PIB Summary- 12th April, 2022 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Mahatma Jyotiba Phule

Why in News?
The Prime Minister, has paid tribute to the great social reformer, philosopher and writer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule on his birth anniversary.

About Jyotirao Phule:

• Born in 1827 in Satara district of Maharashtra.
• Phule was given the title of Mahatma on May 11, 1888, by Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar, a Maharashtrian social activist.
• His famous works:
  (i) Tritiya Ratna (1855), Gulamgiri (1873), Shetkarayacha Aasud, or Cultivator’s Whipcord (1881), Satyashodhak Samajokt Mangalashtakasah Sarva Puja-vidhi (1887).
• Death: 28th November, 1890. His memorial is built in Phule Wada, Pune, Maharashtra.

The Phules’ endeavours and legacy

• Jyotirao, the revolutionary that he was, observed the lack of opportunities for education for young girls and women.
• He started to educate his wife (Savithribai phule) at home and trained her to become a teacher.
• Together, by 1848, the Phules started a school for girls, Shudras and Ati-Shudras in Poona.
• The historic work was started by Jyotirao when he was just 21 years old, ably supported by his 18-year-old wife.
• In 1853, Jyotirao-Savitribai opened a care centre for pregnant widows to have safe deliveries and to end the practice of infanticide owing to social norms.
• The Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha (Home for the Prevention of Infanticide) started in their own house .
• Jyotirao and Savitri did not have biological children, and adopted the child of a widow.
  (i) Yashwantrao grew up to be a doctor, rendering his services in the 1897 Bubonic plague.

Satyashodhak Samaj

• The Satyashodhak Samaj (The Truth-Seeker’s Society) was established on September 24, 1873 by Jyotirao-Savitribai and other like-minded people.
• The Samaj advocated for social changes that went against prevalent traditions, including economical weddings, inter-caste marriages, eradication of child marriages, and widow remarriage.
• The Phules also had far-sighted goals — popularising female education, establishing an institutional structure of schools in India, and to have a society where women worked in tandem with men.

Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’

Why in News?
Indigenously developed helicopter launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ was successfully flight tested at high-altitude ranges as part of user validation trials.
(i) The flight-test was jointly conducted by the teams of scientists from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF).

About Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’:

• HELINA (Helicopter based NAG) is a third generation fire and forget class anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system mounted on the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH).
• The system has all weather day and night capability and can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as explosive reactive armour.
• The HELINA missile can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as top attack mode.
• HELINA Weapon Systems is being inducted into the Indian Army (IA).
• A variant of HELINA Weapon System called DHRUVASTRA is being inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF).