TNPSC Current Affairs November 12, 2020

Topic: General Administration

Indian Navy launches fifth Scorpene Submarine “Vagir”

The Indian Navy launched the fifth Scorpene submarine “Vagir” at Mazagon Dock of south Mumbai. The submarine is capable of taking missions such as anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, mine laying, intelligence gathering and area surveillance.

Key facts:

Vagir is a part of six Kalvari class submarine that is being built in India. These submarines were designed by French Navy and an energy company DCNS. The six submarines were built under Project-75 of Indian Navy.

About Vagir: Vagir has been named after Sand Fish. It is a deep-sea predator in the Indian Ocean. The first Vagir was commissioned in 1973. The first Vagir submarine was from Russia.

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Topic: Political Systems in India, General Administration, Profile of States

Sarna Code Resolution passed in Jharkhand Assembly

The Jharkhand General Assembly passed a resolution demanding a separate ‘Sarna Code’ for Tribals. The proposal was tabled by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The resolution was passed unanimously with voice vote. The Resolution seeks a separate column for followers of Sarna religion in Census 2021.

How is it related to Census 2021?

The resolution will seek a special column for the followers of Sarna religion in Census 2021. The Sarna religion followers are worshippers of nature. They do not consider themselves as Hindus. They have been fighting for a separate religious identity for decades. Currently, Sarna is not classified as a separate religion.

Schedule V:

In the last eight decades, the tribal population in Jharkhand has come down from 38.03% to 26.02%. The decline in tribal population has impact on policies framed to benefit the tribal communities and also on constitutional provisions.

In 2019, there were demands to denotify Schedule V areas where the population of the tribal has come down. The Sarna Code passed in the Assembly will address this problem.

Concerns:

The Sarna religion is completely based on naturalistic worshipping. The major problem is that the term Sarna is not common to all the adherers of naturalistic religions worshipping forests, mountains and rivers.

Claims by Sarna Tribes:

There was separate Sarna Code between 1871 and 1951. However, it was removed in 1961 due to conspiracy. Also, in 2011 the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes recommended to add Sarna Code in the Census. However, this recommendation was not implemented.

Schedule V of Constitution of India:

The Schedule V of Constitution of India deals with control and administration of Scheduled Areas and scheduled Tribes residing in states other than Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram and Tripura. In Scheduled areas the central government plays a direct role in safeguarding the economic and cultural interests of scheduled tribes.

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Topic: Eminent Persons in News

World’s Longest Serving Bahrain PM Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa passed away

World’s longest serving Prime Minister Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Bahrain PM, died on November 11. He was 84. He died at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in the United States. He became the Prime Minister of Bahrain on 19 January 1970 but took office on 5 August 1971 after the country’s independence.

Serving 50 years and 11 months in office he was the world’s longest serving prime minister in history at the time of his death.

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Topic: Awards and Honours

JCB Prize for Literature

The book titled ‘Moustache’ written by the Malayalam writer, S. Hareesh won this prize. It is an Indian literary award established in 2018.

It is funded by the English construction manufacturing group JCB. It has been called “India’s most valuable literature prize”.