Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland

Why in News

Recently, an apex body of Naga tribes, Naga Hoho has cautioned the Nagaland Government with respect to preparation of the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN), seen as a variant of Assam’s National Register of Citizens.

Key Points

• Background:
  
  • The State government had formed a three-member Committee in 2019 for studying, examining, and recommending the implementation of RIIN.
  • Functions of RIIN Committee was to determine:
    
    • The eligibility criteria to be an indigenous inhabitant.
    • Authority to authenticate claims of being indigenous.
    • Place of registration as indigenous inhabitant.
    • The basis of claims of being indigenous.
    • The nature of documents that will be acceptable as proof of being indigenous.
  • However, the exercise was suspended following protests from community-based and extremist organisations.
  • Since then the Nagaland government has been trying to revive the RIIN exercise that was launched in July 2019 with the objective of preventing outsiders from obtaining fake indigenous certificates for seeking jobs and benefits of government schemes.
• Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland:
  
  • The RIIN will be prepared after an extensive survey with the help of a village-wise and ward-wise list of indigenous inhabitants based on official records. Also, It will be prepared under the supervision of each district administration.
  • No fresh indigenous inhabitant certificate will be issued after the RIIN is completed except for children born to the State’s indigenous inhabitants who will be issued indigenous certificates along with birth certificates. The RIIN database will be updated accordingly.
  • The RIIN will also be integrated with the online system for Inner-Line Permit, a temporary document non-inhabitants are required to possess for entry into and travel in Nagaland.
  • The entire exercise will be monitored by the Commissioner of Nagaland. In addition, the state government will designate nodal officers of the rank of a Secretary to the state government.
• Naga’s Concern:
  
  • Exclusion of Nagas:
    
    • If RIIN implemented the identification process with 1^st December, 1963 (the day Nagaland attained statehood) as the cut-off date for determining the permanent residents of the State, it is likely to exclude Nagas who have come from beyond the boundaries of Nagaland.
  • Loss of Property:
    
    • Naga tribes living in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh in India and in Myanmar have a legitimate claim to their ancestral homeland.
    • There are thousands of Nagas who have bought lands, built houses and settled down in Nagaland for several decades.
    • In the absence of records such as land pattas, house taxes paid or enrolment in electoral rolls prior to 1^st December, 1963 many procedural anomalies will crop up even within the so-called pure Nagas of Nagaland.
  • Can Be treated as Illegal:
    
    • The non-indigenous Nagas could be treated as “illegal immigrants” and their lands and property confiscated. The idea of the Nagas as a people to live together and their aspiration to live with self-determination will be irreparably damaged.

Nagas

• Nagas are a hill people who are estimated to number about 2. 5 million (1.8 million in Nagaland, 0.6 million in Manipur and 0.1 million in Arunachal states) and living in the remote and mountainous country between the Indian state of Assam and Burma.
  
  • There are also Naga groups in Myanmar.
• The Nagas are not a single tribe, but an ethnic community that comprises several tribes who live in the state of Nagaland and its neighbourhood.
• Nagas belong to the Indo-Mongoloid Family.
• There are nineteen major Naga tribes, namely, Aos, Angamis, Changs, Chakesang, Kabuis, Kacharis, Khain-Mangas, Konyaks, Kukis, Lothas (Lothas), Maos, Mikirs, Phoms, Rengmas, Sangtams, Semas, Tankhuls, Yamchumgar and Zeeliang.

Way Forward

• In an already volatile region where the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958 is routinely extended, it is best that Nagaland proceeds with caution in this enterprise. The RIIN should not ultimately become a vehicle to make outsiders of insiders.
• The NRC experiment in Assam witnessed extremely divisive political posturing. Other Northeastern states are sure to be watching with keen interest what is unfolding in Assam and Nagaland. Emotive political issues cannot be allowed to drive the compiling of a registry of citizens.

Source:TH

Decriminalising Begging

Why in News

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre and four States to file their response on a plea seeking a direction to repeal the provisions criminalising begging.

• It has been argued in the plea that a person, who is compelled to beg due to certain circumstances, cannot be faulted for his actions.
• Recently, the Ministry of Railways has also proposed to decriminalise begging on trains or railway premises.

