Today in History (Mar 18^th, 1922)

On this day, Mahatma Gandhi was sentenced to six years in prison for civil disobedience, of which he serves only two.

Let’s revise

A) Recently a bill on UCC got the consent of the President of India, what is the name of this state?

1. Goa
2. Uttarakhand
3. Rajasthan
4. Uttar Pradesh

Ans. (b)

B) Who is the current chief minister of Uttarakhand?

1. Yogi Aditya Nath
2. Pushkar Singh Dhami
3. Rajiv Kumar
4. Arun Goel

Ans. (b)

C) The Chief Election Commission and other Election Commissions (Appointment, Conditions of Service, and Term of Office) Act was passed in which year?

1. 2004
2. 2023
3. 2024
4. 2021

Ans. (b)

D) Duping people by posing as police or law enforcement officers and threatening for arrest is associated with which one of the following?

1. Virus on internet
2. Digital Arrest
3. Trojan horse
4. Internet of Things

Ans. (b)

E) What is the number for current Lok Sabha, in March 2024?

1. 15^th
2. 16^th
3. 17^th
4. 18^th

Ans. (c)

F) Who is the current Speaker of Lok Sabha?

1. Om Birla
2. Jagdip Dhankhar
3. Satyapal Malik
4. Mohan Yadav

Ans. (a)

G) What is the maximum strength of Lok Sabha?

1. 545
2. 553
3. 555
4. 552

Ans. (d)

Summary of Today’s News

Big recipients ‘unable’ to reveal bond donor data

• Most large recipients of funding via electoral bonds have not shared any details to the Election Commission of India (EC) about their donors,
• The directions were given by the Supreme Court in May 2019 and November 2023.
• These parties are Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress, and the Trinamool Congress
• Regional players like the Telugu Desam party, YSR Congress, Bharat Rashtra Samithi, and Biju Janata Dal also did not reveal their bond donors.
• Only few parties have revealed these details which includes these parties include the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and the Janata Dal (Secular).
• The BJP said that it did not have the record of donors as the electoral bonds scheme precluded the parties to maintain the record
• Other parties said that due to the design of the scheme they do not have information about donor
• Congress and Trinmool Congress said that they asked the SBI to share information but SBI said that the donee/political party have the details
• Again Congress and Trinmool Congress said that they asked SBI for information

Sangita Kalanidhi award for vocalist T.M. Krishna

Carnatic vocalist and Magsaysay Award winner T.M. Krishna has been selected for the Sangita Kalanidhi award of the Music Academy for 2024.

Sangita Kalanidhi Award

• The Sangita Kalanidhi Award is considered the most prestigious honour in Carnatic music.
• It is conferred by Madras Music Academy.
  • Carnatic music is commonly linked with southern India, especially the state of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. It is also popular in Sri Lanka.

Indian Navy Gets First Independent HQ ‘Nausena Bhawan’

• The Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, inaugurated the ‘Nausena Bhawan’,
• It is the new state-of-the-art headquarters of the Indian Navy at the Delhi Cantonment.

About

• It is now Indian Navy’s first independent headquarters in Delhi.
• Previously, the Navy operated from 13 different locations, making it difficult to coordinate.
• Centralized and technologically advanced headquarters representing the nation’s dedication to maritime excellence and national security.
• The building consists of three wings and four stories, integrating innovative construction technologies for enhanced efficiency and sustainability.

Darien Gap

Context

• Darien Gap is in news because ithad become a major route for the illegal migration to US.

Where is Darien Gap?

• The Darien Gap is a stretch of densely forested jungle across northern Colombia located in South America and southern Panama located in North America.
• Roughly 60 miles (97 kilometres)across, the terrain is muddy, wet and unstable.
• The challenging topography of humid, swampy rainforest as well as criminal gangs who control the area, make the route an extremely challenging and deadly one.

Model Code of Conduct (MCC)

• The Election Commission of India has announced the dates for the upcoming Lok Sabha Election
• With this announcement the model code of conduct (MCC) is in action.
• What is the Model Code of Conduct (MCC)?
• First time it was introduced in the 1960 during Kerala Assembly elections.
• N. Seshan first codified the MCC, in 1991.
• It is a set of guidelines to regulate the campaigning of political parties and candidates during elections.
• The MCC is issued by the Election Commission of India.
• Its main aim is to conduct free and fair elections by preventing any activities that could influence voters or disrupt the poll process.
• Additionally, it serves as a mechanism to curb any misuse of state machinery and financial resources by the ruling party.
• The MCC is not enforceable by law or in other words it is not legally binding.
• However, certain provisions of the MCC may be enforced through invoking corresponding provisions in other statutes such as the Indian Penal Code, 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, and Representation of the People Act, 1951.

What is prohibited by MCC?

• Financial grants or commitments by ministers and authorities are prohibited.
• Ministers and authorities, except civil servants, are restricted from laying foundation stones or launching projects or schemes.
• Any project or scheme that could influence voters in favor of the ruling party cannot be announced.
• Ministers are barred from utilizing official machinery for campaign purposes and must not combine official visits with electioneering activities.
• The use of official machinery or personnel for electioneering is strictly forbidden.
• Discretionary funds cannot be sanctioned for grants or payments by ministers and authorities.
• Government accommodations should not function as campaign offices or venues for election propaganda.
• Advertisements at the expense of the public exchequer in newspapers and other media are prohibited
• Avoiding the misuse of official mass media for partisan political coverage and publicity favoring the ruling party.