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Type: States

Many questions regarding developments in specific states are asked in both prelims and mains. These Newscards correspond to such developments.

  • Orunudoi Scheme

    Ahead of the Assam Assembly elections, the Orunudoi scheme, with women as its primary target group, is the most popular.

    There can be confusion from the name of the scheme.

    Orunudoi Scheme

    • Through Orunodoi — announced in the 2020-21 Budget — monthly assistance of Rs 830 is transferred to women members of marginalised families of Assam.
    • On account of being a DBT, or a Direct Benefit Transfer scheme, the money is credited directly to the bank account of the woman head of a family because they are primary caretakers of the household.
    • The scheme gives a choice to the poor and needy households on how they want to spend their money.

    Eligibility criteria

    • The applicant, a woman, has to be a permanent resident of Assam, whose composite household income should be less than Rs 2 lakh per annum.
    • Families with specially-abled members and divorced/widowed/separated /unmarried women are prioritized.
    • Poorer families, those without the National Food Security Act (NFSA) or ration cards, are also given priority.

  • What is Khujli Ghar?

    Some villages in Nagaland are trying to revive a traditional form of punishment that seeks to check crime with an itch in time.

    What is Khujli Ghar?

    • Social offenders or violators of Naga customary laws have over the ages dreaded a cramped, triangular cage made from the logs of an indigenous tree that irritates the skin.
    • The dread is more of humiliation or loss of face within the community or clan than of spending at least a day scratching furiously without any space to move.
    • Such itchy cages are referred to as khujli ghar in Nagamese but each Naga community has its own name.
    • The Aos, one of the major tribes of Nagaland, call it Shi-ki that means flesh-house.

    Terminologies associated

    • The cage is usually placed at a central spot in the village, usually in front of the morung or bachelor’s dormitory, for the inmate to be in full public view.
    • The cage is made of the logs of Masang-fung, a local tree that people avoid because of the irritation it causes.
    • It does not affect the palm but people who make the cages have to be careful.

    Naga belief in this

    • It is not proper to view the itchy cages from the prism of modern laws.
    • They have served a purpose for ages and have often proved to reform offenders, as identity and family or clan reputation is very important to a Naga.

    Do you know?

    Article 371(A) of the Constitution guarantees the preservation of the Naga customary laws.

    The State also funds the customary courts in villages and towns where cases — mostly dealing with land litigation, money-lending and marital disputes — have a high rate of prompt disposal.

    Back2Basics: Article 371A

    • Parliament cannot legislate in matters of Naga religion or social practices, the Naga customary law and procedure, administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary law.
    • Parliament also cannot intervene in ownership and transfer of land and its resources, without the concurrence of the Legislative Assembly of the state.
    • This provision was inserted in the Constitution after a 16-point agreement between the Centre and the Naga People’s Convention in 1960, which led to the creation of Nagaland in 1963.
    • Also, there is a provision for a 35-member Regional Council for Tuensang district, which elects the Tuensang members in the Assembly.
    • A member from the Tuensang district is Minister for Tuensang Affairs. The Governor has the final say on all Tuensang-related matters.

  • Species in news: Caracal

    The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) and MoEFCC last month included the caracal, a medium-sized wildcat found in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, in the list of critically endangered species under the Species Recovery Programme.

    Caracal in India

    IUCN status: Least Concerned

    • The wildcat has long legs, a short face, long canine teeth, and distinctive ears — long and pointy, with tufts of black hair at their tips.
    • The iconic ears are what give the animal its name — caracal comes from the Turkish karakulak, meaning ‘black ears’.
    • In India, it is called siya gosh, a Persian name that translates as ‘black Ear’.
    • A Sanskrit fable exists about a small wild cat named deergha-karn or ‘long-eared’.
    • While it flourishes in parts of Africa, its numbers in Asia are declining.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following pairs:

    Wildlife:  Naturally found in

    1. Blue-finned Mahseer: Cauvery River
    2. Irrawaddy Dolphin: Chambal River
    3. Rusty-spotted Cat: Eastern Ghats

    Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched? (CSP 2018)

