TNPSC Current Affairs January 01, 2020

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs January 01, 2020 (01/01/2020)

Topic: Historical Diary of Events, Places in News

Bhima Koregaon anniversary

202nd anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle of 1818 was observed on January 1, 2020.

About the Bhima- Koregaon battle:

A battle was fought in Bhima Koregaon, a district in Pune with a strong historical Dalit connection, between the Peshwa forces and the British on January 1, 1818. The British army, which comprised mainly of Dalit soldiers, fought the upper caste-dominated Peshwa army. The British troops defeated the Peshwa army.

Why Bhima Koregaon is seen as a Dalit symbol?

The battle has come to be seen as a symbol of Dalit pride because a large number of soldiers in the Company force were the Mahar Dalits. Since the Peshwas, who were Brahmins, were seen as oppressors of Dalits, the victory of the Mahar soldiers over the the Peshwa force is seen as Dalit assertion.

On 1 January 1927, B.R. Ambedkar visited the memorial obelisk erected on the spot which bears the names of the dead including nearly two dozen Mahar soldiers. The men who fought in the battle of Koregaon were the Mahars, and the Mahars are Untouchables.

Topic: Public Awareness and General Administration, Profile of States

Kerala becomes first state to pass anti-CAA resolution

Kerala has become the first state in India to pass a resolution demanding rollback of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Why? – Kerala’s arguments:

The CAA act contradicts the basic values and principles of the Constitution. It is against the “secular” outlook and fabric of the country and would lead to religion-based discrimination in granting citizenship.

Background: The Parliament had passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 on December 11, 2019. The act had triggered widespread protests across India and created fear of discrimination based on religion.

Kerala has already put on hold all the activities in connection with the National Population Register (NPR) considering the anxiety among people that it relates to the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

What’s the issue now?

The Centre has clarified that the CAA act will not impact any Indian citizen including Muslims. The clarification has failed to have any impact on the protests, with many states announcing that they will not implement the law.

Topic: Public Awareness and General Administration, Latest Diary of Events

Swacch Survekshan league

Results (July-September) of ‘Swachh Survekshan League 2020’ have been released.

SS League is conducted in three quarters (April-June, July-September and October-December) with the objective of sustaining the on-ground performance of cities along with monitoring of when it comes to cleanliness.

Swachh Survekshan 2020 is the 5th edition of the annual urban cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry.

Performance of various states:

Cleanest city: Indore for the fourth time in a row.

Worst performer:

In the category of cities having population more than 10 lakh, Bhopal stood second in first quarter results (April to June), while Rajkot grabbed the second spot in second quarter results (July-September) of ‘Swachh Survekshan League 2020’.

The third position was grabbed by Surat in the first quarter and Navi Mumbai in the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Vodara was ranked fourth, followed by Bhopal, Ahmedabad, Nashik, Greater Mumbai, Allahabad and Lucknow.

Among cantonment boards, Tamil Nadu’s St.Thomas Mount Cantt was ranked 1st in quarter 1 whereas Delhi Cantt ranked first in the 2nd quarter.

All About Swachh Survekshan:

The process of ranking cities and town of India on the basis of cleanliness was first conducted in 2016, which covered 73 cities.

The second and third round of the survey in 2017 and 2018 widened the coverage of the assessment to 434 cities with a population of one lakh and above and 4,203 cities respectively.

Topic: Environment and Ecology, Latest Diary of Events

Rabi Crop Sowing increase by 36 lakh hectares

The Ministry of Agriculture announced that the sowing area of rabi crops have increased by 36 lakh hectares. This is mainly due to improvement in soil moisture in Rabi growing states.

Key facts:

The total area under Rabi crops was 536 hectares last year and this has increased to 571 hectares. Of these, wheat has been sown in 297 lakh hectares, rice has been sown in 14 lakh hectares, coarse cereals in 46 lakh hectares and oilseeds in 74 lakh hectares.

Rabi crops :

The major Rabi crops in India are wheat, barley, sesame, peas, mustard. They are sown in winter between October and December and are harvested in summer between April and June.

The major Rabi crop growing states in the country are UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, J&K and Himachal Pradesh.

Topic: General Administration, Profile of States, Latest Diary of Events

RPF renamed as Indian Railways Protection Force Service; Railway prices hiked

The Railways Ministry has renamed Railway Protection Force (RPF) as Indian Railway Protection Force Service.

Railway Protection Force:

The RPF was formed under the Railway Protection Force Act, 1957. Under the act, the RPF personnel have powers to search, arrest, investigate and prosecute. However, the ultimate power lies in the hands of Government Railway Police. RPF works under the control of Ministry of Railways.

Topic: Environment and Ecology, Places in News, Profile of States

10,000 cameras to be used in Gujarat Lion Census, 2020

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is to conduct Asiatic Lion Census in May 2020. The Institute will use 10,000 cameras to conduct the census.

Key facts:

In 2015, the WII counted 523 lions in Gujarat. It is expected that the numbers have risen phenomenally and the population must have crossed 1,000. The census is to adopt the technology of National Tiger Conservation Authority. The entire census area is to be divided in to 3-km grid.

Officers will collect hair, nails, teeth, etc. The collection process is to be carried out using scientific methods laid out by NTCA. Around 1,000 to 2,000 officers are to be employed. In the second phase, 10,000 cameras are to be used to capture the lions.