10 Jun 2024: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

10 June 2024 CNA
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
Polity
1. Is it time for proportional representation?
C. GS 3 Related
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
Economics
1. Recalcitrant jumbo
Polity
1. In LWE affected seats and in Bihar, NOTA still matters
F. Prelims Facts
1. Hydrogen line: a unique signal
G. Tidbits
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
FIP Magazine

Category:Economics

1. Recalcitrant jumbo

Syllabus: Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment

 

Mains: Food inflation 

 

Introduction: RBI’s Policy Decision

 

  • The RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has kept the benchmark repo rate unchanged at 6.50% for the eighth consecutive meeting.
  • The decision is based on concerns that elevated food inflation could disrupt efforts to achieve durable price stability.

 

Inflation Concerns:

 

  • Governor Shaktikanta Das highlighted the risk of stubborn food price gains impacting the overall disinflation path.
  • Food inflation, as measured by the Consumer Food Price Index, accelerated to 8.7% in April from 8.52% in March.
  • Indicators like Crisil’s food plate costs suggest that price gains, driven by surges in tomato, onion, and potato prices, may have increased further in May.

 

Inflation Forecasts and Factors:

 

  • The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) forecasted a 31 basis points increase in headline retail inflation to 5.14% for May.
  • This increase is largely due to a 40 basis points rise in food price gains to 9.1%.
  • Adverse climate events, such as heatwaves, are cited as causes for rising costs of fruits and vegetables.

 

Additional Inflationary Pressures:

 

  • Rising prices of industrial metals and the uncertain outlook for crude oil prices due to tensions in West Asia and OPEC+  output cuts add to inflationary pressures.
  • The MPC faces challenges in achieving its inflation target of 4% due to these supply shocks and unpredictable food price trajectories.

 

Importance of Price Stability:

 

  • RBI surveys indicate that households expect inflation to increase for all major product groups over the next three months and one year.
  • Consumer confidence has moderated, with nearly 80% of respondents expecting price gains to accelerate in one year.
  • Governor Das emphasises that anchoring inflation expectations is essential for sustained long-term growth.

 

Nut Graf: The RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee has kept the repo rate at 6.50% due to persistent food inflation and various economic uncertainties, emphasising the critical need to anchor inflation expectations to ensure long-term growth and price stability.
Category:Polity

1. In LWE affected seats and in Bihar, NOTA still matters

Syllabus: Salient Features of the Representation of People’s Act

 

Mains: About NOTA 

 

Context: Decline in NOTA Usage

 

  • In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, less than 1% of voters in India chose the NOTA option, the lowest share since its introduction in 2014.
  • The nationwide NOTA vote share dropped below the 1% mark for the first time in 2024, with only 0.99% of voters opting for it.

 

Persistent Relevance in Certain Regions:

 

  • Despite the overall decline, NOTA remains relevant in certain seats, especially those impacted by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) and in Bihar.
  • In the Indore seat, 14% of votes were polled for NOTA in 2024 after a Congress candidate withdrew and joined the BJP.
  • In the 2022 Andheri East Assembly by-poll, NOTA received the second-highest share of votes (14.8%) after the BJP candidate withdrew.

 

Trends in LWE-Affected Areas:

 

  • A constituency-level analysis shows that seats in LWE-affected areas often have higher NOTA shares.
  • Bastar (Chhattisgarh), Koraput, and Nabarangpur (Odisha) consistently featured high NOTA shares in 2014, 2019, and 2024.
  • Aruku (Andhra Pradesh) showed high NOTA shares in 2019 and 2024.
  • This trend is observed in several Assembly elections as well.

 

Bihar and Other Regions:

 

  • Bihar has several seats with high NOTA shares, both in 2019 and 2024.
  • In 2019, 11 seats in Bihar had NOTA shares over 3%, and in 2024, this was the case in four seats.
  • Most seats in Bihar stand out, with some showing significant declines and others significant increases in NOTA shares.
  • Seats like Paschim Champaran, Saran, Nawada, and Jahanabad saw declines in NOTA shares, while Banka and Jhanjharpur saw increases.
  • Gopalganj in Bihar had close to 4% NOTA share in 2024 and 5% in 2019, despite not being affected by LWE.
  • Dahod in Gujarat consistently recorded more than 3% NOTA share in 2014, 2019, and 2024, though it is not LWE-affected.

 

Nut Graf: Despite a nationwide decline in NOTA usage to below 1% in 2024, the option remains significant in LWE-affected areas and Bihar, reflecting voters’ continued use of NOTA to express dissatisfaction with available candidates in specific regions.

 

F. Prelims Facts

1. Hydrogen line: a unique signal

About the Hydrogen Line:

 

  • The hydrogen line is a crucial tool in modern Astronomy, used for studying distant stars and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
  • It originates from the properties of hydrogen atoms, which consist of one proton and one electron, both possessing a property called spin.

 

Mechanism of Hydrogen Line Emission:

 

  • The spins of the proton and electron can be either aligned (both pointing up or down) or anti-aligned (pointing in opposite directions).
  • When spins are anti-aligned, the atom has more energy compared to when they are aligned.
  • The atom releases this excess energy when the electron flips its spin, emitting electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength of 21 cm.
  • This emission appears as a distinctive line in certain detectors, known as the ‘hydrogen line.’

 

Significance and Applications:

 

  • Discovered in 1951, the hydrogen line revolutionized radio Astronomy.
  • It enabled the detection of cold, neutral hydrogen gas clouds in interstellar space.
  • This discovery allowed scientists to map the Milky Way galaxy and identify its spiral arms for the first time.
  • Today, astronomers use the 21 cm emission to study the first light from the universe’s earliest galaxies.
  • The simplicity of detecting this emission makes it a potential means for sending information across space, possibly detectable by alien civilizations.

G. Tidbits

Nothing here for today!!!

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1.Consider the following statements:
  1. Repo rate can be defined as the rate of interest that is charged by the Reserve Bank of India while lending funds to the commercial banks. 
  2. The monetary policy committee decides RBI’s benchmark interest rates.Which of these statements is incorrect?(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation: Both the statements are correct.

Q2. Consider the following statements with respect to Tunisia:
  1. It shares its longest land borders with Algeria.
  2. It is one of the Maghreb countries in North Africa.
  3. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea.

How many of these statements is/are correct?

(a) One only

(b) ⁠Two only 

(c) All three 

(d) ⁠None of the above

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:  All three statements are correct.

Q3.Consider the following statements with respect to Hydrogen Line:
  1. It is a spectral line that is created by a change in the energy state of solitary, electrically neutral hydrogen atoms. 
  2. It is an important tool in astronomy for studying stars and searching for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Which of these statements is incorrect?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:  Both the statements are correct.

Q4.Consider the following statements with respect to NOTA voting option:
  1. It was introduced for the first time in the 2014 general elections. 
  2. It has never been used in Assembly elections.
  3. It was introduced into the electoral process following the 2013 Supreme Court directive in the PUCL versus Union of India case.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) One only

(b) ⁠Two only 

(c) All three 

(d) ⁠None of the above

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:   1 & 2 are incorrect. NOTA was used for 1st time in 2013 Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Delhi, & Madhya Pradesh. And later in the 2014 General Election.

Q5.Consider the following statements:
  1. In the First Past the Post System (FPTP), the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins.
  2. In India, Mixed Member Proportional Representation (MMPR) Combination applied in direct elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.

Which of these statements is incorrect?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation: The First Past the Post System is known as the simple majority system. It is followed in the direct elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.

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