Key Points

• Plea’s Argument For Decriminalising Begging:
  
  • Earlier Judgment On Decriminalisation: The Delhi High Court which had decriminalised begging in the national capital said provisions of the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959, which treats begging as an offence cannot sustain constitutional scrutiny.
  • Criminalising Begging Against Right To Life: The provisions of the statutes criminalising the act of begging put people in a situation to make an unreasonable choice between committing a crime or not committing one and starving, which goes against the very spirit of the Constitution and violates Article 21 i.e. Right to Life.
  • Government’s Obligation To Provide Social Security: The government is mandated to provide social security to everyone and ensure that all had basic facilities, as embedded in the Directives Principles of State Policy (DPSP) in the Constitution.
    
    • The presence of beggars is evidence that the state has failed to provide basic facilities to all its citizens.
    • So instead of working on its failure and examining what made people beg, criminalising the act of beggary is irrational and against the approach of a socialist nation as embedded in the preamble of Indian Constitution.
• Plea’s Suggestion:
  
  • Fast Forward Beggars Rehabilitation Legislation: The plea has claimed that the Abolition of Begging and Rehabilitation of Beggars Bill 2018 had been introduced in the Lok Sabha but till now, this bill is not passed and is wedged in length parliamentary procedures.
    
    • It has resulted in thousands of poor facing more hardships because of present arbitrary statutes.
    • The legislation process must be fast forwarded.
  • Declare Some Provision As Void : The petition has sought directions to declare as “illegal and void” all provisions, except some sections, of the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959, Punjab Prevention of Beggary Act, 1971, Haryana Prevention of Begging Act, 1971 and Bihar Prevention of Begging Act 1951.
  • It has also sought to declare all other similar Acts prevailing in any part of the country as illegal.
• Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959:
  
  • There is no central Act on beggary, many states and Union Territories have used the Bombay Act as the basis for their own laws.
  • The Act defines a “beggar” as anyone having no visible means of subsistence, and wandering about or remaining in any public place in such condition or manner, as makes it likely that the person doing so exists by soliciting or receiving alms.
  • “Begging” under the Act includes soliciting or receiving alms in a public place, whether or not under any pretence of singing, dancing, fortune-telling, performing or offering any article for sale.
  • The Act gives the police the power to arrest individuals without a warrant. It gives magistrates the power to commit them to a detention centre for up to three years on the commission of the first “offence”, and up to 10 years upon the second “offence”.
    
    • Before that, it strips them of their privacy and dignity by compelling them to allow themselves to be fingerprinted.
  • The Act also authorises the detention of the family of the beggar, and the separation of children over the age of five.
  • Certified institutions or detention centres have absolute power over detainees, including the power of punishment, and the power to exact “manual work”. Disobeying the rules of the institution can land an individual in jail.

Number of Beggars In India

• According to the Census 2011 total number of beggars in India is 4,13,670 (including 2,21,673 males and 1,91,997 females) and the number has increased from the last census.
• West Bengal tops the chart followed by Uttar Pradesh and Bihar at number two and three respectively. Lakshadweep merely has two vagrants according to the 2011 census.
• Among the union territories, New Delhi had the largest number of beggars 2,187 followed by 121 in Chandigarh.
• Among the northeastern states, Asam topped the chart with 22,116 beggars, while Mizoram ranked low with 53 beggars.

Way Forward

• The Centre made an attempt at repealing the Act through the Persons in Destitution (Protection, Care and Rehabilitation) Model Bill, 2016, with provisions including doing away with the Beggary Act and proposing rehabilitation centres for the destitute in each district.
  
  • Persons in Destitution Bill, 2016, needs to see the light of the day.
• Bihar government’s Mukhyamantri Bhikshavriti Nivaran Yojana is a scheme worth emulation.
  
  • The scheme, instead of detaining persons under the Act, provides for open homes and community outreach for destitute persons.
  • Now, rehabilitation centres have been set up, with facilities for treatment, family reintegration and vocational training.
• The very real problem of organised begging rackets will have to be addressed by other means, perhaps based on the law of trafficking.

Source:TH

Reducing Risk of Zoonosis in Food Production

Why in News

The World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health and the United Nations Environment Programme have laid down fresh guidelines for governments to reduce the risk of transmission of zoonotic pathogens to humans in food production and marketing chains.

• Covid-19 has brought new attention to this threat, given the magnitude of its consequences.

