Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• Launched in 2016, SPMRM follows the vision of - Development of a cluster of villages that preserve and nurture the essence of rural community life with focus on equity and inclusiveness without compromising with the facilities perceived to be essentially urban in nature, thus creating a cluster of "Rurban Villages".
• The objective is to stimulate local economic development, enhance basic services, and create well planned Rurban clusters.
• Substantial part of the works identified for development in the clusters is focused on provision of basic and economic amenities.
• Provision of basic amenities in a cluster typically comprise; provision of 24/7 Water Supply to all households, Solid and Liquid Waste Management facilities at the household and cluster level, provision of Inter and Intra village roads within the cluster, adequate Street Lights and Public Transport facilities using green technologies.
• Provision of Economic Amenities in a cluster comprise various thematic areas in the sectors of Agri Services and Processing, Tourism, and Skill Development to promote Small and Medium Scale Enterprises.

Explanation :

• Three Indian species –the mainland Asian elephant, Great Indian Bustard and the Bengal Florican were selected for priority bio-diversity conservation at the United Nations summit for conservation of migratory species of wild animals.
• All the three animals were included in the ‘Appendix I’ of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of wild animals (CMS). The announcement was made at the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the CMS being hosted by India, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from February 17-22, 2020.

Significance

• Inclusion in the 'Appendix I’ is for ‘migratory species threatened with extinction’ would lead to push for greater habitat protection, prohibition against poaching and facilitation of their movement in the regions and countries that are part of these species ranges.

Explanation :

• On 20^th February, 2020, the two hill states of northeast, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, celebrated their 32nd Statehood Day.

Mizoram

• Mizoram being a mountainous region was a district off Assam till 1972. It became a state with the implementation of North-Eastern Reorganization Act, 1972. It became the 23rd Indian state on February 20, 1987.

Arunachal Pradesh

• The state was called the North-East Frontier Agency. Later in 1975, an elected Legislative Assembly was constituted. After the Reorganization Act, 1972, Arunachal Pradesh remained as a Union Territory. It became a state in 1987.

Explanation :

• Asur people are a very small Austroasiatic ethnic group (PVTG) living primarily in the Indian state of Jharkhand, mostly in the Gumla, Lohardaga, Palamu and Latehar districts.
• They are traditionally iron-smelters. They were once hunter gatherers, having also involved in shifting agriculture.
• The Asur society is divided into 12 clans. These Asur clans are named after different animals, birds and food grains. Family is second prominent institution after the clan.
• The Asurs speak a distinct language called Asuri but no portion of the Scripture is available.

Explanation :

• Kambala is an annual festival celebrated in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.
• Traditionally, it is sponsored by local Tuluva landlords and households in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi of Karnataka and Kasaragod of Kerala, a region collectively known as Tulu Nadu.
• The festival involves the traditional buffalo race, a popular and unique sport among the farming community of the state.
• During the early days of the festival it was known as Karaga celebrations. Later it came to be known as Kambala celebrations.

Types

• There are four types of Kambala: Bare Kambala, Pokare Kambala, Arasu Kambala and Modern Kambala.
• In the first type, the man holding the rope of bulls also runs the race from behind. But the plough is not tied in this type.
• In the second type, the man though holds the rope doesn’t run from behind, rather he ties a plank to the plough and stands on the plough.
• In the third type, a plough is tied to both the bulls and the man holding the rope runs from behind.
• The fourth type is called Kane halage race: In this format, reaching the goal is not important. A cloth is tied at two meters height on the both sides of the running track. While running, the sludge should touch and stain the cloth....Prize is given based on the proportion of stains on the cloth.

Explanation :

• Part XIV-A of the Constitution provides for the Tribunals. The provision was added through 42nd Amendment Act, 1976.
• Article 323A and 323B provide for Administrative Tribunals and Tribunals related to other matters respectively.
• Under Article 323A, Parliament is empowered to establish Administrative Tribunals for the adjudication of disputes and complaints with respect to recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed to public services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union or of any State.
• The Administrative Tribunals Act in 1985 enacted by the Parliament authorises the Central Government to establish Central Administrative Tribunal and the State Administrative Tribunals.

Explanation :

• The Korku are an Adivasi ethnic group predominantly found in the Khandwa, Burhanpur, Betul and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh and adjoining areas near the Melghat Tiger Reserve of Maharashtra.
• Korku people are initially believed to be a hunter-gatherer community who dwelt in the forests of the Satpura Range on both sides of the Tapti River.
• The Korku language, which is often called the Kolarian language, belongs to the Munda Family of languages.

Explanation :

• The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body formed in April 1957 by the Government of India, under the Act of Parliament - 'Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956'.
• It is an apex organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and village industries within India, which seeks to - "plan, promote, facilitate, organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in the rural areas.
• In April 1957, it took over the work of former All India Khadi and Village Industries Board.
• The KVIC is authorized to establish and maintain separate organisations for the purpose of carrying out any or all of the above matters besides carrying out any other matters incidental to its activities.
• It may also undertake directly or through other agencies studies concerning the problems of Khadi and/or village industries besides research or establishing pilot projects for the development of Khadi and village industries.

Broad Objectives

• The social objective of providing employment.
• The economic objective of producing saleable articles.
• The wider objective of creating self-reliance amongst the poor and building up of a strong rural community spirit.

Explanation :

• The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organization comprising seven Member States lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity.
• This sub-regional organization came into being on 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.
• It constitutes seven Member States: five deriving from South Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and two from Southeast Asia, including Myanmar and Thailand.
• Initially, the economic bloc was formed with four Member States with the acronym ‘BIST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation). Following the inclusion of Myanmar on 22 December 1997 during a special Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok, the Group was renamed ‘BIMST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation).
• With the admission of Nepal and Bhutan at the 6th Ministerial Meeting (February 2004, Thailand), the name of the grouping was changed to ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’ (BIMSTEC).

Objective

• The objective of building such an alliance was to harness shared and accelerated growth through mutual cooperation in different areas of common interests by mitigating the onslaught of globalization and by utilizing regional resources and geographical advantages . Unlike many other regional groupings, BIMSTEC is a sector-driven cooperative organization.

Explanation :

• Launched in August, 2019, Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), a central government initiative under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, aims to ensure access of piped water for every household in India.
• It subsumed the ongoing National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) into Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to provide Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural household i.e., Har Ghar Nal Se Jal (HGNSJ) by 2024.
• The goal of JJM is to provide functional household tap connection to every household with service level at the rate of 55 litres per capita per day (lpcd).
• The fund sharing pattern between Centre and State is 90:10 for Himalayan (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh) and North-Eastern States, 100:0 for UTs and 50:50 for rest of the States.
• JJM will focus on integrated demand and supply side management of water at the local level, including creation of local infrastructure for source sustainability like rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and management of household wastewater for reuse would be undertaken in convergence with other Government programmes/ schemes.

Impact

• It will significantly improve quality of life, particularly of women and children and assist in ODF-sustainability as water is important to sustain Swachh Bharat Mission’s gains.
• Further there will be procurement of various materials for water supply systems. This will generate employment and boost the economy.