📰 Current Affairs

Urea is the only chemical fertilizer whose statutory maximum retail price (MRP) is directly controlled by the Union Government.

Government of India mandated 100% Neem Coated Urea production and imports in 2015 to prevent diversion for non-agricultural uses.

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system for fertilizer subsidies was rolled out across India in March 2018 using PoS machines.

PM PRANAM scheme was launched in 2023 to encourage States to promote alternative fertilizers and reduce chemical fertilizer consumption.

One Nation One Fertilizer scheme was launched in October 2022 under which all subsidized fertilizers are sold under single brand 'Bharat'.

Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) regime introduced in April 2010 covers non-urea fertilizers like DAP, MOP, and NPK complexes.

Article 217(1)(b) states that a High Court judge may be removed by the President under Article 124(4).

Article 124(4) specifies two grounds for removal of judges: proved misbehaviour or incapacity.

A removal motion against a judge requires signatures of 100 Lok Sabha members or 50 Rajya Sabha members.

The procedure for investigating charges against Supreme Court and High Court judges is regulated by the Judges Inquiry Act, 1968.

The inquiry committee formed under the 1968 Act comprises a Supreme Court judge, a High Court Chief Justice, and a distinguished jurist.

A removal motion must be passed in each House of Parliament by a special majority.

Special majority requires a majority of total membership and two-thirds of members present and voting.

Joint Parliamentary Committees (JPC) are ad-hoc bodies created for a specific purpose with a 2:1 ratio of members from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

The National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC) was established in 1963 under the NCDC Act, 1962.

NCDC functions as a statutory corporation under the administrative control of the Ministry of Cooperation.

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) was originally enacted in 1976 and majorly revised in 2010.

Article 107 of the Constitution governs the provisions as to introduction and passing of Bills in Parliament.

A Voice Vote is a parliamentary procedure where members vote by shouting 'Aye' for yes or 'No' for rejection.

Mullaperiyar Dam was constructed between 1887 and 1895 under British engineer John Pennycuick.

The Periyar Lake lease agreement was signed on October 29, 1886, between Travancore State and the British Secretary of State for 999 years.

The dam is located at the confluence of the Mullayar and Periyar rivers in the Western Ghats.

Periyar River originates from the Sivagiri Hills in the Western Ghats and is the longest river in Kerala.

In May 2014, a 5-judge Supreme Court Constitution Bench struck down Kerala's 2006 law restricting water level to 136 feet.

Article 262 of the Constitution provides for the adjudication of disputes relating to waters of inter-state rivers or river valleys.

The Inter-State River Water Disputes Act was enacted by Parliament in 1956 under Article 262 of the Constitution.