GS Analyst: Daily Current Affairs bring to you daily analysis of all the most relevant Important Editorials, OpEds and news analysis, to cover Current Affairs for UPSC CSE preparation which is a daunting task for any aspirant.

1. www.iasscore.in
GS
12
OCTOBER,
2022
ANALYST
CURRENT AFFAIRS
DAILY

3. Other jyotirlinga sites:
• Somnath in Gujarat
• Dwarka’s Nageswar in Gujarat
• Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh
• Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh
• Kedarnath in Uttarakhand
• Bhimashankar in Maharashtra
• Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra
• Aurangabad’s Grishneshwar in Maharashtra
• Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh
• Baidyanath Temple in Jharkhand’s Deoghar
• Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu
CURRENT AFFAIRS
DAILY OCTOBER, 2022
SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF UJJAIN’S MAHAKAL
TEMPLE IN HINDUISM
CONTEXT:
Prime Minister inaugurated the first phase of the ‘Shri Mahakaleswar Corridor’ in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
About Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga
o The temple is located in the historical
city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, India. It
is situated on the banks of the holy river,
Shipra.
o Mahakal is the only jyotirlinga facing
south; the rest face east. That is because
the south is believed to be the direction
of death.
o The jyotirlingas, or shrines, are believed to
be the most sacred abodes of Shiva.
o Origin: The time of origin of the temple
may be assigned to the pre-historic period
as the Puranas say it was first established by Prajapita
Brahma.
o Style: The Mahakaleshwar temple has been built in
Maratha, Bhumija and Chalukya architectural styles.
What are Jyotirilingas?
o Jyotirlingas are sacred shrines of Lord Shiva; it is
believed that Lord Shiva himself visited these places
and hence they have a special place in the hearts of
devotees.
o There are 12 of them in India.
o Jyotirlinga means ‘column or pillar of light’.
The ‘stambha’ symbol represents that there is no
beginning or end.
www.iasscore.in 3

4. Shri Mahakaleswar Corridor:
o It is the first phase of the Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor development project worth ₹856 crores.
o After completion will become one of the largest corridors in the country.
o The project spreads around the old Rudrasagar lake.
o The lake has also been redeveloped as part of the Mahakal River project.
o The project will not only bring a large number of devotees to Ujjain but will also make the city a global
tourist destination.
Meaning of ‘Mahakal’, or ‘Mahakaleshwar’:
o The divinity associated with Ujjain is centered around the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga placed inside the
temple also known as Mahakal Mandir.
o The temple is dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva, believed to be the god of time and death.
o He is called Mahakaleshwar, made up of the two meanings of the word Kaal – time and death.
Mention of Mahakal temple in ancient texts:
o In the early part of the Meghadutam (Purva Megha), Kalidasa describes the Mahakal temple.
o It is described as one with a stone foundation, with the ceiling on wooden pillars.
o There would be no shikharas or spires on the temples prior to the Gupta period.
About Ujjain:
o The city of Ujjain was also one of the primary centers of learning for Hindu scriptures, called Avantika in
the 6th
and 7th
centuries BC.
o Astronomers and mathematicians such as Brahmagupta and Bhaskaracharya also made Ujjain their
home.
o According to Surya Siddhanta (4th
century), which is one of the earliest available texts on Indian astronomy,
Ujjain is geographically situated at the intersection of zero meridians of longitude (Madhyarekha) and
the Tropic of Cancer (Karkavrutta) intersect.
o This is the reason often sighted for it being connected to time and space, and the main Shiva temple is
dedicated to Mahakal, the lord of time.
Developments in the Medieval Period:
o Islamic rulers gave donations to priests for offering prayers here.
o In the 13th century, the temple complex was destroyed by Turk ruler Shams-ud-din Iltutmish during his
raid on Ujjain.
o The present five-storeyed structure was built by the Maratha general Ranoji Shinde in1734, in the
Bhumija, Chalukya, and Maratha styles of architecture.
o About a century later, its marble walkways were restored by the Scindias.
o Maharaja Jai Singh II (18th
century), known as the Vedh Shala or Jantar Mantar, comprises 13
architectural instruments to measure astronomical phenomena.
JUSTICE DY CHANDRACHUD NAMED INDIA’S NEXT
CHIEF JUSTICE BY CJI LALIT
CONTEXT:
Chief Justice of India, U.U Lalit has recommended the name of Justice D Y Chandrachud, the judge of the
Supreme Court, as his successor.
4 www.iasscore.in
CURRENT AFFAIRS
DAILY
OCTOBER, 2022

5. OCTOBER, 2022
About D Y Chandrachud:
o Presently he is the second most senior judge of the Supreme Court.
o If approved by the government, Justice Chandrachud will be in office for two years — until November 10,
2024.
o He served as Additional Solicitor General from 1998.
o He was also the Director of the Maharashtra Judicial Academy.
o His father, Y V Chandrachud, too served as the CJI and had a stint of over 7 years.
Landmark Judgements by Justice Chandrachud:
o Justice K S Puttaswamy (retd) & Another vs Union of India & Others: A nine-judge bench that included
him recognized privacy as a fundamental right.
o He dealt with the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies,
Benefits, and Services) Act, 2016. While the majority upheld the Act, Justice Chandrachud held it had
been passed unconstitutionally as a Money Bill.
o Navtej Singh Johar and Others vs Union of India case: Supreme Court decriminalized Section 377 of
the Indian Penal Code (IPC) making same-sex relations legal.
o Recently, an SC bench headed by him extended the right to safe and legal abortion up to 24 weeks of
pregnancy to unmarried and single women.
www.iasscore.in
CURRENT AFFAIRS
DAILY

6. o He was also part of the five-judge Supreme Court bench that decided the Ayodhya title dispute matter.
The procedure of appointment of Chief justice of India:
o While the Constitution of India does not mention any procedure for appointing the CJI, the naming of the
successor relies on convention.
o Article 124 (1) of the Constitution merely says, ““there shall be a Supreme Court of India consisting of
a Chief Justice of India.” It also says that every Judge of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the
President.
o As per convention, the outgoing CJI recommends his successor, strictly based on seniority.
o The Union Law Minister then forwards the recommendation to the Prime Minister who, in turn, advises
the President.
BETI BACHAO, BETI PADHAO NOW INCLUDES
SKILLING
CONTEXT:
The Centre has expanded the scope of its flagship outreach program ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ to include skilling.
⦿ DETAILS:
o The government has decided to include skilling
for girls in its Beti Bachao, Beti Padao programme
and has included the following component in the
scheme:
➤ Ensuring a 1% annual increment in enrolment at
the secondary school level
➤ To raise awareness about safe menstrual hygiene
➤ To promulgate the elimination of child marriages
o The scheme will now also focus on increasing
the enrolment of girls in secondary education,
particularly in STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, Mathematics) subjects.
o Women have been historically under-represented in areas such as technology.
Implementation:
o A national (apex) committee will review the implementation of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme.
o It will be headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, formed under the larger
Mission Shakti mandate, will be the apex committee
Component of Skilling- Non-traditional livelihoods (NTL):
o Girls will be given skill training in non-traditional vocations.
o This will potentially make them torchbearers of women-led Atmanirbhar Bharat.
o It is reasoned that skilling, empowerment, and non-traditional livelihoods are the areas where women are
historically under-represented.
Non-traditional livelihoods” (NTLs): It is the sectors and jobs where participation of women is and has
historically been conventionally low or absent.
6 www.iasscore.in
CURRENT AFFAIRS
DAILY
OCTOBER, 2022

7. Some statistics:
• More than 4.2 crore RTIs have been filed and 26 lakh second appeals are there before the
commissions.
• States like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu State information commissions are getting
more appeals than the Central government CIC.
CURRENT AFFAIRS
DAILY OCTOBER, 2022
About Beti Bachao, Beti Padao:
o It was launched in January 2015 with the aim to address sex-selective abortion and the declining
child sex ratio which was 918 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011.
o This is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare, and the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
o The program is being implemented across 405 districts in the country.
Main Objectives:
o Prevention of gender-biased sex-selective elimination.
o Ensuring the survival & protection of the girl child.
o Ensuring education and participation of the girl child.
o Protecting rights of Girl children.
RTI PLEAS PILE UP AT INFORMATION
COMMISSIONS
CONTEXT:
Vacant posts and inadequate members are taking a toll on the transparency regime and it is resulting in pendency
in the resolution of RTI pleas.
⦿ DETAILS:
o As per the latest update-
➤ About 3.15 lakh complaints or appeals are pending with 26 information commissions across India.
➤ The highest number of pending cases was in Maharashtra at 99,722 followed by Uttar Pradesh at
44,482.
Defunct Information Commissions:
o Two out of 29 information commissions across the country are completely defunct.
o Three information commissions were found to be non-functional for varying lengths of time for the period
under review.
o Four of them are headless at the moment.
o Only 5% of the positions are occupied by women.
o Jharkhand and Tripura have been completely defunct for 29 months and 15 months respectively.
o Several information commissions, including the Central Information Commission, are working at reduced
capacity with less than the stipulated number of members being in office.
Central Information Commission:
o The Central Information Commission was established by the Central Government in 2005, under the
provisions of the Right to Information Act (2005).
www.iasscore.in 7

