Table of Contents
Special Topic: A way to control mob violence
• Instead of facing up to mob violence state governments generally try to mollify them.
• Mob leadership leads not to jail but political prominence and ascendance.
• Violence becomes a form of political clout, not of crime.
• This naturally encourages further criminal violence.
• Agitation leaders often claim to swear by peaceful methods only.
• Mahatma Gandhi led a non-violent agitation in 1922 that degenerated into violence at Chauri Chaura, where a mob burned a police station.
• Gandhiji immediately took responsibility, called off the agitation, and asked the judge in his case to impose a severe penalty on him for committing a “Himalayan blunder” in believing the agitation would be peaceful.
• Will the leaders of the agitation ever take responsibility for violence as Gandhiji did?
• Will they call off their agitations if these turn violent?
• Will they ask for jail sentences, for themselves or their followers?
• Non-violence may have succeeded under the British Raj, nothing succeeds like violence in independent India.
• The mob has numbers, numbers matter in elections, so democracy accommodates mobocracy.
• Buildings and vehicles are routinely set on fire in many agitations.
• All economic activity comes to a halt, causing losses of crores of rupees to livelihoods and production.
• It can reasonably be argued that economic shutdown in a peaceful agitation is a price worth paying in a democracy.
• The same cannot be said of destruction of private and public property.
• Surely the cost of such destruction should be borne by the organisers of such demonstrations.
• Today, violent agitations pay handsome dividends politically. Instead they should be made expensive in terms of fines and jail sentences.
• Modern technology, CCTV cameras and smartphones provide hundreds of images of mob violence and its perpetrators. With face recognition technology improving rapidly, the ability to identify vandals precisely has also improved hugely.
• In Bihar, DIG Abhayanand devised ways to fast-track cases under the
Arms Act, get convictions within two weeks, and this crushed gangsterism in Nitish Kumar’s first term.
• Normal police procedure focused on long written interrogations of dozens to hundreds of witnesses in a mob crime. Many such witnesses disappeared without a trace, or turned hostile under pressure from, the accused. Lawyers took years to examine and cross-examine
witnesses.
• Instead, said Abhayanand, the police should shift to high-tech forensic
evidence that is quickly obtained, and cannot disappear or turn hostile.
• All police forces must be trained in high-tech forensic methods to catch criminals, instead of torturing them to extract confessions (as is the case today).
• This can lead to quick trials and convictions.
• More important, it will encourage peaceful agitations and politicians, and discourage violent ones.
PMO
• India and Uganda signed four MoUs in the areas of defence cooperation, visa exemption for official and diplomatic passport holders, cultural exchange programme and material testing
laboratory.
• The agreements were inked following delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Kampala this evening.
• The two leaders comprehensively reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations. India also announced two Lines of Credit worth nearly 200 million US dollars to Uganda in energy, infrastructure, agriculture and dairy sectors.
• In a joint press briefing with the Ugandan President, Mr Modi said, India will also give ambulances and cancer therapy machine to Uganda.
• The Prime Minister reached Ugandan capital, Kampala this afternoon on the second leg of his three-African nations tour after concluding his Rwanda visit. Mr Modi was accorded a ceremonial reception at the State House.
• The Prime Minister will also deliver the keynote address at the Ugandan Parliament. He will also interact with members of the Indian community.
• During his Rwanda visit, the Prime Minister today attended the IndiaRwanda Business forum in Kigali.
Ministry of Defence
• An Indian Air Force contingent comprising of four Su-30 MKI, 01 X C130 and 01 X C-17 aircraft, landed at Darwin Air Force Base, Australia today.
• This is the first time that an IAF contingent is participating in a multinational air exercise in Australia with Royal Australian Air Force.
• This exercise involves over 100 aircraft from around the globe and will provide a unique opportunity to the air-warriors to operate in a dynamic warlike environment.
• Air Forces of both the countries have participated in the Second World War.
• IAF will once again showcase it’s capability to be an effective net security provider in the region.
Ministry of Tourism
• Ministry of Tourism has identified 17 sites in 12 clusters in the country for development under Iconic Tourist Sites Development Project, pursuant to Budget Announcements of 2018-19.
• Following are the 17 sites: Uttar Pradesh- TajMahal & FatehpurSikri; Maharashtra- Ajanta & Ellora; Delhi- Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort & QutubMinar; Goa- Colva beach; Rajasthan- Amer Fort; GujaratSomnath & Dholavira; Madhya Pradesh- Khajuraho; Karnataka- Hampi;
Tamil Nadu- Mahabalipuram; Assam- Kaziranga; Kerala- Kumarakom; Bihar- Mahabodhi.
• The Ministry shall be developing the above sites in a holistic manner with focus on issues concerning connectivity to the destination, better facilities/experience for the tourists at the site, skill development, involvement of local community, promotion & branding and by
bringing in private investment.
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana
• PMGSY has proved to be boon for the rural people.
• The PMGSY was launched by the Centre to provide connectivity to
unconnected habitations as part of a poverty reduction strategy.
• Over 19 thousand kilometres of rural roads have been constructed in Assam
since 2006.
• The state has been able to connect 312 rural habitations by constructing
1509 km length of road under PMGSY during 2017-18.
• Generally road construction works are disrupted in monsoon session in the
state due to floods.
• Despite the hardship, the Assam government is likely to construct 8000 km
roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in the next one year.
Minister for Personnel and Public Grievances
• The Parliament has passed the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2018 after Lok Sabha passed it this evening.
• Replying to a debate on the Bill, Minister for Personnel and Public Grievances Dr Jitendra Singh said, as a responsible elected
Government, the NDA Government has taken many steps to curb evils like corruption.
• He said, the Bill reflects that there should be zero tolerance towards corruption and there should be no harassment to honest public servants. Terming the legislation as historic, Dr Singh said, corruption all over the world is perpetual but the Government will continue its
fight against corruption.
• On 19th of this month, the Rajya Sabha had passed the Prevention of Corruption Amendment Bill
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