Daily Prelims Notes 3 January 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

3 January 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Indian Rhinoceros
2. MHA panel to explore ways to protect Ladakh culture and language
3. Government proposes policy on online gaming and ban on online betting ads on social media platform
4. Demonetisation decision gets Supreme Court Seal
5. Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs)
6. Unemployment
7. State Control over Hindu Temples
8. Parasnath Parvat
9. NCST Concerns Over Forest (Conservation) Rules 2022
10. Swami Dayanand Saraswati
11. Wall of Peace Mural thrown open in Kerala
12. The second National Chief Secretaries Conference will be held in Delhi between January 5-7
13. States may push for debate on central schemes and cesses

1. Indian Rhinoceros

Subject: Environment

Context:

• Assam Chief Minister has recently announced that no rhinos were poached in the state in 2022.

More about Indian Rhinoceros

• The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is found only in the Brahmaputra valley, parts of North Bengal, and parts of southern Nepal.
• It has a single black horn that can grow up to 60 cm, and a tough, grey-brown hide with skin folds, which gives the animal its characteristic armour-plated look.
• The Indian rhino is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, it was earlier placed in the endangered category.
• It is listed as a Schedule I animal in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• According to the WWF, there are around 3,700 Indian rhinos in the wild today. Assam’s Kaziranga National Park alone has 2,613 animals, according to a census carried out in March 2022. There are more than 250 other rhinos in the Orang, Pobitora, and Manas parks.

Why are Rhinos poached 

• Rhinos have been poached for their horn, which is prized in some cultures.
• Ground rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure a range of ailments, from cancer to hangovers, and also as an aphrodisiac.
• In Vietnam, possessing a rhino horn is considered a status symbol

What are the Conservation Efforts by India:

• The Ministry of Environment and Forests has launched a National Conservation Strategy for Indian One-Horned Rhino.
• Moreover, the Assam government constituted a Special Rhino Protection Force to keep a check on rhino poaching and related activities at Kaziranga National Park (KNP).
• India, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia in order to conserve and protect the rhinos signed the New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019.
• Through unique programmes like Indian Rhino Vision 2020 the government partnered with international, national and local organizations for the conservation of the rhinos.

2. MHA panel to explore ways to protect Ladakh culture and language

Subject: Art and Culture

Context:

• Recently, The Ministry of Home Affairs had formed a high-powered committee to discuss measures to protect Ladakh’s unique culture and language.

More about the news:

• The committee will be headed by Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai.
• The 17-member committee will include Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur, MP for the region, JT Namgyal, Chairmen of the autonomous hill councils of Leh and Kargil and Joint Secretary JK and Ladakh Affairs, MHA among others.
• As per the order, the committee has been set up to discuss measures to protect the region’s unique culture and language taking into consideration its geographical location and its strategic importance.
• The committee will also discuss measures to ensure protection of land and employment for the people of Ladakh and will also discuss measures for inclusive development and employment generation in the region empowerment of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Leh and Kargil.

More about Ladakh:

