modern history janjatiya gaurav divas
TRANSCRIPT
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Time: 45 min Date: 11-11-2021
Modern History
Janjatiya Gaurav Divas
Syllabus: GS1/Modern History, Important Personalities
In News
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister has approved the declaration of
15th November as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.
o On November 15, the State of Jharkhand celebrates its foundation day. The state was carved out of Bihar in 2000 on the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda.
About
The date was chosen as it was the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, was an Indian freedom fighter, religious leader and folk hero from the Munda Tribe of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau area.
Also, in the remembrance of other brave tribal freedom fighters who sacrifices their lives for the country.
Tribal heroes:
o India’s freedom struggle was strengthened by several movements by tribal
communities such as Santhals, Tamars, Kols, Bhils, Khasis and Mizos to name a few.
Tribal freedom fighter museum:
o In his Independence Day speech in 2016, PM announced the setting up of 10 such tribal museums in the country.
o A tribal freedom fighter museum at Ranchi would be inaugurated by the Prime Minister.
Who was Birsa Munda?
Early Life:
o He was an Indian freedom fighter, religious leader and folk hero from the Munda Tribe of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau area.
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o Born on 15th November 1875 in Ulihatu of the erstwhile Bengal Presidency which is now in the Khunti district of Jharkhand.
o He learned about Hindu religious teachings from a Vaishnav monk and studied ancient scriptures along with the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Founder of New religion Birsait:
o It believed in One God and encouraged them to revert to their original religious beliefs.
o People of the Munda and Oraon community joined the sect and posed a challenge to British conversion activities of tribals.
o Through the religion, Munda preached a strong Anti – British sentiment and mobilised thousands of tribal folk to form guerrilla armies to attack the Raj.
o He was referred to as ‘Dharti Abba or Father of Earth’ by his followers.
In March 1900, while fighting the British alongside his guerilla army, Munda was arrested in Jamkopai forest in Chakradharpur. A few months later, on 9 June, he passed away while in custody.
Munda Rebellion
It was the tribal movement led by Munda against the oppressions of the British Raj.
The movement was referred to as 'Ulgulan' or the 'Great Tumult' and aimed to establish Munda raj.
Munda used traditional symbols and language to rouse people and urged them to destroy the dikus.
o Dikus was the name given to the outsiders like the British, moneylenders and traders and it was believed that the dikus were responsible for all the miseries.
Birsa and his rebellions started to attack the symbols of the outsiders like police stations and churches and raided the property of moneylenders and zamindars.
Birsa Munda was arrested by the British in March 1900 while he was sleeping with his tribal guerilla army at Jamkopai forest in Chakradharpur (Jharkhand).
Birsa died of cholera in jail at the age of 25 and with his death, the Munda rebellion movement faded out.
Outcomes of the Rebellion:
After his death, the British government introduced the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act in 1908, which prohibited the transfer of tribal land to non-tribals(Dikus).
British learned the lesson not to interfere with the faith and beliefs of the tribals in India and after that, they kept a lenient attitude towards the tribals of India.
Source: TH
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Modern History
Who was Onake Obavva?
Syllabus: GS 1/ Modern History
In News
Onake Obavva died fighting the troops of Hyder Ali when he invaded the Chitradurga Fort, which was ruled by Madakari Nayaka in the 18th century.
‘Onake Obavva Jayanti’
From 2021, the Karnataka government has decided to celebrate ‘Onake Obavva
Jayanti’ on November 11 throughout the state.
A state-sponsored celebration of the birth anniversary of Onake Obavva.
o A woman warrior who fought the forces of Hyder Ali single-handedly with a pestle (‘onake’ in Kannada) in Chitradurga in the 18th century.
About Onake Obavva
Obavva is considered to be the epitome of Kannada pride.
She was the wife of soldier Kahale Mudda Hanuma, who was the guard of the fort.
She died fighting the troops of Hyder Ali who was a ruler of the Mysore Kingdom and father of Tipu Sultan.
o Chitradurga Fort, locally known as Elusuttina Kote, (the fort of seven
circles in Kannada), situated 200 km northwest of Bengaluru.
