Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

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20 March 2020

 

Schemes and Policies for Women

SCHEME	OBJECTIVES	SALIENT                                   FEATURES	MINISTRY
Nirbhaya Fund		-Nirbhaya Fund is an Indian rupee 10 billion corpus announced by Government of India in its 2013 Union Budget. -According to the then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, this fund is expected to support initiatives by the government and NGOs working towards protecting the dignity and ensuring the safety of women in India. -Nirbhaya (fearless) was the pseudonym given to the 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim to hide her actual identity.	Earlier Ministry of Home Ministry, Now Ministry of Women & Child
ICDS	-To prevent and reduce young child under-nutrition (% underweight children 0- 3 years) by 10 percentage points, -Enhance early development and learning outcomes in all children 0-6 years of age, -improve the care and nutrition of girls and women and reduce anaemia prevalence in young children, girls and women by one fifth by the end of the 12th five-year plan.	-It is a centrally sponsored scheme -The engagement of the Anganwadi worker and helper from the same village -It is a universal and self-selecting scheme i.e. anyone can visit the Aanganwadi centre and enrol these services. -Package of six services i.e. o SNP – supplementary nutrition programme o Pre-school education o Health and nutrition education, o Immunization, o Health check-up and o Referral services to the beneficiaries AEC-cum-crèche, AWC-cum counsellor.	Ministry of Women & Child
Mahila Police Volunteer		It envisages the creation of a link between the police authorities and the local communities in villages through police volunteers who will be women specially trained for this purpose. Under this scheme, it is expected to have at least one such volunteer in every village whose primary job will be to keep an eye on situations where women in the village are harassed or their rights and entitlements are denied or their development is prevented. Joint initiative b/w Min. of WCD and Home Min.	Ministry of Women & Child and Home Ministry
UJJAWALA Yojana		A comprehensive scheme for prevention of trafficking and rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation	Ministry of Women & Child
One-Stop centre scheme	1. To provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence, both in private and public spaces under one roof. 2. To facilitate immediate, emergency and non-emergency access to a range of … support under one roof to fight against any forms of violence against women	1. These centres will provide immediate access to a range of services including medical, legal, psychological and counselling support to the victims. 2. The OSC will support all women including girls below 18 years of age affected by violence, also for girls below 18 years of age, institutions and authorities established under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 will be linked with the OSC. 3. In addition to this, a single uniform number –181 will provide 24-hour emergency response to all women affected by violence, through referral (linking with appropriate authorities such as Police, OSC or hospital); funding thru’ Nirbhaya fund	Ministry of Women & Child
Swadhar Grehs		Homes for relief and rehabilitation of women in difficult circumstances including survivors of rape/assault etc. Provision for food clothing, counselling. training, clinical and legal aid; long term	Ministry of Women & Child
She-Box		Online complaint Management System for women working in both public and private organizations to ensure effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act	Ministry of Women & Child
Universalization of Women Helpline			Ministry of Women & Child
The mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women	: To achieve holistic empowerment of women through the convergence of schemes/programmes of different Ministries/ Department of Government of India as well as State Governments	-It aimed at improving the declining Child Sex Ratio; ensuring survival. & protection of the girl child; ensuring her education, and empowering her to fulfil her potentials social sector welfare schemes for care, protection and development of women. -It will provide an interface for rural women to approach the government for availing their entitlements and for empowering them through training and capacity building.	Ministry of Women & Child
Mahila Shakti Kendra		-Mahila Shakti Kendras will converge all Govt. Schemes for women at National, State, District and Block level Skill Development, Employment, Digital Literacy, Health and Nutrition. -Through this scheme, the government plans to reach 115 most backward districts in the country with 920 Mahila Shakti Kendra…	Ministry of Women & Child
PRIYADARSHINI SCHEME(discontinued in 2016)		Women’s Empowerment and Livelihoods Programme in the Mid Gangetic Plains	Ministry of Women & Child
Sabla	-Enable the adolescent girls for self-development and empowerment -Improve their nutrition and health status. -Promote awareness about health, hygiene, nutrition, adolescent reproductive and sexual health (ARSH) and family and child care. -To educate, skill and make them ready for life’s challenges	Nutrition provision – Iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation – Health check-up and referral services – Nutrition & health education (NHE) -Counselling/guidance on family welfare, ARSH, child care practices and home management. -Upgrade home-based skills, life skills and integrate with the national skill development program (NSDP) for vocational skills. -Mainstream out of school adolescent girls into formal/non-formal education. -Provide information/guidance about existing public services such as PHC, CHC, post office, bank, police the station, etc.	Ministry of Women & Child
Saksham			Ministry of Women & Child
Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana	-Empower women in agriculture by making systematic investments to enhance their participation and productivity, -Create and sustain agriculture-based livelihoods of rural women.	-a sub-component of the Deendayal Antodaya Yojana-NRLM (DAY-NRLM) – Under the Pariyojana, projects are conceived in such a manner that the skill base of the women in agriculture is enhanced to enable them to pursue their livelihoods on a sustainable basis. -Under MKSP sustainable agriculture, 58 projects from 14 States have been sanctioned which will benefit 24.5 lakhs Mahila Kisans during the period.	Ministry of Rural Development
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao		1.Prevent Female infanticide 2.Ensure Every Girl Child is Protected 3.Ensure every Girl Child is educated Enforcement of PC & PNDT Act, nation-wide awareness and advocacy campaign and multi-sectoral action in select 100 districts (low on Child Sex Ratio) in the first phase. -Under this scheme, there is a strong emphasis on mindset change through training, sensitization, awareness-raising and community mobilization on ground.	It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development.
Sukanya samriddhi yojana		1.(Minor) bank account for girl child below the age of 10. 2.She can withdraw 50% of the money after reaching the age of 18 e.g. for higher education. 18 years deadline will also help to prevent child-marriages. For initial account opening, minimum deposit Rs.1000 required. Later, any amount in multiples of 100 can be deposited, but maximum Rs. 1.5 lakh per year. Interest rate: 9.1% compounded annually.	Ministry of Women & Child
Pocso-e Box		1, POCSO e-box is a unique endeavour by NCPCR for receiving an online complaint of Child Sexual Abuse directly from the victim. 2. Through a well-defined procedure, complaints are directly followed up by a team which counsels the victim, providing further guidance for required legal action. Through a short animation film embedded in the e-box, it assures the victim not to feel bad, helpless or confused as it’s not her fault. With the e-box, it is easy to register a complaint through a step-by-step guided process.	The Ministry of Women & Child It is an initiative of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), for Direct online Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse.
NARI		Due to scattered information on various women-centric schemes/legislations, there is a lack of awareness among people regarding the same. To address this problem the government launched NARI portal as a single window access to information and services	Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology
e-samvaad Portal		It is a platform for NGOs and civil society to interact with the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) by providing their feedback, suggestions, put up grievances, share best practices etc. • This will help in the formulation of effective policies and measures for the welfare of women and children.	Ministry of Women & Child
Stree Swabhiman		-It aims to create a sustainable model for providing adolescent girls and women access to affordable sanitary products in rural areas. -Under this project, sanitary napkin micro manufacturing units (semi-automatic and manual process production unit) are being set up at CSCs across India, particularly those operated by women entrepreneurs. -The product will be sold under the local brand name and marketed by village-level entrepreneurs. -Each facility will employ 8-10 women and educate women of their society to overcome this social taboo. -It also has a menstrual hygiene related awareness generation component and is also expected to reduce drop-out rates in girls on reaching puberty.	Ministry of Electronics and Information technology (MeITY)
PROGRAM TO TRAIN ELECTED WOMEN REPRESENTATIVES OF PANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTIONS		-The program aimed at capacity building of EWRs is being organized by the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) of the MoWCD. -It is the first-ever initiative which will train approximately twenty thousand EWRs covering nearly 50 EWRs from each district (by March 2018) who will go out and administer the villages professionally. – It will help in creating model villages, ensure their effective participation in the governance process and help preparing women as political leaders of the future.	Ministry of women and Child
Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP)		-To provide competencies and skill that enable women to become self-employed/entrepreneurs. -The scheme is intended to benefit women who are in the age group of 16 years and above across the country.	Ministry of women and Child
Rashtriya Mahila Kosh		-RMK is a national credit fund for women under the aegis of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. -It was established in 1993 for socio-economic empowerment of women. -It aims to provide financial services with backward and forward linkages for women in the unorganized sector through Intermediary Micro Finance Organizations (IMOs) and Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and to augment their capacities through multi-pronged efforts. -RMK also extends micro-credit to the women in the informal sector through a client-friendly, without collateral and in a hassle-free manner for income generation activities	Ministry of women and child

