Prelims-Pinpointer-for-25-NOV-2025

Prelims Oriented

Pro-tem Speaker

Context: Narendra Narayan Yadav, elected eighth consecutive term, took oath as pro tem Speaker of Bihar Assembly, administered by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan.

Pro-tem Speaker

• Pro-tem is a Latin term meaning “for the time being.”
• The Pro-tem Speaker is a temporary presiding officer appointed for a short period.
• This arrangement operates until the newly elected House elects its Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
• The Constitution does not explicitly mention the term Pro-tem Speaker.
• The office automatically ceases once the regular Speaker is elected.

Need for a Pro-tem Speaker

• Required when a new Lok Sabha or State Assembly is constituted.
• Ensures the House can function before the formal election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
• Facilitates oath administration and initial proceedings immediately after elections.

Appointment Process

• Appointed by:
  • President of India (for Lok Sabha)
  • Governor (for State Legislative Assemblies)
• The President/Governor also administers the oath to the Pro-tem Speaker.
• By convention, the senior-most member of the House is selected, usually with informal consensus among key political actors.

Functions & Duties

• Presides over the first sitting of the new Lok Sabha or State Assembly.
• Administers the oath to all newly elected MPs/MLAs.
• Conducts the election for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House.
• May preside over a floor test to determine majority support when required.
• Ensures basic House procedures operate smoothly until regular leadership is in place.

End of Tenure

• The role ends immediately after the elected Speaker assumes office.
• The Pro-tem Speaker then reverts to functioning as an ordinary member of the House.

Chief Justice of India (CJI)

Context: Justice Surya Kant took oath as 53rd Chief Justice of India, administered by President Droupadi Murmu, with tenure till February 2, 2027.

Key Provisions Related to the CJI

• Appointment of the CJI

• • Under Article 124(2), Supreme Court judges are appointed by the President of India.
  • By long-standing convention, the senior-most Supreme Court judge is appointed as the CJI.
  • Seniority is determined by length of service in the Supreme Court, not age or overall judicial career.

• Qualifications for Appointment (Article 124)

• • • A person must:
      • Be a citizen of India.
      • Have served as a High Court judge for at least five years; or
      • Have been a High Court advocate for at least ten years; or
      • Be considered a distinguished jurist by the President.

• Powers and Functions of the CJI

• Master of the Roster

• • • • CJI decides the allocation of cases, formation of benches, and scheduling of hearings in the Supreme Court.

• Role in Judicial Appointments

• • • • CJI, along with the four senior-most judges (the Supreme Court collegium), is consulted by the President for appointments to the SC and High Courts.

• Appointment of Ad-hoc Judges

• • • • Under Article 127, the CJI can appoint ad-hoc Supreme Court judges to meet temporary shortages.

• Change of Seat of Supreme Court

• • • • With Presidential approval, the CJI may shift the seat of the Supreme Court from Delhi to any other location.

• Removal of the CJI

• • The CJI can be removed only through impeachment, identical to the process for SC judges.
  • Requires a special majority in both Houses:
    • Majority of total membership, and
    • Two-thirds of members present and voting.
  • Removal is executed by the President after Parliament submits the address.

Appointment of Chief Justice in Other Countries

• United States

• • The Chief Justice of the United States is appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate.
  • Holds life tenure, removable only through impeachment.

• United Kingdom

• • The Lord Chief Justice is appointed through an independent Judicial Appointments Commission.
  • Selection is made from senior judges of the Court of Appeal or Supreme Court.
  • Tenure lasts up to a mandatory retirement age of 75.

INS Mahe

Overview

• INS Mahe is the first vessel in the series of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) being built for the Indian Navy.
• It is indigenously designed and constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
• The ship is built for coastal defence, submarine detection, and littoral warfare tasks.

Operational Roles

• Designed for underwater surveillance in shallow seas.
• Capable of search and rescue (SAR) operations.
• Suitable for Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO) in coastal zones.
• Can undertake mine-laying during tactical missions.

Key Features

• Indigenisation

• Over 90% indigenous components, reflecting strong domestic manufacturing capability.

• Dimensions & Propulsion

• Length: 78 metres.

• India’s largest naval warship powered by a diesel engine–waterjet propulsion system.

• The propulsion technology enhances manoeuvrability and ensures low acoustic signature, essential for ASW missions.

• Operational Advantages

• Compact yet highly agile design optimised for shallow-water manoeuvres.

• Performs effectively in areas where frigates and destroyers face movement restrictions.

• Equipped with:

• One RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launcher.
• Two sets of lightweight torpedo-tube launchers for anti-submarine torpedoes.

GAVI – The Vaccine Alliance

Overview

• GAVI is an independent global public–private partnership established in 2000.
• Its primary mission is to expand access to new and underused vaccines for children in the world’s poorest countries.
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

Institutional Structure

• GAVI unites developing countries, donor governments, WHO, UNICEF, World Bank, and the vaccine industry.
• It also includes research bodies, civil society organisations, and private philanthropists.
• Functions as a platform combining technical expertise with private-sector efficiency to strengthen global immunisation.