She is celebrated along with other women warriors of Karnataka state like
o Abbakka Rani
First Tuluva Queen of Ullal in coastal Karnataka who fought the Portuguese,
o Keladi Chennamma
The queen of the Keladi Kingdom who is known for fighting against Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
o Kittur Chennamma
Queen of Kittur is known for the 1824 revolt against the British East India Company.
The folklore
One day, Obavva, while fetching water, heard the muffled sounds of Hyder Ali’s soldiers trying to enter the fort through a small hole
o That was just big enough for one person at a time to crawl through.
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She heard the soldiers talking among themselves and rushed back home to tell her husband.
o But since he was having lunch, she decided to fight them alone.
Obbava took an ‘onake’ or pestle (a wooden long club meant for pounding paddy grains) from her house and hid silently next to the stone hole.
She killed each soldier as his head appeared through the opening and dragged his body inside the wall.
By the time her husband and others came to her aid, many of Hyder Ali’s soldiers were already dead.
Obbava killed by Hyder Ali’s soldiers
o After Obbava’s attack her husband went up to the fort and blew his horn to alert the army about the invaders.
o Madakari Nayaka’s soldiers rushed and killed everyone in Hyder Ali’s small troop.
o But while directing the army towards the enemy, Obbava missed to spot the last invader who entered the fort and he killed her.
Obavva’s legacy in Karnataka
Onake Obavva’s courage and quick thinking have been praised by many.
A stadium is named after her in the Chitradurga fort .
Her sculpture is installed by the government near the district commissioner’s office in Chitradurga.
The hole through which Hyder Ali’s soldiers entered is called ‘Onake Obavvana
Kindi’ (kindi means hole in Kannada) and
o has become a tourist spot along with the Chitradurga Fort.
Obavva squad police
In 2018, the Chitradurga police started ‘Obavva Pade’, a squad of women police constables to protect and educate women in the district.
Obavva squads were deployed in various parts of the district for teaching and educating them about
o basic self-defence
o the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act,
o offences under the Indian Penal Code,
o Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act,
o cybercrimes, and mobile offences.
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In 2019 the Shivamogga district police started the squad with two female constables and one male constable patrolling the city.
o covering schools, colleges and other places to keep tabs on the eve-teasers.
Her courageous deed is depicted in a famous song sequence in the 1972 Kannada movie ‘Nagarahavu’
o directed by the famous Kannada film director Puttanna Kanagal.
Source: IE
Geography
India among global flash drought hotspots from 1980-2015: Study
Syllabus: GS 1/ Geography
In News
A study identified rapid drought intensification across India , United States, Brazil, southern Africa, Spain, western Russia and Australia as well.
Flash Drought
It is the rapid onset or intensification of drought and is set in motion by lower-than-normal rates of precipitation
o Accompanied by abnormally high temperatures, winds, and radiation.
o Together, these changes in weather can rapidly alter the local climate.
The highest frequency of flash drought occurrence was primarily found within the tropics and subtropics.
o They include a large portion of Brazil, the Sahel, the Great Rift Valley and India.
o With composite flash drought occurrence within the 36-year time period (1980-2015) of analysis.
o Additional areas within the tropics that had lesser, but notable flash drought occurrences included
central Mexico, the Indochinese Peninsula, and northern Australia.
o In the mid-latitudes, local hotspots of flash drought occurrence (10-20 per cent) exist across
the central United States, Iberian Peninsula, Asia Minor, southwestern Russia, and northeastern China.
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Study published in the Journal Nature Communications
Selected Regions:
o Study regions are over global hotspots where flash drought occurred in more than 30 per cent of the study years (1980–2015).
o The study identified rapid drought intensification across the United States, Brazil, southern Africa, Spain, western Russia and Australia.
Key drivers:
o Rapid drought intensification occurs due to
a critical lack of precipitation and
increased evaporative demand.
