TOP 5 TAKKAR NEWS OF THE DAY (26th MAY 2023)

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1. DANCING GIRL OF MOHENJODARO

TAGS: GS 1: ART AND CULTURE

THE CONTEXT: On the occasion of International Museum Day (May 18), Prime Minister inaugurated the International Museum Expo in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan. During the ceremony, PM Modi also unveiled the Expo’s mascot a “contemporised” version of the famous Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro. “

EXPLANATION:

Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro

• The figurine is a naturalistic free-standing sculpture of a nude woman, with small breasts, narrow hips, long legs and arms compared to her torso, and a short torso and wears a stack of 25 bangles on her left arm and her head is tilted slightly backward and her left leg is bent at the knee.
• It was made about 2500 BC, the statuette was found in the remains of a small house in the southwestern quarter of Mohenjo Daro by Indian archaeologist D. R. Sahni [1879-1939] during his 1926-1927 field season at the site.
• Vast majority of figurines at IVC sites are terracotta, made from fired clay. Only a handful of Harappan figurines are carved from stone such as the famous priest-king figure or dancing lady which is made of lost-wax copper bronze.
• Human figurines can give insight into concepts of sex, gender, sexuality and other aspects of social identity.

Lost wax (cire perdue) method:

• The lost wax method used by Harappan metallurgists involved first carving the object out of wax, then covering it in wet clay.
• Once the clay was dried, holes were bored into the mold and the mold was heated, melting the wax. The empty mold was then filled with a melted mixture of copper and tin. After that cooled, the mold was broken, revealing the copper-bronze object.

City of Mohenjodaro:

• The ruins of the huge city of Moenjodaro discovered in 1921 built entirely of unbaked brick in the 3rd millennium B.C. lie in the Indus valley.
• The archaeological ruins are located on the right bank of the Indus River, 510 km north-east from Karachi, and 28 km from Larkana city, Larkana District in Pakistan’s Sindh Province.
• The well planned city mostly built with baked bricks and having public baths; a college of priests; an elaborate drainage system; wells, soak pits for disposal of sewage, and a large granary, bears testimony that it was a metropolis of great importance, enjoying a well organized civic, economic, social and cultural system.
• Mohenjodaro comprises two sectors:

1. a citadel area in the west where the Buddhist stupa was constructed with unbaked brick over the ruins of Moenjodaro in the 2nd century AD
2. the lower city ruins lies to the east spread out along the banks of the Indus where buildings are laid out along streets intersecting each other at right angles, in a highly orderly form of city planning that also incorporated systems of sanitation and drainage.

Major archaeological findings of Mohenjo Daro

• The great bath
• Citadel
• Bronze statue of dancing girl
• Bronze buffalo
• Steatite statue of a bearded priest
• Seal of Pashupati
• The great granary
• Assembly hall
• 3 cylindrical-shaped seals similar to Mesopotamian ones.
• Terracotta toys
• A piece of woven cloth

2. KRISHNA RIVER WATER SHARING DISPUTE

TAGS: GS 2: INTER STATE WATER DISPUTE

THE CONTEXT: The nagging dispute over the water share of the Krishna river between Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) and Telangana remains unresolved, even nine years after the bifurcation of the combined State.

EXPLANATION:

Current mechanism of Krishna river dispute:

• There is no mention of water shares in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014
• At a meeting convened by the then Ministry of Water Resources in 2015, the two States had agreed for sharing water in the 34:66 (Telangana:A.P.) ratio as an ad hoc arrangement with the minutes clearly specifying that it has to be reviewed every year.
• The arrangement in the Act was only for the management of water resources by setting up two Boards, the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB).
• The KRMB, however, continued the same ratio year after year in spite of the opposition by Telangana.
• In October 2020, Telangana raised its voice for an equal share, till water shares are finalized and refused to continue the existing arrangement.
• Unable to convince the member States, the river Board has referred the matter to the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS).

Constitutional provisions

• As water comes under state list. According to Entry 17 of State List, states can legislate with respect to rivers.
• However, Entry 56 of the Union List gives the Central government the power to regulate and develop inter-state rivers and river valleys.
• Article 262 empowers Parliament to provide for the adjudication of any dispute or complaint with respect to the use, distribution or control of the waters of, or in, any inter-State river or river valley.
• As per Article 262, the Parliament has enacted the following:

1. River Board Act, 1956: This empowered the GOI to establish Boards for Interstate Rivers and river valleys in consultation with State Governments. Till date, no river board has been created.
2. Inter-State Water Dispute Act, 1956: Under this act, if a state government or governments approach the Centre for the constitution of a tribunal, the government may form a tribunal after trying to resolve the dispute through consultations.

