Quote of the Day

 

“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.”
Michael Jordan

“मैं अपने जीवन में बार-बार असफल हुआ हूं और इसीलिए मैं सफल होता हूं।”
माइकल जॉर्डन

Risa in the Culture of Tripura

 The Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb recently wore “Risa” on Kokborok Day. The Chief Minister of late has made Risa, his style statement. The Government of Tripura is to promote Risa at national and international level.

What is Risa?

• Risa is the traditional dress of Tripura. Risa is worn by both men and women of Tripura.
• The dress for women in the upper half of the body has two parts namely Risa and Rikutu. Risa covers the chest part and rikutu covers the whole upper part. The dress of women that covers the lower half of the body is called Rigwani or Rignai.
• Each clan of Tripura has their own “Rignai” pattern and design. The clans of Tripura are identified based on the Rignai.
• Men of Tripura use Risa for head turban and also for tying the waist over Dhuti. When men wear Risa, it gives them strength and indicates the status of the person. It is also used as muffler in winter season.
• Risa is also used in Tripura culture to hold baby.
• “Risa Sormani” is an adolescent ceremony of a Tripuri girl child. On this day, the 12-14 year old girl is given risa to wear for the first time.

History of Risa

• The history of Tripuri attire originated before Manikya kings’ rule.
• In ancient period, the intelligence of a woman in the community was judged based on her woven Risa and Rignai designs.
• The Manikya king Maharaj Trilochana had invented 250 Rignai and Risa designs for his 250 wives. However, most of these designs were lost with passage of time. The Tripura Government is therefore trying to promote Risa and other traditional attire of Tripura.

Kokborok Day

Kokborok Day is celebrated in Tripura to celebrated the development of Kokborok language. Every year, the day is observed on January 19. The Kokborok is the official language of Tripura. January 19 was chosen to celebrate Kokborok Day as the language was recognized as an official language on this day in 1979.

Current Affairs – January 29, 2021

 

India

PM addresses the rally of NCC in New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the rally of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) at Cariappa Ground in Delhi on January 28, 2021. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and the Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force were present on the occasion.

Indo-French year of Environment launched

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on January 28, 2021 launched the Indo-French year of Environment with his French counterpart Barbara Pompili. The basic objective is to strengthen Indo-French cooperation in sustainable development, increase the effectiveness of actions in favor of global environment protection and give them greater visibility.

National Marine Turtle Action Plan launched

Considering the need to have a conservation paradigm for marine mega fauna and marine turtles, the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has released ‘Marine Mega Fauna Stranding Guidelines’ and ‘National Marine Turtle Action Plan’ in New Delhi January 28, 2021.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan addresses WEF’s event on Restoring Cross Border Mobility

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare addressed the event on Restoring Cross Border Mobility by World Economic Forum’s Common Trust Network on January 28, 2021 through video conference. The purpose of the event was to discuss the policies, practices and partnerships needed to reopen borders and enable essential travel, tourism and commerce in a safe and sustainable way.

India, Japan review progress of projects in Northeastern region

India and Japan on January 28, 2021 reviewed progress of various ongoing projects in the Northeastern region in areas of connectivity, hydropower, sustainable development and harnessing of water resources. The review was carried out at the fifth joint meeting of the India-Japan Act East Forum. The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Japanese Ambassador Suzuki Satoshi.

NSA Ajit Doval, his US counterpart Jake Sullivan held discussions

Indian National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and his American counterpart Jake Sullivan discussed continuing close co-operation in the Indo-Pacific region and promoting regional security, according to the White House.

PM Modi addresses WEF’s Davos Dialogue virtually

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Davos Dialogue via video conferencing on January 28, 2021.

Economy & Corporate

National Informatics Centre Services Inc. celebrates 25 years of its establishment

National Informatics Centre Services Incorporated (NICSI), a Public Sector Enterprise under National Informatics Centre (NIC), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), celebrated 25 years of its establishment on January 28, 2021. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice attended the event as the Chief Guest.

Suspension of scheduled international passenger flights extended till Feb 28

The coronavirus-induced suspension of scheduled international passenger flights has been extended till February 28, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on January 28, 2021. Scheduled international passenger services have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. But special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral “air bubble” arrangements with selected countries since July.

World

NZ and Vietnam top COVID-19 “performance index”

New Zealand and Vietnam were ranked the best performing countries in their response to the pandemic according to a COVID-19 “performance index” put together by the Lowy Institute, an Australian think-tank, which sought to assess the impact of geography, political systems and economic development in assessing outcomes. India ranked 86 out of 98 countries.

