Daily Prelims Notes 12 September 2020
- September 12, 2020
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN
Table Of Contents
- Arya Samaj
- Bonded Labour
- Late monsoon withdrawal
- India slips on global economic freedom index
- Eat Right movement
- Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework
1. Arya Samaj
Subject: History
Context :
Social activist and AryaSamaj leader Swami Agnivesh passed away at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in New Delhi.
Concept:
- The AryaSamaj Movement, revivalist in form though not in content, was the result of a reaction to Western influences.
- Its founder, DayanandaSaraswati or Mulshankar (1824-1883) was born in the old Morvi state in Gujarat in a brahmin family.
- The first AryaSamaj unit was formally set up by him at Bombay in 1875 and later the headquarters of the Samaj were established at Lahore.
- Dayananda’s views were published in his famous work, SatyarthPrakash (The True Exposition). His vision of India included a classless and casteless society, a united India (religiously, socially and nationally), and an India free from foreign rule, with Aryan religion being the common religion of all.
- He took inspiration from the Vedas and considered them to be ‘India’s Rock of Ages’, the infallible and the true original seed of Hinduism. He gave the slogan “Back to the Vedas”.
- Dayananda launched a frontal attack on Hindu orthodoxy, caste rigidities, untouchability, idolatry, polytheism, belief in magic, charms and animal sacrifices, taboo on sea voyages, feeding the dead through shraddhas, etc.
- Dayanandasubscribed to the Vedic notion of chaturvarna system in which a person was not born in any caste but was identified as a brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya or shudra according to the occupation the person followed.
- The AryaSamaj fixed the minimum marriageable age at twenty-five years for boys and sixteen years for girls.
- Intercaste marriages and widow remarriages were also encouraged. Equal status for women was the demand of the Samaj, both in letter and in spirit.
- The Samaj also helped the people in crises like floods, famines and earthquakes. It attempted to give a new direction to education. The nucleus for this movement was provided by the Dayananda Anglo-Vedic (D.A.V.) schools, established first at Lahore in 1886, which sought to emphasise the importance of Western education.
- It should be clearly understood that Dayananda’s slogan of ‘Back to the Vedas’ was a call for a revival of Vedic learning and Vedic purity of religion and not a revival of Vedic times. He accepted modernity and displayed a patriotic attitude to national problems.
Subject: Polity
Context :
Swami Agnivesh was widely known for his campaign against bonded labour through his foundation BandhuaMuktiMorcha (Bonded Labor Liberation Front).
Concept:
- Bonded labour in India is defined as a system of forced labour caused by a debt or by social custom or obligation, under which a debtor loses freedom of movement, and/or freedom to look for alternative employment, and /or is subjected to a reduction in wages and/or to product prices less than the minimum or market rates
- Article 23 deals with bonded labour
- Traffic in human beings and begar and other similar forms of forced labour are prohibited and any contravention of this provision shall be an offence punishable in accordance with law.
- Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from imposing compulsory service for public purposes, and in imposing such service the State shall not make any discrimination on grounds only of religion, race, caste or class or any of them
Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976
- Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 is implemented by the concerned State Govts./UTs. Itprovides for an institutional mechanism at the district level in the form of Vigilance Committees.
- For the purpose of implementing the provisions of this Act, the State Governments/UTs may confer, on an Executive Magistrate, the powers of a Judicial Magistrate of the first class or second class for trial of offences under this Act.
- Government of India has introduced a revamped Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers- 2016, under which financial assistance are provided to released bonded labourers based on their category and level of exploitation along with other non-cash assistance for their livelihood.
Subject: Geography
Context :
Late monsoon withdrawal in India due to La Niña
Concept:
- Withdrawal or the retreat of the monsoon is a more gradual process.
- The withdrawal of the monsoon begins in northwestern states of India by early September. By mid-October, it withdraws completely from the northern half of the peninsula.
- The withdrawal from the southern half of the peninsula is fairly rapid.
- By early December, the monsoon has withdrawn from the rest of the country.
- The withdrawal, takes place progressively from north to south from the first week of December to the first week of January. By this time the rest of the country is already under the influence of the winter monsoon.
