Insta– QUED ( Questions from Editorials. ) 2 August 2021 – INSIGHTSIAS

Solution: a)

Solid Waste Management Rules (SWM), 2016 rules are applicable beyond municipal areas and have included urban agglomerations, census towns, notified industrial townships, areas under the control of Indian Railways, airports, special economic zones, places of pilgrimage, religious and historical importance, and State and Central Government organisations in their ambit.

North East India is the land of rising sun and has an abundance of fresh water sources. Yet, none of these places have any waste management system or a waste water treatment plant. The waste accumulates in rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands. The situation is conspicuous in almost in all cities and towns in the North East, except in a few villages such as Mawlynnong and Rangsapara.

This has led to serious public health concerns. At least 85 per cent of the waste in the North East is unceremoniously dumped, without processing and treatment in the Ganga, Yamuna and Brahmaputra.

The waste is burned in environmentally sensitive areas including river banks, wetlands, forests and water bodies.

Several dumpsites in India’s north-eastern states are located at wetlands or river banks.

Source

Solution: c)

Members of ASEAN are Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore and Brunei. Observers are East Timor and Papua New Guinea.

Solution: b)

Article 355 imposes two duties on the Centre: (a) to protect every state against external aggression and internal disturbance; and (b) to ensure that the government of every state is carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

It is this duty in the performance of which the Centre takes over the government of a state under Article 356 in case of failure of constitutional machinery in state.

Solution: a)

India had signed an FTA in goods with the regional bloc in 2009, known as the Asean–India Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA). In 2014, an FTA in services was also included.

Since the early 2000s, India has had an increasing trade deficit with ASEAN, with imports exceeding exports.

Solution: d)

The presidential proclamation imposing President’s Rule is subject to judicial review. The satisfaction of the President must be based on relevant material. The action of the president can be struck down by the court if it is based on irrelevant or extraneous grounds or if it was found to be malafide or perverse.

Secularism is one of the ‘basic features’ of the Constitution. Hence, a state government pursuing anti-secular politics is liable to action under Article 356.