PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS 6-FEBRUARY-2018
Paper
1:
Topic:
Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and
Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Prachi
Valley
Context: The
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered pottery pieces, and tools
made of stones and bones believed to be of the pre-Christian era from a mound
in Jalalpur village of Cuttack district, Odisha. Discoveries of ancient
artefacts indicated that a rural settlement might have thrived in that
period. These settlements could have had cultural and trade ties with
other settlements in the Prachi Valley that had come up around the
Prachi river, which gradually disappeared.
Facts
for Prelims:
Prachi
Valley civilisation is believed to be earlier than that of Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro flourished on the banks of Prachi river.
Prachi Valley civilisation has contributed a lot towards amalgamation,
assimilation and proliferation of different religious faiths and cults.
The
Prachi river, a tributary of Mahanadi, originates about 10 km away
from Bhubaneswar. The river flows through Puri, Khurda, Cuttack and
Jagatsinghpur districts and it is this region that is called the Prachi Valley.
Sources:
the hindu.
Paper
2:
Topic:
Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments,
significant provisions and basic structure.
Citizenship
Act
Context: The
Supreme Court has decided to refer to a fresh Constitution Bench pleas to
examine the validity of various aspects of a provision of the Citizenship Act
1955, including the cut-off date for awarding citizenship to Bangladeshi
immigrants in Assam. Section 6A of the Act relates to provisions for
citizenship of people covered by the Assam Accord.
Background:
In
December 2014, a two-judge Bench of the apex court had framed 13 questions, for
deliberation by a larger Bench, which included whether Section 6A violates the
Articles of the Constitution by diluting the political rights of residents of
Assam. It had also framed a question about the scope of fundamental right
contained in Article 29(1), relating to the right to conserve a distinct
language, script or culture, and also about the meaning of expressions
‘culture’ and ‘conserve.’
Assam
Accord:
The
Assam Accord (1985) was a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) signed between
representatives of the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam
Movement in New Delhi on 15 August 1985. The accord brought an end to the Assam
Agitation and paved the way for the leaders of the agitation to form a
political party and form a government in the state of Assam soon after.
As
per the Accord, those Bangladeshis who came between 1966 and 1971 will be
barred from voting for ten years. The Accord also mentions that the
international borders will be sealed and all persons who crossed over from
Bangladesh after 1971 are to be deported.
Though
the accord brought an end to the agitation, some of the key clauses are yet to
be implemented, which has kept some of the issues festering.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic:
Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs,
various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other
stakeholders.
Laghu
Udyog Bharati
Context: A
national level meeting was recently convened by the Government of India with
the members of Laghu Udyog Bharati.
About
Laghu Udyog Bharati:
Laghu
Udyog Bharati is a registered all India organization of Micro and Small
Industries in India since 1994. Today, Laghu udyog Bharati has its membership
spread over the length and breadth of the country. It has membership in more
than 400 Districts with 250 Branches all over the Country. In a genuine effort
to organise MSE sector Laghu Udyog Bharati is fighting the various ills
plaguing the sector and to remove impediments coming in the way to MSEs.
Laghu
Udyog Bharati render assistance to small scale industries as follows:
§ Removal
of inspector raj & simplification procedures.
§ Availability
& distribution of power.
§ Guidance
for improving productivity.
§ Quality
& technological upgradation & modernisation.
§ Sales
promotion & marketing assistance.
§ Encouraging
women entrepreneurs.
§ Creating
congenial environment for better entrepreneur, worker and customer relations.
§ Making
various panels for better representation.
§ Participation
in Trade-Fairs and Exhibitions for better product exposure.
Significance
of MSE sector:-
Worldwide,
micro and small enterprises (MSEs) have been accepted as the engine of economic
growth and for promoting equitable development. MSEs constitute over 95% of
total enterprises in most of the economies and are credited with generating the
highest rates of employment growth and account for a major share of industrial
production and exports. It contributes more than 45% of total manufacturing
production and 40% of exports, while employing 10 crores people, it suits the
Indian conditions in the following manner:
§ It
is only source which has the potential to absorb about 10 million new youths
which enter the workforce every year, as there are hardly any job opportunities
in Government sector; the agriculture sector is already super saturated; and
the large / corporate sector has had less employment growth in last 2 decades.
§ For
country like India which has very scarce capital, promoting MSE is essential as
only one tenth of capital investment is required to generate one employment in
MSE sector as compared to investment required per capita employment in large
sector. It mitigates the problem of migration to cities and slum dwellings in
urban areas. It also ensure inclusive growth.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
India and its neighbourhood- relations.
Atal
doctrine
Context: The
J&K government has asked the Centre to revisit former Prime Minister Atal
Bihari Vajpayee’s doctrine to defuse tension with Pakistan. The state
government believes that dialogue and reconciliation is the only way to restore
peace along the borders and on the mainland.
Atal
Doctrine:
The
Atal doctrine on Kashmir called for peace, progress and prosperity in the
Valley by imbibing the spirit of Insaniyat (Humanity), Jamhuriyat (Democracy)
and Kashmiriyat (Identity of the people of Kashmir). The doctrine was universally
acclaimed by all segments across of political spectrum in the state, including
the extremist elements in the Valley.
