Illegal Sand Mining
- Sand is a minor mineral under Section 3(e) of the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act).
- Section 15 of the MMDR Act empowers the State Governments for making rules for regulating the grant of quarry leases, mining leases or other mineral concessions in respect of minor minerals and for purposes connected therewith
- Hence, the regulation of minor minerals comes under the legislative and administrative domain of the State Governments
- Section 23C of the MMDR Act empowers the State Governments to make rules for preventing illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals and for the purposes connected therewith. Hence, control of illegal mining comes under the legislative and administrative purview of the State Governments.
- Ministry of Mines has prepared a ‘Sand Mining Framework’ in consultation with Mining Departments of the States incorporating best practices amongst States with the objectives of sustainability, availability, affordability and transparency in sand mining
- Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has issued Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines, 2016, which, inter-alia, addresses the issues relating to regulation of sand mining
Source: pib
Attukal Pongala
1. About the Festival
The Attukal Pongala held in Attukal Temple, Thiruvananthapuram is the largest congregation of women for a festival in the world
Pongala, which means 'to boil over’, is the ritual in which women prepare sweet payasam (a pudding made from rice, jaggery, coconut and plantains cooked together) and offer it to the Goddess or ‘Bhagavathy’
The ritual can only be performed by women and the streets of the city are known to be jam-packed with faithful devotees during the time of the festival
The Goddess-fondly referred to as ‘Attukalamma’ is said to be appeased by this ritual
Attukal Pongala, a 10-day religious festival, celebrated at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala is extremely popular
2.Rituals of Festival
As part of the festivities, women devotees gather to offer a ritualistic sweet dish to the goddess or ‘Bhagavathy'
The Goddess-fondly referred to as ‘Attukalamma’ is said to be appeased by this ritual
Attukal Pongala is known to be the largest women gathering on earth
In Attukal Pongala festival, women devotees offer pongala, a gruel made of rice, jaggery, ghee and coconut, to the presiding deity
In 2009, Attukal Pongala festival made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest religious gathering of women on a single day when over 2.5 million people took part in it
Attukal Temple is called the "Women's Sabarimala" as only women perform rituals
On the other hand, men undertake the pilgrimage to the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala
Women were dressed in white saris with golden border for the festival
Source:indianexpress
KUKI INSURGENCY
1.Context
Manipur government on March 10 decided to withdraw from the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with two hill-based tribal militant groups, alleging they were “influencing agitation among forest encroachers”
The state government claimed that a protest rally organised recently, defying Section 144, was influenced by the two groups, Kuki National Army (KNA) and Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA)
2.About Kuki Insurgency
Naga movement is the country’s longest-running insurgency, underground Kuki groups, too, have fought the Indian government for an ‘independent Kuki homeland’, spread across Manipur
The Kuki insurgency gained momentum after ethnic clashes with the Nagas of Manipur in the early 1990s, with the Kuki arming themselves against Naga aggression
While the two tribes have shared a hostile relationship since colonial times, things came to a head in the 1990s when the Naga-Kuki clashes took place
Land that the Kukis claim to be their “homeland” in the Manipur hills overlaps with the imagined Naga homeland of Greater Nagaland or Nagalim
As many as 115 Kuki men, women and children were believed to have been killed by the NSCN-IM in Tengnoupal in 1993
3.Who are Kukis
The Kukis are an ethnic group including multiple tribes originally inhabiting the North-Eastern states of India such as Manipur, Mizoram and Assam; parts of Burma (now Myanmar), and Sylhet district and Chittagong hill tracts of Bangladesh.
While Kuki is not a term coined by the ethnic group itself, the tribes associated with it came to be generically called Kuki under colonial rule
In Manipur, the various Kuki tribes, living mainly in the hills, currently make up 30% of the total 28.5 lakh population of the State.
