Election Commissioner shouldn’t be ‘yes-man’: SC

• The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the country needed Election Commissioners (ECs) who would not shirk from even taking on the Prime Minister if required, and not just “weak-kneed” yes-men.
• The court said an Election Commissioner should be a person who could take a stand even risking his life, and not a docile “yes-man” whom the government knew would do its bidding.

 

About Election Commission of India:

• The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering Union and State election processes in India.
  • It was established in accordance with the Constitution on 25^thJanuary 1950 (celebrated as national voters’s Day) . The secretariat of the commission is in New Delhi.
• The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and State Legislative Assemblies in India, and the offices of the President and Vice President in the country.
  • It is not concerned with the elections to panchayats and municipalities in the states. For this, the Constitution of India provides for a separate State Election Commission.

 

Constitutional Provisions:

• Part XV (Article 324-329) of the Indian Constitution: It deals with elections and establishes a commission for these matters.
• Article 324:Superintendence, direction and control of elections to be vested in an Election Commission.
• Article 325:No person to be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special, electoral roll-on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex.
• Article 326: Elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assemblies of States to be based on adult suffrage.
• Article 327:Power of Parliament to make provision with respect to elections to Legislatures.
• Article 328:Power of Legislature of a State to make provision with respect to elections to such Legislature.
• Article 329:Bar to interference by courts in electoral matters.

 

Structure of ECI:

• Originally the commission had only one election commissioner but after the Election Commissioner Amendment Act 1989, it was made a multi-member body.
• The Election Commission shall consist of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and such number of other election commissioners, if any, as the President may from time-to-time fix.
• Presently, it consists of the CEC and two Election Commissioners.
  • At the state level, the election commission is helped by the Chief Electoral Officer who is an IAS rank Officer.

 

Appointment & Tenure of Commissioners:

• The President appoints CEC and Election Commissioners.
• They have a fixed tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
• They enjoy the same status and receive salary and perks as available to Judges of the Supreme Court of India.

 

Removal:

• They can resign anytime or can also be removed before the expiry of their term.
• The CEC can be removed from office only through a process of removal similar to that of a SC judge by Parliament.

 

East Timor has been included as the 11^th member of ASEAN

 

About ASEAN

• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional organization which was established to promote political and social stability amid rising tensions among the Asia-Pacific’s post-colonial states.
• The motto of ASEAN is “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.
• 8^thAugust is observed as ASEAN Day.
• ASEAN Secretariat – Indonesia, Jakarta.

 

Recent Developments

• The24^th ASEAN-India Senior Official’s Meeting (SOM) was hosted in Delhi.
  • India and ASEAN celebrated the 30^thanniversary of their Dialogue Relations.
• In the 2nd ASEAN Digital Ministers’ (ADGMIN) Meeting with India, the two sides finalized India-ASEAN Digital work plan 2022for future collaboration in the field.

 

Member Nations

• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Brunei
• Vietnam
• Laos
• Myanmar
• Cambodia

 

Objectives of ASEAN

• To accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations.
• To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter.
• To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields.
• To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisation of agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, the improvement of transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of peoples.
• To promote Southeast Asian studies.
• To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organisations.

 

U.P. sets target of ₹ 10 lakh cr. Investment  through Global Investors Summit  2023

• Uttar Pradesh has set a target of attracting investment of ₹10 lakh crore through the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit-2023, said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath while formally announcing the schedule of the ambitious event in the national capital on Tuesday.
• In a bid to make Uttar Pradesh the growth engine of India’s development, Mr. Adityanath said the State had set a goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy, following the Prime Minister’s plan to grow India’s economy to $5 trillion. The summit is expected to help the State in achieving the goal. “Our government is organising a Global Investors Summit in Lucknow from February 10 to 12, 2023, so that the country and the world can benefit from the immense business opportunities available in the State,” Mr. Adityanath said.

 

Historic Howrah based Shalimar Shipyard delivers naval ferry craft

• The 135yearold Howrahbased Shalimar Shipyard, stagnating for many years before its revitalisation was initiated last year by the West Bengal government, was a scene of celebration on Wednesday when it eased a newly constructed naval ferry craft into the Hooghly river.

 

ISRO to launch Oceansat3,  8 nano satellites on Saturday

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch Earth Observation Satellite06 (EOS06) and eight nano satellites on November 26.
• The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLVC54) will launch the satellites at 11.56 a.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
• The EOS06 is a third generation satellite in the Oceansat series. The ISRO said that the PSLVC54 will launch EOS06 and the eight nano satellites into two different Sunsynchronous polar orbits.

About Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

• ISRO is an important body in India and spearheads research in space science in India, also playing a huge role in the development of the country through educational, agricultural, communication, and defence sector projects.
• ISRO or Indian Space Research Organisation is India’s space agency founded in 1969 to help develop an indigenous Indian space program.
• It is one of the 6 largest space agencies in the world today. ISRO maintains one of the biggest fleets of remote sensing (IRS) and communication (INSAT) satellites catering to the needs of the nation through a network of centres, offices, and research institutes in different parts of the country.
• ISRO functions in the following areas: broadcasting, weather forecasting, disaster management, geographic information systems, navigation, cartography (maps), telemedicine, distance education satellites, etc.

