Daily PIB Analysis For UPSC/IAS | Free PDF Download- 19th October 2018 -

Table of Contents

Potential of Bihar

‘Bihar’ in Sanskrit/Pali word means ‘Vihara’ or abode.
Bihar used to be a confetti of Buddhist viharas in which the monks lived.
Gautama Buddha first attracted a large following of believers and monks in Bihar.
As with Christ’s early followers, adherents of the new faith were mocked and ridiculed for their belief as ‘Bihari Buddhus’.
The storied history of Bihar is an integral part of India’s glorious heritage.
The wonderful new Bihar Museum in Patna, whose galleries opened last October, makes it abundantly clear just how much of Bihar is embedded in India’s DNA.
References to Bihar regions like Magadha, Mithila and Vaishali can be found in ancient texts and epics.
Magadha was a renowned centre of power, learning and culture for a millennium under the Maurya and Gupta empires.
The former included Ashoka the Great; the latter was a golden age for Indian science, mathematics, astronomy and philosophy.
Bihar has been home to the universities of Nalanda, Odantapura and Vikramashila established in the 5th-8th centuries.
Sher Shah Suri was an early pioneer of secularism and good governance.
Pataliputra (today’s Patna) was a major global capital at the time of the Magadha empires.
The world’s first known republic was established in Vaishali by the 6th century BC.
Bihar’s key role in the freedom struggle was popularised in the movie Gandhi.
Rajendra Prasad was India’s first president and Jayaprakash Narayan carried on the freedom spirit in his opposition to Indira Gandhi’s Emergency.
With a population of over 100 million Bihar is India’s third biggest state, with obvious implications for national politics and development.
Its importance to several major Indian religions registers less frequently on the nation’s consciousness.
It encompasses sites of great significance to Hindus, Buddhists and Jains – and Takht Sri Patna Sahib for the Sikhs is just across the river on the southern bank of the holy Ganga that bifurcates the state into north and south in a way that is unique.
Buddhism has a worldwide following of over 500 million with significant numbers in southeast and east Asia.
That the Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya is well known, the Mahabodhi Temple there is a Unesco World Heritage site and large numbers of devotees and tourists flock there, whose infra-structure has been significantly upgraded (including direct international flights).
For Jains, the 12th and 24th (last) Tirthankaras, Vasupujya and Vardhamana Mahavira, were born in Bhagalpur and Vaishali, respectively.
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Sikh Guru, was born in Patna in 1666 and Guru Nanak and Guru Tegh Bahadur also visited.
In a peaceful rural setting just 5 km west of Sitamarhi lies Sita Kund, the mythological site where Sita was found in an earthen pot as Raja Janaka ploughed his fields.
The state government could vigorously market all these sites to potential tourists from India and abroad.
Of course, tourists will not flock to Bihar merely because of a sophisticated promotion campaign.
We must first address many physical, social and bureaucratic deficits.
The first requirement is assured public safety and law and order to neutralise the widespread perception that Bihar is synonymous with jungle raj.
The state should invest heavily in recruiting and training civic officials and police officers to modern international standards, if necessary by breaking from the colonial-era IPS structure.
We must build a network of modern, clean, efficient and reliable rail, road and air corridors that transport people between destinations in comfort and on time.
Patna can serve as the hub of international tourist traffic with a modern, passenger-friendly airport.
In line with the PM’s Swachh Bharat initiative, public facilities will have to be built and maintained to world class standards of cleanliness and hygiene.
Open air spitting, urination and defecation is revolting, offensive and a public health hazard.
‘Bihari bhaiyyas’ can then perform ghar wapsi with better quality work back home.

India’s neighbourhood

In Bhutan, Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) has won National Assembly elections.
According to provisional results, DNT has won 30 seats in 47 member National Assembly, the lower house of the parliament.
Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) has got the remaining 17 seats.
The polling for third parliamentary election was held yesterday.
A total 94 candidates, 47 each from DNT and DPT tried their luck in the final round of general elections.
According to the constitution of Bhutan only two parties, who get the highest votes in primary round, can participate in the final round.
DNT and DPT had got maximum votes in the primary round election held last month, while the ruling PDP came third and failed to qualify for the last round.

India’s Neighbourhood

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned today’s dastardly terrorist attack in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
In a tweet, Mr Modi said, India stands in solidarity with the brave people of Afghanistan in fighting terrorism imposed on them.
A security chief and a journalist were killed and three Americans injured in the terrorist attack which was carried out by a gunman at a high-level security meeting.
Officials said, top US commander General Scott Miller who was attending the meeting was not hurt in the shooting.
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack which comes two days before the Parliamentary elections.

Ministry of Women and Child Development

Minister Maneka Gandhi has requested the Presidents and In-charge of all recognised National and State political parties to constitute the Internal Complaints Committee as mandated under the Sexual Harassment At Work Act 2013.
Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Mrs Gandhi said, it is the prerogative of the government to ensure that women enjoy a safe working environment.

Rich India!

India’s millionaire club added 7,300 in the year through mid-2018, driving up its total number of dollar-millionaires to 3,43,000, with 1,500 of them holding wealth over $100 million each, according to a Credit Suisse report.
The number, which is estimated to grow to 5,26,000 by 2023, would have looked more impressive but for a 6% depreciation of the rupee against the dollar during the period.
At 18.6%, India has one of the highest female fractions among its billionaires; this list is dominated by Germany with 26%.
However, overall household wealth (financial and non-financial like houses) in the country rose just 2.6% year-on-year, trailing 4.6% in China as well as globally.
However, disparity in wealth accumulation remains stark in India.
“There is still considerable wealth poverty, reflected in the fact that 91% of the adult population has wealth below $10,000,” the report said.
At the other extreme, just 0.6% of adults (or 4.8 million) have a net worth over $100,000.
The country has 4,04,000 adults in the top 1% of global wealth holders, with a 0.8% share.
India’s household wealth is expected to rise by 8% a year to reach $8.8 trillion.