Comprehensive News Analysis – Aug 06

TABLE OF CONTENT
A. GS2 Related
Polity
1. Naidu sweeps V-P polls with 516 votes
2. Hold competitive exams in regional languages: KDA
3. Lok Sabha passes Bill for setting up petroleum institute in Andhra
4. Wages of being a legislator
B. GS3 Related
Science and Technology
1. Editing ourselves: On genes and ethics
C. GS4 Related
1. Low-cost, sensitive CO sensor from IISc
D. Topic of the Day – Dance forms: Sattriya
E. This Day in History – Aug 6
F. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
G. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS2 Related
Category: POLITY
1. Naidu sweeps V-P polls with 516 votes
In news
 Venkaiah Naidu was elected the 15th Vice-President of India on
Saturday.
 The election saw the highest polling percentage at 98.12%
 Mr. Naidu polled a massive 516 votes of a total of 760 valid votes.
2. Hold competitive exams in regional languages: KDA
In news
 The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) urged the Centre to
conduct competitive examinations in all official languages of States.
 KDA Chairman S.G. Siddaramaiah said the current policy has proved
detrimental to the interests of people of various States and regions. He
said that “the very fabric of federalism needs to be better appreciated in
this selection as well as in any Central government recruitment
process.”
 Demands proposed:
 Besides Central civil service examinations, all competitive
examinations of national level, especially banking services, must be
held in official languages of States.
 In the recruitment to any job of Central, semi-government and public
sectors, candidates should be allowed to choose question papers and
answer in languages identified in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution,
he said.
 The use of English should be restricted to compulsory English paper in
order to avoid unwarranted English supremacy.
3. Lok Sabha passes Bill for setting up petroleum institute in Andhra
IIPE
 The Lok Sabha has passed a Bill providing for the establishment of
the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE)
 Where: Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
 The institute will cost the Centre Rs 650 crore
 It is part of a package promised by the Centre to Andhra after the
creation of the separate state of Telangana
 It will have the status of an institute of national importance
4. Wages of being a legislator
Context
 The Tamil Nadu Assembly recently voted to double the salaries of its
legislators
 Maharashtra’s Assembly passed a Bill in 2016 that raised the monthly
salary of its MLAs to above that of the President (Rs. 1.5 lakh per
month)
 India paid 2.7 lakh a month, which includes salaries and expenses, to
every Member of Parliament in 2015.
Global examples
 Public representatives in developing countries in Africa and Asia are
routinely paid far above per capita GDP
 Nigeria, pays its lawmakers more than 100 times its per capita GDP
while in Kenya, its legislators get 76 times its per capita GDP.
 Gross salary of an Italian lawmaker is the second highest among
developed countries after the U.S
What’s the situation in India?
 India’s initial start was promising. The first cabinet meeting of
Jawaharlal Nehru took a collective decision not to avail of their salaries
for six months, given the enormous economic suffering in India then.
 Today, parliamentary representatives have arrogated the authority to
increase their own fiscal compensation by 1,250% over the last two
decades — a case of questionable moral rectitude.
Main concern?
 Allowances should be in proportion to the services that they have
rendered to the nation, but in the past two decades, Parliament has seen
less than 50% of Bills being scrutinised by parliamentary committees,
defeating the very purpose of a deliberative Parliament
 Money Bills, like those associated with Aadhaar, have been passed
without being referred to a committee.
A survey of parliamentary salaries
 It was conducted in 2013 by the Inter-Parliamentary Union across 104
Parliaments highlighted that salaries in about 55% are linked to a
structured scale, typically linked to the civil service (France, Japan) or
ministerial salaries
 Mature democracies typically have separate independent bodies to
establish parliamentary salaries; such as the Remuneration Tribunal in
 Australia or the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of
Public Office Bearers in South Africa.
Way forward
 Instead of seeking pay in line with the private sector, India’s public
representatives should be paid a reasonable wage, which offers
gratitude for their commitment to life as a public servant
 Require an external, independent body to determine parliamentary
salaries.
 Salary reviews should be conducted through an institutionalised
process
 Increments should be determined through a transparent and
accountable process
 The issue of decline in parliamentary sittings could be partially
alleviated by linking salaries to a minimum attendance of
parliamentary sessions

