InstaLinks help you think beyond the issue but relevant to the issue from UPSC prelims and Mains exam point of view. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background. This helps you study a topic holistically and add new dimensions to every current event to help you think analytically.
Table of Contents:
GS Paper 2:
- Happiness Curriculum.
- Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) scheme.
- NRC rejection slips to be issued soon.
GS Paper 3:
GS Paper 4:
Facts for Prelims:
- Patricia Mountbatten.
- Giga Mesh.
GS Paper : 2
Topics Covered: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Context:
Uttar Pradesh government is likely to introduce a ‘happiness curriculum’ as a pilot project from this academic session.
- To be called ‘realisation curriculum’, it would be introduced in Mathura schools this session onwards.
Objectives:
The purpose to launch the curriculum in UP is to support students in their journey to sustainable happiness through engagement in meaningful and reflective stories and activities.
What is Happiness Curriculum?
The happiness curriculum was first introduced by the Delhi government in 2018.
- The curriculum calls for schools to promote development in cognition, language, literacy, numeracy and the arts along with addressing the wellbeing and happiness of students.
How is the curriculum implemented?
The curriculum is designed for students of classes nursery through the eighth standard.
- Group 1 consists of students in nursery and KG, who have bi-weekly classes (45 minutes each for one session, which is supervised by a teacher) involving mindfulness activities and exercise. Children between classes 1-2 attend classes on weekdays, which involves mindfulness activities and exercises along with taking up reflective questions.
- The second group comprises students from classes 3-5 and the third group is comprised of students from classes 6-8 who apart from the aforementioned activities, take part in self-expression and reflect on their behavioural changes.
The learning outcomes of this curriculum are spread across four categories:
- Becoming mindful and attentive (developing increased levels of self-awareness, developing active listening, remaining in the present).
- developing critical thinking and reflection (developing strong abilities to reflect on one’s own thoughts and behaviours, thinking beyond stereotypes and assumptions).
- developing social-emotional skills (demonstrating empathy, coping with anxiety and stress.
- developing better communication skills) and developing a confident and pleasant personality (developing a balanced outlook on daily life reflecting self-confidence, becoming responsible and reflecting awareness towards cleanliness, health and hygiene).
How assessment is carried out?
For the evaluation, no examinations are conducted, neither will marks be awarded. The assessment under this curriculum is qualitative, focusing on the “process rather than the outcome” and noting that each student’s journey is unique and different.
InstaLinks:
Prelims Link:
- What is it?
- Components.
- States implementing Happiness Curriculum.
Mains Link:
Discuss the significance of Happiness Curriculum.
Sources: the Hindu.
Topics Covered: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) scheme:
Context:
The Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) scheme has been launched in 10 States this year and will be rolled out across the country by March 2022.
- This plan has been laid out in a parliamentary standing committee report submitted to the Lok Sabha, as part of the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP) which began in 2008 and has been expanded several times.
About the Scheme:
- Under the scheme, a 14-digit identification number will be issued to every plot of land in the country.
- It is being described as “the Aadhaar for land” — a number that would uniquely identify every surveyed parcel of land and prevent land fraud, especially in rural India, where land records are outdated and disputed.
- The identification will be based on the longitude and latitude of the land parcel, and is dependent on detailed surveys and geo-referenced cadastral maps.
Benefits:
The benefits of ULPIN are multitudinous. The single source of information can authenticate the ownership and in turn it can end the dubious ownership. It will help identify the government lands easily and protect land from shabby land transaction.
InstaLinks:
Prelims Link:
- About ULPIN.
- Key features.
- About DILRMP.
Mains Link:
Write a note on the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP).
Sources: the Hindu.
Topics Covered: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
NRC rejection slips to be issued soon:
Context:
The Centre has told the Assam government that “rejection slips” should be issued immediately to those excluded from the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) which was published in 2019.
Background:
More than 19 lakh of the 3.29 crore applicants in Assam were left out of the final register that took five years to compile and cost ₹1,220 crore.
About NRC:
- At its core, the NRC is an official record of those who are legal Indian citizens. It includes demographic information about all those individuals who qualify as citizens of India as per the Citizenship Act, 1955.
- The register was first prepared after the 1951 Census of India and since then it has not been updated until recently.
- So far, such a database has only been maintained for the state of Assam.
Why was NRC updated for Assam?
In 2014, the SC ordered the updation of the NRC, in accordance with Citizenship Act, 1955 and Citizenship Rules, 2003 in all parts of Assam. The process officially started in 2015.
InstaLinks:
Prelims Link:
- Relation between Census and National Population Register.
- NPR vs NRC.
