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November- 2018 Contents Issue-3 Seven Important Issues 1-24 Theft of Idols & Antiquities: A Systemic Problem Need of the Hour to Empower Persons with Disabilities India-Japan: Strategic Partners Ease of Doing Business-2019 & India Inland Waterways: New Highways of India Universities & Patents: Benefitting Each Other Human-Wildlife Conflict: Needs Proper Management Seven Subjective Questions with Model Answers 25-29 Seven Important National & International News 30-35 Seven Brain Boosters & Seven MCQ's Based on Them 36-45 Seven Important Facts For Prelims 46 Seven Important Schemes and Projects 47-49 Seven Practice Questions for Main Exam 50 Current Affairs : Perfect 7 SEVEN IMPORTANT ISSUES 1. THEFT OF IDOLS & ANTIQUITIES: A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM Why in News? and 18 have been restored to temples. The Chief Justice of the Madras High Around 390 idols belonging to 33 Court, Indira Banerjee, has constituted Tamil Nadu is rich feeding ground for temples remain non-traceable. The a special Division Bench of Justices R. idol thieves and smugglers because of hunt for missing idols and figurines Mahadevan and P.D. Audikesavalu to the sheer number of temples within from temples has, over the last few hear cases related to theft of ancient its borders. It is not surprising that months, turned into a bitter clash idols. Justice Mahadevan made the the State should then have a court between two arms of the government disclosure during the hearing of a case designated specifically to deal with – the Idol Wing of the Crime Branch filed by Rangarajan Narasimhan of such matters. Earlier this year, the then CID and the HR&CE Department. Srirangam, seeking a direction to the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court A couple of weeks ago, senior Idol Wing of the Crime Branch-Criminal constituted a special bench consisting staff members of the Hindu Religious Investigation Department, to probe his of Justices R. Mahadevan and P.D. and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) complaint regarding the theft of idols, Audikesavalu to hear cases relating to Department threatened to go on long doors made of exotic wood, kalasams, idol theft. leave, claiming they were fed up with sculptures, granite pavements and Introduction “action” taken against their colleagues. other treasures. They objected to the “bullying” and Over the last two years, the Madras “arm-twisting” they were being Major Concerns High Court has become the site of high subjected to and claimed they were drama in the most unlikely of ways. Smuggling India's Antiquities “being made to give confessions Binding spirited advocates, a famed implicating co-workers.” Existing measures to protect India’s industrialist, a gritty police force and rich heritage have proven to be Things came to a head in end- various other state agencies is the woefully inadequate. According September when the Idol Wing of somewhat overlooked question of the Crime Branch CID arrested M. to Global Financial Integrity, a antiquities conservation. Tasked with Kavitha, Additional Commissioner Washington-based advocacy group, the onerous mandate of investigating (Thirupani) of the HR&CE Department, illegal trade in paintings, sculptures theft of idols and antiquities, Tamil on suspicion of involvement in the and other artifacts is one of the world’s Nadu Police’s Idol Wing has been misappropriation of funds and gold most lucrative criminal enterprises, engaged in a tense confrontation collected towards making two new estimated at $6 billion a year. And with the State’s Hindu Religious and idols at the Sri Ekambareswar Temple India, with its redoubtable cultural Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) in Kancheepuram. At least one heritage, bureaucratic apathy and Department, a body charged with, former commissioner, an additional tardy implementation of antiquities among other things, the upkeep and commissioner, a couple of executive protection laws, offers pilferers fertile safety of a vast collection of invaluable officers and a senior sthapathi, who ground to plunder the past and spirit temple artefacts. is a Padma Shri awardee, have been away booty worth billions for sale in From 1920 to 2017, a total of 2,145 arrested and are out on conditional the international bazaar. icons and 478 idols have gone missing bail. Additional commissioner (general) This exploitation continues from 803 temples. These numbers and a leading industrialist have recently unabated despite the existence of the are based on complaints preferred by obtained anticipatory bail in matters Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 temple officials to the police. Of this pertaining to thirupani (works) carried whose aim is to protect “antiquities,” only around 60 have been recovered, out in temples at various points of time. an omnibus term that includes, among November 2018 A Issue-3 1 Current Affairs : Perfect 7 other items, sculptures in stone, antiquities had eventually emerged at objects catalogued in public collections shrines, terracotta, metals, jewelry, sales