• Ladakh is the northmost part of India and shares a border with Tibet to the east, the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to the south, and Gilgit-Baltistan to the west.
• It extends from the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram range in the north to the Great Himalayas to the south.
•  It is the only cold desert in India.
• Language:The Ladakhi language is a Tibetic language spoken in Ladakh, which is also called Bhoti or Bodhi.
• Costume :  The men in Ladakh wear a long woolen robe which is known as Goucha in their local language whereas Women wear a similar kind of robe which is called Kuntop & Bok. Perak is a long hat, which is also worn by both men & women in Ladakh.
• Music: The traditional music of Ladakh includes instruments like linyu (flute), damnyan (stringed instrument) pivang, khakong, (sitar) daph (dafli) daman, surna, and piwang (shehnai and drum).
• Dance:The popular dances in Ladakh include the Khatok Chenmo which is headed by a respectable family member, Shondol .Some other dance forms include Kompa Tsum-tsak Jabro Chaams: Chabs-Skyan Tses Raldi Tses and Alley Yaato.. One of the most famous dance forms in Ladakh is Chham, or the mask dances, which often signify the victory of good over evil.
• Cuisine:Most of the dishes in Ladakh are prepared from the local produce which consists of pumpkins, beans, potatoes, beetroot & barley. Rice mutton & chicken dishes are also prepared along with yak meat, but this is mostly limited to the winter season.The influence of Tibetan culture is also visible in the most famous dishes of Ladakh, which are thenthuk, skyu, momo and thukpa.Gur gur cha and cha ngarmo are also widely enjoyed by the people, as is the local alcohol called chhang.
•  Fairs & Festivals:Ladakh has several festivals throughout the year, including Hemis Tsechu and Losar.Some of the famous festivals of Ladakh are:
  • Hemis Festival – Hemis Monastery has an annual festival named after it.
  • Losar – Losar, also known as Tibetan New Year, is a festival in Tibetan Buddhism.
  • Phyang Tsedup Festival – This festival is celebrated every fifth month of the Tibetan lunar calendar.
  • Sindhu Darshan Festival – It is held on every Guru Purnima on the banks of the Indus river.
  • Dosmoche – It is celebrated every 12th month of the Tibetan calendar every year.
  • Saka Dawa Festival.
  • Tak – Tok Festival – It is one of the major festivals of Ladakh. It is celebrated at cave Gompa of Tak- Tok.
  • Matho Nagrang Festival.
• Cultural centers:Buddhist monasteries are often situated on an isolated hillock in the vicinity of villages. These monasteries provide the focus for the faith of the religious Buddhist people.Some monasteries and cultural centers of Ladakh are:
  • Thikse Monastery
  • Lamayuru Monastery
  • Hemis Monastery
  • Stok Monastery
  • Leh Palace
  • Chemrey Monastery
  • Shey Monastery
  • Diskit Monastery
• Arts & Crafts:Ladakh has its fair share of arts & crafts. Pattu, which is a rough clothing material is made from wool which is locally produced by women on drop spindles & woven by weavers on portable looms
• Social Structure : Women enjoy a particularly high status in Ladakh, compared to the other parts of India. A popular custom known as khang-bu, or little house, is practiced, whereby the elders of a family, as soon as the eldest son has married, withdraw from everyday participation in household affairs.

3. Government proposes policy on online gaming and ban on online betting ads on social media platform

Subject: Polity 

Context:

• Recently, the Central government has proposed amendments to ‘The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, to regulate online gaming sector in India.

More about the news:

• The proposal aimed at safeguarding users against potential harm from skill-based games.
• Around 40 to 45 percent of the gamers in India are women, and therefore it was all the more important to keep the gaming ecosystem safe.
• To regulate online gaming platforms as intermediaries online gaming firms will be required to undertake additional due diligence, including:
  • KYC of users
  • Transparent withdrawal and refund of money
  • A fair distribution of winnings
• Moreover, online games will have to register with a self-regulatory body, and only games that are cleared by the body will be allowed to legally operate in India.
• The gaming firms will be required to follow norms that are laid down for entities regulated by the Reserve Bank of India.
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology would be the nodal ministry to regulate online gaming, except for the e-sports category on which the Department of Sports can take the lead.
• Certain other aspects of online gaming such as advertisements, code of ethics relating to content classifications, etc. could be regulated by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
• The Consumer Affairs Ministry can regulate the sector for unfair trade practices.
• There will be a Self-Regulatory body which will have a board of directors with five members from diverse fields including online gaming, public policy, IT, psychology, and medicine.
• There could be more than one self-regulatory body.
• The body must ensure that the registered games don’t have anything:
  • which is not in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India
  • defense of India,
  • security of the state
  • friendly relations with foreign states
  • public order
  • incites the commission of any cognizable offence relating to the aforesaid.
• Moreover, the Government has proposed to ban the advertisements of online betting sites on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
• Social media platforms will have to seek verification from a proposed self regulatory body about whether an online gaming company has been registered with it, before hosting its advertisements

4. Demonetisation decision gets Supreme Court Seal

Subject : Economy

Context:

• The Supreme Court upheld the government’s 2016 decision to demonetise currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 by a 4:1 majority.

