Art and Culture

Konyak Tribe (The Hindu)

• About: One of the largest tribes in Nagaland.
• Literal Meaning: Derived from ‘Whao’ (head) and ‘Nyak’ (black), meaning ‘men with black hair’.
• Groups:
  • Thendu: ‘Tattooed Face’
  • Thentho: ‘White Face’
• Distribution: Primarily in Mon district of Nagaland, with populations in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Myanmar.
• Festivals:
  • Aolingmonyu: Marks the beginning of a new year.
  • Aonyimo: Celebrated after the harvest.
  • Laoun-ongmo: A thanksgiving festival.

Thanjavur Veena (The Hindu)

• About: An Indian musical instrument.
• Types:
  • Ekantha Veena: Carved from a single block of wood.
  • Sada Veena: Composed of three sections—resonator, neck, and head.
• Material: Made from fresh bark of a Jack Fruit Tree.
• Parts:
  • Resonator (kudam)
  • Neck (dandi)
  • Tuning Box
• Other Types of Veena:
  • Rudra Veena: Hindustani classical music.
  • Vichitra Veena: Hindustani classical music.
  • Saraswati Veena: Carnatic classical music (unique to Thanjavur).
  • Chitra Veena: Used in Carnatic classical music.

Saoras' Habitat Rights (Indian Express)

• Context: Saora tribals of Gajapati district receive habitat rights over ancestral lands, making Odisha a leader in providing such rights to particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs).
• Saora Tribe:
  • About: Ancient tribe mentioned in the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
  • Distribution: Mainly in Odisha, with smaller populations in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam.
  • Language: Sora, a Munda language with its script (Sorang Sompeng).
  • Physical Traits: Proto Australoid characteristics.
  • Religion: Worship various gods and spirits.
  • Tattooing Tradition: Known as Tantangbo.
  • Economic Classes:
    • Saoras of the Plains: Engaged in wet cultivation and wage earning.
    • Hill Saoras: Practice shifting and terraced cultivation.
  • Settlement: Scattered houses with megaliths for commemorating deceased kin.

Geography

Namibia (Indian Express)

• Location: Southwestern Africa.
• Bordering Countries: South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Angola.
• Maritime Boundary: Atlantic Ocean (west).
• Landforms: Includes deserts, marshlands, savannas, mountains, and river valleys.
• Deserts:
  • Namib Desert: Along the coast, transitions to the Central Plateau and the Kalahari Desert.
• Rivers: Kunene, Okavango, Mashi, Zambezi, and Orange.
• Highest Mountain: Brandberg/Mount Brand (western part).

Amid South China Sea tensions, PM in Brunei to discuss defence ties - Indian Express

Context

At a time when China’s aggressive posture in the Indo-Pacific, including the South China Sea where Brunei has a maritime claim, is rattling the region, Indian Prime Minister reached the sultanate’s capital Bandar Seri Begawan recently to hold bilateral talks with Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah on a range of issues — from commercial to cultural to defence ties.

Brunei 

• Location: Country in Southeast Asia, situated on northern coast of island of Borneo.

• Border: Apart from northern coastline on South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by Malaysian state of Sarawak.
• Landforms: Coastal plain (north) & rugged hills (south).
• Highest point:  Pagon Peak
• Major rivers: Belait, Tutong, and Brunei, Pandaruan etc.
• Climate: Equatorial climate influenced by monsoon systems

Cocoa - The Hindu 

Context

Scientists and entrepreneurs are working on ways to make more cocoa that stretch well beyond the tropics, from Northern California to Israel.

Cocoa Tree

• About: A plantation crop grown for chocolates around the world grown in humid tropics and is native to the Amazon basin of South America.
• Cocoa farming: Cocoa trees grow about 20 degrees north and south of the equator in regions with warm weather and abundant rain, including West Africa and South America. 
• Average rainfall: 1500-2000 mm.
• Average Temperature:  15°-39°C (optimum levels 25°C).
• Soil: Clay loam and sandy loam soil. 
• Average pH range: 6.5 to 7.0.
• Shade requirement: 50% of light is ideally available. 
• Major producing regions: ~ 70% of the world’s cocoa come from West African countries: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon.
• Cultivation in India: Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu .

Polity

New Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill (The Hindu)

• Context: Introduced in Lok Sabha, aimed at addressing climate-induced disasters.

• Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill

  • Institutional development: It mandates the creation of many authorities and committees at the national, State and district levels. 
  • Provides statutory status to pre-act organisations: National Crisis Management Committee and a High Level Committee which complicates the chain of action to be followed in case of disasters. 
  • Planning: Strengthens the working of the National Disaster Management Authority and the State Disaster Management Authorities to prepare State and national level plans. 
  • Establishment of institution: Urban Disaster Management Authority for State capitals and cities with municipal corporations. 

• Concerns

  • Dilutes the wording of the National Disaster Response Fund: As it removes the purposes for which the fund shall be used. 
  • Excess centralisation of decision making on funds: The severity of the disaster must necessitate a prompt response by the central government, currently absent in the Act. 
  • Restricted definition of ‘disaster’: The government is currently not planning to classify heatwaves as a notified disaster under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. 
  • Not inclusive enough definition of disaster: This poses a problem as the very nature of climate-induced disasters is incongruous to the idea of a traditional disaster under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the proposed Bill. 