In India:
o A majority of the flash drought events occurred during the monsoon season.
Especially across the central, northwest and northeast regions of the country.
o These regions experience their peak frequency at the beginning of their respective monsoon seasons
Primarily between May and September from 1980-2015.
In Sahel Region:
o The flash drought likely occurred during May-June, and was associated with increasing climatological rainfall.
o Especially if the onset of Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) induced and monsoon rainfall was delayed or significantly decreased.
In Amazon:
o Flash drought occurs most often in the dry season (July-September).
o Mainly due to the combined effect of
increased evaporative demand,
limited rainfall and
increased evapotranspiration resulting in rapid soil moisture depletion.
Evaporative demand
It is a measure of the extent to which the environment tries to evaporate water.
Changes in evaporative demand affect freshwater supplies and impact agriculture.
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Impact on Agriculture
Flash droughts can develop in only a few weeks, they create impacts that are difficult to prepare for and mitigate.
o Even when environmental conditions seem unfavourable for rapid drought development.
o A persistent lack of rainfall coupled with hot weather can create flash drought development with its associated impacts.
Areas under the Flash drought hotspots
o the corn belt across the mid-western United States,
o barley production in the Iberian Peninsula,
o the wheat belt in western Russia,
o wheat production in Asia Minor,
o rice-producing regions in India and the Indo-china Peninsula,
o maize production in northeastern China and
o sorghum production across the Sahel.
Trends
o About 10-15 percent of areas under cultivation of rice and maize were affected during the monsoon seasons in India between 1951 and 2018.
Future Implications
o The researchers said that the trend only applies to the 36 year period i.e between 1980–2015 and
o Do not indicate that these trends will extend into the future.
Way Forward and Conclusion
Limiting Global Warming
o By limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees C, the numbers and frequency of the projected flash droughts may go down.
Early warning Systems
o Operational meteorological forecasts will help manage irrigation water demands and avoid considerable losses in agriculture.
International Efforts
Integrated Drylands Development Programme (IDDP):
o Launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
o Goal: To strengthen resilience by working on the twin vulnerabilities
poverty and
unsustainable land management in the drylands.
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Drought Risk Reduction framework:
o Developed by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)
o It takes an integrated development approach and provides a comprehensive framework for both higher-level and local action.
The Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) and its partners have adopted three pillars of drought management:
o Drought monitoring and early warning systems
to determine drought status.
o Vulnerability and impact assessment
to determine who and what are at risk and why.
o Mitigation, drought preparedness, and response
to set out actions and measures to mitigate drought impacts and to prepare to respond to drought emergencies.
Source: DTE
Polity & Governance
MPLAD Scheme Restored
Syllabus: GS2/ Government Policies & Interventions
In News
Recently, the Union Cabinet restored the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) that was suspended in April 2020.
Latest developments
Suspension:
o The scheme was suspended for two financial years (2020-21 and 2021-22).
o The funds for the scheme were subsumed in the Consolidated Fund of
India.
o The government diverted ₹8,000 crore to be spent under the scheme for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reason for Restoration:
o Citing economic recovery, the Government announced a partial rollback.
o The MPs will get ₹2 crore instead of the annual approved ₹5 crore.
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Arguments Against MPLAD Scheme
Separation of Powers:
o The scheme violates one of the cardinal principles, which though not specifically written down in the Constitution, actually permeates the entire Constitution: separation of powers.
o Simply put, this scheme, in effect, gives an executive function to legislators (read legislature).
No Accountability:
o No accountability for the expenditure in terms of the quality and quantities executed against specifications;
o Delays in issuing work orders ranging from 5 to 387 days in 57% of the works against the requirement of issuing the work order within 45 days of the receipt of recommendation by the MP;
Proper SoP Not followed:
o Extensions of time granted to contractors without following the correct procedure;
o Register of assets created, as required under the scheme, not maintained, therefore location and existence of assets could not be verified;
o The implementation of the scheme was marked by various shortcomings and lapses.
o These were indicative of the failure of internal control mechanisms in the department in terms of non-maintenance of records”.
