Adhoc Committees of Parliament

Adhoc Committees of Parliament
Sl. No	Name of Committee	No. of Members	Tenure	Members nominated or  Elected
1	Railway Convention Committee	18( 12 LS + 6 RS)	For the duration of one Lok Sabha	Nominated by the Speaker.
2	Committee on Provision of Computers to Members of Lok Sabha	10	For the duration of one Lok Sabha	Do
3	Committee on MP Local Area Development Scheme	24	1 year	Do

Inferior Goods, Normal Goods & Luxury Goods in Economy

Inferior Good: An inferior good means an increase in income causes a fall in demand. It has a negative YED.

Normal Good: This means an increase in income causes an increase in demand. It has a positive YED. Note a normal good can be income elastic or income inelastic.

Mesic habitat

What is Mesic Habitat?

Based on water availability in habitat, we can divide the habitat into  Xeric habitat,  Mesic habitat and hydric habitat.

A Mesic habitat is well balanced with moisture. the moisture availability is not so high as in Hydric and not so less as in Xeric. Compared to a dry habitat, a mesic habitat is more moist. 

Examples of Mesic Habitats are, a temperate hardwood forest, or dry-mesic prairie. 

Convergence 

All Xeric and Hydric habitats try to attain the Mesic Habitat Vegetation or structure in nature.

Giffen Goods

What are Giffen Goods?

A giffen good is an inferior good(a good that people buy more of when their income goes down) with the unique characteristic that an increase in price actually increases the quantity of the good that is demanded.  This provides the unusual result of an upward sloping demand curve. The Giffen goods which fail with Law of Demand. Giffen goods are goods that are substitutes for a more expensive good, that people buy more of when they cannot afford a superior good.( Funny example is China  made Iphone).

SEAWEEDS

Seaweeds are (thalloid plants) macroscopic algae, which mean they have no differentiation of true tissues such as roots, stems and leaves. They have leaf-like appendages. Seaweeds, the larger and visible marine plants are found attached to rocks, corals and other submerged strata in the inter-tidal and shallow sub tidal zones of the sea. Seaweeds grow in shallow coastal waters wherever sizable substata is available. Based on the colour of their pigmentation, sea weeds are broadly classified into different classes such as

• blue-green,

• green,
• brown,
• red etc.
Functions of seaweeds

Substitute Goods

This means a good's demand is increased when the price of another good is increased. Conversely, the demand for a good is decreased when the price of another good is decreased. That is people search for cheaper alternative. These Goods are in complete Contrast with Complement Goods, Giffen Goods, Veblen Goods (What are Complement Goods, Giffen Goods &  Veblen Goods?)

Characteristics of Substitute Goods:
Born from concept of Competition.
They can serve the same purpose/use.
Provide needs in Many Ways to Consumers.

Complementary Goods in Economy

Definition: Two or more goods that satisfy the wants or needs when consumed jointly or production of one good automatically triggers the production of other good. Satisfaction is greater when both goods are consumed together. (What are Substitute Goods?)

Features of Complement Goods:

Such goods have negative cross elasticity of demand. They will have a perfectly inelastic demand.

Goods cannot function without each other.

Dependent Nature & non-interchangeable

Veblen goods

What are Veblen Goods in Economy?

Veblen goods provide the consumer greater satisfaction (or utility) as the price increases.  A veblen good is a good where demand rises as price rises. people think more expensive goods are better quality, and so people buy more. Studies suggest people do get more satisfaction from receiving expensive goods. It is possible that designer clothes or luxury cars may sometimes meet the criteria of veblen goods. This is often termed the snob effect – people equate price to quantity. They are not inferior goods.

Fine Examples

a) Luxury Cars

b) Gucci bag

c) Expensive Wines

The utility of such goods is associated with their ability to denote status. Decreasing their price decreases the quantity demanded because their status denoting utility becomes compromised.

