Balochistan province

Context:

• Balochistan has been the scene of a long-running insurgency in Pakistan, with an array of separatist groups staging attacks, mainly on security forces.

Balochistan:

• It is the largest province of Pakistan.
• It forms 43.6 percent of the total area of Pakistan.
• It has clustered population and is smallest in proportion as compared to that of other provinces.
• It is having a low population density per square kilometer.
• It is rich in minerals.
• It is having 760km Coastal-line.
• It has the world’s largest deep sea port, the Port of Gwadar lying in the Arabian Sea.
• Borders: It is a region straddling the modern-day borders of Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
• Since the birth of Pakistan, Balochistan has witnessed a series of bloody insurgencies, brutal state repression, and an enduring nationalist movement.
• China factor:
• China’s involvement through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) includes major projects like Gwadar port, but has led to concerns about militarization and local impact.
• The influx of non-local workers and Chinese trawlers has increased tensions and resentment among locals who feel excluded from the benefits of CPEC.

Nangarni Spardha

Context:

• An oxen race in a small Indian farming village draws passionate crowds

About Nangarni Spardha:

• It is a traditional oxen race held at the peak of the rainy season at Dervan village in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.
• A village committee holds this annual event, known as Nagarni Spardha, a centuries-old tradition.
• The soft muddy ground prevents serious injury to the drivers, who compete in bare feet and without protective gear.
• The race held in a horseshoe-shaped track.
• The oxen are no longer used for ploughing the fields but are kept strictly for the competition.
• Their horns are brightly painted and their bodies sprinkled with colored powder before the race.

Important Oxen and bull races held across India:

• Jallikattu (Tamil Nadu): Traditional bull-taming event, part of Pongal celebrations.
• Kambala (Karnataka): Buffalo race held in slushy paddy fields.
• Maramadi (Kerala): Ox race held in waterlogged paddy fields, similar to Kambala.
• Rekla (Tamil Nadu): Bullock cart race, particularly popular in the Coimbatore region.
• Kailpodh (Kodagu region, Karnataka): Bullock race held as part of Kailpodh festival, celebrating the harvest season.
• Pattathone (Maharashtra): Bullock cart race held in rural areas.

Commissions for Protection of Child Rights

Context:

• Rape threat against minor: rights body takes suo motu case

About National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR):

• Constitution: It has been constituted under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005 to exercise and perform the powers and functions assigned to it under CPCR Act, 2005.
• The commission consists of the following members namely:-
• A chairperson who, is a person of eminence and has done outstanding work for promoting the welfare of children; and
• Six members, out of which at least two are woman, from the following fields, is appointed by the Central Government from amongst person of eminence, ability, integrity, standing and experience in,-
• Education;
• Child health, care, welfare or child development;
• Juvenile justice or care of neglected or marginalized children or children with disabilities;
• Elimination of child labour or children in distress;
• Child psychology or sociology; and
• Laws relating to children.
• As per Section 13 of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, NCPCR has been mandated to take inquire into cases of violation of child rights and recommend initiation of proceedings in such cases.
• Regular follow-up is done for ensuring timely redressal of complaints.
• The Commission also conducts inspection visits and research studies, based on complaints received.
• It emphasizes the principle of universality and inviolability of child rights and recognizes the tone of urgency in all the child related policies of the country.
• For the Commission, protection of all children in the 0 to 18 years age group is of equal importance.
• Thus, policies define priority actions for the most vulnerable children. This includes focus on regions that are backward or on communities or children under certain circumstances, and so on.

State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCRs):

• The Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act of 2005, passed by the Indian Parliament, mandates the establishment of these commissions to promote the welfare, prosperity, and rehabilitation of children.
• The SCPCRs’ responsibilities include: Monitoring laws related to children’s rights and Reviewing government policies and procedures.
• Appointment: The state government appoints the SCPCR’s chairperson and members.
• The state government also forms a three-member selection committee, chaired by the minister in charge of the department that deals with children, to recommend the chairperson.
• The chairperson and members have similar terms and eligibility requirements to those of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary

Context:

• Assam cites national interest, allows Vedanta project in Gibbon habitat

News:

• Citing national interest, the Assam wildlife department has recommended to the Centre that forest clearance be granted to a Cairn Oil and Gas proposal for oil and gas exploration in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Hollongapar Gibbon wildlife sanctuary, home to the endangered Hoolock Gibbon and wild elephants.

About Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary:

• It is an isolated protected area of evergreen forest located in Jorhat district of Assam, India.
• It contains India’s only gibbons-the hoolock gibbons, and Northeastern India’s only nocturnal primate-the Bengal slow loris.
• It is the only sanctuary in India named after a gibbon due to its distinction for containing the densest gibbon populations in Assam.

Wildlife in Gibbon’s Sanctuary:

• The sanctuary has a rich biodiversity and is home to the only apes in India, the western Hoolock Gibbon as well as the only nocturnal primate found in the northeast Indian states, the Bengal slow loris.
• Other primates include the stump-tailed macaque, northern pig-tailed macaque, eastern Assamese macaque, rhesus macaque, and capped langur.
• Also found at the sanctuary are Indian elephants, tigers, leopards, jungle cats, wild boar, three types of civet, four types of squirrel, and several other types of mammal.
• The sanctuary has a rich diversity of flora at each layer in the canopy.
• The upper canopy consists mostly of Dipterocarpus macrocarpus rising 12 to 30 m and having straight trunks.
• Other species found in the top canopy include Sam, Amari, Sopas, Bhelu, Udal and Hingori. 

