Daily Prelims Notes 7 February 2025

  • February 7, 2025
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN
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Daily Prelims Notes

7 February 2025

1. SC scholars flag delay in grants disbursal under national fellowship scheme

Sub: Schemes

Sec: Vulnerable

Context:

  • The Centre recently informed Parliament that OBC scholars have not received grants under the National Fellowship for OBC Students (NF-OBC) since June of the previous year.
  • Similarly, Scheduled Caste (SC) scholars have reported delays in receiving grants under the National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC), ranging from two to five months.

National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC):

  • National Fellowship scheme for Scheduled Caste Students, is a Central Sector Scheme introduced during the financial year 2005-06 to provide opportunities to Scheduled Castes students for pursuing higher education leading to M.Phil/Ph.D degrees in Sciences, Humanities and Social Science streams.
  • The scheme is funded by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and implemented by the National Scheduled Castes Finance & Development Corporation (NSFDC).
  • Eligibility: Candidates must belong to the SC category and have qualified the UGC-NET or Joint CSIR-UGC-NET examination. They should be enrolled in regular, full-time M.Phil. or Ph.D. courses in recognized Indian universities or institutions.
  • Number of Fellowships: The scheme provides 2,000 new fellowships annually, with 1,500 allocated to Humanities and Social Sciences and 500 to science streams.

National Fellowship for Other Backward Classes (NFOBC):

  • Objective: To increase opportunities for OBC students to pursue advanced studies and research leading to M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees.
  • The scheme is funded by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and implemented by the National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation (NBCFDC).
  • Eligibility: Candidates must belong to the OBC category and have qualified the UGC-NET or Joint CSIR-UGC-NET examination. They should be enrolled in regular, full-time M.Phil. or Ph.D. courses in recognized Indian universities or institutions.
  • Number of Fellowships: The scheme provides 1,000 new fellowships annually.

National Fellowship Scheme for ST:

  • The National Fellowship Scheme is a Central Sector Scheme by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs with the objective to provide financial assistance to meritorious students from Scheduled Tribes to enable them to pursue higher education (M.Phil or Ph.D.) after completing a post-graduate degree (Master’s degree).

Eligibility:

  • ST students who have secured admission in the notified Institutions according to the norms prescribed by the respective Institutions will be eligible for the scholarship under the scheme.
  • The total family income of the candidate to be eligible for this scholarship from all sources should not exceed Rs.6 lakh per annum.
  • The scholarship once awarded will continue till completion of the course tenure, subject to satisfactory performance of the student, as assessed by the institute.
  • Number of Fellowship:
  • The total number of fresh fellowships for each year will be 750.
  • In case of the non-availability of an adequate number of Scheduled Tribe applicants, the number of fellowships not availed during that year will be carried forward to the next academic year. There is no State /University wise ceiling on number of slots.
  • Priority:
    • Person with Disability (PWD) – 3% of total slots
    • PVTG – 50 slots
    • BPL – 50 slots
    • Female – 30% of total slots

2. Guatemala will accept deportees from the U.S.

Sub: IR

Sec: Places in news

Context:

  • Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo announced an agreement to accept migrants from other countries deported by the United States.
  • This is the second deportation deal brokered by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his Central America visit. The first being with El Salvador.

Guatemala:

  • Guatemala is a Central American country south of Mexico
  • Guatemala borders four countries: Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. It also borders the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Honduras.

3. Scientists’ conference kicks off global AI summit in Paris

Sub: IR

Sec: Int conventions

Context:

  • Global experts are gathering in Paris for a major AI conference in Paris. It precedes a world leaders’ summit on AI. The event aims to discuss both the threats and potential of AI.

Objectives of the Conference:

  • Finding common ground among global stakeholders on AI policies.
  • Strengthening France and Europe’s position in the global AI race.
  • Engaging citizens in discussions on real-world applications of AI.
  • Evaluating global governance mechanisms for AI.

Artificial Intelligence:

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a broad field of computer science focused on creating systems that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. These tasks include learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, language understanding, and decision-making.

Types of Artificial Intelligence:

  • Narrow AI (Weak AI) – Designed for specific tasks (e.g., Siri, ChatGPT, self-driving cars).
  • General AI (Strong AI) – Hypothetical AI that can perform intellectual tasks that a human can. Possesses the ability to understand, learn, and apply knowledge across diverse tasks.
  • Super AI – A theoretical AI surpassing human intelligence.

4. Supreme Court Questions Tamil Nadu Governor on Withholding Bills

Sub: POLITY

Sec: Executive

Context: The Supreme Court questioned Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi regarding the delay in giving assent to 12 Bills sent by the State Legislature.

