17 June 2024, The Hindu
India refuses to endorse Ukraine meet statement
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GS 2: International Relations- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting the Indian interests
- Only proposals acceptable to both Russia and Ukraine can lead to peace, said India as New Delhi decided to disassociate itself from the final document issued on June 16 at the conclusion of a Peace Summit in Switzerland.
- India was among at least seven countries that refused to endorse the “Joint Communique on a Peace Framework” released in Burgenstock, the venue of the two-day summit.
- The communique, that called for the protection of Ukraine’s “territorial integrity”, was built on Ukraine’s peace formula, and the UN charter and resolutions thus far was signed by more than 80 countries.
The general election of 2024, its true verdict
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Prelims syllabus: Current events of national and international importance.
- Many iterations of the verdict in the just concluded 2024 general election exist. One thing is, however, obvious — viz., that there were no clear winners.
- The election threw up a split verdict — the National Democratic Alliance, or NDA, 294, and the INDIA bloc crossing the 230 mark, reversing a trend seen during the 2014 and 2019 general elections, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as a clear winner and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the messiah.
High Court’s take on Marriage Act, an erosion of rights
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GS 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
- A problematic order from the Madhya Pradesh High Court has given rise to the likelihood of a misinterpretation of the law around inter-faith marriages and a calling into question the scope of the Special Marriage Act, 1954.
- If unresolved, this could potentially lead to consequences contrary to the objectives of the Act, which sought to provide a viable legal avenue for inter-religious marriages.
Criminalising words
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GS 2: Structure, organisation and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary
- The grant of sanction to prosecute writer-activist Arundhati Roy and academician Sheikh Showkat Hussain for alleged “unlawful activity” in a case dating back to 2010 is unwarranted.
- Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, who had accorded sanction in October 2023 to prosecute the Booker Prize-winning writer and the former Kashmir University professor, respectively, for allegedly divisive speeches and imputations against national unity, has now given his nod for invoking Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for the same set of speeches.
- The earlier sanction order was in his capacity as the appropriate authority on behalf of the Delhi government under Section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
- The recent one is, presumably, on behalf of the Central government, the appropriate authority to sanction prosecution for offences under Chapter III of the UAPA, under which Section 13 falls.
Two steps back
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GS 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
- Gender parity may be climbing upwards worldwide with the global gender gap standing at 68.5% closed in 2024, but the glacial pace of change — it was 68.4% in 2023 — is a grim statistic.
- At this rate, it will take 134 years to reach full parity, the Global Gender Gap report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) last week pointed out, “roughly five generations beyond the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target”.
- Iceland maintains its number 1 rank (93.5%), and is also the only economy to have closed over 90% of its gender gap.
- India has slipped two places to 129 out of 146 countries.
- Last year, it was ranked 127, after having jumped eight places from 135 in 2022.
- India has closed 64.1% of its gender gap in 2024, the report noted, leaving policy-makers with a huge window of opportunity to do better.
On the size of council of ministers
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GS 2: Ministries and Departments of the Government
What is SWM cess and why is it levied on waste generators?
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GS 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment
- The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike (BBMP) has proposed a Solid Waste Management (SWM) Cess of ₹100 per month for each household.
- While the proposal has sparked debate and criticism among residents and stakeholders, it is important to understand the rationale behind SWM cess, its intended use, and the broader context of solid waste management challenges faced by Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in India.
India ready to host its first multinational air exercise ‘Tarang Shakti’ in August
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Prelims syllabus: Current events of national and international importance
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to hold pre-budget consultations with industry chambers on June 20, sources said.
- The Union Budget for FY2024-25 is likely to be presented in Parliament in the second half of July.
- Industry sources said the pre-budget consultation with Ms. Sitharaman would be preceded by a meeting with Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra on June 18.
