12th June 2021
Shaheed Ram Prasad Bismil
Recently, the Ministry of Culture has paid tribute to Shaheed Ram Prasad Bismil on his birth anniversary at Shahjahanpur (UP) as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Shaheed Ram Prasad Bismil
- He was born on 11th June, 1897 in Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh).
- He was associated with the Arya Samaj from an early age.
- He wrote powerful patriotic poems in Urdu and Hindi under the pen name of names of ‘Bismil’, ‘Ram’ and ‘Agyat’.
- The ideals of freedom and revolution got first ingrained in his mind after he read the death sentence passed on Bhai Parmanand, an Indian nationalist and Arya Samaj missionary.
Organisations against British Rule
- He organised Matrivedi and Shivaji Samiti along with Genda Lal Dixit and youths from Etawah, Mainpuri, Agra and Shahjahanpur districts.
- He formed the Hindustan Republican Association with leaders like Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad.
- He participated in the Mainpuri conspiracy of 1918 and the Kakori conspiracy of 1925with Ashfaq Ullah Khan and Roshan Singh to protest against the British Rule.
Famous writings and poems
- He gave vent to his anger over death of Bhai Parmanand in the form of his poem ‘Mera Janm’.
- He published a pamphlet titled ‘Deshwasiyon ke Naam’ and distributed it along with his poem ‘Mainpuri ki Pratigya’ in 1918.
- He wrote ‘Mera Rang De Basanti Chola’ and ‘Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna’ which became the anthem for freedom fighters.
New Atlantic Charter
Recently, the US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have signed a new Atlantic Charter.
Key Features of Atlantic Charter 2021
- It is modeled after the 1941 agreement of Atlantic Charter.
- It outlines eight key areas on which the U.S. and the United Kingdom plan to collaborate.
- It is a revamped charter based on:
- The commitments and aspirations set out eighty years ago;
- It affirms the ongoing commitment to sustaining our enduring values and defending them against new and old challenges.
- It commits to combating the modern challenges of cyberthreats and climate changeand to bringing the pandemic to an end.
Eight Areas under Atlantic Charter of 2021
- It resolves to defend the principles, values, and institutions of democracy and open societies, which drive their own national strength and alliances.
- It intends to strengthen the institutions, laws, and norms that sustain international co-operation to adapt them to meet the new challenges of the 21st century.
- It is aimed at remaining united behind the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
- It resolves to harness and protect their innovative edge in science and technology to support their shared security and deliver jobs at home.
- It affirms their shared responsibility for maintaining their collective security and international stability and resilience against the full spectrum of modern threats, including cyber threats.
- It commits to continue building an inclusive, fair, climate-friendly, sustainable, rules-based global economy for the 21st century.
- The world has reached a critical point where it must act urgently and ambitiously to tackle the climate crisis, protect biodiversity, and sustain nature.
- It recognises the catastrophic impact of health crises, and the global good in strengthening our collective defences against health threats.
Atlantic Charter of 1941
- It was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1941.
- It outlined their goals for after World War II.
- It stated that the two leaders deem it right to make known certain common principlesin the national policies of their respective countries.
Key Features of Atlantic Charter of 1941
- It agreed not to seek territorial gains from the war, and they opposed any territorial changes made against the wishes of the people concerned.
- The two countries also agreed to support the restoration of self-government to those nations who had lost it during the war.
- It stated that people should have the right to choose their own form of government.
- It included access for all nations to raw materials needed for economic prosperity and an easing of trade restrictions.
- It called for international cooperation to secure improved living and working conditions for all, freedom of the seas and for all countries to abandon the use of force.
Aspirational Districts Programme lauded by UNDP
Recently, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India has lauded the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) as ‘a very successful model of local area development.
Key Highlights
- The report analysis across the 5 key sectors of the ADP i.e. health & nutrition, education, agriculture & water resources, basic infrastructure, and skill development & financial inclusion.
- The report highlights the progress in health sector in aspirational districts such as:
- 9.6% more home deliveries are attended by a skilled birth attendant;
- 5.8% more pregnant women with severe anemia are treated;
- 4.8% more children diagnosed with diarrhoea are treated;
- 4.5% more pregnant women register for antenatal care within their first trimester; and
- 406 and 847 more enrolments and 1580 more accounts opened per 1 lakh population under health insurance schemes
- The programme has strengthened the technical and administrative capacities of the districts.
- The report also appreciated the delta rankings provided on the programme’s Champions of Change dashboard.
- Monitoring real-time data, convergence across government programmes and schemes and receiving the benefits of the Aspirational Districts Programme by substantial margins have been credited as the reasons behind the success of the initiative.
Recommendations of UNDP for Aspirational Districts Programme
- It is necessary to focus more on capacity building, ‘including the appointment of dedicated personnel such as Aspirational District Fellows or Technical Support Unitsacross all the districts.
- It recommended implementing ‘GoalMart’, an e-commerce portal launched by Assam’s Goal para district administration.
