Prelims bits - 3 Flashcards
Nidhi companies
In order to make regulatory regime for Nidhi Companies more effective and also to accomplish the objectives of transparency & investor friendliness in corporate environment of the country, the Central Government has recently amended the provisions related to NIDHI under the Companies Act and the Rules (effective from 15.08.2019). The amended provisions of the Companies Act (Section 406) and Nidhi rules (as amended w.e.f. 15.08.2019) require that the Nidhi companies have to apply to the Central government for updation of their status/ declaration as Nidhi Company in Form NDH-4.
Nidhi companies: Under Nidhi Rules, 2014, Nidhi is a company which has been incorporated as a Nidhi with the object of cultivating the habit of thrift and saving amongst its members, receiving deposits from, and lending to, its members only, for their mutual benefit.
Nidhi Company is a class of Non-Banking Financial Company(NBFC) and Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has powers to issue directives for them related to their deposit acceptance activities.
Their core business is borrowing and lending money between their members.
They are regulated by Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
They have to comply with two set of norms, one of Public limited company as per Companies Act, 2013 and another is for Nidhi rules, 2014.
They are registered under the Companies Act, 2013.
Bori Wildlife Sanctuary
established in 1977 is located on the foothills of the Satpura range in Madhya Pradesh. Along with Satpura National Park and Pachmarhi Sanctuary, makes up the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve.
Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary
Kuno-Palpur is situated in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh. This protected region has a core area of 345 sq km and an outer buffer area of 890 sq km. Together, they constitute the wildlife division, created in the year 2002 to provide an alternative home to the endangered Asiatic Lion. The undulating terrain of the Vindhya Range in which the reserve is situated is actually a river valley, created by the River Kuno, which divides the sanctuary from north to south.
Three sites, namely Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary, Jawahar Sagar Sanctuary, and Sitamata Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan and Kuno-Palpur Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh were identified for lion introduction. Out of these four, Kuno-Palpur Sanctuary was found to be the most suitable site on account of its area, shape and vegetation by the Wildlife Institute of India.
The sanctuary is made up of thick deciduous forest, interspersed with meadows, and comprises species of trees such as kardhai, gurjan, khair and kahua. Herbivores such as nilgai, sambar, spotted deer, blackbuck and chinkara, which move in herds, are easily spotted here; while the carnivores, including panthers, jackals, foxes, hyenas, and bears, can be a little more elusive.
Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary
established in the year 1975, it spreads across a total expanse of 1197 square kilometres in the heart of Madhya Pradesh and is shared by four districts, namely Sagar, Damoh, Narsinghpur and Raisen. The sanctuary’s flora and fauna are sustained by the two rivers basins, Narmada and Ganga. The sanctuary is thriving in wildlife and is home to exotic canine species including the Indian Wolf, Striped Hyena and Bengal Fox.
National Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary
located in Vindhayan ranges is famous for the rare Gangetic dolphin. The sanctuary was founded in 1979 and is part of a large area co-administered by Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Apart from the Gangetic dolphin, the other inhabitants of the sanctuary include Magar (crocodile) and gharial (alligator), chinkara, sambar, nilgai, wolf and wild boar. It is the last bastion for some of the country’s most endangered wildlife like the Gharial, Muggar, Turtles, Otter and the fresh water Dolphin, the Chambal region also boasts of a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial bird. Chambal was chosen as one of the main areas for reintroduction the species back into the wild. The Government of India launched a Crocodile Breeding and Management Project in partnership with the UNDP/FAO, in 1975. The presence of Gharial prompted the government to establish a protected area to secure the future of the species. Thus the National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS) was established covering nearly 610km across the three states.
trade and commerce during Mughal rule in India
Trade and commerce expanded in India during the Mughal rule in the seventeenth century. The Indian trading classes were large in numbers, spread out all over thecountry, well organized and highly professional. Some specialized in long-distance, inter-regional trade, and some in local, retail trade. The former were called seths, bohra or modi, while the latter was called beoparis or banik.