These Bills, primarily related to higher education and Vice-Chancellor appointments, were kept pending for over three years.

Re-passing of Bills and Governor’s Actions

  • The Tamil Nadu Assembly re-passed the 10 Bills in a Special Session and sent them again for assent.
  • Instead of giving assent, the Governor referred all 10 Bills to the President.
  • The President later assented to one Bill, rejected seven, and left two unconsidered.

State Government’s Argument

  • Senior advocates representing Tamil Nadu argued that the Governor’s actions were politically motivated.
  • They contended that once the Bills were re-passed, the Governor was constitutionally bound to give assent.
  • The Governor’s actions were described as those of a “constitutional despot,” opposing the will of the elected representatives.

Attorney General’s Defense

  • Attorney General R. Venkataramani defended the Governor’s actions, stating that he merely withheld consent and did not return the Bills to the Assembly.
  • The Governor was concerned about the Bills granting the State more control over university appointments, a subject under the Concurrent List.
  • He argued that the Governor, as Chancellor of universities, acted responsibly by referring the Bills to the President due to their national implications.

About Article 200

Article 200 of the Indian Constitution gives the Governor the power to decide whether to approve, withhold, or reserve a bill passed by the state legislature.

What does Article 200 say?

  • The Governor can approve, withhold assent, or reserve a bill
  • The Governor can return a bill to the legislature for reconsideration if it is not a   money bill 
  • The Governor can suggest amendments to a bill
  • The Governor can reserve a bill for the President’s consideration
  • The Governor must approve a bill if it is passed again by the legislature after being returned 

What happens after the Governor reserves a bill? (Article 201)

  • The President decides whether to approve or withhold the bill
  • If the President doesn’t approve the bill, he can return it to the legislature for reconsideration
  • If the legislature passes the bill again, it is presented to the President for approval,he can then approve or withhold assent to the bill.(He is not bound to give assent as governor does)

5. Odisha’s Demand for Increased Share in Divisible Tax Pool

Sub: POLITY

Sec: Federalism

Context:

  • Odisha has joined the demand for increasing States’ share in India’s divisible tax pool to 50% from the current 41%.
  • The Sixteenth Finance Commission chairman, Arvind Panagariya, acknowledged that many States have made similar requests.

 Odisha’s Specific Demands

  • The State has demanded an increase in its share from 4.528% to 4.964% in the divisible tax pool.
  • Odisha requested the central share in the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) to be increased from 75% to 100% due to frequent natural disasters.
  • A total of ₹12,59,148 crore has been sought for the period 2026-27 to 2030-31 to support Odisha’s roadmap towards a “Samruddha (prosperous) Odisha by 2036.”

Concerns Over Population Criteria in Tax Devolution

  • Odisha opposed the use of the entire population as a determinant in tax devolution, arguing that it implies the entire population is a liability.
  • Instead, the State proposed a modified population variable, considering:
    • SC and ST share
    • People above 80 years of age
    • Widows without any support
  • The State suggested assigning 15% weight to this modified population metric in the devolution formula.

Criticism of Area-Based Calculation

  • Odisha argued that using area as a proxy for population density is incorrect.
  • It pointed out that:
    • Smaller States can also be sparsely populated.
    • Larger States are not necessarily sparsely populated.

Finance Commission & 15th Finance Commission

About the Finance Commission

  • The Finance Commission (FC) is a constitutional body established under Article 280 of the Indian Constitution.
  • It is appointed by the President of India every five years to recommend the distribution of tax revenues between the Centre and States and among the States themselves.
  • The Commission also suggests measures to improve the financial position of States.

15th Finance Commission (2021-26)

  • Chairman: N.K. Singh
  • Term: 2021-2026
  • Recommended the distribution of tax revenue for five years, from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2026.

Division of Divisible Tax Pool (15th FC)

  • 41% of the divisible tax pool was allocated to the States (earlier, it was 42% in the 14th Finance Commission).
  • 1% reduction was due to the formation of Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir (which is now funded by the Centre).

State-Wise Devolution

  • The State-wise share was determined using a formula based on:
    • Income Distance (45%) – Helps poorer States get more funds.
    • Population (2011 Census) (15%) – Shift from the 1971 Census used earlier.
    • Area of the State (15%) – Recognizing larger States’ needs.
    • Forest & Ecology (10%) – Incentive for environmental conservation.
    • Demographic Performance (12.5%) – Rewarding States with better population control.
    • Tax Effort (2.5%) – Encouraging States to improve tax collection.
Daily Current Affairs Prelims Notes