from the government in other parts of the country as well. Government forces and their Russian allies withdrew from more than a dozen positions in the southwestern province of Quneitra near Israel and rebels took over the positions.
• The main rebel offensive now approaching Homs is led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. It has taken major cities and large parts of four provinces since launching a surprise offensive last week out of its base in northwestern Syria.
From “India puts out advisory, days after Assad team held talks in Delhi to boost ties”
• As a rebel coalition’s advance in Syria challenged the writ of President Bashar al-Assad and his army, New Delhi issued a travel advisory, asking Indians to avoid travelling to Syria and urged those staying there to exercise “utmost precaution” and restrict their movements.
• Given that Assad’s regime has survived the fighting since 2011 and has held off the rebels from a possible takeover of Damascus makes New Delhi cautious about any prediction that the Assad regime will collapse anytime soon.
• But this time, Syria’s three main allies — Russia, Iran and Hezbollah — are either distracted or weakened this has provided an opening to the rebels.
• New Delhi was preparing to revive its political and economic ties with Damascus late last month. On November 29, India and Syria held Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi.
• India has been a keen developmental partner for Syria and is also actively involved in the capacity-building of the Syrian youth.
Do You Know:
• The Syrian civil war began around the “Arab Spring” of 2010, dubbed so as many countries in the Middle East and North Africa saw uprisings against authoritarian governments that had been in power for decades. In some nations, such as Tunisia and Egypt, ruling governments were forced out. In most others, governments and militaries crushed the movements.
• The Internet and social media websites such as Twitter, which were then taking off, were believed to have played a role in the spread of pro-democracy ideas in the region. Foreign governments, such as the United States and Russia, also responded to the events based on their respective strategic interests.
• Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is a former al-Qaeda affiliate previously known as Jabhat al-Nusra (Al Nusra Front) and designated a terrorist group by the US, Russia and Turkey, among other nations.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Syrian war intensifies as rebels start entering Damascus, President Assad flees from city
📍 Explained: The state of the war in Syria, and the bloody battle for Idlib
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(1) Consider the following pairs: (UPSC CSE 2018)
| Towns sometimes mentioned in news | Country | |
| 1. | Aleppo | Syria |
| 2. | Kirkuk | Yemen |
| 3. | Mosul | Palestine |
| 4. | Mazar-i-sharif | Afghanistan |
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 1 and 4
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 3 and 4
CJI-led bench to hear pleas against Places of Worship Act
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance, Indian Polity and Governance- Constitution, Rights Issues
Mains Examination: General Studies -I, II: Secularism, Constitution of India- basic structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary,
What’s the ongoing story: At a time when suits seeking surveys of mosques and dargahs have rekindled a debate across the country, the Supreme Court has constituted a special bench to hear on December 12 a clutch of pending petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What is the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991?
• Know the key provisions of the Places of Worship Act, 1991.
• What is the basic structure doctrine?
• What did the Supreme Court say about the Places of Worship Act in its Ayodhya judgement?
• What is judicial review? How does the Places of Worship Act limit the power of judicial review of the judiciary?
• Critically examine the significance of the Places of Worship Act in the context of communal harmony and legal disputes.
• What are the constitutional and legal challenges related to the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991?
• How judicial interpretations of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, can impact the resolution of historical disputes involving religious sites?
Key Takeaways:
• The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 mandates that the nature of all places of worship, except the one in Ayodhya that was then under litigation, shall be maintained as it was on August 15, 1947.
• The Act, brought in by the P V Narasimha Rao-led Congress government during the height of the Ram temple movement, was also meant to apply to the disputed Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi and the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple-Shahi Idgah mosque complex in Mathura.
• Several petitions have challenged the Act, saying it bars the remedy of judicial review which the Supreme Court, in its 1980 judgment in Minerva Mills Ltd. & Ors vs Union Of India & Ors, said was a basic feature of the Constitution and, therefore, outside the legislative competence of Parliament. The Act, the petitioners have said, also violates the principle of secularism.
• The Act declares that the character of a place of worship as of August 15, 1947, shall be maintained and that no suit or proceeding shall lie in any court in respect of any dispute against the encroachment of any religious properties at any point in time before this date.