The banjaras used to move over long distances, sometimes with thousands of oxen carrying food grains, pulses, ghee, salt, etc. The more expensive goods, such as textiles, silks, etc., were laden on camels and mules, or in carts. But it was cheaper to move bulk goods through the rivers on boats. Boat traffic on waterways and coastal trade along the seashore was more highly developed than now. The trade-in foodstuffs and a wide range of textile products were the most important components of inter-regional trade.
Voyages of discovery and the opening up of the New World resulted in a massive expansion of Asia’s (particularly India’s) trade with Europe. This resulted in a greater geographical diversity of India’s overseas trade as well as an expansion in the commodity composition of this trade. An expanding trade brought in huge amounts of silver bullion into Asia to pay for goods procured from India, and a large part of that bullion gravitated towards India. This was good for India as it did not have natural resources of silver. As a result, the period between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries was also marked by remarkable stability in the availability of metal currency, particularly the silver rupya in India. This facilitated an unprecedented expansion of minting of coins and the circulation of money in the economy as well as the ability of the Mughal state to extract taxes and revenue in cash.
British Parliament kept an eye on the operations of the East India Company from the very beginning and regulated its activities through Acts and Charters. In this context, the famous Fifth Report demanded
end of the 18th century, the East India Company consolidated its position in most parts of India, and its activities were closely watched and debated in England. A series of reports were submitted to the British Parliament on the administration and activities of the East India Company, among these one such report was the Fifth Report (from the Select Committee of the House of Commons on the East India Company, released on 28th July 1812).
This report presented the voice of great opposition from other traders in England and demanded revocation of the Royal Charter that granted a monopoly to the East India Company of having trade with India and China.
Fra Mauro
Apollo 13 (50th anniversary) was supposed to make a more challenging landing near the Fra Mauro. The Fra Mauro formation (or Fra Mauro Highlands) is a formation on the near side of Earth’s Moon that served as the landing site for the American Apollo 14 mission in 1971. named after the 80-kilometer-diameter crater Fra Mauro, located within it. The formation, as well as Fra Mauro crater, take their names from a 15th-century Italian monk and mapmaker of the same name.
Apollo 13 was originally scheduled to land in the Fra Mauro highlands, but was unable due to an in-flight technical failure.
Fra Mauro is thought to have been formed from ejecta, or debris, from the impact which formed Mare Imbrium.
Conducting experiments at the Fra Mauro formation would have provided greater insights about the Moon and the Earth’s early geological history.
Apollo 13 Mission
Apollo 13 was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and the third meant to land on the Moon.
The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, aboard the Saturn V SA-508 rocket. But the lunar landing was aborted after an oxygen tank in the service module (SM) failed two days into the mission.
The crew instead looped around the Moon, and returned safely to Earth on April 17. While Apollo 13 did not land on the lunar surface, it was able to return photographs that it took when it looped around the Moon.
Pulakesin II
Pulakesin II, the son of Kirtivarman, was one of the greatest rulers of the Chalukya dynasty. He ruled for almost 34 years. In this long reign, he consolidated his authority in Maharashtra and conquered large parts of the Deccan. His greatest achievement was his victory in the defensive war against Harshavardhana.
In 620 A.D. Harshavardhana invaded the Chalukya kingdom in the Deccan, which was then ruled by Pulakesin II. But the Chalukyas’ resistance proved tough for Harshavardhana and he was defeated.
Pulakesin II was defeated and killed by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman in 642 A.D. His son Vikramaditya, who was also as great a ruler as his father, succeeded him. He renewed the struggle against his southern enemies. He recovered the former glory of the Chalukyas to a great extent.
Defence items : Types
- Sharang : Artillery gun
- Spike : Long range missile
- Mh 60 Romeo : Advance maritime helicopter
Army gets upgraded 155mm artillery gun at Defexpo.
About Sharang artillery Gun :
Sharang is the 130mm artillery gun ‘up-gunned’ to 155mm, 45 calibre up-gunning based on the Army’s tender.
The gun’s range has now gone from 27 km to over 36 km with the upgrade.
It also has more explosive capability and hence and more damage potential.
In all, OFB will upgrade 300 130mm guns to 155mm and the contract will be completed in four years.
Indian Army successfully test-fires Spike LR missile (long-range).
Spike anti-tank missiles is a 4th generation missile which can engage any target with precision at ranges up to 4 km.
