Today in History (October 21st, 1959)
India observes Police Commemoration Day on October 21 each year, honouring the sacrifice of policemen killed in a 1959 ambush by Chinese troops in Ladakh. This day commemorates their bravery.
Let’s Revise
A) What does the new statue of Lady Justice in the Supreme Court of India replace?
- The scales
- Hands of Lady Justice
- The Constitution
- The sword
Answer: D)
Explanation: The sword, a traditional symbol of authority and punishment, has been replaced by the Indian Constitution.
B) Who guided the transformation of the Lady Justice statue in the Supreme Court of India?
- President Droupadi Murmu
- Chief Justice DY Chandrachud
- A committee of judges
- The Prime Minister
Answer: B)
Explanation: The transformation was under the guidance of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud.
C) Where is the new statue of Lady Justice located?
- The main entrance of the Supreme Court
- The judges’ library in the Supreme Court
- The courtroom
- The Supreme Court museum
Answer: B)
Explanation: The new statue stands prominently at the judges’ library in the Supreme Court.
D) Why was the blindfold removed from the statue of Lady Justice?
- To represent modern technology
- To symbolize that justice is not blind in India
- To show that justice is biased
- To signify a lack of understanding
Answer: B)
Explanation: The new statue has its eyes open, symbolizing that justice is aware, conscious, and empathetic.
E) What message did Chief Justice DY Chandrachud want the new statue to convey?
- The law should be enforced strictly
- Justice is delivered according to personal opinions
- The law is not blind and everyone is equal before it
- Justice should be based on colonial ideals
Answer: C)
Explanation: The text states that Chief Justice Chandrachud wanted the statue to convey that the law is not blind and that everyone is equal before it.
Summary of Today’s News
Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2024
Context
• The 2024 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index focuses on “Poverty Amid Conflict.”
About the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index
• The MPI is released every year by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.
• It uses 10 indicators across three key areas.
• A household is considered multidimensionally poor if it struggles with one-third or more of these indicators.
Key Findings
• Out of 112 countries and 6.3 billion people, 1.1 billion (18.3%) are living in severe multidimensional poverty.
• Most poor people live in rural areas: 962 million (83.7%) are from these regions.
o In Sub-Saharan Africa, 70.7% of the poor (463 million) and in South Asia (350 million) live in rural areas.
• The five countries with the highest numbers of people in poverty are:
o India: 234 million
o Pakistan: 93 million
o Ethiopia: 86 million
o Nigeria: 74 million
o Democratic Republic of the Congo: 66 million
o Together, these five countries represent almost half (48.1%) of the 1.1 billion poor people.
• About 584 million children under 18 live in extreme poverty, which is 27.9% of all children worldwide, compared to 13.5% of adults.
• The report highlights that 2023 had the highest number of conflicts since World War II, displacing over 117 million people.
• Nearly 40% of the 1.1 billion people in poverty (about 455 million) live in conflict-affected countries.
Reasons for India’s Challenges
• Regional Disparities: High rural poverty is due to poor infrastructure, inadequate services, and limited job opportunities beyond agriculture.
• Poor Nutrition: India faces severe malnutrition, especially among children.
• Quality of Education: Many government schools provide low-quality education, leading to poor learning results.
• Water and Sanitation: Lack of access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation in rural areas pushes many households into deeper poverty.
• Economic Setbacks: The COVID-19 pandemic greatly harmed India’s economy, causing job losses and increased vulnerabilities for many families.
India’s National MPI (NMPI)
• Introduced in 2021 by NITI Aayog.
• It keeps the 10 original indicators from the global MPI and adds two more: Maternal Health and Bank Account.
Militants gun down 7 in Kashmir, another attack after elections in J&K
On Sunday evening, militants attacked a construction site in Ganderbal, central Kashmir, killing seven civilians – six workers from outside the Union Territory and a local doctor ¹. The gunmen opened fire indiscriminately near the camp site of a private company in the Gangangeer area, where the strategic Z-Morh tunnel and a highway are being constructed. The victims were identified as Gurmeet Singh, Dr. Shahnawaz, Anil Kumar Shukla, Faheem Nazir, Shashi Abrol, Mohd Hanief, and Kaleem.
The attack was widely condemned by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and other leaders ¹. They assured that those behind the attack will not go unpunished and extended condolences to the families of the deceased. This attack comes two days after a non-local worker was killed in south Kashmir’s Shopian. Security forces cordoned off the area, and senior police officers are investigating the incident.
