Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

Context: In Assam, the campaigns of political parties often include going to different Sattras to seek blessings or to glorify the teachings of Sankardeva.

• Sattras are monastic institutions in Assam. They were created as part of the 16th century Neo-Vaishnavite reformist movement. Movements started by the Vaishnavite saint-reformer Srimanta Sankaradeva(1449-1596).
• They were established to spread the Sankardeva’s unique “worship through art” approach. They are doing it presently with music (borgeet), dance (sattriya), and theatre (bhauna).
• Each Satra has a naamghar (worship hall) as its nucleus and is headed by an influential “Satradhikar”.
• Monks known as bhakats are inducted into Sattras at a young age. They may or may not be celibate depending on the kind of Sattra they are inducted into.
• There are about 900 Sattras across Assam, but the main centers are Bordowa (Nagaon), Majuli and Barpeta. These institutions are of paramount importance and lie at the heart of Assamese culture.

Sankardeva’s Philosophy

• Sankardeva propagated a form of Bhakti called eka-sharana-naam-dhrama, and espoused a society based on equality and fraternity, free from caste differences, orthodox Brahmanical rituals and sacrifices.
• His teaching focused on prayer and chanting (naam) instead of idol worship.
• His dharma was based on the four components of deva (god), naam (prayers), bhakats (devotees), and guru (teacher).

Explanation :

Context: The share of cess and surcharge in the gross tax revenue (GTR) of the Centre has almost doubled to 19.9% in 2020-21 from 10.4% in 2011-12.The 15^thFinance Commission has recommended a higher grant-in-aid and lower tax devolution to the States.

About Cess

• It is a form of tax levied or collected by the government for the development or welfare of a particular service or sector.
• It is charged over and above direct and indirect taxes.
• Cess collected for a particular purpose cannot be used for or diverted to other purposes.
• It is not a permanent source of revenue for the government, and it is discontinued when the purpose levying it is fulfilled.
• Currently, the cess and surcharge collected by the Centre are not part of the tax devolution.
• Examples: Education Cess, Swachh Bharat Cess, Krishi Kalyan Cess etc.

About Surcharge

• Surcharge is an additional charge or tax levied on an existing tax.
• Unlike a cess, which is meant to raise revenue for a temporary need, surcharge is usually permanent in nature.
• It is levied as a percentage on the income tax payable as per normal rates. In case no tax is due for a financial year, then no surcharge is levied.
• The revenue earned via surcharge is solely retained by the Centre and, unlike other tax revenues, is not shared with States.
• Collections from surcharge flow into the Consolidated Fund of India.

Explanation :

Context: Recently, the NITI Aayog has proposed to revise the National Food Security Act 2013.

The National Food Security Act (NFSA) was introduced by the Government of India in 2013.

Objective

• To provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity.

Salient Features

• It provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50% of the urban population for receiving subsidized foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), thus covering about two-thirds of the population.
• The eligible persons will be entitled to receive 5 Kgs of foodgrains per person per month at subsidised prices of Rs. 3/2/1 per Kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains.
• The existing Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, which constitute the poorest of the poor, will continue to receive 35 Kgs of foodgrains per household per month.
• The Act also has a special focus on the nutritional support to women and children. Besides meal to pregnant women and lactating mothers during pregnancy and six months after the child birth, such women will also be entitled to receive maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000.
• Children upto 14 years of age will be entitled to nutritious meals as per the prescribed nutritional standards.
• In case of non-supply of entitled foodgrains or meals, the beneficiaries will receive food security allowance.
• The Act also contains provisions for setting up of grievance redressal mechanism at the District and State levels.

Responsibilities under NFSA

• NFSA defines the joint responsibility of the Centre and State/UT Government.
• The Centre is responsible for allocation of required foodgrains to States/UTs, transportation of foodgrains up to designated depots in each State/UT and providing central assistance to States/UTs for delivery of foodgrains from designated FCI godowns to the doorstep of the FPSs.
• The States/UTs are responsible for effective implementation of the Act, which inter-alia includes identification of eligible households, issuing ration cards to them, distribution of foodgrain entitlements to eligible households through fair price shops (FPS), issuance of licenses to Fair Price Shop dealers and their monitoring, setting up effective grievance redressal mechanism and necessary strengthening of Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)

• It provides for reforms in the TPDS including schemes such as Cash transfers for provisioning of food entitlements. In pursuance of enabling provisions under section 12 of NFSA for cash transfer, Govt. notified ‘Cash Transfer of Food Subsidy Rule, 2015’ in Aug 2015.

The DBT experiment aims to-

• reduce the need for huge physical movement of foodgrains
• provide greater autonomy to beneficiaries to choose their consumption basket
• enhance dietary diversity
• reduce leakages
• facilitate better targeting
• promote financial inclusion

Explanation :

Context: Recently, a shadow leather puppet in Kerala’s famous temple art Tholpavakkoothu has been animated by a robot.

• Tholpavakoothu or shadow puppetry is a temple art form which is prevalent in the Bhagavathy temples (mother Goddess) in Palakkad district and nearby regions in Kerala.
• Also known as Nizhalkkoothu and Olakkoothu, it is a ritual art performed during the annual festivals in the Kaali temples of Palakkad district.
• The theme of the play is based on the Kamba Ramayana (the Tamil version of the epic).
• The art is performed on a special stage called koothumadam in the temple courtyard.
• It is performed using the mythological figures along with the use of fire and lighting of lamps behind the screen.
• The chief puppeteer is known as ‘Pulavan’.
• Musical Instruments Used: Ezhupara, Chenda and Maddalam etc.