It is developed and designed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
The missile is man-portable and has its own vehicle-launch and helicopter-launched variants.
It will bolster Indian Army’s fire power capability.
India will buy 24 MH-60 Romeo helicopters from Lockheed Martin for the Indian Navy for USD 2.6 billion.
These helicopters are considered to be the world’s most advanced maritime helicopter. Hence pair 3 is correctly matched.
The proposed sale will provide India the capability to perform anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions.
It will also enhance the Navy’s ability to perform secondary missions, including search and rescue, and communications relay.
National Transit Pass System
enhances seamless movement of forest produce. an online system for issuing transit permits for timber, bamboo and other forest produce. NTPS will bring ease of business and expedite the issuance of transit permits for timber, bamboo and other minor forest produce without physically going to forest offices. Through mobile application, e-pass will be issued for the transit of forest produce. The pilot project will be functional in Madhya Pradesh and Telangana for now.
People can apply for Passes from their mobile phones as well as receive e passes in their mobile phones
Indrajit Gupta Committee on State Funding of Elections(1998):
Only Election Commission recognized political parties should be given the state support in terms of printing material and facilities; electronic media time; vehicles and fuel etc.
Complete account of the election expenditure should be filled by the parties to the ECI.
Political parties should compulsorily submit their annual accounts to the income tax department
Dinesh Goswami Committee
Time limit for bye-elections.
Increase in deposits from independents.
The committee also called for amendment of the anti-defection law to restrict disqualification.
Tarkunde Committee (1975)
The election commission should be a three member body.
The minimum age of voting should be 18 years.
The TV and radio should be placed under the control of autonomous statutory corporation.
A voter’s council should be formed in as many constituencies as possible which can help in free and fair election.
Thevaram
Tamil has a literary tradition that goes back to the period of the Sangams (c. 300 BC – c. 300 CE). The most well-known surviving works from this period are the Tolkappiyam (a book of grammar attributed to Tolkappiyar), Ettu Togai (Eight Anthologies), Pattu Pattu (Ten Idylls), epics like Silappadikaram and Manimekalai (authored by Ilango Adigal and Sattanar respectively), Thiru Kural (a Tamil treatise par excellence by Thiruvalluvar) and Perungadai (another work of epic proportion by Kongu Velir).
This period was succeeded by the age of devotional poetry of both the Shaiva and the Vaishnava variety in Tamil literature. These works are referred to as the Thevaram and the Nalayira Divya Prebandham respectively.
Motihari-Amlekhgunj Pipeline
Prime Ministers of India and Nepal have jointly inaugurated the Motihari-Amlekhganj petroleum product pipeline, the first of its kind in South Asia.
About the Pipeline:
The 69 km-long pipeline from Motihari in Bihar to Amlekhganj in Nepal is the first-ever cross-border petroleum product pipeline in the South Asia region. Hence option (b) is the correct answer.
Significance of the pipeline: As of now, tankers carry petroleum products from India to Nepal as part of an arrangement which is in place since 1973. Every year, the pipeline will carry two million metric tonne of clean petroleum products at an affordable price to Nepal. It will help to enhance the energy security of the region and substantially cut down on transit costs.
Snow leopard (Panthera uncial)
large cat native to mountain ranges of Central and South Asia- including the Himalayas, and Russia’s remote Altai mountains. The snow leopard inhabits the higher Himalayan and trans-Himalayan landscape in the five states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. This area contributes to about 5% of the global snow leopard range.
Snow leopards are categorized as ‘Vulnerable’ by IUCN and in the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. They are listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). The IUCN in 2017 has down-listed the snow leopard on the Red List of Threatened Species from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’.
India’s first Snow Leopard Conservation Centre will be opened in Uttarkashi forest division in Uttarakhand. The conservation centre will be built by the Uttarakhand forest department along with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as part of its six-year-long project, SECURE Himalayas. The project aims at securing livelihoods, conservation, sustainable use and restoration of high range Himalayan ecosystems.
superconductivity
Superconductivity refers to complete disappearance of electrical resistance in various solids when they are cooled below a characteristic temperature. This temperature, called the transition temperature, varies for different materials but generally is below 20 K (−253 °C).
