{"id":16387,"date":"2018-02-28T13:25:59","date_gmt":"2018-02-28T07:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=16387"},"modified":"2018-02-26T17:26:32","modified_gmt":"2018-02-26T11:56:32","slug":"answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-february-27-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-february-27-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Answers: Mains Marathon \u2013 UPSC Mains Current Affairs Questions \u2013 February 27, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/mains-marathon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Archives<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q.1) Electric vehicles \u00a0could have a potential to pose positive impact on the economy as well as on environment. In this context discuss the need for introducing electric vehicles. What challenges India is facing in mainstreaming these vehicles?(GS-3)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Electric vehicles have the potential to disrupt the mobility ecosystem, and, if implemented well, could have a positive impact on the economy as well as the urban environment.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> India, however, needs a road map, with timelines, processes, well-researched impact studies, bold initiatives and robust investments in technological research to turn its EV dream into reality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Electric vehicles:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All electric vehicle run on electricity only. An electric vehicle uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion.An electric vehicle may be powered through a collector system by electricity from off-vehicle sources, or may be self-contained with a battery, solar panels or an electric generator to convert fuel to electricity. EVs include road and rail vehicles, surface and underwater vessels, and electric spacecraft.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Why there is need for electric vehicles in India?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Push for electric mobility:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> NITI Aayog has estimated that the nation can save up to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u20b9<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 lakh crore by rapidly adopting EVs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will help in achieving India\u2019s ambitious renewable energy plan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From 2030, India would completely shift to using electric vehicles (EVs).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will help in addressing vehicular pollution in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will help in curbing green houses. Hence will reduce global warming.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will promote clean and green energy. Hence environment friendly.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will help in achieving the target of \u201cParis climate agreements\u201d.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Challenges:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s whole Infrastructure is not capable to adopt Electric vehicles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still many villagers night spent in Moon light &amp; Kersoene lamp.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Issue of Charging and storage current<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our Motor Vehicle is not suitable for Electric vehicles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extra Burden on State to implement Electric vehicles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most of the electric vehicles especially car need to be recharge again.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Electric cars is however silent and can lead to accidents in some cases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Limited seating capability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India does not produce <\/span><b>lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> currently, and companies making battery packs are dependent almost exclusively on imports from China.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a <\/span><b>cost-saving strategy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as setting up a cell manufacturing unit in India would be expensive.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q.2)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is the largest democracy in the world still India has not been able to evolve a transparent political funding system. In this context discuss the relevance of electoral bonds. Why Electoral bonds are necessary?(GS-2)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An electoral bond is designed to be a bearer instrument like a Promissory Note \u2014 in effect, it will be similar to a bank note that is payable to the bearer on demand and free of interest. It can be purchased by any citizen of India or a body incorporated in India. The electoral bonds will not bear the name of the donor.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The bonds will be issued in multiples of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u20b9<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1,000, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u20b9<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10,000, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u20b9<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 lakh, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u20b9<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10 lakh and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u20b9<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 crore and will be available at specified branches of State Bank of India. They can be bought by the donor with a KYC-compliant account. Donors can donate the bonds to their party of choice which can then be cashed in via the party\u2019s verified account within 15 days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every party that is registered under section 29A of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and has secured at least one percent of the votes polled in the most recent Lok Sabha or State election will be allotted a verified account by the Election Commission of India. Electoral bond transactions can be made only via this account.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Why Electoral Bonds are Necessary?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is the largest democracy in the world. \u00a0However, despite strengthening various institutions for the last seven decades, India has not been able to evolve a transparent political funding system. \u00a0Elections and political parties are a fundamental feature of Parliamentary democracy. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Staff salaries, travelling expenses, establishment cost are regular expenditures of political parties. \u00a0Besides expenditure of individual candidates, political parties have to spend money on election campaigns, publicity, tours, travels and election related establishments. \u00a0These expenditures run into hundreds of crores. \u00a0Yet there has not been a transparent funding mechanism of the political system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Issues the with conventional system of political funding:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The conventional system of political funding is to rely on donations. \u00a0These donations, big or small, come from a range of sources from political workers, sympathisers, small business people and even large industrialists. \u00a0The conventional practice of funding the political system was to take donations in cash and undertake these expenditures in cash. \u00a0The sources are anonymous or pseudonymous. \u00a0The quantum of money was never disclosed. \u00a0The present system ensures unclean money coming from unidentifiable sources. \u00a0It is a wholly non-transparent system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q.3) Write a short note on any two of the following terms:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a) <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Khajuraho dance festival:(GS-1)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">b) <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TAPI gas pipeline project and its benefits for India(GS-2)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">c) Kaleswaram project(GS-3)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>a) Khajuraho dance festival:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During this festival, dance performances are held in an open-air auditorium, usually in front of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Chitragupta Temple dedicated to the Sun God and the Vishwanatha Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It represents classical dances, including Kathak, Odissi, Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Mohiniattam .<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 44<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> edition of Khajuraho dance festival has begun at the UNESCO world heritage site.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Dance Festival is being organised by the culture department of the Madhya Pradesh government.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>b) TAPI gas pipeline project and its benefits for India:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Natural Gas Pipeline (TAPI) Project is a natural gas pipeline being developed by the Asian Development Bank. The TAPI pipeline will have a capacity to carry 90 million standard cubic metres a day (mscmd) gas for a 30-year period and be operational in 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India and Pakistan would get 38 mscmd each, while 14 mscmd will be supplied to Afghanistan. From the Galkynysh field in Turkmensitan, the pipeline will run to Herat and Kandahar province of Afghanistan, before entering Pakistan. In Pakistan, it will reach Multan via Quetta before ending at Fazilka (Punjab) in India.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Benefits of this project for India:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Energy is a growing need, and even if India is able to source energy from other countries like Iran and further afield, both the proximity and abundance of Turkmenistan\u2019s reserves, that rank fourth in the world, will make it an attractive proposition.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will bring India much needed energy at competitive pricing, and could easily supply about 15% of India\u2019s projected needs by the time it is completed in the 2020s.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This project also gives India an opportunity to secure its interest in Central Asia. TAPI\u2019s success will also ensure that India, Pakistan and Afghanistan find ways of cooperating on other issues as well.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>c) Kaleswaram project<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Kaleshwaram project is an off-shoot of the original Pranahitha-Chevella Lift Irrigation Scheme taken up by the Congress government in 2007 when Andhra Pradesh was not divided.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Kaleshwaram project has provision for the storage of about 148 tmc ft with plans of utilising 180 tmc ft by lifting at least 2 tmc ft water every day for 90 flood days. The project is designed to irrigate uplands in the erstwhile districts of Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal, Medak, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>In news:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a major relief to the Telangana government, the Supreme Court recently has refused to intervene in an order granted by the Hyderabad High Court suspending the order of the National Green Tribunal at Delhi staying the construction of the Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation Project. The NGT bench at Chennai last year has directed the Telangana government to stay the construction of the project.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Archives Q.1) Electric vehicles \u00a0could have a potential to pose positive impact on the economy as well as on environment. In this context discuss the need for introducing electric vehicles. What challenges India is facing in mainstreaming these vehicles?(GS-3) Electric vehicles have the potential to disrupt the mobility ecosystem, and, if implemented well, could have&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-february-27-2018\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Answers: Mains Marathon \u2013 UPSC Mains Current Affairs Questions \u2013 February 27, 2018<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":2292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mains-marathon-answers","category-public","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pen-paper-laptop.jpg?fit=1000%2C500&ssl=1","views":{"total":3,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1701065701},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16387\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}