Appeasement of kins or alike:
o Money under MPLADS being used to appease or oblige two sets of people:
opinion-makers or opinion-influencers, and
favourite contractors.
o An often-heard tale is that of the contractor being a relative, close friend, or a confidant of the MP, and the contractor and the MP being financially linked with each other.
Gaps in Utilisation:
o Reports of underutilisation and misutilisation of MPLADS funds continue to surface at regular intervals but there seems to have been no serious attempt to do anything about it till now.
o Also, there are wide variations in the utilisation of the MPLAD amount in various constituencies.
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CAG’s Observations:
o Implementation of the scheme has always left much to be desired.
o Utilisation of funds:
Expenditure incurred by the executing agencies being less than the amount booked. Utilisation of funds between 49 to 90% of the booked amount;
o Work on existing assets:
Though the scheme envisages that works under the scheme should be limited to asset creation, 549 of the 707 works test-checked (78%) of the works recommended were for improvement of existing assets;
o Variation in quantities:
Wide variations in quantities executed against the quantities specified in the BOQ (Bills of Quantity) in 137 of the 707 works test-checked.
Variations ranged from 16 to 2312%. (“2312%” is the figure actually mentioned in the audit report);
Use of lesser quantities of material than specified by contractors resulting in excess payments and sub-standard works.
Various Recommendations: The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (2000) and the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2007), recommended discontinuation of the scheme.
Arguments in Favour of MPLAD Scheme
Good number of projects completed:
o Since the inception of the scheme, a total of 19,86,206 works/projects have been completed with the financial implication of ₹54,171.09 crore.
People centric MPs:
o It engaged MPs, catered to the aspirations of local people and ironed out regional imbalances.
o Third-party evaluators appointed by the government reported that the creation of good quality assets had a “positive impact on the local economy, social fabric and feasible environment”.
Addresses day-to-day Problems:
o The responsibility of an MP does not end with the supervision of administration and legislation.
o The MPLAD Scheme has enabled MPs to play a leadership role in the developmental process of his constituency and sort out its day-to-day problems.
o The suspension of the MPLADS for 2020-21 and 2021-22 in the wake of the pandemic has done away with this vital role of MPs.
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Antidote to favouritism:
o The pork barrel policy of State and Union Governments often leads to skewed development and regional imbalance.
o The elected opposition legislators of those constituencies fall victim to this pork-barrel politics.
o MPLADS has been an antidote to this favouritism as it provided opposition MPs some chance to cater to the developmental needs of their constituency.
Aspirations of the marginalised
o Of the MPLADS corpus, 15% has been earmarked for the development of Scheduled Castes and 7.5% for the Scheduled Tribes.
o Around ₹20 lakh of the MPLADS fund per annum has been allotted for the welfare of differently-abled people.
o Suspension of the MPLADS undermines the developmental aspirations of these marginalised segments.
Proper Audit:
o The Scheme undergoes impartial and meticulous auditing.
o The second instalment of funds is released only when the first instalment is fully utilised with no audit objections. This procedure leaves no place for corruption.
Suspension Affected States:
o The Centre, by way of suspending the MPLAD Scheme, withheld funds for the States during the peak of the pandemic when they were battling with financial strain themselves.
Way Ahead
To avoid inadequate allocation of funds for individual works, the asset intended to be created may be described in more detail so that it's cost implication is clear.
The MP may consider the allocation of funds only after the cost estimate is prepared and the detailed work plan and coordination mechanism is made available to him.
Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS)
About:
o The MPLADS is a Plan Scheme fully funded by the Government of
India. The annual MPLADS fund entitlement per MP constituency is Rs. 5 crores.
o It was introduced in December 1993.
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o Lok Sabha Members can recommend works within their Constituencies
o Elected Members of Rajya Sabha can recommend works within the State of Election.
o Nominated Members of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the country.
Objective:
o The objective is to enable the Members of Parliament (MP) to suggest and execute developmental works of capital nature based on locally felt needs with an emphasis on the creation of durable assets.
