Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid tributes to Veer Savarkar on his Jayanti on May 28.

About Veer Savarkar -

Ø  He was commonly known as Veer Savarkar (!brave” in his native Marathi language)

Ø  An Indian independence activist, politician, lawyer, writer, and the formulator of the Hindutva philosophy

Ø  He championed atheism and rationality and also disapproved orthodox Hindu belief. In fact, he even dismissed cow worship as superstitious.

Ø  Savarkar was a radical and his Hindutva too was a radical break in the Hindu thought: anticaste, reformist, modernist and futuristic. It was a modern Hindu response to the modern world Organised a youth group named "Mitra Mela#.

Ø  In London, Veer Savarkar inspired his fellow Indian students and formed an organisation "Free India Society# to fight against Britishers for freedom.

Ø  He was against foreign goods and propagated the idea of Swadeshi. In 1905, he burnt all the foreign goods in a bonfire on Dussehra.

Ø  Provided legal defence to Madan Lal Dhingra, who was accused in a murder case of a British Indian army officer named Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie.

Ø  Veer Savarkar also founded the two-nation theory in his book "Hindutva# calling Hindus and Muslims two separate nations. In 1937, Hindu Mahasabha passed it as a resolution. In 1937, he also became the president of "Hindu Mahasabha#.

Ø  A fierce critic of the Indian National Congress (INC) and Mahatma Gandhi; opposed the "Quit India Movement# and later objected to INC#s acceptance of Indian partition. He proposed the co-existence of two nations in one country.

Ø  Savarkar wrote a book titled !The History of the War of Indian Independence”- wrote about the guerrilla warfare tricks used in 1857 Sepoy Mutiny. He called the 1857 revolt as the ‘first war of independence’ of India.

Ø  While the book was banned by Britishers, Madama Bhikaji Cama published the book in Netherlands, Germany and France, which eventually reached many Indian revolutionaries.

Ø  Savarkar was arrested in 1909 on charges of plotting an armed revolt against the Morle-Minto reform. He also tried to escape by diving in the water but was arrested. He was sentenced to two life sentences i.e. 50 years in the cellular jail of Andamans, also known as Kala Pani, in 1911.

Ø  Savarkar declared his wish to attain Samadhi and started hunger-strike on February 1, 1966 and passed away on February 26, 1966. He believed that his purpose of life is solved as India has gained Independence.

Ø  In 2002, Port Blair airport at Andaman and Nicobar#s Island was renamed after Veer Savarkar International Airport.

In its 75th year of Independence, India has witnessed a historic moment with the inauguration of the new Parliament House on May 28, 2023. After using a Parliament building that is nearly a century old and symbolised a colonial era, India finally has a new structure in independent India. 

History of Old Parliament House -

Ø  The building, with a diameter of 560 ft and circumference of one-third of a mile, was designed by Sir Herbert Baker, who along with Sir Edwin Lutyens was chosen to design the new imperial capital in Delhi.

Ø  Britain's Duke of Connaught had laid the foundation stone of Parliament House on February 12, 1921, and said it would stand "as the symbol of India's rebirth to yet higher destinies”.

Ø  According to archival documents and rare old images, a grand ceremony was held on January 18, 1927 to mark the opening of the majestic building, then called as the Council House. 

Planning of New Parliament -

Ø  In 2012, the Speaker, Meira Kumar, stated that the Parliament building was “weeping,” and approved a high-powered committee to look for an alternative complex.

Ø  In 2015, the Speaker, Sumitra Mahajan, wrote to the Minister for Urban Affairs to have a new Parliament building with modern facilities.

Ø  This issue was taken up on priority under the current dispensation led by PM Modi.

Ø  A detailed plan to build a start-of-the-art Parliament was set in motion, and its foundation was laid in December 2020.

Ø  The new parliament building is a part of a larger plan; Redevelopment of Central Vista. 

About the Central Vista Project -

Ø  The Central Vista is a 3 km stretch in the heart of New Delhi that runs from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.

Ø  It is flanked by large green spaces and significant structures such as Parliament, the Secretariat buildings, and the National Archives.

Ø  The Central government is redeveloping the three-km-long Central Vista and Parliament.

Ø  A common Central secretariat will be constructed for all ministries that are currently spread over many buildings across Delhi.

Ø  The Parliament House and North and South Blocks will not be demolished, but their usage may change.

Ø  The rest of the buildings that came up post-1947, including Shastri Bhavan and Krishi Bhavan, are likely to be demolished. 

Features of New Parliament Building -

Spacious Legislative Chambers —

Ø  The new building will have a larger Lok Sabha Hall with a capacity of up to 888 seats and a larger Rajya Sabha hall with a capacity of 384 seats.

Ø  For joint sessions the Lok Sabha Hall may accommodate up to 1272 seats.

Optimum Space Utilisation —

Ø  The new Parliament building is designed in a triangular shape since it sits on a triangular plot and has three main spaces — Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and a Central Lounge.

Ø  The shape ensures optimum space utilisation for the new building.

State-of-the-Art Constitutional Hall — The hall has been given a grad look keeping in mind that it symbolically and physically puts the Indian citizens at the Heart of our democracy.

Sophisticated Audio-Visual Systems — The new building will have large Committee rooms, equipped with the latest audio-visual systems. It will house functional, purpose-designed spaces to facilitate and deliver higher efficiency.

Superior Library Experiences — The new building library will efficiently serve the members for gathering information from archived material.

Energy-efficient Parliament — A platinum-rated green building, the new Sansad Bhavan will be symbol of India’s commitment towards environmental sustainability.

An Embodiment of Indian Heritage — The new building will reflect the vibrance and diversity of modern India, incorporating our cultural and regional arts and crafts.

Significance of New Parliament House -

Symbol of Vision and Aspirations of India — The new building reflects the aspiration of a country that has evolved significantly since 1947.

Spirit of Change and Continuity —

Ø  The new building will be another extension of the existing Parliament complex and it will signify the spirit of change and continuity;

Ø  It will reflect the journey of Indian Parliament from what it was yesterday to what it would be in the future.

Ø  Making of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ — The old building gave direction to independent India, while the new one will witness the making of India as ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

An inter-agency team of UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank has released the Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) report for 2022.

About Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) Report -

Ø  JME is an annual report published jointly by UNICEF, WHO and World Bank.

Ø  The report covers measures of child malnutrition used to track progress towards the child nutrition targets of Sustainable Development Goal 2.

Ø  The report covers child stunting, overweight, underweight, wasting and severe wasting.

Key highlights -

Stunting –

Ø  Child stunting refers to a child who is too short for his or her age and is the result of chronic or recurrent malnutrition.

Ø  Globally, stunting declined from a prevalence rate of 26.3% in 2012 to 22.3% in 2022.

Ø  India continues to show a reduction in stunting and recorded 1.6 crore fewer stunted children under five years in 2022 as compared to 2012.

Ø  Stunting among children under five years dropped from a prevalence rate of 41.6% in 2012 to 31.7% in 2022.

Wasting —

Ø  Child wasting refers to a child who is too thin for his or her height and is the result of recent rapid weight loss or the failure to gain weight.

Ø  The overall prevalence of wasting in 2022 was 18.7% in India.

Ø  India contributes 49% of the global burden of wasting.

Ø  In India, two-thirds of children at 12 or 24 months had wasting at birth or at one month of age. This means two-thirds of the wasting is caused by maternal malnutrition.

Overweight —

Ø  Childhood overweight occurs when children’s caloric intake from food and beverages exceeds their energy requirements.

Ø  There are now 37 million children under five living with overweight globally, an increase of nearly 4 million since 2000.

Ø  India had an overweight percentage of 2.8 per cent in 2022, compared to 2.2 per cent in 2012.

Ø  Comments on India -

Ø  Going by the JME data, UNICEF concludes that India has shown promising progress when it comes to stunting.

Ø  According to UNICEF India officials, multi-sectoral responses under Poshan Abhiyaan in 2018 and continued Poshan 2.0 in 2022 seem to be contributing to the positive shift in the indicators.

Way forward -

Ø  JME released in 2023 reveal insufficient progress to reach the 2025 World Health Assembly (WHA) global nutrition targets and UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goal target 2.2. 

Ø  Only about a third of all countries are ‘on track’ to halve the number of children affected by stunting by 2030.

Ø  All forms of malnutrition are preventable.

Ø  To stop malnutrition before it starts, children and their families need access to nutritious diets, essential services and positive practices to set them on the path to survive and thrive.

Ø  But today, these vital pathways to good nutrition are under growing threat, as many countries plunge deep into a global food and nutrition crisis fuelled by poverty, conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ø  As the world responds to the crisis, urgent action is critical to protect maternal and child nutrition – especially in the most affected regions – and secure a future where the right to nutrition is a reality for every child.

A month after the PM of Bangladesh accused Washington DC of seeking to oust her government, the US Secretary of State announced a new visa policy supporting Bangladesh’s goal of holding free, fair and peaceful national elections. It could also have an impact on India’s diplomacy with Bangladesh.

What is the US' New Visa Policy?

Ø  The new policy, which covers current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of ruling and opposition parties, etc., would restrict issuance of visas to those who undermine the holding of a free and fair elections.

Ø  In clarifications issued soon after the announcement, the US State Department said the actions were not targeted against the Awami League led government.

Ongoing scenario in Bangladesh -

Ø  Opposition is protesting and demanding that the elections be held under a caretaker government and by a “neutral” Election Commission.

Ø  In her three terms in office, PM’s style of functioning has come to be seen as increasingly authoritarian.

Ø  Her crackdown on former PM Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), citing its links to Islamist parties and alleging corruption at the top, dealt a crippling blow to the Opposition.

Ø  The space for dissent and criticism has shrunk visibly in Bangladesh. Hence, the Bangladesh opposition has welcomed the new policy.

Relations between US and Bangladesh -

Ø  The US is the biggest destination for Bangladesh’s garment exports, and Bangladesh is the third largest exporter of garments to the US after China and Vietnam.

Ø  As the industry is the backbone of the country’s economic growth, it is seeking a GSP-Plus status with the US and Europe for its readymade garment exports.

Ø  The EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) gives developing countries a special incentive to pursue sustainable development and good governance, in return for cuts in import duties.

Ø  The US is the top foreign investor in Bangladesh. However, the mutual unhappiness in the USBangladesh relationship has been no secret for some years.

Ø  For example, Sheikh Hasina’s recent visit to Washington to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties with the US, included no big ticket meetings.

Ø  The PM of Bangladesh even said in Parliament that the US was seeking regime change in Bangladesh.

Ø  The US government, on the other hand, had conveyed its concern over democratic erosion, and also about the two previous elections in Bangladesh.

Implication of these developments on India -

The US position on the Bangladesh elections could complicate India’s diplomacy in Bangladesh.

New Delhi, wants Sheikh Hasina - a leader who has acted on its security concerns swiftly, back in power in Dhaka

She is seen as having given away too much - land transit rights to the Northeastern states, a favourable coal power deal to an Adani company, etc., while Bangladesh itself has been awaiting Teesta waters for many years.

Over the last few years, the US and India were seen as acting in tandem in Bangladesh, especially as their security objectives converged.

The visa policy is a sign that this may be changing. A post-Afghanistan US seems more open than India to political change in Dhaka.

For now, India may prefer to keep silent on the linking of the US visa policy in Bangladesh to free and fair elections in the country.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the first of the 2nd-generation satellites for its navigation constellation - NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation). The 2,232 kg satellite, the heaviest in the constellation, has been launched by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket.

About NavIC -

Ø  NavIC, also known as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), is an independent stand-alone indigenous navigation satellite system developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Ø  NAVIC was approved in 2006 (at a cost of $174 million) and was expected to be completed by 2011, but only become operational in 2018.

Ø  NavIC, which consists of 7 satellites, covering the whole of India's landmass and up to 1,500 km from its boundaries, is conceived with the aim of removing dependence on foreign satellite systems for navigation, particularly for "strategic sectors.”

Currently, NavIC's application in India is limited in —

Ø  Public vehicle tracking, for providing emergency warning alerts to fishermen venturing into the deep sea where there is no terrestrial network connectivity and

Ø  For tracking and providing information related to natural disasters.

Ø  The next step India is pushing for is to include it in smartphones.

Ø  According to India's draft satellite navigation policy 2021, the government will work toward "expanding the coverage from regional to global" to ensure the availability of NavIC signals in any part of the world.

What is the advantage of having a Regional Navigation System?

Ø  India is the only country that has a regional satellite-based navigation system.

Ø  There are four global satellite-based navigation systems - the American GPS, the Russian GLONASS, the European Galileo, and the Chinese Beidou.

Ø  Japan has a four-satellite system that can augment GPS signals over the country, similar to India’s GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation).

Ø  With fully operational NavIC (with ground stations outside India [Japan, France, and Russia] for better triangulation of signals) open signals will be accurate up to 5 metres and restricted signals will be more accurate (GPS 20 metres).

Ø  Unlike GPS, NavIC uses satellites in high geo-stationery orbit - the satellites move at a constant speed relative to Earth, so they are always looking over the same region on Earth.

Ø  NavIC signals come to India at a 90-degree angle, making it easier for them to reach devices located even in congested areas, dense forests, or mountains.

Old satellites of NavIC -

Ø  Each of the 7 satellites currently in the IRNSS constellation, weighed much less (around 1,425 kg at liftoff) and rode the lighter Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) - ISRO’s workhorse launch rocket.

Ø  The last IRNSS satellite, IRNSS-1I was launched in 2018 to replace an older, partially defunct satellite in the constellation.

Ø  IRNSS-1I was ISRO’s 9th satellite for the NavIC constellation, but is considered to be the 8^th because the IRNSS-1H launched in 2017 was lost after the heat shield of the payload failed to open on time.

What is new in the 2nd-Generation NavIC Satellite?

Ø  The 2nd-generation satellite named as NVS-01, the first of ISRO’s NVS series of payloads is heavier.

Ø  The satellite will have a Rubidium atomic clock onboard, a significant technology (which only a handful of countries possess) developed indigenously by Space Application CentreAhmedabad.

Ø  A satellite-based positioning system determines the location of objects by accurately measuring the time it takes for a signal to travel to and back from it using the atomic clocks on board.

Ø  Currently, only four IRNSS satellites are able to provide location services. The other satellites can only be used for messaging services.

Ø  The 2nd generation satellites will send signals in a third frequency, L1, besides the L5 and S frequency signals that the existing satellites provide, increasing interoperability with other satellite-based navigation systems.

Ø  The L1 frequency is among the most commonly used in the GPS, and will increase the use of the regional navigation system in wearable devices and personal trackers that use low-power, single-frequency chips.

Ø  The 2nd-generation satellites will also have a longer mission life of more than 12 years (existing satellites - 10 years).