Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE
Topics covered
- National Register of Citizens
- Community Kitchen
- Pochampally
- Facts for Prelims
- Places in News
1 . National Register of Citizens
Context: Only a little over a thousand doubtful cases in the final draft of the National Register
of Citizens (NRC), Assam, have been referred to the District Commissioners concerned for action, the State Coordinator of the NRC has said in an RTI reply.
About NRC?
- The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is the register containing names of Indian citizens.
- National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam was earlier prepared in 1951 after the Census of 1951, the NRC was prepared by recording particulars of all the persons enumerated during that Census.
What is NRC, 1951?
- National Register of Citizens, 1951 is a register prepared after the conduct of the Census of 1951 in respect of each village, showing the houses or holdings in a serial order and indicating against each house or holding the number and names of persons staying therein.
- These registers covered each and every person enumerated during the Census of 1951 and were kept in the offices of Deputy Commissioners and Sub Divisional Officers according to instructions issued by the Government of India in 1951.
- Later these registers were transferred to the Police in the early 1960s.
- The register was first prepared after the 1951 Census of India and since then it has not been updated until recently. The North-East Indian state of Assam has become the first state in India where the updating of the NRC is being taken up.
What are the legislations that govern NRC?
- The preparation of the NRC is governed by the Citizenship Act, 1955, and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
What necessitated an NRC exclusive to assam?
- The 1951 NRC was compiled exclusively for Assam on the basis of the fears expressed by Assamese nationalist leaders who feared a post-Partition conspiracy by Pakistan to effect a demographic change in Assam.
Migration to Assam
- Colonial Assam (1826-1947) has witnessed a steady influx of migrants. From the mid-19th century onwards, the British brought in migrant workers from the adjoining to work in the newly-opened tea plantations.
- In 1904, the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, divided Bengal into three provinces – West Bengal, East Bengal and Assam. The division was, on the face of it, for administrative efficiency. On the ground, the division prompted another wave of migration from East Bengal pouring into Assam
- Liaqat-Nehru pact signed between PM Nehru and his Pakistani counterpart Liaqat Ali Khan is also credited for contributing to migration into Assam. The treaty stated that minorities in both countries would be treated equally and also granted them freedom of movement.
- The Bangladesh liberation movement sent lakhs of Muslims from East Pakistan into Assam and West Bengal.
Timeline
- The demands to update the NRC of 1951 were first raised by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and Assam Gana Parishad more than three decades ago. The organisations had submitted a memorandum to the Centre in 1980, two months after launching the anti-illegal foreigners Assam Movement.
- Assam accord was signed between the leaders of AASU-AAGSP and the Government of India in 1985 marking an end to a six-year-long agitation.
- In 1999 at an official-level tripartite meeting to review the implementation of the Assam Accord, a decision was taken that the NRC would be updated and the Centre
- In 2005 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led government took the final decision to update NRC. Thereafter, the government created a directorate for updating the NRC and the process of computerisation of the voters’ list up to 1971 and the NRC of 1951 began.
Assam Accord
- The Assam accord was signed between the leaders of AASU-AAGSP and the Government of India in 1985 marking an end to a six-year-long agitation.
- The Assam Accord put together a list of resolutions to be implemented in order to solve the immigration issue in Assam.
- As per the accord, all people who came to Assam prior to January 1, 1966, would be given citizenship. Those who moved in between January 1, 1966, and March 24, 1971, would be “detected in accordance with the provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order 1964”. Their names would be deleted from the electoral rolls and they would remain disenfranchised for a period of 10 years. Lastly, the accord provided a resolution to the case of those who entered Indian borders after March 24, 1971.
- “Foreigners who came to Assam on or after March 25, 1971, shall continue to be detected, deleted and practical steps shall be taken to expel such foreigners
- Important Clauses of Assam Accord
- Clause 5- Foreigners issue ( Discussed above)
- Clause 6 – Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.
- Clause 7 – The Government takes this opportunity to renew their commitment for the speedy all round economic development of Assam, so as to improve the standard of living of the people. Special emphasis will be placed on education and science & technology through establishment of national institutions.
- Clause 9 – Security of International Borders
- Clause – 10 Prevention of encroachment of Govt lands
- Clause 11 – Relevant law restricting acquisition of immovable property by foreigners in Assam is strictly enforced.
- Clause 15 – The Ministry of Home Affairs will be the nodal Ministry for the implementation of the above
Documents for proving citizenship
- The NRC was updated as per the provisions of The Citizenship Act, 1955 and The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003. As per the two statutes, the citizenship status would be ascertained based on the NRC, 1951, Electoral Rolls up to the midnight of 24th March, 1971 and in their absence the following documents of Pre-1971 period.
- Land & Tenancy Records, Citizenship Certificate, Permanent Residential Certificate (PRC), Refugee Registration Certificate, Passport, LIC Policy, Govt issued License/ Certificate, Govt Service/Employment Certificate, Bank/Post Office Accounts, Birth Certificate, Board/University Educational Certificate, Court Records/ Processes
- In addition to above, 1) Ration cards and 2) Certificates issued by GP Secretary (certified by Circle Officer) in respect of women who have migrated after marriage shall also be admissible as supporting documents.
