Current Affairs 3 February, 2024

GS Paper I- Art and Culture

1. PETA to ban age-old Assamese traditions

GS Paper III- Marketing of agricultural produce

2. Government Allows Retail Sale of Rice

GS Paper II- Government plan and policy, Poverty, Growth and development

3. Multidimensional poverty

4. GHAR (GO Home and Re-Unite) Portal

Prelims Booster:-

5. Exercise Vayu Shakti-24

6. Cygnus X-1 black hole

7. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited

PETA to ban age-old Assamese traditions

GS Paper I- Art and Culture

Context:-
PETA India has filed a petition in the Gauhati High Court seeking a ban on the revival of traditional buffalo and bulbul fighting practices during Magh Bihu by the Assam government.

About Magh Bihu:-
Buffalo and bulbul fights are part of the Assamese winter harvest festival of Magh Bihu, held in January.
Ahatguri in Nagaon district and Hayagriv Madhab Mandir in Hajo are popular centres for buffalo and bulbul fights respectively.
Buffalo fights are a tradition, while bulbul fights are tied to religion and involve lighting lamps in Lord Vishnu's name.
The practice has been held for many decades and was celebrated by the Ahom rulers.

SC Ruling:-

The Supreme Court's 2014 judgment forbade using bulls as performing animals in Jallikattu events and bullock-cart races nationwide.
The Animal Welfare Board of India was directed to ensure that animals were not incited to fight against humans or other animals.
In 2015, the AWBI asked the Assam government to halt animal and bird fights during Bihu celebrations, and the government directed district administrations to prevent them.
However, some buffalo fights continued in defiance, and the Hayagriv Madhab Temple challenged the order in the Gauhati High Court.

Assam's Standard Operating Procedures:

In December, the Assam Cabinet approved the framing of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for buffalo and bulbul fights to be conducted without cruelty to the animals.
The fights are only permitted in places where they have been traditionally conducted for the last 25 years, and buffalo fights are only allowed between January 15 and January 25.
Human-inflicted injuries, performance-enhancing drugs, and sharp instruments are prohibited.
The SOPs state that organizations violating the stipulations will face a five-year ban.
The activities were held again during Magh Bihu this year, attended by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who spoke of their revival as an effort to preserve Assam's timeless Bihu traditions.

PETA’s challenge:-

PETA India has filed two petitions with the Gauhati High Court to ban buffalo and bulbul fights in Ahatguri and Hajo.

PETA claims that buffalos were instigated to fight in Ahatguri by slapping, pushing, shoving, jabbing, striking, and pulling them with nose ropes.

They also state that bulbuls were illegally captured and incited to fight in Hajo.

The court observed that organizing a buffalo fight beyond January 25 would be a violation of government guidelines and instructed the petitioners to inform the relevant district administration to prevent the event from taking place.

Government Allows Retail Sale of Rice

GS Paper III- Marketing of agricultural produce

Context:-
The government announced that 'Bharat Rice' will be sold in the retail market for Rs 29 per kg to provide relief to the public.

Traders have been directed to disclose their rice/paddy stock as part of the government's efforts to control the prices that have gone up by around 15% in the last year.

What is Bharat Rice?
The Indian government will sell packaged, subsidised rice under the Bharat brand to the public starting next week.
This move comes as the government tries to control high cereal inflation and requires all rice traders to declare their stock of the staple commodity.

Background:
In 2023, the Indian government prohibited the export of white rice and imposed a 20% export duty on par-boiled rice to control rising domestic prices and ensure food security.
Most industry experts predict that the restrictions will remain until the 2024 elections.
The fall in rice production due to El Nino-induced dry weather complicates the supply situation, and local rice prices remain high despite the trade curbs.
The government has warned retailers regarding the same.

Intervention Measures:-
The Indian government is concerned about a 14.51% increase in retail rice prices over the past year and has asked traders, retailers, and processors to declare their stock position every Friday.
The government has also initiated the retail sale of "Bharat Rice" to the general public through three agencies, with a retail price of ₹29 per kilogram.
Additionally, the Food Corporation of India has sufficient stock of good quality rice available, which is being offered to traders at a reserve price of ₹29/Kg.
The government aims to manage overall food inflation and prevent speculation.

India’s Rice Exports:-
India holds a 45% share of the global rice market and saw a 21.1% increase in overall rice exports in April-May 2023 compared to the previous year.
Both non-Basmati and Basmati rice exports have been increasing, with Basmati rice exports in May 2023 being 10.86% higher than in May 2022.
In contrast, other countries like Thailand, Myanmar, Iraq, and Iran are experiencing lower production and exports.
The Indian government reports a 15% increase in total rice exports (excluding broken rice) from January to August 2023 compared to the same period in the previous year.

About Basmati Rice-:
Basmati has its origin from India (and some parts of Pakistan).
It is a premium variety of rice cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of the Indian subcontinent.
It is universally known for its long grain size, fluffy texture and unique inherent aroma and flavour.
It is cultivated in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, UT of Jammu and Kashmir and western Uttar Pradesh.

Multidimensional poverty

GS Paper II- Government plan and policy, Poverty, Growth and development

Context:
The Finance Minister stated that the government helped 25 crore people escape multidimensional poverty in the past decade through the pursuit of "Sabka ka Saath.

What is the basis for this assessment?
A discussion paper by NITI Aayog with technical input from UNDP and OPHI states that multidimensional poverty in India has decreased from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23, with approximately 24.82 crore people escaping poverty during this period.
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh topped the list of states with the most people escaping poverty.

