◇ The Government of India, recognizing the importance of disaster management as a national priority, had set up a High-Powered Committee in 1999 and a National Committee in 2001 after the Gujarat earthquake, to make recommendations on the preparation of disaster management plans and suggest effective mitigation mechanisms. However, after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, the Government of India took a defining step in the legislative history of the country by enacting the Disaster ManagementAct, 2005. ◇ The Act provided for the creation of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to spearhead and implement a holistic and integrated approach to disaster management in the country. Initially, the NDMA was constituted in 2005 by an Executive Order of the Government of India. Subsequently, the NDMA was notified in 2006 under the provisions of the Act.
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY □
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NDMA [PART 2]
◇ The NDMA consists of a chairperson and other members, not exceeding nine. The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairperson of the NDMA. The other members are nominated by the chairperson of the NDMA. ◇The chairperson of the NDMA designates one of the members as the vice chairperson of the NDMA. The vice chairperson has the status of a cabinet minister while the other members have the status of aMinister of State. ◇The NDMA is the apex body for disaster management in the country. It works under the administrative control of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. ◇The NDMA was established with this vision: ‘To build a safer and disaster resilient India by a holistic, pro-active, technology driven and sustainable development strategy that involves all stakeholders and fosters a culture of prevention, preparedness and mitigation.’
COMPOSITION OF THE CVC
◇ The CVC is a multi-member body consisting of a commissioner. ◇ They are appointed by the president by warrant under his hand and seal on the recommendation of a three member committee consisting of the prime minister as its head, the Union minister of home affairs and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. ◇ They hold office for a term of four years or until they attain the age of sixty-five years, whichever is earlier. After their tenure, they are not eligible for further employment under the Central or a state government. □ The president can remove the Central Vigilance Commissioner or any vigilance commissioner from the office under the following circumstances: (a) If he is adjudged an insolvent (b) If he has been convicted of an offence which (in the opinion of the Central government) involves a moral turpitude (c) If he engages, during his term of office, in any paid employment outside the duties of his office (d) If he is (in the opinion of the president), unfit to continue in office by reason of infirmity of mind or body or (e) If he has acquired such financial or other interest as is likely to affect prejudicially his official functions.
STATE DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
◇ Every state government should establish a State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) for the state. An SDMA consists of a chairperson and other members, m not exceeding nine. ◇ The Chief Minister of the state is the ex-officio chairperson of the SDMA. The chairperson of theState Executive Committee is the ex-officio member of the SDMA. ◇ The other members, not exceeding eight, are nominated by the chairperson of the SDMA. Thechairperson of the SDMA designates one of the members as the vice-chairperson of the SDMA. ◇ The chairperson of the State Executive Committee acts as the m ex-officio chief executive officer of the SDMA
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
◇ Part XVII of the Constitution deals with the official language in Articles 343 to 351. ◇ Its provisions are divided into four heads :- • Language of the Union, • Regional languages, • Language of the judiciary and • texts of laws and Special directives
PROTECTION OF LINGUISTIC MINORITIES
Constitution makes the following provisions: ◇ Every aggrieved person has the right to submit a representation for the redress of any grievance to any officer or authority of the Union or a state in any of the languages used in the Union or in the state, as the case may be. This means that a representation cannot be rejected on the ground that it is not in the official language. ◇ Every state and a local authority in the state should provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups. The president can issue necessary directions for this purpose. ◇ The president should appoint a special officer for linguistic minorities to investigate all matters relating to the constitutional safeguards for linguistic minorities and to report to him. The president should place all such reports before the Parliament and send to the state government concerned.
ORGANISATION
◇ The CVC has its own Secretariat, Chief Technical Examiners’ Wing (CTE) and a wing of Commissioners for Departmental Inquiries (CDIs). ◇ Secretariat: The Secretariat consists of a Secretary, Joint Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries, Under Secretaries and office staff. ◇ Chief Technical Examiners’ Wing: The Chief Technical Examiners’ Organization constitutes the technical wing of the CVC. It consists of Chief Engineers (designated as Chief Technical Examiners) and supportingengineering staff. The main functions assigned to this organization are as follows: (i) Technical audit of construction works of Government organizations from a vigilance angle (ii) Investigation of specific cases of complaints relating to construction works 3.8K08:28 PM(iii) Extension of assistance to CBI in their investigations involving technical matters and for evaluationof properties in Delhi. (iv) Tendering of advice/ assistance to the CVC and Chief Vigilance Officers in vigilance cases involving technical matters. ◇ Commissioners for Departmental Inquiries: The CDIs function as Inquiry Officers to conduct oral inquiries in departmental proceedings initiated against public servants.