- The updated NRC shall also contain names of persons eligible for citizenship by virtue of being original inhabitants of Assam.
About Final List of NRC
- The complete NRC draft was published on July 30, 2018, wherein 2,89,83,677 people were found eligible for inclusion while 40,007,707 were excluded. Thereafter, claims were received from 36,26,630 people against exclusions. Verification was also carried out of persons included in the draft NRC under Clause 4(3) of the Schedule of the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
- Objections were received against the inclusion of 1,87,633 people whose names had appeared in the complete draft. Another additional draft exclusions list containing 1,02,462 names was published on June 26.
- “Taking into account all the persons already included and after disposal of all claims and objections and proceedings under Clause 4(3), a total of 3,11,21,004 were found eligible for inclusion in the final NRC leaving out 19,06,657 people, including those who did not submit claims
What next for excluded people
- Each excluded person will have 120 days to file an appeal at any of the existing 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals — 200 more are to be established within a month — which in turn will have to dispose of the cases within six months.
- If one loses the case in the tribunal, the person can move the high court and, then, the Supreme Court.
Current status
- The Assam Govt has rejected NRC in the current form and sought a reverification. As many as 1032 doubtful cases in the final draft referred to officials seeking action
2 . Community Kitchen
Context: The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the Union Government’s commitment
to run community kitchens across the country to stave off hunger, saying the first job of a welfare state was to ensure that people did not starve to death.
About the News
- SC earlier asked the centre to convene a meeting to draw up a comprehensive scheme as the states have the responsibility to establish the kitchens.
- In the latest hearing SC gave Centre three more weeks to draw up a scheme in consultation with states to set up community kitchens across the country to prevent starvation deaths stating that it is “every welfare state’s first responsibility is to provide food to people dying due to hunger”.
About community kitchen?
- Community Kitchens are the institutions that provide free meals and have emerged as vital for the food security of people on the margins.
- Community Kitchens Improve Community Nutrition and Immunity
- The idea behind community kitchens, soup kitchens, food banks is similar: to provide cheap – or even free – nutritious food as a public service.
Why are community kitchens important?
- Community kitchens are not only a food security measure for those who cannot fend for themselves (e.g., the elderly, ill, disabled, destitute, etc.). In fact, such initiatives are equally important for working people in urban areas (from rickshaw pullers to delivery boys who are on the road the whole day) as a source of inexpensive and nutritious food.
- There are important gender dimension to community kitchens too. For instance, women are often burdened with providing packed food for working men. According to the Unavagam survey, 88% of the clients were male. If men have the option of a decent meal at such canteens, women get some relief from the daily drudgery.
- In several states, community kitchens are run and managed by women providing them an independent source of income.
- Such kitchens help in the creation of democratic spaces much required in our deeply divided society. There is nothing like sharing a meal with people from diverse backgrounds to foster a spirit of togetherness.
Community kitchen during COVID-19
- Government initiatives had a powerful impact on mitigating the spread of COVID-19. However, small community kitchens have an impressive grassroots impact on improving the nutrition of high-risk communities and finding ways to deliver food while navigating Covid-19 precautions.
- In the face of COVID-19, these kitchens provided a safety net for communities at high risk of contracting COVID-19.
- Kerala has several open community kitchens that deliver food to the homes of quarantined individuals.
- Many individuals in India who have lost work as a result of COVID-19 have been able to rely on community kitchens as a reliable way to get food when they have limited options.
Going forward
- The community kitchens described so far are state government initiatives.
- Community kitchens were an important component for urban food security in the draft National Food Security Bill. Unfortunately, the provision was dropped.
- There is a need for a comprehensive scheme for the implementation of community kitchens and to further ensure that “no person should sleep on an empty stomach”.
- Creation of a national food grid by the Government that was beyond the scope of the Public distribution Scheme should also be considered.
Community Kitchens in India
- Amma’s canteens (formally Amma’s Unavagam) in Tamil Nadu are a vegetarian version of Brazil’s Popular restaurants. Both are state initiatives to provide food security in urban areas.
- The world’s largest community kitchen feeds 100,000 daily at Golden Temple, India. This is the largest free kitchen in the world.
- Delhi has had “Janata Aahar” outlets where meals at Rs. 15 are available.
- Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha have also been experimenting off and on, with varying degrees of success, with dal-bhaat kendras (rice-dal centres).
- Telengana celebrated the first anniversary of its community kitchens in the Hyderabad region. Meals are provided at Rs. 5 at these centres and is reported to have provided meals to 12.5 lakh people in the first year of operation.
- Most recently, Uttarakhand has opened such community kitchens
- Community kitchens are primarily an urban phenomenon but there are some notable exceptions.
