VISION

 What is the issue?

• June 6 marks the third anniversary of the incarceration of five rights activists in the Bhima Koregaon conspiracy case.
• Here is a look at the case and the larger issue behind.

What is the Bhima Koregaon case?

• January 1, 2018 was the 200th anniversary of a battle fought at Bhima Koregaon, a small village in Pune.
• [It was where 500 Dalit Mahar soldiers of the British army defeated an army of the Peshwas.]
• Dalits converged in thousands from across the state for its commemoration.
• But violence broke out and one person died.
• Initially, the police investigated Hindutva leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide for instigating the violence, and arrested Ekbote briefly.
• But some months later, the police claimed that the violence was a conspiracy by left activists and intellectuals.
• Five rights activists were arrested in this conspiracy case and eleven more were subsequently jailed for the same.
• These 16 women and men - the BK-16 accused - are intellectuals, lawyers, a poet, professors, cultural and rights activists.
• It includes an 84-year-old Jesuit priest, Father Stan Swamy.
• All these persons have sterling records of service with India’s most oppressed people.

Why is the case contentious?

• The charge against BK-16 was that they had conspired to instigate Dalits into violent insurrection, and to assassinate the Prime Minister.
• 3 years later, the trial against them has still not commenced.
• The state has succeeded in misusing the law with the complicity of all institutions of criminal justice.
• It worked to confine behind bars the BK-16 accused, without any opportunity for either bail or to prove their innocence.
• [After a tortuous court battle, just one of them, poet Varavara Rao, was granted bail because of his critically deteriorating health.]
• The evidence marshalled against the accused rests on some alleged emails.
• But independent agencies contest that these are malign insertions through malware.

• The case reveals the ease with which it is possible for the executive to undermine reputations of activists.
• It has imprisoned indefinitely without bail or trial, people who dissent and organise struggles against state policies.
• Many among the BK-16 are suffering from various kinds of illnesses.
• They are now housed in the overcrowded Taloja and Byculla jails, ideal sites for super-spreading the Covid virus.
• Above all, it is the agenda of the state to ensure that political prisoners are kept well.

Source: The Indian Express

GS SCORE FACT FILE- Important Judgement PDF

1)  Assam CM Sarma launches Sishu Seva Achoni for COVID-19 Orphans

•Assam chief minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has dedicated Chief Minister Sishu Seva Scheme to the service of the beneficiaries and handed over the cheques of financial assistance to few beneficiaries who lost both their parents due to COVID. It may be noted that under the scheme an amount to the tune of Rs. 7,81,200 would be parked in the bank as fixed deposit in the name of each beneficiary.

•Monthly financial assistance of Rs. 3500 which will be realised from the fixed deposit will be given to the beneficiaries till they attain 24 years of age. On completion of 24 years of age, the principal amount parked as a fixed deposit against each beneficiary would be credited to their bank accounts.

2)  Russian navy building first fully stealth warship

•Russia is building the first naval ship that will be fully equipped with stealth technology to make it hard to detect. The hull of the Mercury naval corvette dubbed project 20386 has already been built and the vessel is expected to be delivered to the navy next year. The warship will be armed with cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missiles and artillery.

•The naval ship is capable of searching for and destroying submarines. Stealth technology can make military assets such as ships and planes harder for radar to detect. While Russia has used stealth technology, such as a radar-absorbing coating into some of its navy vessels, they have not had full stealth technology.

3)  India’s Tillotama Shome wins Best Actor award at UK Asian Film Festival

•Indian actress Tillotama Shome has made the country proud by winning the Best Actor award at the 2021 UK Asian Film Festival (UKAFF). Tillotama won the award for her role in the film Raahgir: The Wayfarers. The film has been directed by Goutam Ghose. The UK Asian Film Festival (UKAFF) 2021 was the 23rd edition of the annual event. Apart from Tillotama, filmmaker Goutam Ghose has also won the Best Director award at the UKAFF.

4)  Auckland tops Global Liveability Index 2021

•New Zealand and Australian cities dominated the Global Liveability Index 2021 published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Auckland has been ranked the best on liveability rankings due to the ability of New Zealand city to contain Covid-19 faster. Japanese cities of Osaka and Tokyo grabbed second and fourth place and Adelaide, Australia spot 3rd place on EIU’s Global Liveability Index 2021. living conditions remained worst in the Syrian capital Damascus.

5)  K Nagaraj Naidu named to lead UN bureaucracy for a year

•Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, K Nagaraj Naidu was named chef de cabinet by the incoming UN general assembly president, Maldivian foreign minister Abdulla Shahid. He was appointed for the duration of one-year tenure to lead the world body through its return to normalcy as countries strive to bring the pandemic under control.

•Naidu is India’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, and he will be on loan from the Indian government to the United Nations for a position that is comparable to the Indian prime minister’s principal secretary, who oversees the cabinet bureaucracy; also something like the chief of staff to the US president.

6)  ICRA projects GDP growth of India at 8.5% in FY 2022

•The domestic credit rating agency ICRA has projected the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of India for the financial year 2021-22 to 8.5 per cent year-on-year. It expects the gross value added (GVA) at basic prices (at constant 2011-12 prices) to grow at 7.3 per cent in FY2022. ICRA is Gurgaon based credit rating agency, owned by Moody’s Corporation.

7)  United States Tops Bitcoin Investment Gains in 2020

•The US traders have benefited the most in Bitcoin Investment Gain in 2020, with a profit of $4.1 billion, according to the latest report by Chainalysis, a blockchain analysis company based in Manhattan, New York. Chinese traders stood second, with a profit of $1.1 billion. India has been ranked at 18th spot with a profit of $241 million, among the top 25 countries, in Bitcoin investment gains 2020.

8)  Thales appoints Ashish Saraf as Vice-President and Country Director for India

•French defence and aerospace group, Thales announced the appointment of Ashish Saraf as Vice-President and Country Director for India with effect from June 1, 2021. He succeeds Emmanuel de Roquefeuil who takes up a new role as the VP and head for Thales in the Middle East. He will lead the company’s India business and will be responsible for its strategic growth in the country across all of its markets, further strengthening local teams, collaborations and innovation.

•Prior to joining Thales, Saraf served as the president and head of the region for Airbus Helicopters – India and South Asia where he led Airbus’ Helicopters’ sales, services, training, innovation, industrial partnerships and government relations functions across the civil, parapublic and military markets in the region. Thales group builds electrical systems &provides services for aerospace, defence, etc.

9)  Ferrari appoints Benedetto Vigna as new company CEO

•Ferrari has named Benedetto Vigna as its new company CEO, taking over from interim chief John Elkann. Vigna currently serves as the president of STMicroelectronics’ Analog, MEMS and Sensor Group, and is a member of the company’s executive committee. Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy.

10)  Debbie Hewitt appointed Football Association’s first chairwoman

•England’s Football Association named corporate executive and former RAC chief, Debbie Hewitt as its first woman chair, ending months of speculation over Greg Clarke’s successor following his exit over inappropriate remarks. The FA, which was formed in 1863 and has been working to become more inclusive, launched its ‘Pursuit of Progress’ initiative in 2018. FA is the governing body of football located in England.

📰 Maharashtra govt. clears action plan to protect heritage trees

 GS SCORE PIB 1-15 May 2021 PDF

 Why in news?

The Education Ministry recently released the latest edition of the Performance Grading Index (PGI).

What is the Index for?

• The Education Ministry released the first PGI in 2019 for the reference year 2017-18, to measure the performance of states in school education.
• The objective is to help the states prioritise areas for intervention in school education.
• States are only graded and not ranked.
• This is to avoid discouraging the practice of one improving only at the cost of others and casting a stigma of underperformance on some.

How does it work?

 Why in news?