Also Read:

• Public Goods, Merit Goods, Demerit Goods, Private Goods & Free Goods
• Indifference Curve
• 1991 Economic Reforms in Indian Economy(TM)
• Important Committees formed in relation to Indian Economy(TM)
• Repo Rate, Reverse Repo, Uses, Pricing & Types of Repo Explained
• Different Types of Banks in Indian Economic System
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) & Its Functions: Promotional & Supervisory Explained
• Neethi Aayog - Structure & Functions (TM)

Environment in Indian Constitution

Status of Environment in Indian Constituion and What are the articles in Indian constitution concerned with Environment:
The State’s responsibility with regard to environmental protection has been laid down under Article 48-A of our Constitution, which reads as follows:

“The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country”.

Environmental protection is a fundamental duty of every citizen of this country under Article 51-A(g) of our Constitution which reads as follows:

“It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures.”

Article 21 of the Constitution is a fundamental right which reads as follows:

“No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.”

Though this Article does not explicitly mention the environment, the Supreme Court and the various High Courts of the country have given a wider interpretation to the word “life” in this Article. According to the courts, the right to life includes the right to a living environment congenial to human existence.

The Supreme Court in Subhas Kumar V. State of Bihar (AIR 1991 SC 420) held that right to environment is a fundamental right of every citizen of India and is included in the “right to life” guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) is maintainable in the High Court or Supreme Court at the instance of affected persons or even by a group of social workers or journalists for prevention of pollution.

Common or Concurrent List Entries

1. Forests
2. Protection of wild animals and birds
3. Economic and social planning
4. Population control and family planning

Dhar Commision -1948 on Reorganisation of States

Dhar Commission -1948

There was a demand from different regions, mainly South India, for reorganization of  States on linguistic basis. Consequently, in June 1948, the Government of India appointed the Linguistic Provinces Commission under the chairmanship of Justice S.K.Dhar to study the feasibility of organizing states on Linguistic basis.

The Commission, rejected the linguistic basis of reorganization of States and recommended the reorganization of States on the basis of following criterias :

1. Geographical contiguity

2. Financial self-reliance

3. Administrative viability

4. Potential for development

Public Goods, Merit Goods, Demerit Goods, Private Goods & Free Goods

Public Goods – goods with characteristics of non-rivalry and non-excludability, e.g. national defence. See: Public goods

Merit Goods. Goods which people may underestimate benefits of. Also often has positive externalities, e.g. education. See: Merit goods

Demerit Goods. Goods where people may underestimate costs of consuming it. Often has negative externalities, e.g. smoking, drugs. See: Demerit goods

Private goods – goods which do have rivalry and excludability. The opposite of a public good See: Private goods

Free Goods – A good with no opportunity cost, e.g. breathing air. See: Free good

Indifference Curve

What is Indifference Curve and what are its characteristics?

Firstly, An indifference curve is a graph showing combination of two goods which give the consumer equal satisfaction and Purpose. At any point the consumer has no preference to one good, that is he is indifferent at all points. At the end the consumer gets the same net utility even he chooses different combinations. Indifference curves tend to be negatively sloped because of diminishing returns. If you gain more good X, the utility of X starts to show diminishing returns

Blizzards

Blizzards are violent snowstorm and are natural phenomenon and are violence of nature. They are characterized by strong winds, cold temperatures, and reduced visibility due to falling or blowing snow.

Tail of Cyclones  in Bay of Bengal triggers Blizzards in India and Nepal.

How is ground Blizzard different?

Sometimes strong winds only pick up dry snow that has already fallen earlier, which then is known as a ground blizzard. 

Impact of Blizzards:

1. The wind chill factor is the amount of cooling the human body feels due to the combination of wind and temperature. During blizzards, with the combination of cold temperatures and strong winds, very low wind chill values can occur. Exposure to low wind chill values can result in frostbite or hypothermia.