Features of River Boards Act 1956

• It provides for the establishment of River Boards, for the regulationand development of inter-State rivers and river valleys.
• Central Government may establish a Board on a request received from a State Government or otherwise for “advising the Government interested” in relation to such matters concerningthe regulation or development of an inter-State river or river valley (or any specified part) as maybe notified by the Central Government.
• Different Boards may be established for different inter-State rivers or river valleys.
• The Board is to consist of the Chairman and such other members as the Central Governmentthinks fit to appoint. They must be persons having special knowledge and experience in irrigation,electrical engineering, flood control, navigation, water conservation, soil conservation,administration or finance.
• Functions of the Board are set out in detail in section 13 of the Act as covering conservation of the water resources of the inter-State river, schemes for irrigationand drainage, development of hydro-electric power, schemes for flood control, promotion ofnavigation, control of soil erosion and prevention of pollution.
• But the functions of the Board are advisory and not adjudicatory.
• By section 14(3), the Board is directed to consult all the Governments concerned and to securetheir agreement, as far as possible.

Features of Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956

• A State Government which has a water dispute with another State Government may request theCentral Government to refer the dispute to a tribunal for adjudication.
• The Central Government, if it is of opinion that the dispute cannot be settled by negotiation, shallrefer the dispute to a Tribunal.
• The Tribunal’s composition is laid down in the Act. It consists of a Chairman and two other members, nominated by the Chief Justice of India from among persons who, at the time of such nomination, are Judges of the Supreme Court. The Tribunal can appoint assessors to advise it in the proceedings before it.
• On the reference being made by the Central Government, the Tribunal investigates the matterand makes its report, embodying its decision. The decision is to be published and is to be finaland binding on the parties.
• Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and other courts in respect of the dispute referred to the
  Tribunal is barred.
• The Central Government may frame a scheme, providing for all matters necessary to give effectto the decision of the Tribunal. The scheme may, inter alia, provide for establishing an authorityfor implementing (section 6A).

Water Dispute Tribunals in India:

3. NARCO TEST AND ARTICLE 20(3)

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: Protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar said they were willing to undergo a narco analysis test provided it was monitored by the Supreme Court. Taking into consideration the international norms on human rights, the right to a fair trial, and the right against self-incrimination under Article 20(3) of the Constitution, the court said, “We must recognise that a forcible intrusion into a person’s mental processes is also an affront to human dignity and liberty, often with grave and long-lasting consequences.

EXPLANATION:

Narco test:

• In a ‘narco’ or narco analysis test, a drug called sodium pentothal is injected into the body of the accused, which transports them to a hypnotic or sedated state in which their imagination is neutralised. In this hypnotic state, the accused is understood as being incapable of lying and is expected to divulge information that is true.
• Sodium pentothal or sodium thiopental, is a fast-acting, short-duration anaesthetic used in larger doses to sedate patients during surgery. It belongs to the barbiturate class of drugs that act on the central nervous system as depressants.
• Because the drug is believed to weaken the subject’s resolve to lie, it is sometimes referred to as a “truth serum”.

Polygraph test:

• A polygraph test is carried out on the assumption that physiological responses triggered when one is lying are different from what they otherwise would be.
• Rather than injecting drugs into the body, polygraph tests attach instruments like cardio-cuffs or sensitive electrodes to the suspect and measure variables such as blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, change in sweat gland activity, blood flow, etc., while the suspect is being questioned.

Article 20(3) of the Constitution:

• Indian Constitution provides immunity to an accused against self-incrimination under Article 20(3) which states ‘No person accused of an offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself’.
• This privilege is only available to a person accused of an offence i.e. “person against whom a formal accusation relating to the commission of an offence has been levelled, which may result in prosecution”.
• In India, a formal accusation can be made by lodging of an F.I.R. or a formal complaint against a person accusing him of committing a crime, it is not necessary that the trial or enquiry should have commenced before a court.
• Article 20 (3) does not apply to departmental inquiries into allegations against a government servant since there is no accusation of any offence.
• The privilege against self-incrimination is available at both trial and pre-trial stage i.e. when the police investigation is going on and the person is regarded as an accused, or even if his name is not mentioned in the FIR as an accused.

4. NITI AYOG HEALTH INDEX

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: The three southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana emerged as the top performers among the ‘larger states’ in the NITI Aayog’s annual ‘health index’ for the Covid year of 2020-21. While Tripura was the best among the ‘smaller states’, Delhi ranked at the bottom of the Union territories’ list.

EXPLANATION:

Outcomes of fifth health index report:

• Among the 19 ‘larger states’, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have emerged as the top three performers, occupying first, second and third place respectively, in terms of overall performance. Bihar (19th), Uttar Pradesh (18th) and Madhya Pradesh (17th) are at the bottom of the list.
• In terms of incremental performance, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Odisha emerged as the top three performers in 2020-21, as compared to their performance in 2019-20.
• Among the eight smaller states, Tripura has recorded the best overall performance, followed by Sikkim and Goa; Arunachal Pradesh (6th), Nagaland (7th) and Manipur (8th) are at the bottom.
• And among the eight UTs, Lakshadweep has been ranked as the top performer in terms of overall performance, while Delhi ranked at the bottom.

