A new Indian Army Memorial, commemorating the sacrifice of millions of Indian soldiers who fought for the British during the two World Wars is set to be built in:
1. What defines a bomb cyclone is how rapidly the pressure rises in the low-pressure mass.
2. This quickly decreases the pressure difference, or gradient, between the two air masses, therefore making the winds stronger.
1. On December 28, 1885, 72 social reformers, journalists and lawyers congregated for the first session of the INC at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay.
2. In the beginning, the aim of this group was not to demand independence from the ongoing colonial rule but to influence the policies of the British government in favour of Indians.
3. In Surat in 1906, the divisions between the ‘moderates’ led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Surendranath Banerjea, and the ‘extremists’ led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak came to the fore and there was a split.
4. In 1915, the Bombay session saw the ‘moderates’ and the ‘extremists’ groups coming together again as one.
Which of the following statements are not true with reference to the process of Delimitation ?
(a) Delimitation is carried out by an independent Delimitation Commission appointed by the Election Commission of India.
(b) The draft proposals of the Delimitation Commission are published for public feedback.
(c) Under Article 82, Parliament is to enact a Delimitation Act after every Census.
(d) In the history of the Indian republic, Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times.
Which country recently approved a cabinet decree which imposes tougher rules on charity ships that rescue migrants at sea?
With reference to the formal methods in the Constitution to resolve inter-state disputes, consider the following statements:
1. Article 263 of the Constitution gives powers to the President to set up an Inter-state Council for resolution of disputes between states.
2. As per Article 131 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court in its original jurisdiction decides imputes between states.
The 28th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 28) to the UNFCCC will be held in:
1. She took control of Malwa after her husband’s death in the Battle of Kumbher against the king of Bharatpur in 1754.
2. In 1780, she had the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi rebuilt, nearly a century after Mughal king Aurangzeb ordered its destruction.
3. She fought bravely against the British in the Battle of Mahidpur.
1. (c)
A new British Indian Army Memorial, commemorating the sacrifice of millions of Indian soldiers who fought for the British during the two World Wars, is set to be built in the Scottish city of Glasgow. The memorial is visualised as Scotland’s first permanent memorial wall to recognise the service and sacrifice of the British Indian Army during the world wars.
2. (c)
Both are incorrect.
Storms can form when a mass of low-pressure air meets a high-pressure mass. The air flows from high pressure to low, creating winds. What defines a bomb cyclone is how rapidly the pressure drops in the low-pressure mass — by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. This quickly increases the pressure difference, or gradient, between the two air masses, making the winds stronger. This process of rapid intensification has a name: bombogenesis.
As the winds blow, the rotation of the Earth creates a cyclonic effect. The direction is counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere (when viewed from above).
3. (d)
All of the statements are true.
FYI
The Congress recently celebrated their 138th Foundation day.
How the Congress was founded?
The English bureaucrat Allan Octavian Hume or AO Hume is credited as the founder of the organisation. On December 28, 1885, 72 social reformers, journalists and lawyers congregated for the first session of the INC at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay.
At that point, the aim of this group was not to demand independence from the ongoing colonial rule but to influence the policies of the British government in favour of Indians. Its objective is often described as providing a “safety valve” as the time, through which Indians could air out their grievances and frustration.
Splits and reconvening
One of the biggest strengths of the party, which helped it appeal to a broad section of Indian society, was having members who held different ideological positions. In Surat in 1906, the divisions between the ‘moderates’ led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Surendranath Banerjea, and the ‘extremists’ led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak came to the fore and there was a split. While Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai wanted the Congress to boycott the visit of the Prince of Wales in protest against the Bengal Partition a year prior, the moderates opposed any such move.
But by 1915, the Bombay session saw these two groups coming together again as one. The pattern of splits and eventual cohesion continued well after Indian independence, even after the party came to completely dominate successive general elections under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
4. (a)
FYI
The Election Commission of India said Tuesday it has begun the process of delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in Assam. The process will be based on Census data from 2001. The last delimitation of constituencies in Assam was done in 1976 on the basis of the 1971 Census.
Delimitation is the act of redrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha and state Assembly seats to represent changes in population. The main objective of delimitation is to provide equal representation to equal segments of a population.
Who carries out delimitation?
Delimitation is carried out by an independent Delimitation Commission, appointed by the Government of India under provisions of the Delimitation Commission Act. The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India. It is composed of the following: a retired Supreme Court judge, the Chief Election Commissioner of India and respective State Election Commissioners.
The Delimitation Commission is to work without any executive influence. The Constitution mandates that the Commission’s orders are final and cannot be questioned before any court as it would hold up an election indefinitely.
How is delimitation supposed to be carried out?
Under Article 82, Parliament is to enact a Delimitation Act after every Census. Once the Act is in force, the Union government sets up the Delimitation Commission.
The Commission is supposed to determine the number and boundaries of constituencies in a way that the population of all seats, so far as practicable, is the same. The Commission is also tasked with identifying seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The draft proposals of the Delimitation Commission are published for public feedback. The Commission also holds public sittings. After hearing the public, it considers objections and suggestions, and carries out changes, if any, in the draft proposal. The final order is published in the Gazette of India and the State Gazette concerned and comes into force on a date specified by the President.
How have previous delimitation exercises actually worked?
In the history of the Indian republic, Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002. There was no delimitation after the 1981, 1991 and 2001 Censuses.
5. (b)
FYI
On Wednesday (December 28), Italy’s far right government approved a cabinet decree which imposes tougher rules on charity ships that rescue migrants at sea, reported Reuters. These rules will make it harder for such ships to rescue as many migrants as possible – with severe penalties in cases of non-compliance.
