 A very good evening, aspirants. Welcome again to the Hindu News Analysis brought to you by Shankar Iyer's Academy for the day 22nd of November 2021. So, as you can see here, these are the list of news articles that we are about to discuss in today's discussion. So, we have quite a lot of articles from the editorial. So, the reason for choosing the editorial is because the points will actually help you in enriching your main answers. So, come let us get into our discussion. Now, for our first discussion, let us take this editorial and the article here speaks about the recent Swach Surveillance Awards and the city's ranking in that awards. Now, based on this context, first, let's see about the Swach Surveillance, the different categories in it and also about the parameters based on which this award is given. And then we will move on to see the rankings of different states in this award. So, first of all, let us see some basic details about this Swach Surveillance. See, it is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation that is carried out in cities and in towns across India. So, this was launched as a part of the Swach Bharat Abhyan, which aimed to make India clean and also free of open defecation by 2nd of October, 2019. So, the first survey was undertaken in the year 2016 and that survey covered around 73 cities. See, we have to understand why such a survey is undertaken every year, right? So, to know that, we should know the objectives of the survey. So, the objective of the survey here is to encourage large scale citizen participation and also to ensure the sustainability of initiatives that are taken towards achieving garbage free and open defecation free cities. And then it also aims to provide the credible outcomes which would be validated by a third party certification and then also to institutionalize the existing systems through online process. Further, this survey also aims to create awareness among all the sections of the society about the importance of working together towards making the towns and the cities more habitable as well as sustainable. And in addition to all these objectives, the survey also intends to foster a spirit of healthy competition among towns and cities and also to improve their service delivery to citizens and to move towards creating more cleaner cities. Now, the next important question is who conducts this survey? See, the answer to this is the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. See, this Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs only conducts this survey and this Ministry along with the Quality Council of India, they will conduct the intensive virtual interactions with the states and the urban local bodies in order to familiarize them with various facets of the survey such as the survey methodology, the survey process and indicators. So, now moving on, let's see about the weightage that is given under the different categories which are considered for ranking. See, the cities considered for ranking are generally divided into two groups such as the cities with more than 1 lakh population and the cities with less than 1 lakh population. And in addition to this, there is also a ranking for all Gangadowns and the states which are considered for ranking is categorized into the states with more than 100 urban local bodies and also states with less than 100 urban local bodies and the weightage is generally given based on three parameters and these three parameters are the service level progress, citizens' voice and certification. So, by now we are almost done with the basic details about SWATCH Surveillance. So, now let us see the cities which has won the ranks in different categories. See, for this survey, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has surveyed almost 4,320 cities for nearly a month and they have got feedback from around 4.2 crore people. So, based on that feedback and survey, Indore is ranked as the cleanest city and note that it is ranked the cleanest city for the fifth time followed by Surat and Vijayawada. And then, Chhattisgarh is ranked as the cleanest state for the third time, that too under the category of states with more than 100 urban local bodies and then Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, they are ranked second and third and Jharkhand is ranked as the cleanest under the category of states with less than 100 urban local bodies and then Varanasi has emerged as the best Ganga town while Hermedabad cantonment won the title of India's cleanest cantonment and this was followed by the Meirut cantonment and Delhi cantonment. And then, additional information for you is that in SWATCH Surveillance 2021, there is actually a novel category called Prirag Daur Samman which is assessed for solid waste management. See, more about this new category is given here for your reference. So, aspirants, please go through it. See, under this category, Indore, Surat, Navi Mumbai, New Delhi Municipal Corporation and Tirupati are categorized as Divya which is nothing but the platinum category. So, to conclude these rankings, they actually serve as a publicity boost as a recognition for winners and also as a motivation for others to climb up the ranking list. But then, at the same time, reducing the complex mechanism such as cleanliness and sanitation in order to mere rankings may also induce a false sense of progress. So, as a way forward, at the regional and central level, it is advisable to have some more qualitative analysis in order to assess whether Indian cities are getting cleaner. And with this, let us wind up this article discussion and move on to see what the next news article has got to tell us. Now, our next news discussion is going to be based on this OPED article. See, this OPED article it provides insights on the concerns which are associated with the production and the availability of public data in our country. Now, in this