Daily Current Affairs 30 December 2023 – IAS Current Affairs

Current Affairs 30 December 2023 focuses on the Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :

United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA)

Source: Hindustan Times
GS III: Internal Security

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. About United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA)

Why in the News?

The memorandum of settlement signed between the Union and Assam governments and the pro-talks faction of the ULFA

• The deal came 43 years after the ULFA was formed.
• It is a “historic” step that would bring lasting peace to the north-east.

News in Brief

• ULFA will submit a list of its cadres and vacate its designated camps within a week.
• It will hand over all arms and disband the organisation within a month.
• Assam will get a special ₹5,000 crore special development package for five years.

Settlement Agreement

• The settlement document includes several sections like political demands, the issue of illegal immigration, protection of land, forest, culture and heritage of the state.
• It lists 87 projects, valued at around ₹1.5 lakh crores, which will be implemented by the Centre and Assam government.
• A special development package of ₹5000 crores will be provided over five years out of which ₹3,000 crore will be provided by the Government of India and ₹2000 crores by the Government of Assam for various developmental initiatives in the state.
• ₹10 lakhs each to family members of 31 ULFA cadres who have been missing for over two decades.
• The territorial integrity of Assam will be maintained but boundary disputes of the state with neighbouring states will be amicably resolved.

In addition to having boundary conflicts with Mizoram and Nagaland, Assam has negotiated border agreements with Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh within the last two years.

About United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA)

• The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) is a separatist militant group operating in the northeastern Indian state of Assam.
• The organization was formed on April 7, 1979.
• It aims to establish an independent sovereign state for the Assamese people.
• The proposed state referred to as “Asom,”
• It would be independent of the Indian Union.

Its Prominence

• The movement gained prominence in the 1980s and 1990s.
• It was marked by a series of violent activities, including bombings, assassinations, and attacks on security forces.
• ULFA was known for its demands for the protection of the rights and interests of the indigenous Assamese population.
• The group accused the Indian government of exploiting the region’s resources while neglecting the welfare of the local people.

Countermeasure by Union Government and impact

• Over the years, the Indian government has taken various measures to counter the insurgency in Assam.
• The measures include deploying security forces and engaging in dialogue with militant groups.
• ULFA itself has gone through internal divisions and changes in leadership.
• Some factions have engaged in peace talks with the government, while others continue to pursue separatist activities.

Complex Multiple Ethnic Groups

• The situation in Assam is complex, with multiple ethnic and cultural groups.
• The demand for autonomy or independence reflects historical and socio-political issues.
• Efforts to address these concerns have involved a combination of military, political, and developmental approaches to bring about peace and stability in the region.

How India Declares an Individual as a Terrorist?

Source: News On Air
GS III: Internal Security

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. How India Declares an Individual as a Terrorist?

Why in the News?

The Ministry of Home Affairs has declared Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa as a terrorist.

News in Brief

• The Ministry in its notification said he was affiliated with the Khalistani group Babbar Khalsa International.
• He was also involved in the planning of a rocket attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali in 2021.
• Gangster Landa and his associates have been conspiring to disrupt the peace, law, and order in the State of Punjab by carrying out targeted killings, extortions, and other anti-national activities in different parts of the country.

How India Declares an Individual as a Terrorist?

• Parliament passed The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2019.
• Before this amendment, only organizations could be designated as terrorist organizations.
• This amendment gives the Centre the power to notify individuals as terrorists.
• The Amendment did not clarify who could be notified as terrorists, or the procedure for their detainment.
• Individuals as designated terrorists under the provisions of the UAPA Act 1967 (as amended in 2019) and included their names in the Fourth Schedule of the said Act.

Section 35, Amendment of Schedule

The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette add an organisation to the First Schedule or the name of an individual in the Fourth Schedule

Terrorist Act in UAPA

Whoever does any act with intent to threaten or likely to threaten the unity, integrity, security, economic security, or sovereignty of India or with intent to strike terror or likely to strike terror in the people or any section of the people in India or any foreign country commits a terrorist act: 

• By using bombs, dynamite or other explosive substances or inflammable substances or firearms or other lethal weapons or poisonous or noxious gases or other chemicals or by any other substances causes injury
  • Death of, or injuries to, any person or persons
  • Loss of, or damage to, or destruction of, property
  • Disruption of any supplies or services essential to the life of the community in India or in any foreign country
  • Damage to, the monetary stability of India by way of production or smuggling or circulation of high quality counterfeit Indian paper currency, coin or of any other material
  • Damage or destruction of any property in India or in a foreign country used or intended to be used for the defence of India or in connection with any other purposes of the Government of India, any State Government or any of their agencies
• Overawes by means of criminal force or the show of criminal force or attempts to do so or causes the death of any public functionary or attempts to cause the death of any public functionary
• Detains, kidnaps or abducts any person and threatens to kill or injure such person or does any other act in order to compel the Government of India, any State Government or the Government of a foreign country or 6 [an international or inter-governmental organisation or any other person to do or abstain from doing any act