More about the news:

• In its majority 4:1 judgment of the five judge bench of Justices S Abdul Nazeer, B R Gavai, A S Bopanna,V Ramasubramanian and  Justice B V Nagarathna,it was held that the Centre’s notification dated November 8, 2016, was valid and satisfied the test of proportionality.
• The court held that the central government’s decision was after RBI board’s approval which shows in-built safeguard against centre’s powers.
• Moreover, the hardships faced by citizens following demonetisation six years ago cannot be a ground to reverse the decision.
• On the issue of creating a fresh window for return of demonetised currency, the majority verdict said it did not have the expertise to frame such a scheme.

What is demonetisation:

• Demonetization is the process through which a nation’s economic unit of exchange loses its legally enforceable validity.
• It is a drastic intervention into the economy that involves removing the legal tender status of a currency.

Previous history of demonetisation in India

• Demonetisation in India has been implemented twice before 2016 i.e:
  • In 1946, RBI demonetized 1000- and 10000-rupee notes.
  • In 1978, the government demonetized 1000-, 5000-, and 10000-rupee notes in order to curb the menace of black money.

Why was demonetization challenged:

• More than 58 petitions were filed on the various aspects of demonetization.
• The matter primarily revolved around the procedure prescribed in Section 26(2) of the RBI Act, 1934, which appears to have not been followed.
• According to Section 26(2) of the RBI Act, 1934 the Parliament should have discussed the law on demonetization.
• The process should not have been done through a gazette notification.
• Moreover, they also argued that the demonetisation notification is liable to be struck down applying the test of proportionality.
  • The four ingredients of the proportionality test to be satisfied are legitimate purpose; rational connection with the purpose; necessity; whether the action taken is proportional or balanced.
• It was also contended that the entire decision-making process was flawed in law as the proposal should have been emanated from RBI Board, not from the Centre.

What is the test of proportionality:

• The Test of Proportionality means that administrative action should not be more drastic than it ought to be for obtaining the desired result. This requires few tests like: –
  • State action must have a legislative mandate
  • The action must show that the objective of its law is founded on a legitimate governmental aim
  • It must be proportionatee.such state action both in its nature and extent, must be necessary for a democratic society. Further, such action must have no alternative and less intrusive measures available to achieve the same objective
  • The principle of proportionality calls for striking down laws that are excessively harsh or disproportionate.

5. Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs)

Subject :Economy

Context:  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Monday said State Bank of India, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank continue to remain Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs).

Concept :

• D-SIB means that the bank is too big to fail.
• According to the RBI, some banks become systemically important due to their size, cross-jurisdictional activities, complexity and lack of substitute and interconnection. Banks whose assets exceed 2% of GDP are considered part of this group.

Classification:

• RBI has to disclose names of banks designated as D-SIB. It classifies the banks under five buckets depending on order of importance.
• Based on the bucket in which a D-SIB is, an additional common equity requirement applies. Banks in bucket one need to maintain a 0.15% incremental tier-I capital from April 2018. Banks in bucket three have to maintain an additional 0.45%.
• All the banks under D-SIB are required to maintain higher share of risk-weighted assets as tier-I equity.

Significance:

• Should such a bank fail, there would be significant disruption to the essential services they provide to the banking system and the overall economy.
• The too-big-to-fail tag also indicates that in case of distress, the government is expected to support these banks. Due to this perception, these banks enjoy certain advantages in funding. It also means that these banks have a different set of policy measures regarding systemic risks and moral hazard issues.

6. Unemployment

Subject :Economy

Context: Unemployment rate in the country has zoomed to a high of 8.3 per cent in December, the highest in 2022, according to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).

• The unemployment rate in November was at 8 per cent, while in September it was the lowest at 6.43 per cent and was at the second highest level during the year at 8.28 per cent in August, the CMIE data stated.
• While the urban unemployment rate was at 10 per cent during the last month of 2022, rural joblessness stood at 7.5 per cent during December
• Among the States, unemployment continued to be the highest in Haryana at 37.4 per cent in December, followed by Rajasthan at 28.5 per cent, Delhi 20.8 per cent, Bihar 19.1 per cent and Jharkhand 18 per cent.

Periodic Labour Force Survey-

It is India’s first computer-based survey launched by the NSO in 2017. It essentially maps the state of employment in the country. In doing so, it collects data on several variables such as the level of unemployment, the types of employment and their respective shares, the wages earned from different types of jobs, the number of hours worked etc. Before PLFS, the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)- previous name of NSO used to bring the data related to employment and unemployment based on its quinquennial (every 5 year) household socio-economic survey programme.

