Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 18th Jan 2022

NEWS

Chief Minister of Karnataka said irrigation projects in Karnataka are bogged down by inter-State river water disputes and asked the Centre to “revisit the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act since the law is creating more disputes than resolving them.”

ABOUT INTER-STATE WATER DISPUTES ACT 1956

• Provides the legal framework to address such disputes suffers from many drawbacks as it does not fix any time limit for resolving river water disputes.
• Delays are on account of no time limit for adjudication by a Tribunal, no upper age limit for the Chairman or the Members, work getting stalled due to occurrence of any vacancy and no time limit for publishing the report of the Tribunal.
• The River Boards Act 1956, which is supposed to facilitate inter-state collaboration over water resource development, remained a ‘dead letter’ since its enactment.
• Surface water is controlled by Central Water Commission (CWC) and ground water by Central Ground Water Board of India (CGWB). Both bodies work independently and there is no common forum for common discussion with state governments on water management.

Inter-State River Water disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019.

• Disputes Resolution Committee: The Bill requires the central government to set up a Disputes Resolution Committee (DRC), for resolving any inter-state water dispute amicably. The DRC will get a period of one year, extendable by six months, to submit its report to the central government.
• Members of DRC: Members of the DRC will be from relevant fields, as deemed fit by the central government.
• Tribunal: The Bill proposes to set up an Inter-State River Water Disputes Tribunal, for adjudication of water disputes, if a dispute is not resolved through the DRC.  This tribunal can have multiple benches. All existing tribunals will be dissolved and the water disputes pending adjudication before such existing tribunals will be transferred to this newly formed tribunal.
• Composition of the Tribunal: The tribunal shall consist of a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and not more than six nominated members (judges of the Supreme Court or of a High Court), nominated by the Chief Justice of India.

NEWS

Union defence ministry has rejected Tableaux proposals of Kerala and West Bengal

How does the process to decide the tableaux start?

Defence Ministry

• Is responsible for the Republic Day parade
• Invites around September all the states, the Union Territories, Central Government departments, and a few constitutional authorities to participate in the parade through tableaux.

What can the participating states or central government departments depict  through their tableaux?

• The participants have to showcase elements within the overarching theme. The theme given to participants this year was around 75 years of India’s Independence.
• Theme this year - India@75 – Freedom struggle, Ideas @ 75, Achievements @ 75, Actions @ 75 and Resolve @ 75.
• Participating entities must engage “young qualified designers from renowned institutions”, electronic display walls for bright display of images or content, moving elements using robotics or mechatronics, 3D printing could be used for certain elements, use of augmented or virtual reality, and special effects to improve the optics and visual effects of the tableau.
• The tableaux of two different states/ UTs cannot be too similar, as the tableaux, together, should showcase the diversity of the country.
• The tableaux cannot have any writing or use of logos, except for the name of the state/ UT/ department, which should be written in Hindi on the front, English on the back, and a regional language on the sides.
• The Defence Ministry also asked the participants to use eco-friendly material for the tableaux, and avoid the use of plastic or plastic-based products.

WHAT ARE SIZE RESTRICTIONS

• Defence Ministry
  • Provides each participant with one tractor and one trailer, and the tableau should fit on that
  • Prohibits use of any additional tractor or trailer, or even any other vehicle to be part of it.
  • Stipulates a distance of around six feet between the tractor and the trailer for turning and manoeuvering.
• Participant can replace their ministry-provided tractor or trailer with other vehicles, but the total number should not be more than two vehicles.
• Tractor has to be camouflaged in harmony with the tableau’s theme
• Participants can add ground elements on some tableaux, considering the theme.
• Dimensions of the trailer on which the tableau will be placed is 24 feet, 8 inches long; eight feet wide; four feet two inches high; with a load bearing capacity of 10 tonnes. The tableaux should not be more than 45 feet long, 14 feet wide and 16 feet high from the ground.

SELECTION PROCESS

• Elaborate and time-consuming
• The Defence Ministry constitutes an expert committee of distinguished persons from fields like art, culture, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, choreography, etc, who help in shortlisting the tableaux from the proposals.
• Submitted sketches or designs of the proposals are scrutinised by this committee, which can make suggestions for any modifications in the sketch or design
• Sketch should be simple, colouful, easy to comprehend and should avoid unnecessary detail. It should be self-explanatory, and should not need any written elaboration.
• If there is a traditional dance involved with the tableau, it should be a folk dance, and the costumes and musical instruments should be traditional and authentic. The proposal should include a video clipping of the dance.
• Once approved, the next stage is for the participants to come up with three dimensional models for their proposals, which are again examined by the expert committee for final selection, taking in view several criteria.
• In making the final selection the committee looks at a combination of factors, looking at the visual appeal, impact on the masses, idea/ theme of the tableaux, degree of detail involved, accompanying music, among other factors.
• The Defence Ministry recommends the participants to try and not engage any firm or fabricator that are involved in creation of two tableaux, including their own.