The rest of the population of Manipur is made up mainly of two other ethnic groups: the Meiteis or non-tribal, Vaishnavite Hindus who live in the valley region of Manipur, and the Naga tribes, historically at loggerheads with the Kukis, also living in the hilly areas of the State
Of the 60 seats in the Manipur Assembly, 40 are held by Meiteis and the rest 20 seats are held by Kukis and Nagas
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The people of Manipur are grouped into three main ethnic communities – Meiteis those inhabiting the valley and 29 major tribes in the hills dividing into two main ethno-denominations, namely Nagas and Kuki-Chins
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4.What is Suspension of Operations Pact
There are nearly 30 Kuki insurgent groups in Manipur, of which 25 are under tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) with the Government of India and the state
As many as 17 are under the umbrella group Kuki National Organisation (KNO), and eight are under the United People’s Front (UPF)
The SoO pact was signed on August 22, 2008, with the primary objective of initiating political dialogue
Talks are ongoing under AB Mathur, former special secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), as the interlocutor
The Kuki outfits who were initially demanding a separate Kuki state have come down to a ‘Kukiland territorial council’, which would have financial and administrative powers independent of the Manipur Assembly and government
5. Terms of the Pact
While the period of the Suspension of Operation agreement is one year, it is extendable according to the progress of its implementation
To oversee the effective implementation of the SoO pact, a committee called the Joint Monitoring Group (JMG), with representatives from all the signatories, has been formed
The important terms under the pact are that security forces, including state and central forces, are not to launch any operations, nor can the underground groups
The signatories of UPF and KNO shall abide by the Constitution of India, the laws of the land and the territorial integrity of Manipur
They are prohibited from committing all kinds of atrocities, extortion, among others
The militant cadres are to be confined in designated camps identified by the Government
Arms are deposited in a safe room under a double-locking system. The groups are given arms only to guard their camps and protect their leaders
As a rehabilitation package, the UG(Underground) cadres living in the designated camps are given a monthly stipend of Rs 5000
Financial assistance is also being provided to maintain the designated camps
6.Conclusion
The SoO has been extended by the Government almost every year since 2008, with Kuki outfits threatening to breach the agreement by taking up arms again and boycotting the Government.
Image Source: Down to Earth
Sword of Chartapati SivajiMaharaj
In 2012, the groups held a nearly eight month long blockade of highways around their area, costing the Government a couple of crores in losses each day.
Source: indianexpress
SARNA TRIBALS
1. Context
Recently, the Jharkhand government convened a special session and passed a resolution to send the Centre a letter to recognise the Sarna Religion and include it as a separate code in the Census of 2021.
2. Key points
- Sarnaism is a religious belief based on worship at Sarna, the sacred groves in the Chota Nagpur Plateau region in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
- For the last many years several protests and meetings have been held by various tribal groups in Jharkhand and elsewhere pushing the same demand.
- Last February, then Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das too had announced in the Assembly a move to recommend Sarna as a separate religious code.
- However, the JMM-led Soren government has finally gone ahead and done it.
- The letter sent by the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister says the population of tribals in the state had declined from 38.3 per cent in 1931 to 26.02 per cent in 2011.
- It cited that one of the reasons for this was tribals who go to work in different states were not being recorded in the Census.
- In other states, they are not counted as Tribals, the letter said.
- It added that the separate code will ensure the recording of their population.
3. About Sarna religion
- The followers of the Sarna faith believe pray to nature.
- The holy grail of the faith is "Jal, Jungle, Zammen" (water, Forest, Land) and its followers pray to the trees and hills while many follow the Hindu religion, some have converted to Christianity this has become one of the planks of demanding a separate code "to save religious identity" as various tribal organisations put it.
- It is believed that 50 lahks tribal in the entire country put their religion as "Sarna" in the 2011 census, although it was not a code.
4. Conversion to Christianity
- Many of the tribals who follow this faith have later converted to Christianity the state has more than 4 per cent Christians most of whom are tribals.
- Some who still follow the Sarna faith believe the converted tribals are taking the benefits of reservation as a minority, as well as the benefits, are given to Schedule Tribes.
- They also believe that benefits should be given specifically to them and not to those who have converted.
- The issue reached a crescendo in May 2013 when a statue was installed in Singhpur on the outskirts of the Ranch showing Mother Mary in a white saree with a red border, her hair in a bun, bangles around her wrists and carrying infant Jesus on a sling like a tribal woman.
- Followers and leaders of the Sarna faith saw it as a "tactic" to convert tribals to Christianity.