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    In history and myth

    • The earliest evidence of the caracal in the subcontinent comes from a fossil dating back to the civilization of the Indus Valley c. 3000-2000 BC.
    • The caracal has traditionally been valued for its litheness and extraordinary ability to catch birds in flight; it was a favourite coursing or hunting animal in medieval India.
    • Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1351-88) had siyah-goshdar khana, stables that housed large numbers of coursing caracal.
    • It finds mention in Abul Fazl’s Akbarnama, like a hunting animal in the time of Akbar (1556-1605).
    • Descriptions and illustrations of the caracal can be found in medieval texts such as the Anvar-i-Suhayli, Tutinama, Khamsa-e-Nizami, and Shahnameh.
    • The East India Company’s Robert Clive is said to have been presented with a caracal after he defeated Siraj-ud-daullah in the Battle of Plassey (1757).

    Back2Basics: Species Recovery Programme of NBWL

    • The programme is one of the three components of the centrally funded scheme, Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH).
    • Started in 2008-09, IDWH is meant for providing support to protected areas, protection of wildlife outside protected areas and recovery programmes for saving critically endangered species and habitats.
    • So far, the recovery programme for critically endangered species in India now includes 22 wildlife species.
    • The NBWL in 2018 has added four species- the Northern River Terrapin, Clouded Leopard, Arabian Sea Humpback Whale, Red Panda- to the list.
    • Other species include the Snow Leopard, Bustard (including Floricans), Dolphin, Hangul, Nilgiri Tahr, Marine Turtles, Dugongs, Edible Nest Swiftlet, Asian Wild Buffalo, Nicobar Megapode, Manipur Brow-antlered Deer, Vultures, Malabar Civet, Indian Rhinoceros, Asiatic Lion, Swamp Deer and Jerdon’s Courser.

  • Demand for Greater Tipraland

    Tripura royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya has recently announced his political demand for a new state called ‘Greater Tipraland’.

    Try this:

    Q.New-age ethnic politics in North East is driving demands for separate statehood movements in India. Discuss.

    What is Greater Tipraland?

    • ‘Greater Tipraland’ is essentially an extension of the ruling tribal partner Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura – IPFT’s demand of Tipraland, which sought a separate state for tribals of Tripura.
    • The new demand seeks to include every tribal person living in an indigenous area or village outside the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) under the proposed model.
    • However, the idea doesn’t restrict to simply the Tripura tribal council areas but seeks to include ‘Tiprasa’ of Tripuris spread across different states of India like Assam, Mizoram etc. as well.
    • It seeks to include even those living in Bandarban, Chittagong, Khagrachari and other bordering areas of neighbouring Bangladesh.

  • Mission ‘Lal Lakir’

    The Punjab state cabinet has approved the implementation of mission ‘Lal Lakir’.

    Try this MCQ:

    Q.The SVAMITVA Scheme sometimes seen in the news is related to:

    Urban Employment/ Land records management/ Child Adoption/ None of these

    Mission ‘Lal Lakir’

    • ‘Lal Lakir’ refers to land that is part of the village ‘abaadi’ (habitation) and is used for non-agriculture purposes only.
    • The mission is aimed at facilitating villagers to monetize property rights and availing benefits provided by government departments, institutions and banks in all villages across the state.
    • As no record of rights is available for such properties within the ‘Lal Lakir’, the same cannot currently be monetized as per the real value of the property and no mortgages can be created on such properties.
    • There are households within the ‘Lal Lakir’, which do not own property other than the areas within the ‘Lal Lakir’, and are thus at a disadvantage.

    An extension to SVAMITVA

    • Under the mission, the right of record of properties within ‘Lal Lakir’ in the villages of the state will be prepared with the cooperation of the government of India under the SVAMITVA scheme.
    • SVAMITVA stands for Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas.
    • This will enable mapping the land, households, habitation and all other areas falling within ‘Lal Lakir’.
    • It will go a long way in improving the living standard of villagers and boosting their self-esteem.

