Topics
- Project “Awaam Ki Baat”
- Report on Indian Workers by ILO
- Bill on DevendrakulaVellalars
- World’s Largest Floating Solar Farms being built in Singapore
- KRAS releases the First batch of MRSAM Missiles
Project “Awaam Ki Baat”
Context:Recently, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governorinitiated the project “Awaam Ki Baat”
- It is a Radio program
- Awaam Ki Baat is the novel initiative of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Jammu and Kashmir which aims at disseminating the progressive steps taken by the administration and seeks public feedback to make the process interactive, participative and people-centric.
- The platform appreciates the heterogeneity of our Union Territory.
- The half-an-hour long Radio program to be aired every third Sunday of the month (to start from April), is one of the many sequential steps of a broader program aimed at disseminating the progressive steps taken by the government and providing the public with a platform to speak, write and interact with the administration, thereby voicing their suggestions, ideas and creative proposals.
Report on Indian Workers by ILO
Context:Recently, Global Wage Report 2020-21: Wages and minimum wages in the time of COVID-19’ was released
Key points of report
- The Report comments on various issues including on Indian workers having low average wages, longer hours.
- It also reported that the workers in Asia and the Pacific enjoyed the highest real wage growth among all regions over the period 2006–19.
- The report has taken into account the National Floor Level Minimum Wage which is Rs.176/- per day.However, actual wages are far higher.
- If the median of the minimum wages in different states is drawn, it would be Rs.269/- per day in India.
Code on Wages, 2019
- It universalises and creates a statutory right of minimum wages for all workers whether in organized or unorganised sector.
- A new concept of statutory floor wage has also been introduced in the Code on Wages.
- The Code also provides that the minimum wages are to be ordinarily reviewed and revised by the appropriate Governments in intervals not exceeding five years.
Bill on Devendrakula Vellalars
Context: The Lok Sabha passed The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021, that seeks to put seven castes under one nomenclature of “DevendrakulaVellalars” with some exceptions for some of the castes in certain districts of Tamil Nadu.
- The castes include Devendrakulathan, Kadaiyan, Kalladi, Kudumban, Pallan, Pannadi and Vathiriyan
- The Tamil Nadu government had earlier accepted a recommendation of a committee to reclassify the seven sub sects under the generic name „DevendrakulaVelalar‟ and forwarded it to the Centre.
- The change in nomenclature was a long pending demand of the community and did not involve either the deletion or addition of any community in its ambit
Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021
- The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in Lok Sabha on February 13, 2021amending the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950.
- The Constitution empowers the President to specify the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in various states and union territories. Further, it permits Parliament to modify this list of notified SCs.
- The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill states that the Bill has been introduced to give effect to modifications proposed by the state of Tamil Nadu.
Key features of the bill
- The Bill replaces the entry for the Devendrakulathan community with Devendrakula Vellalar, which includes the communities that are currently listed separately within the Act.
- These are: ○ (i) Devendrakulathan, ○ (ii) Kalladi, ○ (iii) Kudumban, ○ (iv) Pallan, ○ (v) Pannadi, and ○ (vi) Vathiriyan.
- The separate entries have been omitted.
- The 1950 Order also includes the Kadaiyan community within the list of notified SCs in the state. ● The Bill creates a distinction for the Kadaiyan community based on residence.
- The separate entry for the Kadaiyan community is replaced with the Kadaiyan community from the districts of: ○ (i) Tirunelveli, ○ (ii) Thoothukudi, ○ (iii) Ramanathapuram, ○ (iv) Pudukottai, ○ (v) Thanjavur, ○ (vi) Tiruvarur and ○ (vii) Nagapattinam.
- Members of the Kadaiyan community living in other districts are included in the Devendrakula Vellalar grouping.
World’s Largest Floating Solar Farms being built in Singapore
- The largest floating solar farm in the world is being built in Singapore. The country has resorted to set up energy plants off the coasts and reservoirs across it.
- This floating solar farm is being set up in the light that despite being one of the smallest countries across the world, it is one of the biggest per capita carbon dioxide emitters in India.
- Thus, to cater to the issue of climate change and to cut the greenhouse gas emission it is building the floating solar farm. This project is being built by Sembcorp Industries.
First batch of MRSAM Missiles
Context:Recently, KRAS releases the First batch of MRSAM Missiles
- The Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems (KRAS), which is a joint venture between the Kalyani Group of India and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems of Israel, have released the first batch of Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) kits.
- The missile was released for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. The release of the MRSAM Missile also marked the KRAS’ commitment to delivering more than 1000 MRSAM missile kits to India in near future.
- These missile sections will then be sent for further and future integration to Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL). The Kalyani Group has infused the “State-of-the-art technology with engineering excellence in the company.
MEDIUM RANGE SURFACE –TO- AIR MISSILE (MRSAM)
- It is a high response, quick reaction, vertically launched supersonic missile, designed to neutralize enemy aerial threats – missiles, aircraft, guided bombs, helicopters.
- It is used by Army, Navy and Air Force as different variants.
- It is an advanced path-breaking air and missile defence system that provides ultimate protection against a variety of aerial platforms.