Weekly Current Affairs (8th to 14th October 2022) - 2 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Revised Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme

Context: The Central Government, expanding the mandate of its flagship scheme - ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' (BBBP Scheme) announced the inclusion of skilling of girls in non-traditional livelihood (NTL) options.

• At the national conference on skilling in non-traditional livelihoods for girls, Ministries of Women and Child Development MW&CD emphasises the importance of convergence between various departments for providing quality education to empower girls.

What is BBBP Scheme?

About:

• The Scheme was launched by Prime Minister on January 22, 2015 to addresses the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of women’s empowerment over a life-cycle continuum.
• It is a Tri-ministerial effort of the Ministries of Women and Child Development (MW&CD), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MH&FW), and Ministry of Education.

Main Objectives:

• Prevention of gender-biased sex-selective elimination.
• Ensuring survival & protection of the girl child.
• Ensuring education and participation of the girl child.
• Protecting rights of Girl children.

Innovative Interventions under BBBP: Innovations that have created a positive ecosystem/ enabling environment for girls include:

• Guddi-Gudda Boards: (Display of Birth Statistics (number of Girls born vis-à-vis number of Boys) in public). Example: Jalgaon district, Maharashtra has installed digital Guddi-Gudda Display Boards.
• Breaking Gender Stereotypes & Challenging Son-centric Rituals: Celebration of birth of the girl child, dedicating special day on value of girl child, plantation drives symbolizing nurturing and care for girl child. Example: Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu), Selfie with Daughters (Jind district, Haryana).

What are the New Changes in the BBBP Scheme?

Some of the new aims in the revised BBBP scheme include:

• Ensuring 1% increment in enrolment at the secondary level particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects.
• Skilling of girls and women every year (mainly in non-traditional livelihoods)
• Raising awareness about safe menstrual hygiene
• Promulgating elimination of child marriages

Other Changes to the Scheme:

• The MW&CD also emphasised the convergence between various departments for providing quality education (including vocational) to empower girls.
• A MoU was signed between the MW&CD and Ministries Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Minority Affairs to ensure adolescents complete their education, build skills, and enter the workforce in a diverse range of professions.
• A national committee headed by the Secretary of MW&CD, formed under the larger Mission Shakti will review the implementation of the BBBP scheme with states and UTs.

What are Non-Traditional Livelihoods (NTL)?

• “Non-Traditional Livelihoods” (NTLs) – sectors and jobs where participation of women is and has historically been conventionally low or absent. Like STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects due to gender-based categorization of the work, in the society.

India’s First 24x7 Solar-Powered Village

Context:

• Recently, the Prime Minister declared Modhera, a village in the Mehsana district of Gujarat as India's first solar-powered village.

What are the Key Highlights of India’s First Solar Powered Village?

About Modhera Village: Modhera is famous for its Sun temple, a protected ancient site, which is situated on the river Pushpavati. It was built by King Bhima-I of the Chalukya dynasty in 1026-27.

• The temple will acquire a 3-D projection facility which will inform tourists about the history of Modhera.

Solar Power Generation: The solar power village would be self-sufficient in solar energy generation, as it will utilise 1000 solar panels that have been installed on the village houses, generating electricity round the clock for the villagers

• It is developed through Ground Mounted Solar power plant and more than 1300 Rooftop solar systems on residential and Government buildings, all integrated with Battery Energy storage systems (BESS).
• A BESS is a type of energy storage system that uses batteries to store and distribute energy in the form of electricity.

Benefits:

• The project will demonstrate how India's renewable energy prowess can empower people at the grassroots.
  • The people in the village wouldn't pay for electricity, rather they could start selling it and earn from energy produced by the solar panel by selling it to the government grid.
  • It will generate employment at the village level, and ultimately improve the standard of living.
• It will enhance the sustainable implementation of various welfare projects in the area.
  • Residents of the area will be able to save 60-100% of their electricity bills.
• It will reduce the drudgery among rural women and girls engaged in the collection of fuel wood from long distances and cooking in smoky kitchens.
  • It will also result in minimization of the risks of contracting lung and eye ailments.

What is the Status of Solar Energy in India?

