5ive in Focus: Top 5 News Stories of the Day

| 17 June 2023

1. Cyclone Biparjoy, meaning calamity in Bengali, wreaked havoc in Gujarat's Kutch and Saurashtra regions, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The cyclone made landfall on Thursday evening as a 'very severe cyclonic storm,' bringing heavy rains and powerful winds with speeds reaching up to 140 kmph. The landfall lasted for about eight hours, causing extensive damage to the affected areas.

As a result of the cyclone, approximately 1,000 villages were left without power, and hundreds of electric poles were damaged. The storm led to flooding in several coastal villages due to heavy rains and seawater influx. Additionally, the cyclonic winds uprooted around 600 trees, causing traffic disruptions on three state highways.

Although at least 23 people sustained injuries and numerous houses were damaged, the casualties were limited due to the effective implementation of early warnings, accurate identification of vulnerable areas, and timely evacuations. More than 1 lakh people were successfully evacuated from eight coastal districts, showcasing the effectiveness of India's disaster management efforts.

2. The government has announced its decision to rename the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society (NMML) housed in Teen Murti Bhavan, the former residence of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, in the national capital. This move comes nearly a year after the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya was inaugurated on the same premises.

The announcement has sparked a war of words between political parties. Congress leaders criticized the decision as a "petty act," highlighting the contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru to India's development and democracy. On the other hand, BJP leaders defended the renaming, emphasizing the need to recognize leaders beyond one dynasty who have served the nation.

The renaming of places in Delhi has been a contentious issue in recent years, often leading to political debates. Some of the prominent name changes since 2014 include Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), Ayodhya (formerly Faizabad), and Kartavya Path (formerly Rajpath). The government has also received proposals to rename Ahmedabad as Karnavati and Hyderabad as Bhagyanagar.

3. In Manipur's capital city, Imphal, incidents of arson and vandalism continued as mobs targeted the private residence of Union minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh and set ablaze a warehouse belonging to a retired civil servant. This is the second time in three weeks that the minister's house has been attacked.

The law and order situation in Manipur has faced criticism, with the Inner Manipur BJP MP expressing dissatisfaction with the state government's inability to maintain peace despite the presence of adequate security forces deployed by the Centre. Clashes between locals and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel resulted in injuries to three individuals, including a security personnel.

In response to the escalating situation, the Home Ministry has deployed around 30,000 central security personnel to address the law-and-order issues in Manipur. The ministry has also sent the CRPF chief to assess the situation and enhance coordination among the central forces.

The Congress party has called for an all-party meeting on Manipur and urged Prime Minister Modi to address the situation in the sensitive border state.

4. The 22nd Law Commission has recently engaged with officials from the Women and Child Development Ministry to discuss the issue of age of consent. The commission's meeting aimed to gather details on the subject, as the role of consent in determining relationships between adolescents has often clashed with the provisions of the POCSO Act.

CJI D Y Chandrachud previously highlighted concerns about the 'age of consent' under the POCSO Act, urging the legislature to consider these issues. The law has faced criticism due to cases of consensual romantic relationships between minors falling under the purview of the Act, leading to acquittals in a significant majority of such cases.

The ongoing debate on the age of consent is not limited to India. In Japan, lawmakers recently raised the age of consent from 13 to 16 years as part of key reforms to sex crime legislation, a move welcomed by human rights groups.

5. Controversy over Names Withdrawn from NCERT Textbooks

The withdrawal of names from NCERT textbooks by a group of 35 academicians has been labeled a "spectacle" by another group of 73 academicians, including vice-chancellors of central universities, NIT directors, and IIM chairpersons. The controversy centers around the rationalization of school syllabi.

Earlier, two political scientists, Suhas Palshikar and Yogendra Yadav, requested NCERT to remove their names as chief advisors due to concerns about the changes made during the rationalization process, which they claimed had rendered the books academically dysfunctional. Subsequently, 33 more academicians asked for their names to be withdrawn from the textbooks.

The demand for withdrawal has faced criticism from the group of 73 academicians, who argue that it disrupts the necessary process of updating the curriculum and accuse the former group of attempting to derail the National Education Policy 2020.

In response to the controversy, the steering committee of the National Curriculum Framework stated that Darwin's theory of evolution, the periodic table, and chapters on the Mughals will continue to be part of the syllabus. The committee clarified that the curriculum updates aim to enhance education while maintaining key historical and scientific subjects.

Overall, these five news stories highlight the diverse range of events impacting India, including natural disasters, political debates, security concerns, legal reforms, and educational controversies.