5. Separate code
- The protection of their language and history is an important aspect of tribals. Between 1871 and 1951, the tribals had a different code.
- However, it was changed around 1961-62. Experts say that when today the entire world is focusing on reducing pollution and protecting the environment, it is prudent that Sarna becomes a religious code as the soul of this religion is to protect nature and the environment.
For Prelims & Mains
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For Prelims: Sarna tribe, Anti-conversion law, tribal code, Sarna religion,
For Mains:
1. Who are Sarna tribe? Discuss how the Sarna religion is different from religions. (250 Words)
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Previous year questions
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1) Consider the following statements about Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India: (2019)
Which of the statements given above are correct? A. 1, 2 and 3 B. 2, 3 and 4 C. 1, 2 and 4 D. 1, 3 and 4
1. Answer: C
2. What is Sarna Code? Consider the following statements in this regard. (IB, ACIO, Grade II-2021)
1. The Jharkhand Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution seeking the inclusion of Sarna as a separate religion in the Census, 2021.
2. The opposition parties gave a proposal demanding a discussion on the resolution, which was rejected by the assembly speaker.
Select the correct answer by using the code mentioned below.
A. 1 only B. 2 only C. both 1 and 2 D. neither 1 nor 2
2. Answer: A
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Source: The Indian Express
CHIP 4 ALLIANCE
1. Context
US to reboot India’s chip ambitions will help plug-in into global alliances. The deal between India and the United States on fostering private-sector cooperation in semiconductor manufacturing could have three main upsides from New Delhi’s perspective.
2. What are semiconductor chips?
- Semiconductors are materials that have a conductivity between conductors and insulators. They can be pure elements, silicon or germanium or compounds, gallium, arsenide, or cadmium selenide.
- They are the basic building blocks that serve as the heart and brain of all modern electronics and information and communications technology products.
- These chips are now an integral part of contemporary automobiles, household gadgets, and essential medical devices such as ECG machines.
3. Importance of semiconductors
- Semiconductors are essential to almost all sectors of the economy including aerospace, automobiles, communications, clean energy, information technology, medical devices, etc.
- Demand for these critical components has outstripped supply, creating a global chip shortage and resulting in lost growth and jobs in the economy.
- In December 2021, the central government sanctioned ₹76,000 crores under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme to encourage the manufacturing of various semiconductor goods within India.
- Semiconductors and displays are the foundation of modern electronics driving the next phase of digital transformation under Industry 4.0.
4. Indian Government steps
- In the year 2021, a 10 billion dollar production-linked incentive (PLI) schene to encourage semiconductor and display manufacturing in the country.
- Fiscal support for a design-linked initiative (DLI) scheme to drive global and domestic investment related to design software, IP rights, etc.
- Modification in "Programme for Development of semiconductors and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem in India. The union cabinet has approved a uniform incentive of 50% of the project cost for setting up semiconductor, display, and compound semiconductor fabrication units.
- India semiconductor Mission (ISM) will be set up.
- Scheme for setting up compound semiconductors facilities.
- Vedanta and Taiwanese chip market Foxconn will set up a ₹1,54,000 crore semiconductor plant in Gujrat.
5. About Chip 4 Alliance
- The Chip 4 or Fab 4 alliance includes four of the world's top producers of semiconductors.
- The members of the chip 4 alliance include the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.
- It represents more than 70 percent of the value of the global semiconductor industry.
- It was first proposed by the US in March 2022 as part of wider plans aimed at enhancing the "security" and "resilience" of semiconductor supply chains, including by reducing the world's reliance on chips made in China.
- It is intended to cooperate on policy implementation that would support sustainable semiconductor manufacturing in the member states home countries.
6. Goals
- Support industry efforts to diversify their manufacturing base in semiconductor production.
- Protect the Intellectual Property (IP) of companies in member countries.
- Develop policies regarding the export of the most advanced semiconductors and equipment.
7. Challenges
- The US has initiated discussions with India on aligning export controls and a new trade dialogue focused on these issues has been launched with the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security from Washington's side.
- Compliance with labor and other standards is also likely to be part of the commercial and strategic deals, especially in light of India's continued import of Russian oil.
