Abstract Competition Solutions

09/08/2023

What is a Select Committee?
(Read this article from Indian Express dated August 9, 2023 to know about Select Committee which is in news as 4 MPs complained that their names were included in a proposed select committee (proposed by AAP MP in Rajya Sabha Raghav Chadha) for the Delhi Services Bill without their consent. RS deputy chairman Harivansh announced a probe on August 7, 2023)

06/08/2023

WORLD ARCHERY CHAMPIONSHIP (August 5, 2023)
• India’s ADITI GOPICHAND SWAMI (17) beat Mexico’s Andrea Becerra to become the youngest ever Senior World Champion in compound women’s final of World Archery Championship in Berlin. She secured India’s first ever individual title at the World Archery Championships by winning the women’s compound gold with a score of 149.
• Later, India’s OJAS DEOTALE also bagged the men’s compound gold with a sheer perfect score of 150 by defeating Poland’s Lukasz Przybylski.
• Aditi swami along with Parneet Kaur and Jyothi Vennam secured India’s first-ever World Archery Championships gold by winning compound women’s team final.
Aditi Swami also won the U-18 title in the youth Championships in Limerick, Ireland on July 8, 2023.

04/08/2023

Article 370 of the Indian Constitution

02/08/2023

9th WHO Report on the Global To***co Epidemic 2023

• WHO report 2023 tracks the progress made by countries in to***co control since 2008 and marks 15 years since the introduction of the MPOWER technical package.
• MPOWER was launched in New York City by WHO on February 2, 2008, to help countries implement the demand-reduction measures of the WHO Framework Convention on To***co (WHO FCTC).
• WHO FCTC and its guidelines provide the foundation for countries to implement and manage to***co control. To help make this a reality, WHO introduced the MPOWER measures.
• The six evidence-based components of MPOWER are:
1. Monitor to***co use and prevention policies
2. Protect people from to***co smoke
3. Offer help to quit to***co use
4. Warn about the dangers of to***co
5. Enforce bans on to***co advertising, promotion and sponsorship
6. Raise taxes on to***co
• The Report highlights that 5.6 billion people – 71% of the world’s population is now protected with atleast one of the measures.
• Only four countries – Brazil, Turkiye, Netherlands and Mauritius have implemented all the measures so far (Netherlands and Mauritius were added in this report).
• The number of countries implementing atleast one MPOWER measure had increased from 44 countries in 2008 to 151 in 2022.
• But there are atleast 44 countries in the world that still do not implement any MPOWER measure.
• Around 1.3 Million people die due to Second-hand Smoking (means being in the presence of someone who is smoking) every year.
(For more information, Refer attached article)

Across the world, there are 300 million fewer smokers today,with the prevalence of smoking declining from 22.8% in 2007 to 17% in 2021.

01/08/2023

ISRO’s PSLV-C56 LAUNCH

• On July 30, 2023, ISRO’s workhorse PSLV-C56 placed 7 Singapore satellites (DS-SAR satellite and 6 co-passenger satellites) in to the near equatorial orbit (NEO) after its successful launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) at 6:31AM.
• After the launcher placed all the seven satellites into a 535 km circular orbit, to reduce space debris, PS4 stage was brought back to a lower orbit of 295 km x 300 km orbit so that it re-enters atmosphere in less than 2 months.
• The main payload that went up on the 145-foot-tall (44 meters) PSLV was DS-SAR, a 794-pound (360 kilograms) satellite designed to image Earth in radar light. (SAR - Synthetic Aperture Radar). The DS-SAR satellite was developed under a partnership between the Government of Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and ST Engineering. Once deployed and operational, it will be used to support the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the Government of Singapore.
• The co-passengers on the missions are VELOX-AM, a 23 kg technology demonstration microsatellite, ARCADE Atmospheric Coupling and Dynamics Explorer (ARCADE), an experimental satellite, SCOOB-II, a 3U nanosatellite flying a technology demonstrator payload, NuLIoN by NuSpace, an advanced 3U nanosatellite enabling seamless IoT connectivity in both urban and remote locations, Galassia-2, a 3U nanosatellite that will be orbiting at low earth orbit and ORB-12 STRIDER which is a satellite developed under an International collaboration.
It is the 58th flight of PSLV and 17th of PSLV in core alone configuration.

