DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS - 12 OCTOBER 2022

1. 12 OCTOBER, 2022 www.iasscore.in GS ANALYST CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY

3. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF UJJAIN’S MAHAKAL TEMPLE IN HINDUISM CONTEXT: Prime Minister inaugurated the first phase of the ‘Shri Mahakaleswar Corridor’ in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. About Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga oThe temple is located in the historical city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is situated on the banks of the holy river, Shipra. oMahakal is the only jyotirlinga facing south; the rest face east. That is because the south is believed to be the direction of death. oThe jyotirlingas, or shrines, are believed to be the most sacred abodes of Shiva. oOrigin: The time of origin of the temple may be assigned to the pre-historic period as the Puranas say it was first established by Prajapita Brahma. oStyle: The Mahakaleshwar temple has been built in Maratha, Bhumija and Chalukya architectural styles. What are Jyotirilingas? oJyotirlingas are sacred shrines of Lord Shiva; it is believed that Lord Shiva himself visited these places and hence they have a special place in the hearts of devotees. oThere are 12 of them in India. oJyotirlinga means ‘column or pillar of light’. The ‘stambha’symbol represents that there is no beginning or end. Other jyotirlinga sites: •Somnath in Gujarat •Dwarka’s Nageswar in Gujarat •Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh •Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh •Kedarnath in Uttarakhand •Bhimashankar in Maharashtra •Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra •Aurangabad’s Grishneshwar in Maharashtra •Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh •Baidyanath Temple in Jharkhand’s Deoghar •Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu 3 www.iasscore.in

4. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 Shri Mahakaleswar Corridor: oIt is the first phase of the Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor development project worth ₹856 crores. oAfter completion will become one of the largest corridors in the country. oThe project spreads around the old Rudrasagar lake. oThe lake has also been redeveloped as part of the Mahakal River project. oThe project will not only bring a large number of devotees to Ujjain but will also make the city a global tourist destination. Meaning of ‘Mahakal’, or ‘Mahakaleshwar’: oThe divinity associated with Ujjain is centered around the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga placed inside the temple also known as Mahakal Mandir. oThe temple is dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva, believed to be the god of time and death. oHe is called Mahakaleshwar, made up of the two meanings of the word Kaal – time and death. Mention of Mahakal temple in ancient texts: oIn the early part of the Meghadutam (Purva Megha), Kalidasa describes the Mahakal temple. oIt is described as one with a stone foundation, with the ceiling on wooden pillars. oThere would be no shikharas or spires on the temples prior to the Gupta period. About Ujjain: oThe city of Ujjain was also one of the primary centers of learning for Hindu scriptures, called Avantika in the 6th and 7th centuries BC. oAstronomers and mathematicians such as Brahmagupta and Bhaskaracharya also made Ujjain their home. oAccording to Surya Siddhanta (4th century), which is one of the earliest available texts on Indian astronomy, Ujjain is geographically situated at the intersection of zero meridians of longitude (Madhyarekha) and the Tropic of Cancer (Karkavrutta) intersect. oThis is the reason often sighted for it being connected to time and space, and the main Shiva temple is dedicated to Mahakal, the lord of time. Developments in the Medieval Period: oIslamic rulers gave donations to priests for offering prayers here. oIn the 13th century, the temple complex was destroyed by Turk ruler Shams-ud-din Iltutmish during his raid on Ujjain. oThe present five-storeyed structure was built by the Maratha general Ranoji Shinde in1734, in the Bhumija, Chalukya, and Maratha styles of architecture. oAbout a century later, its marble walkways were restored by the Scindias. oMaharaja Jai Singh II (18th century), known as the Vedh Shala or Jantar Mantar, comprises 13 architectural instruments to measure astronomical phenomena. JUSTICE DY CHANDRACHUD NAMED INDIA’S NEXT CHIEF JUSTICE BY CJI LALIT CONTEXT: Chief Justice of India, U.U Lalit has recommended the name of Justice D Y Chandrachud, the judge of the Supreme Court, as his successor. 4 www.iasscore.in

5. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 About D Y Chandrachud: oPresently he is the second most senior judge of the Supreme Court. oIf approved by the government, Justice Chandrachud will be in office for two years — until November 10, 2024. oHe served as Additional Solicitor General from 1998. oHe was also the Director of the Maharashtra Judicial Academy. oHis father, Y V Chandrachud, too served as the CJI and had a stint of over 7 years. Landmark Judgements by Justice Chandrachud: oJustice K S Puttaswamy (retd) & Another vs Union of India & Others: A nine-judge bench that included him recognized privacy as a fundamental right. oHe dealt with the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits, and Services) Act, 2016. While the majority upheld the Act, Justice Chandrachud held it had been passed unconstitutionally as a Money Bill. oNavtej Singh Johar and Others vs Union of India case: Supreme Court decriminalized Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) making same-sex relations legal. oRecently, an SC bench headed by him extended the right to safe and legal abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy to unmarried and single women. www.iasscore.in

6. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 oHe was also part of the five-judge Supreme Court bench that decided the Ayodhya title dispute matter. The procedure of appointment of Chief justice of India: oWhile the Constitution of India does not mention any procedure for appointing the CJI, the naming of the successor relies on convention. oArticle 124 (1) of the Constitution merely says, ““there shall be a Supreme Court of India consisting of a Chief Justice of India.” It also says that every Judge of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the President. oAs per convention, the outgoing CJI recommends his successor, strictly based on seniority. oThe Union Law Minister then forwards the recommendation to the Prime Minister who, in turn, advises the President. BETI BACHAO, BETI PADHAO NOW INCLUDES SKILLING CONTEXT: The Centre has expanded the scope of its flagship outreach program ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ to include skilling. ⦿DETAILS: oThe government has decided to include skilling for girls in its Beti Bachao, Beti Padao programme and has included the following component in the scheme: ➤Ensuring a 1% annual increment in enrolment at the secondary school level ➤To raise awareness about safe menstrual hygiene ➤To promulgate the elimination of child marriages oThe scheme will now also focus on increasing the enrolment of girls in secondary education, particularly in STEM Engineering, Mathematics) subjects. oWomen have been historically under-represented in areas such as technology. (Science, Technology, Implementation: oA national (apex) committee will review the implementation of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme. oIt will be headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, formed under the larger Mission Shakti mandate, will be the apex committee Component of Skilling- Non-traditional livelihoods (NTL): oGirls will be given skill training in non-traditional vocations. oThis will potentially make them torchbearers of women-led Atmanirbhar Bharat. oIt is reasoned that skilling, empowerment, and non-traditional livelihoods are the areas where women are historically under-represented. Non-traditional livelihoods” (NTLs): It is the sectors and jobs where participation of women is and has historically been conventionally low or absent. 6 www.iasscore.in

7. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 About Beti Bachao, Beti Padao: oIt was launched in January 2015 with the aim to address sex-selective abortion and the declining child sex ratio which was 918 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011. oThis is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Ministry of Human Resource Development. oThe program is being implemented across 405 districts in the country. Main Objectives: oPrevention of gender-biased sex-selective elimination. oEnsuring the survival & protection of the girl child. oEnsuring education and participation of the girl child. oProtecting rights of Girl children. RTI PLEAS PILE UP AT INFORMATION COMMISSIONS CONTEXT: Vacant posts and inadequate members are taking a toll on the transparency regime and it is resulting in pendency in the resolution of RTI pleas. ⦿DETAILS: oAs per the latest update- ➤About 3.15 lakh complaints or appeals are pending with 26 information commissions across India. ➤The highest number of pending cases was in Maharashtra at 99,722 followed by Uttar Pradesh at 44,482. Some statistics: •More than 4.2 crore RTIs have been filed and 26 lakh second appeals are there before the commissions. •States like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu State information commissions are getting more appeals than the Central government CIC. Defunct Information Commissions: oTwo out of 29 information commissions across the country are completely defunct. oThree information commissions were found to be non-functional for varying lengths of time for the period under review. oFour of them are headless at the moment. oOnly 5% of the positions are occupied by women. oJharkhand and Tripura have been completely defunct for 29 months and 15 months respectively. oSeveral information commissions, including the Central Information Commission, are working at reduced capacity with less than the stipulated number of members being in office. Central Information Commission: oThe Central Information Commission was established by the Central Government in 2005, under the provisions of the Right to Information Act (2005). 7 www.iasscore.in

8. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 oIt is not a constitutional body. oThe Commission consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information Commissioners. oWhile inquiring, the Commission has the powers of a civil court in respect of summoning, requiring documents, etc. Right to Information (RTI) •Right to Information (RTI) means that any Indian citizen can request any information (which is supposed to be public knowledge) from the offices and departments of the state or central governments. •The RTI Act, 2005 mandates that the said offices and departments must process such requests in a timely manner. •Under this Act, access to information from a public agency has become a statutory right of every citizen. •It is a fundamental right flowing from Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution. Problem Areas: oNot Imposing penalties: Commissions did not impose penalties in 95% of the cases where penalties were potentially imposable. ➤Large Backlog of cases: The large backlog of cases has built up, resulting in a long waiting time for disposal, as governments have failed to make appointments of information commissioners in a timely manner. ➤Tardy disposal rates: In several commissions, there is a lack of transparency in their functioning which is resulting in a tardy disposal rate. ➤Vacant Posts: Out of a total of 165 posts of information commissioners, 41 are vacant, including two chief State information commissioners. ➤Women’s Representation: There are only 5% (only 8) of women information commissioners in the country. ⦿WAY FORWARD: oDoing away with casual attitude: Commissions are becoming parking lots for retired bureaucrats and the casual attitude by PIO/First Appellate Authority. oDigitization of process: The entire system needs digitization. Only 11 information commissions out of 29 provide e-filing facilities for RTI applications or appeals, but only five are functional. oDigital RTI portal: The digital RTI portal (website or mobile app) can deliver more efficient and citizen- friendly services which are not possible through conventional mode. This will be beneficial for both transparency seekers and the government. U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL, PM MODI TO LAUNCH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME CONTEXT: United Nations Secretary-General will be travelling to India to launch a special environment programme with India’s Prime Minister. 8 www.iasscore.in

9. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 ⦿DETAILS: oThe programme which is going to be launched is part of the ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ (LiFE) initiative that was announced by Mr Modi earlier this year. oThis is going to be Mr Guterres, a second visit to India during his tenure as UN Secretary-General. o“Climate chaos is knocking on everyone’sdoor”and it needs a global response. It appears promising to see Indian leadership and the UN coming together. The launch of the programme: oThe launch will be marked on Sardar Patel’s birthday on October 31 as National Unity Day. oThe launch event at Kevadia (Gujrat) will also kick off a number of other governmental plans. oFrom October 25-31, the government will launch “Unitea” marches in all 750 districts of the country to highlight health and environmental issues as well. oThe launch will be attended by hundreds of officials, and over a hundred diplomats and heads of Indian missions worldwide. About Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) Movement: oThe idea of LiFE promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle that focuses on ‘mindful and deliberate utilization’instead of ‘mindless and wasteful consumption. oThe idea of LiFE was introduced by the Prime Minister during the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021. Aim of the LiFE movement: oThe LiFE Movement aims to bring positive change in the environment through collective action. oIt aims to persuade individuals across the world to undertake simple climate-friendly actions in their daily lives or adoption of environment-conscious lifestyle. oIt also seeks to make the best use of social networks to influence social norms surrounding climate. P3 in LiFE movement: oThe Mission plans to create and nurture a global network of individuals, namely ‘Pro-Planet People’ (P3). oP3 will have a shared commitment to adopt and promote environmentally friendly lifestyles. Most important objective of LiFE: oThe Mission envisions replacing the prevalent ‘use-and-dispose’economy with a circular economy. oThe ‘Use and dispose’economy is governed by mindless and destructive consumption whereas the circular economy is defined by mindful and deliberate utilization. ********** 9 www.iasscore.in

10. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 EDITORIAL SOLUTIONS BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE CONTEXT: Policy-making has to become more inclusive and less dominated by the powerful and the wealthy, while a paradigm shift is needed in problem-solving at global and national levels. ⦿NEED FOR A SHIFT: oHealth of Planet: In pursuit of GDP, the Club of Rome gave a wake-up call in 1972, by introducing the health of the planet into calculations of profit and growth. oThatcher-Reagan-Chicago” model of neoliberalism: It marks a transition from welfarist to monetarist. In a way, it wants governments out of the way to let private entrepreneurs loose. oUnfair Global Financial System: Global financial system protects the interests of large corporations. Now the demand to include the needs of ‘People’ in economic policy is becoming louder. ⦿OUT-OF-BOX ECONOMICS: oFive systemic solutions: Ending poverty; addressing gross inequality; empowering women; making food systems healthy for people and ecosystems, and transitioning to clean energy. oPath of ‘Big-Leap’:This model can prevent the catastrophe of environmental and societal collapse by more equitable distribution of economic wealth and social power. ⦿MISTRUST IN INSTITUTIONS: oImpact of Social tension: If social tensions increase, societies may enter a vicious cycle where declining trust causes political destabilization, economies stagnate, and well-being declines. oDisillusionment with democratic institutions: Authoritarian governments are coming to power and are often supported by citizens because democratic govt. is unable to find a fair solution. ⦿QUESTION Policy making needs to be more inclusive and less dominated by the club of resourcefuls’ to avoid environmental and societal collapse. Discuss. www.iasscore.in 10