Category: Daily Editorials for UPSC IAS Exam Preparation

Issue Government is considering  to close down the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Historical background Article 40, Balwant Rai Mehta committee and Ashok Mehta Committee. Steps taken in recent time to improve the function of the Panchayati Raj  Index of Devolution is  prepared by independent experts. The constitutional mandate Merging or subordinating panchayat raj under rural…

Issue The government has released tax data of the country. What apprehensions it has confirmed India remains a low-tax country despite the acceleration of economic growth in the past decade. Economic survey data The share of the top 1% of the population in the country in the total national income. Inferences from this data The…

Issue India has joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). What is the MTCR? The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is an informal political understanding. When was the MTCR established? The regime was formed in 1987 by the G-7 industrialized countries . Is the MTCR a treaty? No. The MTCR is not a treaty . What is the relationship…

Issue The teachers protest against amendments to UGC regulations. What is UGC? The University Grants Commission (UGC) of India is a statutory body set up by the Indian Union government. What were the amendments? The new gazette notification has increased the workload. Bone of Contentions There are three components to the UGC’s package governing the faculty. Teaching hour amendment revoked UGC attempted…

Issue The role that the Rajya Sabha needs to play in the Indian body politic today. Significance of Rajya Sabha It drew attention to the fact that electoral victory to the lower House may entitle a party to rule but not necessarily to govern. Rationale of the House In the Constituent Assembly debates a set…

Issue The government has announced a “radical liberalisation” of the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) regime. Why is it done now? With India now acknowledged as the fastest growing large economy in the world and also edging up in the World Bank’s ease of doing business rankings, the time is ripe for the country to open…

What is Brexit? It’s a short form for Britain exiting the European Union. What is a referendum? A referendum is basically a vote in which everyone (or nearly everyone) of voting age can take part. What is the EU? France and Germany, which had suffered terribly, decided to cooperate with each other so that they…

Issue The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change recently permitted three States, Uttarakhand, Bihar, and Himachal Pradesh, to declare earlier protected wild animal species as “vermin”. Who can declare an animal as vermin? Section 62 of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972. What is wildlife culling? Selective killing of a species. Why is culling…