Current Affairs search results for: "MANIPUR"

1. The Election Commission of India has announced the schedule for the assembly election in Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Tags: National News

Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said for the 690 Legislative Assembly seats of the five states all elections will be completed in seven phases.

• For 403 seats of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly whose term is ending in May, election will be completed in seven phases i.e. first phase on February 10th, second phase on February 14th, third phase on February 20th, forth phase on February 23rd, fifth phase on February 27^th, sixth phase on March 3^rd and seventh phase on March 7th respectively.
• For 117 seats of the Punjab Legislative Assembly whose term is ending in March, election will be completed in single phase on February 14.
• For 70 seats of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly whose term is ending in March, election will be completed in single phase on February 14.
• For 60 seats of the Manipur Legislative Assembly whose term is ending in March, election will be completed in two phases on February 27 and March 3 respectively.
• For 40 seats of the Goa Legislative Assembly whose term is ending in March, election will be completed in single phase on February 14.
• The results of all five states will be announced on March 10.
• Basic preparations will be taken to ensure Covid-19 safe election, hassle-free voter experience and maximum voters participation
• A total of 18.34 crore electors including service voters will take part in this election. Out of this, 8.55 crore are women electors.
• EVMs and VVPATs will be utilized in all the polling stations. Election Commission has already made arrangements to ensure an adequate number of EVMs and VVPATs for the smooth conduct of elections. In case of Senior citizens above 80 years of age, persons with disabilities and Covid-19 patients vote by postal ballot can be cast.
•  No yatra, procession, road show, cycle bike, padyatras or vehicle rally or physical rally by political parties will be allowed up to 15 January. The situation will be reviewed and fresh instructions to be issued later.

            No victory processions will be allowed after declaration of the results.

2. PM Modi’s visit to Manipur and Tripura, to launch several development projects worth over 4,800 crore rupees

Tags: National News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Manipur and Tripura on 4th January 2022.

Highlights of PM’s visit to Manipur:

• The PM inaugurated 13 projects worth around 1,850 crore rupees and laid foundation stone of 9 projects around 2,950 crore rupees.
• These projects are related to diverse sectors such as:
  • Road Infrastructure
  • Drinking Water Supply
  • Health
  • Urban Development
  • Housing
  • Information Technology
  • Skill Development, among others
• The inaugural and foundation laying program was held at Hatta Kangjeibung in Imphal where he also addressed a public gathering.

Highlights of PM’s visit to Agartala (Tripura):

• The PM inaugurated the New Integrated Terminal Building of Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport built at a cost of about 450 crore rupees, and
• Launched Key Initiatives:-
  • Mukhyamantri Tripura Gram Samriddhi Yojana- which aims to achieve the benchmark standards for service delivery in core development sectors at the village level.
  • Project Mission 100 of Vidyajyoti Schools- which aims to improve the quality of education in the state by converting 100 existing High/Higher secondary schools to Vidyajyoti Schools with state of art facilities and quality education. The project will cover about 1.2 Lakh students from Nursery to class XII and will cost around 500 crore rupees in the next three years.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for various projects which include Manipur Institute of Performing Arts at Gurgaon, 72 projects to be taken up under the PM Jan Vikas Karyakram, 13 projects related to diverse sectors, five National Highway Projects with a cumulative length of more than one hundred ten kilometers, a Cancer Hospital along with a Covid Hospital.

3. Good Governance Index

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What is Good Governance

• Governance is defined as the use of power and authority by those in government to provide goods and services to the people to uphold the common good and fulfill the aspirations and needs of the common man. People expect their government to proceed with its tasks in a way that maximum results follow with minimum cost or investment. 
• Governance becomes good when the decisions and actions of the government are based on peoples’ consent, legitimacy, and accountability. It is a concept that is inclusive and positive in nature.

What are the features of Good Governance

As per World Bank reports of 1989 and 1992, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Commission on Global Governance (1995), and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 1997, the attributes of good governance refers to

• people’s participation in governance,
• accountability of the decision-makers,
• women’s participation in decision making, 
• meeting the needs of disadvantaged groups, 
• guarantee of human rights,
• keeping the needs of the future generation in mind while decision making and whether the people own their structures of governance or not.