• It also says that any such pending proceeding shall stand abated and that any proceeding filed on the grounds that conversion of religious place has taken place after August 15, 1947, and before September 18, 1991 (when the Act came into existence), shall be disposed of to maintain the status as existed on August 15, 1947.
• In the Minerva Mills judgment, the Supreme Court had said “the power of judicial review is an integral part of our constitutional system and without it there will be no government of laws, and the rule of law would become a teasing illusion and a promise of unreality”.
• “If there is one feature of our Constitution which, more than any other, is basic and fundamental to the maintenance of democracy and the rule of law, it is the power of judicial review and it is unquestionably a part of the basic structure of the Constitution,” it stated.
Do You Know:
• Section 3 of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act bars the conversion, in full or part, of a place of worship of any religious denomination into a place of worship of a different religious denomination — or even a different segment of the same religious denomination.
• Section 4(1) ensures that the religious identity of a place of worship remains unchanged from its state on August 15, 1947.
• Section 4(3) excludes ancient and historical monuments, archaeological sites, and remains governed by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958. It also does not apply to disputes that were already settled or those resolved through mutual agreement, nor to conversions that occurred before the Act’s enactment.
• Section 5 stipulates that the Act shall not apply to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case or any related legal proceedings, allowing for the eventual construction of the Ram Temple.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Explained: Places of Worship Act, and the legal issues in the Sambhal mosque case
📍Balancing faith and law: The Places of Worship Act, 1991, and why it continues to be invoked
UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
(2) Consider the following statements with reference to the Places of Worship Act, 1991:
1. It states that the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1950, must be maintained.
2. Section 3 of the Act bars the conversion, in full or part, of a place of worship of any religious denomination into a place of worship of a different religious denomination.
3. The Act was brought in by the P V Narasimha Rao-led Congress government.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1,2 and 3
GOVT & POLITICS
Nadda launches 100-day intensified TB elimination campaign from Panchkula
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions, Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
What’s the ongoing story: In a step to eliminate Tuberculosis in the country, Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Saturday launched a 100-day intensified nationwide campaign from Panchkula district of Haryana.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What is tuberculosis (TB)? How does it spread?
• What are the different forms of TB?
• What is India’s TB elimination target?
• How do tuberculosis cases present a big challenge for public health in India?
• What are the recent advancements in TB diagnosis and treatment?
• What are the key highlights of the Global TB Report?
• What are the socioeconomic implications of high TB incidence in India, and how can preventive strategies help mitigate them?
• What initiatives have been taken by the government to eliminate TB from the country?
Key Takeaways:
• The campaign, focused on enhancing detection, reducing diagnostic delays and improving treatment outcomes, will be implemented in 347 districts of 33 states where the prevalence of the disease is higher.
• Nadda said the rate of decline of tuberculosis incidence in India has doubled since 2015 and is ahead of the global average.
Do You Know:
• According to the Global TB Report 2024, India saw a slight decline in the estimated number of tuberculosis cases and deaths in 2023, but it is nowhere near its elimination target. India had an estimated 28 lakh TB cases in 2023, accounting for 26% of the global cases. And, there were estimated 3.15 lakh TB-related deaths, accounting for 29% of the deaths globally.
• Tuberculosis is caused by an organism called mycobacterium tuberculosis, which mainly affects the lungs, but can also impact other parts of the body. TB spreads through the air when an infected individual coughs, sneezes, or speaks.
• Once diagnosed, the treatment depends on whether it is drug-resistant or simple tuberculosis. According to experts, when recovering from TB, it is critical to consume a well-balanced and nutritious diet to help strengthen the immune system.
• In December 2022, WHO recommended the use of the BPaLM/BPaL regimen for Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) patients, which offers a much higher success rate of 89 per cent.
• Although the elimination of tuberculosis is one of the sustainable development targets to be achieved by 2030 by the world, India has set a target for 2025. The national strategic plan 2017-2025 sets the target for India to report no more than 44 new TB cases or 65 total cases per lakh population by 2025.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍High TB treatment coverage in India, surge in preventive therapy: WHO report
📍Knowledge Nugget of the day: Global Tuberculosis Report
UPSC Practice Mains Question Covering similar theme:
The latest World Health Organization (WHO) report highlights India’s progress in addressing tuberculosis (TB) care, but also flags concerns related to funding gaps that could hinder the country’s goal of TB eradication by 2025. Discuss.
