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MISCELLANEOUS NEWS
Ratnakar Baral Replaced Y
Joykumar Singh as Manipur State
Police Chief
Union Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee Launched the Signature
Tune of the Indian Customs
Shiva Temple Supposed to have
been built in the 5th Century A.D.
during the Gupta Period Discovered
The Election Commission on 5 January 2012 decided to
change the DGP of Manipur, Y Joykumar Singh after the
Commission reviewed election preparations in the state.
Singh was then appointed as the Managing Director of
Police Housing.
The Assembly polls in Manipur are scheduled for 28
January 2012.
Governor Gurbachan Singh Jagat following the Election
Commission’s (EC) directive replaced DGP Y Joykumar
Singh with Ratnakar Baral citing concerns that the top
cop was in a position where he could misuse his office
during elections. Baral is former ADGP (Intelligence)
Manipur. Qureshi claimed that the EC had received
intelligence inputs about Singh, who is believed to be
extremely close to Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.
Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi informed that
the People’s Democratic Front, an anti-Congress alliance
of five political parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) had expressed concerns about Singh with the EC.
Qureshi also maintained that the transfer was necessary
to ensure free and fair elections.
National Capital’s Crime Graph
registered an Upward Trend for the
Third Consecutive Year
Delhi Police’s annual statistics on crime released in
January 2012 showed that with four per cent increase in
the number of criminal cases registered in 2011, the crime
graph registered an upward trend for the third
consecutive year. In 2010, the crime ratio was 313.06
cases per lakh population, which rose to 318.47 per lakh
in 2011.
For the third consecutive year, the National Capital’s
crime graph (mainly heinous and non-heinous crimes)
continued to be on the rise. Heinous crimes comprising
dacoity, murder, kidnapping for ransom and rape saw an
increase of 3.93 %. Non-heinous crimes such as theft,
abduction and molestation rose by 4.02%.
Smaller offences saw a dip. Snatching cases dropped
from 1671 in 2010 to just 1476 in 2011. Motor vehicle
thefts dropped from 14966 to 14668 cases. But rape cases
went up to 568 from 507 in 2010. Snatching incidents
came down by 11.67% in 2011. 1,592 snatchers were
arrested in 2010 and in 2011 the number went up to 1770.
The number of arrested auto lifters went up to 3988
against 3258 in 2010.
Delhi Police’s annual statistics on crime against women
stated that 2011 witnessed 568 cases of rape compared
to 507 in 2010, an increase of 12.03 %. 653 cases of
molestation were registered with the police last year
while in 2010 only 601 cases were reported. However,
cases of rape per lakh population have shown a steady
decline in Delhi, coming down from 4.42 per lakh in 2005
to 3.39 per lakh in 2011. The detection rate in rape cases
was high in 2011 at 98 per cent.
INITIATIVES TO CURB CRIME
Action was taken against 10800 police officers– ranging
from dismissal to seeking explanation on charges of
corruption and dereliction of duty. This was nearly a 10-
fold jump from 2010.
460 women constables were imparted commando
training with 25 being imparted advanced training by
the CRPF in 2011. The commissioner advocated a steep
hike in fines for traffic violations.
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on 11 January
2012 launched the signature tune of the Indian Customs,
Pragati ki Dhadkan in New Delhi. The signature tune
composed by noted music director Adesh Srivastava
was launched to commemorate the Golden Jubilee
Celebrations of the Indian Customs Act, 1962.
Pragati Ki Dhadkan,a vibrant beat is evocative of this
dynamic force and symbolises the march of progress.
The signature tune is to be played alongside the tableau
of the Central Board of Excise and Customs during the
Republic Day Parade on Rajpath on 26 January 2012.
For the first time the Central Board of Excise & Customs,
on behalf of Ministry of Finance, will be participating in
the Republic Day Parade 2012 through a tableau- Indian
Customs - The Guardian of Our Economic Frontiers.
A tableau- Indian Customs - The Guardian of Our
Economic Frontiers showcases the myriad facets of
Indian Customs and its vigil at all frontiers.
Siddharth Varadarajan Succeeded
N. Ram as the Editor of The Hindu
N. Ram stepped down as Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
of The Hindu , Business Line , Frontline , and Sportstar.
Siddharth Varadarajan succeeded Ram, with effect from
19 January 2012, as Editor of The Hindu responsible for
the selection of news under the Press and Registration
of Books (PRB) Act of 1867.
D. Sampathkumar, Editor, Business Line; R. Vijaya Sankar,
Editor, Frontline and Nirmal Shekar, Editor, Sportstar took
over with effect from 19 January 2012, as Editors
responsible for the selection of news under the Press
and Registration of Books (PRB) Act of 1867 in these
Group publications.
K. Balaji, Managing Director of Kasturi & Sons Ltd., the
public limited company that brings out The Hindu group
of publications succeeded Mr. Ram as Publisher of all
our publications.
President Pratibha Patil
inaugurated the New Mission
Control Centre at SHAR
President Pratibha Patil visited the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre (SDSC SHAR) at Sriharikota on 2 January 2012
and inaugurated the new Mission Control Centre.
Following the inauguration, she witnessed a simulation
of the launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
at the Mission Control Centre.
