Afternoon edition
Daily current affairs for UPSC, BPSC, State PCS and PSC exams.
Why in news?
Assam Chief Minister urged residents of other states to declare 'Assamese' as their mother tongue in the ongoing Census, sparking debate about identity and demographic data.
Key points
- Appeal made to people from other states residing in Assam to list 'Assamese' as mother tongue.
- Rationale: To influence future planning and understand the state's ethno-religious contours.
- Context: Declining percentage of people identifying Assamese as their mother tongue in successive Censuses.
- Census process involves self-enumeration and field operations for data collection.
Background & context
The Census of India is a decennial exercise conducted by the Government of India to collect demographic and other statistical information about the country's population. Mother tongue data has historically been a sensitive issue in Assam, linked to identity politics and resource allocation.
★ Prelims fact capsule
The percentage of people identifying Assamese as mother tongue has seen a decline from 59.53% in 1971 to 48.38% by 2011.
✎ Mains relevance
GS Paper 1: Social Empowerment, Diversity of India. GS Paper 2: Government Policies and Interventions, Issues related to Census and data collection.
Why in news?
Jharkhand government cancelled the JSSC-CGL exam and all exams conducted by a blacklisted firm due to widespread protests over alleged irregularities, promising reforms.
Key points
- Cancellation of Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination.
- All exams conducted since 2014 by TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL) to be cancelled.
- A committee will be formed to suggest reforms in examination conduct.
- Students' protest continues demanding a CBI probe into the irregularities.
Background & context
The Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) is responsible for recruiting staff for various government departments in Jharkhand. Examination irregularities have been a recurring issue in recruitment processes across several states, leading to public outcry and demand for systemic reforms.
★ Prelims fact capsule
TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL) is the firm whose examinations have been cancelled.
✎ Mains relevance
GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges in Recruitment; Issues related to transparency and fairness in examinations.
Why in news?
Over 2.07 crore voter enumeration forms remain uncollected in Maharashtra, raising concerns about the accuracy of voter rolls and potential deletions.
Key points
- Over 2.07 crore voter enumeration forms are uncollected in Maharashtra's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
- This represents 21.25% of the state's electorate.
- Reasons for deletion include deceased, untraceable, and shifted voters.
- Allegations of pressure on BLOs and biased data collection by political parties.
Background & context
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to update and cleanse electoral rolls. It aims to remove duplicate and stale entries, especially due to urbanisation and migration. The SIR was last conducted in Maharashtra in 2002.
★ Prelims fact capsule
Over 33 lakh deceased voters and over 63 lakh untraceable voters are among the reasons for deletion of forms.
✎ Mains relevance
GS Paper 1: Social Issues. GS Paper 2: Governance, Electoral Reforms, Role of ECI.