EDITORIALS & ARTICLES

Dec 23, 2021

SHIROMANI AKALI DAL TURNS 100: ITS JOURNEY SO FAR, AND PUNJAB’s Recently, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which was conceived in December 1920, has recently completed 100 years. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD - A political party):
  • SAD was formed as a volunteer group on December 14, 1920 to free gurdwaras from the control of mahants (priests) appointed by the British government.
  • It was aligned with the Congress during the pre-Independence period, starting in the 1930s and continuing in the 1940s.
Punjabi Suba movement
  • Punjabi Suba movement is a political agitation launched by the Sikhs demanding the creation of Punjabi Suba or Punjabi speaking state in the Punjab.
  • It started in Punjab soon after the Independence.
  • Shiromani Akali Dal was spearheading the movement for a Punjabi speaking state.
    • The demand for a Punjabi Suba as a policy position was first presented in April 1948 by Master Tara Singh of the Shiromani Akali Dal.
  • The movement was primarily conceived to secure a distinct Sikh political status.
  • Those in favour of the demand used to raise the slogan Punjabi Suba Amar Rahe. Those opposing the demand were raising slogans in favour of ‘Maha-Punjab’.
  • Later these slogans were banned under Section 144 of CrPC.
Impact
  • It led to the enactment of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act 1925 which brought gurdwaras under the control of the SGPC.
Formation of Punjab:
  • Haryana was separated from Punjab in 1966 to become the 17th state of India, with the passage of Punjab Reorganization Act 1966.
  • Haryana and Punjab were carved out from State of East Punjab.
  • Himachal Pradesh also got some of the territory.
  • Provisional capital of both the Punjab and Haryana was the Chandigarh city.
Formation of state of Haryana:
  • The state of Haryana was formed on November 1, 1966 on the recommendations of Sardar Hukum Singh Parliamentary Committee that was constituted on September 23, 1965.
  • The Central government then formed the Shah Commission to set the boundaries of Punjab and Haryana.
‘INORDINATE DELAY OF 170 YEARS’: DELHI HC JUNKS WOMAN’S PLEA SEEKING POSSESSION OF RED FORT Recently, the Delhi High Court dismissed a woman petition seeking directions to hand over the Red fort to her on the ground that she is the legal heir of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur shah zafar. Red Fort
  • The Red Fort or Lal Qila is a historic fort in Old Delhi.
  • It had served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors.
  • Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort in May 1638.
  • Architect: Ustad Ahmad Lahori
  • Architectural style: Indo-Islamic, Mughal
  • It is made up of red sandstone.
Owner
  • Mughal Empire (1638–1771)
  • Maratha Empire (1771–1803)
  • British India (1803–1947)
  • Government of India
  • The Red Fort was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 as part of the Red Fort Complex.
Historical Importance
  • It became a symbol of the 1857 rebellion against the British east India company in which the residents of shahjahanabad participated.
  • In 1911 saw the visit of King George V and Queen Mary for the Delhi durbar.
  • The INA trials, also known as the Red Fort Trials was held in red fort.
  •  On 15 August 1947, the first Prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru raised the Indian national flag above the Lahore gate.
PRESIDENT KOVIND TO INAUGURATE RENOVATED RAMNA KALI MANDIR IN DHAKA Recently, President has inaugurated a famous Hindu temple in Dhaka. Highlights
  • The temple was destroyed by Pakistani forces during their Operation Searchlight in 1971.
    • Operation Search light was the codename for a planned military operation by the Pakistan Army to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in former East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in March 1971.
  • The crackdown led to the genocide and the Bangladesh War of Liberation.
  • After the war, a small temple was set up at the site for people to offer prayers.
The Ramna Kali Temple
  • ‘Ramna’ is derived from Persian word which means “Lawn”.
  • It is a symbol of the spiritual and cultural bonding among the people of India and Bangladesh
Genesis
  • It is the second oldest Hindu temple in Bangladesh after the Dhakeshwari Temple.