Key Points

• Zoonosis:
  
  • A zoonosis is an infectious disease that jumps from a non-human animal to humans.
  • Zoonotic pathogens may be bacterial, viral or parasitic.
  • They can spread to humans through direct contact or through food, water and the environment.
• Concern:
  
  • Animals, particularly wild animals, are the source of more than 70% of all emerging infectious diseases in humans, many of which are caused by novel viruses.
  • Most emerging infectious diseases – such as Lassa fever, Marburg hemorrhagic fever, Nipah viral infections and other viral diseases – have wildlife origins.
  • Significant problems can arise when traditional food markets allow the sale and slaughter of live animals, especially wild animals, which cannot be properly assessed for potential risks – in areas open to the public.
    
    • Such environments provide the opportunity for animal viruses, including coronaviruses, to amplify themselves and transmit to new hosts, including humans.
• WHO Guidelines:
  
  • Emergency regulations to suspend live wild animal sales in traditional food markets.
  • Conducting risk assessments for developing regulations to control the risks of transmission of zoonotic microorganisms from farmed wild animals and caught wild animals.
  • Ensuring that food inspectors are adequately trained to ensure that businesses comply with regulations to protect consumers’ health and are held accountable.
  • Strengthening surveillance systems for zoonotic pathogens.

Indian Scenario

• Zoonotic Diseases:
  
  • India is among the top geographical hotspots where zoonotic diseases are a major public health issue causing high burden of morbidity and mortality.
  • Major public health zoonotic diseases in India include Rabies, Brucellosis, Toxoplasmosis, Cysticercosis, Echinococcosis, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Plague, Leptospirosis, Scrub typhus, Nipah, Trypanosomiasis, Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF).
• Challenges:
  
  • Large human population and its frequent interactions with animals.
  • Poverty: Leads to increased dependence on animal rearing as a means of livelihood. The intimate human-animal contact puts them at risk for this category of diseases.
  • Unawareness: Large part of population remains unaware of the basic hygiene routine to be followed.
  • Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
  • Lack of proper vaccination programmes, poor sero-surveillance and lack of diagnostic facilities make the preventive and precautionary approach more difficult.
• Measures Taken:
  
  • Following Programmes have been launched under National Centre for Disease Control:
    
    • Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
    • National Programme for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance.
    • National Viral Hepatitis Surveillance Programme.
    • Strengthening Inter-sectoral coordination for prevention and control of Zoonotic Diseases of Public Health Importance.
    • National Rabies control programme.
    • Programme for prevention and control of Leptospirosis.
  • Further, experts have underscored the need for the One Health framework in the country. One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach linking human, animal, and environmental health.

Source: DTE

National Mission on Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem

Why in News

Scientists, with support from the National Mission on Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) Programme, have been able to disseminate available scientific information to the farmers to enable sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture in the Leh region.

• NMSHE is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).

Key Points

• About:
  
  • It was launched in 2010 but was formally approved by the government in 2014.
  • It is a multi-pronged, cross-cutting mission across various sectors.
  • It contributes to the sustainable development of the country by enhancing the understanding of climate change, its likely impacts and adaptation actions required for the Himalayas- a region on which a significant proportion of India’s population depends for sustenance.
• States Covered:
  
  • Eleven states: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam and West Bengal.
  • Two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
• Objective:
  
  • To facilitate formulation of appropriate policy measures and time-bound action programmes to sustain ecological resilience and ensure the continued provisions of key ecosystem services in the Himalayas.
  • To evolve suitable management and policy measures for sustaining and safeguarding the Himalayan ecosystem along with developing capacities at the national level to continuously assess its health status.
  • To address a variety of important issues, including studying the Himalayan glaciers and associated hydrological consequences and prediction and management of natural hazards.
• Himalayas:
  
  • About:
    
    • The Himalayas are the highest and the youngest fold mountain ranges of the world.
    • Their geological structure is young, weak and flexible since the Himalayan uplift is an ongoing process, making them one of the highest earthquake-prone regions of the world.
    • It separates India, along its north-central and northeastern frontier, from China (Tibet).
  • Area:
    
    • The Indian part of Himalayas covers an area about 5 lakh km² (about 16.2% of the country's total geographical area) and forms the northern boundary of the country.
    • The region is responsible for providing water to a large part of the Indian subcontinent. Many rivers considered holy like the Ganga and Yamuna flow from the Himalayas.
  • Ranges:
    • The Himalayas are a series of parallel mountain ranges extending along the North-West to the South-East direction (known as the Strike of the Himalayas). These ranges are separated by longitudinal valleys. They include,
      
