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1. Modi will be the prime minister of a coalition government of 16 parties
Questions:
– How many parties selected a leader for the PM position?
– Why did PM Modi resign?
– What is a caretaker PM?
– When did the term of the 17th Lok Sabha end?
– When will the term of the 18th Lok Sabha begin?
– What is the process of forming a government?
Text:
– Prime Minister Narendra Modi submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu on May 5, 2024.
– He also recommended the dissolution of the cabinet.
– Before this, the last meeting of the Modi cabinet was held at 11:30 AM.
– After that, the President dissolved the 17th Lok Sabha and asked Narendra Modi to remain in office until the new government takes charge, meaning he will serve as the caretaker PM.
– Later, a meeting of the NDA was held in which 16 parties elected PM Modi as the leader of the alliance.
– However, bargaining for the ministry has begun.
– On the other hand, the INDIA bloc indicated that it would exercise restraint rather than making active efforts to form a government. However, it has not conceded defeat and has told the NDA’s political parties that they are welcome in the INDIA bloc.
NDA Has Majority
– In the Lok Sabha elections, BJP won 240 seats. This is 32 seats short of the majority mark (272).
– However, NDA crossed the majority mark with 292 seats.
– Chandrababu’s TDP became the second-largest party in NDA with 15 seats, and Nitish’s JDU became the third-largest with 12 seats.
– Both parties are crucial for BJP at this time. Without them, it would be difficult for BJP to form the government.
16 Parties Elected Modi as the Leader of the Alliance
– During the NDA meeting, 16 political parties participated.
– Leaders from these parties signed the proposal, which appreciated Mr. Modi’s efforts in nation-building, welfare of the poor, and development, and stated that they all are partners in this endeavor.
– The proposal stated, “After a long interval of almost 6 decades, the people of India have chosen a powerful leader with a full majority for the third consecutive time.”
Political Parties in the NDA Meeting:
– BJP
– Janata Dal (United)
– Telugu Desam Party (TDP)
– Shiv Sena (Shinde faction)
– Janata Dal (Secular)
– Jana Sena Party
– Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)
– NCP (Ajit Pawar faction)
– Apna Dal (Sonelal)
– Other parties
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Questions – When did the term of the 17th Lok Sabha end?
Questions – When will the term of the 18th Lok Sabha begin?
– The provision for convening a session of Parliament is mentioned in Article 85 of the Constitution.
– The term of the Lok Sabha is for 5 years. The process starts after every Lok Sabha election.
– In 2024, elections were held for the 18th Lok Sabha. The term of the 18th Lok Sabha will begin on the day its first meeting is held and will last for 5 years from that day.
– The term of the 17th Lok Sabha was supposed to end on June 16, 2024, but the President dissolved it on June 5 on the recommendation of the Cabinet.
– In fact, PM Modi took the oath of office on May 30 in 2019.
– After that, the term of the 17th Lok Sabha began on June 17, 2019. However, the Lok Sabha was dissolved 11 days earlier.
– So, the swearing-in ceremony of the new government will take place on June 8 or 9. From the day of the first meeting of the 18th Lok Sabha, its 5-year term will commence.
Why did Modi resign?
What is a caretaker PM?
– The term of the 17th Lok Sabha had 11 days remaining. However, since elections for the 18th Lok Sabha have been completed and the MPs have been elected,
– it is customary for the Prime Minister to resign after the Lok Sabha elections are over. On the recommendation of the Cabinet, the President dissolves the Lok Sabha.
– After this, the President appoints the same Prime Minister as the caretaker PM to ensure the continuity of governance in the country. However, during this period, the caretaker PM cannot make any policy decisions.
What is the process of forming a government?
– After the Lok Sabha elections, the party that gets the majority holds a meeting with its MPs to choose a leader for the PM position.
– Then, that leader meets the President and submits a letter stating that he has been elected as the leader.
– If no party gets a majority, political parties try to form a coalition. If there is a pre-existing coalition, this process becomes easier.
– After this, the leaders and MPs of the coalition sign letters of support, stating that they support this person for the PM position.
– The leader then takes these letters of support to the President and presents his claim to form the new government.
– The President then invites that person to form the new government.
There will be a Leader of the Opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha
– There are 3 conditions to be fulfilled for the Leader of the Opposition: (1) He must be a member of the Lok Sabha. (2) He must belong to the opposition party with the largest number of seats (more than 10 percent). (3) He must be recognized by the Speaker of the House.