 

 

 

Functions and powers of the legislature

Loksabha (house of people) + RajyaSabha (Council of states) + President

	LokSabha	RajyaSabha
Other names	The lower house, house of people	Upper house, the council of states
Total strength (state+UT+nominated)	530+13+2	29 elected from states + 4 from UTs + 12 Nominated by president
Maximum strength (state+UT+nominated)	530+20+2	238 +12
Mode of election	Direct election – First past the post	Indirect by MLAs – proportional representation by a single transferable vote
Life cycle	5 yr or until dissolved	Continuing chamber (6 year of MP)
Min. age to contest polls	25	30
Presiding officer	Speaker	Vice President (Ex officio
Who can be nominated	126 Constitutional Amendment Act removed nomination provision  for Anglo-Indians	Special knowledge in Literature, art, science, social service

 

	LS	RS
Money Bill, certification and voting on it	Introduced here, speaker certifies can vote and amend	Can’t be introduced, can’t vote, can only send recommendation within 14 days
Estimate committee members	All 30 from LS	No role
Joint sitting presided by	Speaker > deputy speaker	Not by VP
National emergency discontinuation	Resolution by LS	No role
No confidence motion, censure motion adjournment motion	Only in LS

 

	RS	LS
Parliamentary law on the state list	Authorizes (Art 249)
Creation of new AIS	Authorizes (Art 312)
Introduction of motion to remove VP	Introduced here and passed by an effective majority	LS – simple majority required

 

Presiding officers

Speaker of previous LS vacates post before the first meeting of new LS

President appoints speaker Pro Tem – usually a senior-most member

Presides over a first meeting, the oath to members, the election of the speaker

Speaker is elected and pro tem cease to exist

Speaker fixes the date for the election of deputy speaker

Nominates panel of =<10 chairpersons to preside in his/ deputy’s absence

 

Election and removal (Speaker, deputy and vice CP) and salary

Election -By the members of particular house by a simple majority

Removal – 14 days notice and the effective majority of the house

Charged on CFI and thus non-votable

Titbits:

1. President is part of parliament but not the presiding officer of any house
2. VP is not the part of parliament yet presiding officer and ex officio chairperson of RS
3. President can not chair joint sitting even in the absence of the speaker and deputy speaker. Deputy CP chairs the sitting in such eventuality
4. Being elector of the same state is not a requirement to contest the election of RS or LS (elector in any constituency in India)
5. Bills introduced by ministers are public bills, those by other members (including members of the ruling party) are private bills.

Unique provisions

1. Question hour and not Zero hours is the first hour of parliamentary proceeding.
2. Indian innovation – Zero hour and Calling attention motion
3. Not mentioned in the rule of the procedure – Zero hours (calling attention motion is in rules)
4. Censure motion should state the reasons and can be initiated against the individual minister as well; no such requirement for the no-confidence motion, only against CoM
5. Adjournment motion is an extraordinary device to draw attention to the urgent matter of public importance

	Ordinary Bill	Money bill	CAB
Government approval	No	Required (introduced by minister only)	No
Introduction	Either house	Only LS	Either house
Passage	Simple majority	Simple	Special
Amendments	Simple majority	RS only recommends changes within 14 days	Special majority
Deadlock	President can call Joint session after 6 month	LS doesn’t have to accept recommendations, bill is passed as such	No joint sitting
Returning by President	Can return once for reconsideration or withhold assent	Can’t return, either assent or reject	Shall assent

 

Titbits:

1. Only 3 joint sittings so far – dowry bill, banking services bill and POTA bill
2. Only 14 private member bills have been passed so far, last bill (supreme court enlargement of jurisdiction bill )was in 1968
3. Right of transgender persons bill was passed by RS (1st private member bill to get the nod of the upper house in 45 years)

Budget (Annual Financial Statement, Article 112)

1. Presentation of the budget by FM
2. General discussion – discuss as a whole
3. Scrutiny by departmental committees – for 3 to 4 weeks
4. Voting on demand for grants – voting only in LS and only on non-charged expenditure (cut motions at this stage). On last day all remaining demands are put together and put to vote – guillotine
5. The passing of appropriation bill – voted demands plus charged expenditure, no amendments can be moved here
6. The passing of finance bill – financial proposals (taxes), amendments to reduce taxes can be moved

Fund	Consolidated fund	Contingency	Public accounts
What comes	All receipts and payments	Money comes from CFI to meet unforeseen expenditure	All public money except CFI (provident fund, remittances etc)
Parliamentary approval	Yes	No. finance secretary on behalf of the president	Not required, executive operates

Titbits:

1. Charged expenditure can be discussed but not voted
2. Salary and allowance of SC judges, UPSC members, CAG, President, VP, Speaker, deputy, vice CP etc are charged on CFI
3. Salaries and Expenditure of election commission is not charged on CFI
4. Salary of high court judges is charged on CF of states while their pension in charged on CFI

 

State legislative assembly (Vidhansabha)

Vidhan Sabha is equivalent to LS and Vidhan Parishad to RS

Differences are mentioned below

Vidhan Parishad (legislative council): 7 states, Andhra, Bihar, J&K, K’taka, Maharashtra, Telangana, UP

Creation and Abolition of Vidhan Parishad: Vidhan Sabha passes a resolution by the special majority and Parliament agrees to that resolution by a simple majority

Titbits:

1. Bill passed by Vidhan Sabha – Vidhan Parishad can amend w/i 3 months – Vidhan Sabha accepts or rejects amendments – Vidhan Parishad can hold the bill for 1 more month
2. Bill passed by Vidhan Parishad – Vidhan Sabha rejects – the bill is killed
3. No provision for joint sitting in states
4. The maximum strength of Vidhan Parishad ⅓ of Vidhan Sabha, min 40
5. ⅚ indirectly elected, ⅙ nominated

Governor can reserve all the bills for presidential assent

Once he reserves the bill, his role is over and the president can assent, hold back, reject or send the bill for reconsideration

