Daily Prelims Notes 9 January 2021

January 9, 2021
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes 9 January 2021

By

Santosh Sir

All 6 Prelims qualified

4 CSE Mains qualified

If I can do it, you can too

Table Of Contents

1. IMPEACHMENT PROCEDURE IN USA AND INDIA

Subject: Polity

Context : House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said that the House would move to impeach President Donald Trump over his role in inciting a violent mob attack on the Capitol if he did not resign “immediately,” appealing to Republicans to join the push to force him from office.

Concept:

Impeachment in US

Impeachment is a provision that allows Congress to remove the President of the United States.
Under the US Constitution, the House of Representatives (Lower House) has the “the sole power of impeachment” while the Senate (Upper House) has “the sole power to try all impeachments”.
The Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court has the duty of presiding over impeachment trials in the Senate.

Grounds for impeachment

The President can be removed from office for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors”.
What constitutes these “high crimes” and “misdemeanors” (misdemeanors), however, is not clearly spelt out.
No US President has ever been removed as a direct result of impeachment.

House Vote

It begins with an investigation by a House committee.
In the lower house, the House Judiciary Committee will do the investigation and recommends to the full House.
If they find that there is enough evidence of wrongdoing, it will refer the matter to the full House .
When the full House votes, if one or more of the articles of impeachment gets a majority vote, the President is impeached. Next, the proceedings move to the Senate.

Senate Trial and Vote

The Senate holds a trial, overseen by the chief justice of the Supreme Court.
A team of lawmakers from the House, known as managers, play the role of prosecutors.
The President has defence lawyers, and the Senate serves as the jury.
If at least two-thirds of the Senators present find the President guilty, he is removed and the Vice President takes over as President.

Impeachment of President of India(Article 61 )

The president may be removed before the expiry of the term through impeachment for violating the Constitution of India by the Parliament of India.
The process may start in either of the two houses of the parliament.
The house initiates the process by levelling the charges against the president.
The charges are contained in a notice that has to be signed by at least one-quarter of the total members of that house.
The notice is sent up to the president and 14 days later, it is taken up for consideration.

Procedure

A resolution to impeach the president has to be passed by a two-thirds majority of the total number of members of the originating house.
It is then sent to the other house.
The other house investigates the charges that have been made. During this process, the president has the right to defend oneself through an authorised counsel.
If the second house also approves the charges made by special majority again, the president stands impeached and is deemed to have vacated their office from the date when such a resolution stands passed.
No president has faced impeachment proceedings so the above provisions have never been used.

2. SANGEET NATAK ACADEMY

Subject : Culture

Context : More than half a century after the capital’s premier dance institute, Kathak Kendra, became a constituent unit of Sangeet Natak Akademi, it finally has an internal complaints committee (ICC) for reporting and redressal of any sexual harassment complaints.

Concept :

Sangeet Natak Akademi

The SangeetNatakAkademi is India’s national academy for music, dance and drama.
It was created by a resolution of the (then) Ministry of Education, Government of India, in 1952 .
It is presently an Autonomous Body of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India and is fully funded by the Government for implementation of its schemes and programmes.
The Akademi establishes and looks after institutions and projects of national importance in the field of the performing arts. Few important ones are:

National School of Drama, New Delhi was set up in 1959,

Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy in Imphal- 1954,

Kathak Kendra (National Institute of Kathak Dance) in New Delhi- 1964.

National Projects of Support to Kutiyattam (Sanskrit theatre of Kerala), Chhau dances of eastern India, Sattriya traditions of Assam, etc.

Awards

Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships (Akademi Ratna)

The Fellowship of the Akademi is the most prestigious and rare honor, which is restricted to 40 numbers at any given time. By the election of above four fellows there are presently forty Fellows of SangeetNatakAkademi.
The honour of Akademi Fellow carries a purse money of Rs.3,00,000/- (Rupees three lakh) along with a Tamrapatra and Angavastram.

SangeetNatakAkademi Awards (AkademiPuraskar)

These awards have been given to forty-four artists from the field of Music, Dance, Theatre, Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/Theatre, Puppetry and Overall contribution/scholarship in the Performing Arts.
These forty-four artists include three joint awards as well.
AkademiPuraskar carries Rs 1,00,000/- (Rupees one lakh) along with a Tamrapatra and Angavastram.

