1. Labour Day celebrated all over the world on May 1

Context

May 1 is marked as International Labour Day, also referred to as May Day. The day celebrates labourers and the working class. Labour Day is an annual public holiday in many countries. In India, Labour Day is referred to as Antarrashtriya Shramik Diwas or Kamgar Din. It is also referred to as International Workers’ Day or just Worker’s Day.

Origins and History of Labour Day

• Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement in the United States.
• During industrialization at the beginning of the 19th Century, the industrialists used to exploit the labour class and made them work up to 15 hours a day. The workers rose against this exploitation and demanded paid leaves, proper wages and breaks for the workforce.
• The eight-hour day labour movement advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. Labour Day annually celebrates the achievements of the workers.
• While the day has a different story for different countries, the main reason for Labour Day is unfair treatment of the labour class.
• May 1 was chosen to be International Workers’ Day to commemorate the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago. In that year, on May 1, there was a general strike for the eight-hour workday. On May 4, the police acted to disperse a public assembly in support of the strike when an unidentified person threw a bomb. The police responded by firing on the workers. The event leads to several deaths.
• The incident is remembered as the Haymarket affair or the Haymarket massacre. The place in Haymarket Square where the incident happened was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1992.
• Labour Day or May Day has been a focal point of protests by various socialist and communist groups and is an important holiday in communist countries like China, North Korea, Cuba and the former Soviet Union countries.
• In India, the first Labour Day or May Day was celebrated in the year 1923. It was the Labour Kisan Party who had organised the May Day celebrations in Chennai (then Madras). One of these was organised at Triplicane Beach and the other one was arranged at the beach opposite Madras High Court.

2. Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgarhia

Context

Jassa Singh Ramgarhia (1723–1803) was a prominent Sikh leader during the period of the Sikh Confederacy. He was the Commander of the Ramgarhia Misl (or Confederacy). The 297^th Birth Anniversary of Jassa Singh Ramgarhia was celebrated this year.

Life of Jassa Singh Ramgarhia

• Jassa Singh Ramgarhia was born into a Sikh family with surname Bhambra in 1723.
• Jassa Singh rose to command the Sikh misl that became later known as Ramgarhia and built a fort called Ram Rauni and Ramgarhia Bunga (watchtower) at Amritsar.
• He joined forces with Adina Beg, who appointed him a risaldar (commander), but switched sides when asked by him to attack the fort during the Siege of Ram Rauni.
• He defended it against Adina Beg’s siege and, in 1752, rebuilt the damaged fort. The edifice was renamed Ramgarh, from which he took his new name.
• Jassa Singh Ramgarhia captured the Red Fort after defeating Mughals in the Battle of Delhi (1783) in conjunction with Sardar Baghel Singh.
• He detached the throne of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (on which he ordered the death of 9th guru Guru Teg Bahadur ji) and brought it on elephants and kept it at Golden Temple, Amritsar. Even today it is present at the Golden Temple known as Ramgarhia Bunga.
• An equestrian statue of Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgharia has been installed in Amritsar, Punjab.
• He died in 1803 and was succeeded by his son, Jodh Singh Ramgarhia, who ceded his territories to Ranjit Singh.

3. BABA BANDA SINGH BAHADUR- Anniversary of Sirhind Fateh Diwas

Context

Banda Singh Bahadur (1670-1716) was born in a Minhas Rajput family. He became a Sikh warrior known for his struggle against the Mughal Empire in the early eighteenth century after meeting with Sri Guru Gobind Singh.

Life of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur

• Famous for the sack of the Mughal provincial capital, Sirhind, he is revered as one of the most hallowed martyrs of the Khalsa. His confrontation with the Mughal administration in Northern India, though brief, was strong enough to shake its foundations.
• One of the most revolutionary acts of Banda Bahadur, after establishing his authority in Punjab, was the abolition of the zamindari system, and granting proprietary rights to the actual tillers of the land.
• He minted coins in the names of Guru Nanak Dev ji and Guru Gobind Singh ji and issued orders under his seal.
• The name of Mukhlisgarh was changed to Lohgarh (Fort of Steel), and it became the capital of the first Sikh state. Banda Singh Bahadur abolished the zamindari system in Punjab.

Facts

• Banda Singh was born at Rajouri (now in Jammu and Kashmir).
• His father Ram Dev was a farmer belonging to the Sodhi sub-caste of the Khatris.At age 15 he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name ‘’Madho Das’’.
• He established a monastery at Nanded, on the bank of the river Godavari, where in September 1708 he was visited by, and became a disciple of, Guru Gobind Singh.
• On 12 May 1710 in the Battle of Chappar Chiri the Sikhs killed Wazir Khan, the Governor of Sirhind and Dewan Suchanand.
• Wazir Khan was responsible for the martyrdom of the two youngest Sahibzadas of the Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.
• In March 1715, under the rule of Abdus Samad Khan,the Mughal king of Delhi, the army  drove Banda Bahadur and the Sikh forces into the village of Gurdas Nangal, Gurdaspur, Punjab and laid siege to the village where in December 1715, they captured Banda Singh Bahadur and on 9June 1716, he was executed.