Situations where Parliament can pass a bill on state subject

Condition	Duration
National emergency	6 months after the expiry of emergency
President’s rule	Indefinitely but legislature can repeal or modify
International treaty/ agreement	Indefinitely
RS passes a resolution by ⅔ majority	1 year of resolution plus 6 months <resolution can be passed again>
2 or more states pass the resolution <applicable only ti those states>	Indefinitely

 

Types of majority

Eg. Total seats – 545

Vacancies due to death and resignation – 10

Absence – 20

Total vote cast – 500 ( 15 present did not cast vote)

Type	Simple	Effective	Absolute	⅔ majority	Special	Absolute ⅔
Definition	50% present and voting +1	50% of (total – vacancies) +1	50% of total + 1	⅔ present and voting +1	Absolute and ⅔ simultaneously	⅔ of total +1
Example	(500/2) +1	(545-10)/2 +1	(545/2) +1	(⅔*500) +1		(⅔*545)
Used	Ordinary bill, a money bill	Removal of the speaker, deputy speaker in LS, VP and vice Cp in RS	No where	Art 249, 312, 169	Art 368, removal of judges of the supreme court, high court, CAG	Impeachment of president

 

Parliamentary committees

Committee	Estimates committee	Public accounts committee	Departmentally related standing committees (24)
Membership	30 (LS)	22 (15+7)	21+10
Appointment	Elected every year by proportional representation	Elected every year by proportional representation	Nominated by Speaker and CP
Chairperson	Ruling party member	Opposition member from 1967
Role	Examine estimates included in the budget and suggest economies in expenditure	Examines the audit report of CAG	Demand for grants and bills

 

[WpProQuiz 411]

 

Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

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19th March 2020

 

		Famous Sculpture/                             Painting	Era/ Dynasty	Monument
		Bodhisattva Padmapani	Gupta Period	Ajanata
		Mahakapi Jataka	Sunga	Bharhut stupa
		Torso of Vishnu	Gupta Period	Mathura
		Stupa worship	Mauryan/Sunga period	Bharhut stupa
		Yakshini	Mauryan/Sunga period	Bharhut stupa
		Queen Maya’s dream	Mauryan/Sunga period	Bharhut stupa
		Painting of Yashodahara,Rahul & buddha	Gupta Period	Ajanata
		Standing Buddha	Gupta Period	Sarnath
		Seated Buddha	Kushanas	Mathura
		Standing Buddha	Kushanas	Gandhara
		Mara Vijaya	Multiple period	Ajanta
		Maheshmurthi	Rashtrakuta Period	Elephanta caves
		Shiva chasing boar	Vijaynagara Period	Lepakshi temple
		Shiva killing Tripurasura		Thanjavoor
		Dakshinamurthy	Vijaynagara Period	Lepakshi temple
		Ladies attending Parvathy	Vijaynagara Period	Lepakshi temple
		Krishna playing the flute		Pundareekapuram temple
		Sheshashayana Vishnu	Gupta Period	Dashavtar temple
		Vishnu in Nara-Narayan form	Gupta Period	Dashavtar temple
		Arjun Penance	Pallavas	Mahabalipuram
		Statue of Suparshvanatha	Pallavas
		Statue of Gommateshwara,	Ganga Dynasty	Shravanbelagola, Karnataka
		Yakshi	Mauryan Period	Didarganj
		Durga with eight arms shown in the act of defeating Mahishasura,	Pallavas	Mahishasura Mardini Cave, Mahabalipuram
		Ravana Shaking Mount Kailasha	Rashtrakuta	Ellora
		Nandi bull	Cholas	Brihadeshwara temple
		Kalyana Sundara Murthy	Rashtrakuta	Ellora
		Nayika	Ganga Dynasty	Lingraj temple
		Nataraja	Cholas	Brideshwar temple
		Manjira player	Ganga Dynasty	Surya Mandir,Odhisa
		Mohini	Hoysalas	Chennakeshava temple
		Pillars with horse rider	Naykas	Meenakshi temple
		Worship of Bodhi tree	Mauryan Period	Bharhut
		Animals worshipping Bodhi tree	Sungas	Sanchi
		Yakshini	Sungas	Sanchi
		Taming of Nalagiri elephant	Mauryan Period	Amravati
		Head of Buddha	Kushanas	Gandhara
		Seated Buddha	Kushanas	Mathura
		Dwarfish Yaksha		Pithalkoda caves
		Five Ratha	Pallavas	Mahabalipuram
		Vrikshika	Sunga	Sanchi Stupa
		Buddha’s Great departure	Kushanas	Gandhara
		Indra flying amid clouds together with celestial nymphs	Gupta Period	Ajanta

 

The following table contains the tribes in India, significant aspects of their life, and festivals they celebrate.

