Press Information Bureau (PIB Analysis For UPSC)

Table of Contents

Cultural Ministry

India’s Kumbh Mela has been recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
In a tweet, it said, Kumbh Mela was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at its 12th session in South Korea.
Responding to this, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma termed it a very proud moment.
In a tweet, the minister said, Kumbh Mela is considered to be the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth, attended by millions irrespective of caste, creed or gender.

Finance Ministry

The Government has said, Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance, FRDI Bill is far more depositor friendly than many other jurisdictions, which provide for statutory bail-in, where consent of creditors or depositors is not required for bail-in.
Ministry of Finance said, the Bill does not propose in any way to limit the scope of powers for the Government to extend financing and resolution support to banks, including Public Sector Banks.
It said, Government’s implicit guarantee for Public Sector Banks remains unaffected.
The Ministry said, certain misgivings have been expressed in the media regarding bail-in provisions of the FRDI Bill.
It said, the provisions contained in the FRDI Bill, do not modify present protections to the depositors adversely at all.

Ministry of Water Resources

Captains of Indian trade and industry have committed a support of nearly Rs 500 crores for the development of amenities like ghats, river fronts, crematoria and parks at various places along River Ganga as part of the Namami Gange Mission.
Nitin Gadkari interacted with business leaders in Mumbai today, and appealed to them to participate in the mission to clean Ganga.
Cleaning the Ganga should become a peoples movement.
He also said that strict laws will be brought in to check pollution of the river. *‘Namami Gange’ programme for rejuvenation of the river Ganga and its tributaries, which has been divided into three levels.

The short term activities for immediate visible impact include river surface cleaning and modernization of ghats and crematoria .
The medium term activities to be implemented within five years include municipal sewage management ,biodiversity conservation, afforestation, Ganga gram, industrial effluent management , water quality monitoring and rural sanitation.
Long term activities to be implemented within ten years include adequate flow of water, improved efficiency of surface irrigation and increased water use efficiency.

The task of rejuvenating river Ganga, associated with 43% of the country’s population and its critical religious, spiritual, cultural and historical significance, assumes a gigantic proportion and cannot be achieved by governmental efforts alone.
Naval Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba has written to defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, requesting the government to withdraw the cap of Rs10,000 that was imposed following the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission report.
Previously, the children of soldiers killed in action, missing, or disabled were given a full reimbursement of tuition fees, hostel charges, and the cost of books, uniforms and clothing.
The perk was introduced after the armed forces won the 1971 war which led to the creation of Bangladesh.
From July 1, a cap has been imposed, which will affect 3,400-odd children of the armed forces.
Mr Lanba isn’t the only high-ranking soldier voicing concern.
Army vice-chief Lieutenant General Sarath Chand has also sought the removal of this ceiling.
Even outside the armed forces, concerned individuals have pitched in to express solidarity with the families of martyrs.
More than 10,000 armed forces personnel died in India between 1994 and 2017, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal.
Jawans across the country face threats at many levels.
Apart from action on the nation’s frontiers, counter-insurgency operations across states hit by separatist movements and social unrest often leave a soldier’s family without a breadwinner.
When an unknown jawan dies in action, donations flood in, memorials are planned, and fundraisers held to commemorate the martyr’s bravery.
But soon the nation moves on, leaving loved ones to fight life’s everyday battles.
Which is why putting a ceiling on the education expenses of the children of soldiers who are missing, disabled, or killed in action is unfair.
The gesture will boost the morale of the armed forces.
A gesture to convey the country’s gratitude and support towards the children and widows of soldiers killed in the war may cost the exchequer a few crores, but discontinuing it sends out a wrong and demoralising message.
The ministry should seriously consider the naval chief’s appeal.