      • Trans-Himalayas
      • The Greater Himalayas or Himadri
      • The Lesser Himalayas or Himachal
      • Shiwaliks or the Outer Himalayas
      • The Eastern Hills or Purvanchal

National Action Plan on Climate Change

• About:
  
  • It was launched in 2008 by the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change.
  • The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is the coordinating Ministry of NAPCC.
• Aim:
  
  • Creating awareness among the representatives of the public, different agencies of the government, scientists, industry and the communities on the threat posed by climate change and the steps to counter it.
• Missions:
  
  • There are 8 national missions forming the core of the NAPCC which represent multi-pronged, long term and integrated strategies for achieving key goals in climate change.
    • National Solar Mission: This initiative started in 2010 to promote the use of solar power.
    • National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency: The initiative was undertaken in 2009 to promote the market for energy efficiency by fostering innovative policies and effective market instruments.
    • National Mission on Sustainable Habitat: Approved in 2011, it aims to make cities sustainable through improvements in energy efficiency in buildings, management of solid waste and shift to public transport.
    • National Water Mission: The mission was put in place to ensure integrated water resource management helping to conserve water, minimize wastage and ensure more equitable distribution both across and within states.
    • National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem: It is aimed at protecting the Himalayas, it has mapped institutes and civil society organisations working on the Himalayan ecology for ease of coordination between governmental and non-governmental agencies.
    • National Mission for A Green India: It aims at protecting; restoring and enhancing India's diminishing forest cover and responding to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures. It was started in 2014.
    • National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: It has been formulated for enhancing agricultural productivity especially in rain-fed areas focusing on integrated farming, water use efficiency, soil health management and synergizing resource conservation. It was started in 2010.
    • National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change: It seeks to build a dynamic and vibrant knowledge system that informs and supports national policy and action for responding effectively to climate change challenges, while not compromising on the nation's growth goals.

Source:PIB

HGCO19: mRNA Vaccine Candidate

Why in News

India's mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine candidate-HGCO19 has received additional government funding for its clinical studies.

• This funding has been awarded under the 'Mission Covid Suraksha’.

Key Points

• HGCO19:
  
  • The novel mRNA vaccine candidate, HGCO19 has been developed by Pune-based biotechnology company Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. in collaboration with HDT Biotech Corporation, USA.
  • HGCO19 has already demonstrated safety, immunogenicity, neutralization antibody activity in the rodent and non-human primate models.
  • Gennova has initiated the enrolment of volunteers for Phase 1/2 clinical trials for its vaccine candidate HGCO19.
• mRNA Vaccine vs Traditional Vaccines:
  
  • Vaccines work by training the body to recognise and respond to the proteins produced by disease-causing organisms, such as a virus or bacteria.
  • Traditional vaccines are made up of small or inactivated doses of the whole disease-causing organism, or the proteins that it produces, which are introduced into the body to provoke the immune system into mounting a response.
  • mRNA vaccines tricks the body into producing some of the viral proteins itself.
    
    • They work by using mRNA, or messenger RNA, which is the molecule that essentially puts DNA instructions into action. Inside a cell, mRNA is used as a template to build a protein.
• Functioning of mRNA Vaccines:
  
  • To produce a mRNA vaccine, scientists produce a synthetic version of the mRNA that a virus uses to build its infectious proteins.
  • This mRNA is delivered into the human body, whose cells read it as instructions to build that viral protein, and therefore create some of the virus’s molecules themselves.
  • These proteins are solitary, so they do not assemble to form a virus.
  • The immune system then detects these viral proteins and starts to produce a defensive response to them.
• Advantages of Using mRNA based Vaccines:
  
  • mRNA vaccines are considered safe as mRNA is non-infectious, non-integrating in nature, and degraded by standard cellular mechanisms.
  • They are highly efficacious because of their inherent capability of being translatable into the protein structure inside the cell cytoplasm.
  • Additionally, mRNA vaccines are fully synthetic and do not require a host for growth, e.g., eggs or bacteria. Therefore, they can be quickly manufactured inexpensively to ensure their "availability" and "accessibility" for mass vaccination on a sustainable basis.