	Name of the tribe	States/ Region	Significant aspects related to the tribe	Festivals
	Munda	Chota Nagpur Plateu	1.Christianity is their main religion. 2..They speak Mundari which is austro-asiatic Language.	Main festivals of Munda tribe are Mage Parab , Ind-Parab Jom-Nagoa or Jom Nawa ,Batauli ,Kolom Sing ,Phagu Festival ,Sarhul or Ba Parab ,Karam and Sohrai Festival
	Santhals	West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand and Assam.	1.Santhals are the third largest tribe in India. 2.Santhals speak Santhali, which belongs to the Austro- Asiatic language family. Santhals have their script called Olchiki, which was developed by Dr Raghunath Murmu in 1925. 3.Santhals have no temples of their own. They even do not worship any idols. Santhals follow the Sarna religion.	Santhals mainly celebrate the Karam festival which falls in the month of September and October
	Angami	Nagaland	1.Men wear shawls called white Mhoushu and the black Lohe. The women wear Mechala – the wrap around skirt and shawls of unique designs and patterns 2.Christianity is the major religion followed among the Angami tribal people 3.Angamis are quite popular for their woodcraft and artwork.	Sekrenyi is the main festival celebrated among the Angamis in Nagaland.
	Bhils	The central Bhils are found in the mountain regions in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujrat and Rajasthan. Bhils are also found in the north eastern parts of Tripura.	1.Religion practice among the Bhils differ from place to place. Most of them worship local deities like Khandoba, Kanhoba, Bahiroba, and Sitalmata. Some of the worship Tiger God called ‘vaghdev’. They have no temples of their own. 2.Ghoomar is the most famous dance among the Bhils. 3.Than Gair is the religious dance drama performed by the men in the month of Sharavana (July and August)	The Baneshwar fair is the main festival celebrated among the Bhils. This fair is held during the period of Shivatri (in the month of January or February) and is dedicated to Baneshwar Mahadev also known as Lord Shiva. On this occasion Bhils gather all together set up camps on the banks of the Som and Mahi river.
	Chenchus	Chenchu inhabit in the Nallamalai hills, which have been the part of the Nagarjuna Sagar Tiger Sanctuary for centuries in Andhra Pradesh India.	1.Chenchus talk in Chenchu language with the Telgu accent. Their language is also known as Chenchucoolam, Chenchwar, Chenswar or Choncharu. 2.Chenchus worship number of deities. They mainly believe in Bhagaban taru who lives in the sky and look after the Chenchus in all their doings. Another deity they worship is Garelamai Sama, who is the Goddess of forest.
	Khasis	Khasi tribe is mainly found in the sate of Assam and the Khasi Jaintia hills in Meghalaya	1.Khasis speak Khasi, which is an Austro- Asiatic language. It is the part of the Mon-Khmer group of languages. 2.Khasis have a matriachal society. 3.Most of the Khasis follow Christianity as the religion. The Khasi believe in the supreme creator God U Blei Nong-thaw.	Nongkrem is the major festival celebrated among the Khasis.
	Bhuthias	Bhutia tribes are of the Tibetan origin. They migrated to Sikkim around 16th century. In the northern part of the Sikkim where they are the major inhabitants, they are known as the Lachenpas and Lachungpas. Majority of the Bhutias are concentrated in the dry valley of the North Sikkim.	1.Bhutia tribes usually speak Sikkimese. 2.The legal system among the Bhutias is termed as the Dzumsa, which means the rendezvous point of the common masses. 3. Bhutia male wear Bakhu which is a loose traditional dress with the full sleeves. While the women dress consists of Silken Honju, which is the full sleeves blouse	Losar and Losoong are the main festivals celebrated among the Bhutia tribes.
	Gonds	The Gonds are the tribal community mostly found in the Gond forests of central India. They are widely spread in the Chhindwara District of Madhya Pradesh	1.Gonds tribe speak Gondi language which is related to the Telgu and the other Dravidian languages. 2.Gonds have been largely influenced by the Hindus and for the long time have been practicing the Hindus culture and traditions. Gonds are the worshipers of Janani or the mother of creator. 3.Gusadi dance is the most famous dance perfomed by the Gonds.	Gonds fair and festivals are influenced from the Hindu traditions. Keslapur Jathra is the important festival of the Gonds.
	Gaddis	Himachal Pradesh.	1.The main occupation of Gaddi tribes is shepherding and they make their livelihood by rearing and selling sheeps, goats, mules and horses 2. They speak Gaddi langauge	The Namagen dance is performed in the month of September to celebrate the autum. They were costumes which are largely woolen and studded with ornaments of silver. They are worn by women.
	Birhor	Chattisgarh	1.They follow Hinduism and have their indigenous traditional beliefs. ‘Sing Bonga’, is regarded by the people as the supreme god. 2.Birhor tribe is one of the primitive tribes. They belong to the Proto-Australoid stock; linguistically, they originate from the Austro-Asiatic group.
	Garo	Meghalaya	1.In Garo tribes, women are the owners of property thus making it a matrilineal society. 2.most of the Garos adopted Christianity. These tribes speak Garo language, which is also further divided into different sub-languages or dialects.	Wangala is one of the significant festivals of these tribes This festival is celebrated after the harvest of crops as thanks giving ceremony to their deity Salijong
	Zeliang	Nagaland	1.The Zeliang practice wet cultivation or Panikheti and terraced cultivation. They practice Jhum cultivation though they prefer Panikheti. 2.Many have accepted the religion of Christianity.	The Hega festival is one of the most important and the largest festivals among the Zeliang community
	Rengma	Nagaland	1.They belong to the Mongoloid racial stock. The Rengma is a patriarchal society therefore the line of descent is traced through the male side and property rights goes to the male line. 2.The Rengma tribes are agriculturists. They grow paddy through Jhum cultivation and wet cultivation. 3.Traditionally Rengma tribes are worshippers of supernatural beings. The Supreme god is known as Teronyu. Nyensug and Nyensugi are the next important god and goddesses who are worshipped for household wealth. Now most of the Rengma tribes are Christians	Ngada is the most important festival of Rengma tribes. It is celebrated after harvesting the crop or at the end of November or in the beginning of December. Actually it is a “Thanks giving” festival of the Rengma tribes
	Ao	Nagaland	The Ao Nagas are rich in their folk literature. With the arrival of Christian missionaries in the 19th century the Ao were some of the earliest converts to Christianity among the other Naga tribes.	1. The Aos observe Moatsü Mong after the sowing is done. The festival provides them a period of recreation and entertainment after the stressful work of clearing fields, burning jungles, sowing seeds, cleaning up the Tsubu (wells) and repairs and construction of houses by elders of the Putu Menden, stretching over a week. 2.Aos have another festival called Tsüngrem Mong. It is celebrated in the eve of the harvest.
	Lushai	Manipur/Mizoram	1.Lushai tribes have developed expertise in swimming and hunting. That they are good archers are apparent from the fact that they can nicely handle ‘Sairawkher’. 2.The way they dress shows that these Lushai tribes have got aesthetic sense. Lukhum is a special hat worn by the Lushai tribes. It is sharp in shape, mainly prepared from ‘bamboo splits’. Special open-hexagonal weave are used for weaving these hats. 3.For proper administration, the whole of the Lushai society are segregated into clans and castes, nicely run by a village head. Different is the way in which they practice the ‘Sakhua sacrifice’. These Lushai tribes are pious.	There Bamboo dance(known as Cheraw dance) is very famous.
	Hmar	Manipur	1.The society is patrilineal and patriarchal in nature. 2. Hmars worship supernatural beings. Pathien is the supreme god. 3.The Hmars depend on forest products. Their economy can be classified dually -traditional and subsidiary occupations.	Chawn-lam, Dar-lam, Pheipheet-lam, Hrang-lam, Tinna-Hla-lam are the common dances of the Hmar community. All dances are based on the rhythmic tunes of musical instruments.
	Kuki	Manipur	Kuki Tribe of Manipur are mainly followers of Christianity and Judaism.
	Mizo	Mizoram	1.The Mizos are of the Mongoloid racial stock with well built features. 2.They follow Christianity 3.The Mizos are mainly an agricultural people. Jhum cultivation is the traditional form of agriculture that is practiced	The Mizo celebrate many festivals among which Chapchar kut and Pavlkut are most important festivals. Chapchar kut is celebrated in the month of March. It is the spring festival celebrated. Pawl kut is a harvest festival celebrated in the months of December and January.
	Chakesang	Nagaland		Held in between March and April, the Tsukhenyi festival is one of the least known tribal festivals in India that is celebrated with great enthusiasm by the Chakesang Nagass
	Limboos	Sikkim	1.Many Limbu follow a combination of Buddhism and their traditional beliefs. 2.There traditional group dance is called dhannach and is performed during marriage,death or any festivities 3.The traditional dress of Limboos are mekhli and Taga
	Lepchas	Sikkim	1.The Lepchas are the aboriginal inhabitants of Sikkim and they are mostly settled in North Sikkim. They are mostly Buddhist but many of them have now adopted Christianity 2. The traditional cloths of the Lepchas are woven in exquisite colour combinations. Men’s dress is called Thokro-Dum and the female’s dress is called Dumdyam or Dumvum. 3. The Lepcha trace their descent patrilineally. The marriage is negotiated between the families of the bride and the groom.
	Apatani	Aruanchal Pradesh	1.UNESCO has proposed the Apatani valley for inclusion as a World Heritage Site for its “extremely high productivity” and “unique” way of preserving the ecology 2. Women of the Apatani Tribe, in India’s Apatani plateau, are famous for the bizarre nose plugs they’ve been wearing since times long passed.	They have two major festival- Dree and Myoko.