Administration:
o The Ministry of Rural Development initially administered the scheme.
o Since October 1994 it has been transferred to the Ministry of Statistics
and Programme Implementation (henceforth, the Ministry). The Ministry prepared guidelines of the scheme and amended this from time to time.
Development of Areas inhabited by Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe:
o There is a greater need to develop areas inhabited by Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in order to give special attention for the infrastructure development of such areas.
o M.Ps are to recommend every year, works costing at least 15 percent of
the MPLADS entitlement for the year for areas inhabited by Scheduled Caste population and 7.5 per cent for areas inhabited by S.T. population.
Authority:
o It shall be the responsibility of the district authority to enforce the provision of the guideline.
o District Collector/District Magistrate/Deputy Commissioner will generally be the District Authority to implement MPLADS in the district.
Source: TH
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Polity & Governance
General consent to CBI
Syllabus: GS2/ Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
In News
Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) expressed concern over the phenomenon of state governments withdrawing their consent for the CBI to investigate.
About
CBI made a submission to the Supreme Court that since 2018, around 150 requests for sanction to investigate have been pending with eight state governments that have withdrawn general consent to the agency.
The CBI had filed the affidavit after the court inquired about the bottlenecks it faced, and the steps it had taken to strengthen prosecutions.
Image Courtesy: TOI
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
It is the main investigation agency of the central government for cases relating to corruption and major criminal probes.
It has its origin in the Special Police Establishment set up in 1941 to probe bribery and corruption during World War II.
CBI was set up by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1963 after the Santhanam committee recommendation.
Superintendence of CBI rests with CVC in corruption cases and with the Department of personnel and training in other matters.
Presently it acts as an attached office under DOPT.
Although DSPE Act gives legal power to CBI, CBI is not a statutory body as:
Word ‘CBI’ is not mentioned in the DSPE act.
The executive order of MHA did not mention CBI to be constituted under DSPE Act.
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Important provision relating to when Consent can be withdrawn:
o Section 6 of The DSPE Act (“Consent of State Government to exercise of powers and jurisdiction”) says: “Nothing contained in section 5 (“Extension of powers and jurisdiction of special police establishment to other areas”) shall be deemed to enable any member of the Delhi Special Police Establishment to exercise powers and jurisdiction in any area in a State, not being a Union territory or railway area, without the consent of the Government of that State.”
Can withdrawal mean that the CBI can no longer probe any case?
o No. The CBI would still have the power to investigate old cases registered when general consent existed.
o Also, cases registered anywhere else in the country, but involving people stationed in states which have withdrawn consent, would allow CBI’s jurisdiction to extend to these states.
Functions of CBI include solving:
o Corruption Cases
o Economic Crimes like financial frauds, narcotics, antiques, smuggling etc.
o Special Crimes like Terrorism, ransom for kidnapping etc
Image Courtesy: TH
Have states started denying consent only after the present government came to power in Delhi?
o No. States, including Sikkim, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, have done this throughout the history of the agency.
o Previous cases:
In 1998, the Janata Dal government of Chief Minister J H Patel withdrew general consent to the CBI in Karnataka.
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The Congress government of S M Krishna, which took over in 1999, did not revoke the previous government’s order. The home minister of Karnataka then was Mallikarjun Kharge, the current Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.
Is CBI it’s own master voice?
o After the 2018 amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, the Centre has come to exercise power over the CBI not just administratively, but also legally.
o In 2018, the government pushed through Parliament amendments to Section 17A of the Act, making it mandatory for the CBI to seek the Centre’s permission before registering a case of corruption against any government servant.
o Earlier, the Centre had mandated that such permission was required only for officials of the level of joint secretary and higher. The amendments were brought after the Supreme Court struck down the government’s directive.
o CBI officers say the 2018 amendment virtually means the agency can investigate only the officers that the government of the day wants investigated. In fact, corruption cases registered by the CBI dropped by over 40 per cent between 2017 and 2019.
o So it can't be said that CBI is its own master voice.
