{"id":159770,"date":"2025-03-22T19:12:12","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T13:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&p=159770"},"modified":"2025-03-22T19:12:12","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T13:42:12","slug":"news-in-shorts-22-march-2025","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/news-in-shorts-22-march-2025","title":{"rendered":"News in Shorts: 22 March 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Autonomous Surface Vessels<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Context: <\/b>Liquid Robotics, a Boeing company, and Sagar Defence Engineering, an Indian startup, have<\/span> signed an MoU to co-develop and co-produce Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASVs), specifically the Wave Glider platform.<\/b><\/p>\n

This is a key area of cooperation for both<\/span> countries (India- US) in the Indo-Pacific region.<\/b><\/p>\n

About Autonomous surface vessels<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • ASVs are <\/span>robotic vehicles<\/b> that operate on the sea surface to collect data related to oceanography.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Types of Propulsion: <\/b>These vehicles are powered either <\/span>by waves or by propellers.<\/b><\/li>\n
  • These vessels rely on advanced technologies such as <\/span>artificial intelligence (AI), sensors, radar, GPS, and communication systems <\/b>to navigate, perform tasks, and adapt to their environment.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Features of ASVs<\/b>\n
      \n
    • Larger Size: <\/b>ASVs are bigger than Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), allowing them to carry more equipment and batteries.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • <\/b>Renewable Energy Use: <\/b>Since ASVs stay on the water’s surface, they can harness solar or wind energy to power themselves.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \u00a0<\/p>\n

      Demands for Grants<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

      Context: <\/b>The Lok Sabha has <\/span>approved the Demands for Grants of various Ministries for 2025-26<\/b> to the tune of<\/span> more than \u20b950 lakh crore<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • The Demands for Grants was <\/span>passed by the house by applying the guillotine motion.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        About Demand for Grants<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
          \n
        • Demand for Grants is a <\/span>part of the annual budgetary process <\/b>and is<\/span> presented to the Lok Sabha.<\/b><\/li>\n
        • It is a<\/span> formal request for funds made by various ministries or departments <\/b>of the government\u00a0 to the Lok Sabha<\/span>, outlining the estimated expenditure<\/b>s for the upcoming financial year<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Examples:\u00a0<\/b>\n
            \n
          • Revenue Expenditure: S<\/b>alaries, wages, travel expenses, office expenses, professional and special services, rent, rates and taxes, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Grants-in-aid to various institutions, <\/b>organizations, and schemes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Capital Expenditure: <\/b>Specific schemes and programs of the government.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • Constitutional Basis:<\/b> They are submitted in <\/span>pursuance of Article 113 of the Constitution (<\/b>It deals with the <\/span>presentation of the annual financial statement<\/b> and the estimates of expenditure from the Consolidated Fund)<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Objective: To <\/b>ensure<\/span> legislative oversight over executive spending,<\/b> embodying the principle of “no taxation or expenditure without representation<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Parliamentary Process:<\/b>\n
              \n
            • Budget Presentation: <\/b>The government<\/span> presents the budget, including Demands for Grants, to the Lok Sabha<\/b><\/li>\n
            • Departmental Demands:<\/b> Each ministry or department of the governmen<\/span>t prepares a detailed estimate of its expenses for the next fiscal year<\/b> which are <\/span>compiled into individual demands for grants<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
            • Role of Departmental Standing Committees: <\/b>Departmental standing committees<\/span> examine the Demands for Grants and scrutinize<\/b> the expenditure of ministries.<\/span><\/li>\n
            • Cut Motions: <\/b>MPs during discussions <\/span>can propose cut motions, which are formal objections<\/b> to a demand allowing MPs to express their disagreement with certain aspects of it.<\/span>\n
                \n
              • Types of Cut Motions: Disapproval of Policy Cut, Economy Cut, and Token Cut<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
              • Voting:<\/b> The Lok Sabha<\/span> takes up the voting of Demands for Grants <\/b>as it has the <\/span>power to assent, reduce, or reject a demand.<\/b>\n
                  \n
                • The <\/span>voting of demands for grants is the exclusive privilege of the Lok Sabha.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  About Guillotine Motion<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
                    \n
                  • In legislative parlance, <\/span>to \u201cguillotine\u201d means to bunch together and fast-track the passage of financial business b<\/b>y putting to vote all the outstanding demands for grants at once.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
                  • This usually <\/span>happens on the last day earmarked for the discussion on the Budget.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
                  • Purpose: <\/b>The intention is to<\/span> ensure timely passage of the Finance Bill, <\/b>marking the completion of the legislative exercise with regard to the Budget.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    \u00a0<\/p>\n

                    Senior Citizens Commission<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

                    Context: <\/b>Kerala has become <\/span>the first state<\/b> in India to pass a law to establish<\/span> a Senior Citizens Commission.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

                    About Senior Citizens Commission<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
                      \n
                    • It is a\u00a0 statutory body established under the Kerala State Senior Citizens Commission Act, 2025.<\/span><\/li>\n
                    • Purpose:<\/b>\n
                        \n
                      • Safeguard the rights and dignity of senior citizens.<\/span><\/li>\n
                      • Provide welfare measures for the elderly population.<\/span><\/li>\n
                      • Address issues like neglect, exploitation, and loneliness.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                      • Functions:<\/b>\n
                          \n
                        • Offer a platform for senior citizens to raise concerns.<\/span><\/li>\n
                        • Develop and implement policies focused on elderly welfare.<\/span><\/li>\n
                        • Promote rehabilitation programs and social inclusion of senior citizens.<\/span><\/li>\n
                        • Advocate for skill utilization of senior citizens for societal development.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                          \u00a0<\/p>\n

                          ADMM-Plus EWG on Counter-Terrorism Meeting<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

                          Context: <\/b>At the <\/span>14th meeting<\/b> of the <\/span>Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers\u2019 Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts\u2019 Working Group on Counter-Terrorism (EWG on CT<\/b>), India and Malaysia announced plans for a<\/span> table-top exercise <\/b>in <\/span>Malaysia <\/b>in 2026 and a<\/span> field training exercise <\/b>in <\/span>India in 2027.<\/b><\/p>\n

                          About ASEAN ADMM-Plus<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n