	Nyishis	Aruanchal Pradesh	1.The Nyishi language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family, however, the origin is disputed. 2.Polygyny is prevalent among the Nyish. 3. The Nyishis, who traditionally wear cane helmets surmounted by the crest of a hornbill beak (known as pudum, padam), have considerably affected the population of this bird. Several organizations, such as the Arunachal Wildlife and Nature Foundation and the Wildlife Trust of India, have been trying to stop the Nyishi hunting these birds in order to protect them from extinction. Nature reserves, such as the Pakke Sanctuary, are being set up to protect the birds, while artificial materials, such as fiberglass, have been introduced as an alternative to the hornbill beak in Nyishi dress.	Nyokum is the festival celebrated by the Nyishi people, a religion which commemorates their ancestors.
	Adis	Aruanchal Pradesh	Adi dances vary from the slow, rustic and beautifully enchanting style Ponung (performed in Solung festival) to the exhilarating, exuberant thumps of Delong performed by Men in Etor festival. These dances have led to certain forms of dancing which jointly narrate a story, the Tapu (War Dance). In the Tapu War Dance, the dancers vigorously re-enact the actions of war, its gory details and the triumphant cries of the warriors. Yakjong is performed in Aran festival.	The Adi celebrate a number of festivals, in particular their prime festivals are Aran, Solung, Etor.Solung, is observed in the first week of September for five days or more. It is a harvest festival performed after the sowing of seeds and transplantation, to seek for future bumper crops. Ponung songs and dances are performed by women folk during the festival
	Sema/Sumi Nagas	Nagaland	1.The ‘Sumi Naga’ is one of the major Naga peoples in Nagaland, India. The Sumis mainly inhabit the Zunheboto district, although many have spread and is now living in a few more districts within Nagaland. 2.Sumi Naga tribe practiced kiti-do and were a headhunter as every other Naga tribals .	Tuluni (July 8) is a festival of great significance for the Sumi. This festival is marked with feasts as the occasion occurs in the bountiful season of the year. Drinking rice beer indispensably forms as part of the feasts. Rice beer is served in a goblet made of bamboo or made from the leaf of plantain. This drink is called Tuluni which gives the festival its name.
	Konyak tribe	Nagaland	The Konyak are a Naga people, and are recognised among other Naga by their tattoos, which they have all over their face and hands; facial tattoos were earned for taking an enemy’s head. They are called the land of Angh’s. They have the largest population among the Nagas.	Aoleang is the biggest festival for the Konyak. They wear their traditional attire and sing folk song to celebrate the Aoleang festival.
	Reang	Tripura	1.The Reangs are basically a semi-nomadic tribe who practice jhum (slash and burn) or shifting method of cultivation on the hill sides. 2. The Reang basically belonged to the Mongoloid group and speaks the Tibeto-Burmese language ‘Kau Bru	The Hodaigri dance amongst the Reang (Bru) was usually performed on the occasion of Maikhlungmo rituals i.e. worship of Goddess of food grains and cotton especially during the month of September-October
	Mishing	Assam	1.The Mishing tribe is the second largest tribe among the other tribes of North- East India. 2.Traditionally Mishing people live near the bank of river and they build their “Chang Ghar” with the help of timber bamboo, thatch, etc for comfort living.	Mishing people are easy going, very simple living and are fond of festivals. The main festival is “Ali-Aye-Ligang” which is the most colourful spring festival held every year on first Wednesday of the month “Gimur polo”(Feb-March).
	Karbi	Assam	1.The Karbis believes in animism which consists of such a belief in the role of spiritual beings in human life. 2. Various types of dances are performed by the youths during the performances of Chomangkan, the death ceremony and other socio-religious festivals. The Karbis have very limited number of musical instruments. A big drum called Cheng is their main musical instrument.	A number of festivals are observed by the people belonging to Karbi tribal group. Like for instance, they celebrate ‘Chojun Puja’ or ‘Swarak Puja’, ‘Rongker’, ‘Chokk-eroi’, ‘Hacha-Kekan’, ‘Chomangkan’.
	Mikir	Assam
	Kols	Madhya Pradesh	Most of these tribes are landless labourer. They prefer to live in groups near villages called Kolhan
	Bonda	Odhisa	The Bonda are an ancient tribe of people who live in the isolated hill regions of the Malkangiri district of southwestern Odisha, India,
	Oarons	Odhisa,Bihar and Jharkhand	1.Oraon also called Kurukh, aboriginal people of the Chota Nagpur region in the state of Jharkhand, India. They call themselves Kurukh and speak a Dravidian language akin to Gondi and other tribal languages of central India. 2.Speakers of Oraon number about 1,900,000, but in urban areas, and particularly among Christians, many Oraon speak Hindi as their mother tongue. 3.It was long thought that the Oraons and the other tribals were animists, people who attribute a living soul to plants, inanimate objects and natural phenomena. This view has been discarded although amateur anthropologists still sort it out in articles, in popular magazines. The Oraons are not nature worshipers.
	Murias	Chattisgarh	1.The Muria are an adivasi (scheduled tribe) of the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, India. They are part of the Gondi people. 2.They have mixed-sex dormitories where adolescents are sent to practice premarital sex, sometimes with a single partner and sometimes serially. 3.The Muria are traditionally animists, with village and clan deities
	Korba	Chattisgarh	Famous for there Karma dance
	Sahariya	Rajasthan	1.Sahariya Tribe is the only primitive tribe of the Rajasthan state 2.They follow Hindu religious practices and speak a dialect influenced by Hadoti.
	Irulas	Tamil Nadu	1. They inhabit the area of the Nilgiri mountains, in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, India 2.Early 20th century anthropological literature classified the Irular under the Negrito ethnic group. 3.Unlike the Negrito tribes in the Andaman Islands who have retained their language, Irular speak the Irula language, a Dravidian language that is closely related to Tamil, Yerukala, Sholaga and other Tamil languages
	Badagas	Tamil Nadu	1.The Badagas live in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, India. They speak the unwritten Badaga language and are the one of the social groups in Nilgiris 2.Thundu (a white piece of cloth) forms an integral part of the attire of Badaga women and as a cultural item, is presented to visiting dignitaries as a gesture of good will.	Their important festival is Hethai Habba.
	Uralis	Kerela	1.The Urali tribes like most of the tribes in south India, worship nature as Gods and inventor of the world. They consider the Sun as ‘the creator of all souls’ and moon as the mother of all creation. 2.The Uralis generally do not engage in inter-tribal marriage, instead they prefer to marry within their own tribe. It is custom amongst them to wear a sacred thread on special occasions like weddings and funerals.
	Jarawas	Andaman & Nicobar Island	1.The Jarawa are still at the primitive stage of life on earth. They entirely depend upon forest and sea for food. Wild boar and monitor lizard are consumed. Various kinds of fruit , honey and tubers are parts of their diet too. 2.The jarawas of both sexes go complete naked. However some ornaments made with shells and palm leaves are worn by them but these are not in the sense to cover their nudity. This tribe has lived in the southeast part of Andaman but after the British regime they shifted to the western region of the island. They have forever been hunter gatherers in the true sense however things have changed since the 1990’s specially after the building of the old trunk road.
	Sentinelese	Andaman & Nicobar Island	1.The Sentinelese people are said to be so hostile that their home has been named the ‘hardest place to visit’ in the world.The Sentinelese and other indigenous Andamanese peoples are frequently described as negritos, 2.They inhabit the North Sentinel island, and are the only remaining tribe in the Andamans to still maintain their isolation from the rest of the world. Nobody knows exactly how they look, the population or how they live. Since 1967, the indian governments with the help of anthropologists have tried to make contact with the tribe. They tried giving gifts of food, coconuts, etc but they were always met with hostility. The tribe showers arrows and stones at whoever comes near the island. .
	Onge	Andaman & Nicobar Island	Onges are one of the most primitive tribes in India. They belong to the Negrito racial stock and they have been mainly seen near the Dugong creek in Little Andaman. They are dependent on the food provided by nature and are a semi-nomadic tribe. The onge population fell post british colonization from 672 in 1986 to 92 in 1901 but has remained stable since.
	Shompen	Andaman & Nicobar Island	The Shompens, who live in the Great Nicobar island, are a semi-nomadic people. They wander in their forest and coastal habitat in search of fruits and games. There are two territorial groups among the Shompens; The habitation of Shompens is the Great Nicobar which is the largest among the Nicobar group of Islands. Like the Nicobarese, they belong to the Mongoloid race.
	Pangwal	Himachal Pradesh.	1.These rugged people, who are Hindus, have their unique customs, traditions, and institutions. The native Pangwals and Bhotis are robust, hardworking, handsome people who keep the valley’s unique culture alive in folk songs, music and tribal dances.	Music, dance and the locally brewed liquor ‘patar’, play a significant role in the life of the Pangwals. One of the major festivals celebrated towards the end of February is ‘Jukaru’
	Sherdukpen	Aruanchal Pradesh	1.The Sherdukpen language is part of the Kanauri branch of the Tibeto-Burman family. 2.Bardo Chham is a folk dance of Sherdukpens, a small community of West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh, Bardo Chham is based on the stories of good and evil. According to the local beliefs, there are both good and evil in mankind. The Sherdukpens mask themselves representing the different animals and dance to show an act of fighting the evil forces.
	Wattal tribe	Jammu & Kashmir	Dumhal dance is performed by Wattal tribe on special occassions
	Bhutias	Sikkim	1.The Bhutia are a community of people of Tibetan ancestry, who speak Lhopo or Sikkimese, a Tibetan dialect fairly mutually intelligible to standard Tibetan 2. Singhi Chham or Kanchendzonga Dance is a dance form in Sikkim whereby the dancers perform in a lion costume that represents the snow lion. It is a dance of the Bhutia people
	Todas	Tamil Nadu	Tribals of Nilgiri hills