Issues
Consent:
o CBI is governed by The Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, and must mandatorily obtain the consent of the state government
concerned before beginning to investigate a crime in a state.
o The consent of the state government can be either case-specific or general.
States withdrawing consent:
o Eight states have currently withdrawn consent to the CBI: Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, and Mizoram.
o All except Mizoram are ruled by the opposition.
o Reason stated by the Governments: The Central Government is using the CBI and other agencies to pursue its own political interests and vendetta.
Prior permission of states:
o The conduct or continuance of investigation into offences committed with the territory of a state, consent of the state is required which most of the time is delayed or even denied.
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Lack of Administrative autonomy:
o Currently, vacancies in CBI have to be plugged through State or other Central forces on deputation.
o Thus, it is susceptible to the government’s ability to manipulate the senior officers, as their future postings are dependent on it.
Lack of Financial Independency:
o Currently the CBI is not financially independent as administrative and financial control rests with the Ministry of Personnel.
Delay in case handling:
o As of now, CBI faces enormous delays in concluding the investigation due to a lack of manpower and resources.
Deficient of workforce:
o It lack of adequately qualified and competent workforce
Other issues:
o CBI powers are misused for vested gains leading to poor transparency and accountability of the agency to the people at large.
Effects of state withdrawing Consent
No new cases registered:
o The CBI will not be able to register any fresh case involving officials of the central government or a private person in the state without the consent of the state government.
Losing Powers:
o CBI officers will lose all powers of a police officer as soon as they enter the state unless the state government has allowed them.
Court’s stand
Calcutta High Court recently ruled in a case of illegal coal mining and cattle
smuggling being investigated by the CBI, that the central agency cannot be stopped from probing an employee of the central government in another state. The order has been challenged in the Supreme Court.
In Vinay Mishra vs the CBI, Calcutta HC ruled in July this year that corruption cases must be treated equally across the country, and a central government employee could not be “distinguished” just because his office was located in a state that had withdrawn general consent.
o The HC also said that withdrawal of consent would apply in cases where only employees of the state government were involved.
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o The petition had challenged the validity of FIRs registered by the CBI’s Kolkata branch after the withdrawal of consent.
Way Ahead
The role, jurisdiction and legal powers of the CBI need to be clearly laid down.
It will give it goal clarity, role clarity, autonomy in all spheres.
Source: IE
International Relations
Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan
Syllabus: GS 2/ International Relations
In News
Recently, the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan was held. The meeting was composed of National Security Advisors’ (NSA) of regional countries and chaired by the Indian NSA.
Key Points
First meeting of the security heads:
o This is the first meeting of the security heads of the participating countries that India has hosted since the Taliban took power in August after dislodging the government of President Ashraf Ghani.
Two earlier meetings in this format have been held in Iran in September 2018 and December 2019.
Participants:
o Invitations were sent to Afghanistan’s neighbours such as Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, and other key players including Russia, and China.
o Pakistan and China too were invited to participate in the consultation but both stayed away.
National Security Council Secretariat:
o India’s top security establishment, the National Security Council Secretariat, has taken the lead in organising the in-person meeting.
Delhi Declaration:
o A joint statement titled the ‘Delhi Declaration’ issued after the meeting called for “collective cooperation” against terrorism and drug trafficking
in the region and “expressed concern over the deteriorating socio-economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
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o These have important implications not only for the people of Afghanistan but also for its neighbours and the region.
o They reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasising the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs.
No representation from Afghan government or the Taliban:
o The meeting, however, did not have any representation from the erstwhile Afghan government or the Taliban, which has not been recognised by India as a legitimate political player in Afghanistan
The Russian format of consultation:
o On Afghanistan retains its important potential because of the broad participation of the stakeholders.