The superconducting material shows some extraordinary properties which make them very important for modern technology.
In Superconducting state, the superconducting material shows the zero electric resistance (infinite conductivity).
A Superconductor, when it is cooled below the critical temperature Tc), expel the magnetic field and doesn’t allow the magnetic field to penetrate inside it. This phenomenon in superconductors is called Meissner effect.
Superconductors are used in the following applications:
Maglev (magnetic levitation) trains: These work because a superconductor repels a magnetic field so a magnet will float above a superconductor – this virtually eliminates the friction between the train and the track.
Superconductors are used in Large hadron collider or particle accelerator. to make extremely powerful electromagnets to accelerate charged particles very fast (to near the speed of light).
SQUIDs (Superconducting QUantum Interference Devices) are used to detect even the weakest magnetic field. They are used in mine detection equipment to help in the removal of land mines.
Working Committee of the Congress in 1929 constituted Foreign Cloth Boycott Committee.
Gandhi travelled incessantly during 1929 preparing people for direct political action - telling the youth to prepare for the fiery ordeal, helping to organise constructive work in villages and redressing specific grievances.
The Working Committee of the Congress in 1929 appointed the following persons with power to co-opt, to constitute the Foreign Cloth Boycott Committee:
Mahatma Gandhi (Chairman),
Motilal Nehru
Madan Mohan Malaviya
Moulana Abul Kalam Azad
M.A. Ansari
Jawaharlal Nehru
The Committee was required to formulate a plan to bring about boycott of foreign cloth by advocating and stimulating production and adoption of handspun and handwoven Khaddar. Gandhi initiated the campaign in March 1929 in Calcutta and was arrested. This was followed by bonfires of foreign cloth all over the country
Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT)
set up under the provision of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act (TRAI) to adjudicate disputes and dispose of appeals with a view to protect the interests of service providers and consumers of the telecom sector and to promote and ensure orderly growth of the telecom sector.
Composition and Qualification of Members: The Tribunal consists of a Chairperson and two Members appointed by the Central Government. The Chairperson should be or should have been a Judge of the Supreme Court or the Chief Justice of a High Court. A Member should have held the post of Secretary to the Government of India or any equivalent post in the Central Government or the State Government for a period of not less than two years or a person who is well versed in the field of technology, telecommunication, industry, commerce or administration.
Powers and Jurisdiction:
1) The Tribunal exercises jurisdiction over Telecom, Broadcasting, IT and Airport tariff matters under the TRAI Act, 1997 (as amended), the Information Technology Act, 2008 and the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008.
2) The Tribunal exercises original as well as appellate jurisdiction in regard to Telecom, Broadcasting, and Airport tariff matters. In regard toCyber matters the Tribunal exercises only the appellate jurisdiction.
In respect of Telecom, Broadcasting, and Airport tariff matters, the Tribunal’s orders can be appealed to the Supreme Court but only on substantial questions of law. However, no appeal lies against an interlocutory order or against any decision or order made by the Tribunal with the consent of the parties. In regard to Cyber matters, the Tribunal’s order can be appealed before the High Court.
Koli
performed in Maharashtra. Since the dance is performed by fishermen, it involves elements of fishing and sea. Both men and women are involved in this interesting dance form which is a treat to watch.
Dumhal
age-old dance, is still kept alive by the Rauf tribe of Jammu & Kashmir and is performed by men who wear long and colorful robes, accompanied by tall conical caps. The performers place a banner into the ground at a fixed location, and the dance is performed around this banner.
Wangala or Wangla
Wangala or Wangla is the most popular festival among the Garos tribe residing mainly in (Meghalaya as well as in Nagaland and Assam). This is celebrated after harvest to thank Misi Saljong, the ‘Sun God’ and Mini-ma Kiri Rokime, the ‘Goddess of Grains’. This festival is usually celebrated in the month of October or November accompanied by customary rituals, merry making, and dancing for seven consecutive days and nights or till food and drinks last. Dressed in the best of their traditional attires and ornaments, both the young and old males and females in the Garo villages heartily take part in this festival.
Huxley’s Line, Lydekker’s Line and Wallace Line are
Wallace Line or Wallace’s Line is a faunal boundary line drawn in 1859 by the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace and named by English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley that separates the Biogeographical realms of Asia and Wallacea, a transitional zone between Asia and Australia.