What is Good Governance Index

• To emphasize the government’s commitment towards good governance ,the Government of India declared 25 December as the Good Governance Day.  It is the birth date of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was started in 2014 .
• To encourage and assess the performance of the State government in Good governance and to promote citizen centric development in the country, the Government of India launched the Good governance Index. 
• The objective of GGI is to create a tool that can be used uniformly across the States to assess the impact of various schemes and programs of the Central and State Governments including UTs on the people.
• Another significant contribution of the GGI would be contributing in tracking the progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the state level. The identified sectors and indicators are directly linked to some of the critical SDG indicators from an overall governance point of view.  
• It is released on Good Governance Day (25th December)

Who publishes the Good Governance Index

• The Index is published by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) under the Union  Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
• The framework for assessing the quality of governance is prepared by the Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad in collaboration with AC Nielsen

When was it first published 

It was first published in 2019 and and it is released after every two years. The latest edition is released on 25th December 2021. 

What is included in the Good Governance Index 

The GGI 2020-21 encompassed 10 Governance Sectors and 58 Governance Indicators

• Agriculture and Allied Sector
• Commerce & Industries
• Human Resource Development
• Public Health
• Public Infrastructure & Utilities
• Economic Governance
• Social Welfare & Development
• Judicial & Public Security
• Environment,
• Citizen-Centric Governance.

Change as compared to the 2019 Index

The 2019 index included 10 governance sectors and 50 governance indicators . In the 2021 index the governance sectors are 10 but the governance indicators have been increased to 58.

Highlights of the 2021 Index

The GGI 2020-21 categorizes States and UTs into four categories

• Group A - It includes Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Haryana, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh
•  Group B - It includes Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal
• North-East and Hill States - It includes Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Uttarakhand, Tripura, Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh
• Union Territories - It includes Delhi, Puducherry, Daman & Diu, Chandigarh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra &Nagar Haveli, and Lakshadweep

Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa top the composite rank score covering 10 sectors.

Ranking of the  States group wise 

•  Group A:
• Gujarat has topped the composite ranking (12.3% increase over the GGI 2019 indicators), followed by Maharashtra and Goa.
• Group B:
• Madhya Pradesh tops the list followed by Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
• North-East and Hill States:
• Himachal Pradesh topped the list followed by Mizoram and Uttarakhand.
• Union Territories:
• Delhi topped the list.

UP has secured top position in Commerce & Industry sector

The GGI 2021 says that 20 States have improved their composite GGI scores over the GGI 2019 index scores. This indicates that overall governance in the states of India is moving in a positive direction.

Written by Shankha Shubhra Dutta

4. NITI Aayog releases North Eastern Region District SDG Index and Dashboard 2021-22

Tags: National News

• It is released by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDONER) in collaboration with NITI Aayog
• The United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) has provided technical support for this index.
• The index measures the performance of the District of the eight NE States ( Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim)
• The Index will be prepared and published annually.
• The top 5 districts of the SDG NER Index are

• Rank 1 - East Sikkim, Sikkim  with a score of  75.87, 

  Rank 2 - Gomati, Tripura & North Tripura, Tripura with a score of 75.73,

  Rank 4 - West Tripura, Tripura with a score of 75.67 

  Rank 5 - Serchhip, Mizoram with a score of 74.87

  The Index offers insights into the social, economic, and environmental status of the region and the districts in their march towards achieving the Social Development Goals(SDG) 2030. 

5. Local Brand from North East - “Namdapha Goodness”

Tags: National News

• Launched by - North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society (NERCRMS), Meghalaya in collaboration with Changlang Community Resource Management Society (CCRMS), Arunachal Pradesh
• NERCRMS is a registered society under the aegis of North Eastern Council (NEC) and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), Govt. of India
• It is named after iconic Namdapha National Park located in the Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh.
• Aim - To boost the sale of locally produced goods of the Community Based Organization (CBO) members and to generate sustainable employment opportunities among the village communities and unemployed youths through the manufacturing, marketing and distribution related activities

Detailed-

Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER)

• Established in 2001
• It is the nodal Department of the Central Government to deal with matters related to the socio-economic development of the eight States of Northeast India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim
• Minister of Development of North Eastern Region is G. Kishan Reddy

North Eastern Council (NEC) 

• It is a statutory advisory body constituted under the North Eastern Council Act 1971.
• The eight States of Northeast India viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, are members of the council.
• Chief Ministers and Governors of each state represents them.
• The headquarters of the council is situated in Shillong , Meghalaya.
• Nodal Ministry - Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER)
• It acts as the regional socio economic planning body since 2002.