    Back2Basics: SVAMITVA

    • SVAMITVA stands for Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas.
    • Under the scheme, the latest surveying technology such as drones will be used for measuring the inhabited land in villages and rural areas.
    • The mapping and survey will be conducted in collaboration with the Survey of India, State Revenue Department and State Panchayati Raj Department under the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
    • The drones will draw the digital map of every property falling in the geographical limit of each Indian village.
    • Property Cards will be prepared and given to the respective owners.

  • Why hydel projects in the Himalayas are worrying?

    The flash flood that claimed several lives in Chamoli has caused Uttarakhand’s hydroelectric projects (HEPs) to be scrutinized closely.

    Q.How do hydropower projects pose geological and topographical threats to the ecosystem? (150W)

    Why Hydropower in Uttarakhand?

    • Uttarakhand has a tricky relationship with electricity.
    • With a landscape that’s inhospitable to thermal power grid lines and with people too poor to pay for electricity, micro and mini hydro-electric power projects were seen as the answer.
    • Between the government’s long-standing ‘power for all’ objective, and environmentalists pushing for a cleaner, renewable energy, setting up dozens of hydel power plants seemed ideal.

    Impacts of HEPs

    Limitless quarrying, deforestation, stopping the flow of rivers, and mushrooming of hydropower projects have made the Himalayas unstable.

    • Existing and under-construction hydro-power projects in Uttarakhand have led to several deleterious environmental impacts (Char Dham Committee).
    • Among the significant impacts are on the river ecosystem, forest and terrestrial biodiversity, geological environment and social infrastructure.
    • More than seven years later, some experts believe that over-exploitation of rivers and rampant damming for hydroelectric projects (HEPs) could be one of the big factors responsible for the Chamoli disaster.
    • The ‘river-bed profile’ across the major HEPs of Uttarakhand has changed significantly, suggesting the possibility of disasters in future.

    The Kedarnath floods

    • Between June 13 and 17, 2013, Uttarakhand had received an unusual amount of rainfall.
    • This led to the melting of the Chorabari glacier and the eruption of the Mandakini river.
    • The floods affected large parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Western Nepal.
    • The heavy rainfall caused massive flash floods and landslides resulting in the death of residents and tourists as well as extensive damage to property.
    • Over 5,000 people were killed in the floods

    Construction still persists

    • Neglecting all warnings of the experts, rampant construction was carried out in the sensitive zones even after the 2013 Kedarnath deluge.
    • Notably, two dozen hydropower plants of Uttarakhand were rejected by the Supreme Court after the expert panel report.

    HEPs in Uttarakhand

    The rivers and basins in the state are dotted with 43 micro hydel projects. Some of them are:

    Alarms have been raised earlier

    • The Kedarnath expert committee had warned about the excessive exploitation of vulnerable regions and the need to re-study and re-evaluate the HEPs of Uttarakhand.
    • The report also objected to HEPs at an altitude of over 2000 metres.
    • The report pointed out that the potential threat of landslide, cloudburst, subsidence, flash floods has increased tremendously in the past few years and many critical zones need immediate attention.
    • The study also mentioned that a lot of anthropogenic pressure due to different activities related to HEPs was alarming and needed checks.

  • Maharashtra to introduce ballot papers along with EVMs

    Maharashtra Assembly Speaker has directed the State Law and Justice Department to prepare the draft of a Bill which provides an option to voters to exercise their franchise on ballot papers along with electronic voting machines (EVMs).

    Manner of holding elections

    • Article 328 of the Indian Constitution and number 37 of the State List of the seventh schedule of the Constitution provide rights to the State legislature to formulate a law on the manner of holding elections within the State.
    • The state cannot abolish the EVMs completely.
    • They are just demanding an additional provision of ballot paper as well for whoever wants to use that.
    • Directions have been given to check the constitutional validity of the argument and prepare the draft of a Bill.

    Background

    • The Election Commission has been conducting all elections through EVMs since 2001.
    • The Indian EVM is a direct recording device, which is a stand-alone machine.
    • The Election Commission has clarified several times that Indian EVMs don’t talk to any machine outside its own system – be it through a wired network, internet, satellite, and WiFi or Bluetooth.
    • The EVM is not connected to the server, so cyber hacking of Indian EVMs is not possible unless an authorised person acts with malafide intention.
    • In 2014, a whopping 55.38 crore people cast their votes in EVMs in the parliamentary elections.