– The leaders of the opposition in both houses (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) were given statutory recognition in 1977, and they are entitled to the salary, allowances, and other facilities equivalent to those of a cabinet minister.
– The position of the Leader of the Opposition is mentioned not in the Constitution but in parliamentary law.
– However, there are some exceptions in Indian parliamentary history where the Leader of the Opposition was appointed despite having fewer seats.
– But during the 16th and 17th Lok Sabha, the position of the Leader of the Opposition remained vacant.
– The reason was that no political party other than the ruling party had 10 percent of the seats.
– PM Modi formed the government with a large majority in both 2014 and 2019. During that time, even the Congress did not have 10 percent of the seats.
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2. In which Lok Sabha constituency NOTA got 2.18 lakh votes and created a new record?
a. Farrukhabad
b. Amethi
c. Varanasi
d. Indore
Answer: d. Indore
– In the Indore Lok Sabha seat election, NOTA made history.
– For the first time in the country, NOTA received 218,000 votes in a single seat. This is more than any previous election result.
– In the previous election in Indore, NOTA received five thousand votes.
– The previous highest record for NOTA votes was in the Gopalganj seat in Bihar, where NOTA received 51,660 votes.
What is NOTA and how effective is it?
– In 2013, under the order of the Supreme Court, the use of NOTA (None of the Above) began. If voters do not like any candidate, they can press NOTA.
– According to the Election Commission, NOTA votes will be counted, but they will be categorized as invalid. Only if 100% of the votes go to NOTA will there be a provision for re-polling; otherwise, it does not have any significant effect.
How many votes did each candidate get in Indore?
– Shankar Lalwani (BJP): 1.226 million
– NOTA: 218,000
– Sanjay (BSP): 51,659
What happened in Indore that made NOTA set a record?
– In Madhya Pradesh, Congress-INDIA was not contesting in two places – Indore and Khajuraho.
– In Khajuraho, the coalition candidate Meera Yadav’s nomination was rejected.
– In Indore, Congress candidate Akshay Bam withdrew his nomination and joined the BJP at the last moment.
– Congress chose different options for both places. In Khajuraho, they supported the Forward Bloc candidate IAS Raja Bhaiya Prajapati, while in Indore, they supported NOTA.
– Congress-INDIA campaigned for NOTA in Indore, resulting in a record 218,000 votes.
NOTA changed the way the margin of victory was calculated
– NOTA may not have changed anything politically, but it has altered the way voting analysis is done in the country.
– For the first time in the country, the Election Commission calculated the margin of victory for the winning candidate against NOTA instead of the nearest rival.
– For example, BSP candidate Sanjay Solanki received more than 50,000 votes.
– Despite this, the Election Commission, in its real-time data, showed the victory margin of BJP MP Shankar Lalwani by subtracting NOTA votes.
Note: In Surat, a candidate was elected unopposed, so NOTA was not used there.
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3. In which country was the ‘Red Flag’ multinational air military exercise held, in which the Indian Air Force participated?
a. Visakhapatnam, India
b. Alaska, USA
c. Hawaii, USA
d. Umroi, India
Answer: b. Alaska, USA
– A squadron of the Indian Air Force (IAF) participated in the ‘Red Flag’ military exercise held in Alaska, USA on May 30, 2024.
– The IAF deployed Rafale combat aircraft for this military exercise.
– This is a multinational air force exercise that will run for two weeks.
– Only those countries that are considered friendly to the United States participate in the Red Flag exercise.
– According to the United States Air Force (USAF), Red Flag-Alaska is designed to provide realistic combat training in a simulated warfare environment.
– The United States Air Force mentioned that during the military exercise, they expect to fly more than 100 aircraft with the participation of around 3,100 service members.
Note: This military exercise was first held on November 29, 1975.
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4. Indian Navy will participate in the RIMPAC 2024 naval exercise held in which country?
a. Brazil
b. China
c. Russia
d. America
Answer: d. America
RIMPAC : Rim of the Pacific
– The Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) 2024 is scheduled to take place from June 26 to August 2, 2024, in the ‘Hawaiian Islands’ of the United States.
– The Indian Navy is deploying its indigenous stealth frigate INS Shivalik for this exercise.
RIMPAC-2024
– This is a biennial exercise.