West of the line are found organisms related to Asiatic species; to the east, a mixture of species of Asian and Australian origin is present.
The northern part of the line was altered by T.H. Huxley to fall to the west of the Philippines (excluding Palawan). Huxley’s line is considered a more appropriate delineation by some zoogeographers because the Philippines has a highly idiosyncratic fauna.
Lydekker’s Line is a biogeographical boundary through Indonesia that separates Wallacea on the west from Australia-New Guinea on the east. It follows the edge of the Sahul Shelf, an area from New Guinea to Australia of shallow water with the Aru Islands on its edge.
Jotedar, Mandals, Amlah, Adhiyars
The British in India, included the definitions of everyday Indian administrative terms in every rule and law, for the understanding of the British Officials and governance. Some of these terms were -
Jotedar - They were rich ryots. Ryots in Bengal did not cultivate the land directly but leased it out to the under-ryots. At the end of the 18th century when most of the zamindars were facing crisis the jotedars consolidated their position in villages and became identical with the mandals. They controlled local trade as well as money lending.
Mandals - They were village headmen. They had effectual influence and authority over the officers in their village.
Amlah - An officer of the zamindar, appointed by the court, who visited villages at the time of rent collection to resolve and settle any dispute in the assessment and collection of rent.
Adhiyars - A large part of the land of jotedars was cultivated through sharecroppers (adhiyars or bargadars) who brought their own ploughs, laboured in the field, and handed over half the produce to the jotedars after the harvest.
101st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2017
introduced GST in India. It amended the Constitution to give concurrent powers to Parliament and state legislatures to levy a Goods and Services Tax (GST).
102nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2018
constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). It has the authority to examine complaints and welfare measures regarding socially and educationally backward classes.Previously NCBC was a statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019
reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) amends Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution to provide for reservation benefit in economically weaker sections. Part III of the Indian Constitution deals with fundamental rights. While the 103rd Constitutional amendment act does include the word ‘reservation’ in Part III of the Indian Constitution, it is not the first one to do so. The word ‘reservation’ under Part III of the Indian Constitution has already been included under Article 16 (Article 16(4), Article 16(4A) and Article 16(4B)).
The 103rd Constitutional amendment sets an upper limit of 10 percent for reservation to economically weaker sections in the Constitution itself. This amendment provides reservation over and above 50%.
104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2020
extended the reservation of seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and states assemblies from seventy years to eighty. It removed the reserved seats for the Anglo-Indian community in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
Decarbonising Transport in India (DTI) project
NITI Aayog in collaboration with International Transport Forum (ITF) has launched the “Decarbonising Transport in India” project on 24 June, with the intention to develop a pathway towards a low-carbon transport system for India.
ITF is an intergovernmental organisation for transport policy of which India has been a member since 2008
The “Decarbonising Transport in India” project will design a tailor-made transport emissions assessment framework for India. It will provide the government with a detailed understanding of current and future transport activity and the related CO2 emissions as a basis for their decision-making.
India project is a part of the ITF’s wider initiative of decarbonising transport and is a part of DTEE (Decarbonising Transport in Emerging Economies) series of projects that are aimed at lowering carbon emissions across different regions in the world.
Galwan River
flows from the Chinese occupied Aksai Chin region administered by China to the Ladakh union territory of India. It originates to the east of the area of Samzungling on the eastern side of the Karakoram range and flows west to join the Shyok River.
ecent clashes between the Indian army and the Chinese PLA occurred in this Galwan Valley due to intrusions by the Chinese soldiers. And Chinese opposition to Darbuk–Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi Road that runs along the Shyok River and almost parallel to Line of Actual Control but well within the Indian territory.
The river is named after Ghulam Rasool Galwan, a Ladakhi explorer of Kashmiri descent, who first explored the course of the river. In 1899, he was part of a British expedition team that was exploring the areas to the north of the Chang Chenmo valley, when he ran into this previously unknown river valley.
Nubra River is another tributary of Shyok River and the Nubra Valley is also of strategic importance as it leads to Siachen Glacier.