29/07/2023

13th International Tiger Day (Global Tiger Day)
• It is celebrated every year on 29 July since 2010 to raise awareness for tiger conservation.
• It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia by nations that are home to tigers. The Global Tiger Initiative (GTI), a grouping of nations, international organisations, and conservation organisations committed to tiger conservation, organised this summit.
• The 29th July was chosen as International Tiger Day because it represents the halfway point between the first and last days of the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit.
• Thirteen Tiger Range Countries (TRCs), or nations with wild tiger populations, gathered during this summit to discuss the alarming decline in tiger numbers at global level. 13 countries are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.
• These countries came together to create Tx2 – the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2022. (India met its target in 2018, 4 years ahead of schedule).
• India launched ‘PROJECT TIGER’ on April 1, 1973 to promote tiger conservation. (50 years completion in 2023)

In 1973, the Government of India launched Project Tiger, an ambitious, holistic conservation project

28/07/2023

NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION

• In India’s Parliamentary form of government, the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the House of People (i.e. Lok Sabha) mentioned under article 75(3) of the Constitution. The procedure of no-confidence motion is provided to prove this majority on the floor of the house.
• The no-confidence motion is not mentioned under the Constitution of India rather it is provided under the rules of procedure of the Lok Sabha mentioned under rule number 198.
• A no-confidence motion to be admitted in the House has to garner the support of at least 50 Lok Sabha MPs. It can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha not in Rajya Sabha (i.e. Council of States).
• If no-confidence motion is passed in the house, the government has no other option but to resign.
• Till July 26, 2023, 27 no-confidence motions have been moved in the Lok Sabha. None of these motions has been successful.
• The no-confidence motion moved against Narendra Modi government on July 26, 2023 by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi (from Kaliabor constituency in Assam) and admitted by LS Speaker Om Birla is 28th in number. The Congress MP was having support of opposition parties of INDIA alliance (INDIA stands for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance comprising of 26 opposition parties so far).
• In 1979, PM Morarji Desai resigned before even the House voted on the motion. This was the only time a government fell following a no-confidence motion.
• During the third Lok Sabha in 1963, the first no-confidence motion was moved by Acharya J.B. Kriplani against the government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru.
• Indira Gandhi government has faced maximum number of no-confidence motions, that is, 15 followed by Lal Bahadur Shastri and P.V. Narasimha Rao (3 each) and Morarji Desai (2).

27/07/2023

• The highest number of enemy properties are in the state of Uttar Pradesh (6255) followed by West Bengal (4088), Delhi (659), Goa (295) and Maharashtra (208).

27/07/2023

WHAT IS ENEMY PROPERTY?

• These are assets and possessions left behind by people who have taken Pakistani or Chinese citizenship during Partition or after the 1962 and 1965 wars with these countries.
• The rights related to the management and disposal of enemy properties (both movable and immovable) are vested with the CUSTODIAN OF ENEMY PROPERTY FOR INDIA (CEPI), an authority created under the ENEMY PROPERTY ACT, 1968 (amended in 2017).
• The concept of "enemy property" was introduced as a result of the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971, which led to the migration of individuals from India to Pakistan.
• The Defence of India Rules, which were formulated pursuant to the Defence of India Act, 1962, empowered the Indian government to seize the assets and companies of individuals who acquired Pakistani citizenship.
• The Enemy Property Act, 1968 is an Act of the Parliament of India, which enables and regulates the appropriation of property in India owned by Pakistani nationals. The act was passed following the Indo – Pakistan war of 1965. Ownership is passed to the Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI). The same approach was used for assets left behind by individuals who relocated to China following the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict.
• The 2017 amendment provides that the successors of those who migrated to Pakistan or China ceased to have a claim over the properties left behind in India. It also prohibited the civil courts and other authorities from entertaining disputes related to enemy property.
• According to official sources, there are a total of 12,611 Enemy Properties in India under the control of CEPI roughly estimated to be worth over Rs 1 Lakh crore. Out of them, 12,485 belong to Pakistani nationals and 126 belong to Chinese citizens.
• Recently, the Home ministry of India has initiated the process of auction of enemy properties in a transparent manner.
• New guidelines have been implemented for the disposal of enemy properties, which require the involvement of a district magistrate or deputy commissioner to initiate the eviction process before the sale of properties.
• In case of the enemy properties valued below Rs 1 Crore, the custodian shall offer for purchase to the occupant first and if offer of purchase is refused by the occupant, then the enemy property shall be disposed of in accordance with the procedure specified in the guidelines.
• Since August 2020, the Custodian of enemy property for India (CEPI) is Mr. Saurav Ray.