REGULATING ACT 1773
◇ Governor of Bengal will now be Governor-General of Bengal. ◇ Created an Executive Council of 4 members to assist him. ◇ First Governor General was Warren Hastings. ◇ Establishment of Supreme court in Calcutta. Comprising 1 CJI and 3 other Judges. ◇ Prohibited the Servants from engaging in any Private Trades and taking Bribesfrom Natives. ◇ Court of Directors will report about the functioning of EIC to Government
19 Sept 2022 – Daily Answer Writing
19 SEPTEMBER 2022 – MAINS QUESTIONS – MAINS QUESTIONS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS: Q1. Write a short note on tribal movements in India during British Period. (250 words) Paper & Topic: GS I à Modern Indian History Model Answer: Introduction: Mizos (1810), Kols (1795 and 1831), Mundas (1889), Daflas (1875), Khasi and Garo (1829), Kacharis (1839), Santhals (1853), Muria Gonds (1886), Nagas (1844 and 1879), Bhuiyas (1868), and Kondhas (1817) were among the prominent tribes involved in insurrection during the colonial period. Body: Tribal groups played a vital and integral role in Indian culture. They had their own social and economic systems before to conquest and subsequent assimilation into British possessions. The tribals’ requirements were met by these systems, which were traditional in character. The tribal society suffered as a result of British policy. This obliterated their economy and communities, which had previously been largely self-sufficient. Tribal groups from several places rose up against the British. Because they were geared against the colonial administration, their movements were anti-colonial. The following points might help you understand the features of tribal movements in India during British rule: There were two sorts of tribal anti-colonial movements: 1. movements against oppressors such as landlords, moneylenders, traders, thekedars (contractors), government officials, and Christian missionaries, and 2. movements affiliated to and integrated with the Indian National movement. The first set of movements can be classified as anti-colonial because they were directed at the classes that were created as a result of British colonialism and who aided the tribals. The tribals regarded these classes as foreigners. Moneylenders and landlords took tribal lands when tribals were unable to repay their loans or the interest on them. As a result, the tribals became tenants on their own land, and in certain cases, bound labourers. They were never helped by the police or revenue officers. Not only were the judges oblivious of the tribal agrarian system and customs, but they were also unaware of the tribals’ misery. Many tribes such as the Munda, Santhals, Kol, Bhils, Warli, and others in Assam, Orissa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Maharashtra revolted as a result of land alienation, usurpation, forced labour, minimum pay, and land grabbing. In their respective regions, they began movements against their oppressors. Their anti-colonial protests could be classified as anti-colonial. Outsiders (dikus) — landlords, moneylenders, thekedars and missionaries, as well as European government officials – were designated as their foes by Birsa Munda, who promised his people a golden period after removing the outsiders from their country. Overall, these movements had social and religious overtones, but they were motivated by difficulties around their own existence. For example, Jatra Bhagat founded the Jatra Bhagat and Tana Bhagat Movement in 1914. It was a movement promoting monotheism, vegetarianism, abstinence from meat and alcohol, and tribal dance. Anti-colonialism and domestic reforms were emphasised by the Jatra Bhagat and Tana Bhagat movements. Forest management has also sparked rebellion among some tribes, as forests are the primary source of income in some areas. The laws not only denied tribals access to a variety of forest resources, but they also subjected them to persecution by forest officials. This prompted tribes in Andhra Pradesh and other states to organise. For instance, the Rampa revolt led by Alluri Sitaramaraju. These ‘movements’ began under the direction of their respective leaders. Although the movements originated on social and religious problems, as well as against outsider oppression, they eventually amalgamated with the National movement and the anti-tax campaign. The tribals used traditional weaponry such as bows, arrows, lathis, and axes to fight their opponents. Their campaign frequently devolved into violence, leading in the assassination of oppressors and the torching of their homes. For instance, consider the Ramoshi insurrection in the Bombay suburbs. The government brutally suppressed the majority of the movements. The tribals were forced to follow British policies that were harmful to their interests. However, in response to these setbacks, the government implemented protective administration in tribal areas. The government passed the I Scheduled District Act (1874) and the Govt. of India Act of 1935, which classified tribal territories as excluded areas. Conclusion: During the colonial period, tribals were among the exploited social groups. Tribal movements in India were confined to a few places as a result of the conquest and later assimilation of tribal areas into British territories, but they were still part of the greater national struggle against colonial powers. Q2. Write a short note on the influence of Bengal region on the India’s independence struggle. (250 words) Paper & Topic: GS I à Modern Indian History Model Answer: Introduction: Bengal, or West Bengal, is well-known for its significant contribution to the Indian Independence Movement. Bengal became a hotbed of the Indian independence movement and the epicentre of the Bengali Renaissance in the early twentieth century. Following the Swadeshi Movement in the first decade of the twentieth century, revolutionary nationalism developed as a powerful political movement in Bengal. The Swadeshi Movement was born out of Bengal’s fury over the division of the province of Bengal in 1905. Body: Bengal’s contributions to India’s freedom struggle: The Sanyasi revolt in Bengal lasted from 1763 to 1800. It was essentially a peasant insurrection that began in Dhaka (now Bangladesh’s capital) and stretched all the way to Bihar, with up to 50,000 rebels. The Indigo uprising was mostly nonviolent, and it served as a forerunner to Gandhiji’s later nonviolent satyagraha. The dramatisation of the revolution in the play Nil Darpan, as well as numerous other works of prose and poetry, made the revolt extremely popular. As a result, the revolt became a focal point in Bengal’s political consciousness, influencing many subsequent movements in the Indian liberation struggle. By equating the Motherland with the Mother-Goddess, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee elevated nationalism to the level of religion. He authored the poem ‘Vande Mataram’ in Anandamath. To introduce social and educational reforms to women, the Bengal Renaissance established many journal houses and collaborated with various newspapers and journalistic publications such as