NZ and Denmark top Corruption Perception Index

India’s rank has slipped six places to 86^th among 180 countries in corruption perception index (CPI) in 2020. For 2020, Transparency International (TI)’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) was released on January 28, 2021. The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people. New Zealand and Denmark were ranked first.

World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day to be observed on Jan 30

January 30, 2021 will mark the second annual World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day, highlighting the global community’s commitment to ending Neglected Tropical Diseases that cause immeasurable suffering among the world’s most marginalized communities.  India joins the world to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases. On this day the Qutub Minar will be lit up along with other landmarks across the world.

Oscar-winning actress Cloris Leachman passes away at 94

Cloris Leachman, an American actress whose career spanned more than seven decades, died on January 27, 2021 at the age of 94. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ‘The Last Picture Show’ in 1971.

A science teacher explains: Are cockroaches resistant to nuclear radiation?

 A cockroach is undoubtedly one of the toughest and most resilient creatures planet earth has ever known. Crawling and buzzing around for nearly 250 million years and belonging to the Jurassic period, they roamed with cavemen and witnessed the evolution of humankind. Having survived the giant asteroid 66 million years ago, which wiped out the mighty dinosaurs, cockroaches have an uncanny ability to survive and flourish in both arctic and extreme tropical conditions.

Practically unstoppable, you cannot block them as they can amazingly squeeze through a crevice as thin as a quarter of their body height in less than a second while capable of running at a speed of about 50 body lengths per second nearly equivalent to a human running at 320 km/h. Capable of withstanding forces more than 900 times their body weight without sustaining an injury, one cannot crush them easily. These exquisite creatures can live for nearly a week without their heads. Without highly pressurised blood vessels, unlike humans, they do not bleed out. Instead, their neck seals off the opening. With an open circulatory system, they can breathe through spiracles without the head and eventually die of thirst. Surprisingly, they can survive without food till about a month and without water, for about a week. While they cannot regenerate their heads, they are blessed with impressive regenerating powers capable of regrowing lost limbs, antennae and even their eyes.

They can run, walk, jump, almost fly and swim while holding their breath for 40 minutes. With a diverse diet ranging from normal food – sugar, meat cheese and even cardboard, nails, blood including rotten food they can find a meal just about anywhere even though it may be poisonous to most animals. Equipped with a super-strong immune system that seeks out and kills harmful microbes, no environment is unhygienic, no food inedible for them.

With remarkable talents, abilities akin to superpowers, they are so smelly, slimy, greasy and gross, that we do not have a superhero “Cockroach Man”, despite roaches being an ideal candidate for the same while we do have superhero characters based on much less capable and primitive creatures like the spider, ant and wasp.

According to urban legend, cockroaches have the grit to withstand and outlive a nuclear disaster. This theory further got credence because after the disaster bombs namely “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the ubiquitous cockroaches were seen on the site of rubble and destruction. The question is, is this fact or fiction?

Actually, it is a bit of both! Extensive research has proved that roaches have a remarkable ability to endure radiations. While radiation of 1000 radon units (rad), which was emitted in Hiroshima, Nagasaki explosions is fatal for humans when exposed for 10 minutes, 50 percent of the roaches exposed to this level remain alive and kicking and even at 10000 rad about 30 percent would be healthy. This is seemingly the tolerance limit as when exposed to a higher level of radiation, their survival rate was marginal. With much slower cell reproduction cycle, roaches can withstand radiation, unless they are going through the ‘molting process’ or ‘exoskeleton growing phase’ when they are weak and vulnerable to the exposure with a high probability of fatality. Directly exposed to a nuclear blast, they succumb to intense heat.

The extraordinary abilities of roaches have inspired scientists to develop rescue robots that could be used to locate survivors in confined spaces in the event of a natural calamity like earthquakes or manmade disasters.

Will the roaches survive the nuclear apocalypse and inherit the earth?

The answer is a clear no, notwithstanding being “insectes extraordinaire” unlike fruit flies, flower beetles and scorpions, the roaches cannot endure Nuclear Armageddon much against the common perception at large.

By Rachna Arora

(The writer is PGT- Physics at Shiv Nadar School, Noida)

Source: Indian Express, 24/01/21

Climate refugees and Assam’s future

 As the All-Assam Students Union released the confidential report on Clause 6 of Assam Accord in August last year, it was evident from a first reading that the report had all the intentions of securing the long-standing aspirations of the indigenous people of Assam. However, on closer inspection, certain issues do appear unaddressed, one of which is of “climate refugees”.