- The G-7 countries led by the US, Australia, and the European Union had slapped price caps on Russian oil products to restrict Moscow's access to a potential funding source for its war on Ukraine, while still maintaining an incentive for the country to supply oil to the global market.
- As against greater engagement on the Indo-Pacific economic framework and strategic objectives such as manufacturing of chips etc, the trade-off for countries such as India could involve signing up on government-to-government level agreements on labor standards, environmental benchmarks, and anti-corruption yardsticks, etc.
- Apart from the Russian Oil issue, there could also be a nudge for New Delhi to join the trade pillar of the IPEF, given that, from Washington's perspective, the political appetite for a full-scale free trade agreement with India is simply not there in the US congress level at this point in time and that the IPEF is being pushed by Washington as a more practical substitute for any bilateral deals.
- Incidentally, New Delhi had opted out of the trade pillar of the IPEF citing reservations about commitments required on the environment, labor, digital trade, public procurement, etc.
Previous year Question
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1. Which one of the following laser types are used in a laser printer? (UPSC 2008) A. Dye laser Answer: C |
For Prelims & Mains
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For Prelims: Semiconductor chips, Production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, Design-linked initiative (DLI) scheme, India semiconductor Mission (ISM), Chip 4 Alliance, Intellectual Property (IP), G-7 countries, and Indo-Pacific economic framework.
For Mains:1. What is Chip 4 alliance and discuss the significance of the Semiconductor industry in the modern world?
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Source: The Indian Express
OLIVE RIDLEY TURTLES
1. Context
The mass nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles, an annual phenomenon called 'arribada', began in Odisha's Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary on march 9, 2023 more than 10 days sooner than last year. As many as 503,719 turtles laid eggs in the last four days on the tranquil beaches of the sanctuary in Kendrapara district, the world's largest rookery of sea turtles.
2. Olive Ridley Turtles
- The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
- These turtles are carnivores and get their name from their olive-colored carapace.
- They are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
- They are found in warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans.
- Odisha's Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is known as the world's largest rookery of sea turtles.
Image Source: Down to Earth3. Conservation of Olive Ridley Turtles
- Conservation of the Olive Ridley turtles in Odisha began with the discovery and worldwide recognition of the Gahirmatha rookery close to the mouth of the Brahmani-Baitarani (Dharma) River, in 1974.
- A second mass nesting was discovered in 1981 at the Devi River mouth, about 55 nautical miles south of Gahirmatha.
- In 1994, a third mass nesting area was also discovered at the Rushkulya river mouth, 162 nautical miles south of Gahirmatha.
- The Olive Ridley Turtles come to the beaches of the Odisha coast annually between November and December and stay on until April and May for nesting.
- Off late, nesting has been observed to start from late January to early February. The turtles choose the narrow beaches near estuaries and bays for laying their eggs.
- Each adult female lays approximately a hundred to hundred and forty eggs at a time.
4. Threats faced by Olive Ridley Turtles
- The Olive Ridleys face serious threats across their migratory route, habitat, and nesting beaches, due to human activities such as turtle-unfriendly fishing practices, and the development and exploitation of nesting beaches for ports, and tourist centers.
- Though international trade in these turtles and their products is banned, they are still extensively poached for their meat, shell, and leather.
- Turtles eggs, though illegal to harvest, have a significantly large market around the coastal regions.
- The most severe threat faced by the Olive Ridleys is the accidental killing of adult turtles through entanglement in trawl nets and gill nets due to uncontrolled fishing around nesting beaches during their mating season.
- Over 1.3 lakh turtles are believed to have been killed after being entangled in the nets of mechanized fishing trawlers in the last thirteen years.
5. Legislation for the Protection of Olive Ridley Turtles
- All five species of sea turtles occurring in India, including the Olive Ridley Turtles, are legally protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and Appendix I of the CITES convention which prohibits trade in turtle products.
- The mass nesting beach of Gahirmatha is a part of Bhitarkanika Wildlife sanctuary and the waters around Bhitarkanika was declared as Gahirmatha (Marine) Wildlife Sanctuary in September 1997, to protect the nesting and breeding habitat of the Olive Ridley.
