Prelim Bits 16-02-2022 | UPSC Daily Current Affairs

Guru Ravidas

The President of India has greeted fellow-citizens on the eve of birth anniversary of Guru Ravidas.

• Ravidas Jayanti is celebrated on Magh Purnima, which is the full moon day of the Magh month as per the Hindu calendar.
• Born in 1377 C.E. in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Guru Ravidas was an Indian mystic, poet, social reformer and spiritual guru.
• He belonged to the bhakti movement during the 15th to 16th century.
• He wrote 40 poems in the Guru Granth Sahib - the sacred scripture of Sikhism.
• He is the founder of the 21st-century Ravidassia religion.
• He dedicated his life to abolish the caste system and openly despised the notion of a Brahminical society. He promoted communal harmony, spiritual freedom and championed equality.
• He was also the spiritual guide of Meera Bai.

Reference

1. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1798519
2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/guru-ravidas-jayanti-president-kovind-urges-people-to-pursue-path-of-love-equality/articleshow/89606146.cms
3. https://www.news18.com/news/lifestyle/guru-ravidas-jayanti-2022-dates-history-significance-and-inspirational-quotes-4772822.html

Public Order

The Karnataka High Court is hearing a challenge to the constitutionality of the state government’s ban on students wearing a hijab in educational institutions on the ground that it violates ‘public order’.

• Public order is also one of the grounds on which the state can restrict free speech and other fundamental rights.
• It is one of the three grounds on which the state can restrict freedom of religion.
•  [Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees to all persons right to freedom and conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion subject to public order, morality and health.]
• Public order is normally equated with public peace and safety.
• Public order is a duty imposed on the District Magistrate to assess whether it is necessary to rush to the spot where law and order has been breached to prevent violence spreading and ease tension.

‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India.

Therefore, it is the primary duty of the State Governments to prevent, detect, register and investigate crime and prosecute the criminals.

However, the Central Government supplements the efforts of the State Governments by providing them financial assistance

Reference

1. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/what-is-public-order-constitutional-provision-for-curbing-freedoms-7775718/
2. https://www.mha.gov.in/commoncontent/law-and-order#:~:text='Police'%20and%20'Public%20Order,crime%20and%20prosecute%20the%20criminals.

Medaram Jathara

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sanctioned ₹2.26 Crores for various activities pertaining to Medaram Jathara 2022.

• Medaram Jatara or Sammakka Saralamma Jathara is the largest tribal religious congregation in the world.
• It is the second-largest fair of India, after the Kumbh Mela.
• It is celebrated by the second-largest Tribal Community of Telangana- the Koya tribe.
• The four days’ Medaram Jathara is celebrated once in 2 years in the month of “Magha” (February) on the full moon day.
• It honours the fight of a mother and daughter, Goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma, with the reigning rulers against an unjust law.
• Significance - Medaram Jathara was declared a State Festival of Telangana in 1996.
• It assists the tribals to preserve their unique Tribal Traditions, Culture and Heritage and promote their tribal History on a global scale.
• It is also an embodiment of the spirit of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.

Medaram is a remote place in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of Dandakaranya, the largest surviving forest belt in the Mulugu, Telangana.

Reference

1. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1798353
2. https://medaramjathara.com/about-us/
3. https://mulugu.telangana.gov.in/tourist-place/medaram-jathara/

Solomon Islands

The U.S. aims to increase its influence in the Solomon Islands before China becomes “strongly embedded” by opening an embassy in there.

• Solomon Islands is a sovereign country in the South Pacific Ocean.
• It consists of six major islands and over 992 smaller islands in Oceania.
• It is an archipelago of tropical volcanic islands and coral atolls, to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu.
• The country comprises most of the Solomons chain - with the exception of Buka and Bougainville, two islands at the northwestern end that form an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea.
• Once a British protectorate, Solomon Islands achieved independence as a republic in 1978.
• Honiara, on the north coast of Guadalcanal Island, is Solomon Islands’ capital and largest city.

Reference

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/us-aims-to-counter-china-by-opening-solomon-islands-embassy/article38417292.ece
2. https://www.britannica.com/place/Solomon-Islands
3. https://www.visitsolomons.com.sb/about-the-solomon/

Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will launch the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) for the welfare of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Communities.

• A Scheme for empowerment of DNTs  have been formulated for families
  1. Having income from all sources of Rs.2.50 lakh or less per annum and
  2. Not availing any such benefits from similar Scheme of Centre Government or the State Government.
• Components of the Scheme - The scheme also aims to facilitate livelihoods initiative at community level to build and strengthen small clusters of DNT/NT/SNT Communities institutions.
• It aims to provide good quality coaching for DNT/NT/SNT candidates to enable them to appear in competitive examinations/ admission to professional courses for obtaining a job in Public/Private Sector.
• To provide health insurance cover of Rs.5 lakhs per family per year to these Communities, the scheme will provide financial assistance to National Health Authority in association with State Health Agencies.
• To provide financial assistance for construction of houses to members of the DNT/NT/SNT Communities, the scheme has proposed to earmark a separate outlay for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
• Implementation - The Scheme will be implemented for a period of 5 years starting Financial Year 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• The Scheme will be implemented through a portal that has been developed by Department of Social Justice & Empowerment.

Reference

1. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1798470
2. https://newsonair.com/2022/02/15/new-delhi-minister-of-social-justice-and-empowerment-to-launch-scheme-for-economic-empowerment-of-dnts-tomorrow/