Mission Covid Suraksha

• Mission Covid Suraksha is India’s targeted effort to enable the development of indigenous, affordable and accessible vaccines for the country.
• The Centre had announced this package during the third economic stimulus.
• The Mission with its end-to-end focus from preclinical development through clinical development and manufacturing and regulatory facilitation for deployment consolidate all available and funded resources towards accelerated product development.
• It is led by the Department of Biotechnology and implemented by a dedicated Mission Implementation Unit at Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

BIRAC

• Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise.
• It has been set up by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) as an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower the emerging Biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and innovation, addressing nationally relevant product development needs.

SOURCE: PIB

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

Why in News

The Prime Minister of India commemorated 102 years of the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy that took the lives of hundreds of innocent Indians.

• Recently, on the occasion of 130^th Foundation Day of the National Archives of India, an exhibition “Jallianwala Bagh” was inaugurated, to mark the Jallianwala Bagh massacre centenary.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13^th April 1919 in Amritsar, Punjab.
  • The tragedy, also known as the Massacre of Amritsar exposed the inhuman approach of the British when the British troops under General Reginald Edward Dyer opened fire into an unarmed crowd.
• Preclude to the Event:
  
  • The massacre of April 1919 wasn't an isolated incident, rather an incident that happened with a multitude of factors working in the background.
  • During World War I (1914–18) the British government of India enacted a series of repressive emergency powers that were intended to combat subversive activities.
  • The Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919 popularly known as Rowlatt Act (Black Act) which was passed on 10^th March, 1919, authorized the government to imprison or confine, without a trial, any person associated with seditious activities which led to nationwide unrest.
  • On 13^th April 1919, a crowd of at least 10,000 men, women and children gathered in Jallianwala Bagh to request the release of Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satyapal.
    
    • The two prominent leaders who were a symbol of Hindu-muslim unity, organised a peaceful protest against the Rowlatt act. They were arrested and taken out of the city.
  • Brigadier-General Dyer on hearing about the meeting, deployed his troops and ordered them to open fire. The only exit to the park was sealed and indiscriminate firing took place killing hundreds of innocent civilians.
• Post Jallianwala Bagh Incident:
  
  • The shooting was followed by the proclamation of martial law in the Punjab that included public floggings and other humiliations. Indian outrage grew as news of the shooting and subsequent British actions spread throughout the subcontinent.
  • The Bengali poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore renounced the knighthood that he had received in 1915.
  • Mahatma Gandhi gave up the title of Kaiser-i-Hind, bestowed by the British for his work during the Boer War.
  • On October 14, 1919, the Disorders Inquiry Committee was formed to inquire about the massacre. It later came to be known as the Hunter Commission after the name of chairman, Lord William Hunter. It also had Indian members.
    
    • The Hunter Commission in 1920 censured Dyer for his actions and was directed to resign from his appointment as Brigade Commander.
  • The Indian National Congress appointed its own non-official committee that included Motilal Nehru, C.R. Das, Abbas Tyabji, M.R. Jayakar, and Gandhi to look into the shootings.
  • Gandhi soon began organizing his first large-scale and sustained nonviolent protest (satyagraha) campaign, the Non Cooperation Movement (1920–22) which proved a step in the direction of ending the British rule of India 25 years later.

Source: PIB

Indian Rhino Vision 2020

Why in News

The Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020) program has come to a close with the recent translocation of two rhinos to Manas National Park in Assam.

• It was the eighth round of rhino translocation under IRV2020.

Key Points

• About Indian Rhino Vision 2020:
  
  • Launched in 2005, Indian Rhino Vision 2020 was an ambitious effort to attain a wild population of at least 3,000 greater one-horned rhinos spread over seven protected areas in the Indian state of Assam by the year 2020.
  • Seven protected areas are Kaziranga, Pobitora, Orang National Park, Manas National Park, Laokhowa wildlife sanctuary, Burachapori wildlife sanctuary and Dibru Saikhowa wildlife sanctuary.
  • Wild-to-wild translocations were an essential part of IRV2020 – moving rhinos from densely populated parks like Kaziranga NP, to ones in need of more rhinos, like Manas NP.
  • It is a collaborative effort between various organisations, including the International Rhino Foundation, Assam’s Forest Department, Bodoland Territorial Council, World Wide Fund - India, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Performance of the Program:
  
  • Target of attaining a population of 3,000 rhinos almost achieved but the animal could be reintroduced in only one of the four protected areas planned.
    