The phenomenon of climate change does not need an introduction. Today, across the world, people are aware of the adverse effects of climate change. In 2019, United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report which forecasts a sobering picture of the challenges from rising sea levels due to climate change. The report predicts that the global mean sea levels will most likely rise between 0.95 feet (0.29 m) and 3.61 feet (1.1 m) by the end of this century. This rising sea level coupled with storm surges, severe cyclones and extreme weather events will force millions of people to leave their homes and move to safer places — this creates the problem of climate refugees, which is something the world today and, more particularly, India needs to seriously contemplate on.

The concept of climate refugees was first introduced by Lester Brown of the World Watch Institute in the 1970s, wherein he used the term environmental refugees to denote the forced migration of people due to environmental degradation and natural disasters. Despite several criticism, one of the best works on this issue was done by Norman Myers, a British environmentalist, who made several predictions as to the number of environmental or climate refugees worldwide. In 2002, Myers predicted that climate refugees from Bangladesh alone might outnumber all current numbers of refugees worldwide — the reasons behind this being the low-lying topography of the country, and a large number of people living in the volatile Gangetic delta region. In March 2018, a World Bank report revealed that the number of Bangladeshis displaced by the varied impacts of climate change could reach 13.3 million by 2050. These displaced people will seek shelter internally, as well as in neighbouring countries like India.

In India, the primary point of concern regarding the climate refugees is not only their migration but also the non-recognition of climate refugees under the Indian law. In fact, even under the international refugee law, no proper recognition is accorded to the climate refugees. Article 1A (1) of the 1951 Convention applies the term “refugee”, first, to any person considered a refugee under earlier international arrangements. Then, Article 1A (2), read now together with the 1967 Protocol and without time or geographical limits, offers a general definition of the refugee as including any person who is outside their country or origin and unable or unwilling to return there or to avail themselves of its protection, owing to well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group (an additional ground not found in the UNHCR Statute), or political opinion. The definition itself views the term refugee narrowly from a persecution point of view, disregarding any other factor which may induce migration — like climate change.

This non-recognition of climate refugees both at the national and international levels complicates the problem as there is no clarity on the course of action to deal with such refugees and also on who shall be responsible for their protection and rehabilitation. From several studies and research reports, it is undisputedly clear that climate refugees as a phenomenon exists and is growing considerably, affecting countries worldwide including India. If the sea levels in Bangladesh rise, as it has been predicted, undoubtedly there will be large-scale migration from the country towards India seeking refuge. Without a proper legal or policy framework in place, dealing with such a crisis would be challenging, and politicisation of the issue cannot be ruled out.

From a humanitarian point of view India would have no alternative but to accept and rehabilitate the refugees. Such sudden settlement and rehabilitation drive of refugees has the possibility of a fresh conflict between the refugees and indigenous people, especially in states like Assam, which not only shares a boundary with Bangladesh but has also witnessed an unabated influx of migrants and refugees since the beginning of the 20th century. Assam has witnessed several violent conflicts in the past between the indigenous people and the immigrants — be it the Nellie massacre or the ethnic riots in Bodoland. However, what is noteworthy here is that indigenous people have also been on the receiving end in many such conflicts, which often is not highlighted.

In Mayong region of Morigaon district, nearly 200-odd Bodo tribal families have been living in relief camps for years — most of whom have been uprooted from their lands due to conflicts with immigrants. Similarly, many Garo villagers were uprooted from their native villages in Dhubri district by the immigrant population. This phenomenon of natives losing their rights over their land can be seen in the names of the villages and the current demographics. Several villages across Brahmaputra Valley still bear names of the tribe which inhabited them like — Kachari gaon, Lalung gaon and so on. On a closer look, one would often see that there is no person from these tribes left in the villages which are now dominated by mostly immigrants and refugees, or industries in some cases.

At this point of time, when a mass migration of climate refugees is imminent, safeguards to the fragile indigenous population becomes necessary to avoid future conflicts in the region. This is where Clause 6 of the Assam Accord coupled with several other safeguards like conferring ST status to the six indigenous communities of Assam can come into play. The committee on Clause 6 has already made several necessary recommendations for the protection of indigenous people in Assam, but what is required now is a constitutional guarantee of these recommendations under Article 371B — which is already dedicated for special provisions to the state of Assam. Besides this, an expansion of the ambit of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution by conferring Sixth Schedule status to other major tribes of the state, including Mishing, Rabha, Tiwa, Amri Karbi, Sonowal Kachari, Deuri etc., would secure the land, cultural and political rights of these numerically small tribal groups in the event of a major climate migration.