16 Sept 2022-Daily Answer Writing
16 SEPTEMBER 2022 – MAINS QUESTIONS- MAINS QUESTIONS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS: Q1. Nehru advocated for the integration of tribal people into Indian society by making them an integral part of the Indian nation while preserving their own identity and culture. Elucidate. (250 words) Paper & Topic: GS I Post Independence India Model Answer: Introduction: The government’s tribal integration policy prioritised the preservation of the tribal people’s unique social and cultural legacy. ‘The first problem we have to face there [in the tribal areas] is to inspire them [the tribal people] with confidence and to make them feel at one with India, and to realise that they are part of India and have an honoured place in it,’ said Jawaharlal Nehru, the main influence in shaping the government’s attitude toward the tribals. At the same time, ‘India should represent not just a defending but also a liberating force to them.’ Nehru believed that Indian nationalism could accommodate the indigenous people’s diversity. Body: The integration of indigenous people into Indian society was a Nehruvian aim: There were two major perspectives to how tribals should be treated in Indian society. One strategy was to leave the tribal people alone, free of modern influences from outside their society, and allow them to remain as they were. The second strategy was to fully integrate them into Indian society as rapidly as possible. The demise of the tribal way of life was not to be lamented; rather, it was to be embraced as a sign of their ‘upliftment.’ Both of these techniques were rejected by Jawaharlal Nehru. The first method, which he saw as insulting, was to treat the indigenous people “like museum specimens to be examined and written about.” He argued that the tribal people “could not be left closed off from the world as they were.” Isolation was in any case impossible at this point, because the outside world’s penetration had progressed too far, and ‘it was neither possible nor desired to isolate them.’ According to Nehru, the second option of enabling them to “be absorbed by the bulk of Indian humanity” or absorption by the use of regular outside forces was similarly incorrect. This would result in the tribals’ social and cultural identity, as well as its numerous virtues, being lost. Rather than these two approaches, Nehru advocated for integrating tribal people into Indian society, making them a vital part of the Indian nation while also preserving their own identity and culture. The tribal Panchsheel policy of Nehru: The Nehruvian method had two main tenets: ‘the tribal areas must progress,’ and ‘they must progress in their own way.’ Progress did not imply “a rote replication of what we have in other regions of India.” Whatever was excellent in the rest of India will “gradually be absorbed by them.” Jawaharlal Nehru created the following five principles for pursuing tribal policies, popularly known as Tribal Panchsheel: People should develop in accordance with their own talent, and alien values should not be imposed. Land and forest rights of tribes should be honoured. The work of administration and development should be taught to tribal groups. Tribal communities should not be over-administered or overburdened by a plethora of programmes. The human character that has evolved should be judged, not by statistics or the amount of money spent. Conclusion: Nehru’s approach was founded on a nationalist policy toward tribals that had been in place since the 1920s, when Gandhiji established ashrams in tribal areas and encouraged constructive activity. Rajendra Prasad, India’s first President, and other significant political leaders endorsed this approach after independence. Q2. How did India deal with the post-independence food crisis? What were the government’s major long-term reforms at the time? Discuss. (250 words) Paper & Topic: GS I Post Independence India Model Answer: Introduction: Hunger was at the basis of much of India’s early public policy, and we are still a hungry nation almost 70 years later. Although the nature of the problem has switched to malnutrition rather than outright starvation, this is still a country that struggles to feed its people enough on a fundamental level. Body: After independence, food security became a priority: Concerns about food security can be traced back to the Bengal Famine, which occurred during British colonial control in 1943 and killed between 2 million and 3 million people. Since independence, India has been vulnerable to various food security shocks, including an initial haste to industrialise while ignoring agriculture, two consecutive droughts in the mid-1960s, and reliance on US food aid. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the country had a Green Revolution, which enabled it to overcome productivity stagnation and greatly increase food grain production. Despite its success, the Green Revolution has been criticised for focusing on only two cereals: wheat and rice; being limited to a few resource-rich regions in the northwestern and southern parts of the country that benefited mostly wealthy farmers; and putting undue stress on the ecology of these regions, particularly soil and water. The White Revolution, which began in the 1970s and 1980s with Operation Flood, followed the Green Revolution. India has become the world’s largest producer of milk because to this national project, which has transformed liquid milk production and marketing. Hybrid maize for poultry and industrial use, as well as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton, have made significant progress in recent years, resulting in significant cotton exports, making India the second largest exporter of cotton in 2007–2008. The government has taken some significant initiatives: Green revolutions with high-yielding crops and efficient irrigation systems in northern India, particularly Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, have shown to be effective in meeting the needs of an expanding population in a short period of time. This significant event, together with land reforms, made India a success story in the fight against famine. The Indian government started three major food intervention programmes for food security in the mid-1970s. They include the Public Distribution System (PDS) for food grains, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) (which was launched on a trial