River Shyok and Sutlej are tributaries of River Indus
Passing of the Appropriation and Finance Bill:
(Article 114) states that no money shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of India except under appropriation made by law.
Accordingly an appropriation bill is introduced to provide for the appropriation , out of Consolidated Fund of India;
the grants voted by the Lok Sabha
The expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India.
The Finance Bill is introduced to give effect to financial proposals of the Government of India for the following year . It is subjected to all the conditions applicable to the money bill.
No amendments can be proposed to the appropriation bill in either house of the parliament that will have the effect of varying the amount or altering the destination of any grant voted, or of varying the amount of any expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India. Unlike the appropriation bill the amendments ( seeking to reject or reduce a tax) can be moved in the case of finance bill. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
The appropriation bill becomes appropriate Act after it is assented to by the president . This act authorise( or legalise ) the payments from the the Consolidated fund of India. The Finance Act legalise the income side of the budget and complete the process of the enactment of the budget.
According to the provisional Collection of Taxes Act of 1931, the Finance Bill must be enacted ( i.e. passed by the Parliament and assented to by the President) within 75 days.
Sher Shah Suri (1540-1545)
Afghan leader who took over the Mughal Empire after defeating Humayun in 1540.
Sher Shah occupied the throne of Delhi for not more than five years, but his reign proved to be a landmark in the Sub-continent. As a king, he has several achievements in his credit.
He established an efficient public administration.
He set up a revenue collection system based on the measurement of land.
Justice was provided to the common man.
Numerous civil works were carried out during his short reign; planting of trees, wells and building of Sarai (inns) for travellers was done.
Roads were laid; it was under his rule that the Grand Trunk road was built.
However, Sher Shah did not survive long after his accession on the throne and died in 1545 after a short reign of five years. After his death, Humayun was able to defeat his successor, Sikandar Suri and regain the crown of the Hindustan.
Ocean deposits : Origin
Ocean deposits usually consist of unconsolidated sediments, which can come from various sources, and are deposited at the ocean floor. Thickness of these deposits vary greatly from one ocean to another. They can be differentiated into following categories.
The Muds: These are terrigenous deposits because they are derived from land and mainly deposited on the continental shelves. The muds are referred to as blue, red and green muds; their colouring depends on their chemical content. Hence pair 2 is correctly matched.
The Oozes: These are pelagic deposits because they are derived from the ocean. They are made of shelly and skeletal remains of marine microorganisms with calcareous and siliceous parts. Oozes have a very fine and flour like texture and either occur as accumulated deposits or float about in suspension.
Clays: These occur mainly as red clays in deeper parts of the ocean. Red clay is an accumulation of volcanic dust blown out from volcanoes during a volcanic eruption.
District Council in Autonomous Districts constituted under Sixth Schedule
Article 244 in Part X of the Constitution envisages a special system of administration for certain areas designated as ‘scheduled areas’ and ‘tribal areas’. The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution deals with the administration of the tribal areas in the four northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
The features of administration contained in the Sixth Schedule are as follows:
The Governor is empowered to organise and re-organise the autonomous districts. Thus, he can increase or decrease their areas or change their names or define their boundaries.
Each autonomous district has a district council consisting of 30 members, of whom four are nominated by the governor and the remaining 26 are elected on the basis of adult franchise. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
The district and regional councils administer the areas under their jurisdiction.
The district and regional councils within their territorial jurisdictions can constitute village councils or courts for trial of suits and cases between the tribes.
The Council can also make regulations for the control of money lending and trading by nontribals. But, such regulations require the assent of the governor.
The district and regional councils are empowered to assess and collect land revenue and to impose certain specified taxes.
The acts of Parliament or the state legislature do not apply to autonomous districts and autonomous regions or apply with specified modifications and exceptions.
Tebhaga movement
In September 1946, the Bengal Provincial Kisan Sabha gave a call to demand - Tebhaga - two-thirds’ share - to the bargardars, the share croppers instead of the one-half share. The storm centre of the movement was north Bengal. The central slogan was “nij khamare dhan tolo”- i.e., sharecroppers taking the paddy to their own threshing floor and not to the jotedar’s house, as before, so as to enforce tebhaga.
