Prelims Mantra – (06/11/2025)

Indian Polity

Contempt of court:

• • The phrase ‘contempt of court’ is used in Article 19(2) as one of the grounds for imposing reasonable restriction on fundamental freedoms.
  • Constitution does not give guidelines on how to initiate such proceedings.
  • Supreme Court and High Court have been designated as courts of record under Article 129 and 215 A court of record is one whose decisions are kept in reserve for future references and inherently it also has the power to punish for its contempt. This implicit constitutional provision is explained in the Contempt of Court Act, 1971.

(TH)

National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC):

• • Established: 1963 under the NCDC Act, 1962.
  • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Cooperation.
  • Objective: To plan, promote and finance programmes for production, processing, marketing, storage, export, and import of agricultural and other commodities through cooperatives.
  • Provides financial assistance to cooperatives in sectors like agriculture, dairy, fisheries, handlooms, livestock, etc.
  • Functions as a development finance institution (DFI) for cooperatives, offers loans, subsidies, and project assistance.
  • Yuva Sahakar Scheme (2018): Supports start-ups and innovative ventures in the cooperative sector.
  • Plays a key role in implementing the ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi’ vision under the Ministry of Cooperation.
  • Headquarters: New Delhi.

(TH)

International Developments

New York gets its first Mayor-elect of South Asian origin:

• • Zohran Mamdani (34-year-old) on Tuesday made history by becoming New York City’s first Muslim and South Asian-origin Mayor-elect, and its youngest since 1917.

(TH)

Geography, Mapping, Ecology & Environment

Pokrovsk and Kupiansk:

• • Context: Russia’s military says it now controls more than 19% of Ukraine.
  • Pokrovsk (Donetsk Oblast):
    • Strategic transport and coal-mining hub in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
    • Currently witnessing intense Russian offensive; situation termed as the “final phase” of the battle.
    • Ukrainian special forces deployed to defend, city heavily damaged, large civilian evacuation.
    • Capture by Russia would strengthen control over Donbas and cut Ukrainian logistics.
    • Symbolic of urban warfare and humanitarian crisis in the ongoing conflict.

• • Kupiansk (Kharkiv Oblast):
    • Key rail and logistics hub near the Oskil River; retaken by Ukraine in 2022.
    • Facing renewed Russian attacks and mass evacuations in late 2025.
    • City infrastructure destroyed, no gas or electricity, major humanitarian distress.
    • Strategic for controlling supply lines toward Kharkiv and the northeastern front.

• • • Highlights strategic geography and logistics in warfare.
    • Reflects attrition and drone-based modern warfare.
    • Raises issues of civilian displacement and infrastructure collapse.
    • Shows evolving Russia–Ukraine frontlines in Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.

(TH)

North Kordofan:

• • Context: A funeral attack in El-Obeid, North Kordofan, killed 40 people, the UN said on Wednesday, as Sudan’s conflict deepens.
  • Strategically located central Sudanese state, capital at El Obeid; area ~ 185,302 km², population ~3 million (2018 est).
  • Acts as logistics corridor: major roads link Khartoum to Darfur and western Sudan via North Kordofan, making it vital in the ongoing Rapid Support Forces (RSF) vs Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) conflict.
  • Significant humanitarian & development challenges: large rural/nomadic population, arid/semi-arid climate, low agricultural yields, high number of children out of school, severe malnutrition.
  • Recently a hotspot in Sudan’s civil-war escalation (since April 2023): multiple village massacres, displacement of households, shelling of civilian areas.
  • Because of its strategic importance and humanitarian crisis, North Kordofan exemplifies the intersections of geography, conflict, state fragility and humanitarian risk in Sudan.

(TH)

Miscellaneous

QS World University Rankings: Asia 2026:

• • China has overtaken India.
  • While India added 132 universities and institutes to the list this year, taking its tally to a record high of 294, China added 259 institutions, bringing its total to 394.
  • In the last two editions, India had the highest number of universities and institutes in the rankings, ahead of China.
  • Seven Indian institutions feature in the top 100, with the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, ranked highest at 59, followed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and the IITs in Madras, Bombay, Kharagpur, and Kanpur, along with the University of Delhi.
  • China, meanwhile, has 25 universities in the top 100.
  • IIT-Delhi slipped from 44 in the 2025 rankings to 59 this year.
  • The top 10 positions in the 2026 rankings were dominated by universities from Hong Kong, Singapore, and China.

(TH)

PRACTICE MCQ’S

Q1. With reference to the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), consider the following statements:

1. The NCDC was established in 1975 under the Companies Act, 1956 to promote private agribusiness ventures.

2. It functions under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: D

Explanation:

• • NCDC was established in 1963 under the NCDC Act, 1962, not under the Companies Act.
  • It functions under the Ministry of Cooperation, not the Ministry of Agriculture.

Q2. With reference to recent global conflicts, consider the following pairs:

In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?

a) Only one

b) Only two

c) All three

d) None

Answer: C

Explanation:

1, 2 and 3 only are correct.

• • Rafah is in Gaza (Palestine), not Yemen — hence pair 4 is incorrect.
  • Pokrovsk and Kupiansk are conflict zones in eastern Ukraine.
  • North Kordofan is witnessing heavy clashes between SAF and RSF in Sudan.

Q3. Which of the following correctly describes the term “Contempt of Court” as per Indian law?

a) It refers to any criticism of judicial decisions made by the media.

b) It means any act that lowers the authority of the court or obstructs the administration of justice.

c) It applies only to subordinate courts and not to the Supreme Court.

d) It is governed under Article 32 of the Constitution of India.

Answer: B

Explanation:

• • Defined under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
  • It includes civil contempt (willful disobedience of court orders) and criminal contempt (acts that scandalize or obstruct justice).
  • The power is derived from Article 129 (Supreme Court) and Article 215 (High Courts) of the Constitution.

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