GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

Eminent mridangam artiste Karaikudi Mani, who had dominated Carnatic music, died of age-related issues in Chennai.

• Born on September 11, 1945, in Karaikudi in the State to T Ramanath Iyer and Pattammal, Mani shifted from vocal training to learning mridangam.
• He was considered as one among the all-time greatest mridangam vidwans.
• He had played alongside Carnatic giants like M S Subbulakshmi and D K Pattammal.
  
  

Recently South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the U.S. to commemorate the 70th anniversary of U.S.-South Korea bilateral relations. Both leaders adopted a new joint statement called the “Washington Declaration.”

• The successful launch of North Korea’s Hwasong-8 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a vital component for nuclear weapons delivery, seems to have triggered the U.S. visit of the South Korean President.
• Both countries wanted to advance the strategic partnership, drawing an alliance over an extended nuclear deterrence plan against the regional aggression of North Korea. 

What does the Washington Declaration say?

• The agreement outlines cooperation towards deterrence.
• According to the declaration,
  • An American nuclear ballistic submarine would be deployed in the Korean peninsula
  • A nuclear consultative group would be formed to formulate principles of joint response tactics
  • South Korea would receive Intel from the U.S. regarding nuclear advancements
  • The U.S. will strengthen South Korea’s nuclear deterrence capabilities through joint military training programs and an annual intergovernmental simulation
• The declaration reaffirmed the non-proliferation Treaty implying that South Korea would not venture into the creation of its own independent nuclear capabilities and would instead focus on deterrence measures through an alliance-based approach.
• It also mandates the U.S. President as the only ‘sole authority’ to use the nuclear arsenal of the U.S. in the event of a nuclear confrontation.
• While the existence of the agreement is based on the security needs of South Korea, the policy reflects big power politics where the interests of the larger power (U.S.) takes precedence.

An upgradation to Manila Pact?

•  President Yoon Suk Yeol said that South Korea’s new nuclear deterrence agreement with the United States should be understood as an “upgraded” version of the allies’ 1953 Mutual Defence Treaty.
• Historically, The Allies’ 1953 Mutual Defence Treaty, also known as the Manila Pact, was a collective defence agreement signed in 1951, between the United States, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.
• The treaty was designed to promote regional stability and prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia.

Why is the U.S. not keen on South Korea having a nuclear arsenal?

• Under significant pressure from the United States, South Korea’s nuclear development programme was hindered and it signed the NPT in 1975. In the 1990s, the U.S. withdrew one hundred nuclear weapons from South Korea as part of their “Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty”. The U.S. was hoping to make North Korea unarm itself.
• Concerning the progress of North Korea: Secondly, the Nuclear Posture Review 2022 reflects a shift in the U.S. narrative where it is now concerned about the progressing nuclear capacities of North Korea.
• Global control: The U.S. wants to control global nuclear arms production. It has been reluctant to allow South Korea to develop their own nuclear arsenal as it would hinder the prolonged efforts of controlling nuclear production in the world.

Manipur is witnessing an outbreak of violence due to the protest against the Meitei demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

About Meitei community

• The Meitei are the largest community in Manipur. They are dominant in the capital Imphal and are the ones commonly referred to as Manipuri.
  • According to the last census of 2011, they are 64.6 per cent of the state population but occupy only about 10 per cent of the landmass of Manipur.
• Other tribes: On the other hand, there are the tribals known as the Nagas and Kukis, who account for nearly 40 per cent of the population but reside across 90 per cent of Manipur’s land.
• While the Meiteis are mostly Hindu, the Nagas and Kuki-Zomis are mainly Christian. Manipur has nearly equal populations of Hindus and Christians, at around 41 per cent each, according to data from the 2011 census.

Why are Tribes against the ST status for Meitei?

• Tribals including Nagas, Zomis, and Kukis against the ST status for Meitei. They comprise around 40 per cent of the state’s population.
• The Meitei community are already classified under Scheduled Castes (SC) or Other Backward Classes (OBC) and is privy to opportunities that are afforded by that tag.
• The ST communities of Manipur fear the loss of job opportunities and other affirmative actions granted to STs by the Constitution of India to a much-advanced community like the Meitei.
• Apart from being the majority community, Meiteis also have more representation in Manipur Assembly.
• That’s because 40 of the 60 Assembly seats in the state are from the Imphal Valley region – the area that is mostly inhabited by the Meiteis.

Push for Scheduled Tribe status

• As of today, 34 sub-tribes of the Naga and Kuki-Zomi tribes are on the government’s list of Scheduled Tribes, but the Meiteis are not.
• However, the Meiteis have long been demanding Scheduled Tribe status, arguing that it needs to be protected from the influx of outsiders and “infiltration”.

Claims made by Meiteis Community

• The Meiteis blame their troubles on “large-scale illegal immigration” from Myanmar and Bangladesh and have sought ST status.