UPSC GK Capsule: From Arvind Kejriwal’s Arrest to Sonam Wangchuk’s Hunger Strike, Top Events of The Week – News18

From Arvind Kejriwal’s custody to the Enforcement Directorate until March 28 and PM Modi achieving Bhutan’s Top Civilian Honour Award to India’s New-Age Pushpak ‘Viman’ launch and Sonam Wangchuk’s Hunger Strike, we have curated a rundown of the most important news stories of last week to help you with UPSC exam preparation:

EC Releases Electoral Bonds Data With Numbers

The Election Commission of India disclosed the Electoral Bonds data, including party-wise purchase and redemption details as well as alpha-numeric bond numbers to match donors with political parties. Two separate lists of the donors and the recipients were released by the poll panel on its website after the details were submitted to it by the State Bank of India earlier in the day as per a Supreme Court directive. The Election Commission said it has uploaded the data on electoral bonds on its website, as received from SBI, on an “as is where is basis.”

Arvind Kejriwal Sent to ED Custody Till March 28

The Rouse Avenue Court, Delhi, has remanded Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate until March 28. The verdict came after a hearing during which the ED claimed that it had concrete evidence to prove that Delhi’s excise policy was altered by the Arvind Kejriwal-led government to fund the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) 2022 Goa assembly election campaign. Notably, CM Kejriwal was produced before the court by the ED, hours after he withdrew his plea before the Supreme Court against his arrest.

India’s New-Age Pushpak ‘Viman’ Launched Successfully

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s ‘Pushpak’, an SUV-sized winged rocket, successfully landed with precision on the runway of the Aeronautical Test Range in Karnataka’s Challakere. This achievement marked a major milestone in the country’s attempt to enter the RLV (reusable launch vehicle). The winged vehicle, Pushpak, was lifted by an Indian Air Force helicopter, Chinook, and was released from an altitude of 4.5 km. After release at a distance of 4 km from the runway, Pushpak “autonomously approached the runway along with cross-range corrections,” ISRO said in a statement. Moreover, the second of the series, the RLV LEX-02 landing experiment, was conducted at 7:10 AM on Friday.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk’s Hunger Strike Enters Day 15: Here’s All You Need To Know

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike in Leh for the past two weeks, revealed plans for a forthcoming border march to shed light on the “ground reality” of Ladakh to the outside world. The reformist is advocating for the granting of statehood and constitutional rights under the sixth schedule for the union territory of Ladakh. Wangchuk’s protest focused on four key demands, including the statehood and implementation of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in Ladakh. This schedule offers protections for land and nominal autonomy for the country’s tribal areas. Following the removal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status in 2019, Ladakh was designated as a union territory by the Centre.

Furthermore, Wangchuk’s second demand is for separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts, a distinct step-wise recruitment process, and an independent Public Service Commission for Ladakh. He said that Ladakh also deserves a full-fledged democratic government, just like J&K will have after the assembly elections.

PM Modi Receives Bhutan’s Top Civilian Honour

Prime Minister Narendra Modi scripted history by becoming the first foreign Head of Government to be bestowed with Bhutan’s highest civilian honour. He was conferred the ‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo’ Award by Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, during his state visit to the country. Since its establishment, the award has been conferred upon only four eminent personalities, namely, Je Thrizur Tenzin Dendup (the 68th Je Khenpo of Bhutan) in 2008, Royal Queen Grandmother Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck in 2008, and Je Khenpo Trulku Ngawang Jigme Choedra in 2018.