 

 

 

 

 

Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

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18 March 2020

Mass Movements

 

The Non-Cooperation Movement-  1920-22

Following events acted as the catalysts which finally resulted in the launch of the Non-Cooperation Movement by Gandhiji on August 1, 1920.

Backdrop

• The Rowlatt Act (February 1919), the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (13 April 1919) and martial law in Punjab had belied all the generous wartime promises of the British.
• The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms satisfied few.
• The treatment meted out to Turkey after the World War-I incensed had incensed the Indian Muslim, which led to the launch of Khilafat movement.

What were the aspects of Non-Cooperation Movement?

• The program of the non-cooperation included within its ambit-
  • Surrender of titles and honours.
  • Boycott of government-affiliated schools and colleges, law courts, foreign cloths and could be included to resignation from government service.
  • Mass civil disobedience.
  • Non-payment of taxes.
• On the other hand, it also included-
  • Establishing national schools and colleges.
  • Establishing panchayats to settle the disputes.
  • Encouraging hand spinning and weaving.
  • Maintaining Hindu-Muslim unity.
  • Observing strict non-violence.
• Several changes were made in Congress’ creed and organisation, which include-
  • The goal of the Congress was changed from attainment of self-government to attainment of Swaraj by peaceful and legitimate means.
  • The Congress was now to have Working Committee of fifteen members to look after its day-to-day affairs (the same proposal made by Tilak in 1916 was not accepted!).
  • The provincial Congress Committees were now to be organized on linguistic basis.
  • Congress was to use Hindi as far as possible.

How the movement unfolded?

• Gandhiji, along with Ali Brothers (who were the foremost Khilafat leaders) undertook nationwide tour during which he addressed hundreds of meetings and met a large number of students.
• R. Das played a major role in promoting the movement and Subhas Bose became the principal of the National College in Calcutta.
• The spirit of unrest and defiance of authority engendered by the Non-Cooperation Movement contributed to rise of many local movements in the different parts of the country.
• In May 1921, the British Government tried through Gandhi-Reading talks to persuade Gandhiji to ask Ali brothers to withdraw from their speeches those passages that contained suggestions of violence.
  • This was an attempt to drive the wedge between the Khilafat leaders and Gandhiji.
• By December 1921, the Government had changed the policy and started repression of the movement.
• Public meeting and assemblies were banned, newspapers gagged, and midnight raids on Congress and Khilafat movement became common.
• In response, Gandhiji declared mass civil disobedience movement would begin in Bardoli taluqa of Surat district.
• But before the launch of the mass civil disobedience, the Chauri Chaura incident on February 5, 1922, resulted in the withdrawal of the movement by Gandhiji.

 

The Civil Disobedience Movement 1930-31

On 2 March 1930 Gandhiji addressed his historic letter to the Viceroy Irwin in which he first explained at great length why he regarded British rule as a curse. He then informed the Viceroy his plan of action. When Gandhiji reached the Dandi on 6 April 1930 by picking up a handful of salt he inaugurated the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Backdrop

• An announcement on 8 November 1927 of an all-White Simon Commission to recommend whether India was ready for further constitutional progress and on which lines.
• The response in India was immediate. That no Indian should be thought fit to serve on a body that claimed the right to decide the political future of India was an insult no Indian of even the most moderate political opinion was willing to swallow.
• The Congress resolved on the boycott of the commission at its annual session in Madras in December 1927.

How the movement unfolded?

• Once the way was cleared by Gandhiji’s ritual beginning at Dandi, the defiance of salt laws started all over the country.
• The Government’s failure to arrest Gandhiji for breaking the salt law was used by the local level leaders to impress upon the people that ‘the Government is afraid of persons like ourselves’.
• In Tamil Nadu, C. Rajagopalachari led a salt march from Trichinopoly to Vedaranniyam on the Tanjore coast.
• On 23 April, the arrest of Congress leaders in the North-West Frontier Province led to the mass demonstration of unprecedented magnitude in Peshawar.
• In Peshawar, the atmosphere created by the Khudai Khidmatgars contributed to the mass upsurge in Peshawar during which the city was virtually in the hands of non-violent revolutionaries.
• It was increasingly becoming clear that the Government’s gamble of non-interference with the movement would result in its spending itself out.
• On May 4, the Viceroy finally ordered Gandhiji’s arrest.
• Gandhiji’s announcement that he would now proceed to continue his defiance of the salt laws by leading a raid on the Dharasana Salt Works had forced the Government to act.
• Coming as it did at a high point in the movement, it only acted as a further spur to activity, and caused endless trouble for the government.
• Dharsana Satyagraha carried out in the absence of Gandhiji with Sarojini Naidu in the lead, in which Satyagrahis were beaten with the lathis till they fell down.
• This form of Satyagraha was adopted by the people who soon made it a mass affair.
• But the salt Satyagraha was only the catalyst and the beginning, for a rich variety of forms of defiance that it brought in its wake.
• Eastern India became the scene of a new kind of no-tax campaign-refusal to pay the chowkidara tax levied specifically on the villagers.
• In Gujarat, in Kheda district, in Bardoli taluqa in Surat district, and Jambusar in Broach district a determined no-tax movement was in progress.
• P. was setting up another kind of movement- a no-revenue no-rent campaign.
• On January 5, 1931, the Viceroy announced the unconditional release of Gandhiji and all other members of the Congress working committee.
• On March 5, 1931 the fortnight-long discussion culminated in Gandhi-Irwin Pact which was variously described as a truce and a provisional settlement and ended the Non-Cooperation Movement.