The reports are released on a quarterly as well as annual basis.  The quarterly reports cover only urban areas whereas the annual report covers both urban and rural areas.  

• It estimates the key employment and unemployment indicators (viz. WPR, LFPR, UR) in the short time interval of three months for the urban areas only in the Current Weekly Status (CWS).
• To estimate employment and unemployment indicators in both usual status and CWS in both rural and urban areas annually.

Various indicators

•  Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR)-the percentage of persons in labour force (working or seeking or available for work) in the population of all age
• Unemployment rate -refers to the percentage of unemployed persons in the labour force. Labour force includes persons who are either employed or unemployed but seeking work.
• Worker Population Ratio (WPR)-the percentage of employed persons in the population.

Activity Status

• Usual Status: The activity status determined on the basis of the reference period of the last 365 days preceding the date of survey, it is known as the usual activity status of the person.
• Current Weekly Status (CWS): The activity status determined on the basis of a reference period of the last 7 days preceding the date of survey is known as the current weekly status (CWS) of the person).

7. State Control over Hindu Temples

Subject: Polity

Powers of state in managing religious affairs

• Article 25(2) grants power to the State to enact law on two distinct aspects.
• Article 25(2)(a) empowers the state to regulate “economic, financial, political or other secular activities which may be associated with religious practice”.
• Article 25(2)(b) enables the state to enact law to prohibit the exclusion of ‘classes and sections’ of Hindu society to enter into Hindu temples of a public character and also make law for social welfare and reform.
• Thus, the control of secular aspects associated with religion and the power to throw open Hindu temples to all classes and sections of society are distinct.
• The Constitution does not permit the state to assume ownership of properties belonging to religious institutions.

State interference in religion

• The most fundamental criticism against the release of Hindu temples from government control to the society is:
  • To whom will the temples be handed over to?
  • Will it not perpetuate class hierarchies?
• Sovereign control of temples is justified on the grounds that Hindu temples were supervised and managed by kings.
• On the contrary there are inscriptions, cast in stone, that attest that temples were managed wholly and entirely by local communities.
• Unbridled corruption; theft and destruction are the reasons behind the objections over state taking over the temple.
• There are allegations of gross mismanagement of financial resources and indisputable corruption by the state along with the loss and destruction of temple antiquities.
• Last year, the government of Tamil Nadu submitted a report to the Madras High Court stating that in 11,999 temples in the state, there is no pooja or ritual taking place as there is no revenue.
• The state has assumed the role of religious functionaries to determine who will be heads of Mutts and the authority to conduct poojas.
• Also, the establishment of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department is not a cause for social justice.
• In the Shirur Mutt case, the supreme court struck down a major portion of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments 1951 Act. The court ruled that the provisions are a “disastrous invasion” of religious liberty.
• For example, The Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1954 entrusted the committee appointed by the state with the task of ensuring the performance of seva pooja.
• The Waqf Act reveals that it applies to charities and specifically excludes places of worship such as mosques. The scheme of the Waqf Act supports the argument that the government should not regulate places of worship.

Judicial balancing of the various rights by the Supreme Court

• In Indian Young Lawyers’ Association v. State of Kerala (the Sabarimala case) and Joseph Shine v. Union of India (2018), the Supreme Court reiterated the need to eliminate “historical discrimination which has pervaded certain identities”’, “systemic discrimination against disadvantaged groups”.
• In these cases the Supreme Court rejected stereotypical notions used to justify such discrimination.
• In all these cases, the Court prioritised judicial balancing of various constitutional rights.
• The constitutional order of priority: In the Sabarimala case, it held that “in the constitutional order of priorities, the individual right to the freedom of religion was not intended to prevail over but was subject to the overriding constitutional postulates of equality, liberty and personal freedoms recognised in the other provisions of Part III”.

8. Parasnath Parvat

Subject : Art and Culture

Context: Jains across the states are protesting against the Jharkhand government decision to change the status of the hill  from a “place of pilgrimage” to a “religious tourist destination”.

