Singing ‘Vande Mataram’ Has Not Been Made Mandatory – Supreme Court
- Context: The Supreme Court ruled that, in accordance with a circular issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, singing ‘Vande Mataram’ is not mandatory.
- The circular serves merely as a guideline regarding the rendition of the song at government functions and in schools.
- The circular does not specify any penal provisions for failing to sing the song.
- Current Facts
- The Supreme Court of India ruled that, under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950, Scheduled Caste status is restricted only to individuals belonging to Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist communities.
- According to the Central Government’s 2024-25 Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) report, Tamil Nadu has secured the first place in India, with smart classrooms established in 82.5% of its government schools.
About ‘Vande Mataram’-
- On January 24, 1950, ‘Vande Mataram’ was officially adopted as the National Song of India by the Constituent Assembly of India.
- It was first published in Bangadarshan in 1875 and was subsequently incorporated into Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s novel, Anandamath, in 1882.
- In 1896, Rabindranath Tagore introduced the song to the public by singing it for the first time at the Indian National Congress session held in Calcutta.
- The Constitution of India does not explicitly mention the National Song. However, Article 51A(a) mandates respect for national symbols.
- In 1907, Bhikaji Cama unfurled the tricolor flag for the first time outside India, at Stuttgart in Berlin the words ‘Vande Mataram’ were inscribed on that flag.
Cauvery Water Management Authority-
- Context: The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has ordered the Government of Karnataka to release 2.5 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic feet) of water to Tamil Nadu during the month of April.
- This order has been issued based on the final verdict delivered by the Supreme Court in 2018 regarding the sharing of Cauvery water.
- The 2018 Supreme Court verdict allocated 404.25 tmcft to Tamil Nadu and 284.75 tmcft to Karnataka, while also declaring the Cauvery a national asset.
- Two bodies the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) operate to implement the Supreme Court’s verdict.
- River water disputes fall under Article 262 of the Constitution of India.
Cauvery River Water Tribunal
- This Tribunal was constituted in 1990 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
- It was established by the Central Government to resolve the water-sharing dispute among the states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.
Current Facts
- Jacaranda mimosifolia is a deciduous tree species. It belongs to the Bignoniaceae family.
- Following Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh and Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu, the State Government plans to establish the country’s third rocket launch site near the Gir Somnath district in Gujarat.
- The Constitution of India has been amended 106 times.
- One TMC (Thousand Million Cubic feet) is the volume of water obtained by discharging water continuously for 24 hours at a rate of 11,574 cubic feet per second.
Cauvery Water Management Authority- Exercising the powers conferred by Section 6A of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, the Central Government notified the ‘Cauvery Water Management Scheme’ in 2018.
- Through this scheme, the ‘Cauvery Water Management Authority’ (CWMA) and the ‘Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’ (CWRC) were constituted.
- The Cauvery Water Management Authority implements the Tribunal’s verdict as well as the modified orders issued by the Supreme Court.
- It ensures the storage, allocation, regulation, and control of Cauvery water.
- It ensures that the State of Karnataka releases water at the prescribed levels at the Biligundlu inter-state border point.
About the Cauvery River
- The Cauvery River originates at Talakaveri in the Kodagu district of Karnataka; it flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for a distance of approximately 800 km before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
Tributaries of the Cauvery River
- Left-bank tributaries: Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavathi.
- Right-bank tributaries: Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Suvarnavathi, Bhavani, Noyyal, Amaravathi.
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