conducted by prominent auction of museums or universities, there are ivory, paintings in paper, wood, cloth, houses abroad. still artefacts yet to be registered or skin and manuscripts over a hundred The ASI had never participated documented. And the problem of non- years old. Indian antiquities also or collected information on Indian coordination and lack of information regularly feature in scams involving the antiquities put on sale at well known highlighted by the Madras High Court world’s two largest auction houses – international auction houses viz. still looms large. One easily identifiable Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Employees of Sotheby’s, Christie’s, etc. as there example is that of the quantities of these organizations have been known was no explicit provision in the AAT registered antiquities that have found to work in connivance with Indian (Antiquities and Art Treasures) Act, their way into the NMMA’s Register. smugglers in the past to peddle stolen 1972, for doing so. Several antiquities While the Ministry of Culture’s artifacts at auctions. Even websites of national importance being sold and annual report for 2017-18 states that like eBay claim to be selling Indian displayed abroad. a mammoth 15.2 lakh registered antiquities. antiquities have been documented Despite the fact that the 1970 through the NMMA, the Register only According to the National Mission UNESCO convention set down a clear provides information for about 4.7 lakh for Monument and Antiquities framework for source countries to get of these. (NMMA), there are approximately their stolen heritage back. Between The NMMA fortunately does 7 million antiquities in India. But 1976 and 2001, the CAG found, only have a mandate to cultivate public by March this year, only 1.3 million 19 antiquities had been brought back engagement and awareness for the had been documented. Since 1987, to India by the ASI. And after 2001, protection of India’s cultural heritage. different governments have been not a single case had been cracked. In Its progress towards that realisation trying to amend the flawed legislation. Tamil Nadu, for instance, 1,200 idols seems slower than planned and much Unfortunately, after two committees were stolen between 1992 and 2017, remains to be completed. In the and several consultations, the law according to an audit by the Hindu meanwhile, citizen-led initiatives and still remains unmodified, entirely out religious and charitable endowments timely judicial interventions are making (HR&CE) department that administers of sync with the current needs for up for what already ought to be higher the state’s many temples. But despite heritage protection in the country or on the list of national priorities. the changed dynamic of the Indian art mounting pressure from the Madras market. high court to address idol theft, few Archaeological Survey of India Heritage continues to be the have been found. In fact, the state’s idol The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) least priority for most governments. wing is engaged in a fierce battle with was established in 1861. It is an attached the HR&CE, which has taken much of office of the Ministry of Culture. ASI is Museums and the ASI remain gravely engaged in the protection, preservation short-staffed with an inadequate the focus away from the actual process and conservation of all the centrally number of licensing and registering of finding and bringing back stolen art. protected monuments of national officers. Worse, a combination of NMMA was established in 2007 importance and excavations of historical sites in the country in terms of the Ancient bureaucratic paperwork and staff under the aegis of the National Mission Monuments and Archaeological Sites and crunch scupper the implementation on Monuments and Antiquities (now Remains Act, 1958. ASI is also administering of the Act. A committee has also been under the administration of the ASI), the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 set up to review museum security the Register is a publicly accessible and Indian Treasure Trove Act, 1878. requirements for a comprehensive repository of documented and The Antiquities Act also mandates that registered Indian antiquities. There is owners of such art pieces register them security policy. with the Archaeological Survey of India also the India Pride Project, a volunteer- (ASI), the nodal agency responsible for A Systemic Problem network of private individuals archaeological excavations, conservation A 2013 report by the comptroller and interested in protecting Indian of monuments and protection of heritage antiquities that has been instrumental sites. The law also prohibits export of auditor general of India (CAG) raised antiquities while permitting their sale concerns over the trend. It revealed in the repatriation of several works within the country only under a license. that "security lapses" had led to the of incalculable archaeological and Failure to comply with these rules can result theft or loss of 37 art objects from site aesthetic value. in jail sentences of up to three years, a fine, or both.