The move comes amid the harshening of rhetoric and policies against immigrants in Italy. The new far-right government, under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, came to power on a strong anti-immigration plank. Meloni is the leader of the Brothers of Italy party, whose lineage stretches back all the way to Benito Mussolini’s National Fascist Party of the early 20th century.
Humanitarian organisations have led an outcry against the latest attack on undocumented immigrants, calling it unethical and potentially, life-threatening.
Italy’s refugee “crisis”
In the past 30 years, Italy has seen a rise in the number of migrants seeking refuge on its shores. According to World Bank data, in comparison with 1990 when international migrants formed 2.5 per cent of the total population, in 2015, international migrants made up around 9.5 per cent of the total population.
Multiple political and economic crises across Africa and West Asia have also led to rising “illegal migration” – undocumented refugees and asylum seekers entering Italy in clandestine ways. Often, migrants run great risks. For instance, a common route taken by migrants to enter Italy involves a treacherous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea either from Turkey or North Africa.
Almost 104,000 migrants have disembarked in Italy so far in 2022, interior ministry data shows, compared with around 67,000 in the same period last year, 34,000 in 2020 and a peak of more than 181,000 in 2016.
6. (c)
Both the statements are correct.
FYI
The border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka is intensifying, with both states hardening their stance. On December 27, both Houses of the Maharashtra Assembly passed a unanimous resolution to support a legal battle to resolve the dispute. This came just days after the Karnataka Assembly passed a resolution reiterating Karnataka’s position on the issue.
There are formal methods in the Constitution to resolve inter-state disputes.
Judicial redressal: The Supreme Court in its original jurisdiction decides imputes between states. Article 131 of the Constitution reads: “Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Supreme Court shall, to the exclusion of any other court, have original jurisdiction in any dispute
(a)between the Government of India and one or more States; or
(b)between the Government of India and any State or States on one side and one or more other States on the other; or
(c) between two or more States, if and in so far as the dispute involves any question (whether of law or fact) on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends: Provided that the said jurisdiction shall not extend to a dispute arising out of any treaty, agreement, covenant, engagements, and or other similar instrument which, having been entered into or executed before the commencement of this Constitution, continues in operation after such commencement, or which provides that the said jurisdiction shall not extend to such a dispute.
Inter-state Council: Article 263 of the Constitution gives powers to the President to set up an Inter-state Council for resolution of disputes between states. The Council is envisaged as a forum for discussion between the states and the Centre. In 1988, the Sarkaria Commission suggested that the Council should exist as a permanent body, and in 1990 it came into existence through a Presidential Order.
The provision reads: “provisions with respect to an inter State Council If any time it appears to the President that the public interests would be served by the establishment of a Council charged with the duty of
(a) inquiring into and advising upon disputes which may have arisen between States;
(b) investigating and discussing subjects in which some or all of the States, or the Union and one or more of the States, have a common interest; or
(c) making recommendations upon any such subject and, in particular, recommendations for the better co ordination of policy and action with respect to that subject, it shall be lawful for the President by order to establish such a Council, and to define the nature of the duties to be performed by it and its organisation and procedure.
In 2021, the Centre reconstituted the Inter-state Council and the body now has 10 Union Ministers as permanent invitees. The standing committee of the Council has been reconstituted with Home Minister Amit Shah as Chairman. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, UP, and Gujarat are some of the other standing committee members.
7. (c)
FYI
The 28th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 28) to the UNFCCC will be held in November 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Recently COP-27 got concluded in Egypt. It was the first climate summit held in Africa since 2016.
8. (b)
Statement 3 is incorrect. Bhima Bai Holkar fought bravely against the British in the Battle of Mahidpur.
FYI
Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar told the state Legislative Council that he has sought a proposal from the district administration to rename the Western Maharashtra city of Ahmednagar as ‘Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Nagar’, after the 18th century Malwa queen, Ahilyabai Holkar.
Who was Ahilyabai Holkar?
Born in Chondi village of Ahmednagar to the village head Mankoji Shinde, on May 31, 1725, Ahilyabai was one of the few women rulers of Medieval India. While the education of girls and women was rare at that time, Mankoji insisted on it for his daughter.
When she was eight years old, Malhar Rao Holkar, the army commander to Peshwa Bajirao, is believed to have spotted her at a temple service in Chondi. Impressed by her devotion and character, he decided to get his son, Khande Rao, married to her.
Ahilyabai took control of Malwa after her husband’s death in the Battle of Kumbher against the king of Bharatpur in 1754. She excelled at administrative and military strategies under the guidance of her father-in-law, who believed she should lead her people, and not die by Sati after Khande Rao passed away. After the death of her father-in-law and son a few years later, she petitioned the Peshwa to become the ruler, backed by the support of her army.
Role in administration and temple-building
Nehru described Holkar’s rule, which lasted for thirty years (1765-1795), as “almost legendary as a period during which perfect order and good government prevailed and the people prospered. She was a very able ruler and organizer, highly respected during her lifetime.” Similarly glowing accounts are found elsewhere.
According to an article in Google’s Arts and Culture platform, “During her reign, Malwa was never once attacked, when at that time the whole of Central India was facing a power struggle, with battles being fought for the throne. Under her rule, Malwa remained an oasis of stability and peace.”
It adds that under Holkar, the city of Maheshwar became a literary, musical, artistic and industrial centre, and she helped establish a textile industry there, which is now home to the famous Maheshwari saris.
Her role in the restoration of Hindu temples is often emphasised. In 1780, she had the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi rebuilt, nearly a century after Mughal king Aurangzeb ordered its destruction. Apart from holy sites like Badrinath, Dwarka, Omkareshwari, Gaya, and Rameswaram, Holkar also supported the construction of resting lodges for travellers, and of public ghats.
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