Parasnath Hill

• The Parasnath Hills are a range of hills located in the Giridih district of Jharkhand, the highest of which is 1350 meters high.
• Jains call it Sammed Shikhar. This hill has been named Parasnath after the 23rd Jain Tirthankara.
• Parasnath is a major centre of Jain Religion, as out of 24 Jain Tirthankaras, 20 Tirthankaras attained Kaivalya here.
• For each of these a temple (Gumti or Tuk) has been built on the hill.
• Some of the temples on the hill are believed to be more than 2,000 years old.
• However, although the place is habited from ancient times, the temples may be of more recent origin.
• It is noteworthy that the Santhals call this hill Marang Buru. They celebrate a hunting festival on the full moon day in Vaishakha (mid-April).

9. NCST Concerns Over Forest (Conservation) Rules 2022

Subject : Polity

Context: The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) stated that the Forest (Conservation) Rules (FCR) 2022, violate the rights of the Scheduled Tribes mentioned under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

• Raising concerns over the provision in the new rules that proposes to do away with the consent clause for the diversion of forest land for other purposes, the Commission recommended that these rules should be put on hold immediately.

New Forest Conservation Rules

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified the new Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2022, but it does not mention the earlier requirement of attaining a Gram Sabha NOC (No Objection Certificate) before diverting forest land for a project.
• It allows forest rights to be settled after the final approval for forest clearances has been granted by the Centre, a point flagged by critics.
• The settling of forest rights now needs to be carried out by the state government instead of the Centre, as was the case earlier.
• It constituted an Advisory Committee, a regional empowered committee at each of the integrated regional offices and a screening committee at the State/Union Territory (UT) government level. The role of the Advisory Committee is restricted to advising or recommending the grant of approval.
• The MoEFCC has directed the constitution of a project screening committee in each state/UT for an initial review of proposals involving the diversion of forest land.
• The five-member committee will meet at least twice every month and will advise the state governments on projects in a time-bound manner.
• All non-mining projects between 5-40 hectares must be reviewed within 60 days and all such mining projects must be reviewed within 75 days.
• For projects involving a larger area, the committee gets some more time — 120 days for non-mining projects involving more than 100 hectares and 150 days for mining projects.
• All linear projects (roads, highways, etc), projects involving forest land up to 40 hectares and those that have projected use of forest land having a canopy density up to 0.7 shall be examined in the Integrated Regional Office.
• The applicants for diverting forest land in a hilly or mountainous state with green cover covering more than two-thirds of its geographical area, or in a state/UT with forest cover covering more than one-third of its geographical area, will be able to take up compensatory afforestation in other states/UTs where the cover is less than 20%.

Forest Rights Act, 2006

The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 recognizes the rights of the forest dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers to forest resources, on which these communities were dependent for a variety of needs, including livelihood, habitation and other socio-cultural needs.

• The Act encompasses Rights of Self-cultivation and Habitation which are usually regarded as Individual rights; and Community Rights as Grazing, Fishing and access to Water bodies in forests, Habitat Rights for PVTGs, Traditional Seasonal Resource access of Nomadic and Pastoral community, access to biodiversity, community right to intellectual property and traditional knowledge, recognition of traditional customary rights and right to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage any community forest resource for sustainable use.
• It also provides rights to allocation of forest land for developmental purposes to fulfil basic infrastructural needs of the community.
• In conjunction with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Settlement Act, 2013 FRA protects the tribal population from eviction without rehabilitation and settlement.
• The Act further enjoins upon the Gram Sabha and rights holders the responsibility of conservation and protection of bio-diversity, wildlife, forests, adjoining catchment areas, water sources and other ecologically sensitive areas as well as to stop any destructive practices affecting these resources or cultural and natural heritage of the tribals. The Gram Sabha is also a highly empowered body under the Act, enabling the tribal population to have a decisive say in the determination of local policies and schemes impacting them.
• Thus, the Act empowers the forest dwellers to access and use the forest resources in the manner that they were traditionally accustomed, to protect, conserve and manage forests, protect forest dwellers from unlawful evictions and also provides for basic development facilities for the community of forest dwellers to access facilities of education, health, nutrition, infrastructure etc.