B. GS3 Related
Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Low-cost, sensitive CO sensor from IISc
In news
 Indian Institute of Science researchers have developed a highly
sensitive nanometer-scale carbon monoxide sensor by employing an
innovative fabrication technique.
 Carbon monoxide (CO) can have adverse effects on the health of
people exposed to it. Hence, it becomes necessary to have good, low-
cost carbon-monoxide sensors.
Working principle
 Typically, a sensor would be a thin, current carrying plate whose
resistance changes on exposure to carbon monoxide. This in turn
changes the value of the current flowing through it. This change when
measured indicates the level of carbon monoxide in the air.
 Most available sensors are in the micrometer range, a nanometer-sized
detector would have a higher sensitivity, but the cost of manufacturing
it goes up as the size decreases.
Smart cities and nano-sensors
 The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has a vision
of deploying such sensors in large scale for pollution monitoring in
large cities like Delhi and Bengaluru.
 If the sensors are installed in all traffic intersections, we can do real
time mapping of pollution hot-spots in a city. This would be an enabler
in realizing smart cities.

C. GS4 Related
1. Editing ourselves: On genes and ethics
Context:
 Scientists have for the first time managed to edit genes in a human
embryo to repair a genetic mutation.
Solution to genetic mutation
 Scientists fixed a mutation that thickens the heart muscle, a condition
called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
 The cardiac disease causes sudden death in otherwise healthy young
athletes and affects about one in 500 people overall.
 It is caused by a mutation in a particular gene and a child will suffer
from the condition even if it inherits only one copy of the mutated
gene.
Significance of the research:
 Correcting the mutation in the gene would not only ensure that the
child is healthy but it would also prevent the mutation from being
passed on to future generations
Other concerns
 Though the research marks a major milestone in genome editing of
embryos, it will be a long while before it becomes available as a tool to
produce healthy embryos.
 Even research on embryos using federal funding is not permitted in the
U.S., where the research was carried out.
 The embryos were produced with the clear intention of using them
solely for research and not for implanting them in women.
Advantages of gene editing
 Several diseases can potentially be prevented by using this technique,
including some cancers.
 CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool is safe for preventing certain
hereditary disease-causing mutations, for which no other treatment is
available.
Issue
 The main issue is the prospect of developing designer babies through
gene editing.

D. Topic of the Day – Dance forms: Sattriya

Dance forms: Sattriya

The Sattriya dance form was introduced in the 15 th century A.D by the
great Vaishnava saint and reformer of Assam, Mahapurusha
Sankaradeva as a powerful medium for propagation of the Vaishnava
faith.
The dance form evolved and expanded as a distinct style of dance later on.
This neo-Vaishnava treasure of Assamese dance and drama has been, for
centuries, nurtured and preserved with great commitment by
the Sattras i.e. Vaishnava maths or monasteries. Because of its religious
character and association with the Sattras, this dance style has aptly named
Sattriya.
Sankaradeva introduced this dance form by incorporating different
elements from various treatises, local folk dance with his own rare
outlook.
There were two dances form prevalent in Assam before the neo-
Vaishnava movement such as Ojapaliand Devadasi with many classical
elements.
Two varieties of Ojapali dances are still prevalent in Assam
i.e. Sukananni or Maroi Goa Ojah and Vyah Goa Ojah.
Sukananni Oja paali
 Sukananni Oja paali is of Sakti cult
Vyah Goa Oja paali
 Vyah Goa Oja paali is of Vaishnava cult.
 Sankaradeva included Vyah Goa Ojah into his daily rituals in Sattra.
 Till now Vyah Goa Ojah is a part of rituals of the Sattars of Assam.
The dancers in a Oja pali chorous not only sing and dance but also explain
the narration by gestures and stylized movements. As far as Devadasi
dance is concerned, resemblance of good number of rhythmic syllables
and dance postures along with footwork with Sattriya dance is a clear
indication of the influence of the former on the latter.
Other visible influences on Sattriya dance are those from Assamese folk
dances namely Bihu, Bodos etc. Many hand gestures and rhythmic
syllables are strikingly similar in these dance forms.
Sattriya dance tradition is governed by strictly laid down principles in
respect of hastamudras, footworks, aharyas, music etc.
This tradition, has two distinctly separate streams-
 the Bhaona- related repertoire starting from Gayan-Bhayabnar Nach to
the Kharmanar Nach,
 secondly the dance numbers which are independent such as Chali,
Rajagharia Chali, Jhumura Nadu Bhangi etc.
Among them the Chali is characterized by gracefulness and elegance,
while the Jhumura is marked by vigour and majestic beauty.
E. This Day in History – Aug 6

6th August 1925

On 6th August, Surendranath Banerji one of the founders of modern

India passes away.