About: The installed solar energy capacity has increased by 19.3 times in the last 8 years and stands at 56.6 GW.

• Further, India has set an ambitious target to achieve a capacity of 175 GW worth of renewable energy by the end of 2022, which expands to 500 GW by 2030. This is the world’s largest expansion plan for renewable energy.
• India was the second-largest market in Asia for new solar PV capacity and third globally. It ranked fourth for total installations (60.4 GW), overtaking Germany (59.2 GW) for the first time.
• As of June 2022, Rajasthan and Gujarat were the top states for large-scale solar, accounting for 53% and 14% of installations, respectively, followed by Maharashtra with 9%.

Related Initiatives:

• Solar Park Scheme: The Solar Park Scheme plans to build a number of solar parks, each with a capacity of nearly 500 MW, across several states.
• Rooftop Solar Scheme: The Rooftop Solar Scheme aims to harness solar power by installing solar panels on the roof of houses.
• Atal Jyoti Yojana (AJAY): The AJAY scheme was launched in September 2016 for the installation of solar street lighting (SSL) systems in states with less than 50% of households covered with grid power (as per Census 2011).
• National Solar Mission: It is a major initiative of the Government of India and State Governments to promote ecologically sustainable growth while addressing India's energy security challenge.
• SRISTI Scheme: Sustainable rooftop implementation of Solar transfiguration of India (SRISTI) scheme to promote rooftop solar power projects in India.

What are the Challenges Related to Solar Energy in India?

• Heavy Dependence on Imports: India doesn't have enough module and PV cell manufacturing capacity.
  • The current solar module manufacturing capacity is limited to 15 GW per year, whereas the domestic production is around 3.5 GW only.
  • Further, out of the 15 GW of module manufacturing capacity, only 3-4 GW of modules are technologically competitive and worthy of deployment in grid-based projects.
• Raw Material Supply: The silicon wafer, the most expensive raw material, is not manufactured in India.
  • It currently imports 100% silicon wafers and around 80% cells.
  • Further, other key raw materials, such as silver and aluminium metal pastes for making electrical contacts, are also almost 100% imported.
• Inefficiencies in Solar PV cells: The utility-scale solar PV sector continues to face challenges like land costs, high T&D losses and other inefficiencies, and grid integration challenges.
• Issues related to Biodiversity: There have also been conflicts with local communities and biodiversity protection norms.
• Pricing issue: while India has achieved record low tariffs for solar power generation in the utility-scale segment, this has not translated into cheaper power for end-consumers.

Way Forward

• India is making significant progress in the development of solar PV modules, but for it to become a manufacturing hub, it will require more policy interventions like developing home-grown technologies which could, in the short-term, work with the industry to provide them with trained human resource, process learnings, root-cause analysis through right testing and, in the long term, develop India’s own technologies.

Shri Mahakal Lok Corridor

Context: Recently, the Prime Minister inaugurated the first phase of the ‘Shri Mahakal Lok’ corridor in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

• After Vishwanath temple in Varanasi and the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand, Mahakal temple is the third ‘jyotirlinga’ site to see a major upliftment exercise.
• The Rs 800-crore Mahakal corridor is four times the size of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.

What is the Shri Mahakal Lok Corridor?

About:

• Mahakal Maharaj Mandir Parisar Vistar Yojna is a plan for the expansion, beautification, and decongestion of the Mahakaleshwar temple and its adjoining area in Ujjain district.
• Under the plan, the Mahakaleshwar temple premises of around 2.82 hectares is being increased to 47 hectares, which will be developed in two phases by the Ujjain district administration.
• This will include the 17 hectares of Rudrasagar lake.
• The project is expected to increase annual footfall in the city from the current 1.50 crore to nearly three crores.

