State PCS

• 24 Jun 2024

Fake Indian Currency Seized in Chhattisgarh

Why in News?

Recently, Security forces found a large stash of Counterfeit Indian currency belonging to Naxalites and equipment for printing them in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.

Key Points

• The police claim that Naxalites have been using fake currency notes in the weekly markets of remote areas in Bastar region for a while, deceiving innocent tribal people.
  • During a site search, security personnel found fake currency in denominations of Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 200, and Rs 500 along with a colored printing machine, a black and white printer, an inverter machine, 200 bottles of ink, four printer cartridges, nine printer rollers, and six wireless sets with chargers and batteries.
• Personnel belonging to the Central Reserve Police Force's 50th battalion, District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters and district force were involved in the operation.

Counterfeit Money

• Counterfeiting, manufacture of false money for gain, a kind of forgery in that something is copied so as to defraud by passing it for the original or genuine article.
• Because of the value conferred on money and the high level of technical skill required to imitate it, counterfeiting is singled out from other acts of forgery and is treated as a separate crime under section 489A of the Indian Penal Code.
• Counterfeiting is the oldest technique used by fraudsters to cheat unsuspecting individuals of their money.

Central Reserve Police Force

• Originally constituted as the Crown Representative Police in 1939, it is one of the oldest Central paramilitary forces.
• After Independence, with the enactment of the CRPF Act on December 28, 1949, it transformed into the Central Reserve Police Force.
• It is one of the premier Central Armed Police Forces of India (under the Ministry of Home Affairs) for internal security.

District Reserve Guard (DRG)

• The District Reserve Guard (DRG) is a specialized police unit in Chhattisgarh, established in 2008 to combat Maoist violence.
• It consists of specially trained personnel operating in affected districts, conducting anti-Maoist operations, search and seizure, and gathering intelligence.
• The DRG collaborates with other security forces, like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), to counter the Maoist insurgency.

Increase in Income Limit of OBC

Why in News?

Recently, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced an increase in annual income limit for creamy layer of Other Backward Classes (OBC) from ₹6 lakh to ₹8 lakh.

Key Points

• The primary goal is to safeguard the welfare of the OBC community in Haryana and provide substantial benefits to the youth in government jobs.
• The chief minister stated that the reservation quota for backward classes in Group-A and Group-B positions, presently at 15%, will be raised to 27%, aligning with the policy of the Central government.

Reservation in India

• In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 340 of the Constitution, the President appointed a backward class commission in December 1978 under the chairmanship of B. P. Mandal.
• The commission was formed to determine the criteria for defining India’s “socially and educationally backward classes” and to recommend steps to be taken for the advancement of those classes.
• The Mandal Commission concluded that India’s population consisted of approximately 52 percent OBCs, therefore 27% government jobs should be reserved for them.
• The commission has developed eleven indicators of social, educational, and economic backwardness.
• Apart from identifying backward classes among Hindus, the Commission has also identified backward classes among non-Hindus (e.g., Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Buddhists.
• It has generated an all-India other backward classes (OBC) list of 3,743 castes and a more underprivileged “depressed backward classes” list of 2,108 castes.

Gohana: 23rd District of Haryana

Why in News?

Addressing a gathering in Gohana on the occasion of 626^th birth anniversary of saint Kabir Das, the Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini announced that Gohana in Sonepat is set to be announced as the 23rd district of Haryana.

Key Points

• A committee has been formed to form new districts in the state and it will submit its report within three months. After which Gohana will be declared as a new district of the state.
• During the gathering the chief minister announced:
  • The construction of a chowk named after Saint Kabir in Gohana.
  • Allocation of ₹31 lakh to Gohana Dhanak shiksha sabha for the construction of a library and langar hall.
  • Immediate initiation of the construction of a bypass on the Rohtak-Jind road as soon as the required land is available.
  • Completion of the backlog in government jobs.
• The CM also informed that the Haryana Antyodaya Parivar Parivahan Yojana (HAPPY) has been introduced, which offers free travel up to 1000 km annually in Haryana State Transport buses to 84 lakh individuals from 23 lakh families with incomes below ₹1 lakh.
  • Under the Chirayu yojana, the government is providing free medical treatment up to ₹5 lakh per year to economically disadvantaged individuals at government and private hospitals.
  • The state government has also initiated the Mahapurush Samman Prachar Prasar Yojana to promote the teachings of great personalities among the masses.