Other Afghan Peace Process Framework:
o Troika Plus Meeting on Afghanistan: The U.S.-Russia-China-Pakistan grouping on Afghanistan peace process.
o Moscow Format on Afghanistan: It was set up by Russia for Peace and stability in Afghanistan in the year 2017.
o It is a six-party mechanism. It involved Russia, India, Afghanistan, Iran, China and Pakistan
Way Ahead
Preventing the illicit use of land: Emphasis should be on preventing the use of Afghanistan’s territory for sheltering, training, planning or financing any terrorist acts.
Collective cooperation: Collective cooperation against the menace of radicalisation, extremism, separatism and drug trafficking in the region is needed.
Inclusive government: The solution comes only through the formation of an inclusive government with the participation of all ethnic groups.
Engaging with Taliban: Talking to the Taliban would allow India to seek security guarantees from the insurgents in return for continued development assistance or other pledges as well as explore the possibility of the Taliban’s autonomy from Pakistan.
Role of United Nations: The United Nations has a central role to play in Afghanistan and that its continued presence in the country must be preserved.
Socio-economic and humanitarian situation: Efforts needed to tackle the deteriorating socio-economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, and underlined the need to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
Source: TH
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Facts In News
Science & Technology
Leonids Meteor Shower
Syllabus: GS3/ Science & Technology, Space
In News
The annual Leonids Meteor Shower has begun. This year’s shower is active between November 6 and 30, with peak activity expected on November 17.
About Leonids Meteor Shower
The debris that forms this meteor shower originates from a small comet called 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in the constellation Leo, which takes 33 years to orbit the sun.
The Leonids are considered to be a major shower that features the fastest meteors, which typically travel at speeds of 71 km per second, although the rates are often as low as 15 meteors per hour.
The Leonids are also called fireballs and earthgazer meteors. Fireballs, because of their bright colours, and earthgazer, because they streak close to the horizon.
The light—which is why a meteor is called a shooting star — is a result of the friction between the meteorite and the molecules present in the Earth’s atmosphere because of which it burns.
Meteorite
Meteoroids are objects in space that range in size from dust grains to small asteroids.
Also known as “space rocks”.
When meteoroids enter the Earth’s atmosphere they are called meteors.
But if a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere and hits the ground, it is called a meteorite.
Source: IE
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Environment
Issi Saaneq
Syllabus: GS3/ Environment
In News
Recently, a new genus of dinosaur has been identified from two fossilized skulls found in Jameson Land, a peninsula in eastern Greenland.
Findings
This is the first evidence of a distinct Greenlandic dinosaur species.
The two skulls come from a juvenile and an almost adult individual.
Researchers have performed a micro-CT scan of the bones, which enabled them to create digital 3D models.
They have determined that the finds belong to a new species, which they have named Issi saaneq.
About Issi Saaneq
The two-legged Issi saaneq lived in what is now Greenland approximately 214
million years ago (Late Triassic epoch).
It was a medium-sized and long necked herbivore.
It was a predecessor of the sauropods, the largest land animals ever to live.
The name of the new dinosaur pays tribute to Greenland’s Inuit language and means “coldbone”.
Source: IE
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Art & Culture
Kalari Units
Syllabus: GS1/ Art & Culture
In News
Kalari units are getting back on track in Kerala after an interval of two and a half years.
About
More than 10,000 Kalari units in the State stopped functioning abruptly after the COVID-19 outbreak.
Kalari units:
o They impart Kalaripayattu.
o The word "Kalari" means "battlefield"
Kalaripayattu:
o An ancient martial art form.
o Originated in the country as a part of military training for warriors.
o It is mentioned in the Vadakkan Pattukal, a collection of ballads written about the Chekavar of the Malabar region of Kerala.
o Still a living tradition in some parts of South India.
o It contains rituals and philosophies inspired by Hinduism.
o Kalaripayattu has complex movements and includes strikes, kicks, grappling, preset forms, weaponry and healing methods.
Indian Kalaripayattu Federation (IKF)
o Established in 1995 in Kerala
o Aim: To promote Kalaripayattu
o The Ministry and Youth Affairs And Sports, Govt. of India recognized IKF as a National Federation in 2015.
Source: TH