- Odisha’s emergency feeding initiative (from the nineties) for the elderly and destitute in the drought-prone Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput region is one such.
- Something similar has been reported from Kerala, following the tragedy of child deaths in Palakkad and Wayanad where anganwadis have become community kitchens.
3 .Pochampally
Context : Pochampally, was declared by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) as one of the best tourism villages in the world.
About Pochampally village
- Pochampally is a village near Hyderabad.
- It is also called as Bhoodan Pochampally. Acharya Vinobha Bhave started Bhoodan Movement (Land Donation) from this village.
- It is Famous for Pochampally ikkat tie-and-dye weave art ,Won IP Rights in the Geographical Indications Category
- Pochampally is one of UNDPs 36 rural tourism sites, and is supported by the Ministry of Tourism.
Pochampally ikat sarees
- Pochampally sari or Pochampally ikat is a saree made in Bhoodan Pochampally.
- They have traditional geometric patterns in Ikat style of dyeing. The intricate geometric designs find their way into sarees and dress materials.
- Ikat (in Indonesian languages means “bind”) is a dyeing technique originated from Indonesia used to pattern textiles that employs resist dyeing on the yarns prior to dyeing and weaving the fabric.
Tourism Village
- The Tourism Villages is a global initiative to highlight villages where tourism preserves cultures and traditions, celebrates diversity, provides opportunities and safeguards biodiversity, according to UNWTO.
- India had nominated two other villages in the same category Kongthong in Meghalaya and Ladhpura Khas in Madhya Pradesh.
UNWTO
- The World Tourism Organization is the United Nations specialized agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, having its headquarters in Madrid, Spain.
- As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.
Facts for Prelims
- Recently UNESCO conferred heritage tag for Ramappa Temple
4 . Facts for Prelims
Project 15B
- Project 15B is a class of stealth guided missile destroyers currently under construction for the Indian Navy.
- They are an improved variant of the Kolkata-class destroyers, are being built by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) for the Indian Navy. They retain the hull design of the Kolkata-class destroyers but will incorporate advanced stealth features and a high degree of automation.
- The Navy is set to receive a total of four of the Visakhapatnam class of destroyers as part of Project 15B
- A total of four vessels are being built under this class by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).
- Visakhapatnam,
- Mormugao,
- Imphal
- Porbandar
- INS Vishakhapatnam was the first Project 15B ship and was launched in April 2015, while the second ship, INS Mormugao, was launched in September 2016. The third ship Imphal was launched on April 20, 2019, and is at an advanced stage of outfitting. The fourth ship is under block erection and will be launched within the current financial year.
- These “feature cutting-edge advanced technology and are comparable to the best ships of similar class anywhere in the world”.
Project 75
- The Kalvari-class diesel-electric attack submarines are being developed for the Indian Navy. The submarines have been ordered by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) under Project 75 (P75), which involves the acquisition of six ships of the Kalvari-class.
- The P75 Kalvari-class diesel-electric / air-independent propulsion (AIP) submarines are based on the Scorpene-class submarines, which were designed by French naval shipbuilding firm Naval Group (formerly known as DCNS) in partnership with Spanish shipbuilding firm Navantia.
- The new submarines are being built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (formerly known as Mazagon Dock) in Mumbai, India, using the technology and training provided by Naval Group.
- The Indian Navy intends to use the submarines for missions including area surveillance, intelligence gathering, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and minelaying operations.
- The first submarine in the class, INS Kalvari, was undocked at Mazagon Dock in April 2015 and was launched in Mumbai in October of the same year.
- INS Khanderi, the second submarine in the class, was launched in January 2017 and commissioned in September 2019.
- The third Scorpene-class submarine, INS Karanj, was launched in January 2018 and commissioned in March 2021.
- The launching ceremony of the fourth submarine, INS Vela, was held in May 2019.
- The fifth submarine of the P75 Kalvari-class, INS Vagir, was launched at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders’ facility in Mumbai in November 2020.
- Scorpene-class submarines have also been acquired by the naval forces of Chile, Malaysia and Brazil.
Maritime capability perspective plan
- The MCPP lays down the plans for force development and modernisation over three plan periods.
- As per the Maritime Capability Perspective Plan, by 2027,India ought to have about 200 ship.
- The Navy currently has 130 ships and had earlier planned to achieve securing 200, which was revised to 170 ships by 2027.
- The aim is to build a three-dimensional force that is able to meet all future challenges.
- The Navy has a present fleet strength of 130, including ships and submarines.
- The timeline is now being revised as the Navy is revising its MCPP for the next 15 years, which is expected to be ready by next year and will be in line with the 10year Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICDP) being formulated by the Department of Military Affairs to bring in service integration.
5 . Places in News
Purvanchal Expressway
- Purvanchal Expressway is a 340.8 km long, 6-lane wide (expandable to 8) access-controlled expressway in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.
- The expressway connects Chand Saray village near Gosainganj in Lucknow district with Haydaria village on NH-31 in Ghazipur district.
- It is developed by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA)