Prelim Bits 10-04-2019

Questionnaire for Census 2021

For the first time in the 140 year long Census exercise in India, data is proposed to be collected through a mobile app.
According to Registrar General of India users will finalize the strategy and questionnaire for the Census 2021.
To serve this purpose data user’s conference, the first formal interaction of the census organization with various stakeholders was held in Delhi.
The reference date for data collection is 1st October 2020 for Jammu & Kashmir and snow bound areas of Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand while for the rest of country the reference date is 1st March 2021.

Decennial Census of India

Census is not just an exercise of head count but also provides invaluable socio-economic data which forms credible basis for informed policy formulation and allocation of resources.
In India national census is being conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
National Census is conducted once in every ten year so the decennial Census of India has been conducted 15 times, as of 2011.
All the censuses since 1951 were conducted under the 1948 Census of India Act.

First Training Squadron

Indian ships that participated in First Training Squadron (1TS) held in Seychelles includes the following
INS Tarangini – Training Ship of Indian Navy.
INS Sujata - Patrol vessel of Indian Navy.
INS Shardul - Amphibious warfare vessel of the Indian Navy.
ICGS Sarathi– Patrol Vessel of Indian Coast Guard.

Astro Ecology

Recently the concept which is used to study the luminosity of stars, was used to carry out detailed monitoring of orangutan populations in Borneo.
Orangutans, like all great apes, build a sleeping nest in trees, traditionally orangutan numbers are estimated by counting these nests from the ground.
However, this method is costly and time consuming due to the large areas that need to be surveyed.
Astro ecology has combined drone technology with thermal-imaging cameras, which are mostly used by astronomers.
This tech helps to spot and classify the animals by using their heat signatures.
This innovative technology could potentially be used to understand and monitor population numbers of Orangutans or other endangered primate species.

Pathalgadi Movement

The Pathalgadi movement was started by tribal groups to resist the plundering of tribal rights by the state and union governments.
Pathalgadiparticipants plant a stone order in the tribal villages of Jharkhand, which dismiss the authority of the central or the state governments on their villages.
Pathalgadis have their presence in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and parts of West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.
The Pathalgadis call themselves the followers of Sati Pati cult of Gujarat, Sati refers to mother and Pati to father.
The cult claims that the tribals were given rights over rivers, forest land and forest produce by Queen Victoria.

Source: PIB, Down to Earth