• 02 Feb 2024

Uttar Pradesh Gets Fourth Consecutive Acting DGP

Why in News?

Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government appointed director-general (law and order) Prashant Kumar as the acting state police chief.

Key Points

• Prashant Kumar is a 1990 batch Indian Police Service officer with over three decades of experience at various important posts including Additional director general of police of law and order and Meerut Zone.
• He will also hold the posts of DG (law and order) and DG (economic offences wing). He is likely to continue as acting DGP till his superannuation in May 2025, if not removed by the state government due to any reason.
• He was considered as the main person behind implementing the state government’s zero tolerance policy against crime and mafia.

Uttarakhand Set to Exempt Tribals from UCC

Why in News?

The proposed Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code to be introduced in the state assembly is set to exempt the state’s tribal population fully from its provisions.

Key Points

• Tribals constitute about 2.9% of Uttarakhand's population with the Jaunsari, Bhotiyas, Tharu, Raji and Buksa among the prominent ones.
  • Polyandry and polygamy are also prevalent customs among a few tribes in thehill state.
• The Uttarakhand UCC committee had also held talks with these tribal communities on a uniform code.
  • The younger tribal population had also given feedback that while polyandry/polygamy and other practices were in vogue in earlier generations, they are hardly in practice now and hence the reform was welcomed.
  • However, tribal and ethnic communities across states, especially the northeast, have openly expressed their opposition to the imposition of any civil code that could impact their customs and age-old ways of life.
• Halala, Iddat and Khula options on divorce and remarriage for Muslims will be illegal under the new code which will call for divorce and remarriage only by way of legal proceedings in courts of law.
• The state's code will mandate compulsory registration of live-in relationships and seek full succession rights for children born out of such unions.

Tribes of Uttarakhand

• Tribes of Uttarakhand mainly comprise five major groups namely Jaunsari tribe, Tharu tribe, Raji tribe, Buksa tribe, and Bhutia.
• The main concentration of the tribal population is in rural areas.
  • As per records, around 94.50% of the total tribal population resides in rural areas and the remaining percentage of the tribal population lives in urban centres.
• In terms of population, the Tharu tribe is the largest tribal group in the state.
• Every district of Uttarakhand has more or less a moderate percentage of the tribal population.
• These tribes of Uttarakhand have been scheduled in the Constitution of India.

Uttarakhand Receive Fresh Snowfall

Why in News?

Recently, Uttarakhand received its first snowfall of the season along with Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh.

Key Points

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier predicted heavy rain and snowfall in the mountainous regions of the three states in the coming days due to a western disturbance.

India Meteorological Department (IMD)

• It was established in 1875. It is the National Meteorological Service of the country and the principal government agency in all matters relating to meteorology and allied subjects.
  • It works as an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India.
• It is headquartered in New Delhi.
• IMD is also one of the six Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres of the World Meteorological Organization.

Western Disturbances

• Western disturbances are storms that originate in the Caspian or Mediterranean Sea, and bring non-monsoonal rainfall to northwest India, according to the IMD.
• They are labelled as an extra-tropical storm originating in the Mediterranean, is an area of low pressure that brings sudden showers, snow and fog in northwest India.
• The meaning of WD lies in its name.
  • The disturbance travels from the “western” to the eastern direction.
  • These travel eastwards on high-altitude westerly jet streams - massive ribbons of fast winds traversing the earth from west to east.
• Disturbance means an area of “disturbed” or reduced air pressure.
  • Equilibrium exists in nature due to which the air in a region tries to normalise its pressure.
• In the term “extra-tropical storm”, storm refers to low pressure. “Extra-tropical" means outside the tropics. As the WD originates outside the tropical region, the word “extra-tropical” has been associated with them.

Haryana Regularise 264 Unauthorised Colonies

Why in News?

Recently, Haryana Chief Minister regularised 264 unauthorised colonies spread across 17 districts.

Key Points

• While 91 colonies regularised are under the town and country planning department, 173 colonies fall under the jurisdiction of urban local department.
• According to the CM, the state government has so far regularised 2,101 unauthorised colonies, a step towards comprehensive urban development and community welfare.
• Basic amenities including roads, sewerage, water supply, and street lights etc will be extended to residents in these colonies as part of the regularisation process.
• To facilitate the development of these colonies, the government has granted administrative approval of ₹438 crore, with an initial disbursement of ₹54 crore to kick start the developmental activities within the colonies.

Mission Karmayogi Haryana

Why in News?

Recently, the Haryana Government has launched 'Mission Karmayogi Haryana,' a pioneering initiative aimed at training all three lakh government employees to foster greater citizen-centricity and ethical outlook in their roles.

Key Points

• As part of this ambitious program, Ethics Conclaves ('Naitikata Shivirs') will be held at Karnal and Panchkula on 31st January and 6th February, 2024 respectively.
• These sessions, designed to be a special platform for the Karmayogi Haryana Project, target all IAS/IPS/IFS/Other Services/HCS Officers of the State Government.
  • The Naitikata Shivirs will emphasize the significance of workplace ethics, integrity, and cultivating a culture of making the right decisions in the face of challenges, temptations, and adversity. Eminent dignitaries and experts have been invited to share insights and showcase practical examples.
• A comprehensive overview of the Karmayogi Modules will be presented, providing participants with a bird's eye view of the training program.

Mission Karmayogi

• It is meant to be a comprehensive post-recruitment reform of the Centre’s human resource development. Similar to pre-recruitment changes in the form of the National Recruitment Agency.
• It is aimed at building a future-ready civil service with the right attitude, skills and knowledge, aligned to the vision of New India.
• It aims to prepare Indian civil servants for the future by making them more creative, constructive, imaginative, proactive, innovative, progressive, professional, energetic, transparent, and technology-enabled.
• Comprehensive reform of the capacity building apparatus at the individual, institutional and process levels for efficient public service delivery.