Facts in News

Facts in News

‘incel’ movement

Recently, Experts have warned that the ‘incel’ movement is slowly becoming a threat to law and order.

Key Points 

• The ‘incel’ movement is a dangerous online subculture comprising men who identify as ‘involuntary celibates’ and regularly express deeply misogynistic views about women.
• Over the years, several acts of violence have been linked to the subculture around the world.
  • However, some experts have argued that it would be wrong to call ‘Incels’ a terrorist group.

What is an incel?

• Incels are a large online community of men who describe themselves as “involuntary celibates. 
• Men who are part of this movement harbour a deep resentment towards both women and other men who are sexually active. 
• They blame women for their own lack of sexual and social status.
  • While views tend to vary, some believe that sex is their right something that is owed to them by virtue of them being males.
• An extreme section of Incels even advocates violence against women. 
  • However, not all members of the subculture are violent.

What are the ‘red pill’ and ‘black pill’ mentalities promoted by incels?

• The ‘black pill’ theory, often associated with incels, promotes the defeatist idea that fate is sealed at birth and no matter what changes a person try to make, 
  • The sexual capital cannot be altered.
• ‘Red pillers’, on the other hand, believe the world is biased toward women, and see feminism as female supremacy. 
  • They believe there is a systemic bias in favour of women.

IndiGau

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology released “IndiGau’.

• It is  India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip for the conservation of pure varieties of indigenous cattle breeds like, Gir, Kankrej, Sahiwal, Ongole etc.
• It was developed by the concerted efforts of scientists of the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NAIB), Hyderabad, an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology. 
  • NIAB has entered into a collaborative agreement with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)  to further the use of this chip in generating phenotypic and genotypic correlations.
• IndiGau is purely indigenous and the largest cattle chip of the world. 
• It has 11,496 markers (SNPs) more than that placed on 777K Illumina chip of US & UK breeds. 

Significance 

• This chip will have practical utility in the Governments schemes to achieve the goal of conservation of Indian breeds with better characters and help towards doubling of farmers’ income by 2022.
•   It will help in the elite bull selection and improvement of productivity characters of Indian cattle.

Places in News: Ningbo-Zhoushan port and Haiti 

Recently, China shut the Ningbo-Zhoushan port after a worker became infected with Covid.

Ningbo-Zhoushan

• Ningbo-Zhoushan in eastern China is the world’s third-busiest cargo port.
• It is China’s second-largest container port by handling volume after Shanghai.
• Exports: The biggest exports through Ningbo in the first half of this year were electronic goods, textiles and low and high-end manufactured goods.
• Imports: Top imports included crude oil, electronics, raw chemicals and agricultural products. 

Haiti 

• Haiti is a country in the Caribbean Sea that includes the western third of the island of Hispaniola and such smaller islands as Gonâve, Tortue (Tortuga), Grande Caye, and Vache. The capital is Port-au-Prince.
• It is bordered to the east by the Dominican Republic, which covers the rest of Hispaniola, to the south and west by the Caribbean, and to the north by the Atlantic Ocean. 
• Over the centuries, economic, political, and social difficulties as well as a number of natural disasters have beset Haiti with chronic poverty and other serious problems.

                   Image Courtsey: Britannica

Congressional Gold Medal

Recently, The US has put legislation to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to Mahatma Gandhi for his contributions made through his methods of non-violence.

• If given the award, Gandhi would become the first Indian to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.
  • It is the highest civilian award in the US.

About Medal

• Commissioned by the US Congress as its highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions.
• The first recipients of the medal were participants of the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Mexican War.
• Subsequently, the scope of the medal was broadened to include actors, authors, entertainers, musicians, explorers, athletes, humanitarians and foreign recipients among pioneers in some other fields.
• It is necessary that all Congressional Gold Medal legislations be co-sponsored by at least two-thirds of the Members of the House. 
• It has been awarded to the 1980 US summer Olympics team, Robert F. Kennedy, Nelson Mandela and George Washington among many others.
• Most recently, the medal was awarded to the US Capitol Police and those who protected the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, the day of the siege.

Operation Blue Freedom

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will flag-off ‘Operation Blue Freedom – Land World Record at Siachen Glacier.

About

• The Government of India has permitted a team of people with disabilities to scale Siachen Glacier.
• The selected people from across the country with disabilities are trained by a team of Armed Forces veterans: ‘Team CLAW’.
• It is aimed to harness the immense productive potential of people with disabilities.

• Significance:
  • It will create a new World Record for the largest team of people with disabilities to reach the world’s highest battlefield. 
  • It will firmly place India on the global stage as a leader in empowering Divyangjans.
  • It will set a benchmark for other nations to emulate. 

• Team C.L.A.W (Conquer Land Air Water)
  • A team of Indian Special Forces veterans.
  • Set upon a global mission to shatter the common perception of pity, charity and inability associated with people with disabilities and recreate it to one of dignity, freedom and ability.

TAPAS Initiative

Recently, an online portal TAPAS (Training for Augmenting Productivity and Services) has been launched.

About 

• It is a standard MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platform with course material such as filmed lectures and e-study material. 
• Developed by: National Institute of Social Defence (NISD)
• Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE)
• Free of Cost: There is no fee for joining. Five courses are available on:
  • Drug (Substance) Abuse Prevention, 
  • Geriatric/Elderly Care, 
  • Care and Management of Dementia, 
  • Transgender Issues and 
  • Social Defence Issues.
• Forums: It also includes discussion forums to support and encourage interactions among students and course coordinators.
• Objectives:
  • To impart training and enhance the knowledge and skills for the capacity building of the participants. 
  • To provide access to lectures by subject experts, study material and more.

Significance:

• Supplements the physical classroom without compromising on the quality of teaching.
  • The online medium for work and education had become imperative due to the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic. 
• Ensuring maximum participation of stakeholders and volunteers working in the field of social defence for better training and capacity building.

National Institute of Social Defence (NISD)

• It is a Central Advisory Body for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• It is a Centre of Excellence on research and training in the field of social defence.
• Functions 
  • It coordinates and liaises between the government and the non-government organisations at the state, national and international levels.
  • The institute develops preventive, curative and rehabilitative tools, programmes and policies in the field of social defence, and also undertakes research, training, consultancy, documentation and publication in the field.