‘Polaris Dawn’

Context:

• SpaceX to test new tech in risky private spacewalk

News:

• SpaceX’s five-day mission, dubbed ‘Polaris Dawn’, will swing in an elliptical orbit, and will go the farthest from earth any humans will have ventured since the end of NASA’s Apollo programme.
• Until now, walking into the empty expanse of space has only been attempted by government astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), 400 km up.

About Polaris Dawn:

• SpaceX’s mission ‘Polaris Dawn’ will swing in an elliptical orbit, passing as close to the earth as 190 km and as far as 1,400 km, the farthest any humans will have ventured since the end of NASA’s Apollo programme in 1972.
• The crew is going to a much higher altitude, with a more severe radiation environment than we have been to since Apollo.
• Far outside the protective bubble of the earth’s atmosphere, the electronics and shielding on Crew Dragon and spacesuits will be tested as they pass through parts of the Van Allen belt, an area where charged particles streaming mainly from the Sun can disrupt satellites’ electronics and affect human health.
• It will be a test of trailblazing equipment, including slim spacesuits and a cabin with no airlock, in one of the riskiest missions yet for Elon Musk’s space company.
• While astronaut safety on NASA missions is rigorously overseen by the agency, there are no such U.S. standards or laws for spacefight safety in private missions like Polaris.

Unified Lending Interface (ULI)

News:

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said a technology platform called Unified Lending Interface (ULI), currently at a pilot stage, would enable friction-less credit while delivering banking services to farmers and MSME borrowers.

About ULI:

• It is a digital platform designed to streamline lending processes, catering to a significant unmet credit demand across various sectors.
• The platform specifically targets agricultural and medium, small, and micro-enterprises (MSME) borrowers.

Primary goal of ULI:

• To streamline the lending procedure by decreasing expenses, expediting fund distribution, and enhancing scalability.

Features of ULI:

• It facilitates seamless and consent based flow of digital information, including even land records of various States, from multiple data service providers to lenders.
• It cuts down time taken for credit appraisal, especially for small and rural borrowers.
• ULI architecture has common and standardised APIs, designed for a ‘plug and play’ approach to ensure digital access to information from diverse sources.
• It will reduce the complexity of multiple technical integrations and enable borrowers to benefit from seamless delivery of credit and quicker turnaround time without extensive documentation.
• For fintechs, ULI provides an opportunity to leverage streamlined data access and spur greater innovation while expanding their reach.

Conclusion:

• Nationwide introduction of the ULI in on the anvil.
• By digitising access to customer’s financial and non-financial data that otherwise reside in disparate silos, ULI is expected to cater to large unmet demand for credit across sectors.

Unified Pension Scheme (UPS)

Context:

• Employees, pensioners in Punjab and Haryana dismiss UPS, call for implementation of OPS

News:

• Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).
• NPS (National Pension System) subscribers now have the option to switch to UPS, which provides assured pension starting from the next financial year.

Salient features of UPS:

• Assured pension: 50% of the average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months prior to superannuation for a minimum qualifying service of 25 years.
• This pay is to be proportionate for lesser service period up to a minimum of 10 years of service.
• Assured family pension: @60% of pension of the employee immediately before her/his demise.

• Assured minimum pension: @10,000 per month on superannuation after minimum 10 years of service.
• Inflation indexation: on assured pension, on assured family pension and assured minimum pension

• Dearness Relief based on All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW) as in case of service employees

• Lump sum payment at superannuation in addition to gratuity

• 1/10^thof monthly emoluments (pay + DA) as on the date of superannuation for every completed six months of service
  • This payment will not reduce the quantum of assured pension

NPS: National Pension System

• Government contribution:
• NPS promised pensions based on the contributions made by employees and the government.
• It required a 10-per cent contribution from the central government employee’s basic salary and 14 per cent contribution from the government.
• In UPS the employee’s contribution would remain 10 per cent, while the government contribution would increase to 18.5 per cent.
• Pension amount: The pension amount is not fixed in NPS as it is a market-linked scheme and is subject to market movements. The UPS provides an assured pension, which is 50% of the salary for those who joined the service after January 1, 2004.
• Family pension: The family pension under NPS depended on the accumulated corpus in the pension fund and the annuity plan chosen at retirement.
• For government and private employees: NPS has been implemented for all government employees except those in the armed forces joining the central government on or after January 1, 2004. It is also available for private-sector employees.
• Additional burden: Most state/Union Territory governments have also notified NPS of their new employees. If the state government joins UPS, they would bear the additional burden for those employees.

Old Pension Scheme (OPS):

• In OPS retired government employees received 50 per cent of their last drawn salary as monthly pensions.
• The amount keeps increasing with the hike in the DA rates.
• Employees were entitled to a gratuity payment of a maximum of Rs 20 lakh on retirement.
• In cases if a retired employee passes away, their family receives continued pension benefits.
• Also no deductions are made from an employee salary towards pension contributions under OPS unlike NPS.
• States like Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Punjab have reverted to the Old Pensions Scheme (OPS).