– Edition: 29th (in the year 2024)
– Dates: June 26 to August 2, 2024
– Location: Hawaiian Islands (USA)
– Objective: To build trust among naval forces of partner nations.
– Previous Edition: 28th (in the year 2022)
How many countries are participating?
– Approximately 29 countries, 40 surface vessels, 3 submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft, and over 25,000 personnel are participating.
– This is the world’s largest international maritime exercise.
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5. In which country, the ‘Ibu’ volcano erupted several times in May-June 2024, spreading thick layers of red lava and ash several kilometers up in the sky?
a. America
b. Indonesia
c. India
d. Australia
Answer: b. Indonesia
– According to The Hindu newspaper, Mount Ibu has been experiencing consecutive eruptions almost every day since May 2024.
– On June 4, 2024, there was an eruption in the ‘Ibu’ volcano, lasting for about two minutes.
– This led to red lava shooting up to 5000 meters (16,400 feet) into the sky and thick clouds of brown ash spreading.
– Muhammad Wafid, the head of Indonesia’s geological agency, stated that the explosion resulted in thick ash spreading towards the western and northwestern coasts of the volcano.
Indonesia
– Capital: Jakarta (proposed capital: Nusantara)
– Currency: Indonesian Rupiah
– Population: Approximately 280 million
Where is the volcano located?
– This volcano is situated on the island of Halmahera.
– Officials have urged people to stay at least 7 kilometers (4.4 miles) away from the volcano, which stands at 1,325 meters (4,347 feet) tall.
– Prior to this volcano, Indonesia experienced the eruption of Mount Ruang.
– Indonesia is located on the “Ring of Fire” in the Pacific Ocean, where there are approximately 127 active volcanoes.
The Ring of Fire Range in Indonesia:
– The Ring of Fire is essentially a series of hundreds of volcanoes and earthquake sites that align with the Pacific Ocean.
– It takes on a horseshoe or arc shape and spans approximately 40,250 kilometers.
– The Ring of Fire is an area where the convergence points of many tectonic plates, including the Eurasian, North American, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Caribbean, Nazca, Antarctic, Indian, Australian, and Philippine plates, can be identified, all surrounding the major Pacific plate.
– When these plates collide, earthquakes occur.
– This is where tsunamis occur and volcanoes erupt.
– This area experiences the highest concentration of geological and seismic activities.
– About 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur in this Ring of Fire.
– This region covers an area of 40,000 square kilometers.
– 75% of the world’s active volcanoes are found in this area.
– Fifteen countries, including Japan, Russia, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand, Antarctica, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, and Bolivia, are located within the Ring of Fire.
– Indonesia is located within the Ring of Fire.
What is a volcano and how does it erupt?
– Before discussing volcanic eruptions, it’s essential to understand what a volcano is.
– A volcano is an opening or rupture in the Earth’s surface from which magma, or molten rock, along with ash and gases, erupts.
– In other words, a volcano is a vent or fissure present on the Earth’s surface through which lava, ash, molten rock, and gases from the Earth’s interior are expelled.
– The Earth’s mantle (one of the three layers of the Earth) contains a weak region called the asthenosphere, in which magma exists.
– Volcanic hotspots are locations where such weak spots are found, where the Earth’s tectonic plates meet.
– There are an estimated one million volcanoes within the ocean, with the majority located near tectonic plate boundaries.
– When tectonic plates collide, temperature and pressure increase. Subsequently, magma is formed, which is molten material beneath the Earth’s surface.
– When this magma rises from beneath the Earth’s internal layers, it’s called lava.
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6. When is World Food Safety Day celebrated?
a. 5 June
b. 6 June
c. 7 June
d. 8 June
Answer: c. 7 June
Theme 2024
– Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected
– This day was declared by WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 2018.
– The objective of World Food Safety Day is to provide better health and to change food systems to prevent foodborne diseases.
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7. When is World Oceans Day celebrated?
a. 5 June
b. 6 June
c. 7 June
d. 8 June
Answer: d. 8 June
Theme 2024
– Waves of Change: Collective Actions for the Oceans
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8. When is World Brain Tumor Day celebrated?
a. 6 June
b. 7 June
c. 8 June
d. 9 June
Answer: c. 8 June
– World Brain Tumor Day was first observed on June 8, 2000, by the German Brain Tumor Association (“Deutsche Hirntumorhilfe e.V.”) to support brain tumor patients.
– It was established in the year 1998 and has 500 registered members from 14 countries.
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