The share croppers were encouraged by the fact that the Bengal Land Revenue Commission, popularly known as the Floud Commission, had already made this recommendation.
The movement received a great boost in late January 1947 when the Muslim League Ministry led by Suhrawardy published the Bengal Bargadars Temporary Regulation Bill. The Muslim League Ministry failed to pursue the bill in the Assembly and it was only in 1950 that the Congress Ministry passed a Bargadars Bill which incorporated, in substance, the demands of the movement.
Real Exchange rate
(RER) measures the value of currencies, taking into account changes in the price level. The real exchange rate shows what you can actually buy.
While two currencies may have a certain exchange rate on the foreign exchange market, this does not mean that goods and services purchased with one currency cost the equivalent amounts in another currency. This is due to different inflation rates with different currencies. Real exchange rates are thus calculated as a nominal exchange rate adjusted for the different rates of inflation between the two currencies.
A high RER implies that foreign goods are relatively cheap and domestic goods are relatively expensive. Whereas a low RER implies that foreign goods are relatively expensive and domestic goods are relatively cheap.
RER is just a relative price. This means that the relative demand for domestic and foreign goods is affected by the relative price of two sets of goods. If initially, RER is low, domestic residents will buy few imported goods. For exactly the same reason, foreigners will want to buy more domestic. Therefore, net exports will be high.
If RER is high, domestic residents (say Indians) will want to buy many imported goods and foreigners will want to buy a few Indian goods. So the number of net exports demanded will be very much on the low side and imports rise due to cheaper prices.
1940, an Anti-Compromise Conference was convened to oppose the world war. The Conference was convened by:
In March 1940, Subhas Chandra Bose convened an Anti-Compromise Conference at Ramgarh. It was a joint effort of the Forward Bloc and the Kisan Sabha.
It was resolved at the conference that a world-wide struggle should be launched on April 6, the first day of the National Week, with a call to the people not to help the Imperialist War (2nd World War) with any resource—men, money or materials.
He called for resistance to be offered to all forms of exploitation of Indian resources for the imperial cause. There was enthusiastic participation by the people in the struggle launched on April 6.
Joint Liability Group (JLG)
an informal group comprising of 4-10 individuals coming together for the purpose of availing bank loan on individual basis or through group mechanism against the mutual guarantee.
Generally, the members of a JLG would engage in a similar type of economic activity. In certain groups, members may prefer to undertake a different type of economic activities as well. The members would offer a joint undertaking to the bank to enable them to avail loans. JLG members are expected to provide support to each other in carrying out occupational and social activities.
They are typically credit groups of small or marginal tenant farmers who do not have a proper title of their farmland. Through these JLGs, banks plan to extend assistance to the financially excluded sections of the society, especially landless farmers.
Objectives of Joint Liability Groups (JLGs):
To augment the flow of credit to landless farmers cultivating land as tenant farmers, oral lessees or sharecroppers and small/marginal farmers as well as other poor individuals taking up farm activities, off-farm activities and non-farm activities.
To serve as a collateral substitute for loans to be provided to the target group.
To build mutual trust and confidence between the bank and the target group.
To minimize the risks in the loan portfolio for the banks through group approach, cluster approach, peer education and credit discipline.
To provide food security to vulnerable section through enhanced agriculture production, productivity and livelihood promotion through joint farming and cluster approach.
Features of JLG and criteria for membership:
A JLG is an Informal group in which 4 - 10 individuals come together and form a group
All the members agree and avail the loan in the group through a formal agreement
Members should belong to similar socio-economic status, background and environment carrying out farming and Allied activities and who agree to function as a joint liability group. This way the groups would be homogeneous and organized by like-minded farmers/Individuals and develop mutual trust and respect.
The members should be residing in the same village/ area/ neighbourhood and should know and trust each other well enough to take up joint liability for group/individual Loans.
Members who have defaulted to any other formal financial institution, in the past, are debarred from the Group Membership.
Loans to individual farmers [including Self Help Groups (SHGs) or Joint Liability Groups (JLGs)], directly engaged in Agriculture and Allied Activities, viz., dairy, fishery, animal husbandry, poultry, bee-keeping and sericulture are treated as eligible for classification under priority sector target.