First Phase:

• One of the aspects of the Vistar Yojna’s first phase is a visitor plaza with two entrances or Dwaars i.e., the Nandi Dwaar and the Pinaki Dwaar.
• The visitor plaza can hold up to 20,000 pilgrims at a time.
• A circulation plan to reduce congestion has also been developed, keeping in mind the entry of visitors into the city and their movement up to the temple.
• A 900-metre pedestrian corridor has been constructed, connecting the plaza to the Mahakal temple, dotted with 108 murals and 93 statues depicting stories related to Lord Shiva, such as Shiv Vivah, Tripurasur Vadh, Shiv Puran, and Shiv Tandav Swaroop.
• There are also 128 convenience points, eateries and shopping joints, florists, handicraft stores, etc. along this pedestrian corridor.

Second Phase:

• This includes expansion of the eastern and northern fronts of the temple.
• It also includes development of various areas of Ujjain city, such as Maharajwada, Mahal Gate, Hari Phatak Bridge, Ramghat façade, and Begam Bagh Road.
  • Buildings in Maharajwada will be redeveloped and connected to the Mahakal temple campus, while a heritage dharamshala and Kumbh museum will be built.
• The second phase is being developed with funding from Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) under the City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) programme.

What is the Significance of Shri Mahakal Lok Corridor?

• Immense Cultural Beliefs: The temple is believed to be governed by Mahakaleshwar, which means the ‘Lord of time’ i.e., Lord Shiva. As per Hindu mythology, the temple was constructed by Lord Brahma and is presently located alongside the holy river Kshipra.
• Only Jyotirlinga Facing South: Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain is one of the 12 jyotirlingas considered the most sacred abodes of Shiva. The shrine is revered as one the 18 Maha Shaktia Peeth in India.
• It is the only jyotirlinga facing the south, while all the others face east. This is because the direction of death is believed to be the south.
  • In fact, people worship Mahakaleshwar to prevent an untimely death.
• According to the Puranas, Lord Shiva pierced the world as an endless pillar of light, called the jyotirlinga.
  • Besides Mahakal, these include Somnath and Nageshwar in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna in Andhra Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, Bhimashankar, Triyambakeshwar and Grishneshwar in Maharashtra, Viswanath at Varanasi, Baidyanath in Jharkhand, and Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.
• Mention in Ancient Texts: The Mahakal temple finds a mention in several ancient Indian poetic texts. In the early part of the Meghadutam (Purva Megha) composed in the 4th century, Kalidasa gives a description of the Mahakal temple.
  • It is described as one with a stone foundation, with the ceiling on wooden pillars. There would be no shikharas or spires on the temples prior to the Gupta period.
• Destruction and Rebuilt of Temple: During the medieval period, Islamic rulers used to give donations to priests for offering prayers here.
  • In the 13th century, the temple complex was destroyed by Turk ruler Shams-ud-din Iltutmish during his raid on Ujjain.
  • The present-day five-storeyed structure was built by the Maratha general Ranoji Shinde in 1734, in the Bhumija, Chalukya and Maratha styles of temple architecture.

What is the Historical Significance of the City of Ujjain?

• The city of Ujjain was one of the primary centres of learning for Hindu scriptures, called Avantika in the 6th and 7th centuries BC.
• Later, astronomers and mathematicians such as Brahmagupta and Bhaskaracharya made Ujjain their home.
  • In the 18th century, an observatory was built here by Maharaja Jai Singh II, known as the Vedh Shala or Jantar Mantar, comprising 13 architectural instruments to measure astronomical phenomena.
• Also, as per the Surya Siddhanta, one of the earliest available texts on Indian astronomy dating back to the 4th century, Ujjain is geographically situated at a spot where the zero meridian of longitude and the Tropic of Cancer intersect.

Birth Anniversaries of Jayaprakash Narayan and Nanaji Deshmukh

Context: The Prime Minister of India has paid tributes to Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan and Nanaji Deshmukh on their birth anniversary.

Who was Jayprakash Narayan?

About:

• Birth: 11th October, 1902 in Sitabdiara, Bihar.
• Influenced By: Marxist ideas in the USA and Gandhian ideology.
• Contribution to Freedom Struggle:
• In 1929, he joined the Indian National Congress.
  • In 1932, he was imprisoned for a year for participation in the civil disobedience movement.
  • In 1939, he was imprisoned again for his opposition to Indian participation in World War II on the side of Britain but escaped.
• He played a key role in the formation of the Congress Socialist Party (1934), a left-wing group within the Congress Party.
  