slide, first let us see what is public data and then we will move on to the concerns that are mentioned in the article by the author. The syllabus covered by this OPED article is highlighted below for your reference. See, first of all, data is a tool which helps in understanding the problems by providing information. So, the purpose of data collection is to show the evidence for reaching a sound and also a clear solution to a problem. So, data is very important when it comes to decision making and also in the process of planning and in formulating policy. And such a data is first collected or it is first gathered and then it is processed and it is analyzed for making the necessary decisions. So, we know that governments and public bodies, they produce and they commission huge quantities of data and information. So, this means they also systematically collect and they also record the collected data. So, say for example, the data about population is collected through a process called census. So, these are the public data. Now, when they are available as a open source, then it will be termed as an open government data and such open government data, they have a tendency to promote the transparency, the accountability as well as the value creation because it makes the government data available to all. So, here we should also remember that such data is considered reliable too. So, therefore, such data it paves way for evidence-based policy making which is the cornerstone of a good governance. And according to the author of this article, India relatively has got a robust public data system and to explain the issues in it, the author has chosen the data from two sources. One is the census that is the population census and the other one is the sample surveys. So, when you take the population census, this is a data about the demographic, economic and the social details at a specific time of all persons in a country. So, such population data, it provides a snapshot of the country's population and housing at a particular point of time. And when you take India, it is disinial, that is such census is conducted once in every 10 years only. Now, second comes the sample surveys, right? These sample surveys, they are conducted by the National Sample Survey Division of the National Statistical Office which is actually one of the oldest continuing large scale all India household sample surveys. So, this survey is conducted annually and the coverage of this national sample survey, it varies over the different rounds. So, each round obtains information on various socio-economic subjects or themes like that of employment, consumer expenditure, then housing conditions, the environment, the literacy levels, health, nutrition, family welfare, etc. So, now comes the important questions that is what are the concerns and these data. See, the first concern related to these data is the delay in the release of collected data. See, sometimes what happens is this delay extends for years and has got many consequences associated with it. So, some examples of consequences is that it makes the data less useful for policy intervention. And then it also undermines the accountability because delay leads to less public scrutiny. And more importantly, some data is not at all released. An example for this can be the socio-economic and caste census. As you know, the socio-economic and caste census collected data regarding caste in the year 2011 but then even after a decade, the data is not yet released by the union government. Now, the next concern is about the issue of comparability. See, in order to improve the accuracy of the data as the technology is advanced, the data collection methodology along with the computation and survey methods are being updated and they are also changed from time to time. So, what happens is this makes the comparing of estimates over time really difficult. And then the next concern is related to the inconsistency in the surveys. See, this concern could be understood with example of the monthly household consumer expenditure survey. This survey actually provides the database to compute the weightage assigned for commodities in the calculation of inflation index, the poverty line and poverty ratio and also when the consumption expenditure in the national account system etc. So, the data from this monthly household consumer expenditure survey has wide usage like it is used in arriving at a new base year for calculating GDP and also other indicators like that of the index of industrial production, the consumer price index etc. But then due to some issues in the quality of the data collected, the survey results of the 2017 to 2018 were not published and hence the government they promised to make data collection method robust and to collect data for the year 2021 and 2021-22. But then there is no update on this. So, thus the author here states that survey might not have been conducted. Now, the concerns relating to sensors and sample surveys are seriously affecting the policy formation in many sectors. Say for example, the unavailability of the monthly household consumer expenditure data is affecting policy relating to food and nutritional security. So, in this regard the author has noted a solution to be adopted by public authorities for framing policies which is using the data from surveys conducted by private or non-governmental institutions. But then even here there are certain concerns about their idea collection and processing methodologies. So, the conclusion is the government should make it mandatory to take measures to complete the public data production process and to publish the same and along with this it can also take measures to integrate the surveys conducted by private or non-governmental institutions so as to refine their methods and with this let us wind up this oped article discussion and move on to the next news article. Now, for our next