Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 2nd April 2021

17th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meet:

17th BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Ministerial meet, chaired by Sri Lanka, was held recently.

• The meeting drew participation from all the seven-member States, including Myanmar which is witnessing a large-scale crackdown against anti-military protesters.

BIMSTEC:

• In an effort to integrate the region, the grouping was formed in 1997, originally with Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and later included Myanmar, Nepal, and Bhutan. BIMSTEC, which now includes five countries from South Asia and two from ASEAN, is a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia.
• It includes all the major countries of South Asia, except Maldives, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
• Over one-fifth (22%) of the world’s population live in the seven countries around it, and they have a combined GDP close to $2.7 trillion.
• The Bay also has vast untapped natural resources. One-fourth of the world’s traded goods cross the Bay every year

3rd Joint Logistics Node (JLN):

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat operationalized and dedicated to the Armed forces the 3rd Joint Logistics Node (JLN) in Mumbai.

• These JLNs will provide integrated logistics cover to the Armed Forces for their small arms ammunition, rations, fuel, general stores, civil hired transport, aviation clothing, spares and also engineering support in an effort to synergize their operational efforts.
• The establishment and operationalisation of JLNs is a very important first step in the direction of logistics integration of our three Services. The JLN would enhance joint inter-operability between the Services.
• The Joint Operations Division (JOD) under the aegis of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (Hq IDS) enabled establishment of the JLNs
• Government Sanction Letter for establishment of JLNs in Mumbai, Guwahati and Port Blair was signed on October 12, 2020.
• The JLNs in Guwahati and Tri-Services, Andaman and Nicobar Command, Port Blair were operationalised on January 01, 2021.

Article 244A Of The Constitution:

The demand for an autonomous state within Assam has been raised by some of the sections of the society in Assam under the provisions of Article 244A of the Constitution.

• In the 1950s, a demand for a separate hill state arose around certain sections of the tribal population of undivided Assam.
  After prolonged agitations, Meghalaya gained statehood in 1972.
• The leaders of the Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills were also part of this movement. They were given the option to stay in Assam or join Meghalaya.
• They stayed back as the centre promised them more powers, including Article 244 (A).
• In the 1980s, the demand for more power/autonomy took the form of a movement with a number of Karbi groups resorting to violence.
• It soon became an armed separatist insurgency demanding full statehood.

Article 244A:

• Article 244(A) allows for the creation of an ‘autonomous state’ within Assam in certain tribal areas.
• It also envisages the creation of a local legislature or Council of Ministers or both to carry out local administration.
• It was Inserted into the Constitution by the Twenty-second Constitution Amendment Act, 1969.
• Article 244(A) accounts for more autonomous powers to tribal areas than the Sixth Schedule. Among these the most important power is the control over law and order.
• In Autonomous Councils under the Sixth Schedule, they do not have jurisdiction of law and order.

Election Commission Of India (ECI) Delisted Ex-Telecom Minister A. Raja From The List Of Star Campaigners:

The Election Commission of India (ECI) delisted Ex-Telecom Minister A. Raja from the list of star campaigners.

• He has also been reprimanded for violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for making certain remarks during election times.

Star Campaigners:

• A star campaigner is a celebrity vote seeker in an election for a party. This person can be anyone, a politician, or even a film star.
• There is no law governing who can or cannot be made a star campaigner.
• They are nominated by the concerned political parties specifying their constituencies and duration of the status.
• The ECI issues guidelines under the Model Code of Conduct regulating poll campaigns.

Numbers of Star Campaigners:

• A ‘recognized’ National or State party declared as such by the ECI can nominate a maximum of 40-star campaigners.
• An unrecognized political party can nominate a maximum of 20-star campaigners.

Sivakumara Swamigalu:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has bowed to Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu on his Jayanti.

• Shivakumara Swamigalu (1907 – 2019) was an Indian spiritual leader. He was a Lingayat religious figure and head of the Siddaganga Matha in Karnataka. He was described as the most esteemed adherent of Lingayatism.
• Educationist: He founded the Sri Siddaganga Education Society. He founded over 100 institutions for education and training, that range from nursery to colleges for engineering, science, arts and management as well as vocational training.
• Awards and Honours:
  • In 2007, the Government of Karnataka awarded him the Karnataka Ratna award, the highest civilian award of the state.
  • In 2015 the Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan.
  • He was also referred to as Nadedaaduva Devaru (walking God) in the state of Karnataka.

