UPSC Daily Current Affairs- 19th December 2022 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

1925 Kakori Train Action

Context

Four revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement were hanged on December 17 (Rajendranath Lahiri) and December 19 (Ashfaqullah Khan, Ram Prasad Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh) in 1927. This came two years after the Kakori Train Robbery, in which members of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) had looted a train transporting money to the British treasury.

About 1925 Kakori Train Action:

• The Kakori Conspiracy (or Kakori train robbery) was a train robbery that took place near Lucknow. The robbery was organized by Hindustan Republican Association (HRA).
• On 9 August 1925, the Number 8 Down Train travelling from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow was approaching the town of Kakori, when one of the revolutionaries pulled the emergency chain to stop the train and subsequently overpowered the guard.
• The target was the guard cabin, carrying money collected from various railway stations to be deposited in Lucknow. Revolutionaries looted only these bags (which contained more than 100,000 rupees) and escaped to Lucknow.
• Though no passengers were targeted by the revolutionaries, one passenger named Ahmed Ali was killed in the crossfire between the guards and revolutionaries. This made it a manslaughter case.
• The robbery plan was executed by Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, Chandrashekhar Azad, Swaran Singh, Sachindra Bakshi, Keshab Chakravarty, Manmathnath Gupta, Mukundi Lal, Banwari Lal , Kundan Lal, and Pranawesh Mukherjee.
• According to official records, 40 people were arrested during the trial.
• Most of these detainees were provided legal defense by Pandit Gobind Ballabh Pant, Mohanlal Saxena, Chandrabhanu Gupta, Ajit Prasad Jain, Gopinath Srivastava, R. M. Bahadurji and B. K. Chaudhury.
• Ram Prasad Bismil famously defended his own case.
• 5 members including Swaran Singh (Uncle of Bhagat Singh), Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Rajendra Lahiri and Roshan Singh were given sentence to death.
• The Urdu poem Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna was made popular by Ram Prasad Bismil during this time. This poem was actually written by Bismil Azimabadi following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
• Chandrashekhar Azad who could not be captured reorganized the HRA and ran the organization till 1931.

About Hindustan Republican Association:

• Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) was a revolutionary organization of India established in 1924 at village Bholachang in East Bengal by Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Narendra Mohan Sen and Pratul Ganguly as an offshoot of Anushilan Samiti.
• Its objective was to establish a “Federated Republic of the United States of India” through an organized and armed revolution.
• The name was chosen as Hindustan Republican Association on the lines of Irish Republican Army. The manifesto of this revolutionary organization was “The Revolutionary“.

Objective:

• The Objective of the HRA was to establish “Federated Republic of the United States of India” through an organized armed revolution”
• The tactics of HRA were killing the officials; organize political dacoities to raise funds, terrorism among the British and British loyalists and strikes against the raj.
• Despite being a revolutionary terrorist organization, the perspective of the HRA was socialistic and it wanted to establish a United States of India by deposing the British.
• Many other revolutionaries soon joined the HRA including Chandrashekhar Azad, Ashfaqullah Khan, Ram Prasad Bismil etc.
• Bhagat Singh later established Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA).

Source: Indian Express

Context

Rice/Oryza Sativa, it is believed, is associated with wet, humid climate, though it is not a tropical plant.

• It is probably a descendent of wild grass that was most likely cultivated in the foothills of the far Eastern Himalayas.
• Another school of thought believes that the rice plant may have originated in southern India, then spread to the north of the country and then onwards to China.
• It then arrived in Korea, the Philippines (about 2000 B. C.) and then Japan and Indonesia (about 1000 B. C.).
• The journey of rice around the world has been slow, but once it took root it stayed and became a major agriculture and economic product for the people.
• In the Indian subcontinent more than a quarter of the cultivated land is given to rice (20011-12).
• It is a very essential part of the daily meal in the southern and eastern parts of India. In the northern and central parts of the subcontinent, where wheat is frequently eaten, rice holds its own and is cooked daily as well as on festivals and special occasions.

History of Rice in India:

• Historians believe that while the indica variety of rice was first domesticated in the area covering the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas (i.e. north-eastern India), stretching through Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Southern China, the japonica variety was domesticated from wild rice in southern China which was introduced to India. Perennial wild rice still grow in Assam and Nepal.
• It seems to have appeared around 1400 BC in southern India after its domestication in the northern plains.
• It then spread to all the fertile alluvial plains watered by rivers. Some says that the word rice is derived from the Tamil word arisi.

Climatic Requirements:

• In India rice is grown under widely varying conditions of altitude and climate. Rice cultivation in India extends from 8 to 35 N latitude and from sea level to as high as 3000 meters.
• Rice crop needs a hot and humid climate. It is best suited to regions which have high humidity, prolonged sunshine and an assured supply of water.
• The average temperature required throughout the life period of the crop ranges from 21 to 37º C. maximum temp which the crop can tolerate 40 to 42 Celsius.