Post-Independence Role:

• In 1948, he left the Congress Party and initiated an anti-Congress Campaign.
  • In 1952, he formed the Praja Socialist Party (PSP).
• In 1954, he devoted his life exclusively to the Bhoodan Yajna Movement, of Vinoba Bhave, which demanded land redistribution to the landless.
• In 1959, he argued for a “reconstruction of Indian polity” by means of a four-tier hierarchy of village, district, state, and union councils (Chaukhamba Raj).
• Total Revolution: He led the movement against Indira Gandhi Regime as she was found guilty of violating electoral laws by the Allahabad High Court.
  • He advocated a program of social transformation which he termed ‘Sampoorna Kranti' (total revolution) in 1974 against corruption in public life.
  • Total Revolution has seven component revolu­tions, namely- political, social, economic, cultural, ideological or intellectual, educational and spiritual.
  • The objective was to bring in a change in the existing society that is in tune with the ideals of the Sarvodaya (Gandhian philosophy- progress for all).
• Awarded Bharat Ratna: Jayaprakash Narayan was posthumously conferred with India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna (1999), for his "invaluable contribution to the freedom struggle and upliftment of the poor and downtrodden".

Who was Nanaji Deshmukh?

About:

• Birth: 11th October 1916 in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district.
• Influenced by: Lokamanya Tilak and his nationalist ideology and Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, founding Sarsangha-chalak(head) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
• Participation in Movements: He actively participated in Acharya Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan Movement.
  • Deshmukh was the main force behind Jayaprakash Narayan's agitation for total revolution.
    

Social Activism: He was a social reformer with focus on health, education and rural self-reliance.

• He established Chitarkoot Gramoday Vishwavidyalaya in Chitrakoot - India’s first rural University and served as its Chancellor.
• He did great work towards the anti-poverty and minimum needs programme.

Electoral Politics: He was one of the main architects of the Janata Party.

• He won in the 1977 Lok election from Balrampur (UP) Lok Sabha constituency.
• He was nominated to Rajya Sabha in 1999 in recognition of his services to the nation.

Death: 27th February, 2010.

Awards: He was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 1999.

• In 2019, the President of India, conferred the Bharat Ratna upon him (posthumously) for his services to the nation.

The Places of Worship Act

Context: Solicitor General told the Supreme Court that the validity of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, “may not be covered” by the opinion of its five-judge Constitution bench in the Ayodhya case.

What is the Places of Worship Act?

About: It is described as “An Act to prohibit conversion of any place of worship and to provide for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the 15th day of August 1947, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.”

Exemption:

• The disputed site at Ayodhya was exempted from the Act. Due to this exemption, the trial in the Ayodhya case proceeded even after the enforcement of this law.
• Besides the Ayodhya dispute, the Act also exempted:
  • Any place of worship which is an ancient and historical monument, or an archaeological site covered by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
  • A suit that has been finally settled or disposed of.
  • Any dispute that has been settled by the parties or conversion of any place that took place by acquiescence before the Act commenced.

Penalty:

• Section 6 of the Act prescribes a punishment of a maximum of three years imprisonment along with a fine for contravening the provisions of the Act.

Criticism:

• The law has been challenged on the ground that it bars judicial review, which is a basic feature of the Constitution, imposes an “arbitrary irrational retrospective cutoff date,” and abridges the right to religion of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs.
• Violates the Principle of Secularism: It bars the power of remedy of judicial review which is a basic feature of the Constitution and is therefore outside the legislative competence of Parliament.
  • The result is that Hindu devotees cannot raise their grievance by instituting any suit in Civil Court or invoking the jurisdiction of the Hon’ble High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution of India against high handiness of ultras and will not be able to restore back the religious character of Hindu Endowments, Temples, Mutts etc from hoodlums if they had encroached upon such property before 15th August 1947 and such illegal and barbarian act will continue in perpetuity,
  • The Act had kept out the land which was the subject matter of the Ayodhya dispute from its purview.

What are the Provisions of the Places of Worship Act?