Indian Prime Minster recently announced the shift to centralised procurement of Covid-19 vaccines.

How was it earlier?

• From January 16 to April 30, 2021, the Centre had procured and allocated vaccine doses to the states.
• This was available for free vaccination of three priority groups.
• These were healthcare workers, frontline workers, and persons above the age of 45.
• From May 2021, States were allowed to procure 25% of the vaccines manufactured and the Centre, 50%.
• [States had to procure 25% of the doses from the open market to vaccinate the 18-44 year age group.]

What is the new policy?

1)  Assam gets its seventh national park with Dehing Patkai

•The Assam Government has decided in its recent cabinet meeting to declare Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary as the 7th National Park of the state. The newest national park, popularly known as Dehing Patkai Rain Forest, has unique floral and faunal diversity, which was recognized by the state government in 2004 when 111.19 square kilometres of the area was notified as Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary.

•The area is home to hoolock gibbon, elephant, slow loris, tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, golden cat, fishing cat, marble cat, sambar, hog deer, sloth bear, and several bird species including the endangered state bird, the white-winged wood duck. The state now has the second-highest number of national parks in the country. Madhya Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have nine national parks each.

2)  Indo-Thai CORPAT Begins in Andaman Sea

•The 31st edition of the India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) kicked off on June 09, 2021, in the Andaman Sea. The three-day coordinated patrol between the Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy is being conducted from 09 to 11 June 2021. From the Indian side, an indigenously built Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel, Indian Naval Ship (INS) Saryu, is participating and from Thailand Navy, HTMS Krabi is participating in CORPAT, along with Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both navies.

3)  Centre extends LIC Chairman M R Kumar’s term till March 2022

•The appointments committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the extension of the tenure of MR Kumar as the Chairman of state-owned insurance company Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). Now under the extended term, Mr Kumar will serve on the post till March 13, 2022. Earlier his term as LIC chairman was supposed to end on June 30, 2021.

4)  Facebook names Spoorthi Priya as grievance officer for India

•Facebook has named Spoorthi Priya as its grievance officer for India, the company said on its website. This move comes close on the heels of the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, coming into force last month. According to the new government guidelines, social media companies with over 50 lakh users have to appoint a grievance officer, nodal officer and a chief compliance officer.

•All three personnel will have to be residents of India. Facebook owned messaging platform WhatsApp appointed Paresh B Lal as the grievance officer a few days ago. WhatsApp, Facebook, and Google had shared information on their compliance officer, resident grievance officer and nodal contact person with the government on May 29. Two days after the new IT rules kicked into action.

5)  El Salvador becomes first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender

•El Salvador has become the first country in the world to grant legal tender status to bitcoin. The use of bitcoin as legal tender will become law in 90 days. El Salvador’s economy heavily relies on remittances and so those who are working abroad can send money back home in bitcoins. The use of bitcoin will be totally optional. It will bring financial inclusion, investment, tourism, innovation and economic development to the country.

6)  RBI approves re-appointment of GC Chaturvedi as part-time Chairman of ICICI Bank

•Private lender, ICICI Bank, has received RBI’s approval for the re-appointment of Girish Chandra Chaturvedi as the part-time Chairman of the Bank. He will be the part-time chairman of ICICI Bank for a 3-years tenure starting July 01, 2021, on extant terms and conditions. Last year, the bank’s shareholders approved the re-appointment of Chaturvedi as non-executive (part-time) Chairman of the Bank effective from July 1, 2021.

7)  Mahesh Kumar Jain gets two-year extension as RBI Deputy Governor

•The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the re-appointment of Mahesh Kumar Jain as the Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for two more years with effect from June 22, 2021. The three-year term of MK Jain as RBI Deputy Governor was to end on June 21, 2021. Currently, Michael Patra, M Rajeshwar Rao and Rabi Sankar are the other three serving RBI Deputy Governors.