Nutritional value of Rice:

• Rice is a nutritional staple food which provides instant energy as its most important component is carbohydrate (starch).
• On the other hand, rice is poor in nitrogenous substances with average composition of these substances being only 8 per cent and fat content or lipids only negligible, i.e., 1per cent and due to this reason, it is considered as a complete food for eating.
• Rice flour is rich in starch and is used for making various food materials. It is also used in some instances by brewers to make alcoholic malt.
• Likewise, rice straw mixed with other materials is used to produce porcelain, glass and pottery.
• Rice is also used in manufacturing of paper pulp and livestock bedding.
• The variability of composition and characteristics of rice is really broad and depends on variety and environmental conditions under which the crop is grown.
• In husked rice, protein content ranges in between 7per cent to 12per cent. The use of nitrogen fertilizers increases the percentage content of some amino acids.

Medicinal Value:

• The immense diversity of rice germplasm is a rich source for many rice based products and is also used for treating many health related maladies such as indigestion, diabetes, arthritis, paralysis, epilepsy and give strength to pregnant and lactating mothers.
• Ancient Ayurvedic literature testify the medicinal and curative properties of different types of rice grown in India. Medicinal rice varieties like Kanthi Banko (Chhattisgarh), Meher, Saraiphul and Danwar (Orissa), Atikaya and Kari Bhatta (Karnataka), are very common in India.
• Few varieties cultivated in restricted pockets of Kerala for their medical properties e.g. Chennellu, Kunjinellu, Erumakkari & Karuthachembavu etc.

Crop Production Practices:

• In India Rice is mainly grown in two types of soils i.e., (i) uplands and (ii) low lands.
• The method of cultivation of rice in a particular region depends largely on factors such as situation of land, type of soils, irrigation facilities, availability of labourers intensity and distribution of rainfalls.
• The crop of rice is grown with the following method
• Dry or Semi-dry upland cultivation
  • Broadcasting the seed Sowing the seed behind the plough or drilling
• Wet or lowland cultivation
  • Transplanting in puddled fields. Broadcasting sprouted seeds in puddled fields.

Selection of Seeds:

• The use of quality seeds in cultivation of rice is an important factor to get better crop yield. Therefore, proper care has to be taken in selecting seeds of the best quality.
• Much of the success in raising the healthy seedlings depends on the quality of seed. Seeds intended for sowing should satisfy the following requirements.
  • The seed should belong to the proper variety, which is proposed to be grown.
  • The seed should be clean and free from obvious mixtures of other seeds.
  • The seed should be mature, well developed and plump in size. The seed should be free from obvious signs of age or bad storage. The seed should have a high germinating capacity.
  • Before sowing the seed should be treated with fungicides which protects the seed against soil-born fungi and also give a boost to the seedlings.

Source: DownToEarth

GS-II

Context

Recently, PM Modi attended the Golden Jubilee celebration of the North Eastern Council (NEC) at Shillong.

• He also addressed an official meeting of the NEC as well as a public meeting on this occasion.
• The Prime Minister also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple projects worth over ₹2,450 crore.
  • These include an integrated beekeeping development centre and 21 Hindi libraries for Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Assam.

North Eastern Council (NEC)

• North Eastern Council (NEC) was established by an Act of the Parliament in 1971.
  • It was formally inaugurated on 7th November, 1972 at Shillong, and has completed 50 years in November 2022.
• This Council is the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the North Eastern Region (NER)
  • NER consists of the eight States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
• Since its establishment, NEC has been instrumental in setting in motion a new economic endeavour aimed at removing the basic handicaps that stood in the way of normal development of the region.

News Summary

Key highlights of the speech delivered by PM Modi

• Red card to challenges in the Northeast region
  • The government has shown the red card to challenges in the Northeast region, including corruption, political nepotism and unrest.
    • In football, a red card is shown by a referee to signify that a player must be sent off.
  • Border areas in Northeast India are not the last miles of the country. Instead, they are India’s main pillars.
  • Northeast is the peace and development gateway for trade and other ties with Southeast Asian countries.
  • The government is working on developing the border villages, like the Vibrant Border Village project.
• Act fast for northeast’ and ‘Act first for northeast”
  • The Centre has been investing heavily in the north-east with the government’s motto being ‘Act fast for northeast’ and ‘Act first for northeast’.
    • The Centre is spending ₹7 lakh crore in the region compared to ₹2 lakh crore after India’s independence.
• Infrastructural development
  • The number of airports in the region increased from nine to 16 and the number of flights increased from 900 to 1,900 in the last eight years.
  • Work is now under way to connect all the State capitals of the region by railway.
  • PM underscored the 50% increase in the length of national highways in the region since 2014.
    • The infrastructure projects in the north-east gained momentum after the launch of the PM-DevINE scheme.
• Improved digital connectivity
  • The government has been working on improving digital connectivity in the north-east by increasing the optical fibre network with 6,000 mobile towers being set up at a cost of ₹5,000 crore.
  • The Atmanirbhar 5G infrastructure will help develop the start-up ecosystem and service sector in the region.
• Peace and security
  • Several peace initiatives in the north-east include peace agreements with extremist groups and resolving decades old interstate boundary disputes.
  • The north-east has moved from violence and conflicts in the last eight years to an era of peace and progress.
    • Since 2014, extremism in the region has decreased by 74% while attacks on security forces have come down by 60% and civilian deaths decreased by 89%.