• Section 3: This bars the conversion, in full or part, of a place of worship of any religious denomination into a place of worship of a different religious denomination or even a different segment of the same religious denomination.
• Section 4(1): It declares that the religious character of a place of worship “shall continue to be the same as it existed” on 15th August 1947.
• Section 4(2): It says any suit or legal proceeding with respect to the conversion of the religious character of any place of worship existing on 15th August, 1947, pending before any court, shall abate and no fresh suit or legal proceedings shall be instituted.
  • The proviso to this subsection saves suits, appeals, and legal proceedings that are pending on the date of commencement of the Act if they pertain to the conversion of the religious character of a place of worship after the cut-off date.
• Section 5: It stipulates that the Act shall not apply to the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, and to any suit, appeal, or proceeding relating to it.

What was the Supreme Court’s view during Ayodhya Judgement?

• In the 2019 Ayodhya verdict, the Constitution Bench referred to the law and said it manifests the secular values of the Constitution and prohibits retrogression.
• The law is hence a legislative instrument designed to protect the secular features of the Indian polity, which is one of the basic features of the Constitution.

Way Forward

• Despite of the shortcomings associated with the Act we cannot ignore the importance of Places of Worship Act. This is a great legislative intervention which preserves non-retrogression as an essential feature of our secular values.

Karnataka Hijab Ban Case

Context: Recently, the Supreme Court has delivered a split verdict in the Karnataka Hijab ban case.

• In case of a split verdict, the case is heard by a larger Bench.
• The larger Bench to which a split verdict goes can be a three-judge Bench of the High Court, or an appeal can be preferred before the Supreme Court.
• In March, 2022, the high court had dismissed the petitions filed by a section of Muslim students in Karnataka seeking permission to wear the hijab inside classrooms, ruling it is not a part of the essential religious practice in Islamic faith.

How have courts ruled so far on the issue of a hijab?

• In 2015, at least two petitions were filed before the Kerala High Court challenging the prescription of dress code for All India Pre-Medical Entrance which prescribed wearing “light clothes with half sleeves not having big buttons, brooch/badge, flower, etc. with Salwar/Trouser” and “slippers and not shoes”.
  • Admitting the argument of the Central Board of School Education (CBSE) that the rule was only to ensure that candidates would not use unfair methods by concealing objects within clothes, the Kerala HC directed the CBSE to put in place additional measures for checking students who “intend to wear a dress according to their religious custom, but contrary to the dress code”.
• In Amna Bint Basheer v CBSE (2016), the Kerala HC examined the issue more closely.The Court held that the practice of wearing a hijab constitutes an essential religious practice but did not quash the CBSE rule.
  • The court once again allowed for the “additional measures” and safeguards put in place in 2015.
• However, on the issue of a uniform prescribed by a school, another Bench ruled differently in Fathima Tasneem v State of Kerala (2018).
  • A single Bench of the Kerala HC held that collective rights of an institution would be given primacy over individual rights of the petitioner.

How is Religious Freedom Protected under the Constitution?

• Article 25 to 28 of Part-3 (Fundamental Rights) of the Constitution confers Right to freedom of religion.
• Article 25(1) of the Constitution guarantees the “freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion”.
• It is a right that guarantees a negative liberty — which means that the state shall ensure that there is no interference or obstacle to exercise this freedom.
  • However, like all fundamental rights, the state can restrict the right for grounds of public order, decency, morality, health and other state interests.
• Article 26 talks about the freedom to manage religious affairs subject to public order, morality and health.
• Article 27 states that no person shall be compelled to pay any taxes for the promotion or maintenance of any particular religion.
• Article 28 states that the freedom to attend religious instruction or religious worship in certain educational institutions.

Way Forward

• In the prevailing political climate, the Karnataka government mandating either a prescribed uniform or any dress that was “in the interest of unity, equality and public order” was seen as a majoritarian assertion in the garb of enforcing secular norms, equality and discipline in educational institutions.
• A verdict that legitimises this non-inclusive approach to education and a policy that may lead to denial of opportunity to Muslim women will not be in the country’s interest.
• Reasonable accommodation should be the course as long as the hijab or any wear, religious or otherwise, does not detract from the uniform.