NEWS

Election commission of India announced postponement of Punjab general elections on account of Guru Ravidas Jayanti

GURU RAVIDAS

•  Indian mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement
• Founder of the Ravidassia religion during the 15th to 16th century CE.
• Venerated as a guru (teacher) in the region of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and mainly Punjab and Haryana
• Poet-saint, social reformer and spiritual figure.
• The life details are uncertain and contested
• Scholars believe he was born in 1450 CE, in the cobbler caste.
• The Panch Vani text of the Dadupanthi tradition within Hinduism also includes numerous poems of Ravidas.
• Taught the removal of social divisions of caste and gender and promoted unity in the pursuit of personal spiritual freedoms.

PREACHINGS

• Philosophy and values - social justice, equality and fraternity
• Envisaged a society that is based on equality and free from any kind of discrimination.
• Gave it the name ‘Be-gampura’ (a city near Lahore) where there is no place for any kind of grief or fear.
• Such an ideal city would be bereft of fear, vulnerability or scarcity. Rule of law based on the right ideas like equality and welfare of all would be the principle for governance.

Dera Sachkhand Ballan

• Religious social organization (dera)
• Location - Ballan near Jalandhar, Punjab, India
• Founded by devotees of Guru Ravidas.
• Devoted to the cause of leading common masses towards a spiritual path.
• Spiritual heads of the Dera have initiated millions of people and bestowed them with "Naamdaan".
• Adopted the mission of spreading the teachings and bani "sacred writings" of Guru Ravidass throughout India as well as in foreign countries.
• Dera has built a temple at Seer Goverdhanpur Varanasi U.P., the birthplace of Guru Ravidas. Every year they gather in Millions on the occasion of Guruji's birthday.

NEWS

Nepal questions on unilateral construction of roads at Lipulekh

DETAILS

• Recent issue - India is working to expand the road to Lipulekh pass.
• Background  - In 2020, Nepal published as revised political map. The map incorporated the Limpiyadhura territories, especially the source of Kali river.
• Sugauli treaty issue
  • Signed in 1816 by British India and Nepal signed a treaty.
  • Entire lowlands between rivers rapti and kali will belong to British India.
  • Treaty did not speak about the ridgeline
• Root of the issue - Nepal claims Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura although they are controlled by India

LIPULEKH PASS

• Himalayan pass.
• Near the Chinese trading town of Taklakot (Purang) in Tibet
• Used since ancient times by traders, mendicants and pilgrims transiting between India and Tibet.
• Links the Byans valley of Uttarakhand, India with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, and forms the last territorial point in Indian territory.
• The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a Hinduism pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, traverses this pass.
• Presently open for cross-border trade every year from June through September.
• Also known as Qiangla or Tri-Corner is a high altitude mountain pass situated in the western Himalayas with a height of 5,334 metre or 17,500 feet.
• International mountain pass between India, China and Nepal.

NEWS

US passes bill with regards to Rare earth materials monopoly of China

DETAILS OF THE BILL

• Aims - Reduce the Chinese dependence on rare – earth metals.
• Why - Protect US from threat of rare – earth metal supply disruption
• Encourage the residents to increase domestic production of the rare – earth metals. Ultimately it will reduce the US reliance on China.
• Urges to create a strategic reserve for the rare earth metals, maintained by the Department of Defence and Interiors
• Serve the needs of the tech sector, US army and other essential infrastructural needs.
• Requested the Commerce department to conduct an investigation on unfair trade practices of China.
• Provide higher transparency on the origin of the components.
• Restricts the use of Chinese rare – earth metals in sophisticated defence equipment.

RARE EARTH MATERIALS

• Group of seventeen chemical elements
• Occur together in the periodic table, 15 lanthanides ( Z=57 through 71), Scandium and Yttrium.
• All are metals
• Have many similar properties which often cause them to be found together in geologic deposits.
• Many of them are sold as oxide compounds.
• Which are they - Samarium (Sm), scandium (Sc), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), yttrium (Y), cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), promethium (Pm).

• Hyderabad officially bid as a candidate to host the Formula E World championship exclusively for electric cars, scheduled to be held between November 2022 and February 2023.
• India’s Lakshya Sen secured his maiden Super 500 title by winning “Yonex-Sunrise India Open”
• Narendra Kumar Goenka, took charge of Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) as its new Chairman.