2. Reduced Visibility
3. They block important mountain passes.

JVP Committee -1949 on Reorganisation of States

JVP is full name of committee members. They are Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallahbhai Patel, Pattabhi Sitaramayya. It was setup in 1949

The report submitted by Dhar commission led to much resentment among the people. As a result, in the Jaipur session of 1948, Congress appointed a three member committee to consider the recommendations of Dhar Commission. This committee also rejected the linguistic factor of reorganization of the states. This committee recommended the reorganization of States on the basis of security, unity and economic prosperity of the nation.

Fazl Ali Commission -1953

Fazl Ali Commission -1953

Chairman : Fazl Ali

Members : Hridaynath Kunzru and K.M.Panikkar

After the formation of Andhra Pradesh on the basis of linguistic factor, all hell break loose. The other regions also started demanding for creation of separate states on the basis of linguistic factor. The intense pressure forced the Indian Government to form a new commission to visit the whole question of whether the linguistic basis of separation of states can be considered or not. It led to the formation of Fazl Ali Commission in December 1953.

August Offer -1940

Prior to this offer INC passed a resolution  that it will support British in War if provisional National Government is setup at Centre. In response to this British Government made August Offer.

Viceroy - Lord Linlithgow 
British Prime Minister - Winston Churchill (1940–45).
What British made August Offer?- To get Indian Cooperation in War Efforts from Germany - in fear of Nazi Occupation.
Date of Offer: 8th August 1940

Proposals of August Offer:

1. After the war a representative Indian body would be set up to frame a constitution for India.

2. Viceroy's Executive Council would be expanded without delay.
3. War Advisory Council will be setup.

4. Interest of minorities in making of Constitution will be given priority. British agreed to accept that no future constitution will be recognized by the Government without the approval and consent of the minority communities, specially Muslims. This clause was accepted by Muslim League.

Bills which require Prior Recommendation of the President

There are certain Bills which can be introduced in the Parliament only on the recommendation of the President such as:

•       A Bill to alter the boundaries of the States or to change the names of the States (Art 3).

• A Money Bill as detailed in Art 110.

• A Financial Bill (category one) involving Article 110 but containing other provisions as well.

• A Financial Bill (category two) which is an Ordinary Bill but seeking to draw from the Consolidated Fund of India can be taken up for Consideration, that is reading two in the process of passage of a Bill.

• Legislation involving Art. 31 A.

• Any legislation involving items of taxation in which the States are interested or one that seeks to redefine agricultural income etc.

• A State Bill that seeks to restrict freedom of trade

It must be said that a Bill that requires the previous sanction of the President for introduction in the Parliament cannot be questioned in the Courts for its constitutionality, if such a sanction is not obtained after it is legislated upon, and the assent of the President is obtained.

Cellular Respiration in Humans: Types, Raw Materials & End Products

I. Reaction:  C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O ——> 6CO2 + 12 H2O + energy (38 ATP and heat)

II. Aerobic Cellular Respiration occurs in three stages.
A. Glycolysis (occurs in the cytoplasm)
1. One glucose is split into two pyruvates (C3H4O3).
2. 4 ATP are produced, but 2 endergonic reactions use up 2 ATP.
3. Glycolysis requires no oxygen, and occurs whether oxygen is present or not.
4. Glycolysis occurs in all living cells.
5. Fermentation follows glycolysis in anaerobic conditions.
a. Fermentation is not part of aerobic cellular respiration.
b. Fermentation occurs in the cytoplasm.
c. The purpose of fermentation is to prevent the accumulation of pyruvate, and to prevent the depletion of the NADox pool.
d. There is more than one kind of fermentation.
B. Krebs Cycle (occurs in the matrix of the mitochondria)
1. The Krebs cycle follows glycolysis in aerobic conditions (if the cell is capable of aerobic respiration).
2. It produces one ATP per pyruvate fed into the cycle.
3. It produces 4 NADred and 1 FADred for each pyruvate.
4. The Krebs Cycle uses no oxygen, but it can’t go if the ETS isn’t going, so it’s O2 dependent.
5. This cycle runs once per pyruvate, thus twice per glucose.
6. Per glucose, the Krebs Cycle produces 6 CO2 (discarded as waste in animal cells, recaptured for photosynthesis in plant cells).
C. Electron Transport System (oxidative phosphoryllation) (occurs in the membranes of the cristae of the mitochondria)
1. The hydrogens on the reduced NAD’s and FAD’s are split into one H+ and one e- each.
2. The electrons are used to perform a series of reduction/oxidation chemical reactions which produce a lot of energy, which is used to make 34 ATP’s (probably via chemiosmotic coupling) and quite a bit of heat.
3. Electron pairs from NAD red result in the production of 3 ATP’s each; those from FADred produce only two.
4. At the end, the electrons are reunited with their H+ and joined to ½ O2 (from the air) to produce H2O.