- The coastal waters off Devi and Rushikulya rookery are declared as a no-fishing zone during the sea turtle breeding season under the Odisha Marine.
- Fisheries Regulation Act (OMFRA), 1982, and Odisha Marine Fisheries Regulation Rules, 1983. The Coast Guard is empowered to enforce the provisions of the Act.
- To reduce accidental entrapment and death of turtles, the Odisha government has made it mandatory for the mechanized fishing trawlers to use Turtle Excluder Devices or TEDs, which is a specially designed net with an exit cover that retains the catch while allowing the turtles to escape.
6. Operation Olivia, 2014
- As the nesting period stretched over six months, the Indian Coast Guard undertakes the Olive Ridley Turtle protection program under the code name 'Operation Olivia' every year.
- Coast Guard District No.7 (Odisha) commenced Operation Olivia 2014 on 08 Nov 2014 under the coordination and control of Commander Coast Guard Region (North East).
- As part of the operation, fishing boats found close to the marine reserve area were regularly checked by the ship's boarding party for confirming the usage of turtle excluder devices (TEDs).
- Offenders were warned and reported to the Assistant Director of Fisheries. Close coordination was maintained with the fisheries and forest department during the entire operation.
7. Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary
- Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is a marine wildlife sanctuary located in Odisha.
- It extends from the Dhamra River mouth in the north to the Mahanadi river mouth in the south.
- It is very famous for its nesting beach for olive ridley sea turtles.
- It is the one of world's most important nesting beaches for turtles.
- The olive ridley turtles turn up in millions for mass nesting along the Odisha coast every year. This phenomenon is referred to as 'arribada'.
- Apart from Gahirmatha, these aquatic animals turn up at the Rushikulya river mouth and Devi river mouth for mass nesting.
- Rushikulya river mouth is considered the second-biggest nesting site for Olive Ridley Turtles in India.
Previous year question
| 1. Which one of the following is the national aquatic animal of India? (UPSC 2015)
A.Saltwater crocodile Answer: C 2. The 'Olive Ridley Turtles are considered to be endangered because of their few remaining nesting sites in the world. In this context, which among the following statement(s) is/are correct? (OPSC 2016) (1) Their peculiar behavior of synchronized nesting in mass numbers is known as Arribada'. (2) Gahirmatha Beach in Orissa is one of their few nesting grounds in the world. A. Only 1 B. Only 2 C. Both 1 and 2 D. Neither 1 nor 2 Answer: C 3. Which of the following statements about the olive ridley turtles is/are correct? (CDS 2018) 1. They are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world. 2. They live in warm waters of Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. 3. The Coromandel Coast in India is the largest mass nesting site for the olive ridley turtles. Select the correct Answer using the code given below. A. 1, 2 and 3 B. 1 and 2 only C. 2 and 3 only D. 1 only Answer: B |
For Prelims
| For Prelims: Olive Ridley turtles, arribada, Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, Brahmani-Baitarani (Dharma) River, Devi River, Rushkulya river, Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, CITES convention, Bhitarkanika Wildlife sanctuary, Fisheries Regulation Act (OMFRA), 1982, and Turtle Excluder Devices or TEDs. |
Source: Down to Earth
ANTIQUITIES ABROAD
1. Context
The catalogue of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, includes at least 77 items with links to Subhash Kapoor, who is serving a 10-year jail term in Tamil Nadu for smuggling antiquities.
2. About Antiquity
- The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, of 1972, implemented on April 1, 1976, defined "antiquity" as "any coin, sculpture, painting, epigraph or other work of art or craftsmanship; any article, object or thing detached from a building or cave; any article, object or thing illustrative of science, art, crafts, literature, religion, customs, morals or politics in bygone ages; any article, object or thing of historical interest" that "has been in existence for not less than one hundred years".
- For a "manuscript, record or another document which is of scientific, historical, literary or aesthetic value", this duration is "not less than seventy-five years".
3. International conventions
- The UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property defined "Cultural property" as the property designated by countries having "importance for archaeology, prehistory, history, literature, art or science".
- The Declaration further said that "the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property is one of the main causes of the impoverishment of the cultural heritage of the countries of origin of such property and that International cooperation constitutes one of the most efficient means of protecting each country's cultural property.