 

The Quit India Movement

‘Quit India’, this powerful slogan launched the legendary struggle which also became famous by the name of the ‘August Revolution’.

Backdrop

• The failure of the Cripps Mission in April 1942 made it clear that Britain was unwilling to offer an honourable settlement and real constitutional advance during the war.
• The empty gesture of the Cripps offer convinced even those Congressmen like Nehru and Gandhiji, who did not want to do anything to hamper the anti-fascist War efforts.
• Other factors that made a struggle both inevitable and necessary were-
  • Popular discontent product of rising prices and war-time shortages.
  • The growing feeling of an eminent British collapse.
  • The manner in which British evacuated from Malaya and Burma leaving the people there to their fate

How the movement unfolded?

• A fortnight after Cripps’ departure Gandhiji drafted a resolution for the Congress Working Committee, calling for Britain’s withdrawal and the adoption of non-violent non-cooperation against any Japanese invasion.
• Congress edged towards Quit India while Britain moved towards arming itself with special powers to meet the threat.
• The historic August meeting at Gowalia Tank in Bombay marked the beginning of the movement. The meeting was unprecedented in the popular enthusiasm it generated.
• The Government, however, was in no mood to either negotiate with the Congress or wait for the movement to be formally launched.
• In the early hours of 9 August, in a single sweep, all the top leaders of the Congress were arrested and taken to an unknown destination.
• The sudden attack by the government produced an instantaneous reaction among the people.
• As soon as the news of the arrest spread lakhs of people flocked to Gowalia Tank where a mass meeting had been scheduled.
• There were similar disturbances on 9 August in Ahmedabad and Poona.
• On the 10^th, Delhi and many towns in U.P. and Bihar, including Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, and Patna followed the suit with hartals, public demonstrations and processions in defiance of the law.
• Meanwhile, many provincial and local level leaders who had evaded arrest returned to their homes through devious routes set about organising resistance.
• As the news spread in the rural areas, the villagers joined the townsmen in recording their protest.
• For the first six or seven weeks after 9 August, there was a tremendous mass upsurge all over the country.
• The brutal and all-out repression succeeded within a period of six or seven weeks in bringing about a cessation of the mass phase of the struggle.
• But in the meantime, underground networks were being consolidated in various parts of the country.
• This leadership saw the role of the underground movement as being that of keeping up the popular morale by continuing to provide the line of command and a source of guidance and leadership to the activists all over the country.

[WpProQuiz 393]

Dear students,

As you know, all sorts of precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

While the virus as such is not fatal(as compared to ebola and others), it spreads really fast and can affect anyone with low immunity and pre-existing conditions. Moreover, our healthcare system doesn’t have the capacity to deal with such large scale epidemics.

Hence, it’s imperative that we act with prudence to ensure we break the transmission chain before it becomes a systemic problem.

Having said this, it’s very important that you only refer to official sources like WHO, Ministry of Health, etc.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

Do not spread videos/posts that have been produced by people claiming to be doctors/ healthcare professionals. As students preparing to get into the services, it is important that you identify fake news and stop its spreading.

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Since all of Old Rajinder Nagar, libraries and other physical communications have been blocked, most students are panicking and experiencing anxiety. It is quite natural.

Here are some tips to boost your spirits up and get you back on track

1. Among other things please revise the definition and differences between outbreak/ epidemic/ pandemic. 😉 

2. Of course, a change in study environments at this crucial time leads to a break in a well-developed flow and schedule. Please understand this is not a disadvantage uniquely targetted at you. It impacts the majority.

3. Get a study regime up. Lock your room, put a headset on and block the noise.

4. Join our Nikaalo Prelims Program. The daily discussions ensure you read and learn something without putting much effort. The registration will be done here: Click & Register here

5. We have seen an increase in our online-lecture viewership. But most institutes have a very poor online infrastructure. If you belong to one such institute then please email us with your enrollment proof and we will aid your access to our programs.    

Lastly, check out an inspiring lecture from Vishal Singh who beat all odds to get through. Clearly you can face the challenge of quarantine.

 

Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

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17th March 2020

 

Locations in the news

1. Wuhan City, China

• Wuhan city is the capital of Hubei province, the People’s Republic of China.
• The COVID-19 outbreak was first identified in Wuhan in December 19 and recognised as a pandemic by WHO on 11 March 2000.
• The new coronavirus emerged from Wuhan wet market, where live animal that would never normally meet in the wild live side by side, facilitating the trans-species mutations of pathogens.

2. Idlib province of Syria

• Capital City-Idlib
• The northern Syrian province of Idlib was the last remaining stronghold controlled by forces opposed to President Bahar-al Assad.
• The opposition once controlled large parts of the country but the Syrian army has retaken most of the territory over the past five years with the help of Russian air power and Iran-backed militiamen.

3. Middle-East peace plan

• The concept map of the proposed plan by the US shows the occupied Jordan valley under Israeli control.
• And a West Bank split north and south around Jerusalem.
• In a concession to the Palestinians, however, a plan to link Gaza to the West Bank by road has been revived.

4.Abqaiq and Khurais oilfields

• A drone attack on the oil processing plant at Abqaiq and the country’s second-largest oil field at Khurais in the eastern province north of Riyad created uncertainties in the global oil market.
• These attacks along with the attacks on the oil tankers in the sea were events that led to the US strike that killed the Iranian general.

5. New Ramsar sites in India

• The Ramsar Convention has declared 10 more wetlands in India as sites of international importance.
• This brings the total number of Ramsar sites in India to 37. Some of the newly added sites are-
  • Nandur Madhameshwar- First site in Maharashtra.
  • Saman Bird Sanctuary-Mainpuri, UP
  • Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary- Unnao, UP
  • Samaspur Bird Sanctuary- Raebareli UP
  • Sandi Bird Sanctuary- Hardoi UP
  • Parvati Arga Bird Sanctuary –UP
  • Sarsai Nawar Jheel- Etawah UP
  • Beas conservation reserve-Punjab

6. Archaeological excavation at Dhaba

• An archaeological excavation carried out at Dhaba in the upper Son valley in Madhya Pradesh has found evidence of continuous human occupation in this area almost 80,000 years ago.
• The large Megalithic tools were dated between approximately 80,000 years and 65,000 years and small tools were dated approximately 50,000 years.

 

 

Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

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16th March 2020

Important straits in the news.

A strait is a naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water. Most commonly it is a channel of water that lies between two landmasses. Some straits are not navigable, for example, because they are too shallow, or because of an unnavigable reef or archipelago.

Strait of Hormuz

 

• It links the Persian Gulf (west) with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea (southeast).
• On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south coast the United Arab Emirates and Musandam, an exclave of Oman. 
• The strait is 35 to 60 miles (55 to 95 km) wide and separates Iran from the Arabian Peninsula.
• It contains the islands of Qeshm (Qishm), Hormuz, and Hengām (Henjām) and is of great strategic and economic importance, especially as oil tankers collecting from various ports on the Persian Gulf must pass through the strait.
• OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the Strait
• Qatar, the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, sends almost all of its LNG through the Strait
• The UAE and Saudi Arabia have sought to find other routes to bypass the Strait, including building pipelines.