III. 38 ATP’s are produced from the oxidation of one glucose:  4 are produced by glycolysis, but two must be used up to gain these four; 2 are produced by the two rounds of the Krebs Cycle; and 34 are produced by the electron transport system.

IV. Each of the three steps contains a series of chemical reactions, most of which are under enzyme control.

Where do the raw materials for respiration come from?
A. Glucose comes from the food you eat.  If you are a plant, you make your own glucose, which you probably store as starch.
B. Oxygen comes from the air you breathe.  If you are a plant, you produce oxygen as a waste product of photosynthesis.
C. Water is the most plentiful substance in your body.

What happens to the products of cellular respiration?
A. ATP is used by your cells as the energy source for any endergonic chemical reactions which need to occur.
B. Heat is a waste product.  If you are endothermic, it is used to heat your body.
C. Water is added back to your cell’s supply (pool).
D. CO2 is a waste product of cellular respiration.  If you are an animal, you discard it as a gas.  If you are a plant, you recapture it and use it in photosynthesis (if the lights are on).
E. HOWEVER, photosynthesis and respiration are separate processes, which occur in completely separate organelles, and plants do cellular respiration exactly the same way animals do it.

Important Standing Commitees of Parliament

Standing Committees of Parliament
Sl.	Name of Committee	No. of Members	Tenure	Members nominated or elected.
1	Estimates Committee	30	1 year	Elected by the Lok Sabha
2	Public Accounts Committee	22(15LS+7RS)	1 year	Elected by the two House(s).
3	Committee on Public Undertakings	22(15LS+7RS)	1 year	Elected by the two House(s).
4	Business Advisory Committee	15	Not fixed. Can continue in office till reconstituted.	Nominated by the Speaker, Lok Sabha
5	Committee of Privileges	15	Not fixed. Can continue in office till reconstituted.	Do
6	Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House.	15	1 year	Do
7	Committee on Empowerment of Women	30 ( 20 LS+ 10 RS)	1 year	Nominated by the Speaker, Lok Sabha and the Chairman, Rajya Sabha
8	Committee on Govt Assurances	15	1 year	Nominated by the Speaker, Lok Sabha
9	Committee on Papers Laid on the Table	15	1 year	Do
10	Committee on Petitions	15	Not fixed. Can continue in office till reconstituted.	Do
11	Committee on Private Members' Bills and Resolutions	15	1 year	Do
12	Committee on Subordinate legislation	15	1 year	Do
13	General Purposes Committee	Not fixed	Not fixed.	Membership is ex-officio.
14	House Committee	12	1 year	Nominated by the Speaker
15	Joint Committee on Offices of Profit.	15 (10 LS + 5 RS)	For the duration of one Lok Sabha	Elected by the two Houses.
16	Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of MPs.	15 ( 10 LS + 5 RS)	1 year	Nominated by the Speaker, Lok Sabha and the Chairman, Rajya Sabha.
17	Library Committee	9 (6 LS + 3 RS)	1 year	Do
18	Rules Committee	15	Not fixed. Can continue in office till reconstituted.	Nominated by the Speaker.
19	Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes	30 (20 LS + 10 RS)	1 year	Elected by the two House(s).