- After that, in 2000, the General Assembly of the UN and the UN Security Council in 2015 and 2016 also raised concerns on the issue.
- An INTERPOL report in 2019 said that almost 50 years after the UNESCO convention, "the illicit international traffic of cultural items and related offences is sadly increasingly prolific".
Sword of Chartapati SivajiMaharaj4. Indian Laws
- In India, Item-67 of the Union List, Item-12 of the State List and Item-40 of the Concurrent List of the Constitution deal with the country's heritage.
- Before Independence, an Antiquities (Export Control) Act had been passed in April 1947 to ensure that "no Antiquity could be exported without a license".
- In 1958, the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act was enacted.
- Then in 1971, Parliament saw an uproar over the theft of a bronze idol from Chamba and some important sandstone idols from other places.
- This, along with the UNESCO convention, prompted the government to enact the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 (AATA), implemented on April 1, 1976.
| The AATA states, "it shall not be lawful for any person, other than the Central Government or any authority or agency authorised by the Central Government in this behalf to export any antiquity or art treasure... No person shall, himself or by any other person on his behalf, carry on the business of selling or offering to sell any antiquity except under and by the terms and conditions of a licence". |
- This licence is granted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
- After the AATA was implemented, the Centre asked traders in antiquities and art objects to declare their possessions of antiquities by June 5, 1976, and individual owners by July 5, 1976.
5. Provenance of antiquity
Provenance includes the list of all owners from the time the object left its maker's possession to the time it was acquired by the current owner.
6. Ownership
- The UNESCO 1970 declaration stated that "The requesting Party shall furnish, at its expense, the documentation and other evidence necessary to establish its claim for recovery and return".
- The first thing to prove the ownership is the complaint (FIR) filed with the police.
- In India, the problem with missing antiquities is that in many cases, there is no FIR.
- But other proof, like details mentioned by reputed scholars in research papers etc., also works.
7. Checking fake antiquities
- Under section 14(3) of the AATA, "Every person who owns, controls or has any antiquity" shall register such antiquity before the registering officer and "obtain a certificate in token of such registration".
- So far, the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities launched in March 2007, has registered 3.52 lakh antiquities among the 16.70 lakhs it has documented, to help in the "effective check" of illegal activities.
- This is a very small portion of the total number of antiquities in the country, which the government estimates to be around 58 lakhs, according to a statement by the Ministry of Culture in Parliament in July 2022.
8. Can India bring back antiquities?
There are three categories to take note of :
- Antiquities taken out of India's independence
- Those which were taken out since independence until March 1976, i.e. before the implementation of AATA and
- Antiquities were taken out of the country since April 1976.
- For items in the first two categories, requests have to be raised bilaterally or on international fora.
- For instance, the Maharashtra government on November 10, 2022, announced it was working to bring back the sword of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from London.
- This sword was given to Edward, the Prince of Wales (the later king Edward VII) by Shivaji IV in 1875-76.
- Several antiquities, from Vagdevi of Dhar (MP) to the Kohinoor Diamond, to Amaravati marbles to the Sultanganj Buddha to antiquities related to Rani Laxmibai and Tipu Sultan are currently abroad.
- Antiquities in the second and third categories can be retrieved easily by raising an issue bilaterally with proof of ownership and with the help of the UNESCO convention.
- The Conviction of Subhash Kapoor has further given us a chance for India to bring back smuggled antiquities.
For Prelims & Mains
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For Prelims: Antiquities, UNESCO, Kohinoor Diamond, the sword of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, of 1972, UNESCO 1970 Convention, INTERPOL report, Antiquities (Export Control) Act, the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, Archaeological Survey of India
For Mains:
1. What are Antiquities? Discuss the need for strengthing Antiquities laws in India. (250 Words)
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Previous year questions
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For Prelims: 1. Consider the following statements (DSSSB JE CE 2019)
Which of the above statements is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 1. Answer: (a) 2. Which of the following factors are common to the coins issued by Indo - Greek and Kushana rulers? (Karnataka PSC Prelims 2017)
A. Effigies of Greek and Indian deities
B. Bilingual coins
C. Use of Gold and Copper<
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