2. Strait of Malacca

• Strait of Malacca connects the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean).
• Stretching about 800km, it is the longest straits in the world and facilitates not just shipping and the movement of people in the surrounding communities but is a confluence of trade, cultures, ideas, and knowledge between the East and West.
• It runs between the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the west and peninsular (West) Malaysia and extreme southern Thailand to the east and has an area of about 25,000 square miles (65,000 square km).
• The strait derived its name from the trading port of Melaka (formerly Malacca)—which was of importance in the 16th and 17th centuries—on the Malay coast.
• As the link between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca is the shortest sea route between India and China and hence is one of the most heavily travelled shipping channels in the world.
• Singapore, one of the world’s most important ports, is situated at the strait’s southern end.
• The global shift in economic power from the West to the East coupled with burgeoning trade, investments, and production in areas spanning the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions has given increasing importance to this region.

3. Bab-el-Mandab

• The Bab al-Mandab strait is the narrow waterway that separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa.
• It links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
• At its narrowest point, the strait is only 29 km wide between Yemen on one side and Djibouti and Eritrea on the other.
• It is a key strategic channel for commerce and trade, with an estimated 4 percent of global oil supply passing through it.

4. Palk Strait

• It connects the Bay of Bengal in the northeast with Palk Bay in the southwest.
• The strait is 40 to 85 miles (64 to 137 km) wide, 85 miles long, and less than 330 feet (100 metres) deep.
• It receives several rivers, including the Vaigai (India), and it contains many islands on the Sri Lankan side.
• The Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project (SSCP) is a 167 km long shipping canal, and envisages the creation of a navigable canal from the Gulf of. Mannar to the Bay of Bengal to facilitate the movement of ships.
• The Adam’s Bridge is a series of sand shoals created by sedimentation over a period of time.
• All islands are made up of a calcareous framework of dead reef and sand.
• In India, the Gulf of Mannar region in Tamil Nadu is one of the four major coral reef areas and the others are Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat, Lakhsadweep and Andaman and Nicobar islands.
• With its rich biodiversity of over 4,000 species of various flora and fauna, part of this Gulf of Mannar between Rameswaram and Tuticoirin covering 21 islands and the surrounding shallow coastal waters was declared as a Marine National Park in 1986.

5.Sunda Strait

• It links the Java Sea (Pacific Ocean) with the Indian Ocean (south).
• Sunda Strait, Indonesian Selat Sunda, is a channel, 16–70 miles (26–110 km) wide, between the islands of Java (east) and Sumatra.
• The Sunda Strait is an important passage connecting the Indian Ocean with eastern Asia.
• The strait stretches in a roughly northeast/southwest orientation, with a minimum width of 24 km (15 mi) at its northeastern end between Cape Tua on Sumatra and Cape Pujat on Java.
• It is very deep at its western end, but as it narrows to the east it becomes much shallower, with a depth of only 20 m (65 feet) in parts of the eastern end.
• It is notoriously difficult to navigate because of this shallowness, very strong tidal currents, sandbanks, and man-made obstructions such as oil platforms off the Java coast.
• The strait’s narrowness, shallowness, and lack of accurate charting make it unsuitable for many modern, large ships, most of which use the Strait of Malacca instead.

6.Mozambique Channel

• It is located between the island nation of Madagascar on the east and Mozambique on the African mainland (west).
• About 1,000 miles (1,600 km) long, it varies in width from 250 to 600 miles (400 to 950 km) and reaches a maximum depth of 10,000 feet (3,000 m).
• The Comoro Archipelago marks the northern entrance, and the islands of Bassas da India and Europa lie in the south.
• An important route for shipping in eastern Africa, it receives all major Madagascar rivers and has the ports of Mahajanga (Majunga) and Toliary (Tuléar) on the same coast.
• Along the opposite coast are the mouth of the Zambezi River and the ports of Maputo (formerly Lourenço Marques), Moçambique, and Beira.
• The Mozambique Current passes through the strait.

7.Gibraltar Strait

• It is a channel connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, lying between southernmost Spain and northwesternmost Africa.
• It is 36 miles (58 km) long and narrows to 8 miles (13 km) in width between Point Marroquí (Spain) and Point Cires (Morocco).
• It is one of the most significant global sea lanes because it provides a means of seaborne transit for shipping between the Atlantic and Mediterranean, and via the Suez Canal into the Indian Ocean and beyond.
• After the English Channel, the Strait is the world’s busiest shipping lane.

8. Bosphorus strait and Dardanelles strait

• Bosphorus,also known as the Strait of Istanbul, is a narrow, natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in northwestern Turkey.
• The Bosporus connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, and, by extension via the Dardanelles, the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.
• It is the world’s narrowest strait used for international navigation.
• Dardanelles is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey that forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia, and separates Asian Turkey from European Turkey.
• The Dardanelles connects the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, while also allowing passage to the Black Sea by extension via the Bosphorus.
• The Dardanelles is 61 kilometres (38 mi) long, and 1.2 to 6 kilometres (0.75 to 3.73 mi) wide, averaging 55 metres (180 ft) deep with a maximum depth of 103 metres (338 ft) at its narrowest point abreast the city of Çanakkale

9. Yucatan Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea

Location: Mexico-Cuba

10. Mesina Strait  

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Mediterranean Sea

Location: Italy-Sicily

11. Otranto Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies :Adriatic Sea & Ionian Sea

Location: Italy-Albania

12. Cook Strait 

Joining seas/ Water Bodies :South Pacific Ocean

Location:  New Zealand (North & South Islands)

13. North Channel

Joining seas/ Water Bodies :Irish Sea & Atlantic Ocean

Location: Ireland-England

14. Hudson strait     

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Gulf of Hudson & Atlantic Ocean

Location: Canada

15. Magellan strait   

Join: Pacific and South Atlantic Ocean

Location: Chile

16. Makassar Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies: the Java Sea & Celebes Sea

Location: Indonesia

17. Tsugaru Strait 

Joining seas/ Water Bodies: Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean

Location: Japan (Hokkaido-Honshu Island)

18. Tatar Strait  

Joining seas/ Water Bodies: Japan Sea & Okhotsk Sea

Location: Russia (East Russia-Sakhalin Islands)

19. Fovex Strait 

Joining seas/ Water Bodies: South Pacific Ocean

Location: New Zealand (South Island- Stewart Island)

20. Formosa Strait  

Joining seas/ Water Bodies: the South China Sea & East China Sea

Location: China-Taiwan

21. Taurus Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies:Arafura Sea & Gulf of Papua

Location: Papua New Guinea — Australia

22. Bass Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies: the Tasman Sea & South Sea

Location: Australia

23. Bering Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies: the Bering Sea & Chukchi Sea

Location: Alaska-Russia

24. Bonne-Fasio Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies: Mediterranean Sea

Location: Corsica — Sardinia

25. Davis Strait  

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : the Baffin Bay & Atlantic Ocean

Location: Greenland-Canada

26. Denmark Strait 

Joining seas/ Water Bodies: North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean

Location: Greenland-Iceland

27. Dover strait  

Joining seas/ Water Bodies: The English Channel & North Sea

Location: England-France

28. Florida Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies: Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean

Location: USA-Cuba

 

[WpProQuiz 409]