Namdapha National Park

• It lies at the international border between India and Myanmar within Changlang District in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
• It is the only Park in the World to have the four species of big cat namely the Tiger (Panthera Tigris), Leopard (Panthera Pardus), Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia) and Clouded Leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa).
• Hoolock Gibbons, the only ‘ape’ species found in India is found in this National Park.

6. National News from 12 Dec to 18 Dec

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1. Prime Minister inaugurates Saryu Nahar National Project

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ₹9,800 crore Saryu Nahar National Project in Balrampur district of Uttar Pradesh.
• The 6,623-kilometre-long canal system will provide assured water for irrigation of over 14 lakh hectares of land to the benefit of about 29 lakh farmers of nine districts in the region – Bahraich, Shravasti, Gonda, Balrampur, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur, and Maharajganj.
• Five rivers—Ghagra, Saryu, Rapti, Banganga, and Rohini—have been interlinked under the project to ensure optimum usage of water resources of the region.

2. Vice President Inaugurates exhibition on `Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat` in Hyderabad

• The Vice President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu  inaugurated an exhibition on ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ (EBSB) in Hyderabad city on 12 December 2021.
• Exhibition has been organised by the Regional Outreach Bureau, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• This exhibition would highlight the various interesting aspects of the paired states of Haryana and Telangana like art forms, cuisine, festivals, monuments, tourism spots etc, 
• The Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) programme was launched by the Prime Minister on 31st October, 2015 on the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is a unique initiative by the Government to promote the spirit of national integration and to strengthen the fabric of emotional bonds between the people of our country.

3. India International Science Festival 2021

• Theme of the 7th IISF :"Celebrating Creativity, Science, Technology and Innovation for a prosperous India .
• The Festival is being held at Panaji, Goa from 10-13 December 2021.
• IISF 2021 is being organised jointly by the Ministry of Earth Science, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, in collaboration with Vijnana Bharati.

4. PM Inaugurates Kashi Vishwanath Corridor

• The Prime Minister inaugurated the 400­ metre­ long Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi connecting the ancient temple to the western banks of the Ganges on13 December.
• The ₹800-crore project started with Mr. Modi laying the foundation stone on March 8, 2019 
• The project cost is Rs 339 Crores and is spread over a massive area of about  5 lakh square feet.
• The architect of the project is Mr. Bimal Patel.

5. Swarnim Vijay Parv

• Inaugurated by the Defence Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh, it is a 2-day event commemorating the valor & professionalism of the Armed Forces and their contribution to the liberation of Bangladesh in the Indo-Pak 1971 war, at India Gate Lawns in New Delhi. It marks 50 years of India's victory in the war.
• It will also mark the culmination of the year-long journey of the Victory Flame, the Swarnim Vijay Mashal which, having traversed the length and breadth of the country and collected soil samples from the villages of the gallant soldiers of the war.

6. India’s Harnaaz Sandhu crowned Miss Universe 2021

• Punjab’s Harnaaz Sandhu (21) won the Miss Universe 2021 pageant on 12 December 2021, beating contestants from 79 countries to bring the title back to India after 21 years.
• Nadia Ferreira of Paraguay was the first Runners Up.
• The 70th edition of the event was held in Israel’s resort town of Eilat.

7. Chola Sarva Shakti Policy launched by Equitas Bank for women

• Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd. has partnered with Cholamandalam MS General Insurance to introduce the Chola Sarva Shakti Policy, a women­-specific health insurance policy.
• Any Employed /Self Employed/ Unemployed Woman in the age group of 18 -65 years who is a resident of India can buy the policy.
• The policy is of Cholamandalam General Insurance which will also be sold through the Equitas branch to the bank account holder of the Equitas bank.
• Equitas Small Finance bank was founded in 2016 with its headquarters at Chennai.

