Bharatmala Project

• It is an umbrella project under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
• It will be completed in two phases.
• The Public Investment Board has cleared the proposal for Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I.
• Under the plan the government intends to develop 83,677 km of highways and roads at an investment of around Rs 7 lakh crore over the next five years.
• In the first phase, the plan is to construct 34,800 km of highways at a cost of Rs 5.35 lakh crore.
• It focuses on the new initiatives like development of Border and International connectivity roads, Coastal & port connectivity roads, improving efficiency of National Corridors, Economic corridors and others.
• It will subsume unfinished parts of National Highway Development Program (NHDP).
• National Highways Development Project (NHDP) to potentially generate 10 million jobs and result in a 3 per cent bump-up in the gross domestic product.
• In Bharatmala programme, the focus is on economic corridors (9,000 km) is expected to ensure that investments are targeted at economic returns.
• The ambitious project also plans to create new industrial corridors and urban centres, which should enhance economic activity in the country.
• Against the 300 districts that are linked to national highways at present, Bharatmala will connect 550 more to the national grid.
• The government also expects that 70-80 per cent of freight traffic will move on national highways, up from 40 per cent now.

HR 2123 Bill

• It seeks to send a powerful signal that defence sales to India should be prioritized according to US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, which had worked on this important legislation.
• The proposed legislation follows the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2017 including special language that designated India as a “Major Defence Partner” of the US.
• Although powerful in its own right, the NDAA FY 2017 has no legal bearing on the State Department’s body of legislation, nor does it compel the State Department to view defence with India more favorably.
• To fulfil the spirit and intent of the NDAA 2017, the US-India Enhanced Cooperation Act would amend the Arms Export Control Act to put India on par with NATO allies and Israel, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and Japan.
• The two taken together illustrates the major changes that have taken place in the India-US relationship over the past two decades.

• ISRO developed PSLV to launch satellites into polar orbits and GSLV to launch geosynchronous satellites into geostationary Geostationary satellites orbit around the earth in 24 hours and since the earth rotates with the same period, the satellite would appear fixed from any point on earth. So, statement#2 is wrong. This eliminates option B and C.
• GSLV is a 3-stage launch vehicle, where first 2 stages are similar to PSLV with same solid and liquid nature of fuel but the third stage is completely different, i.e., cryogenic stage. So third statement is WRONG. This eliminates B and D.
• Thus we’re left with answer A: only 1.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was provided statutory status by the Wildlife Protection Act, 2006. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) houses the India’s first repository on tigers.

Environment Minister is the chairman of NTCA.

Article 370 of the Indian constitution is an article that gives autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The article is drafted in Part XXI of the Constitution: Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions.The Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, after its establishment, was empowered to recommend the articles of the Indian constitution that should be applied to the state or to abrogate the Article 370 altogether.

According to this article, except for defence, foreign affairs, finance and communications, Parliament needs the state government’s concurrence for applying all other laws. Thus the state’s residents live under a separate set of laws, including those related to citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights, as compared to other Indians.

• Indian citizens from other states cannot purchase land or property in Jammu & Kashmir.
• Under Article 370, the Centre has no power to declare financial emergency under Article 360 in the state. It can declare emergency in the state only in case of war or external aggression. The Union government can therefore not declare emergency on grounds of internal disturbance or imminent danger unless it is made at the request or with the concurrence of the state government.
• Under Article 370, the Indian Parliament cannot increase or reduce the borders of the state.
• The Jurisdiction of the Parliament of India in relation to Jammu and Kashmir is confined to the matters enumerated in the Union List, and also the concurrent list. There is no State list for the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
• At the same time, while in relation to the other States, the residuary power of legislation belongs to Parliament, in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, the residuary powers belong to the Legislature of the State, except certain matters to which Parliament has exclusive powers such as preventing the activities relating to cession or secession, or disrupting the sovereignty or integrity of India.
• The power to make laws related to preventive detention in Jammu and Kashmir belong to the Legislature of J & K and not the Indian Parliament. Thus, no preventive detention law made in India extends to Jammu & Kashmir.
• Part IV (Directive Principles of the State Policy) and Part IVA (Fundamental Duties) of the Constitution are not applicable to J&K.