- It aims to promote rural, ethnic and agrarian products of the district in the national and global markets.
- There is need to revise a few indicators that are close to being saturated or met by most districts, such as ‘electrification of households’ as an indicator of basic infrastructure.
Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP)
- It was launched by the Prime Minister in January 2018.
- It aims to quickly and effectively transform these districts.
- The broad contours of the programme are:
- Convergence (of Central & State Schemes);
- Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors); and
- Competition among districts driven by a mass Movement
- It aims to improve the socio-economic status of 117 districts from across 28 states.
- The programme focusses on 5 main themes i.e. Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure.
Significance of Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP)
- It focusses closely on improving people’s ability to participate fully in the burgeoning economy.
- It focuses on the strength of each district, identify low-hanging fruits for immediate improvement, measure progress, and rank districts.
- It is aimed at raising the living standards of its citizens and ensuring inclusive growth for all – "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas".
Health has to be elevated as a human right
Recently, the President of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) has said that the ‘health has to be elevated as a human right, and not a charity to be conferred upon the migrant’.
Right to Health under World Health Organization (WHO)
- It implies a clear set of legal obligations on states to ensure appropriate conditions for the enjoyment of health for all people without discrimination.
- It is one of a set of internationally agreed human rights standards, and is inseparable or ‘indivisible’ from these other rights.
- The right to health, as with other rights, includes both freedoms and entitlements:
- Freedoms include the right to control one’s health and body (for example, sexual and reproductive rights) and to be free from interference (for example, free from torture and non-consensual medical treatment and experimentation).
- Entitlements include the right to a system of health protection that gives everyone an equal opportunity to enjoy the highest attainable level of health.
Right to Health is significant
- Focus on disadvantaged populations: The disadvantage and marginalization serve to exclude certain populations in societies from enjoying good health.
- The three of the world’s most fatal communicable diseases i.e. malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, disproportionately affect the world’s poorest population.
- A focus on disadvantage also reveals evidence of those who are exposed to greater rates of ill-health and face significant obstacles to accessing quality and affordable healthcare.
- Violations of human rights in health: The overt or implicit discrimination in the delivery of health services acts as a powerful barrier to health services, and contributes to poor quality care.
- It not only contributes to and exacerbates poor health, but also presents a risk of heightened exposure to human rights abuses
- Human rights-based approaches: It provides a set of clear principles for setting and evaluating health policy and service delivery, targeting discriminatory practices and unjust power relations.
Major difficulties faced by migrants w.r.t Right to Health
- They are generally inadequately covered by State health systems and are often unable to afford health insurance.
- They have difficulties in accessing information on health matters and available services.
- The undocumented migrants dare not access health care for fear that health providers may denounce them to immigration authorities.
- The female domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse and violence.
Core elements of a right to health
- Progressive realization using maximum available resources: It requires that governments take immediate steps within their means towards the fulfilment of these rights.
- Non-retrogression: States should not allow the existing protection of economic, social, and cultural rights to deteriorate unless there are strong justifications for a retrogressive measure.
- Availability: It refers to the need for a sufficient quantity of functioning public health and health care facilities, goods and services, as well as programmes for all.
- Accessibility: It requires that health facilities, goods, and services must be accessible to everyone. Accessibility has four overlapping dimensions:
- Non-discrimination
- Physical accessibility
- Economical accessibility (affordability)
- Information accessibility
- Acceptability: It relates to respect for medical ethics, culturally appropriate, and sensitivity to gender.
- It requires that health facilities, goods, services and programmes are people-centred and cater for the specific needs of diverse population groups.
Online module to track out-of-school children
Recently, the Ministry of Education has launched an online module to compile data on out-of-school children on PRABANDH Portal.
Key Highlights
- It will facilitate age appropriate admissions of children in the age group of 6-14 years.
- It will also facilitate those children belonging to socially and economically disadvantaged groups.
- It aims to provide financial assistance for out of school children in the 16-18 years age group.
- It is aimed at compiling the data of out-of-school children identified by each state/UT and their mapping with special training centres (STC) on the PRABANDH portal.
- The child-wise information of the identified out of school children and STCs will be uploaded at block level under the supervision of block source coordinator of the certain block research centre (BRC).
PRABANDH Portal
- It is PRoject Appraisal, Budgeting, Achievements and Data Handling System under Samagra Shiksha initiative.
- It is a significant step towards leveraging technology to enhance efficiency and manage the implementation Scheme for School Education, Samagra Shiksha.
- The states and UTs may view the Status of GoI Releases, approved outlays, coverage as per UDISE, school wise list of approvals, school wise gaps, cancellations in approvals etc. under Samagra Shiksha.
Core objectives of PRABANDH Portal
- To obviate the need for submitting hard copies, except where it is mandated otherwise;
- To have transparency and accuracy in the System w.r.t Approvals, Releases, Financial Status;
- To streamline the Financial Management System, to enable more accurate assessment of actual requirement of funds for implementation; and
- For efficient decision- making
Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA)
- It is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class 12.