8. PM addresses depositors in “Depositors First” programme

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed a function on “Depositors First: Guaranteed Time-bound Deposit Insurance Payment up to Rs. 5 Lakh” in New Delhi on 12th December 2021. Union Finance Minister Mrs Nirmala Sitharaman , and RBI Governor Mr. Shakti Kanta Das were among those present on the occasion. 

Highlights:

• Deposit insurance covers all deposits such as savings, fixed, current, recurring deposits, etc. in all commercial banks, functioning in India. Deposits in State, Central and Primary cooperative banks, functioning in States/Union Territories are also covered. In a path breaking reform, Bank deposit insurance cover was enhanced from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh.
• Earlier where there was no time limit for refund, now the government has made it mandatory within 90 days i.e. 3 months. That is, even in the event of a bank failing , the depositors will get their money back within 90 days.
• With deposit insurance coverage of Rs. 5 lakh per depositor per bank, the number of fully protected accounts at end of previous financial year constituted 98.1% of the total number of accounts, as against the international benchmark of 80%.

9. Over half of UAPA detainees are under 30 age

The Union Home Minister Mr. Amit Shah informed the Lok Sabha that: 

• Nearly 53% of persons arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) 1967, in 2018, 2019, and 2020 were below the age of 30.
• In 2020, the maximum number of arrests under UAPA of persons below 30 years of age was made in Uttar Pradesh (205) followed by Jammu and Kashmir (166), Manipur (113), and Jharkhand (35).

10. Border disputes between States and Union Territory

The Union Home Ministry has informed the Lok Sabha that 11 States and one Union Territory have boundary disputes between them arising out of demarcation of boundaries and claims and counterclaims over territories.

The following states and UT’s are involved in border disputes-

• Andhra Pradesh­-Odisha, 
• Haryana­-Himachal Pradesh, 
• Union Territories of Ladakh-Himachal Pradesh, 
• Maharashtra­-Karnataka, 
• Assam-Arunachal Pradesh, 
• Assam-Nagaland, 
• Assam-­Meghalaya, 
• Assam-­Mizoram

Union Home Minister - Amit Shah

Union Home Secretary - Ajay Kumar Bhalla

11. Supreme Court directed all States and UT’s to issue ration cards to sex workers

• The Supreme Court directed States and Union Territories to immediately start the process of issuing voter ID cards, Aadhaar and ration cards to sex workers across the country.
• The Supreme Court observed that every person is guaranteed their fundamental rights irrespective of vocation (type of work or a way of life of an individual). Depriving any individual of availing the same is an abridgment of their fundamental rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.
• The court directed that authorities can take assistance from the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and State AIDS control societies, which would, in turn, prepare a list of sex workers after verifying the information provided to them by community-based organizations.

12. World famous Durga Puja of Bengal Included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list

• The UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has included  ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 16th session, held virtually from 13 to 18 December   2021.
• Durga Puja is an annual festival celebrated in September or October, most notably in Kolkata, in West Bengal of India, but also in other parts of India and amongst the Bengali diaspora. It marks the ten-day worship of the Hindu mother-goddess Durga from Mahalaya to Vijaya Dashami.

13. President Ramnath Kovind on a 3-day State Visit to Bangladesh

Indian President Ramnath Kovind was on a 3-day State visit to Bangladesh from December 15 to 17, 2021.

• Bangladesh is observing the golden jubilee celebrations of its independence from Pakistan in 1971. Notably, President Kovind is the only foreign head of state invited to join the celebrations.
• He visited the National Martyrs’ Memorial and paid tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The Indian President also planted an ‘Ashoka’ sapling at the memorial garden. 
• Subsequently, he visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum,Dhaka where he paid homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the nation of Bangladesh.
• The President will also witness the Victory Day parade and attend the Victory Day reception hosted by the President of Bangladesh to mark the conclusion of the "Mujib Borsho (March 17, 2020, to December 16, 2021)” celebrations.