What happened?
Surendranath Banerji, one of India’s earliest political leaders during
British Raj, passed away.
Background
 Born in Kolkata, West Bengal to a Bengali Brahmin family,
Surendranath Banerji was greatly influenced by the liberal and open-
minded thinking of his father.
 Surendranath Banerji was also fondly known as Rashtraguru (teacher
of the nation).
 Banerji was also the founder of one of India’s first political
organization, the Indian National Association.
 In 1868, Banerji travelled to England to sit for the Indian Civil Service
Exam though he cleared the exam he was prohibited from joining the
services because of a dispute over his correct age
 In 1871 he cleared the exam and was posted as an assistant magistrate
in the Sylhet District (now in Bangladesh).
 In 1875 Banerji returned to India and became a professor of English at
the Metropolitan Institute at the Ripon College.
 On 26th July 1876 the Indian National Association one of India’s
first political organizations was founded by Banerji and
Anandmohan Bose.
 Banerji launched action against the issue of age-limit restrictions for
Indian students taking the Indian Civil Service Exams through this
organization.
 In 1879, Banerji published the newspaper The Bengalee.
 He was arrested in 1883 for certain controversial statements published
in the paper.
 Banerji merged the Indian National Association with the Indian
National Congress (founded in 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai)),
because of their common vision and goals.
 Banerji was elected as Congress President in Pune (1885) and in
Ahmedabad (1902).
 Banerji was one of the most prominent and vocal leaders against the
partition of Bengal in 1905.
 He did not accept extremist views or the Non-Cooperation Movement
by Gandhi.
 Banerji was a source of inspiration to other leaders such as Sarojini
Naidu and Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
 Banerji played a major role in the Swadeshi Movement.
 He supported the Morley-Minto Reforms (1909) which was criticized
by most Indians as being meaningless.
 Gradually, Banerji’s popularity as a moderate Indian politician began
to decline.
 The British referred to him as “Surrender Not Banerji”.
 The British knighted him in 1921 for his political support.
 Surendranath Banerji published a substantial work titled “A Nation in
Making” for which he is remembered.
 From 1921-1924 Banerji held the position of Minister for Local Self
Government.
 He passed away on 6th August 1925 in Barrackpore, West Bengal.
Even today, Surendranath Banerji’s name is celebrated through institutions
like Barrackpore Rastraguru Surendranath College, Surendranath College,
Surendranath Evening College and Surendranath College for Women.
Also on This Day
____________________________________________________________
1862: The Madras High Court was inaugurated.
1906: Chitta Ranjan Das and other Congress leaders published the
newspaper Vande Mataram.
1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the US B-29 Superfortress "
Enola Gay".
1996: NASA announces that life may have existed on Mars after examining
meteorite ALH84001, thought to be from Mars.

F. Practice Questions for UPSC Prelims Exam

Question 1. Consider the following statement with reference to Dhara Mustard Hybrid
(DMH -11)
1. Transgenic mustard crop
2. Cross-pollinating plant.
Identify the correct statement.
a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Question 2. The base year for the new series of IIP, WPI data is
a. 2004-04
b. 2010-11
c. 2011-12
d. 2012-13

Question 3. India’s first bio refinery plant has set up in which of the following state?
a. Andhra Pradesh
b. Assam
c. Tamil Nadu
d. Maharashtra

Question 4. Zonal council is

a. A Constitutional Body
b. A Statutory body
c. Constituted by an executive order.
d. None of the above
Question 5. Interstate council is
a. A Constitutional Body
b. A Statutory body
c. Constituted by an executive order
d. None of the above

Question 6. Consider the following statements:

 The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of Zonal Councils.
 The Chief Ministers of the States included in each zone act as Vice-Chairman
of the Zonal Council for that zone by rotation, each holding office for a period
of two year at a time.
Choose the correct statement.
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Question 7. Which Ministry releases WPI?

a. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
b. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
c. Ministry of Finance.
d. None of the above

~Answers~
1. (a)
Topic: Current Affairs
Explanation:
Dhara Mustard Hybrid (DMH -11)
1. The transgenic mustard
2. Developed by a team of scientists at Delhi University led by former
vice chancellor Deepak Pental under a government-funded project.
3. It uses a system of genes from soil bacterium that makes mustard —
generally a self pollinating plant.
2. (c)
Topic: Economy
Explanation:
Base year revised: The base year for the IIP and the WPI will be 2011-12
and not the current 2004-05. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and gross value addition also have 2011-
12 as the base year.

3. (d)
Topic: G.K.
Explanation:
India’s first bio-refinery plant has been inaugurated by the Union Minister
for Road Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari at Rahu in Pune district,
Maharashtra. The plant will produce ethanol from variety of biomass. The
bio‐refinery plant is capable of producing one million litre of ethanol per
annum by processing a variety of agro-residue like rice and wheat straw,
cotton stalk, cane trash, corn cobs with superior product yields. Biofuel is
cost‐effective and pollution‐free.

4. (b)
Topic: Polity
Explanation:
Zonal Councils have been established via the part III of the States
Reorganization Act of 1956, they are statutory bodies.

5. (a)
Topic: Polity
Explanation:
The Inter State Council is an Indian constitutional body set up on the basis
of provisions in Article 263 of the Constitution of India.
6. (a)
Topic: Polity
Explanation:
Chairman – The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these
Councils.
Vice Chairman – The Chief Ministers of the States included in each zone
act as Vice-Chairman of the Zonal Council for that zone by rotation, each
holding office for a period of one year at a time.

7. (a)
Topic: Economy
Explanation:
Chairman – Ministry of Commerce and Industry released WPI data.

G. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

GS Paper II
1. “We need an external, independent body to determine parliamentary
salaries” Examine?
GS Paper III
1. Explain CRISPR Gene editing technology its applications and concerns
raised against this technology?
GS Paper IV
1. What is meant by ‘environmental ethics’? Why is it important to study?
Discuss any one environmental issue from the viewpoint of
environmental ethics.
2. You are working as an Executive Engineer in the construction cell of a
Municipal Corporation and are presently in-charge of the construction
of a flyover. There are two Junior Engineers under you who have the
responsibility of day-to-day inspection of the site and are reporting to
you, while you are finally reporting to the Chief Engineer who heads
the cell. While the construction is heading towards completion, the
 Junior Engineers have been regularly reporting that all construction is
taking place as per design specifications. However, in one of your
surprise inspections, you have noticed some serious deviations and
lacunae which, in your opinion, are likely to affect the safety of the
flyover. Rectification of these lacunae at this stage would require a
substantial amount of demolition and rework which will cause a
tangible loss to the contractor and will also delay completion. There is
a lot of public pressure on the Corporation to get this construction
completed because of heavy traffic congestion in the area. When you
brought this matter to the notice of the Chief Engineer, he advised you
that in his opinion it is not a very serious lapse and may be ignored. He
advised for further expediting the project for completion in time.
However, you are convinced that this was a serious matter which might
affect public safety and should not be left unaddressed.
What will you do in such a situation? Some of the options are given
below. Evaluate the merits and demerits of each of these options and
finally suggest what course of action you would like to take, giving
reasons. (20 marks |250 words)
A. Follow the advice of the Chief Engineer and go ahead.
B. Make an exhaustive report of the situation bringing out all facts and
analysis along with your own viewpoints stated clearly and seeks for
written orders from the chief Engineer.
C. Call for explanation from the Junior Engineers and issue orders to
the contractor for necessary correction within targeted time.
D. Highlight the issue so that it reaches superiors above the Chief
Engineer.
E. Considering the rigid attitude of the Chief Engineer, seek transfer
from the project or report sick.

1. ~Thank You~
Quote of the day:
“There is no such thing as failure. There are only results.”
– Tony Robbins
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