    Considerations behind such a move

    • On EVMs, a voter can never be 100% sure about whom he or she has voted and whether that particular candidate has received the vote.
    • It is a right of every voter to be 100% sure about it and also essential for the democratic process.”
    • Over the past few years, serious concerns and doubts had been raised over the EVMs and whether those could be manipulated.
    • The option of ballot voting would boost people’s confidence in the electoral process which would ultimately lead to an increase in voting percentage.

    Q.The EC’s role in ensuring the people’s faith in democracy is paramount. The loss of public faith in democracy and its protector institutions spells nothing but disaster. Discuss.

  • [pib]Rajasthan becomes the 5th State to complete ULB reforms

    Rajasthan has become the 5thState in the country to successfully undertake Urban Local Bodies (ULB) reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance and has thus become eligible for additional reform linked to borrowing.

    Which are the four other States?

    : They are Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and Telangana, who have completed ULB reforms.

    Now try this PYQ:

    Q.The Constitution (Seventy-Third Amendment) Act, 1992, which aims at promoting the Panchayati Raj Institutions in the country, provides for which of the following?

    1. Constitution of District Planning Committees.
    2. State Election Commissions to conduct all panchayat elections.
    3. Establishment of State Finance Commissions.

    Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

    (a) Only 1

    (b) 1 and 2 only

    (c) 2 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    What are the ULB reforms?

    The four citizen-centric areas identified for reforms are:

    1. Implementation of One Nation One Ration Card System
    2. Ease of doing business reform
    3. Urban Local body/ utility reforms
    4. Power Sector reforms.

    The set of reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure are:

    (a) The State will notify:

    • Floor rates of property tax in ULBs which are in consonance with the prevailing circle rates (i.e. guideline rates for property transactions) and;
    • Floor rates of user charges in respect of the provision of water supply, drainage, and sewerage which reflect current costs/past inflation.

    (b)   The State will put in place a system of periodic increases in floor rates of property tax/ user charges in line with price increases.

    Why need such reforms?

    • Reforms in ULBs and the urban utility reforms are aimed at the financial strengthening of ULBs to enable them to provide better public health and sanitation services to citizens.
    • Economically rejuvenated ULBs will also be able to create good civic infrastructure.

    Back2Basics: Municipal Governance in India

    • Municipal or local governance refers to the third tier of governance in India, at the level of the municipality or urban local body.
    • Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are small local bodies that administer or govern a city or a town of a specified population.
    • They are vested with a long list of functions delegated to them by the state governments.
    • These functions broadly relate to public health, welfare, regulatory functions, public safety, public infrastructure works, and development activities.
    • There are several types of Urban Local Bodies in India such as Municipal Corporation, Municipality, Notified Area Committee, Town Area Committee, Special Purpose Agency, Township, Port Trust, Cantonment Board, etc.

    Development through history

    • It has existed since the year 1687, with the formation of Madras Municipal Corporation, and then Calcutta and Bombay Municipal Corporation in 1726.
    • In the early part of the nineteenth century, almost all towns in India had experienced some form of municipal governance.
    • In 1882 the then Viceroy of India, Lord Ripon, known as the Father of Local Self Government, passed a resolution of local self-government which lead to the democratic forms of municipal governance in India.
    • In 1919, a Government of India Act incorporated the need of the resolution and the powers of democratically elected government were formulated.
    • In 1935 another Government of India act brought local government under the preview of the state or provincial government and specific powers were given.

    Changes after the 74th Amendment (1992)

    • It was the 74th amendment to the Constitution that brought constitutional validity to municipal or local governments.
    • Until amendments were made in respective state legislation on an ultra vires (beyond the authority) basis and the state governments were free to extend or control the functional sphere.

  • What is the ‘Top 25’ drive initiated by Mumbai police?

    The Mumbai police have started a drive titled ‘Top 25’ aimed at keeping under check history-sheeters and those they believe could create trouble.