EXPRESS NETWORK
Nicobar tribe genetically linked to South and Southeast Asia: Study
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance
Mains Examination: General Studies- I: Human Geography and Society
What’s the ongoing story: The Nicobarese tribe inhabiting the Nicobar group of islands in the eastern Indian Ocean are genetically close to the South and Southeast Asians, a new study finds.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What are the major tribes of the Nicobar Islands?
• What are the main islands that make up the Nicobar Islands?
• How does the genetic analysis of the Nicobarese tribe enhance our understanding of their migration and ancestral connections to Southeast Asia?
• What is the importance of preserving the genomic origins and ethnic distinctness of the Nicobarese tribe?
• Read about the flora and fauna of Andaman and Nicobar.
• What is the strategic significance of Andaman and Nicobar?
• What is the Great Nicobar Island Project?
• Map work: Location of main islands of Andaman and Nicobar
Key Takeaways:
• The Nicobar islands comprise seven large islands including Car Nicobar and Great Nicobar, and some islands such as Little Nicobar, Nancowry and Teressa with corals and sandy beaches.
• While previous studies had stated that the dispersal of the Austroasiatic population (languages commonly spoken in Southeast Asia and the Pacific) in South Asia began some 4,500 – 5,000 years ago and their migration spread many agricultural practices, knowledge of plants and domesticating animals, this is for the first time that such detailed genetic analyses of this tribe were conducted.
• The genomic analysis of 1,559 people from this tribe linked the Nicobarese people’s genetic proximity with the Austroasiatic language-speaking Htin Mal communities living along Thailand-Laos’s Nan province.
• “The Nicobarese have genetic lineage with the Southeast Asians. This is for the first time we have a detailed genetic proof,” said Gyaneshwar Chaubey, lead author of the study and anthropologist at the Banaras Hindu University.
• “The Nicobarese migrated into Nicobar islands some 4,500 – 5,000 years ago. Interestingly, both men and women migrated to the islands,” Chaubey said.
• What makes this ancient tribe significant is that they have, so far, lived and survived without admixtures and thereby been able to preserve their genomic origins, language and maintain a remarkable ethnic distinctness over thousands of years. DNA
• In DNA, some regions mutate fast and show variations, whereas some other regions upon mutation stabilise and remain unchanged for even thousands of years. The latter kind of genomic markers and the advanced technology helped researchers in unravelling the genomic past in this study.
Do You Know:
• In the numerous evolutionary studies and documentation since the stone-age era, humans are believed to have transitioned from being hunter-gatherers into those living in settlements practising food cultivation, agriculture and animal rearing. But researchers argued that the Nicobarese tribe had a different evolutionary history, especially with respect to their living.
• They said that the Nicobarese people and their livelihood practices have links dating back 5,000 years ago. Back then, the Southeast Asian community were extensively involved in farming and agriculture. As food was in grown and available in abundance, these communities thrived and their population exploded. There arrived a point when some from within the community were forced to expand their agri-practices into newer geographical territories, one of them being the Nicobar islands.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Development of Great Nicobar: strategic imperative and ecological concerns
UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
(3) Which one of the following pairs of islands is separated from each other by the ‘Ten Degree Channel’? (2014)
(a) Andman and Nicobar Islands
(b) Nicobar and Sumatra
(c) Maldives and Lakshadweep
(d) Sumatra and Java
(4) The Shompen tribe resides in which of the following places?
(a) Odisha
(b) Kerala
(c) Madhya Pradesh
(d) Andaman and Nicobar
ECONOMY
Why are SME IPOs flourishing amid regulator’s concerns over misconduct?
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance and economic development
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth.
What’s the ongoing story: Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Tuesday (December 3) cancelled the SME (small and medium enterprises) public issue of Trafiksol ITS Technologies, whose issue was oversubscribed 345.65 times, and asked the company to refund the money to the investors for alleged misuse of funds through a ‘shell entity’.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Read about the SEBI.
• What do you understand by the term “shell companies”?
• What are the challenges associated with SME IPOs, particularly concerning promoter-driven companies and the limited involvement of sophisticated investors?
• What regulatory measures has SEBI proposed to strengthen the guidelines for SME IPOs?