Ustad Bismillah Khan YuvaPuraskar

The academy has selected 32 (Including one joint Awards) artists of India who have made a mark as young talents in their respective fields of the performing arts for UstadBismillah Khan YuvaPuraskar 2018.
It is conferred upon artists below the age of 40 years with the objective of identifying and encouraging outstanding young talents in diverse fields of performing arts and giving them national recognition early in their lives.
Ustad Bismillah Khan YuvaPuraskar carries a purse money of Rs 25,000/-

3. INSTITUTION OF EMINENCE

Subject : Government Schemes

Context : The University Grants Commission (UGC) has amended its regulations, allowing Institutions of Eminence (IoEs) to set up campuses abroad after receiving no objection certificates from the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs.

Concept :

The amendments also permit the IOEs to start new off campus centres, with a maximum of three in five years and not more than one in an academic year.
The Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities shall ensure that the norms and standards of the off shore campus shall be the same as that maintained on the main campus for similar courses, and the off-shore campus shall also follow similar admission criteria, curriculum, examination system and evaluation system.
The IOEs have also been permitted to start an off campus centre on an interim campus “subject to the condition that the permanent campus shall be ready within a reasonable time period of not exceeding five years.”

Institution of Eminence scheme

The institutes of eminence scheme under the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry aims to project Indian institutes to global recognition.
The selected institutes will enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.
The selection shall be made through challenge method mode by the Empowered Expert Committee constituted for the purpose.
Grant: The public institutions under IOE tag will receive a government grant of 1,000 crore, while the private institutions will not get any funding under the scheme.

Criteria

Global/National Ranking: Only those institutions which have appeared in any of the global/national ranks shall be recommended for the IoE status.
Public institutions are assessed on the basis of QS-2020 world rankings, in case of a tie QS- 2019 rankings are used.
Private institutions are assessed on the basis of their ranking in the QS India or National Institution Ranking Framework (NIRF), the NIRF ranking being used as a tie-breaker.
Any institution that did not appear in any rankings (QS-2019, QS-2020 and NIRF) is excluded completely from the list of IOE tag.
Greenfield Proposals: Only after exhausting the above criterion, if any slot remains vacant, consideration shall be given to yet to be established (Greenfield) proposals.
The term greenfield project generally refers to the initiation of a project without the need to consider any prior work.
The Greenfield Institutions would get 3 year period to establish and operationalise the institution, and thereafter, EEC will consider giving IoE status to such institutions.
Satya Bharti Foundation (telecom major Airtel’s philanthropic arm) became the second greenfield institution to be given IoE status, after Reliance’s Jio Institute.

4. GROSS VALUE ADDED

Subject : Economics

Context : The 7.2% fall in gross value added (GVA) for 2020-21, as per the National Statistical Office’s first advance estimates released on Thursday, would be the sharpest ever recorded in India.

Concept :

Gross Value Added

In 2015, India opted to make major changes to its compilation of national accounts and decided to bring the whole process into conformity with the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA) of 2008.
The SNA is the internationally agreed standard set of recommendations on how to compile measures of economic activity.
As per the SNA, GVA is defined as the value of output minus the value of intermediate consumption and is a measure of the contribution to growth made by an individual producer, industry or sector.
It provides the rupee value for the number of goods and services produced in an economy after deducting the cost of inputs and raw materials that have gone into the production of those goods and services.
It can be described as the main entry on the income side of the nation’s accounting balance sheet, and from an economics perspective represents the supply side.
At the macro level, from a national accounting perspective, GVA is the sum of a country’s GDP and net of subsidies and taxes in the economy.
Gross Value Added = GDP + subsidies on products – taxes on products
Earlier, India had been measuring GVA at ‘factor cost’ till the new methodology was adopted in which GVA at ‘basic prices’ became the primary measure of economic output.
GVA at basic prices will include production taxes and exclude production subsidies.
GVA at factor cost included no taxes and excluded no subsidies.
The base year has also been shifted to 2011-12 from the earlier 2004-05.
The NSO provides both quarterly and annual estimates of output of GVA. It provides sectoral classification data on eight broad categories that includes both goods produced and services provided in the economy.

5. SWAMIH SCHEME

Subject : Government Schemes

Context : Centre’s SWAMIH—Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing—scheme seems to have been hit by the lockdown and the slowdown in construction due to the labour shortage.

Concept :

About SWAMIH:

SWAMIH Investment Fund has been formed to complete construction of stalled, RERA-registered affordable and mid-income category housing projects which are stuck due to paucity of funds.
The fund was set up as a Category-II AIF (Alternate Investment Fund) debt fund registered with SEBI.
The Investment Manager of the Fundis SBICAP Ventures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SBI Capital Markets, which in turn is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the State Bank of India.
The Sponsor of the Fundis the Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India on behalf of the Government of India.

