DAILY PRELIMS CA — 24 SEPTEMBER

Context: Supreme Court delivered a split verdict on referring petitions challenging this Act to a five-judge Constitution Bench.
Constitutional Basis: Implements Article 324(2) | Replaces the executive-led appointment process used for over seven decades.
Repeal: Repeals the Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991.
Search Committee: Chaired by the Union Minister of Law and Justice + includes two members not below the rank of Government Secretary.
Selection Committee: Prime Minister as Chairperson + a nominated Union Cabinet Minister + Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha.
Eligibility: Candidates must hold or have held a rank equivalent to Secretary to the Government of India.
Tenure: Six years or up to 65 years of age, whichever is earlier.
Reappointment: Reappointment to the Election Commission of India is strictly barred.
Salary and Service: Equated with the salary, allowances, and service conditions of a Supreme Court Judge.
Legal Immunity: Protects Commissioners from civil or criminal proceedings for actions taken in official discharge of duty.
PYQ Link: Election Commission structure, terms, and appointment authority (2017).

Context: Department of Revenue extended anti-dumping duty on Decor Paper from China until March 2027.
Definition: Protectionist tariff on imports priced below domestic market value | Neutralizes distortive injury to domestic industry.
Global Basis: Article VI of GATT 1994 + WTO Anti-Dumping Agreement.
Domestic Law: Section 9A of Customs Tariff Act 1975 | Customs Tariff Rules 1995.
Investigation: Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) under Ministry of Commerce and Industry conducts quasi-judicial probe.
Levying Authority: Recommended by DGTR + formally notified and imposed by Department of Revenue under Ministry of Finance.
Duty Calculation: India follows Lesser Duty Rule | Levies lower of Dumping Margin or Injury Margin.
Tenure: Imposed for five years | Extendable through Sunset Review by DGTR.
Distinction: ADD counters private predatory pricing | Countervailing Duty (CVD) targets foreign government subsidies.
PYQ Link: Prelims 2021 (DGTR administration and anti-dumping duty framework).

Context: India reaffirmed its commitment to eliminate Hepatitis B and C as public health threats by 2030.
Target Goal: SDG 3.3 | Eliminating viral hepatitis as a global public health threat.
Nodal Program: National Viral Hepatitis Control Program (NVHCP) | Launched in 2018 under National Health Mission.
Hepatitis B Pathogen: Double-stranded DNA virus | Belongs to Hepadnaviridae family.
Hepatitis B Transmission: Spreads via bodily fluids, mother-to-child, and unsafe injections | Highly infectious.
Hepatitis B Feature: Forms persistent cccDNA in liver nuclei + integrates directly into host genome.
Hepatitis C Pathogen: Positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus | Belongs to Flaviviridae family.
Hepatitis C Transmission: Spreads mainly through infected blood | Sexual and perinatal transmission are less common.
Vaccine Status: Preventive vaccine available for Hepatitis B | No vaccine exists for Hepatitis C.
PYQ Link: Comparison of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C transmission, chronic progression, and vaccine availability (2019).

Context: The US, Denmark, and Greenland signed a trilateral security agreement to update their 1951 defense pact.
Signatories: United States | Kingdom of Denmark + Government of Greenland.
Objective: Secure the North American northern frontier | Deny adversarial military footholds in the Arctic-Atlantic region.
Pituffik Space Base: Existing US military base in Greenland | Proposed expansion includes installations at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig.
GIUK Gap: Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom Gap | Vital maritime transit corridor for submarine surveillance.
Sovereignty: Reaffirms Danish territorial sovereignty | Retains defense framework even if Greenland gains independence.
Golden Dome: Planned US missile defense shield | Greenland to integrate into early-warning ballistic missile systems.

Context: Kerala Forest Department raised concerns over destruction of Neelakurinji blooms in Munnar.
Species: Strobilanthes kunthiana is a purplish-blue shrub | Genus Strobilanthes comprises over 160 species in India.
Family: Belongs to Acanthaceae family | Leaves contain mineral deposits called cystoliths.
Habitat: Exclusively adapted to montane Shola-grassland ecosystems | Found at elevations of 1,000 to 2,500 metres.
Distribution: Western Ghats of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka | Over 72 species are endemic to the Western Ghats.
Cycle: Exhibits plietesial lifecycle with synchronous mass flowering every 12 years + dies after seeding.
Sanctuary: Kurinji mala Sanctuary in Kerala protects its natural habitat.
Honey: Attracted bees produce Kurinjithen, a dark honey valued for medicinal properties.
Protection: Protected under Schedule III of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Context: Himachal Pradesh authorities ordered site inspections after sudden, large-scale water discharge from PHEP-II in Kullu.
Type: Designed as a run-of-the-river power generation scheme with pondage.
Capacity: Installed capacity of 800 MW.
Developer: Constructed and operated by NHPC.
Location: Situated in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh | Headworks situated near Pulga village.
River Basin: Harnesses glacial Parbati River, a major left-bank tributary of the Beas River.
Inflows: Utilizes Tosh, Panch, Manihar, and Huria Nallahs + diverts water into Sainj River basin.

PRELIM CA 24 SEPT 2026