• Way Forward

  • Need to revisit the Centre’s efforts in addressing the issue of financial preparedness when it comes to the management of and response to disasters. 
  • The conversation should not revolve around whether the Centre or State is responsible for the loss of lives in Wayanad, Kerala, but what is it that can be done to manage disasters and predict their future occurrence. 

World Affairs 

International Criminal Court - The Hindu

• About: A permanent judicial body established by the Rome Statute (1998) to investigate, prosecute, and try individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression, and to impose prison sentences upon individuals who are found guilty of such crimes. 
• Origin: Founded by the Rome Statute adopted in July 1998
• Operation: 2003. 
• HQ: Hague, Netherlands.
• Funding: Contributions from the States Parties and by voluntary contributions from Governments, international organizations, individuals, corporations, and other entities.
• Judges: 18 judges, each from a different member country, elected to non-renewable 9 -year terms.
• Presidency: 3 judges (President and 2 Vice-Presidents) elected from among the judges. 
• Jurisdiction: The ICC is only competent to hear a case if:
  • The country where the offence was committed is a partyto the Rome Statute; or
  • The perpetrator's country of origin is a party to the Rome Statute.
  • The ICC may only exercise its jurisdiction if the national court is unable or unwilling to do so.
  • The ICC only has jurisdiction over offences committed after the Statute’s entry into force on 1 July 2002.
• Relation with United Nations (UN): Not a United Nations (UN) organization but when a situation is not within the Court’s jurisdiction, the UN Security Councilcan refer the situation to the ICC, granting it jurisdiction.

Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) - The Hindu 

Context

Member states of Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) signed charter and MoU for establishment of CSC secretariat recently. 

Colombo Security Conclave (CSC)

• About: A regional security grouping which comprises India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Mauritius.
• Aim: To promote regional security by addressing transnational threats and challenges of common concern to the Member States.
• Original name: Trilateral for Maritime Security Cooperation - formed from trilateral meetings between NSAs and Deputy NSAs from India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka in 2011 & came to a standstill after 2014 due to rising tensions between India and the Maldives & re-branded as the CSC in 2020.
• Members: India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Mauritius and Sri Lanka
• Observer nation: Seychelles.
• 5 pillars:
  • maritime safety and security
  • countering terrorism and radicalisation
  • combating trafficking and transnational organised crime
  • cyber-security and protection of critical infrastructure
  • humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
• Secretariat: Colombo

Economy 

World Bank hikes India’s economic growth forecast to 7% for 2024-25 - The Hindu

Context

• In its report, India Development Update: India’s Trade Opportunities in a Changing Global Context, released recently, the World Bank said India’s growth continued to be strong despite a challenging global environment.

Forecast

• Growth forecast:  7% for the financial year ending March 2025.
• Growth in manufacturing sector: Grew by 9.9%
• Female urban unemployment: It fell to 8.5 % in early FY24/25
• Urban youth unemployment: It remained elevated at 17%.

World Bank

• About: An international organization dedicated to providing financing, advice, and research to developing nations to aid their economic advancement.
• Aim: To fight poverty by offering developmental assistance to middle- and low-income countries.
• Establishment: In 1944 out of the Bretton Woods Agreement
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C

How the Digital Bus initiative has empowered young adults in remote areas of the country - The Hindu 

Context

A four-person team who provide hands-on training and a curated programme in digital and financial literacy, IT skills, and entrepreneurship to around 48,700 young adults and kids across villages in India: this is the Digital Bus initiative, a joint venture between the National Digital India Mission and the NIIT Foundation. 

Digital Bus initiative

• About: A joint venture between the National Digital India Mission and the NIIT Foundation.
• Launch: 2017
• Aim: To take technology to remote areas and also foster innovation and offer new opportunities and ensure that every community is able to thrive in the digital age.
• Targets:
  • Reducing the Digital divide for those living in remote areas
  • Providing Linkages to Government programs and initiatives
  • Enhancing interest levels in learning
  • Introducing the multidisciplinary approach to education
  • Encouraging collaborative learning
  • Developing interpersonal skills
  • Providing awareness of technology amongst the rural community
  • Providing equal opportunities for rural youth
• Characteristics of buses: Solar-powered, 5G-enabled and fully furnished classrooms with computers, Internet and camera/video capabilities, with preinstalled e-courses, all available free of cost.

Sci and Tech 

Grom-E1 Missile - Indian Express 

About: A weapon created from the Soviet-era Kh-38 “air-to-surface” missile developed by Russia and officially unveiled for the first time in 2018.

• Dual features: Works both as a missile and an aerial bomb.
• Maximum Range: 120 km (75 miles).
• Warhead: A high-explosive modular warhead equipped with a contact detonator.
• Weight: 594 kg (1,310 pounds), with a 315 kg (694 pound) warhead.
• Deployment: Can be deployed by Russian aircraft such as the MiG-35, Su-34, Su-35, Su-57, and certain helicopters.

Environment 

Green Sea Turtle  - The Hindu

Scientific name: Chelonia mydas

• About: One of the largest sea turtles and the only herbivore among the different species.
• Appearance: Named for the greenish color of their cartilage and fat, not their shells.
• Diet: Seagrasses and algae which maintains the seagrass beds and makes them more productive.
• Potentially particularly susceptible: The sex of their offspring is dependent on incubation temperature.
• Distribution: Tropical and subtropical waters.
• IUCN status: Endangered
• CITES status: Appendix 1
• Threats: Habitat loss, fisheries by catch and illegal trade etc.