Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

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India dismisses Sikh group’s threat

News

• India has dismissed a warning from a U.K. Sikh group, that it would encourage diaspora gurdwaras to ban Indian officials from visiting them.

Beyond News

• Terming the statement a ‘knee jerk reaction’, officials said it reflected the group’s fears of the strengthening relation between Indian authorities and Sikh diaspora globally.
• Deputy High Commissioner said to London Dinesh Patnaik after the group Sikh Federation (U.K.) accused Indian authorities of interfering in Sikh institutions and affairs and proposed a “worldwide ban” on Indian government officials from visiting gurdwaras in the diaspora.

Latest Problem

• The latest tactic by the Indian authorities of targeting Sikhs from the diaspora when they visit the Sikh homeland as demonstrated by the case of British citizen Jagtar Singh Johal has broken the camel’s back.
• The group has been running a campaign over the arrest of Mr. Johal, who was detained in Jalandhar last year, and is accused of involvement in “targeted killings” in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Khanna.
• The group has accused Indian authorities of torture and has been lobbying Members of Parliament to put pressure on the British government and Indian authorities.
• Patnaik said the High Commission was confident that the organisation’s position did not reflect that of the vast majority of Sikhs in Britain who were positive about the strengthening links between the community and Indian authorities.

U.S. move against Pakistan ‘welcome first step’: India

News

• New Delhi and Washington have been in close touch over the decision, and Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar met with U.S. Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster , hours after the U.S. administration announced that it would suspend all its security assistance to Pakistan unless it acts against terror groups targeting Afghanistan, as a part of its “South Asia strategy.”

Beyond News

• India had issued statements welcoming the U.S.’s South Asia strategy announced by President Donald Trump in August, and its new National Security Strategy issued in December, both of which called on Pakistan to take action against terror safe havens that target U.S. troops in Afghanistan, or face consequences.

The MEA’s decision not to issue any statement on Friday, however, was attributed to several reasons.

• Firstly, the U.S. announcement did not come as a surprise, as it came three months after the Trump administration notified the U.S. Congress that it would not disburse the 2016 tranche of its Foreign Military Funding (FMF) of $255 million.
• Secondly, while officials hailed the move, it doesn’t at present include any specific words for groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad that target India. As a result, it is understood India would rather not speak about what is essentially a bilateral action between U.S. and Pakistan, even as it strengthens its own counter-terrorism cooperation with the US. Last month’s India-U.S. counter terrorism designations dialogue was one such new effort.
• Finally, experts say there is some scepticism about whether the U.S. action will effect the desired reaction from Pakistan, if it relates only to the military funding of about $255 million in (FMF) and possible $900 more in Coalition Support Funding (CSF), without further action.

Tamil Nadu leads the nation in higher education enrolment

News

• Tamil Nadu has emerged as the leader in the country in terms of Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education.

Beyond News

• The All India Survey on Higher Education report (2106-2017), released by Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar , saw the State lead with a GER of 46.9%.
• Among Union Territories, Chandigarh recorded 56.1%.
• Tamil Nadu has also done very well in terms of male and female GER figures, as also the GER figures for the Scheduled Castes.
• GER for higher education is calculated with reference to the age group 18-23.
• It is the total enrolment in higher education, irrespective of age, expressed as a percentage to the eligible official population (18-23 years) in a given school year.

Bring SC, ST residential schools under CCTV surveillance: OHRC

News

• Amid reports of recurring sexual assaults on minor girls in government-run residential schools for children belonging to tribal and weaker sections, the Odisha Human Rights Commission has directed the State government to bring all such school premises under the surveillance of closed-circuit television cameras.

Beyond News

• The commission recommends that the premises of residential schools be fitted with CCTV cameras.
• The school and hostel premises must be well lit and proper hygiene maintained.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Channels with Pakistan open to counter terrorism

News:

• The Ministry of External Affairs told the Parliamentary standing committee on External Affairs that,the government is in regular contact with Pakistan, but any meaningful dialogue would depend on an end to terrorism and cross-border violence.

Beyond News:

• The report added that,at the same time, it has been made clear to Pakistan that a meaningful structured Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue would be possible only in an environment free from terror and violence.

Challenges

• The challenges to better ties between India and Pakistan, includes the rise in firing at the LoC and International Border, infiltration, and support to terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen.

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