PIB Summary- 28th January, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Lala Lajpat Rai

Context: PM pays tributes to Lala Lajpat Rai on his Jayanti.

Facts

• Born in 1865 in Moga district, Punjab to a middle-class family.
• Was a lawyer by profession.
• Also called ‘Punjab Kesari’.
• Was influenced by Swami Dayananda Saraswati and joined the Arya Samaj in Lahore. 
• He believed that the ideals of Indian-culture combined with nationalism will lead to the establishment of a secular state.
• Along with Bipin Chandra Pal and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, he formed the Lal-Bal-Pal trio of extremist leaders.
• He was also involved with the Hindu Mahasabha.
• He fought against untouchability.

Contributions of Lala Lajpat Rai

Political Life

• He joined the Indian National Congress (INC) and participated in many political agitations in Punjab.
• For his political agitation, he was deported to Burma without trial in 1907 but returned after a few months because of lack of evidence.
• He was opposed to the partition of Bengal.
• He founded the Home Rule League of America in 1917 in New York. In the USA, he worked to get moral support for the Indian independence movement from the international community.
• He was also elected President of the All India Trade Union Congress.
• He supported the non-cooperation movement of Gandhi at the Nagpur session of the Congress in 1920.
• He protested against the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that followed.
• He was the editor of the Arya Gazette, which he had founded.
• He founded the Servants of People Society in 1921.
• He co-founded the Punjab National Bank in 1894.
• He was elected deputy leader of the Central Legislative Assembly in 1926.
• In 1928, he moved a resolution in the assembly refusing cooperation with the Simon Commission since the Commission had no Indian members.
• He was leading a silent protest against the Simon Commission in Lahore when he was brutally lathi-charged by Superintendent of Police, James Scott. Rai died of injuries sustained a few weeks later. Bhagat Singh and a few other revolutionaries vowed to take revenge for Rai’s death and plotted to kill Scott. But he shot and killed John Saunders, an Assistant Superintendent of Police in a case of mistaken identity.

Kala Utsav

Context: Kala Utsav 2020 concluded.

About Kala Utsav

• Kala Utsav is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now called Ministry of Education) under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, to promote arts in education by nurturing and showcasing the artistic talent of school students at the secondary stage in the country.
• In the context of education of arts (music, theatre, dance, visual arts and crafts), the initiative is guided by the recommendations of the National Curriculum Framework 2005 (NCF-2005).
• Kala Utsav 2020 was launched online in January 2021 through a digital platform. 
• Many teams from various states/UTs participated in the competitions which included dancing, singing, instrumental music, visual arts, etc.

Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan

• This scheme was launched in March 2009 with the objective to enhance access to secondary education and to improve its quality.
• It is envisaged to achieve an enrolment rate of 75% from 52.26% in 2005-06 at secondary stage of implementation of the scheme by providing a secondary school within a reasonable distance of any habitation.
• The other stated objectives include improving quality of education imparted at secondary level through making all secondary schools conform to prescribed norms, removing gender, socio-economic and disability barriers, providing universal access to secondary level education by 2017, i.e., by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan and achieving universal retention by 2020.
• It is a centrally sponsored scheme and implemented by the State government societies established for implementation of the scheme.
• Physical facilities provided under the scheme: 
  • Additional class rooms
  • Laboratories
  • Libraries
  • Art and crafts room
  • Toilet blocks
  • Drinking water provisions
  • Residential hostels for teachers in remote areas
• Quality interventions undertaken:
  • Appointment of additional teachers to reduce PTR to 30:1
  • Focus on Science, Math and English education
  • In-service training of teachers
  • Science laboratories
  • ICT enabled education
  • Curriculum reforms
  • Teaching learning reforms
• The Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan was formed by subsuming the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Teacher Education schemes.

National Marine Turtle Action Plan

What’s in News? 
The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the National Marine Turtle Action Plan and also released the Marine Mega Fauna Stranding Guidelines.

Details

• The documents contain ways and means to not only promote inter-sectoral action for conservation but also guide improved coordination amongst the government, civil society and all relevant stakeholders on the response to cases of stranding, entanglement, injury or mortality of marine mammals and also conservation of marine turtles.
• These two documents highlight actions to be taken for handling stranded animals on shore, stranded or entangled animals in the sea or on a boat, management actions for improved coordination, reducing threats to marine species and their habitats, rehabilitation of degraded habitats, enhancing people’s participation, advance scientific research and exchange of information on marine mammals and marine turtles and their habitats.

Background

• India has rich marine biodiversity along a vast coastline of over 7,500 km. From colourful fish, sharks, including whale sharks, turtles and big mammals like whales, dolphins and dugongs to bright corals, marine habitats not only harbour diverse species but also provide resources essential for human wellbeing.
• Millions of people depend on these resources ranging from maritime trade and transport, food, mineral resources, cultural traditions, spiritual values and inspiration that draw tourists from around the world.
• Despite the immense economic, ecological and cultural values of marine habitats in India, marine mega fauna species and marine turtles face a wide variety of challenges including stranding and entanglement.
• Managing such challenging situations requires coordination, action and people’s participation which would help in the long-term conservation of marine species and their habitats.

Indo-French Alliance

Context: 2021: Year of Indo-French alliance towards a Greener Planet.

Details

• The Union Environment Minister, along with his French counterpart, launched the Indo-French Year of the Environment.
• The basic objective is to strengthen Indo-French cooperation in sustainable development, increase the effectiveness of actions in favour of global environment protection and give them greater visibility.
• The Indo-French Year of the Environment over the period 2021-2022 would be based on five main themes:
  • Environmental protection
  • Climate change
  • Biodiversity conservation
  • Sustainable urban development
  • Development of renewable energies and energy efficiency
• It is also a platform for engaging in discussions on critical areas of collaboration relating to environment and allied areas.
• From the French side, it will be held under the aegis of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs with the support of the Embassy of France in Delhi and its partners.
• From the Indian side, it will be coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) along with the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and other concerned Ministries/Departments/Organisations.
• A joint screening committee will also be set up to finalise the calendar of events for the Indo-French Year of the Environment.

Urban Local Bodies Reforms

Context: Rajasthan becomes the 5^th State to complete Urban Local Bodies (ULB) reforms.

Details

• Rajasthan has become the 5th state in the country to successfully undertake “Urban Local Bodies (ULB)” reform stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.
• Thus, the State has become eligible to mobilise additional financial resources of Rs.2731 crore through Open Market Borrowings.
• Rajasthan has now joined four other states namely, Manipur, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, that have completed this reform.
• On completion of Urban Local Bodies reform, these five States have been granted additional borrowing permission of Rs.10212 crore.

Objectives/Need for reforms

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

The reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure to achieve these objectives are: 

• 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)
  • Floor rates of user charges in respect of the provision of water-supply, drainage and sewerage which reflect current costs/past inflation.
• The state will put in place a system of periodic increase in floor rates of property tax/user charges in line with price increases.

Background

• To meet the challenges posed by the pandemic, GOI had enhanced the borrowing limit of the states by 2 percent of their GSDP.
• Half of this special dispensation was linked to undertaking citizen centric reforms by the states.
• The four citizen centric areas for reforms identified were:
  • Implementation of One Nation One Ration Card System (done by 11 states)
  • Ease of doing business reform (done by 8 states)
  • Urban Local body/utility reforms (done by 5 states)
  • Power sector reforms (done by 1 state)