BENEVOLENT IAS ACADEMY #25, Sri Nagar, Hope College, Peelamedu (PO), Coimbatore – 641 004. Phone: +91422-4521607, Cell: +91-9787731607/ 9787701067. Web: www.benevolentacademy.com, E-Mail: [email protected] Dated 03.08.2021 TODAY’S IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS UPSC-IAS|IPS|IFS (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) IN NEWS: HALAM SUB-TRIBES CLASHES EXAM POINT OF VIEW – GS (2) – Government Policies & Interventions What is the present fact? People of Halam sub-tribes, who took refuge in Assam following clashes with Bru refugees in north Tripura, are returning to their village Damcherra in North district of Tripura. Why such clashes? The Brus came to Tripura in 1997 to escape an ethnic clash in Mizoram and started staying at six relief camps in the North District. Let we discuss about Halam Sub-tribes shortly, Ethnically, Halam communities (categorised as a scheduled tribe in Tripura) belong to the Kuki- Chin tribes of Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group. Their language is also more or less similar to that of the Tibeto-Burman family. BENEVOLENT IAS ACADEMY, COIMBATORE (DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS) Halams are also known as Mila Kuki, though they are not at all Kukis in terms of language, culture and living style. Halams are divided into several sub-clans which are referred to as “Barki-Halam”. The Halam community are various tribes native to the state of Tripura and Assam, Mizoram in India. The Halam are further divided into 12 sub-tribes, namely Chorei, Molsom, Hrangkhol, Kaipeng, Kalai, Ranglong, Sakachep, Thangachep,Marachepang/Morsephang Saimâr, Bongcher, Korbwng, Dab and Rupini. As per 2011 Census, their total population is 57,210 and distributed throughout the State. How many tribes are in Tripura? Tripura has rich cultural heritage of 19 different tribal communities. These communities are - Tripura/Tripuri, Riang, Jamatia, Noatia, Uchai, Chakma, Mog, Lushai, Kuki, Halam, Munda, Kaur, Orang, Santal, Bhil, Bhutia, Chaimal, Garo, Khasia, and Lepcha. Let we discuss also abut Bru or Reang refugee by shortly, Bru or Reang is a community indigenous to Northeast India, living mostly in Tripura, Mizoram and Assam. In Tripura, they are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group. In Mizoram, they have been targeted by groups that do not consider them indigenous to the state. In 1997, following ethnic clashes, nearly 37,000 Brus fled Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts of Mizoram and were accommodated in relief camps in Tripura. Damcherra is Tripura’s last village before the inter-state boundary with Mizoram. Since then, 5,000 have returned to Mizoram in eight phases of repatriation, while 32,000 still live in six relief camps in North Tripura. What is Bru - Reang issue? In 1997, 37,000 people of the Bru (or Reang) tribe fled to Tripura from Mizoram, on account of ethnic clashes there. Since then, 5,000 have returned to Mizoram while 32,000 remain in camps in Tripura. What about Government Polices and Interventions? Let we discuss, In June 2018, community leaders from the Bru camps signed an agreement with the Centre and the two state governments, providing for repatriation in Mizoram. But most camp residents rejected the terms of the agreement. In January 2020, the Centre, the governments of Mizoram and Tripura and leaders of Bru organisations signed a quadripartite agreement. Under the pact, the Home Ministry has committed to incur the whole expenditure of settlement in Tripura. A package was assured in the accord that each refugee family would get: A plot, fixed deposit of Rs. 4 lakh, free ration and a monthly stipend of Rs. 5,000 for two years. In addition, each family will also be provided Rs. 1.5 lakh to construct a house. BENEVOLENT IAS ACADEMY, COIMBATORE (DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS) TODAY’S IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS TNPSC || SSC || RRB ||BANK 1) Mixing AstraZeneca with mRNA vaccines offers a ‘good protection’: Danish study Denmark’s State Serum Institute on August 2, 2021, said that combining the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine with the second dose of mRNA vaccines either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccines offers a ‘good protection’. 2) One side of Kerala’s first twin road tunnel, the Kuthiran tunnel on the Thrissur- Palakkad highway, was opened for traffic on July 31, 2021. 3) A ‘Samajik Adhikarita Shivir’ for distribution of aids and helpful devices to ‘Divyangjan’ beneath the ADIP theme and to Senior voters beneath the ‘Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana’ was unionized by the Ministry of Social Justice and authorisation, Government of India. Objective: To help the impoverished disabled persons in procuring sturdy, refined and scientifically factory-made, modern, customary aids and appliances which will promote their physical, social and psychological rehabilitation, by reducing the consequences of disabilities and enhancing their economic potential. 4) The Ministry of Ayush has collaborated with the U.K.’s London faculty of Hygiene and medical speciality (LSHTM) to conduct a study on ‘Ashwagandha’ for promoting recovery from COVID-19. 