- The months of October and November are known for retreating monsoons. By the end of September, the southwest monsoon becomes weak as the low pressure trough of the Ganga plain starts moving southward in response to the southward march of the sun.
- The monsoon retreats from the western Rajasthan by the first week of September. It withdraws from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Western Ganga plain and the Central Highlands by the end of the month.
- The retreating southwest monsoon season is marked by clear skies and rise in temperature. The land is still moist.
- Owing to the conditions of high temperature and humidity, the weather becomes rather oppressive. This is commonly known as the ‘October heat’.
- In the second half of October, the mercury begins to fall rapidly, particularly in northern India. The weather in the retreating monsoon is dry in north India but it is associated with rain in the eastern part of the Peninsula.
- By the beginning of October, the low pressure covers northern parts of the Bay of Bengal and by early November, it moves over Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
4. India slips on global economic freedom index
Subject: IR
Context :
India slips 26 places to 105 in global economic freedom index
Concept:
- According to the Economic Freedom of the World: 2020 report released by the Fraser Institute in Canada, India slipped 26 places to 105 among 162 countries and territories on the index of global economic freedom.
- The country ranked 79th in the previous edition of this report, which measures the ‘economic freedom’, or the ability of individuals to make their own economic decisions in a country, by analysing policies and institutions of these countries.
- It does so by looking at indicators like regulation, the freedom to trade internationally, size of government, property rights, government spending and taxation.
- India performed worse in terms of size of government, regulations and the freedom to trade internationally.
Subject: Government initiatives
Context :
Two Indian initiatives have found places amongst the ten best global initiatives selected by the Rockefeller Foundation for its Food Systems Vision Prize 2050: Naandi Foundation’s work with tribal communities in Araku in South India and other is ‘Eat Right India’.
Concept:
- FSSAI has embarked on a large-scale effort to transform the country’s food system in order to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food for all Indians through the ‘Eat Right India’ movement.
- The tagline ‘ BehtarJeevan’, thus, forms the foundation of this movement.
- Eat Right India adopts a judicious mix of regulatory, capacity building, collaborative and empowerment approaches to ensure that our food is good both for the people and the planet.
- Further, it builds on the collective action of all stakeholders – the government, food businesses, civil society organizations, experts and professionals, development agencies and citizens at large.
- Eat Right India adopts an integrative or ‘whole of the government’ approach since the movement brings together food-related mandates of the agriculture, health, environment and other ministries.
- Furthermore, since foodborne illnesses and various diet-related diseases cut across all age groups and all sections of the society it also adopts a ‘whole of society’ approach, bringing all stakeholders together on a common platform.
- Eat Right India is aligned to the National Health Policy 2017 with its focus on preventive and promotive healthcare and flagship programmes like Ayushman Bharat, POSHAN Abhiyaan, Anemia Mukt Bharat and Swacch Bharat Mission.
6. Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework
Subject: Environment
Context:
Government has launched Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF 2.0) and Streets for People Challenge
Concept:
Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework
- The objective of CSCAF is to provide a clear roadmap for cities towards combating Climate Change while planning and implementing their actions, including investments.
- In the last decade, an increasing frequency of cyclones, floods, heat waves, water scarcity and drought-like conditions have had adverse impacts on many of our cities.
- Such extreme events and risks cause loss of life as well as impact the economic growth.
- In this context, CSCAF initiative intends to inculcate a climate-sensitive approach to urban planning and development in India.
- The framework has 28 indicators across five categories namely; (i) Energy and Green Buildings, (ii) Urban Planning, Green Cover & Biodiversity, (iii) Mobility and Air Quality, (iv) Water Management and (v) Waste Management.
- The Climate Centre for Cities under National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) is supporting MoHUA in implementation of CSCAF.
The Streets for People Challenge
- It is the response to the need for making our cities more walkable and pedestrian friendly.
- The Challenge builds on the advisory issued by MoHUA for the holistic planning for pedestrian-friendly market spaces, earlier this year.
- It aims to inspire cities to create walking-friendly and vibrant streets through quick, innovative, and low-cost measures.
- Fit India Mission, under Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, along with the India program of the Institute for Transport Development and Policy (ITDP) have partnered with the Smart Cities Mission to support the challenge.