26/07/2023

24th Kargil Vijay Diwas

• It is celebrated every year on July 26 to commemorate India's victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War in 1999.
• Kargil war continued from May to July 1999.
• The armed conflict between India and Pakistan started after the Pakistani soldiers crossed the LoC and entered Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir (now in Ladakh).
• On July 26, Indian Army recaptured all the Indian posts in Kargil that had been occupied by Pakistan's army.
• The successful military operation against Pakistan was codenamed ‘Operation Vijay’.
• The Indian Air Force acted jointly with the Indian Army during Kargil war in what was designated as ‘Operation Safed Sagar’.
• 'Tiger Hill' (also known as Point 5062) is a mountain in the Drass – Kargil area of Ladakh and was the subject of a battle during the kargil war.

31/08/2021

TOKYO 2020 PARALYMPICS (contd…)

AVANI LEKHARA (From Jaipur, Rajasthan)
• Won a Gold medal in women’s R210m air rifle standing event in SH1 category at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics with a score of 249.6 points (with this she has set a new Paralympic record and has also equaled the world record)
(Cuiping Zhang of China won the Silver medal;
Iryna Shchetnik of Ukraine won the Bronze medal)
• India’s first woman to win a Paralympic Gold medal
• Only the fourth Indian to win a Paralympics gold after swimmer Murlikant Petkar (1972); javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia (2004 & 2016) and high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu (2016)
• Met with a car accident in 2012 at the age of 11 which left her with complete paraplegia

SUMIT ANTIL (From Sonipat, Haryana)
• Won a Gold medal in Men’s Javelin throw in F64 category at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics with a throw of 68.55m, a new world record.

OTHER INDIAN MEDAL WINNERS IN PARALYMPICS 2020 SO FAR
• Devendra Jhajharia – Silver (Men’s Javelin throw F46)
• Yogesh Kathuniya – Silver (Men’s Discus throw F56)
• Sundar Singh Gurjar – Bronze (Men’s Javelin throw F46)
• Mariyappan Thangavelu – Silver (Men’s High Jump T63)
• Singhraj Adhana – Bronze (Men’s P1 10m air pistol SH1)
• Sharad Kumar – Bronze (Men’s High Jump T63)

29/08/2021

SUMMER PARALYMPICS 2020/XVI SUMMER PARALYMPIC GAMES/ TOKYO 2020 PARALYMPIC GAMES

• Being held between 24 August and 5 September 2021.

BHAVINA HASMUKHBHAI PATEL (From Mehsana, Gujarat)

• Won India’s first medal at Tokyo Paralympics 2020
• Won Silver medal in table tennis class 4 category (Zhou Ying of China won the Gold medal, 3-0)
• First-ever Indian table tennis player to win a Paralympic medal
• Only second Indian woman to win a Paralympic medal (First woman was Deepa Malik, Silver medal in women’s shot put in 2016 Rio Paralympic)

NISHAD KUMAR (From Badaun, Himachal Pradesh)

• Won Silver medal in men’s T-47 high jump event (2.06m high, Asian record) (Roderick Townsend of USA won Gold medal with a jump of 2.15m)

VINOD KUMAR

• 41-years old BSF man won Bronze medal in Men’s Discus throw (F52) event (19.91m distance, Asian record)
(Piotr Kosewicz of Poland won Gold medal with 20.02m;
Velimir Sandor of Croatia won Silver medal with 19.98m distance)