UPSC Daily Current Affairs

Ethanol & Food Security:The Trade-off

Jul 31, 2023

Q1: What is ethanol, and how is it produced? A: Ethanol is a type of biofuel produced from renewable plant sources such as sugarcane, maize, rice, and other grains. It is commonly used as a fuel additive to gasoline, which helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote cleaner fuel options. Q2: What is the significance of ethanol production in India? A: Ethanol production plays a crucial role in India's efforts to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and mitigate the impact of climate change. It of... Read More...

Vibrant Village Programme vs Chinese Border Development Programmes

Jul 31, 2023

Government launched the 'Vibrant Villages Programme' at Kibithoo - a border village in 2023.It is a Centrally sponsored scheme, announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 (to 2025-26) for development of villages on the northern border, thus improving the quality of life of people living in identified border villages. The Vibrant Village Programme aims at comprehensive development of the select villages in mission mode and through multi-pronged strategy, by identification and development of key economic drivers based on local, natural, human and other resources. It will cover the border areas of Himachal Prade... Read More...

No Confidence Motion, Confidence Motion and constructive no confidence motion

Jul 29, 2023

No-confidence motion(NCM) in the Indian parliamentary system is a crucial mechanism to test the government's majority in the Lok Sabha. It is based on Article 75(3) of the Indian Constitution which says that the Lok Sabha holds the Council of Ministers accountable as . There is a procedure in the Lok Sabha rules for it in Rule 198. In the Lok Sabha, a member has to submit a written notice for a no-confidence motion before 10 am. NCM need not mention any reasons for moving the motion. The speaker has no power to admit or reject it. The power is with the Lok Sabha itself. The Speaker read... Read More...

Stapled visa issue between India and China

Jul 28, 2023

Q: What are "stapled visas"? A: "Stapled visas" are a type of visa issued by China that denotes their contention that the Indian state to which the visa recipient belongs is a disputed territory. Q: Why did India lodge a protest against China's decision to issue stapled visas? A: India lodged a strong protest because China issued stapled visas to three Indian sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh who were part of a 12-member team traveling to the World University Games in Chengdu. Q: When did China first start issuing stapled visas to Indians? A... Read More...

Simultaneous Elections to Lok Sabha (House of The People) and Vidhan Sabhas (State Legislative Assemblies) For and Against

Jul 28, 2023

In India, simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha (House of The People) and Vidhan Sabhas (State Legislative Assemblies) were held in the years 1951-52, 1957, 1962 and 1967. Thereafter, however, the schedule could not be maintained as there were midterm elections at both the levels and the election cycles differed. The justification for holding simultaneous elections is as follows: Cost Reduction: Conducting separate elections every year incurs massive expenditure. Simultaneous elections would save costs as the elections for Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies would be combined, reducing the financial burden. Read More...