Multidimensional Poverty:-
Poverty is traditionally calculated based on income or expenditure levels, but the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) uses 10 indicators covering three main areas: health, education, and standard of living.
This approach assigns one-third weight to each dimension and includes indicators such as child mortality, schooling, housing, and access to basic services.
In India, the MPI has two additional indicators: maternal health and bank accounts, to align with national priorities.

National Multidimensional Poverty Index-:
The MPI has been used by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in its flagship Human Development Report since 2010.
In this context, NITI Aayog had published the first edition of national Multidimensional Poverty Index for India in 2021.
India’s national MPI captures multiple and simultaneous deprivations faced by households across the three macro-dimensions of health, education and living standards.

Parameters-:
It has 12 parameters dived into three groups health, education, and standard of living, and is aligned with the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
These parameters include nutrition, child and adolescent mortality, maternal health, years of schooling, school attendance, cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, assets, and bank accounts.

GHAR (GO Home and Re-Unite) Portal

GS Paper II- Government plan and policy, Growth and development

Context:
GHAR - GO Home and Re-Unite Portal have been developed and launched by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

What is GHAR Portal?
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has developed a portal that enables digital monitoring and tracking of the restoration and repatriation of children.
This is achieved through the use of the protocols outlined in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and its rules.

Feature:-

The include digital tracking and monitoring of children in the Juvenile Justice system who need to be repatriated to another Country/State/District.
It proposes the digital transfer of cases to the concerned Juvenile Justice Board/Child Welfare Committee of the State for speedy repatriation.
It also suggests the provision of translators/interpreters/experts when required and the digital monitoring of the case's progress for proper restoration and rehabilitation of children.
A checklist format will be provided to identify children who are hard to repatriate or not receiving entitled compensation or other monetary benefits.
A list of government schemes will also be provided to link the child with the schemes to strengthen the family and ensure they remain with them.

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights:-
The Government of India has established the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) under the CPCR Act of 2005.
The commission is responsible for safeguarding and promoting child rights.

Functions:-

These actions include reviewing and recommending measures for the effective implementation of existing safeguards, reporting to the central government on the effectiveness of these safeguards, investigating violations of child rights and recommending legal proceedings, promoting research in the field of child rights, inspecting institutions where children reside, investigating complaints, and raising awareness about child rights and available safeguards through various means.
The focus is on addressing issues related to the deprivation and violation of child rights and the non-implementation of laws protecting and developing children.

Exercise Vayu Shakti-24

Context:
The Indian Air Force will be conducting Exercise Vayu Shakti-24 on 17 February 2024 at the Pokhran Air to Ground Range, near Jaisalmer.

Exercise Vayu Shakti-24:
The Indian Air Force is scheduled to carry out three large-scale war games on February 17, which will showcase their offensive and defensive capabilities.
The exercises will take place both during the day and at night.
Additionally, they will highlight joint operations with the Indian Army.

Exercise Vayu Shakti:-
The IAF will first undertake the major "Vayu Shakti" firepower demonstration, held once every three years, with 135 fighters, aircraft, helicopters, and drones at the Pokhran field firing ranges.

Exercise Gagan Shakti:-

In this, almost the entire air fleet race would be activated from north to south and from west to east to test integrated war-fighting strategies and tactics with the other two forces and other stakeholders.
The exercise, held once in five years, is also going to be the biggest ever of the series with active participation from the other two services.
All the potent weapon systems, such as the Rafale fighter aircraft, and the S-400 air defence systems, will be participating in the ‘Gagan Shakti’ exercise.

Exercise Tarang Shakti:-
‘Tarang Shakti,’ would be the first-ever multinational exercise to be held in the country.
This will see aircraft from friendly air forces like the US, Germany, France, Australia, and neighbouring and other friendly countries taking part in it.

Cygnus X-1 black hole

Context:
India's AstroSat space telescope has successfully measured X-ray polarization from the Cygnus X-1 black hole, a first-of-its-kind achievement that could lead to new possibilities in studying the black hole's environment.

Cygnus X-1:

It was discovered more than four decades ago

The black hole is 20 times heavier than the Sun

The system has a companion, a heavy supergiant star (40 times more massive than the Sun) in a binary system

It is located at a distance that is about 400 times greater than the distance between Earth and Sun

The black hole's gravitational pull causes material from the supergiant to fall and spiral towards it

This process leads to the creation of a thin accretion disk, which is responsible for soft X-rays

Characteristics of X-Rays:-

X-ray measurements alone can only provide information about the energy or intensity of radiation.
However, by examining the polarisation characteristics of X-rays, which indicate the orientation of the oscillating electric field, we can gain valuable insights into the geometry and other properties of black holes.
The high degree of polarization detected in this source between 100-380 keV suggests that the radiation emitted at energies above 100 keV is likely to have originated from the black hole jet.
It is noteworthy that polarization is one of the properties that a photon carries from celestial objects in the sky.

Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited

Context:
IREDA partnered with Boston Consulting Group to hold a Strategic Meeting on business expansion and cost reduction in fund utilization.

About IREDA:
IREDA is a Mini Ratna Category-I non-banking financial institution under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
Established in 1987, it is a Public Limited Government company registered as an NBFC with the RBI and primarily provides financial assistance for projects related to renewable energy and energy efficiency/conservation.
IREDA is the largest "Green Financier" in India and provides financing for various technologies in the renewable energy sector.

Objectives:

Provide financial support to specific projects and schemes that generate electricity and/or energy through new and renewable sources, as well as conserve energy through energy efficiency.
Maintain IREDA's position as a leading organization for efficient and effective financing in renewable energy and energy efficiency/conservation projects.
Increase IREDA's share in the renewable energy sector through innovative financing.
Continuously improve systems, processes, and resources to enhance the efficiency of services provided to customers.
Strive to become a competitive institution by ensuring customer satisfaction.

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