10. Swami Dayanand Saraswati

Subject : History

• He was presiding over the annual general meeting of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.
• The PM also asked the academic and cultural institutions across the country to produce well researched knowledge about the contributions of the founder of Arya Samaj Swami Dayanand Saraswati, whose 200th birth anniversary was coming up in 2024.

Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati

• Swami Dayanand Saraswati was born on 12th February 1824 in Tankara, Gujarat in a Brahmin family. His parents, Lalji Tiwari and Yashodhabai were orthodox Brahmin.
• He was earlier named Mool Shankar Tiwari as he was born during Mool Nakshatra.
• He wandered as an ascetic for fifteen years (1845-60) in search of truth.
• Dayananda’s views were published in his famous work, Satyarth Prakash (The True Exposition).

Contribution to the Society:

• He was an Indian philosopher, social leader and founder of the Arya Samaj.
• Arya Samaj is a reform movement of Vedic dharma and he was the first to give the call for Swaraj as “India for Indian” in 1876.
• He was a self-taught man and a great leader of India leaving a significant impact on Indian society. During his life, he made a prominent name for himself and was known among a wide array of Prices and the public.
• The first Arya Samaj unit was formally set up by him at Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1875 and later the headquarters of the Samaj were established at Lahore.
• 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”.
• He subscribed 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.
• Contribution to the Education System:
• He introduced a complete overhaul of the education system and is often considered as one of the visionaries of modern India.
• The DAV (Dayanand Anglo Vedic) schools came into existence in 1886 to realize the vision of Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
• The first DAV School was established at Lahore with Mahatma Hansarj as the headmaster.

Arya Samaj

• It aims to reestablish the Vedas, the earliest Hindu scriptures, as revealed truth. He rejected all later accretions to the Vedas as degenerate but, in his own interpretation, included much post-Vedic thought.
• During the 1920s and early 1930s tension grew around a number of issues. Muslims were angered by “music-before-mosque”, by the cow protection movement, and by the efforts of the Arya Samaj to bring back to the Hindu fold (shuddhi) those who had recently converted to Islam.
• The Arya Samaj has always had its largest following in western and northern India.
• The Samaj opposes worship of murtis (images), animal sacrifice, shraddha (rituals on behalf of ancestors), basing caste upon birth rather than upon merit, untouchability, child marriage, pilgrimages, priestly craft, and temple offerings.
• It upholds the infallibility of the Vedas, the doctrines of karma (the accumulated effect of past deeds) and samsara (the process of death and rebirth), the sanctity of the cow, the importance of the samskaras (individual sacraments), the efficacy of Vedic oblations to the fire, and programs of social reform.
• It has worked to further female education and intercaste marriage, has built missions, orphanages, and homes for widows, has established a network of schools and colleges, and has undertaken famine relief and medical work.

Shuddhi Movement

• Shuddhi Movement was started by Arya Samaj in earlier part of 20th century to bring back the people who transformed their religion to Islam and Christianity from Hinduism.
• The literal meaning of Shuddhi is purification but Arya Samajis didn’t aim at literal meaning rather they meant reconversion by the term.
• In 1923, Swami Shraddhanand founded the ‘Bhartiya Hindu Shuddhi Mahasabha’ (Indian Hindu Purification Council) and pushed the agenda of reconversion, which eventually created a flashpoint between Hindus and Muslims as Hindus were the recipients of the violence.

11. Wall of Peace Mural thrown open in Kerala

Subject: History

• The Wall of Peace, a great work of modern mural art on the 700 footlong compound wall of Government Vocational Higher Secondary School at Cherpulassery, was inaugurated on Monday.
• The mural, in dimmed golden shade done with cement and sand on the 10ft high wall, has already won many an accolade, including the Eurasia World Record for the largest public art project.
• The word ‘peace’ has been embossed on the Wall of Peace in 250 world languages.

About Mural Paintings

• A mural is a large picture painted or affixed directly on a wall or ceiling.
• The existence of mural paintings in India dates back to 2nd century BC to 8-10th century AD.
• Some of the places where this painting is found include- Ajanta, Bagh, Sittanavasal, Armamalai cave, Ravan Chhaya rock-shelter and Kailashnath temple in Ellora caves.
• Majority of the themes in these paintings relates to religion- Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism.