Multinational Military Exercise SHANTIR OGROSHENA 2021:

Multinational Military Exercise SHANTIR OGROSHENA 2021 (Front Runner of the Peace) will be held in Bangladesh to commemorate the birth centenary of Bangladesh ‘Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and mark 50 years of liberation.

• Indian Army contingent comprising of 30 personnel including Officers, JCOs, and Jawans of a Battalion from The DOGRA Regiment will participate in the exercise along with a contingent of Royal Bhutan Army, Sri Lankan Army and Bangladesh Army from 04 Apr to 12 Apr 2021.
• The theme of the exercise is “Robust Peace Keeping Operations”.
• Military observers from the USA, UK, Turkey, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Singapore will also be in attendance throughout the exercise.

MyNEP2020:

Union Education Minister launched the “MyNEP2020” Platform of NCTE Web Portal.

• The platform seeks to invite suggestions from the stakeholders for preparing a draft for the development of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) and National Mission for Mentoring Program membership (NMM).
• The “MyNEP2020” platform will be operational from 1st April 2021 to 15th May 2021.
• For preparing the documents on the above two major recommendations of NEP 2020, NCTE will work in close consultation with individuals/organizations.
• An expert committee will extensively review the inputs collected during the consultation period and will finally formulate the Drafts for public review. Comments by the reviewers from the stakeholders will then be used to prepare a final Draft for notification.
• National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) is a statutory body of the Indian government set up under the National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993 in 1995 to formally oversee standards, procedures, and processes in the Indian education system.

World’s Biggest Underwater Neutrino Telescope:

Russian scientists launched one of the world’s biggest underwater neutrino telescopes called the Baikal-GVD (Gigaton Volume Detector) in the waters of Lake Baikail, the world’s deepest lake situated in Siberia.

• The construction of this telescope, which started in 2016, is motivated by the mission to study in detail the elusive fundamental particles called neutrinos and to possibly determine their sources.
• The Baikal-GVD is one of the three largest neutrino detectors in the world along with the IceCube at the South Pole and ANTARES in the Mediterranean Sea.

Lake Baikal:

• Lake Baikal is a rift lake located in southern Siberia, Russia.
• Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake by volume in the world, containing 22 to 23% of the world’s fresh surface water.
• With a maximum depth of 1,642 m (5,387 ft), Baikal is the world’s deepest lake.
• It is the world’s oldest lake at 25–30 million years.
• It is the seventh-largest lake in the world by surface area.
• Lake Baikal formed as an ancient rift valley and has a long, crescent shape.
• The region to the east of Lake Baikal is referred to as Transbaikalia or as the Transbaikal, and the loosely defined region around the lake itself is sometimes known as Baikalia.
• UNESCO declared Lake Baikal a World Heritage Site in 1996.

Haryana Has Amended Several Provisions Under Its Rules Of Procedure And Conduct Of Business In The Legislative Assembly Of The State:

Several new provisions have also been added in order to maintain the decorum of the House and to ensure that prompt action is taken on recommendations made by the committees constituted by the Speaker.

• In Rule 76, a new provision has been added, according to which during every sitting of the House, the presence of at least two ministers is a must, which was not maintained at times during discussion on certain Calling Attention Motions or other Business of the House.
• To maintain the decorum of the House, another new provision has been added, according to which the members “shall not tear off documents in the House in protest”.
• The new Sub-Rule 46(11) reads: “The question shall not contain more than 150 words in any case either typed or handwritten on one side of the page.” Officials say it has been done to have better clarity for the Ministers to give a specific reply to the query raised by the Member.
• As per the new definition, Leader of Opposition means Leader of a Legislative Party having the largest number of members other than the party/parties that has formed the government and having the strength at least equal to the strength of the quorum of the House

Dadasaheb Phalke Award For The Year 2019:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Rajinikanth after he has been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2019.

• Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest award in cinema.
• It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (an organization set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting).
• The award prize consists of a golden lotus, a cash prize of ₹10 lakh, and a shawl.
• The award is given to people for their “outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema”.
• It was first presented in 1969. The first recipient of the award was actress Devika Rani, “the first lady of Indian cinema.”

Dadasaheb Phalke:

• Dadasaheb Phalke (1870–1944), was an Indian film-maker who directed India’s first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913).
• He is regarded as “the father of Indian cinema.”