- How NRC is related to Assam accord.
- Constitutional provisions wrt to grant and revocation of citizenships.
- Who carries out Census?
Mains Link:
Discuss why a nationwide NRC exercise may not be feasible.
Sources: The Hindu.
GS Paper : 3
Topics Covered: Disaster management.
Odisha suffered losses worth ₹31,945 cr. in eight cyclones:
Context:
The Odisha government has received Central assistance of meagre one-sixth (₹31,945.80 crore) of the losses incurred in eight different cyclones that visited after the Super Cyclone 1999.
These include:
Phailin (2013), Hudhud (2014), Titli, Phethai and Daye (2018), Bulbul and Fani (2019) and Amphan (2020).
What is a cyclone?
Tropical Cyclone is any large system of winds that circulates about a center of low atmospheric pressure in a counter-clockwise direction north of the Equator and in a clockwise direction to the south.
Cyclone formation:
- Cyclone is the formation of very low-pressure system with very high-speed winds revolving around it.
- Factors like wind speed, wind direction, temperature and humidity contribute to the development of cyclones.
- Before cloud formation, water takes up heat from the atmosphere to change into vapour. When water vapour changes back to liquid form as raindrops, this heat is released to the atmosphere.
- The heat released to the atmosphere warms the air around. The air tends to rise and causes a drop in pressure. More air rushes to the centre of the storm. This cycle is repeated.
InstaLinks:
Prelims Link:
- Factors responsible for the genesis of cyclones.
- Naming of cyclones in various regions of the world.
- Why more cyclones in Eastern coast of India?
- What is coriolis force?
- What is latent heat of condensation?
Mains Link:
Discuss the factors responsible for the formation of tropical cyclones.
Sources: The Hindu.
Topics Covered: Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
What is the Greater Tipraland demand?
Context:
Demand for ‘Greater Tipraland’ has been the main issue in the campaigns for the elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council.
What is Greater Tipraland?
‘Greater Tipraland’ is essentially an extension of the ruling tribal partner Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura – IPFT’s demand of Tipraland, which sought a separate state for tribals of Tripura.
- The new demand seeks to include every tribal person living in indigenous area or village outside the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) under the proposed model.
- However, the idea doesn’t restrict to simply the Tripura tribal council areas, but seeks to include ‘Tiprasa’ of Tripuris spread across different states of India like Assam, Mizoram etc. as well, even those living in Bandarban, Chittagong, Khagrachari and other bordering areas of neighbouring Bangladesh.
What’s the issue?
Regional political parties say the call of Greater Tipraland’ rose due to unfulfilled demands of revising NRC in Tripura and opposition to CAA in the past.
InstaLinks:
Prelims Link:
- About Greater Tipraland.
- About NRC.
- What is CAA?
Sources: The Hindu.
GS Paper : 4
Topics Covered: Ethics in private and public relationships.
Context:
- “Tinka Tinka” foundation has launched ‘Jail Radio’ project in Haryana jails in collaboration with the State government.
- Jail Radio is an in-house production run by the inmates. The programmes are broadcast from a studio inside the premises and reach to the inmates through speakers in the barracks.
- The aim is to bring out the inmates’ creativity, give them meaningful engagement.
Need for and significance of the initiative:
These inmates would go back to society one day. It is, therefore, important that they are given a meaningful intervention. Many of these repent and regret what happened in the past. They need healing.
Sources: The Hindu.
Topics Covered: Ethics in private and public relationships.
HC orders assault case accused to do community service at de-addiction centre:
Context:
The Delhi High Court has ordered a man, who publicly assaulted a woman at PVR complex, to do a one-month community service at a de-addiction centre after the victim said she did not want to pursue the case any further.
What’s the issue?
In the present case, it is the victim who is the ultimate sufferer. She has been harassed by the petitioner and she is being further harassed in the proceedings initiated against the petitioner.
Sources: the Hindu.
Facts for Prelims:
Patricia Mountbatten:
- Patricia Edwina Victoria Mountbatten was the Second Countess Mountbatten of Burma and had a strong royal connection as the great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and first cousin to Prince Philip, the 99-year-old husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.
- She was the eldest daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten — the last Viceroy of India.
Why in News?
A diamond bracelet and jewelled decorative elephants from Jaipur are some of the Indian heirlooms that made up a collection of 350 personal items belonging to Patricia Mountbatten, which fetched over £5.6 million at Sotheby’s auction in London.
Giga Mesh:
- It is a product for low-cost internet in rural areas.
- Developed by Women-led startup
The wireless product could enable telecom operators deploy quality, high-speed rural telecom infrastructure at five times lower cost.