Explanation :

Context: As per the 2019 Crime in India Report by the National Crime Records Bureau, only 2.2 % of cases registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act between the years 2016 and 2019 ended in convictions by court.

• Passed in 1967, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) aims at effective prevention of unlawful activities associations in India.
• The Act assigns absolute power to the central government, by way of which if the Centre deems an activity as unlawful then it may, by way of an Official Gazette, declare it so.
• It has death penalty and life imprisonment as highest punishments.
• Under UAPA, both Indian and foreign nationals can be charged. It will be applicable to the offenders in the same manner, even if crime is committed on a foreign land, outside India.
• Under the UAPA, the investigating agency can file a charge sheet in maximum 180 days after the arrests and the duration can be extended further after intimating the court.
• The 2004 amendment, added “terrorist act" to the list of offences to ban organisations for terrorist activities, under which 34 outfits were banned.Till 2004, “unlawful" activities referred to actions related to secession and cession of territory.

As per 2019 amendments -

• The Act empowers the Director General of National Investigation Agency (NIA) to grant approval of seizure or attachment of property when the case is investigated by the said agency.
• The Act empowers the officers of the NIA, of the rank of Inspector or above, to investigate cases of terrorism in addition to those conducted by the DSP or ACP or above rank officer in the state.
• It also includes the provision of designating an individual as a terrorist.

Explanation :

Context: Recently, Kerala government has sought Centre intervention on notification regarding eco-sensitive zone around Wayanad sanctuary.

• Located in Kerala, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) is an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It was established in 1973.
• Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is contiguous to the tiger reserves of Nagerhole and Bandipur of Karnataka and Mudumalai of Tamil Nadu.
• It is the only sanctuary of Kerala where sighting of four-horned antelope has been reported.
• The forests of the wildlife division form the major catchments for the tributaries of the Kabani river system.
• It includes South Indian Moist Deciduous forests, West coast semi-evergreen forests and plantations of teak, eucalyptus and Grewelia.

Explanation :

Context: On 4th February, 2021, 100th year of Chauri Chaura — event that led to Gandhi calling off Non-Cooperation Movement was commemorated.

• The Non - Cooperation Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi on August 1,1920 was the first mass movement organized nationwide during India's struggle for freedom.

Causes of Non-Cooperation Movement

• Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and Resultant Punjab Disturbances
• Dissatisfaction with Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms
• Rowlatt Act
• Khilafat Agitation

Features of the Non-Cooperation Movement

• The movement was essentially a peaceful and non-violent protest against the British government in India.
• Indians were asked to relinquish their titles and resign from nominated seats in the local bodies as a mark of protest.
• People were asked to resign from their government jobs.
• People were asked to withdraw their children from government-controlled or aided schools and colleges.
• People were asked to boycott foreign goods and use only Indian-made goods.
• People were asked to boycott the elections to the legislative councils.
• People were asked not to serve in the British army.
• It was also planned that if the above steps did not bring results, people would refuse to pay their taxes.
• The INC also demanded Swarajya or self-government.
• Only completely non-violent means would be employed to get the demands fulfilled.

Why was the Non-Cooperation Movement suspended?

• Gandhiji called off the movement in February 1922 in the wake of the Chauri Chaura incident.
• In Chauri Chaura, Uttar Pradesh, a violent mob set fire to a police station killing 22 policemen during a clash between the police and protesters of the movement.
• Gandhiji called off the movement saying people were not ready for revolt against the government through ahimsa.
• Several leaders like Motilal Nehru and C R Das were against the suspension of the movement only due to sporadic incidents of violence.

Explanation :

Context: A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on February 7, 2021,triggering an avalanche and a deluge in the Dhauli Ganga, Rishi Ganga and Alaknanda rivers.

• Dhauliganga, which emerges from Vasudhara Tal, is a left tributary of the Alaknanda.
• The river flows through the Nanda Devi National Park.
• It is joined by the Rishiganga river at Raini.
• It merges with the Alaknanda at Vishnuprayag.

NandadeviNational Park

• The Nanda Devi National Park or Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, established in 1982 is a national park situated around the peak of Nanda Devi (7816 m) in the state of Uttarakhand.
• The Park was established as Sanjay Gandhi National Park by Notification in 1982 but was later renamed Nanda Devi National Park.
• It was inscribed a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1988.

Explanation :

Context:Recently, the Centre has extended the tenure of the Rohini Commission until 31st July, 2021 to submit its report on Sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

• The article 340 of the Indian Constitution lays down conditions for the appointment of a Commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes.
• The President may by order appoint a Commission comprising of such persons that he thinks fit to investigate the conditions and background of socially and educationally backward classes that lies within the territory of India.
• 102nd Constitution Amendment Act(2018) granted Constitutional status to National Commission for Backward Classes and inserted new Articles 338 B and 342 A
• Article 338B provides authority to NCBC to examine complaints and welfare measures regarding socially and educationally backward classes.

Explanation :

• Popularly known as Punjab Kesari, Lala Lajpat Rai was one of the three Lal Bal Pal triumvirate.
• He founded the Home Rule League of America in 1917 in New York. In the USA, he worked to get moral support for the Indian independence movement from the international community.
• Servants of the People Society (SOPS) (Lok Sevak Mandal) is a non-profit social service organization founded by Lala Lajpat Rai, a prominent leader in the Indian Independence movement, in 1921 in Lahore. The society is devoted to "enlist and train national missionaries for the service of the motherland". It was shifted to India, following the partition of India in 1947.
• Young India: An Interpretation and a History of the Nationalist Movement from Within, book was By Lala Lajpat Rai written shortly after World War I broke out in Europe. In this book he describes the political situation of the country as it was in 1915 and a history of freedom struggle before 1915.