- It subsumes the three erstwhile Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).
- It envisages the ‘school’ as a continuum from pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary to Senior Secondary levels.
- It aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education from pre-school to senior secondary stage in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for Education.
- The SDG-4.1 states that “By 2030, ensure that all boys and girls complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
- The SDG 4.5 states that “By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of Education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations”.
- It is implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme by the Department through a single State Implementation Society (SIS) at the State/UT level.
Protection of Heritage Trees
Recently, the Maharashtra government has decided to make amendments to the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act of 1975, to introduce provisions for the protection of ‘heritage trees’.
Heritage Trees
- Under the proposed amendment, a tree with an estimated age of 50 years or moreshall be defined as a heritage tree.
- The heritage tree may belong to specific species, which will be notified from time to time.
- The state climate change department should also consider a tree’s rarity, its botanical, historical, religious, mythological and cultural importance in defining a heritage tree.
- The local Tree Authority will have to ensure tree census to be carried out every five years along with counting of heritage trees.
Amendments proposed by Maharashtra Government
- The plan includes:
- Concept of heritage tree and plan of action for conservation;
- Method to define age of the tree;
- Rules to be followed before hacking trees;
- Formation of the Maharashtra Tree Authority;
- Structure of the local tree authority and their duties; and
- Tree cess and fine to be charged
- The State will bring about amendments in the Maharashtra (Urban Area) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act.
- A State-level Tree Authority will be formed to protect and preserve heritage trees.
- The authority will hear applications seeking permission to cut 200 or more treesthat are five or more years old.
- The State authority will issue directions for the use of tree cess and the fine amount cannot be more than ₹1 lakh per tree in case of violations.
Calculation of age of trees
- The most common method of determining the age of the tree is Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating also called growth rings.
- The experts provide that each year, roughly a tree adds to its girth, the new growth is called a tree ring.
- The environment department, in consultation with the forest department, will issue guidelines to determine the age of the tree.
Reason for defining trees as Heritage Trees
- A heritage tree will get special protection.
- The tree’s age will determine the number of trees to be planted as part of the compensatory plantation.
- As per the amendment, the number of trees planted will be equal to the age of the heritage tree that is cut.
- The organization planting the compensation trees will also have to ensure the survival of the plantation for seven years and geo-tag the trees.
- The state environment wants to discourage the cutting of heritage trees through the introduction of a heritage tree.
Economic Value of Trees
- The experts say that the amount of oxygen that a tree releases into the environment should determine its economic value.
- An urban forest of 100,000 trees can save $ 1.5 million per annum because their shade reduces electricity consumption and saves water.
- A large tree growing in a school provides the equivalent shade of four shade sails, returning a value of about $ 2000 per annum.
- Five trees stabilize a steep suburban block which would otherwise require about $ 50,000 of engineered piling to secure building insurance.
- The urban forest improving human health outcomes by fostering a 1-2% increase in passive/active recreation can save $ 274 million per annum.
EnVision mission to Venus
Recently, the European Space Agency (ESA) had announced that it has selectedEnVision as its next orbiter that will visit Venus sometime in the 2030s.
EnVision Mission
- It is an European Space Agency (ESA) led mission with contributions from NASA.
- The earliest launch opportunity for EnVision is 2031, followed by 2032 and 2033.
- The spacecraft will take about 15 months to reach Venus and will take 16 more months to achieve orbit circularisation.
- The spacecraft will carry a range of instruments to study the planet’s atmosphere and surface, monitor trace gases in the atmosphere and analyse its surface composition.
- A radar provided by NASA will help to image and map the surface.
- It will follow another ESA-led mission to Venus called ‘Venus Express’ (2005-2014) that focussed on atmospheric research and pointed to volcanic hotspots on the planet’s surface.
Venus
- It is the second-brightest object in the sky after the moon.
- It appears bright because of its thick cloud cover that reflects and scatters light.
- It is called the Earth’s twin because of their similar sizes.
- The planet’s thick atmosphere traps heat and is the reason that it is the hottest planet in the solar system, despite coming after Mercury.
- The surface temperatures on Venus can go up to 471 degrees Celsius, which is hot enough to melt lead.
- It moves forward on its orbit around the Sun but spins backwards around its axis slowly which implies that on Venus the Sun rises in the west and sets in the East.
- One day on Venus is equivalent to 243 Earth days because of its backward spinning, opposite to that of the Earth’s and most other planets.
- Venus also does not have a moon and no rings.
Significance of studying Venus
- The core of the ESA’s mission is the question of how Earth and Venus evolved so differently from each other considering that they are roughly of the same size and composition.
- Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system because of the heat that is trapped by its thick cloud cover.
- The scientists speculate about the existence of life on Venus in its distant past and the possibility that life may exist in the top layers of its clouds where temperatures are less extreme.
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