Core Functions

• Provides financial assistance to low- and middle-income countries for vaccine procurement.
• Offers technical support for immunisation systems and vaccine delivery.
• Undertakes market-shaping initiatives, such as negotiating with manufacturers to reduce vaccine prices.
• Works to ensure equitable, affordable, and sustainable access to essential vaccines.

Impact

• Since 2000, GAVI has helped vaccinate over 1.1 billion children worldwide.
• Estimated 18.8 million lives saved up to 2023 through improved immunisation.
• Has played a major role in reducing vaccine-preventable child mortality in poor countries.

Role in the COVID-19 Response

• GAVI was a founding partner of COVAX, created in 2020 to enable equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines.
• COVAX coordinated development, procurement, and distribution of vaccines to participating countries.
• The COVAX programme concluded in 2023.

Headline Inflation vs Core Inflation

Headline Inflation

• Definition: Headline inflation represents the overall inflation rate for the entire consumption basket used by households.
• Measurement in India: It is measured mainly using the Consumer Price Index (CPI-Combined). Earlier, the WPI was used more frequently for headline estimates.
• Volatile Components: It includes all items, especially food and energy, which are highly sensitive to supply shocks.
• Sources of Volatility: Prices fluctuate due to climatic disruptions, global oil price changes, geopolitical tensions, and other short-term shocks.
• Significance: It mirrors the actual cost of living and shapes the public’s inflation perception. It also prompts short-term government interventions to stabilise prices.

Core Inflation

• Definition: Core inflation captures the underlying, persistent inflation trend by removing food and fuel from the headline basket.
• Measurement: There is no standalone index; core inflation is computed by excluding food and fuel from CPI or WPI data.
• Components: Covers non-volatile categories such as housing, education, healthcare, clothing, and transport services (excluding fuel).
• Stability: It remains relatively stable, reflecting demand-side pressures rather than temporary supply shocks.
• Importance: Central banks, including the RBI, rely on core inflation for long-term monetary policy, particularly in deciding interest rates.

Bharat NCAP 2.0

Context

• The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) released the draft Bharat NCAP 2.0, expanding India’s crash-safety rating framework with new testing categories and tougher safety parameters.

What is Bharat NCAP 2.0?

• It is a revised vehicle safety rating system assessing crashworthiness and safety technologies of vehicles sold in India.
• Updates the 2023 Bharat NCAP guidelines with additional tests and stricter assessment criteria.
• Launched by: MoRTH.
• Testing authority: Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT), Pune.

Objectives

• Align India’s vehicle safety ecosystem with global crash-safety standards.
• Improve protection for vehicle occupants, pedestrians, and other vulnerable road users.
• Motivate manufacturers to adopt advanced safety technologies.

Key Features of Bharat NCAP 2.0

• Five Assessment Verticals

• • Safe Driving
  • Accident Avoidance
  • Crash Protection
  • Vulnerable Road User Protection (new)
  • Post-Crash Safety (new)

• Expanded Crash Test Regime

• • Frontal impact
  • Side impact
  • Oblique pole test
  • Full-width frontal impact test (new)
  • Rear impact test (new)

• Injury Evaluation
  • Uses advanced test dummies (ATDs) to assess injury risks across crash scenarios.
• Vulnerable Road User Safety
  • Pedestrian legform and head-impact tests for adults and children.
  • Optional scoring for autonomous braking during pedestrian or motorcyclist detection.
• Accident-Avoidance Technology
  • Electronic Stability Control (ESC) mandatory.
  • Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEBS) yields additional points.
• Post-Crash Safety
  • Assesses fire/electrical safety, ease of door opening, and seat-belt buckle accessibility.
• New Star Ratings
  • Higher scoring thresholds.
  • No 5-star rating if any category scores zero or indicates severe injury risk.

Significance

• Moves India closer to global NCAP protocols.
• Enhances safety for pedestrians, who account for over 20% of road fatalities.
• Supports India’s goal of reducing road-accident deaths by 50% by 2030.

Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano eruption

Context: India bracing for air travel disruption as Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano eruption sends volcanic ash clouds towards mainland India via Rajasthan, threatening aircraft engine safety nationwide.

Ethiopia

• Location and Geography

• Ethiopia is a landlocked nation situated in the Horn of Africa.

• Official name: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

• The country lies entirely within tropical latitudes, giving it a warm geographic profile.

• Ethiopia has a compact shape, with comparable north–south and east–west dimensions.

• Borders

• It shares borders with Sudan in the southeast and Eritrea to the south.

• Djibouti and Somalia lie to its west, while Kenya borders it to the north.

• South Sudan lies to the east, completing the surrounding nations.

Size and Population

• Ethiopia is the tenth-largest African country in terms of land area.
• It holds the status of being the world’s most populous landlocked country.
• Its demographic weight contributes to its political and economic importance within Africa.