4. One Nation One Ration Card- Five more states to be included in the list.

Context

Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Shri RamVilas Paswan approved the integration of 5 more States and Union Territories under “One Nation One Ration Card” plan with the already 12 existing states taking a total number of states/UTs to 17.

What is One Nation, One Ration Card?

• Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, about 81 crore persons are entitled to buy subsidized foodgrain — rice at Rs 3/kg, wheat at Rs 2/kg, and coarse grains at Re 1/kg — from their designated Fair Price Shops (FPS) of the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
• Now a beneficiary of the PDS system will be able to buy subsidized foodgrains from any FPS across the country.
• The new system, based on a technological solution, will identify a beneficiary through biometric authentication on electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices installed at the FPSs, and enable that person to purchase the quantity of foodgrains to which she is entitled under the NFSA.

About the News

• The newly approved states/UTs under this plan are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.
• There are 12 states viz. Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana and Tripura that are already in the list.

How this Works?

• It uses a technological solution involving the use of Aadhaar to identify beneficiaries. Under the scheme, the seeding of ration cards with Aadhaar is being done.
• Simultaneously, PoS machines are being installed at all FPSs across the country. Once 100 per cent of Aadhaar seeding and 100 per cent installation of PoS devices is achieved, the national portability of ration cards will become a reality.

5.  e-NAM and its progress towards 1000 mandis

Context

The e-NAM has reached a target of 1000 mandis across the nation in 18 states and 3 union territories. A total of 38 new mandis have been integrated in the e-NAM platform of electronic trading portal.

What is e-NAM?

National Agriculture Market or eNAM is an online trading platform for agricultural commodities in India. The market facilitates farmers, traders and buyers with online trading in commodities. The market is helping in better price discovery and providing facilities for smooth marketing of their produce.

Features of e-Nam

• The market is helping in better price discovery and providing facilities for smooth marketing of their produce.
• It was launched in 2016 and is implemented by the Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
• The market transactions stood at ₹36,200 crores (equivalent to ₹390 billion or US$5.5 billion in 2019) by January 2018, mostly intra-market.
• Over 90 commodities including staple food grains, vegetables and fruits are currently listed in its list of commodities available for trade.
• The Portal is managed by Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) with the technology provider, NFCL’s iKisan division.

About the News

• The 38 new mandis include 19 from Madhya Pradesh, 10 from telangana, 4 from Maharashtra and one each in Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir.

6. Punjab Good Conduct Prisoners Amendment Ordinance, 2020

Context

Punjab Government today promulgated ‘The Punjab Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Amendment Ordinance, 2020. Disclosing this at Chandigarh, Cooperation and Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said that the step has been taken in view of containing the spread of COVID-19, with the intention to decongest the jail.

What is this Ordinance?

• According to the new provisions, the temporary release of the prisoners has been allowed beyond the maximum period of 16 weeks in a calendar year.
• This has been done to decongest the jails due to the spread of COVID-19 Virus.
• This decision was taken by a Government panel under the chairmanship of Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

7. Death of Legendary Hockey Icon at 96- Shri Balbir Singh Sr.

Context

Legendary hockey Player, Balbir Singh Dosanjh passed away at the age of 95. He was three-time Olympic gold medalist and recipient of Padma Shri.

Life History and Achievements

• A bonafide legend of Indian hockey, Balbir Singh Sr is considered one of the best centre-forwards to have ever played the game.
• He was a three-time Olympic gold medalist, having played a key role in India’s wins in London (1948), Helsinki (1952) (as vice-captain), and Melbourne (1956) (as captain) Olympics.
• He has an unbeaten hockey record for most goals scored by an individual in an Olympic men’s hockey final. He set this record when he scored five goals in India’s 6–1 victory over the Netherlands in the gold medal game of the 1952 Olympic Games. 
• He was the manager and chief coach of the Indian team for the 1975 Men’s Hockey World Cup, which India won, and the 1971 Men’s Hockey World Cup, where India earned a bronze medal.
• He was honoured in the Olympic Museum exhibition, “The Olympic Journey: The Story of the Games” held at the Royal Opera House. The exhibition told the story of the Olympic Games from its creation in 776BC through to the London 2012 Olympic Games.
• He was one of the 16 iconic Olympians chosen whose example “tells of human strength and endeavour, of passion, determination, hard work and achievement and demonstrates the values of the Olympic Movement”.
• In 1957 he became the first recipient of the Padma Shri award in the sports category.
• Balbir Singh Dosanjh is called as Balbir Singh Sr to distinguish him from the other players of same name and he has also written his biography “The Golden Hat Trick: My Hockey Days” in the year 1977.

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