5) India assumed the presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on August 1, 2021. India took over the rotational presidency of the 15-nation UNSC from France. India will be focusing mainly on maritime security, peacekeeping and counterterrorism during its presidency of the powerful 15-nation UN security body 6) Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, Chairman of the Pune-based vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII), has been chosen for the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award for 2021. About the Award: The Lokmanya Tilak countrywide award is given yearly considering 1983 on August 1, the death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak, with the aid of the Lokmanya Tilak Trust. However, this year the date has been modified due to the coronavirus situation. BENEVOLENT IAS ACADEMY, COIMBATORE (DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS) TODAY’S IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS BANKING [SBI, IBPS, RRB, RBI] SBI launches ‘SIM Binding’ feature for YONO India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a new and enhanced security feature for its YONO and YONO Lite apps, called ‘SIM Binding’, to protect customers from various digital frauds. Under the new SIM Binding feature, the YONO and YONO Lite apps will work only on those devices which have SIM of mobile numbers registered with the Bank. The main aim of the new version of the platform is to provide enhanced security to customers and help them with a convenient and safe online banking experience. Nikol Pashinyan Re-appointed as PM of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has been re-appointed as the prime minister of Armenia by President Armen Sarkissian on August 02, 2021. Pashinyan, the leader of the Civil Contract Party, won the majority of seats in parliamentary elections in June 2021. The 46-year-old Pashinyan was first appointed as the prime minister in 2018. Myanmar Military Chief appointed as interim Prime Minister The Chief of the Myanmar military, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has taken over as the interim prime minister of the country. He is also the Chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) which has been performing the duties of the government in Myanmar, after the February 01, 2021 coup, which overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party. This SAC has been reformed as the caretaker government of Myanmar in order to perform the country’s duties fast, easily and effectively. Min Aung Hlaing is also been the commander-in-chief of Defence Services of Myanmar since March 2011. Hlaing has pledged to hold elections by 2023. ISRO-NASA joint mission NISAR Satellite to be launched in 2023 The ISRO-NASA joint mission NISER (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite, aimed at making global measurement of land surface changes using advanced radar imaging, is proposed to be launched in early 2023. It is a dual-band (L-band and S-band) radar imaging mission with the capability of full polarimetric and interferometric modes of operation to observe minor changes in land, vegetation and cryosphere. NASA is developing L-band SAR and associated systems while ISRO is developing S-band SAR, spacecraft bus, the launch vehicle and associated launch services. HDFC Bank launches ‘Dukandar Overdraft Scheme’ HDFC Bank announced the launch of an overdraft facility for small retailers in partnership with CSC SPV. Known as ‘Dukandar Overdraft Scheme’. The scheme by HDFC Bank is aimed at helping shopkeepers and merchants ease their cash crunch. According to the bank, retailers operating for a minimum of three years are eligible for the scheme by providing six months bank statement from any bank. HDFC Bank will approve an overdraft limit from a minimum of Rs 50,000 to a maximum of Rs 10 lakhs based on the statements. Importantly, HDFC Bank won’t seek collateral security, business financials, and income tax returns from retailers who apply for the scheme. BENEVOLENT IAS ACADEMY, COIMBATORE (DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS) Bhubaneswar becomes first Indian city to vaccinate 100% against COVID-19 Bhubaneswar has become the first Indian city to achieve 100 per cent COVID-19 vaccination. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) had launched a massive vaccination drive against Covid-19. This milestone is credited to the BMC running 55 centres at all times for vaccines. BMC has a record of around nine lakh people who are above 18 years of age in the city which includes around 31 thousand healthcare workers, 33 thousand front-line workers. 5 lakh 17 thousand people are in the age group of 18 to 44 years. Three lakh twenty-five thousand people are above 45 years of age. Tokyo Olympics 2020 Germany’s Alexander Zverev beats Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-1 to win the men’s singles gold at the Tokyo Olympics. He became the first German man to win singles Olympic gold. Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs outshone a field of unusual suspects to claim a shock Olympic gold in the men’s 100 metres, breaking retired Jamaican star Usain Bolt’s 13-year hold on the blue-riband event.