Petitions against the act

• Two petitions were filed in the Supreme Court challenging this amendment claiming a violation of fundamental rights to equality, free speech and life.
• Sajal Awasthi v Union of India, argues that the UAPA Amendment allows the Centre to circumvent due process.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan)

Source: Indian Express
GS II:  Government policies and interventions for development of various sectors and issues arising out of them etc

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan)

• The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) is a 100 per cent centrally funded scheme under which Rs 6,000 is transferred in three equal instalments to eligible farmer families in a year.
• It was implemented from December 1, 2018, when the first installment for December-March, 2018-19 was released.

How the Scheme Works

• The money is transferred to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.
• According to scheme guidelines, state governments are required to send correct and verified data of farmers, which State Nodal Officers (SNOs) authenticate and upload to the scheme portal in batches.
• Based on the verified data, SNOs sign the Request For Transfer (RFT), with the total number of beneficiaries.
• The Public Finance Management System (PFMS) then issues a Fund Transfer Order (FTO) based on which the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare in the central Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare issues the transaction order for the mentioned amount.

The Editorial Gist

• The government is intensifying efforts to expand the reach of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) to approximately 8.75 crore farmers, an increase from the current 8.12 crore beneficiaries.
• The PM-Kisan program, a direct income support initiative, provides every eligible landowning farmer in India with a flat annual payment of Rs 6,000 in three equal instalments.
• The payment is regardless of the crops grown or selling practices.
• This non-market-distorting subsidy accommodates both chemical and organic farming methods.
• While the overall structure of PM-Kisan is commendable, there is room for refinements, such as transitioning from a per-farmer to a per-acre basis for income support.

Rythu Bandhu Scheme

• The Rythu Bandhu scheme in Telangana, offering farmers up to Rs 12,000 per acre per year, has been criticized for allegedly favouring wealthy farmers.
• However, larger holdings and increased crop cultivation entail higher expenditures, justifying additional support for such farmers who rely more on agricultural income.

Suggestion to Scheme

• One suggestion is to limit the Rs 6,000 annual payment under PM-Kisan to a per-acre basis, up to a specified acreage limit, to address concerns of inequality among farmers.
• To fund the shift to per-acre payments, the government could consider redirecting resources by eliminating market-distorting subsidies on farm inputs and outputs.
• For instance, the substantial fertiliser subsidy, budgeted at Rs 1,75,100 crore, could be reallocated to PM-Kisan, providing over Rs 20,000 per farmer if distributed among the projected 8.75 crore beneficiaries.
• By prioritizing political will over financial constraints, the government elected after the 2024 elections can navigate this challenge and enhance the effectiveness of income support for farmers.

Prelims

Grey Francolin

News: Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Mumbai’s verdant urban oasis, recently recorded the presence of the Grey Francolin (Ortygornis pondicerianus).

• Previously called Grey Partridge, it is found in plains and drier parts of the Indian subcontinent and Iran.
• Known locally as ‘teetar’.
• Medium-sized; males average 11.6–13.4 inches, females 10.2–11.9 inches.
• Barred colouration with a pale face and black-bordered throat.
• Males may have up to two spurs on legs; females usually lack them​​​​.
• Inhabits open plains, scrub and open country, cultivated lands.
• Found below 500 m altitude in India and 1200 m in Pakistan.
• Distribution from south of the Himalayas to Indus Valley and Bengal.
• Introduced in Andaman, Chagos Islands, Nevada (USA), and Hawaii​​​​.

Sohagi Barwa Wildlife Sanctuary

News: Uttar Pradesh to conduct an archaeological excavation in the Sohagibarwa Wildlife Sanctuary.

• Location: Situated within Maharajganj district borders the international Indo-Nepal border to the North and the interstate U.P. – Bihar border to the East.
• Sanctuary was formed from the northern part of the Old Gorakhpur Forest Division in 1987.
• Home to a diverse range of animals including Tigers, Leopards, Jungle Cats, Small Indian Civets, Langurs, Deer, Blue Bulls, Wild Boars, and Porcupines.

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