Sant Kabir Das

• He was born in the city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. He was a 15^th century mystic poet, saint and social reformer and a proponent of the Bhakti Movement.
  • Kabir's legacy is still going on through a sect known as Panth of Kabir, a religious community that considers him as the founder.
• His early life was in a Muslim family, but he was strongly influenced by his teacher, the Hindu bhakti leader Ramananda.
• Kabir Das' writings had a great influence on the Bhakti movement and includes titles like Kabir Granthawali, Anurag Sagar, Bijak, and Sakhi Granth.
  • His verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib.
  • The major part of his work was collected by the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev.
  • He was best known for his two-line couplets, known as 'Kabir Ke Dohe'.
• Kabir's works were written in the Hindi language which was easy to comprehend. He used to write in couplets to enlighten people.

Uttarakhand High Court Issued Contempt Notice

Why in News?

Recently, The Uttarakhand high court has issued a contempt notice to the director of school education for not following its orders to provide a higher pay scale to lecturers and assistant teachers with 10 years of service.

Key Points

• According to a previous order, the High Court had instructed that lecturers and assistant teachers should receive extra increments along with selection and promotion pay scales.
  • The government is still deliberating on the issue and has not reached a final decision.
• The lecturers who were appointed in 2011 argued that they should receive an extra increment and selection pay scale as per the Uttarakhand Government Servant Pay Rules, 2016, after completing ten years of service.
  • The government did grant the selection pay scale after a decade but did not provide the additional increment as expected.

Contempt of Court

• About:
  • Contempt of court seeks to protect judicial institutions from motivated attacks and unwarranted criticism, and as a legal mechanism to punish those who lower its authority.
• Statutory Basis:
  • When the Constitution was adopted, contempt of court was made one of the restrictions on freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 (2) of the Constitution of India.
  • Separately, Article 129 of the Constitution conferred on the Supreme Court the power to punish contempt of itself. Article 215 conferred a corresponding power on the High Courts.
  • The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, gives statutory backing to the idea.
• Kinds of Contempt of Court:
  • Civil Contempt: It is the wilful disobedience to any judgment, decree, direction, order, writ or other process of a court or wilful breach of an undertaking given to a court.
  • Criminal Contempt: It is the publication of any matter or the doing of any other act which scandalises or lowers the authority of any court, or interferes with the due course of any judicial proceeding, or obstructs the administration of justice in any other manner.
• Punishment:
  • The Contempt of Court Act of 1971 punishes the guilty with imprisonment that may extend to six months or fine of Rs 2,000 or both.
    • It was amended in 2006 to include “truth and good faith” as a defence.
    • It was added that the court may impose punishments only if the act of the other person substantially interferes, or tends to interfere with the due course of justice.

Amendment in Uttarakhand Tourism Policy

Why in News?

Recently, The Uttarakhand cabinet approved an amendment in the state’s 2018 tourism policy, specifying the period during which different industries will get State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) compensations.

Key Points

• According to the amendment, A, B and B+ category industries in Uttarakhand will get 100% SGST compensation for five years, after which they will get it at the rate of 90, 75 and 75% respectively for the next five years.
  • Large, mega and ultra-mega projects will get an SGST compensation of 30 and 50% respectively for 10 years.
• The Uttarakhand Tourism Policy 2018 aimed to establish a single-window clearance system for investors in the sector.
  • However, the period for providing SGST compensation to various industries in the state was not specified.
• The state cabinet also decided to:
  • Extend the service period of specialist doctors till they attain the age of 65 years.
  • Introduce a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority Bill, 2024 in the state Assembly for the development, operation and maintenance of the urban transport system.
  • Amend the cooperative committee rules, reserving 33% posts in its management committees for women.
  • Relocate the families living around the Mahasu Devta temple.

Mahasu Devta Temple

• It is located on the Tyuni-Mori road at Hanol, Dehradun district, Uttarakhand and was built in the 9^th century.
• The temple is dedicated to Mahasu Devta. It was constructed in the Kath-Kuni or Koti-Banal style of architecture.
• It is included in the Archaeological Survey of India's list of the ancient temples in the Dehradun circle, Uttarakhand.

Bridge Collapse in Bihar

Why in News?

Recently, an under-construction bridge in Bihar's East Champaran district collapsed, making it the third such incident in the state in a week.

Key Points

• The 16-meter-long bridge, over a canal in the Ghorasahan block, was being built by the Rural Works Department (RWD) at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore.
  • According to the officials, a departmental inquiry has been initiated as a serious issue has arisen, and severe measures will be enforced against the individuals responsible.
  • This incident follows two similar occurrences in the state in Siwan and Araria district.