8)  QS World University Rankings 2022 released

•The London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) has released the QS World University Rankings 2022 which compares and ranks Universities from across the globe on various parameters. Eight Indian universities have found a place among the best 400 global universities in the QS World University Rankings 2022, released on June 09, 2021. However, only three Universities namely the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, IIT-Delhi, and IISc Bangalore feature among the top 200.

9)  BharatPe becomes ICC’s official partner till 2023

•Lending and digital payments startup, BharatPe has announced that it has inked a three-year-long deal to become an official partner with International Cricket Council (ICC). As per the agreement, BharatPe will promote the association across broadcast and digital platforms, as well as execute in-venue brand activations at all the ICC events until 2023.

•The key tournaments include the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (Southampton, UK 2021), Men’s T20 World Cup (India, 2021), Men’s T20 World Cup (Australia, 2022), Women’s World Cup (New Zealand, 2022), U19 Cricket World Cup (West Indies, 2022), Women’s T20 World Cup (South Africa, 2022), Men’s Cricket World Cup (India, 2023) and World Test Championship (2023).

10)  Chris Broad to be match referee for World Test Championship final

•ICC Elite Panel match referee, Chris Broad will oversee the World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand, scheduled to commence at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton from June 18. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the officials for the match. ICC Elite Panel’s Richard Illingworth and Michael Gough will be the on-field umpires.

📰 Green economy and mobility key aspects of draft 2041 master plan

GS SCORE Current Affairs June 2021 Week 2 PDF

1)  World Accreditation Day 2021 celebrated on 9th June

•World Accreditation Day (WAD) is celebrated every year on 9 June to promote the role of accreditation in trade & the economy. The theme for WAD 2021 is “Accreditation: Supporting the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. It provides the opportunity for ILAC and IAF members to share examples with stakeholders, regulators and consumers of how accreditation may be applied to meet objectives such as increasing trade, addressing environment and health and safety concerns, and improving the general overall quality of output in an economy.

•WAD is a global initiative, jointly established by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation.

2)  G7 deal on Minimum Global Corporate Tax

•Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies signed a landmark deal on taxing multinational companies. As per the deal, the minimum global tax rate would be at least 15 per cent. The agreement was signed by finance ministers of the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Canada, France, Italy and Japan. It opens the way for levies on multinational companies in countries where they operate rather than just where they are headquartered.

•The old system of global taxation was being criticized over the years as it allowed big companies to save billions of dollars in tax bills by shifting their jurisdictions. Major digital companies were making money in multiple countries and paying taxes only in their home country. Thus, this proposal was made which would impose an additional tax on several multinational companies and technology giants like Facebook, Amazon and Google to pay taxes to countries based on where their goods or services are sold irrespective of their physical presence there. The deal seeks to modernize the century-old international tax code.

3)  Haryana CM announces creating ‘Oxi-van’ in Karnal

Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar, announced to create of 80 acres of ‘Oxi-van’ (a forest) in the Karnal district. It was announced on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, 2021. Oxi-van will consist of 10 types of forests. On the occasion, highlighting the importance of trees and encouraging promotion, protection, planting of trees Haryana Government launched four important schemes:

•Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme:

Under this scheme, a pension amount of Rs 2500 will be provided in name of Pran Vayu Devta to maintain trees above 75 years. This pension would increase each year on the line of old age Samman pension.

•Panchavati Plantation in Haryana:

Under this initiative, the plantation will be done in name of Panchvati across the villages in Haryana. It will promote the process of getting natural oxygen from trees. Agroforestry will also be promoted on vacant land under the initiative. Thus, it will increase the income of Panchayats in rural areas.

•Oxy-Van in Karnal:

Oxy Forest was launched on Forest Department land in Mughal Canal, Karnal. Panchavati, trees of Bel, Amla, Ashoka, Banyan and Peepal were planted. It will be built on 80 acres area.