Who will be the investors of the fund?

AIFs created/funded under the Special Window would solicit investment into the fund from the Government and other private investors including cash-rich financial institutions, sovereign wealth funds, public and private banks, domestic pension and provident funds, global pension funds and other institutional investors.

6. ARTICLE 179

Subject : Polity

Context : The Opposition in kerala state assembly , had moved a statutory resolution under Article 179 to remove the Speaker from his office on charges of lowering the esteem of the House.

Concept :

Article 179: Vacation/resignation/removal from the offices of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
(a) shall vacate his office if he ceases to be a member of the Assembly;
(b) may at any time by writing under his hand addressed, if such member is the Speaker, to the Deputy Speaker, and if such member is the Deputy Speaker, to the Speaker, resign his office; and
(c) may be removed from his office by a resolution of the Assembly passed by a majority of all the then members of the Assembly:
Provided that no resolution for the purpose of clause (c) shall be moved unless at least fourteen days’ notice has been given of the intention to move the resolution:
Provided further that, whenever the Assembly is dissolved, the Speaker shall not vacate his office until immediately before the first meeting of the Assembly after the dissolution.

7. STATE ELECTION COMMISSION

Subject : Polity

Context : Puducherry state election commission gears up to hold local body polls.

Concept :

State Election Commission:

The Constitution of India vests in the State Election Commission, consisting of a State Election Commissioner.
Articles 243K, 243ZA gives the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of all elections to the Panchayats and the Municipalities to SEC.
It states that the tenure and appointment will be directed as per the law made by the state legislature.
However, State Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his/her office except in like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of a High Court.
The State Election Commissioner is appointed by the Governor.
As per article 243(C3) the Governor, when so requested by the State Election Commission, make available to the State Election Commission such staff as may be necessary for the discharge of the functions conferred on the SEC.
The provisions of Article 243K of the Constitution, which provides for setting up of SECs, are almost identical to those of Article 324 related to the EC. In other words, the SECs enjoy the same status as the EC.

8. FOLLOW ON PUBLIC OFFER

Subject : Economics

Context :Capital markets watchdog SEBI relaxed the framework for follow-on public offers (FPOs), a move that will help promoters of companies to raise funds more easily through this route.

Concept :

The applicability of minimum promoters’ contribution norm and the subsequent lock-in requirements for the issuers making the FPO have been done away with by the regulator, as per a notification.
Earlier, promoters were mandated to contribute 20% towards a FPO.
Besides, in case of any issue of capital to the public, the minimum promoters’ contribution was required to be locked-in for three years.
SEBI said the relaxation would be available for those companies which are frequently traded on a stock exchange for at least three years. Also, such firms should have redressed 95% of investor complaints.

Follow on Public Offer

A follow-on public offer (FPO), also known as a secondary offering, is the additional issuance of shares after the initial public offering (IPO).
Companies usually announce FPOs to raise equity or reduce debt.
The two main types of FPOs are dilutive—meaning new shares are added—and non-dilutive—meaning existing private shares are sold publicly.
An at-the-market offering (ATM) is a type of FPO by which a company can offer secondary public shares on any given day, usually depending on the prevailing market price, to raise capital.

9. H1 B VISA

Subject : International Relations

Context : The United States on Thursday announced that it will modify the selection process for H-1B visa, giving priority to salary and skills, instead of the current lottery procedures.

Concept :

The current H-1B random selection process makes it difficult for businesses to plan their hiring, fails to leverage the programme to compete for the best and brightest international workforce.
It has predominantly resulted in the annual influx of foreign labor placed in low-wage positions at the expense of US workers.
Modifying the H-1B cap selection process will incentivise employers to offer higher salaries, and/or petition for higher-skilled positions, and establish a more certain path for businesses to achieve personnel needs and remain globally competitive, said US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The final rule will be effective 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register. The next H-1B visa filing season is slated to start on April 1.

H1 B VISA

The H-1B category is an expedient and lawful method to bring foreign-born professionals temporarily to the United States, and therefore one of the most widely sought after visa classifications for employment in the United States.
The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa in the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H).
It allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations.
If a foreign worker in H-1B status quits or is dismissed from the sponsoring employer, the worker must either apply for and be granted a change of status to another non-immigrant status, find another employer (subject to application for adjustment of status and/or change of visa), or leave the U.S.
An individual may work in H-1B status for a maximum of six years