12. The second National Chief Secretaries Conference will be held in Delhi between January 5-7

Subject : Polity

Concept:

• The Chief Secretary is the top-most executive official and senior-most civil servant of the state government.
• The Chief Secretary is the executive head of the State Secretariat. He is the administrative head of the state administration and stands at the apex of the state administrative hierarchy.
• The Chief Secretary is the ex-officio head of the state Civil Services Board, the State Secretariat, the state cadre Indian Administrative Service and all civil services under the rules of business of the state government.
• The Chief Secretary acts as the principal advisor to the chief minister on all matters of state administration.
• The Chief Secretary is the officer of Indian Administrative Service.
• The Chief Secretary is the senior-most cadre post in the state administration, ranking 23rd on the Indian order of precedence.
  • The post of Chief Secretary of a State Government is equivalent to Vice Chief of the Army Staff/Commanders and officers in the rank of full General and its equivalents in the Indian Armed Forces, and are listed as such in the Order of Precedence
• The Chief Secretary acts as an ex-officio secretary to the state cabinet, therefore called “Secretary to the Cabinet”. The status of this post is equal to that of a Secretary to the Government of India.
• Appointment:
  • The Chief Secretary is ‘chosen’ by the Chief Minister.
  • As the appointment of Chief Secretary is an executive action of the Chief Minister, it is taken in the name of the Governor of the State.
• Tenure:
  • The office of Chief Secretary has been excluded from the operation of the tenure system.
  • There is no fixed tenure for this post.

Chief Secretary in Union Territory –

• In the union territories, which are governed by Administrators, Chief Secretaries are absent. In these territories an Adviser to the Administrator is appointed by the Union Government.
• However, the union territories of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry, which have been granted partial statehood, do have Chief Secretaries.
• In Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry, the Chief Minister chooses the Chief Secretary and is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor.
• Chief Secretaries and Advisers to the Administrators of Union territories, in general, are junior in rank compared to the Chief Secretaries of the States. The office bearers generally are of the rank Joint Secretary to Government of India and its equivalents.
• However, in Delhi and Chandigarh, the topmost civil servant is either of the ranks of Secretary to Government of India and its equivalents or Additional Secretary to Government of India and its equivalents.

13. States may push for debate on central schemes and cesses

Subject: Economy

Cess and surcharge are the taxes levied by the Union Government in order to raise funds for government operations. Though both Cess and Surcharge add money to the government’s revenue, these are different in many aspects.

Cess

Example-Every individual in India is liable to pay income tax and has to also pay the health and education cess at the rate of 4% on the tax including surcharge.

Definition– A cess is collected by the government for the development of a particular service or sector. So, as the name suggests, the health and education cess cannot be used for any other means. Cess is imposed as an additional tax besides the existing tax (tax on tax). However, certain cesses, such as the Swachh Bharat Cess (SBC), are levied as a percentage of the total value. The SBC is 0.5 percent of the total value of the facilities in this case.

Cess is paid to the Consolidated Fund of India, but it can only be used for particular purposes.

Surcharge

Example-

• In the case of individuals earning a net taxable salary of more than Rs 1 crore, a surcharge of 10% is levied on tax liability.
• Surcharge at the rate of 5% is levied on domestic corporations if net income is in the range of Rs 1 cr to Rs 10 cr. If the net income exceeds Rs 10 cr, surcharge at the rate of 10% is levied.
• Surcharge at the rate of 2% is levied on foreign corporations if the net income is in the range of Rs 1 cr to Rs 10 cr.
• If the net income exceeds Rs 10 cr, the surcharge is increased to 5%. Marginal relief is given to both domestic and foreign companies in case the net income exceeds Rs 1 cr and Rs 10 cr.

Definition-A surcharge applies to those persons whose income is more than Rs. 50 lakhs. This money is not collected for any specific cause, but can be used for any reason as the Union Government sees fit. Interestingly, it is applicable on the tax payable and not the total income. This collection also goes to the Consolidated Fund of India and can be used for any purpose.

The surcharge is a fee added to any tax that has already been paid. The surcharge is a term that refers to an extra fee or levy. Personal income tax (on high-income slabs and the ultra-wealthy) and corporate income tax are the two largest surcharges.

It’s worth noting that it only applies to the tax due, not the whole income.