    • The plan to spread the Greater one-horned rhino across four protected areas beyond Kaziranga National Park, Orang National Park and Pobitora could not materialise.
  • The translocated rhinos helped Manas National Park get back its World Heritage Site status in 2011.
  • 2018 and 2019 saw significant decreases in poaching, the results of forestry, local and national government officials coordinating efforts to combat wildlife crime across Assam.
• About Greater One-Horned Rhino:
  
  • There are three species of rhino in Asia — Greater one-horned (Rhinoceros unicornis), Javan and Sumatran.
  • Poaching for the horns and habitat loss are the two greatest threats to the survival of Asia's rhinos.
  • The five rhino range nations (India, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia) have signed a declaration ‘The New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019’ for the conservation and protection of the species.
  • Protection Status:
    
    • Javan and Sumatran Rhino are critically endangered and the Greater one-horned (or Indian) rhino is vulnerable under the IUCN Red List.
    • All three listed under Appendix I (CITES).
    • Greater one-horned rhino is listed under the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
  • Habitat of Greater One-Horned Rhino:
    
    • The species is restricted to small habitats in Indo-Nepal terai and northern West Bengal and Assam.
    • In India, rhinos are mainly found in Kaziranga NP, Pobitora WLS, Orang NP, Manas NP in Assam, Jaldapara NP and Gorumara NP in West Bengal and Dudhwa TR in Uttar Pradesh.

Source:TH

Traditional New Year Festivals

Why in News

The Vice President of India greeted the people on festivals ‘Chaitra Sukladi, Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Cheti Chand, Vaisakhi, Vishu, Puthandu, and Bohag Bihu’.​

• These festivals of the spring season mark the beginning of the traditional new year in India.

Key Points

• Chaitra Sukladi:
  
  • It marks the beginning of the new year of the Vikram Samvat also known as the Vedic [Hindu] calendar.
  • Vikram Samvat is based on the day when the emperor Vikramaditya defeated Sakas, invaded Ujjain and called for a new era.
  • Under his supervision, astronomers formed a new calendar based on the luni-solar system that is still followed in the northern regions of India.
  • It is the first day during the waxing phase (in which the visible side of moon is getting bigger every night) of the moon in the Chaitra (first month of Hindu calendar).
• Gudi Padwa and Ugadi:
  
  • These festivals are celebrated by the people in the Deccan region including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
  • The common practice in the celebrations of both the festivals is the festive food that is prepared with a mix of sweet and bitter.
  • A famous concoction served is jaggery (sweet) and neem (bitter), called bevu-bella in the South, signifying that life brings both happiness and sorrows.
  • Gudi is a doll prepared in Maharashtrian homes.
    
    • A bamboo stick is adorned with green or red brocade to make the gudi. This gudi is placed prominently in the house or outside a window/ door for all to see.
  • For Ugadi, doors in homes are adorned with mango leaf decorations called toranalu or Torana in Kannada.
• Cheti Chand:
  
  • Sindhis celebrate the new year as Cheti Chand. Chaitra month is called 'Chet' in Sindhi.
  • The day commemorates the birth anniversary of Uderolal/Jhulelal, the patron saint of Sindhis.
• Navreh:
  
  • It is the lunar new year that is celebrated in Kashmir.
    
    • It is the Sanskrit word ‘Nav-Varsha’ from where the word ‘Navreh’ has been derived.
  • It falls on the first day of the Chaitra Navratri.
  • On this day, Kashmiri pandits look at a bowl of rice which is considered as a symbol of riches and fertility.
• Vaishakhi:
  
  • It is also pronounced as Baisakhi, observed by Hindus and Sikhs.
  • It marks the beginning of Hindu Solar New year.
  • It commemorates the formation of Khalsa panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
  • Baisakhi was also the day when colonial British empire officials committed the Jallianwala Bagh massacre at a gathering, an event influential to the Indian movement against colonial rule.
• Vishu:
  
  • It is a Hindu festival celebrated in the Indian state of Kerala, Tulu Nadu region in Karnataka, Mahé district of Union Territory of Pondicherry, neighbouring areas of Tamil Nadu and their diaspora communities.
  • The festival marks the first day of Medam, the ninth month in the solar calendar followed in Kerala.
  • It therefore always falls in the middle of April in the Gregorian calendar on 14^th or 15^th April every year.
• Puthandu:
  
  • Also known as Puthuvarudam or Tamil New Year, is the first day of the year on the Tamil calendar and traditionally celebrated as a festival.
  • The festival date is set with the solar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, as the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai.
  • It therefore falls on or about 14^th April every year on the Gregorian calendar.
• Bohag Bihu:
  
  • Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu also called Xaat Bihu (seven Bihus) is a traditional aboriginal ethnic festival celebrated in the state of Assam and other parts of northeastern India by the indigenous ethnic groups of Assam.
  • It marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year.
  • It usually falls in the 2^nd week of April, historically signifying the time of harvest.