“Swarnim Vijay Varsh Special" Train

• Indian railway has launched a special “Swarnim Vijay Varsh train” for the visiting Bangladeshi freedom fighters (Mukti Jodha) and Armed Force personnel.
• The train which will start from Safdarjung station, Delhi will take the guests to Agra and Ajmer.
• The Bangladeshi are visiting India to take part in the events as part of the “Swarnim Vijay Varsh” celebrations organised to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war.

14. Supreme Court approves Bullock Cart Race in Maharashtra

• The Supreme Court has allowed the resumption of the traditional rural bull racing sport popular as ‘bailgada’, ‘sharyat’, ‘chakkadi’ and ‘shankar path’.
• A 2-judge Supreme Court (SC) Bench of Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice C.T.Ravikumar gave the nod to resume bullock cart races in Maharashtra that were prohibited since 2017, in response to an application filed by the Maharashtra government.
• SC said the amended rules notified by the Maharashtra State under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 would apply to the conduct of the races until a final decision of SC’s constitutional bench on the 2018 Jallikattu case arrives.

15. Foundation Literacy and Numeracy Index

The report on the State of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in India which highlights the importance of early education years in the overall development of a child was released by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). 

• Foundation Literacy and Numeracy refers to basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills of children aged below ten years in India.
• The index includes these five pillars: 

(a) Educational Infrastructure,

(b) Access to Education

(c) Basic Health

(d) Learning Outcomes

(e) Governance. 

States and UT (Union Territory) were grouped into four categories, i.e. Large States, Small States, Union Territories and North Eastern States.

•  Among the Large State Category , West Bengal (58.95) topped the ranking followed by Tamil Nadu (55.49) and Maharashtra (53.11) and Bihar was at the bottom.
•  Among the Small States category, the top ranked state was Kerala (67.95) followed by Himachal Pradesh (57.36) and Punjab (56.17).
• Among the Union Territories category, the top ranked UT was Lakshadweep (52.69) followed by Delhi (50.74) and Puducherry (50.08).
• Mizoram (51.64) is the top North-Estern State.
• The poor performing states in the overall index were Jharkhand (45.58), Odisha (45.28), Madhya Pradesh (38.69), Uttar Pradesh (38.49), Bihar (36.81).

16. National Conference on Women winning against Tuberculosis (TB)

• It was organised by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development in New Delhi and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu was the chief guest.
• Speaking on the occasion Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, called for making people ‘key partners’ in the campaign for ‘TB Mukt Bharat’ by 2025.
• Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani stated that in India, women account for nearly 36% of the total TB cases. TB among women often goes unreported as women do not come forward to seek medical care due to societal stigma & lack of awareness.

17. Installed Nuclear Power capacity in India

• The Government of India has informed the Parliament about the status of the Nuclear Power Plant in India.
• The present nuclear power capacity of 6780 MW is planned to be increased to 22480 MW by 2031.
• At present the share of nuclear power in the total electricity generation in the country is about 3.1% in the year 2020-21.
• Government has given approval to the setting up of six nuclear power reactors of 1650 MW each in technical cooperation with France which would make it the largest nuclear power generating site with a total capacity of 9900 MW at Jaitapur in Maharashtra.

18. CCI revoked Amazon deal with Future group

•  The Competition commission of India has revoked its earlier approval to Amazon's 2019 deal with Future Coupons, a subsidiary of Kishore Biyani-led Future Group.
• In 2019, Amazon.com NV Investment Holdings, a direct subsidiary of Amazon.com Inc, signed an agreement with the Future Coupons Private Limited (FCPL) for buying 49 percent of its shares  for Rs 1431 crore .
•  Later ,Future Coupon Private Limited (FCPL) and the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) complained  to the CCI to cancel the approval for the 2019 deal between Amazon and Future Coupons on the grounds that Amazon had “concealed facts” at the time of seeking approval for its investment.
•  The CCI held Amazon guilty of concealing the facts and imposed a penalty of Rs. 200 crore on Amazon and cancel the deal
• Future Group is the owner of the popular departmental stores like Big Bazar Central etc.