•Oxy-Van in Panchkula:

It will be established in Bir Ghaggar on the area of one hundred acres in a bid to create Mother Nature’s green lungs, for residents of Panchkula, to get in fresh oxygen. Rs One crore has been sanctioned for this initiative.

4)  India elected as member of UN Economic and Social Council for 2022-24

•India has been elected as a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the six main organs of the United Nations, for three-year terms of 2022-24. India was elected to the 54-member ECOSOC, by the UNGA on June 7, 2021, in the Asia-Pacific States category, along with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Oman.

•ECOSOC serves as the central platform for discussing international economic, social and environmental issues and formulating policy recommendations addressed to member states and the United Nations system.

5)  India’s first International Maritime Cluster to come up at GIFT City

•Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) will set up the country’s first international maritime services cluster at GIFT City. The maritime cluster will be developed as a dedicated ecosystem comprising ports, shipping, logistics services providers and government regulators, all present in the same geographic vicinity — GIFT City. GIFT City is India’s first operational smart city and international financial services.

6)  Indian Navy inducted three ALH MK III advanced light helicopters

•The Indian Navy inducted three indigenously-built advanced light helicopters ALH MK-III in their fleet. These helicopters are built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at the Indian Naval Station (INS) Dega in Visakhapatnam will be used for maritime reconnaissance and coastal security.

•These helicopters are equipped with modern surveillance radar and electro-optical equipment. It enables them in doing search and rescue operations even at the night. It is also fitted with a removable medical intensive care unit (ICU) to airlift critically ill patients. It can also undertake constabulary missions.

7)  Crisil Projects India’s GDP Growth for FY22 to 9.5%

•The domestic credit rating agency Crisil has revised the GDP growth estimate for India in FY22 (2021-22) to 9.5 percent, from the earlier estimate of 11 percent. As per CRISIL, the economy had contracted by 7.3 percent in FY21. The downward revision is basically due to the hit to private consumption and investments following the second wave of COVID-19.

8)  Anup Chandra Pandey appointed as election commissioner

•The Union government has appointed Anup Chandra Pandey, a retired IAS officer of the 1984 batch, Uttar Pradesh cadre, as Election Commissioner. In the Election Commission, Pandey will have a little under three years in office and will retire in February 2024.

•Pandey has been appointed to the position left vacant by former Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora’s retirement on April 12. Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar are the other two members of the panel. This restores the three-member commission to its full strength, which will now oversee the next set of crucial assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand next year.

9)  Rhea Chakraborty topped ‘The Times 50 Most Desirable Women 2020’

•The Times 50 Most Desirable Women 2020 list has been unveiled, and it features women under 40 across various fields. Rhea Chakraborty has bagged the number 1 spot on Times Most Desirable Women 2020 list. She was in the news for most of last year due to the sudden demise of Sushant Singh Rajput and the controversy around his death.

•Miss Universe 2020, 3rd runner-up Adline Castelino bagged the second spot in the list. Actress Disha Patani, Kiara Advani and Deepika Padukone were on the third, fourth and fifth spot respectively.

10)  Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar assumes Charge as DG Naval Operations

•Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, AVSM, VSM has assumed charge as Director General Naval Operations. The Flag Officer is a specialist in Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and has served on frontline warships of the Navy as ASW Officer and later as the Executive Officer and Principal Warfare Officer of Guided Destroyer INS Mysore. He has commanded the missile corvette INS Kora, the missile frigate INS Shivalik and the aircraft carrier INS Viraat.

11)  Himachal jumps to third spot in Anemia Mukt Bharat Index

•Himachal Pradesh has climbed to the third spot in the Anemia Mukt Bharat Index 2020-21 national ranking with a score of 57.1. Himachal Pradesh was at rank 18 in the year 2018-19, but with consistent efforts of the government and the field functionaries, the state was able to achieve the third spot. Madhya Pradesh is in the first position with a score of 64.1 followed by Odisha with a score of 59.3. The prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths had decreased from 29% to 0.3% in a short span of three years.