 

ISRO is headquartered in Bengaluru.

ISRO Chairman: Dr K Sivan (who is also the Secretary of the Department of Space, GOI)

 

ISRO Vision & Objectives

ISRO’s vision is stated as “Harness space technology for national development while pursuing space science research and planetary exploration.”

 

ISRO Mission

• Design and development of launch vehicles and related technologies for providing access to space.
• Design and development of satellites and related technologies for earth observation, communication, navigation, meteorology and space science.
• Indian National Satellite (INSAT) programme for meeting telecommunication, television broadcasting and developmental applications.
• Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) programme for management of natural resources and monitoring of environment using space-based imagery.
• Space-based Applications for Societal development.
• Research and Development in space science and planetary exploration.

 

FDI equity inflows contract in the current fiscal to $26.9 billion

• 14 The percentage by which the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflows into India contracted to $26.9 billion during the April September months in the current fiscal, according to the data of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. The inflows had stood at $31.15 billion during the corresponding period of the previous year.

 

About Foreign Direct Investment

A Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is an investment made by a firm or individual in one country into business interests located in another country.

• FDI lets an investor purchase a direct business interest in a foreign country.

• Investors can make FDI in a number of ways.
  • Some common ones include establishing a subsidiaryin another country, acquiring or merging with an existing foreign company, or starting a joint venture partnership with a foreign company.
• Apart from being a critical driver of economic growth, FDI has been a major non-debt financial resource for the economic development of India.
• It is different from Foreign Portfolio Investment where the foreign entity merely buys stocks and bonds of a company.
  • FPI does not provide the investor with control over the business.

 

• Components:
  • Equity capital:
    • It is the foreign direct investor’s purchase of shares of an enterprisein a country other than its own.
  • Reinvested earnings:
    • It comprises the direct investors’ share of earningsnot distributed as dividends by affiliates, or earnings not remitted to the direct investor.
      • Such retained profits by affiliates are reinvested.
    • Intra-company loans:
      • These refer to short- or long-term borrowingand lending of funds between direct investors (or enterprises) and affiliate enterprises.

 

• Routes of FDI:
  • Automatic Route:
    • In this, the foreign entity does not require the prior approval of the government or the • RBI (Reserve Bank of India).In India FDI up to 100% is allowed in non-critical sectors through the automatic route, not requiring security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
      • Prior government approval or security clearance from MHA is required for investments in sensitive sectors such as defence, media, telecommunication, satellites, private security agencies, civil aviation and mining, besides any investment from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
    • Government Route:
      • In this, the foreign entity has to take the approval of the government.
        • The Foreign Investment Facilitation Portal (FIFP) facilitates the single window clearance of applications which are through approval route. It is administered by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

 

 

Highest rates of unemployment in America since August

• 4 In lakh, the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits up by 17,000 from the week before, according to the Labour Department.
• Unemployment rose to the highest level since August, though it still remains low by historic standards.
• The current low levels show that American workers enjoy extraordinary job security.

 

India test fires Agni3 Nuclear capable ballistic missile

• India on Wednesday carried out the successful launch of the Agni3 intermediate range ballistic missile from A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha.
• “The successful test was part of routine user training launches carried out under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command,” a Defence Ministry statement said.
• “The launch was carried out for a predetermined range and validated all operational parameters.”
• The Agni series of missiles constitute the backbone of India’s nuclear weapons delivery. India has also completed its nuclear triad and operationalised its second strike capability, with nuclear ballistic missile submarine INS Arihant.

 

About Agni Missile

• Agni missiles are long-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear bombs.
• Agni-I was the first missile in the series, and it was tested in 1989 as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP).
• Because of its strategic relevance, the Agni missile programme was removed from the IGMDP after its success.
• It was recognised as a special programme in India’s defence budget, with sufficient funding for its development. The Agni missiles have been brought into service since November of this year.

 

Range:

• Agni I has a range of 700-800 kilometres.
• Agni II has a range of around 2000 kilometres.
• Agni III has a range of almost 2,500 kilometres.
• Agni IV has a range of about 3,500 kilometres and can be launched from a road mobile launcher.
• Agni-V: The Agni-V is the longest missile in the Agni series, with a range of nearly 5,000 kilometres.
• Agni-P (Prime) is a canisterized missile with a range of 1,000 to 2,000 kilometres. It will replace Agni-I missile.

 

 

Russia has become the biggest supplier of fertilizers to India

 

Shatru Nash firepower exercise was conducted by South Western Command in Thar desert in Rajastha

 

Karnataka has the highest installed Grid-Interactive Renewable Power Capacity

 

25th National Conference on e-Governance will be conducted in Jammu and Kashmir

Purnima Devi Barman has won the UN’s highest environmental award from India

 

 

Source : THE HINDU