  • The temple is dedicated to the Goddess Kali.
  • It was occupied by high officials of the Mughals during early 1600s.
  • It is believed that the temple was built by a Hindu sect.
  • The temple was ordinary and petite in terms of architecture but it had a tall spire.
The Temple and the War
  • Pakistan army has targeted the political Opposition and the religious minorities of East Pakistan
  • They destroyed the temple during Operation Searchlight of 1971.
  • reconstruction of the complex was announced in 2017, when External Affairs Minister of India has inaugurated 15 development projects in Baridhara, Dhaka.
RUBBER RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF INDIA DEVELOPS NEW METHOD TO DRY SHEET RUBBER IN JUST A DAY Recently, the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) has developed a method to dry sheet rubber in 24 hours in place of the traditional method that takes four to five days. Highlights:
  • The quality of the sheets processed under the new method are favourable then the traditionally processed ones.
  • The processing involves coagulation, sheeting and drying.
  • Quick drying is achieved by increasing the effective surface area through additional rolling.
Significance:
  • The new method helps get Natural Rubber Sheet (RSS-4) ready within a day, which in turn aids small farmers to dispose of their produce faster.
  • The conversion of raw latex into sheet rubber helps them store the produce and sell according to the market situation due to price fluctuation.
How is Rubber Made? Origin
  • Humans have been exploiting the durable and elastic nature of rubber for making products for over 1,000 years.
  • Although early forms of rubber were made from natural sources as demand increased for this material, scientists developed artificial or synthetic rubber in laboratories that mimicked the natural material.
Types
  1. Natural rubber
  • Natural rubber is made by extracting a liquid sap, called latex, from certain types of trees.
  • There are over 2,500 types of trees that produce this sap, majority of latex for rubber production stems from the Hevea Brasiliensis tree.
  • These trees are commonly found in Southeast Asia.
Process:
  • Latex is gathered from the trees by making a cut in the bark and collecting the runny sap in cups. This process is called tapping.
  • In order to prevent the sap from solidifying, ammonia is added.
  • Acid is then added to the mix to extract the rubber in a process called coagulation.
  • The mixture is then passed through rollers to remove excess water.
  • The layers of rubber are hung over racks in smokehouses or left to air dry.
  • Later they will be folded into bales ready for processing.
  1. Synthetic Rubber
  • When natural rubber sources became scarce during World War-1, German scientists developed artificial rubber.
  • Although these early forms of rubber were inferior in quality to natural rubber.
  • Synthetic rubber is as strong and reliable as natural rubber.
Process:
  • Synthetic rubber is made by linking polymer molecules together in a laboratory.
  1. Processing Rubber
  • Both natural and synthetic rubber need to undergo a series of processes to turn into a usable product.
  • These stages can be adapted according to the intended use of the final product.
Process:
  • Firstly, chemicals are added to the rubber to make it stable.
  • carbon black filler is added to the rubber mix to improve its strength and durability.
  • The rubber is then carefully mixed and allowed to cool, before being shaped.
  • It can be shaped by pushing it into rollers or by squeezing it through holes to make hollow tubes.
  1. Vulcanization
  • In order to make rubber strong and durable, it goes through the process of vulcanization.
  • This is where the rubber is cooked to create extra bonds or cross-links between the molecules of the rubber, so they don't easily fall apart.
    • Charles Goodyear discovered this process.
  • After vulcanisation, imperfections are removed from the rubber and it is then molded into the final product.
GABRIEL BORIC, THE FORMER STUDENT LEADER WHO IS SET TO BE CHILE’S YOUNGEST PRESIDENT A former student leader is set to become Chile’s youngest president.
  • Chile is situated along the western seaboard of South America.
  • Capital: Santiago
  • It extends approximately 2,700 miles from its boundary with Peru, at latitude 17°30′ S, to the tip of South America at Cape Horn, latitude 56° S, a point only about 400 miles north of Antarctica.