Vajpayee’s
mantra included resolving all outstanding issues with Pakistan, including that
of Jammu and Kashmir issue in a peaceful manner through bilateral dialogue
without any third party intervention. Vajpayee extended a hand of friendship on
the basis of reciprocity and mutual trust and called for collective fight
against poverty in the Indian subcontinent devoid of terrorism and
drug-trafficking.
Vajpayee
also signed a Lahore Declaration with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on February
21, 1999. As part of the declaration, Pakistan agreed to resolve all bilateral
issues between the two countries, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in a
peaceful manner and through dialogue and to promote people to people contact.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic:
Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure,
mandate.
Fifth
South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference
Context: 5th
South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference is being held at New Delhi. The
Government of India (GOI), through the Public Procurement Division (PPD) of the
Ministry of Finance and All India Management Association (AIMA) are hosting the
Conference.
The
theme of the Fifth Conference is: “Public Procurement and
Service Delivery”.
About
the conference:
The
objective of the Conference is to enable the Heads of Public Procurement and
other key stakeholders in the eight South Asian countries to meet and learn
from one another and from experts in the field of public procurement. The
knowledge thus acquired would help various South Asian Governments to consider
enhancements and innovations in their public procurement systems, enabling
efficient utilization of public resources, ensuring quality and timeliness in
delivery of services.
The
Conference is held under the auspices of the South Asia Region Public
Procurement Network (SARPPN), which is sponsored and facilitated by the World
Bank, Asian Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank. The First Conference
was held in Kathmandu in 2010, the second in Islamabad in 2014, the third in
Dhaka 2015 and the fourth in Sri Lanka 2017.
Way
ahead:
All
eight SAR countries spend approximately US$550 billion equivalent on public
procurement of goods, works and services, which eventually convert to public
services. The Fifth Conference will deliberate upon key aspects of public
procurement that help ensure delivery of these services; and identify and
address areas that need improvement.
Sources:
pib.
Topic: Important
International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.
UN
World Food Programme
Context: Sweden
and the United Nations World Food Programme have signed a Strategic Partnership
Agreement committing an unprecedented $370 million dollars to WFP over the next
four years. The contribution for the period 2018-2021 is the biggest ever made
by a donor within a WFP Strategic Partnership Agreement.
About
WFP:
The
World Food Programme (WFP) is the food assistance branch of the United Nations
and the world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and
promoting food security. The WFP strives to eradicate hunger and malnutrition,
with the ultimate goal in mind of eliminating the need for food aid itself. It
is a member of the United Nations Development Group and part of its Executive
Committee.
Born
in 1961, WFP pursues a vision of the world in which every man, woman and child
has access at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life. The
WFP is governed by an Executive Board which consists of representatives from
member states.
The
WFP operations are funded by voluntary donations from world governments,
corporations and private donors. WFP food aid is also directed to fight
micronutrient deficiencies, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health,
and combat disease, including HIV and AIDS.
Sources:
the hindu.
Paper
3:
Topic:
Disaster and disaster management.
India
Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC)
Context: In
a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Science and
Technology and Earth Sciences Shri Y. S. Chowdary stated that latest scientific
techniques have been added to ITEWC to provide early warnings for an impending
tsunami to all countries in the Indian Ocean region.
About
ITEWC:
The
Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC) established at Indian National
Centre for Ocean Information Sciences, (INCOIS – ESSO) Hyderabad, is an
autonomous body under Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Indian
Tsunami Early Warning System comprises a real-time seismic monitoring network
of broadband seismic stations. ITEWC receives data in real time from 350
seismic stations, 50 tsunami buoys and 300 tide gauges established in the
Indian as well as the other oceans by other countries and international
agencies.
Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO has designated ITEWC as the Tsunami
Service Provider (TSP) for the entire Indian Ocean Region.
Since 2012, ITEWC is providing tsunami advisories and related services to about
25 countries”.
Background:
On
December 26, 2004, one of the deadliest earthquakes (9.3 magnitude), epicentred
off the West coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, triggered a tsunami that killed over
2.3 lakh people across 14 countries, including 11,000 in India. Since then,
India has made rapid strides in establishing an early warning system with the
help of various organisations, and partnered with international agencies
involved in the study of earthquakes, tsunami and other ocean-related natural
disasters.
Generation
of Tsunami:
Even
though tsunamis can be generated by various phenomenon, the most destructive
tsunamis are generated from large, shallow earthquakes at subduction zones.
Major tsunamis are produced by large earthquakes of magnitude greater than 7.0
associated with the movement of oceanic and continental plates. The waves can
travel great distances from the source region, spreading destruction along
their path. More than 80% of the world’s tsunamis occur in the Pacific along
its Ring of Fire subduction zones. Tsunamis are not as common in the Indian
Ocean as in the Pacific. As compared to average eight tsunamis per year in the
Pacific, Indian Ocean has one in three years or so.
Sources:
pib.
Facts
for Prelims:
Sherin’s
Law:
What
is it? It is a new proposed law in the US state of Texas. The Law’ would make
it a felony to leave a child at home alone. The Law would also require that any
adult who witnesses or has personal knowledge of an abused child report it to
authorities within 48 hours.
Background:
The law is drafted in Sherin Mathews’ name. The 3-year-old was found dead last
October with her adoptive parents facing charges in her death.
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