31st October - AAJ KA QUALITY ENRICHMENT

QEP Pocket Notes

KEYWORDS

3P's: Proactive public policy:
  • Meaning: It is a concept that encourages governments to be forward-looking, strategic, and preventive in their approach to policymaking, with the goal of creating more efficient, resilient, and stable societies. This approach aims to address issues before they become crises, leading to better outcomes for the public.
  • Usage: It can be used in questions related to - Government schemes and policies, Disaster management, good governance, Social issues (Health, education) and step to be taken, Etc.
Strengthen hub-and-spoke alliances:
  • Meaning: It refers to enhancing and solidifying a network of relationships or partnerships with a central entity (the "hub") and several other related or dependent entities (the "spokes"). In geopolitics, hub-and-spoke alliances could pertain to a nation (the hub) strengthening its alliances or partnerships with multiple other countries (the spokes) to achieve diplomatic, economic, or security objectives.
  • Usage: It can be used in questions related to – Supply chain and transportation, Trade and exports, International relations and geopolitics, India as a developed economy by 2047, India as a node (hub) of global supply Etc.
Evidence based healthcare intervention:
  • Meaning: This refers to a medical or healthcare practice, which involves systematically evaluating and integrating the best available evidence from research, clinical expertise, and patient values and preferences to inform healthcare decisions and practices.
  • Usage: It can be used in questions related to – Healthcare and National Health policy, From curative to preventative healthcare, Use of technology in healthcare policy (Data driven) Etc.
‘AmritKaal’ as our ‘Gaurav Kaal’:
  • Meaning: "AmritKaal" is typically translated as "the time of nectar" or "the auspicious time," while "Gaurav Kaal" translates to "the time of pride" or "the glorious period." In this context, it suggests that a specific period or time is seen as a source of pride and glory, often due to significant accomplishments, events, or developments.
  • Usage: It can be used in questions to refer – Demographic dividend, India on path of becoming a developed economy by 2047, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India, Etc.

CASE STUDIES/ EXAMPLES

Technological system to prevent collision of trains:
  • Case: Recently two trains were collided in Andhra Pradesh in which KAVACH system were not installed.
  • About KAVACH system: It is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in collaboration with the Indian industry. It is meant to provide protection by preventing trains to pass the signal at Red (which marks danger) and avoid collision. It activates the train’s braking system automatically if the driver fails to control the train as per speed restrictions.

KEY FACTS

Flood prone urban areas in India: According to a study led by the World Bank and published in Nature:
  • Since 1985, human settlements in flood-prone areas have more than
  • Middle-income countries like India have more urban settlements in flood-prone zones than low- and high-income countries.
  • India isn’t among the 20 countries whose settlements are most exposed to flood hazards, but it was the third highest contributor to global settlements, after China and the U.S., and also third after China and Vietnam — among countries with new settlements expanding into flood-prone areas, all from 1985 to 2015.

PM/VP/PRESIDENT SPEECHES

Vice President’s speech:
  • On Corruption: Our power corridors, our governance system was invested by power brokers and corrupt elements. These power corridors now have been thoroughly sanitized and the power brokers have been neutralized.
  • On India’s growth: India has travelled journey from being among the Fragile Five economies to the fifth largest economy in the world.

JUDGEMENTS/ COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

Supreme court (SC) on Right to Information (RTI) Act:
  • The Supreme Court of India recently expressed concern over the Right to Information (RTI) Act, stating that it is becoming a "dead letter law" due to vacancies in the Central Information Commission and state information commissions.
Supreme court (SC) on disqualification of members of Parliament/State legislature:
  • In Keisham Meghachandra Singh vs The Honble Speaker Manipur (2020): The SC said that Speaker should decide disqualifications petitions within a maximum three months unless there are ‘unexceptional circumstances’.

DEFINITION

Minimum Wage:
  • Definition: According to ILO, minimum wages have been defined as “the minimum amount of remuneration that an employer is required to pay wage earners for the work performed during a given period, which cannot be reduced by collective agreement or an individual contract”.
Anti-defection Law:
  • Definition: The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution (better known as the anti-defection law) added by the 52nd Amendment Act, 1985, aims to deter “the evil of political defections” and seeks to provide a stable government.

QUOTES

Quote on Literature: Literature is a form of permanent insurrection”. – MARIO BARGAS LLOSA
  • Meaning: The quote suggests that literature, through its various forms and expressions, serves as a means of continuous rebellion or resistance against established norms, ideas, or societal structures. It suggests that literature has the power to challenge the status quo, provoke thought, and inspire change.
Quote on Liberty: “Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people”. - JOHN ADAMS
  • Meaning: The quote emphasizes that in a democracy, the preservation of individual liberties depends on an informed and educated citizenry.
  • Without a general understanding of their rights, responsibilities, and the world around them, people may not be able to effectively participate in the democratic process, make informed decisions, and defend their freedoms when they are threatened.
QEP Pocket Notes