  • It is bounded on the north by Peru and Bolivia, on its long eastern border by Argentina, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.
'CHILLAI KALAN' BEGINS IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR Kashmir is in a deep freeze as the 40-day harshest spell of winter, locally called ‘chillai kalan’ started lately. Chillai Kalan:
  • Chillai-Kalan is the 40-day period of harsh winter in Kashmir that begins December 21 and ends on January 31.
  • Chillai Kalan is a Persian term meaning "major cold".
  • It is divided into three parts called the Chilas: - The Chillai Kalan, the Chillai Khurd, and the Challai Bache.
    • ​​​​​​​The Chillai Kalan is followed by a 20-day-long Chillai-Khurd (small cold), which lasts till February 19.
    • Chillai-Bachha (baby cold), is 10-day-long, from February 20 to March 2.
  • During Chillai-Kalan, the weather in Kashmir valley remains dry and cold with minimum temperatures below the freezing point.
INDIAN ARMY INDUCTS ARMOURED ENGINEER RECONNAISSANCE VEHICLE Recently, army gets indigenously built armored engineer reconnaissance vehicle.
  • The vehicle has been designed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Ordnance factory Medak and Bharat electronics limited.
  • It is designed to meet the tactical and combat requirements of military engineers for carrying out terrestrial and under water surveys in hostile terrains.
  • It provides combat engineering support for offensive and defensive operations in plains, desert and riverine terrains.
NITI AAYOG ENTERS INTO AGREEMENT WITH UN WFP TO DIVERSIFY FOOD BASKET IN PROGRAMMES Recently, NITI Aayog has signed a Statement of Intent with the United Nations World Food Program to encourage and promote millet production.
  • The partnership focuses on mainstreaming millets and supporting India in taking lead globally in knowledge exchange using the opportunity of 2023 as an International Year of Millets.
  • It will aim at building resilient livelihoods for small-holder farmers and adaptation capacities to climate change and transforming food systems.
  • It will strengthen the climate-resilient agriculture for enhanced food and nutrition security in India.
  • The outcome of this partnership will be achieved in the following four phases:
    • ​​​​​​​Phase I: Development of a best practice compendium around millet mainstreaming and a scale-up strategy.
    • Phase II: Support scale-up of millet mainstreaming through knowledge sharing and intense engagement with select states.
    • Phase III: Leverage India’s expertise to support developing countries for millet mainstreaming.
    • Phase IV: Working on building capacities for climate-resilient and adaptive livelihood practices.
HOW SPATE OF VANDALISM REIGNITED DECADES-OLD MAHARASHTRA-KARNATAKA TUSSLE OVER BELAGAVI Belagavi border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka History:
  • The inter-state dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra dates back to the period of Independence and the re-organisation of states on linguistic lines in 1956.
  • At the time of Independence, the region of Belagavi (the Belgaum) was part of the Bombay presidency.
  • The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) came into existence in 1948 with the sole aim of pushing for integration of Belgaum with Maharashtra during the reorganization of states.
  • The region was, howeverintegrated with the state of Mysore (now Karnataka) during re-organisation of states on linguistic lines.
Claims:
  • MES and pro-Marathi groups claim that Belagavi is a largely Marathi-speaking region with many parts being exclusively Marathi speaking and that the region should be a part of Maharashtra instead of Karnataka.
    • They claim that nearly 45 percent of the district is Marathi speaking.
  • While pro-Kannada groups argue that the Marathi population is only around 35 per cent which is on par with the Kannada-speaking population of the region.
Mahajan Commission Report:
  • The Mahajan Commission was formed under Chief Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan in October 1966.
  • It was formed to resolve the border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Recommendations:
  • It recommended that 264 villages be transferred to Maharashtra (which formed in 1960) and that Belgaum and 247 villages remain with Karnataka.
  • It recommended the exchange of several villages in Belagavi district between the two states, but rejected Maharashtra's claim on Belgaum city.
 






POSTED ON 23-12-2021 BY ADMIN
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