8. Right to Information (RTI)
• Right to Information (RTI) means that any Indian citizencan request any information (which is supposed
to be public knowledge) from the offices and departments of the state or central governments.
• The RTI Act, 2005 mandates that the said offices and departments must process such requests in a
timely manner.
• Under this Act, access to information from a public agency has become a statutory right of every
citizen.
• It is a fundamental right flowing from Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution.
o It is not a constitutional body.
o The Commission consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information
Commissioners.
o While inquiring, the Commission has the powers of a civil court in respect of summoning, requiring
documents, etc.
Problem Areas:
o Not Imposing penalties: Commissions did not impose penalties in 95% of the cases where penalties were
potentially imposable.
➤ Large Backlog of cases: The large backlog of cases has built up, resulting in a long waiting time for
disposal, as governments have failed to make appointments of information commissioners in a timely
manner.
➤ Tardy disposal rates: In several commissions, there is a lack of transparency in their functioning which
is resulting in a tardy disposal rate.
➤ Vacant Posts: Out of a total of 165 posts of information commissioners, 41 are vacant, including two
chief State information commissioners.
➤ Women’s Representation: There are only 5% (only 8) of women information commissioners in the
country.
⦿ WAY FORWARD:
o Doing away with casual attitude: Commissions are becoming parking lots for retired bureaucrats and
the casual attitude by PIO/First Appellate Authority.
o Digitization of process: The entire system needs digitization. Only 11 information commissions out of 29
provide e-filing facilities for RTI applications or appeals, but only five are functional.
o Digital RTI portal: The digital RTI portal (website or mobile app) can deliver more efficient and citizen-
friendly services which are not possible through conventional mode. This will be beneficial for both
transparency seekers and the government.
U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL, PM MODI TO LAUNCH
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME
CONTEXT:
United Nations Secretary-General will be travelling to India to launch a special environment programme with
India’s Prime Minister.
8 www.iasscore.in
CURRENT AFFAIRS
DAILY
OCTOBER, 2022

9. CURRENT AFFAIRS
DAILY OCTOBER, 2022
⦿ DETAILS:
o The programme which is going to be launched is part of the ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ (LiFE) initiative
that was announced by Mr Modi earlier this year.
o This is going to be Mr Guterres, a second visit to India during his tenure as UN Secretary-General.
o “Climate chaos is knocking on everyone’s door” and it needs a global response. It appears promising to
see Indian leadership and the UN coming together.
The launch of the programme:
o The launch will be marked on Sardar Patel’s birthday on October 31 as National Unity Day.
o The launch event at Kevadia (Gujrat) will also kick off a number of other governmental plans.
o From October 25-31, the government will launch “Unitea” marches in all 750 districts of the country to
highlight health and environmental issues as well.
o The launch will be attended by hundreds of officials, and over a hundred diplomats and heads of Indian
missions worldwide.
About Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) Movement:
o The idea of LiFE promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle that focuses on ‘mindful and
deliberate utilization’ instead of ‘mindless and wasteful consumption.
o The idea of LiFE was introduced by the Prime Minister during the 26th
United Nations Climate Change
Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021.
Aim of the LiFE movement:
o The LiFE Movement aims to bring positive change in the environment through collective action.
o It aims to persuade individuals across the world to undertake simple climate-friendly actions in their
daily lives or adoption of environment-conscious lifestyle.
o It also seeks to make the best use of social networks to influence social norms surrounding climate.
P3 in LiFE movement:
o The Mission plans to create and nurture a global network of individuals, namely ‘Pro-Planet People’
(P3).
o P3 will have a shared commitment to adopt and promote environmentally friendly lifestyles.
Most important objective of LiFE:
o The Mission envisions replacing the prevalent ‘use-and-dispose’ economy with a circular economy.
o The ‘Use and dispose’ economy is governed by mindless and destructive consumption whereas the
circular economy is defined by mindful and deliberate utilization.
**********
www.iasscore.in 9

10. EDITORIAL
SOLUTIONS BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE
CONTEXT:
Policy-making has to become more inclusive and less dominated by the powerful and the wealthy,
while a paradigm shift is needed in problem-solving at global and national levels.
⦿ NEED FOR A SHIFT:
o Health of Planet: In pursuit of GDP, the Club of Rome gave a wake-up call in 1972, by
introducing the health of the planet into calculations of profit and growth.
o Thatcher-Reagan-Chicago” model of neoliberalism: It marks a transition from welfarist to
monetarist. In a way, it wants governments out of the way to let private entrepreneurs loose.
o Unfair Global Financial System: Global financial system protects the interests of large
corporations. Now the demand to include the needs of ‘People’ in economic policy is
becoming louder.
⦿ OUT-OF-BOX ECONOMICS:
o Five systemic solutions: Ending poverty; addressing gross inequality; empowering women;
making food systems healthy for people and ecosystems, and transitioning to clean energy.
o Path of ‘Big-Leap’: This model can prevent the catastrophe of environmental and societal
collapse by more equitable distribution of economic wealth and social power.
⦿ MISTRUST IN INSTITUTIONS:
o Impact of Social tension: If social tensions increase, societies may enter a vicious cycle
where declining trust causes political destabilization, economies stagnate, and well-being
declines.
o Disillusionment with democratic institutions: Authoritarian governments are coming to
power and are often supported by citizens because democratic govt. is unable to find a fair
solution.
⦿ QUESTION
Policy making needs to be more inclusive and less dominated by the club of resourcefuls’ to avoid
environmental and societal collapse. Discuss.
10 www.iasscore.in
CURRENT AFFAIRS
DAILY
OCTOBER, 2022