19. ICMR Approved CoviDelta Diagnostic Kit

• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved the CoviDelta diagnostic kit, developed indigenously by Pune ­based GenePath Diagnostics.
• The kit detects all current variants of COVID­19 and detects Delta and Omicron variants in a single test.
• It was used to detect the presence of the first Omicron case in Pune.

20. Bill to raise women’s legal age of marriage to 21

• The Union Government next week is going to introduce “The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021”.
• The bill will amend The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
• The bill seeks to raise the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years and bring it at par with men.

7. Tamil Thai Vaazhthu declared Tamil Nadu State song

Tags: State News

• The M.K.Stalin led government of Tamilnadu has declared Tamil Thai Vaazhthu song as the State song.
•  The song is from the Tamil drama ‘Manonmaniam’ penned by P Sundaram Pillai.
• The song is composed in Mullaipaani Ragam also known as Mohana Raagam by M.S Viswanathan.

List of other Indian states with Official State Songs -

Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Puducherry, and Uttarakhand

8. World famous Durga Puja of Bengal Included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list

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• The UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has included  ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 16th session, held virtually from 13 to 18 December  2021.
• Durga Puja is an annual festival celebrated in September or October, most notably in Kolkata, in West Bengal of India, but also in other parts of India and amongst the Bengali diaspora. It marks the ten-day worship of the Hindu mother-goddess Durga from Mahalaya to Vijaya Dashami.

UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage

•  Intangible culture includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts.
• It is different from Tangible heritage which refers to historical monuments, archaeological sites etc which are important to a community or country. 

List of all Intangible Cultural Heritage from India 

Year of Inclusion             Intangible heritage 

• 2021:                     Durga Puja in Kolkata
• 2017:                     Kumbh Mela
• 2016:                     Nawrouz, Persian New Year
• 2016:                     Yoga
• 2014:                     Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India
• 2013:                     Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur
• 2012:                     Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India
• 2010:                     Chhau dance
• 2010:                      Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan
• 2010:                      Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala
• 2009:                      Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India
• 2008:                      Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre
• 2008:                      Tradition of Vedic chanting
• 2008:                       Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana

UNESCO (United Nation Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization)

• It is a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, the arts, the sciences, and culture.
• It was founded on 16 November 1945.
• It’s Headquarters: Paris, France.

9. Conflict in Nagaland

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Relevance: Recently violence has erupted in Nagaland after Indian Armed Forces have ‘mistakenly' killed the civilians. The killing of civilians in Mon district has cast a shadow on the already struggling peace talks between the Centre and NSCN (I-M). This has also led to further protests related to removal of the Armed Force Special Protection Act (AFSPA).

Background and History:

• Maoist guerrilla leaders Isak Chisi Swu, Thuingaleng Muivah and S S Khaplang had created the NSCN in 1980 to oppose the decision of the Naga National Council (NNC) to accept the Indian Constitution-the 1975 Shillong Accord was signed by Angami Zapu Phizo-led NNC. 
  • On August 14, 1947, the Naga National Council (NNC) led by Angami Zapu Phizo declared independence for Nagaland. Phizo formed an underground Naga Federal Government (NFG) and a Naga Federal Army (NFA) in 1952, in response to which the Centre sent in the Army and enacted the Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act, or AFSPA.
• After differences between the top leaders, the group split into the NSCN-IM and the NSCN-K.
• In 1997, the NSCN-IM agreed to a ceasefire which led to the start of almost two decades of peace talks with the Indian government. 
  • It refers to ongoing talks between the Indian government and Naga insurgent groups, in particular the NSCN(IM), since 1997 with the aim to sign a Naga Peace Accord.
• The 2015 agreement was signed between the Centre and the Naga groups led by National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) after the latter agreed to give up its long-standing demand for sovereignty.
  • There was a broad understanding of a settlement within the Indian constitutional framework, with due regard to the uniqueness of Naga history and tradition.
• The process, however, halted when the group insisted on a separate flag as well as the inclusion of all Naga-inhabited areas in one administrative apparatus. 
  • The NSCN-IM’s “Greater Nagalim” consists of present Nagaland and all contiguous Naga-inhabited areas, which includes many districts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, and most interestingly, a part of neighbouring Myanmar.