Health Index:

• It is an “annual tool to assess the performance” of states and UTs.
• It is divided in three parts – larger states, smaller states and union territories.
• Niti Aayog brings out the index in collaboration with the Union Health Ministry and World Bank.
• It is a weighted composite index based on 24 indicators grouped under the domains of ‘health outcomes’, ‘governance and information’, and ‘key inputs/ processes’ and each domain has been assigned weight based on its importance with higher score for outcome indicators.
• The ‘health outcomes’ domain include indicators like neonatal mortality rate, total fertility rate, sex ratio at birth, immunisation coverage, proportion of institutional deliveries, total case notification rate of tuberculosis, and proportion of people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy.
• The ‘governance and information’ domain includes indicators like proportion of institutional deliveries, average occupancy (in months) of three key posts at state level, average occupancy (in months) of the chief medical officer, and days taken for fund transfer.
• The ‘key inputs/ processes’ domain is a measure of health infrastructure available, including proportion of functional 24X7 primary healthcare centres, districts with functional cardiac care units, and vacancies in healthcare provider positions.

5. CENSUS AND NATIONAL POPULATION REGISTER

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: If citizens want to exercise the right to fill the Census form on their own rather than through government enumerators, they will have to first update their National Population Register (NPR) details online. The NPR, first put together in 2010 and updated in 2015, already has the details of 119 crore people. Census 2021, which has been postponed indefinitely, will be the first digital Census giving citizens an opportunity to “self-enumerate” as and when it is conducted.

EXPLANATION:

• The Office of the Registrar of General of India (ORGI), which conducts the Census, has developed a “Self-Enumeration (SE)” portal which allows the respondents to view and update the information of their households members.
• The yet-to-be-launched mobile-friendly portal will allow users to register the mobile number in the NPR database, self-enumerate and fill the details under Houselisting Operations.
• Respondents can update the details of their family members online without the help of an enumerator for privacy and to reduce financial and administrative burden incurred in collection of field data.
• The portal accessible to “respondents of India” will offer secure and controlled access to the respondent’s family information and authentication based on pre-filled information available with ORGI and One Time Password (OTP) sent to registered mobile number.

Census:

• The Indian Census is the largest collection of statistical information of Indian citizens to study its society, demography, economics, anthropology, sociology, statistics etc.
• It is done every 10 years, the census was first conducted in 1872 during the British rule and the first complete census was done in 1881.
• It is conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India
• The last census was done in 2011 and the in 16^th census instead of forms, every individual can fill the required details on an app. No document will be required to be shown as proof and self-declaration will suffice.
• It mentions name of person, relationship to head, sex, date of birth and age, current marital status, religion, mother tongue, literacy status are some of the fundamental questions one can find in almost all census questionnaires.

The Census is conducted in two phases:

• The first phase the Houselisting Operations (HLO) and Housing Census is to be conducted with simultaneous updating of NPR.
• Population enumeration is the second and the main phase, which collects details on key social and economic parameters.

Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner (ORGI):

• It is established in the Ministry of Home Affairs under Registrar General and ex-Officio Census Commissioner, India.
• This organisation is responsible for generating data on population statistics including vital statistics and census.

Functions of ORGI:

(i) Housing & Population Census: The Census Commissioner, India is the statutory authority vested with the responsibility of conducting the Housing & Population Census in India under Census Act, 1948 and the Rules framed thereunder. Planning, coordination and supervision of the field activities; data processing; compilation, tabulation and dissemination of Census results are the primary duties of this office.

(ii) Civil Registration System (CRS): The Census Commissioner, India is also designated as Registrar General, India under the Registration of Births & Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969, which provides for the compulsory registration of births and deaths. In this role, the RGI coordinates the functioning of the civil registration and vital statistics system in the country through all States and UTs.

(iii) Sample Registration System (SRS): Implementation of Sample Registration System, wherein large scale sample survey of vital events is conducted on a half-yearly basis, is also the responsibility of the ORG&CCI. SRS is an important source of vital rates like Birth Rate, Death Rate, Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate at the State level in the country.

(iv) National Population Register (NPR): In pursuance to provisions contained in Citizenship Rules, 2003 framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955, the National Population Register is prepared by collecting information relating to all persons who are usually residing in the country.

(v) Mother Tongue Survey: The project surveys the mother tongues, which are returned consistently across two and more Census decades. The research programme documents the linguistic features of the selected mother tongues.

National Population Register:

• The National Population Register (NPR) is a Register containing details of persons usually residing in a village or rural area or town or ward or demarcated area within a ward in a town or urban area.
• According to the Citizenship Rules 2003, the NPR is the first step towards compilation of the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC/NRC).
• NPR was first prepared in 2010 and updated in 2015 under Sub-rule (4) of Rule 3 of the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003, framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
• The objective of the NPR is to create a comprehensive database of usual residents in the country. No document will be collected during this exercise.
• While similar data is collected through the Census, according to Section 15 of the Census Act, 1948, individual data are confidential and “only aggregated data are released at various administrative levels.” The Home Ministry said that data collected under the NPR are shared with States and used by the Central government for various welfare schemes at the individual level.