    Preventive detention laws in India have come to be associated with gross and frequent misuse.

    What is the ‘Top 25’ drive of the Mumbai police?

    • The Mumbai police commissioner has asked all police stations in the city to make a list of the “top 25” criminals and ask them to sign a bond of good behavior failing which they would have to pay a fine.
    • The aim is to rein in criminal elements and those the police believe could create a law and order problem in the city.
    • While this practices that is termed “chapter proceedings” has been followed in the past, the amount a person would usually forfeit was around Rs 10,000 – Rs 15,000.
    • Now, the amount has been raised up to Rs 50 lakh.

    How is the police calculating the surety amount now?

    • The police are now going through the bank details and tax returns of the person and the surety amount is set in accordance with the annual income of the offender or his family.
    • The police believe that the threat of having to pay a high amount will act as a deterrent and that a few thousand as surety amount did not have the desired effect.

    What are Chapter Proceedings?

    • Chapter proceedings are preventive actions taken by the police if they fear that a particular person is likely to cause law and order trouble.
    • These proceedings are unlike punitive action taken in case of an FIR with an intention to punish.
    • Here, the police can issue notices under sections of the Code of Criminal Procedure to ensure that the person is aware that creating a nuisance could result in action against him.
    • Recently, the Mumbai police initiated chapter proceedings against an extremely chauvinistic news reporter and media head.

    Rights of the accuse

    • On receiving such notice, a person can appeal before the courts.
    • In fact, in the past, courts have come down strongly against chapter proceedings in some cases.
    • In 2017, while striking down a notice issued to the owner of a bar, the Bombay High Court said: “chapter proceedings cannot be initiated on the basis of an incident of trivial nature”.

    Back2Basics: Arrest vs. Preventive Detention

    An ‘arrest’ is done when a person is charged with a crime. An arrested person is produced before a magistrate within the next 24 hours. In case of preventive detention, a person is detained as he/she is simply restricted from doing something that might deteriorate the law and order situation.

    • Article 22 of the Indian Constitution provides safeguards against the misuse of police powers to make arrests and detentions.
    • Clause (2) of Article 22 reads that every person who is arrested and detained in custody shall be produced before the nearest magistrate within a period of twenty-four hours of such arrest excluding the time necessary for the journey.
    • Clause (4) of the article states that no individual can be detained for more than 3 months unless a bench of High court judges or an Advisory board decides to extend the date.
    • Clause (5) states that the detained individual should be made aware of the grounds he/she has been detained (in pursuance of the order) and should provide him/her with an opportunity of making a representation against the case.
    • Parliament may by law prescribe the circumstances under a person may be detained for a period longer than three months under any law.

  • Brus’ resettlement in Tripura

    People erupted in violent protests against the planned resettlement of thousands of Bru migrants permanently at Kanchanpur sub-division of North Tripura.

    Try this PYQ:

     

    Q. With reference to ‘Changpa’ community of India, consider the following statement:

    1. They live mainly in the State of Uttarakhand.
    2. They rear the Pashmina goats that yield fine wool.
    3. They are kept in the category of Scheduled Tribes.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (CSP 2014)

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    Who are the Brus?

    • Reangs or Brus are the second largest ethnic group in Mizoram.
    • Their exodus in 1997 was spurred by violent clashes in Mamith subdivision, a Reang-dominated area when they demanded the creation of an autonomous council that was vehemently opposed by Mizo groups.
    • Around 34,000 people were forced to live in sub-human conditions in tents in Tripura. No solution could be reached all these years.
    • These people were housed in temporary camps at Kanchanpur, in North Tripura.

    Why have there been violent protests?

    • Twenty-three years after ethnic clashes in Mizoram forced 37,000 people of the Bru (or Reang) community to flee their homes to neighbouring Tripura.
    • The news was not welcomed by the Bengali and Mizo communities in Tripura.
    • They fear a demographic imbalance, which would exert pressure on local resources and potentially lead to law and order problems.

    Also read

    [Burning Issue] Bru– Reang Repatriation Agreement