The new centre has been developed with state-of-theart
facilities to meet the requirements for the launch of
the Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III
and future missions of the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO).
The Mission Control Centre, situated six km away from
the launch complex, will monitor and conduct launch
operations during the pre countdown and countdown
phases until the injection of the satellite into orbit. The
launch preparations on the vehicle will be monitored
using a multichannel closed circuit television system.
The President on this occasion also presented ISRO
awards for the year 2008 and 2009. The lifetime
achievement award for contribution to the Indian space
programme was conferred on former ISRO chairman K
Kasturirangan.
Indians Constituted about 20 per cent of the Tourists to Sri Lanka in 2011
Amateur archaeologist discovered the remains of a Shiva
temple supposed to have been built in the 5th Century
A.D. during the Gupta period in dense forests 35 km
away from Bundi district town in Rajasthan. The temple
has a Shivalingam with the face of Lord Shiva engraved
on it. The temple is believed to belong to the era when
the concept of installing statues of deities in temples
was introduced.
DESCRIPTION
The five-foot long and two-foot thick Shivalingam is
reportedly the third of its kind from the Gupta era found
in India so far. Similar statues were earlier discovered at
Udaigiri in Vidisha and Bhumra in Satna district of
neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. The Shivalingam is built
of white sandstone, has embellishments like earrings
and ornaments with Lord Shiva’s face. The sanctum
where it was installed is encircled with hundreds of
undamaged and broken bricks. In the local parlance, this
statue is called Mukhling. There are traces of a covered
processional path in the temple for circumambulation,
which formed part of the worship ritual. A methodical
study of the Bhimtal temple could provide important
clues to various dimensions of early Hindu architecture
in ancient India. The temple, found near Bhimtal village
include the remnants of a square sanctum and pillared
porch. Built with bricks, the temple makes a significant
addition to the handful of sites in the country where the
remains of places of worship from the Gupta era have
been unearthed.
SIGNIFICANCE O F THE DISCOVERY
The latest discovery had confirmed the presence of the
thriving ancient empire in Hadoti region of Rajasthan
during the 5th Century, when magnificent temple
architecture was gradually evolving. the presence of
dilapidated Shiva temples amid thick vegetation in
surrounding areas such as Jalindri, Nathun, Deojhar,
Banganga, Umarthuna and Kheruna indicated that the
Shaivite religion held sway over much of the Hadoti
region for several centuries. The discovery also
demonstrated that Hadoti did not merely have a prehistoric
human habitation, but was also rich in
archaeological wealth which could throw a new light on
the evolution of Hinduism with the dissemination of
Vedic civilisation by Aryans.
GUPTA EMPIRE
The Gupta empire, that existed approximately between
320 and 550 A.D. was described by historians as the
golden age of ancient India. The Gupta dynasty covered
much of the Indian subcontinent and was marked by
scientific and cultural creativity, including the
outstanding architecture and sculptures, and
crystallisation of the elements of Hindu culture. Gupta
Architecture:The gradual evolution of the Gupta style
architecture led to the construction of shikhara (dome)
in the temples and ornamentation on the pillars and doorframe.
Decorative motifs like goblins, couples, flying
angels, door-keepers and a figure relief in the centre of
the lintel emblematic of the deity consecrated in the
temple were introduced.
School Reforms Panel Submits
Report
The Review Committee on the Delhi School Education
Act and Rules 1973 (DSEAR–73) submitted its report to
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on 30 January 2012. The
committee was chaired by former Delhi Chief Secretary
Shailja Chandra. The other members of the committee
were Abha Joshi and Manish Kumar Gaur, a legal expert.
The committee consulted a wide range of stake holders
and finalised its recommendations in three volumes after
taking into account the views presented by a large
number of persons associated with the field of school
education in Delhi. The committee’s report is aimed at
bringing about purposeful amendments to the Act and
related rules.
Indians constituted about 20 per cent of the tourists to Sri Lanka in 2011. The number was almost the same as that
in 2010. In the period from January to November 2011, Sri Lanka received just over 7.5 lakh tourists. Of this, over 1.5
lakh were Indians. In 2010, out of the total of about 6.5 lakh tourists, Indians accounted for over 1.2 lakh. According
to the Indian High Commission in Colombo, in 2011 the visa office issued about 2 lakh visas to Sri Lankan nationals
to facilitate travel to India. The numbers from India are expected to reach an all-time high in 2012 owing to the
International Cricket Committee’s Twenty20 World Cup being held in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan immigration requested
people travelling to make sure that they apply for the right kind of visa ahead of commencing journey to the
country. The country’s immigration authority mentioned that the online travel approval facility is exclusively meant
for tourists, and not for any other group of persons. Businesspersons, journalists, and persons coming for other
businesses are to approach the nearest Sri Lankan Mission and obtain an appropriate visa.
The committee, constituted in April 2011 was mandated
to examine all issues related to DSEAR-73. It had to study
the difficulties being faced because of the new
circumstances that emerged after implementation of the
Delhi School Education Act nearly 40 years ago. It was
entrusted with the responsibility to suggest a set of
steps to protect the interests of parents and teachers
and role of the school management. It suggested a new
concept of conducting school inspections with the
primary focus being on the learning outcomes of children.
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