Nagaland Extends ILP in Dimapur

Why in News

Recently, the Nagaland government has extended the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to the district of Dimapur.

• This step was taken to exempt the entire district from the purview of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).
• So far, Dimapur was the only place in Nagaland which was not under the ILP system because the district is a commercial hub and has a mixed population (often referred to as ‘Mini India’).
• Recently Manipur has also been brought under the purview of ILP System. Thus, the entire northeast India has been exempted from CAB except for Sikkim and non-tribal areas in Assam and Tripura.

Key Points

• The extension of ILP to Dimapur has been issued under section 2 of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 by the governor of Nagaland.
• The extension of the ILP regime makes it mandatory for “every non-indigenous person” who entered the district after November 21, 1979, to obtain an ILP within 90 days.
• Exemptions:
  
  • Any non-indigenous persons living in Dimapur prior to November 21, 1979, with a certificate from the Deputy Commissioner.
  • Any non-indigenous person passing through Dimapur to other states as a transit passenger with a valid document.

Citizenship Amendment Bill,2019 and North-East India

• Protected by the ILP System: Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram have been exempted from the provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), 2019
• Sixth Schedule Areas: The whole of Meghalaya (except a part of Shillong), Mizoram and the tribal areas of Tripura and Assam are also exempted from the CAB.
  
  • The Sixth Schedule contains special provisions for the administration of tribal areas in the four north-eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

Inner Line Permit

• Inner Line Permit is an official travel document issued by the concerned State Government to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected/restricted area for a limited period.
• It is a special permit required by “outsiders” from other regions of the country to enter the notified states.
• It is based on the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act (BEFR), 1873.
  
  • This act was enacted during the British era to protect the British interests from the hill tribals who used to invade the British subjects.
  • An imaginary line known as the inner-line was created to divide between the two communities so that neither party could go beyond the line without a permit from the appropriate authorities.

Source: TH

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom

Why in news

Recently, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has raised concern over Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB), 2019.

• This concern is related to the provision of granting citizenship based on religion in CAB, 2019.
• Earlier in August, 2019 USCIRF had also issued a statement against the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam and a mob lynching incident in Jharkhand.

Controversial Clause of CAB, 2019

• In 2016, a Bill was introduced to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955. However, it lapsed with the dissolution of the 16^th Lok Sabha.
  
  • Subsequently, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is has been introduced in the Parliament in December 2019.
• The 2019 amendment Bill provides for an exception for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, with regard to qualification for citizenship.

USCIRF

• It is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), 1998. It monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad.
• USCIRF uses international standards to monitor religious freedom violations globally, and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress.
• USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and Congressional leaders of both political parties.
  
  • Their work is supported by a professional, nonpartisan staff. USCIRF is separate from the State Department, although the Department’s Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom is a non-voting ex officio Commissioner.
• Its recommendations are not binding and acts only as a conscience-keeper for the two branches in the US government — the legislature and the executive.

International Religious Freedom report, 2019

• USCIRF releases International Religious Freedom report annually. The Report consists of country-wise chapters.
• The 2019 report on India discussed mob-related violence, religious conversion, the legal status of minorities and government policies.
• It has placed India on its Tier 2 category for engaging in or tolerating religious freedom violations that meet at least one of the elements of the “systematic, ongoing, egregious” standard for designation as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).

Source: IE

‘World Habitat Award’ for Odisha’s JAGA Mission

Why in News

Recently, Odisha has won the 'World Habitat Award' for its ambitious initiative- Jaga Mission.

• It aims at transforming the slums into liveable habitat with all necessary civic infrastructure and services at par with the better off areas within the same urban local body and to continuously improve the standard of the infrastructure and services and access to livelihood opportunities.

World Habitat Award

• This award is given by World Habitat, in partnership with United Nations Habitat, every year, in recognition of innovative, outstanding, and revolutionary ideas, projects, and programmes from across the world in the field of housing.

United Nations Habitat or United Nations Human Settlements Programme

• It is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.
• It was established in 1978 as an outcome of the first UN Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat I) held in Vancouver, Canada, in 1976.
• UN-Habitat is headquartered at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya.

World Habitat

• It is an international not-for-profit organisation/foundation established in the United Kingdom.
• It works internationally to help bring the best housing to the people who need it the most.

Jaga Mission

• Odisha Liveable Habitat Mission (OLHM)- JAGA is a society under the Housing & Urban Development Department, Government of Odisha.
• The slum land titling mission was being executed in collaboration with Tata Trusts and Norman Foster Foundation.
• Odisha government rolled out this first of its kind project on May 7, 2018.
• This mission was also awarded the 'India Geospatial Excellence Award' for technological innovation in transforming the lives of urban poor.

India Geospatial Excellence Award

• This award is given by GeoSmart India which is an interactive platform that demonstrates the collective and shared vision of the Indian geospatial community and is the most prominent stakeholder event of the Indian geospatial ecosystem.

Source: BS

Aung San Suu Kyi to Defend Myanmar in ICJ

• Recently, Gambia has filed an application at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention.
  
  • It is the first international legal attempt to bring Myanmar to ICJ over alleged mass killings of the Rohingya minority in 2017.
• Muslim-majority Gambia, has filed this application on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
• Aung San Suu Kyi will defend Myanmar in the Hague against accusations of genocide. She is a Myanmar’s State Counsellor and Nobel Peace laureate (awarded in 1990).
• Myanmar, however, faces a number of legal challenges over the fate of the Rohingya, including a probe by the International Criminal Court (a separate war crimes tribunal) in the Hague and a lawsuit in Argentina.

Convention on Genocide

• It was adopted in 1948 in response to the atrocities committed during World War II and a UN resolution which recognised that "genocide is an international crime, which entails the national and international responsibility of individual persons and states."
• The Convention on Genocide was among the first United Nations (UN) conventions addressing humanitarian issues.
• The Convention has since then been widely accepted by the international community and ratified by a majority of States.

International Criminal Court (ICC)

• It is governed by an international treaty called 'The Rome Statute’ which was adopted in 1998. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the world’s first permanent international criminal court.
• Headquarters: Hague, Netherlands.

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

• The ICJ was established in 1945 by the United Nations charter and started working in April 1946.
• It is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, situated at the Peace Palace in the Hague (Netherlands).

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

• The OIC was formed in 1969 after a summit in Rabat, the Kingdom of Morocco on 25 September 1969.
• The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is among the largest inter-governmental organizations in the world.
• Headquarters: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• It has 57 member states and 12 observers including the United Nations

Odisha Reduces Farmer’s Scheme Assistance

Why in News

Recently, the Odisha government has reduced the financial assistance given to farmers under the KALIA scheme to Rs 4,000 per annum from Rs 10,000.

• The reduction of financial assistance is the result of the merger of the Odisha government’s Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme with the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN).
• The merger will help to synergise the motto of both the schemes and also to cover a larger population of farmers in the state.
• However, the landless cultivators in the state will continue to get assistance from KALIA i.e Rs 10,000 annually since they are not considered under PM-KISAN.

KALIA Scheme

• KALIA or “Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation” scheme was launched by the Odisha Government for farmer’s welfare.
• All farmers are provided Rs 10,000 per family as assistance for cultivation.
• The scheme is being seen as a viable alternative to farm loan waivers.
• Small and marginal farmers, landless agricultural households, vulnerable agricultural households, landless agricultural labourers and sharecroppers (actual cultivators) are eligible under different components of the scheme.

PM-KISAN

• PM-KISAN or Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi is a central sector scheme launched in 2019.
• Under the scheme, ₹6,000 per year are provided to farmers holding cultivable land of up to two hectares.
• The scheme does not cover tenants and landless farmers in the country.

Source:TH

SkillsBuild Platform: IBM

Why in News

Recently, SkillsBuild platform was launched by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in collaboration with International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).

• The digital platform will provide a two-year advanced diploma in Information Technology (IT), networking and cloud computing offered by the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs).
• It will further be extended to train ITI & NSTI faculty on building skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Key Points

• It is a digital platform developed by IBM and it enables holistic learning, aligning it with Skills India Initiative by Government of India.
• India is the 4^th country to launch a platform for skill building after the UK, Germany and France.
• It will be accessible online through Bharat Skills – a learning management system for ITI/NSTI students and teachers and is free to use.
• SkillsBuild will focus on:
  
  • Personalised coaching and experiential learning.
  • Developing the skills required to join the workforce in New Collar roles.
  • Bringing untapped talent to the fore.
  • Opening roles to individuals often excluded from the labour market due to disadvantaged backgrounds, lack of knowledge, skill or experience.
• This platform will provide a personal assessment for cognitive capabilities and personality via MyInnerGenius (one of the world’s leading career assessment companies) to youths/students.

New Collar Roles

• New Collar roles focus more on a candidate's skills during the hiring process, rather than his or her level of education.
• A new-collar worker is an individual who develops the technical and soft skills needed to work in technology jobs through non-traditional education paths.
• Example: Technical jobs including cloud computing technicians, database managers, cybersecurity, user interface designers and other IT roles.

Source: PIB

NAVARMS-19

Why in News

The 4^th edition of International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems ‘NAVARMS-19’ is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on 12-13 Dec 2019.

• This year’s theme is “Make in India - Fight Category: Opportunities and Imperatives”.

Key Points

• Indian Navy in association with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has been conducting 'NAVARMS' since 2007.
• NAVARMS is the only international seminar and exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems conducted in the country to invite all the stakeholders in life cycle management of Naval Weapons and provide a common platform to share their views and concerns.
• Objectives:
  
  • Bring harmony amongst all the important stakeholders.
  • Synergise and orient towards broader prospects.
  • Provide an opportunity for the exchange of ideas.
  • Create awareness.
  • Identify emerging prospects for Indian/International defence industry in the domain of Naval Weapon Systems

Source: PIB