Source:PIB

India Energy Dashboards Version 2.0

Why in News

Recently, the government think tank NITI Aayog has launched India Energy Dashboards (IED) Version 2.0.

• NITI Aayog launched the Version 1.0 in May 2017.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • India Energy Dashboards (IED) is an endeavour to provide single-window access to the energy data for the country.
    
    • It is an initial step towards building a comprehensive, open, and freely accessible energy data portal for India.
  • Energy data published/provided by Central Electricity Authority, Coal Controller’s Organisation, and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is compiled in the Dashboards.
  • The IED Provides time series data from FY 2005-06 until FY 2019-20.
  • IED provides data at sub-yearly frequencies as well. This includes monthly data and API (Application Programming Interface) linked data from some portals maintained by the government agencies.
  • API linked data from Saubhagya, UJALA, PRAAPTI, and Vidyut PRAVAH has been incorporated in the dashboards.

Saubhagya Scheme

• Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – ‘Saubhagya’ was launched in September, 2017 with a target to electrify all households by December 2018.
• All the states had declared on Saubhagya portal that all the willing un-electrified households had been electrified as on 31^st March 2019, except 18,734 households in LWE (left wing extremist) affected areas of Chhattisgarh.

UJALA Scheme

• UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All) is a zero-subsidy scheme launched by the Government in 2015.
• It is touted as the world’s largest domestic lighting project.
• Every domestic household having a metered connection from their respective Electricity Distribution Company is eligible to get the LED bulbs under the Scheme.

PRAAPTI

• It is a web portal launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Power.
• ‘PRAAPTI’ stands for Payment Ratification and Analysis in Power Procurement for bringing transparency in invoicing of generators.
• The power distribution companies are able to clear the invoices and reply to claims raised by the generators on this portal.

Vidyut PRAVAH

• The Mobile/Web App provides real-time information of current demand met, shortages if any, surplus power available and the prices in Power Exchange.

Source: PIB

e-SANTA

Why in News

Recently the Union Commerce and Industry Minister has inaugurated an electronic platform named e-SANTA, which will connect aqua farmers and the buyers.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • The term e-SANTA was coined for the web portal, meaning Electronic Solution for Augmenting NaCSA farmers' Trade in Aquaculture.
  • e-SANTA is a digital bridge to end the market divide and will act as an alternative marketing tool between farmers & buyers by eliminating middlemen.
  • The farmers can freely list their produce and quote their price while the exporters have the freedom to list their requirements and also to choose the products based on their requirements such as desired size, location, harvest dates etc.
  • The Platform is available in many languages, which will help the local population.
• Significance:
  
  • e-SANTA will RAISE income, lifestyle, self-reliance, quality levels, traceability, and provide new options for aqua farmers by:
    
    • Reducing Risk
    • Awareness of Products & Markets
    • Increase in Income
    • Shielding Against Wrong Practice
    • Ease of Processes
  • It will enable the farmers and buyers to have greater control over the trade and enables them to make informed decisions.
  • It will provide a cashless, contactless and paperless electronic trade platform between farmers and exporters.
  • e-SANTA can become a tool to advertise collectively the kind of products the buyers, fishermen & fish producing organisations are harvesting.
  • It will help people in India & internationally to know about the products availability and has the potential of becoming an auction platform in future.

National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture

• National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA) is an extension arm of Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Ministry of Commerce & Industry Govt. of India.
• The objectives of NaCSA are to encourage and uplift the small and marginal farmers through organization of clusters and maintaining Best Management Practices in shrimp culture.
• The primary advantage of cluster approach to shrimp farming is that it contributes to substantial reduction in cost of production.
• It also enables participating farmers to organize:
  
  • The schedule of farm operations,
  • Quality seed procurement,
  • Simultaneous stocking,
  • Water exchange
  • Harvesting regimes

Source: PIB