PM-DevINE scheme

• The Union Cabinet, in October 2022, approved a new Scheme, Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE) for the remaining four years of the 15th Finance Commission from 2022-23 to 2025-26.
  • It was announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 to address development gaps in the North Eastern Region (NER).
• It is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% Central funding and will be implemented by  Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
• It will provide support to infrastructure (in the spirit of PM Gati Shakti), support industries and social development projects which may be larger in size and will also provide an end-to-end development solution instead of isolated projects.
• It will create livelihood activities for youth and women, thus leading to employment generation.

Source: Indian Express

The Supreme Court rejected a review petition filed by Bilkis Bano.

About Review petition:

• According to the Indian Constitution, any mandate by the Supreme Court of India is final and binding. However, Under Article 137 provided the Supreme Court with the power to review its judgments. This provision forms the legal basis for a “review petition”.
• It is not necessary that only parties related to a case can seek a review of the judgment. Any person aggrieved by a ruling can seek a review.
• A review petition must be filed within 30 days of the court verdict.
• Review petitions are usually not heard in open court. They are heard through “circulation” by judges in their chambers.
• In a Review Petition case, Lawyers usually make their case through written submissions, and not oral arguments.
• The same judges who passed the original verdict generally also hear the review petition.
• There are specific grounds on which a review petition can be accepted in court, but not accepted in case of “minor mistakes”.
• In 1975, the Supreme court mentioned that a review petition can be accepted “only where a glaring omission or patent mistake or like grave error has crept in earlier by judicial fallibility”.
• In 2013, the Supreme Court laid down 3 conditions for accepting a review petition:
  • The discovery of new and important matter or evidence which was not within the knowledge of the petitioner or could not be produced by him earlier.
  • A mistake or error is apparent on the face of the record.
  • Any other sufficient reason.
• It is rare for the Supreme Court to both admit reviews and overturn an original decision in a review.
• It did agree to review its original verdict in the Sabarimala case but refused to review its ruling on the Rafale deal.
• In the Union of India v. Sandur Manganese & Iron Ores Ltd case (2013), the court laid down nine principles on when a review is maintainable.
  • The court held that a review is by no means an appeal in disguise whereby an erroneous decision is reheard and corrected but lies only for patent error.

Who can file a review petition?

• It is not necessary that only parties to a case can seek a review of the judgment on it. As per the Civil Procedure Code and the Supreme Court Rules, any person aggrieved by judgment can seek a review.

Who hears the review petitions?

• Review petitions are heard, as far as practicable, by the same combination of judges who delivered the order or judgment that is sought to be reviewed. If a judge has retired or is unavailable, a replacement is made keeping in mind the seniority of judges.

Source: Indian Express

GS-III

Deepfakes

Context

China recently issued new guidelines to companies and platforms using the deep synthesis technology.

Context

The Indian Naval Ship (INS)Mormugao, the second warship of the P15B class destroyer ship was recently commissioned.

Context

IEA’s Coal 2022: Analysis and forecast to 2025 report says coal is set to continue to be the growth engine of global coal demand.

• Global coal demand reached eight billion tonnes this year.
• In the absence of low-emissions alternatives that can replace coal at scale in the iron and steel sector in the near term, global coal demand is set to remain flat through the forecast period.

India:

• India, along with China, is the world’s largest coal producer, consumer, and importer.
• Its own coal production will surpass a billion tonnes by 2025 as per the annual report of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
• India’s coal consumption has doubled since 2007 at an annual growth rate of 6 per cent.
• India and China, are also the only two countries globally where there has been an uptick in investment in coal mine assets because domestic production has been ramped up in both countries to reduce external reliance.

Europe:

• Due to The Russian invasion of Ukraine and reliance on Russian gas, Europe sparked a surge in gas prices, which in turn pushed coal prices.
• The spike in the prices of gas due to the war as well as lower output from hydro and nuclear led to ‘fuel switching’ to coal in the European Union to generate power.
• However, in India and China, where coal is the backbone of electricity systems and gas accounts for just a fraction of power generation, the impact of steeper gas prices on coal demand has been limited.
• Still, the production of electricity from coal has not been much in most European countries except for Germany.
• However, both US and EU coal generation and demand will return to a downward trajectory soon.

China:

• Coal power generation in China increased by around 15 per cent year-on-year to over 500 terawatt-hours (TWh).
• Increase in renewable power generation in China means that growth in coal consumption is expected to remain relatively stagnant at an average of 0.7 per cent a year to 2025.

Source: DownTo Earth