discussion let us take this editorial. See, this oped article has got some valid points that will actually help you in your main's answer writing. So, kindly pay attention to this discussion. See, recently in Vadodara Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jhunagad which are actually cities in Gujarat. The civic bodies have launched a drive against those hawkers and those vendors who have found to run non-vegetarian food joints along the various streets and food parts. And the reason for this drive is said to be is the selling of such non-vegetarian food in the open which is considered to hurt the religious sentiments. So, subsequently the several food cards or stalls in the roads which sold such non-vegetarian food they were shut by the authorities and this particular article is written in this background. So, in this light the author here has expressed his own views on the issue. So, now let us briefly see what the author intends to say here and we will take on some important points that would actually help us in enriching our answers. So, as the author points out here, when you take the state of Gujarat it comprises of about 15% of scheduled tribes, nearly 10% of Muslims and 7.5% of scheduled cast and also about 50% of people from other backward classes and it also have a significant amount of migrants residing there. So, even when you take migrants a majority of them they doesn't have any sort of a version or they doesn't stay away from meat. So, from this we can say that Gujarat has got a predominant share of meat-eating population. See, most of the people whom I mentioned now they regularly consume non-vegetarian food but then the fact is that they don't do it much in the open because of the fear of censure. And one major reason for this fear of censure is Gujarat's socio-cultural space. See, when you take the socio-cultural space of Gujarat it is mostly dominated by Jains and Vaishnavas and as we know this dominant Mahajan culture is marked by beliefs like that of non-violence, teetotalism and austerity which are nothing but the social values that were emphasized by Mahatma Gandhi. So, on that line vegetarianism is seen as central to this culture and on the contrary meat-eating has become stigmatized even though a large section of the society are quite indulged in eating meat and even some popular movements have further strengthened this idea of vegetarianism. Now, once again coming back to the issue see as the author here points most of the roadside food stalls which were charged for selling meat they are actually operated by the minorities by the various lower class or lower caste Hindus or migrants. So, we all very well know that many of them may not have a substantive say in the political affairs of the state and apart from this the author here also brings in many other examples or initiatives that were adopted in the state with regard to the consumption of meat but let's not go much deep into that. Now, let's limit ourselves to the issue that is going on. So, coming back there was an outcry following this ban and following this it was said that no action would be taken against those vendors who are selling non-vegetarian food and on that line the Chief Minister of the state also stressed that the state was not really bothered about what people ate and that they are only worried about those street food carts which were selling high-ogenic food and also those who are seen obstructing the traffic on city roads. So, this is a brief gist of the issue that has happened there. So, to conclude the author here feels that even though such a statement was made still he feels that the fear of censure remains among the people and when you take the bans like these see even though they are temporary still they've got the potential to stigmatize the various marginalized communities and also the various religious communities of the state and according to the author here when such bans are imposed without any contestation it actually brings to light the dominant communities who assert their dominance and threaten people's livelihoods and peace. So, these are important takeaway points from this article. See, I've chosen this article because it has got some valid points which you can actually make use of in enriching your mains answer writing say for example you get a GSSA on India Secularism or an essay related to intolerance then at such instances you can actually make use of these points in the introduction as a case study. So, I hope this discussion is helpful for you and we'll move on to the next news discussion. Now, look at this article it talks about the historical monument the Beakal Fort. See, the article here reports about the deterioration of this monument which is falling apart due to the lack of conservational activities by the archaeological survey of India which is actually tasked with the conservation and the preservation of cultural monuments. Now, having this as a background let us see about this Beakal Fort and also some facts related to it. See, this Beakal Fort is located in Kasaragot which is situated in Kerala and it was built by the Shivappa Nayaka of Khiladi in 1650 AD. So, this is one of the largest forts in Kerala which actually spreads over 40 acres and with the rise of Heydrali who conquered and defeated the Nayaks this Beakal it fell into the hands of the Mysore sultans. See, one important point to be noted here is that Beakal served as an important military station of Tipu Sultan when he led the great military expedition to capture Malabar and the coins and other artifacts which are unearthed by the archaeological excavations which was conducted recently at Beakal Fort also highlighted the strong presence of the Mysore sultans there. So, the martyrdom of Tipu Sultan who died fighting against the British back in the year 1799 saw the end of the Mysorean control in this area and subsequently what happened is this