Major Issues and Concerns 

• Most of the states except Plains of Assam were deliberately excluded from mainstream government administration of Britishers and categorised as excluded areas in Government of India Act 1935 and the ethnic people were called backward tribes. This has led to the exclusion of the ethinic people from the rest of India.
• Recent killings of civilians have invoked the demand of removal of AFSPA which gives armed forces special powers to control “disturbed areas”, which are designated by the government.
  • Under its provisions, the armed forces have been empowered to open fire, enter and search without warrant, and arrest any person who has committed a cognisable offence, all while having immunity from being prosecuted.
  • Currently, AFSPA is in effect in Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Assam, Manipur (excluding seven assembly constituencies of Imphal) and parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Naga people consider the act as “decorian’’ and have been asking for its removal for a long time.
• Further, these killings could be exploited by certain insurgent groups to recruit and even strengthen the hands of the NSCN(I-M), which will likely push for its demands and adding fuel to the insurgency in the North east areas.
• The current demands of the NSCN (IM) have toned down from complete sovereignty to a greater autonomous region within the Indian constitutional framework.
• They have been asking for a separate Naga flag also.
• The unrest in the region is a great challenge to the internal security of border areas as it continues to get young recruits and wields considerable influence in the region.
• After the removal of the interlocutor N. Ravi by the centre, the state has been waiting for the new appointment.

Government’s Stand 

• According to the GoI, AFSPA is a “a very simple measure” to control the “misguided Nagas indulging in mischievous activities”.
• Further, over such a vast area to depute civil magistrates to accompany the armed forces is not possible.
• There is no way the government would accept a separate constitution for Nagaland as it is against the sovereignty of India.
• The idea of providing a separate flag was also weakened  after Kashmir region’s flag was taken away in 2019.
• GoI considers Nagaland as an inseparable part of the country and is taking security measures to strengthen the border areas by curbing the insurgent groups.
• GoI considers that accepting the demand of a particular group will give rise to the separatist tendency in the entire northeast which would be against India's overall security and sovereignty. 

Conclusion:

• The Naga insurgency, rooted in Naga nationalism, is one of the oldest insurgencies in the country. Lasting peace in the Northeast is not possible without resolving the Naga insurgency.
• It is important to understand that there cannot be an accord without the NSCN(IM). The idea is to slowly bring them to accept what India can give without compromising the country's sovereignty and security.
• For the same there is a need to have collaborative talks between the centre and state and the separatist group as well. GoI must consider the suggestions given by the Jeevan Reddy Committee formed in 2004 which had recommended a complete repeal of the AFSPA. 
• Setting up Bicameral Assembly with at least 40 nominated members representing different tribes; absorption of cadres as local armed forces or in the Indian paramilitary; setting up of autonomous councils in Naga-dominated areas of neighbouring states; and the use of the Naga flag for at least customary events can provide amicable solutions to the current crisis.

Sources:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/naga-peace-talks-nagaland-insurgent-group-7533021/ 

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/two-issues-are-holding-up-the-naga-solution-under-the-ongoing-indo-naga-political-talk-nscn-im/articleshow/87042545.cms?from=mdr 

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/nagaland-insurgency-peace-accord-pm-modi-5545506/ 

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/naga-issue-signing-of-new-pact-to-bring-new-developments-says-neiphiu-rio/article37399806.ece

10. Over half of UAPA detainees are under 30 age

Tags: National News

The Union Home Minister Mr. Amit Shah informed the Lok Sabha that: 

• Nearly 53% of persons arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) 1967, in 2018, 2019, and 2020 were below the age of 30.
• UAPA has been amended in the past keeping in view the requirement and “presently no amendments in the UAPA are under consideration” by the government.
• In 2020, the maximum number of arrests under UAPA of persons below 30 years of age was made in Uttar Pradesh (205) followed by Jammu and Kashmir (166), Manipur (113), and Jharkhand (35).

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