CONTENTS

1. International Day of Sign Languages
2. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya

International Day of Sign Languages

Context:

On the occasion of International Day of Sign Languages (23rd September), the Government of India has introduced several initiatives to improve communication and accessibility for the hearing-impaired.

Relevance:

GS II: Government policies and Interventions

Dimensions of the Article:

1. International Day of Sign Languages
2. History

International Day of Sign Languages: Celebrating Linguistic and Cultural Diversity

• The International Day of Sign Languages is an annual event dedicated to promoting the linguistic and cultural diversity of deaf communities worldwide.
• In 2017, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared September 23rd as the day to celebrate the International Day of Sign Languages.
• This day serves as a platform to raise awareness about the significance of sign languages in the lives of deaf communities and the imperative to safeguard them as a vital aspect of human diversity.
• Sign languages are intricate visual-gestural communication systems with their own unique grammar and syntax, serving as the primary mode of communication for millions of people globally.

Theme of 2023:

The theme for 2023 is “A World Where Deaf People Can Sign Anywhere,” emphasizing the importance of ensuring accessibility to sign languages in all aspects of life.

History:

• The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), representing 135 national federations of the deaf, proposed the concept of this day, representing approximately 70 million deaf individuals worldwide.
• A resolution, co-sponsored by 97 UN Member States and led by the Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations, was unanimously adopted in December 2017.
• The date of September 23rd was chosen to commemorate the establishment of the WFD in 1951.
• In 2018, the International Day of Sign Languages was observed for the first time as part of the International Week of the Deaf.

Status of Deaf People:

• According to the World Federation of the Deaf, there are over 70 million deaf individuals globally.
• More than 80% of them reside in underdeveloped countries, collectively utilizing more than 300 different sign languages to communicate.

Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya

Context

The Prime Minister, has paid homage to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya on his Jayanti.

Relevance: 

GS I: Personalities

Dimensions of the Article:

1. About Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Ji
2. About the Ideals of Pandit Ji
3. About Major Schemes in the name of Pandit Ji

About Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Ji

• The Pandit Ji born in Mathura, UP in 1916, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay is an Indian politician.
• He was one of the most important leaders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner of the present day Bharatiya Janata Party.
• He qualified the civil services examination, where he got his nickname as Panditji for appearing in the examination hall wearing traditional dhoti-kurta and cap.
• He however did not join the service, but became in 1942, a life-time volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
• However, Upadhyaya is seen to have played a larger role in India’s thought process and political life, transcending party lines.

About the Ideals of Pandit Ji

• The concept of Integral Humanism he propounded envisages remedies for the post-globalization maladies of the world.
• The Upadhyaya Ji conceived a classless, casteless and conflict-free social order. 
• He stressed on the ancient Indian wisdom of oneness of the human kind.
• For him, the brotherhood of a shared, common heritage was central to political activism. He emphasized on coexistence and harmony with nature.
• He conceptualized an alternative approach which was free from the dialectics of competition and envy, a third way from the inertia of Capitalism and Communism.
• He was a pioneer of many political experiments. He was the architect of the first coalition phase in Indian politics.
• The Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Ji was an advocate of less government and more governance.
• He believed in self-sustaining autonomous units, more power to states and decentralized and competitive federalism, solidly cemented on the cultural mosaic of our tradition, heritage and experience of the past.

About Major Schemes in the name of Pandit Ji

• The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY) – integrating the NULM and NRLM for alleviating poverty.
• The Deendayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) Antyodaya Diwas – to diversify the incomes of rural poor families and to cater to the career aspirations of rural youth.
• The Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana – to provide electricity to rural homes.
• The Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Shramev Jayate Karyakram – to create a conducive environment for industrial development primarily through  skill training.
• The Deendayal Upadhyaya Swaniyojan Yojana (DUSY) – the rural version of the Start Up India scheme.