fort it came under the English East India Company. See, this Beakal Fort it played a significant role in the military ventures and also in the administrative functions of the British Raj also. So, both during the time of Tipu Sultan as well as during the British Raj this Beakal Fort played a significant role. So, when district boundaries were re-run what happened is the town of Beakal it became the headquarters of the Beakal Taluk in the district of South Kanara in the administrative subdivision called Bombay Presidency and this fort is today an important tourist attraction. So, if you remember I told you that this place served as an important military station of Tipu Sultan. Now, based on this let us very quickly revise some important points about Tipu Sultan which is really important in our history perspective. See, Tipu Sultan was the ruler of the kingdom of Mysore which is based in South India and he is known to be the pioneer of rocket artillery and as we all know he is popularly called as the Tiger of Mysore. So, this person that is Tipu Sultan he had introduced a number of administrative innovations during his rule including a new coinage system and calendar and also a new land revenue system which initiated the growth of the Mysore silk industry and further he also played a role in expanding the iron cased Mysorean rockets and he even deployed the rockets against the advances of British forces and the allies during the Anglo-Mysore wars. See, Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali they used their French trained army in alliance with the French in their struggle with the British and he is also one important victory against the British remarkably in the second Anglo-Mysore war and he also negotiated the Treaty of Mangalore in 1784 and then in the third Anglo-Mysore war he was forced into the Treaty of Seringa Patam which eventually led him to lose a number of previously conquered territories like that of Malabar and Mangalore and when you take the fourth Anglo-Mysore war a combined force of British East India Company troops which was supported by the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad they defeated Tipu and he was eventually killed while defending this strong gold of Seringa Patam. So, this is actually a brief overview of Tipu Sultan which you should be aware of whenever you learn about or whenever you come across him while you are studying. So, with this let us conclude this article. Now, come let's move on to the next part of a discussion. So, with this we are done with the articles for today. So, now let's move on to the next part which is going to be the practice question discussion. Now, look at this question. Consider the following statements regarding Swachh Sarvekshan. Statement one, it is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in cities and towns across India. Statement two, it is conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and statement three, Delhi is ranked as the cleanest city with population more than 1 lakh. So, we need to find the correct answer here. See, the first statement which is given here is correct because this Swachh Sarvekshan is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in cities and towns across India and it was launched as a part of this Swachh Bharat Abhyan. So, this statement is correct and when you come to the second statement, see this statement is actually wrong because it is not conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare but rather it is conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and this Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, they conduct the survey along with the Quality Council of India through intensive virtual interactions with the various states and the urban local bodies in order to familiarize them with the various facets of the survey such as the survey methodology and the survey process and indicators. So, this statement is incorrect and coming to the third statement, this statement is also incorrect because as we saw in the discussion, Inder is ranked as the cleanest city, that too for the fifth time and it was followed by Suratan Vijayawada. So, therefore, the right answer here is optional because only the first statement given here is right. Now, look at this prelims practice question. Consider the following pairs. The first pair is the first Anglo-Maisur War and the Treaty of Mangalore. The second pair is the second Anglo-Maisur War and the Treaty of Madras and the third pair is the third Anglo-Maisur War and the Treaty of Sri Rangapatnam. Now, we need to find the correct pairs. See, the first pair which is given here is wrong because the first Anglo-Maisur War which was fought between Ida Rally and the British resulted in the Treaty of Madras and not in the Treaty of Mangalore. And when you take the second pair, this pair is also wrong because second Anglo-Maisur War which was fought between Ida Rally and British ended with the signing of the Treaty of Mangalore and not the Treaty of Madras. The first two pairs are incorrect and just by knowing that, we can actually arrive at the correct answer here which is option B that is 3 only and this statement is obviously right because the third Anglo-Maisur War ended after the siege of the Sri Rangapatnam and the signing of the Treaty of Sri Rangapatnam according to which Tipu had to surrender half of his kingdom to the British East India Company and its allies. So, therefore, the right answer here is option B that is 3 only. The main practice question for today is here. So, Interested Inspirants please write your answers and post them in the comment section below. So, with this we have come to the end of today's inter-news analysis and if you had liked my video then do not forget to like, comment and share and do subscribe to Shankar Eye's Academy YouTube channel for more updates regarding UPSC civil services preparation. Thank you.