Key Takeaways:
• Even as the Sebi contemplates tighter IPO norms for SMEs in the wake of a series of misconducts, the SME IPO market is flourishing with huge oversubscriptions and listing at high premium. While many genuine SMEs have successfully raised money through IPOs, Sebi has raised concerns over the quality of some of the IPOs.
• In a consultation paper, Sebi has observed that diversion of issue proceeds to related parties, connected parties, shell companies and inflation of revenue by circular transactions through related parties, connected parties and shell companies. In some SME companies, the entity diverted money raised through the IPO and subsequent Rights Issue to shell companies controlled by the promoters.
• In another instance, a company booked fraudulent sales and purchases through circular transactions amongst related parties and connected parties. By doing so, such companies try to create a positive sentiment to induce investors to purchase their securities. SEBI has passed orders against such entities in the recent past.
• SME listed entities are typically promoter driven or family business companies with high concentration of shareholding among a few promoters, promoter group persons or entities. There is also limited presence of private equity investors and sophisticated investors, who act as a check on the promoter’s influence, in such companies.
• In order to check misconduct, Sebi has now proposed doubling the minimum application value to Rs 2 lakh, restricting the offer for sale (OFS) limit to 20 per cent of the issue size, mandating the appointment of monitoring agencies to ensure that the money raised through an IPO was used appropriately and several other measures.
Do You Know:
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India was established as a statutory body in the year 1992 and the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992) came into force on January 30, 1992.
• The basic functions of SEBI are to protect the interests of investors in securities. Also, it promotes and regulates the securities market.
• SEBI is a quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial body which can draft regulations, conduct inquiries, pass rulings and impose penalties.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Sebi’s stricter guidelines to protect investor interests is a step in the right direction
CoC performance ‘lacking’, should enforce a code of conduct: RBI Dy Gov Rao
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance and economic development
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth.
What’s the ongoing story: The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) should enforce a code of conduct for the Committee of Creditors (CoC), as their performance in insolvency proceedings has been “lacking in several aspects”, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Deputy Governor M Rajeshwar Rao said Saturday.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What is the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)?
• Why was the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code introduced?
• Read about the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India.
• What is the institutional mechanism provided in IBC?
• What steps should be taken to address the issues and challenges associated with the functioning of the IBC?
Key Takeaways:
• While the IBBI issued self-regulating guidelines in August to enhance the CoC’s professional competence, Rao emphasized the need for enforceable regulations, arguing that “when incentives are not perfectly aligned, deviations from best practices become the norm”.
• Rao also advocated for a market-driven compensation framework for resolution professionals (RPs) as opposed to a regulatory mandate.
• “The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) assigns a central role to the CoC in the corporate resolution process. However, this is an area where significant improvements are needed. There have been instances where the COC’s performance has been found lacking in several aspects,” Rao said.
• A CoC typically consists of financial creditors in insolvency cases under the IBC, and may also include operational creditors with limited participation and voting rights.
• Rao highlighted several instances of subpar performance by the CoC, such as prioritizing individual creditors’ interests over collective interests, disputes over resolution plans due to concerns about undervaluation or viability, disagreements on distributing proceeds even after a plan’s approval, poor attendance at CoC meetings, and inadequate engagement, coordination, and information-sharing among members.
• In August this year, IBBI issued guidelines for the CoC to curb delays, enhance transparency, and improve value realization by requiring it to disclose any conflict of interest, and maintain integrity, confidentiality, and objectivity. However, the guidelines were self-regulatory in nature.
Do You Know:
• Introduced in 2016, IBC promised an overhaul of insolvency resolution with the aim to rescue and reorganise distressed companies through a time-bound process, prioritising their survival as going concern.
• Eight years on, while the IBC has had a few successes, it is marred by issues like high case backlog, lengthy delays in admission and resolution, and steep haircuts for creditors. In the recent past, various stakeholders, including RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das and the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance, also flagged concerns and the need to rethink the IBC’s design.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Express View: Bankruptcy code’s loose ends
📍With long delays and steep haircuts, chorus for revamping IBC grows louder
UPSC Mains Practice Question Covering similar theme:
What is the role of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) in the resolution of stressed assets? Discuss its achievements and limitations.
The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the November issue of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com
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