An inevitable event like climate migration has to be addressed by legislative and policy measures — making sure that the refugees get their due rights of settlement and rehabilitation; also ensuring the rights of indigenous people over the land and resources so as to avoid future conflicts between the groups. To ensure this, Indian lawmakers need to come up with a climate refugee framework, and alongside ensure the implementation of the Clause 6 of the Assam Accord with a constitutional guarantee.

(Abhishek Chakravarty is an Assistant Professor of Law at Sai University and faculty at Daksha Fellowship)

Source: Indian Express, 28/01/21

India justice report 2020: One in 4 cops in Bihar a woman, highest among states

 At 25.3 per cent, Bihar leads the list of 25 states for employing most women in its police force, according to the second annual survey on police, prisons, judiciary and legal aid, India Justice Report, released on Thursday.

The state finished ahead of Himachal Pradesh (19.2%) and Tamil Nadu (18.5%).

However, although it is the only state to have more than 20 per cent women in the police force, women account for only 6.1 per cent in the officer category. Tamil Nadu, the report says, has the highest percentage of women police officers (24.8%) , followed by Mizoram (20.1%).

On diversity, Karnataka is the only state to meet its quotas for SC, ST and OBC in both officer cadre and constabulary, Chhattisgarh being the only other state that meets the diversity requirements for constabulary.

The report analysed expenditure, vacancies, representation of women and members of SC, ST and Other Backward Classes, across 18 large and mid-sized states with a population of over 1 crore and eight smaller states. The report was an initiative of Tata Trusts, along with the Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, CHRI, DAKSH and TISS-Prayas and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.

The lack of representation of women as judges in high courts is telling. Sikkim tops the list with 33.3 per cent women – Sikkim High Court has just three judges, Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai being its lone woman judge. Overall, only 29 per cent judges in HCs across the country are women, but no state except Of the rest, Andhra Pradesh tops the list with 19 per cent, followed by Punjab and Haryana, where the common HC for the two states has 18.2 per cent women judges.

Four states — Bihar, Uttarakhand, Tripura and Meghalaya — have no woman judge in its high courts.

Despite the low figures, women’s representation has marginally increased in police, prisons and the judiciary, the report mentions. Women account for 10 per cent of all police personnel, up from 7 per cent in January 2017; 13 per cent prison staff (10% in December 2016); 29.3% of judges (26.5% in 2017-18).

Overall, Maharashtra retained the top spot on delivery of justice to people among 18 large and mid-sized states, followed by Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Punjab and Kerala.

The report also noted that an overwhelming two-thirds of all prisoners are undertrials awaiting a conviction.Sikkim has over 20 per cent women judges.

Source: Indian Express, 29/01/21

Study centre at IIM Shillong to help implement NEP in Northeast: Jitendra Singh

 The A P J Abdul Kalam Study Centre at IIM-Shillong, which is supported by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), will help in the implementation of the new National Education Policy (NEP) in the Northeast, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.

Singh said this after a meeting with the management of IIM-Shillong represented by its Chairman Shishir Bajoria, member Board of Governors Atul Chandrakant Kulkari and others.

Hailing the NEP, brought by the Union Education Ministry with the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the biggest path-breaking reform in India since independence, Singh said, the new policy is not only progressive and visionary but is also in keeping with the emerging needs of 21st century India.

The A P J Abdul Kalam Study Centre at IIM-Shillong will help implement the NEP in the Northeast and it may also undertake a study to understand how best this can be done, he said.

The minister said the centre also gives the young scholars and students enough room to decide their options depending upon their aptitude and their personal circumstances from time to time

Singh said the entire Northeastern region is faced with the challenge of mass exodus of students to different parts of the country in pursuit of higher education in streams of their preference.

He said, it is therefore, for the educationists in the Northeast to work out a comprehensive and effective plan to make use of the best practices incorporated in the NEP for the benefit of the students in the Northeast by overcoming the peculiar constraints of the region.  

The minister said the centre may also undertake a study to understand how the different streams and subjects available in the central institutions be introduced in the Northeast so that the students of the region can take the benefits of chosen subjects.

The centre can also suggest ways and means to involve the state run colleges and institutions in carrying out the academic programmes initiated by the central government.

It can also play the role of resource centre as well as coordinator between the central and state governments on the one hand and among the various education institutions of the region on the other hand, in order to ensure that the benefits of the NEP percolate down to the last student. 

Source: Hindustan Times, 29/01/21