About Thrissur Pooram:
- It is a grand festival showcasing Kerala’s cultural and spiritual essence.
- It is celebrated annually in the Malayalam month of Medam (April-May) at the Thekkinkadu Maidanam in Thrissur.
- Often referred to as the “mother of all Poorams”, it is one of the largest temple festivals in Kerala.
- It was initiated by Raja Rama Varma, famously known as Sakthan Thampuran, the Maharaja of Cochin (1790–1805).
- Key Highlights:
- Majestic elephants, adorned in traditional attire, are a central attraction.
- Traditional orchestra music (Panchavadyam) adds vibrancy to the festival.
Kerala High Court Directives:
- The High Court issued guidelines aimed at ensuring the safety of elephants, the public, and artists during the festival.
- Key directives included:
- Minimum distance requirements should be 3 metres between two elephants, 8 metres between elephants and the public or percussion displays, and 100 metres buffer zone near areas of fireworks usage.
- Elephants must have a minimum of three days’ rest between public appearances.
2. Ethiopian Wolf
About Ethiopian Wolf:
- The Ethiopian wolf is a specialized rodent hunter in Afroalpine ecosystems, a unique African high-altitude region.
- These ecosystems, located mainly in the Ethiopian Highlands, exist at altitudes of 3,200 meters above sea level and are characterized by cold and harsh climates.
- Physical characteristics: The wolf is about the size of a large dog, with a reddish coat, white throat and chest markings, and a bushy black tail.
- Population status: With fewer than 500 individuals remaining, the Ethiopian wolf is Africa's most endangered carnivore.
- Habitat specificity: It resides in isolated “sky islands”, high-altitude regions above tropical forests, surrounded by drastically different lowland environments.
Ethiopian Wolf’s Role as a Pollinator:
- It feeds on the nectar of the red and yellow Ethiopian red hot poker flower, a plant that produces sweet nectar attracting multiple pollinators.
- As the wolf moves between flowers, pollen dusts its muzzle, potentially aiding in pollination.
- Researchers observed wolves spending significant time in flower fields, with one wolf visiting 30 flower heads in 1.5 hours.
- This behavior indicates that the wolf actively seeks nectar, a rare trait for large carnivores.
About Farmers Producer Organisation (FPO):
- An FPO is a type of Producer Organisation (PO) formed by farmers.
- It operates as an organization of the producers, by the producers, and for the producers.
- The Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) plays a vital role in promoting FPOs across India.
- Purpose of POs:
- A PO represents producers of various goods, including agricultural products, non-farm items, and artisan goods.
- It can adopt legal forms such as producer companies, cooperative societies, or other entities that allow members to share profits and benefits.
- Ownership of FPOs: The ownership of an FPO lies entirely with its member farmers. It operates on the principle of shared decision-making and benefits.
Legal Framework for FPOs:
- FPOs can be registered under the following:
- Companies Act, 1956 or Companies Act, 2013.
- Societies Registration Act, 1860.
- Public Trusts Act, 1882.
- Structure and Governance: These legal frameworks ensure transparency, accountability, and effective management of FPOs.
About Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER):
- It is a leading Indian policy research think tank established in 1981, focusing on sectors like Agriculture, Climate Change, Digital Economy, and Economic Growth.
4. Kashmiri Papier-mâché
About Kashmiri Papier-mâché:
- It is a traditional handicraft of the Kashmir Valley, introduced in the 14th century by Muslim saint Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani from Persia.
- This craft is known for its intricate designs and use of paper pulp to create colorful, richly decorated items.
Features:
- Materials and process: Made primarily from paper pulp. Items are handcrafted in homes and workshops, mainly in Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir Valley.
- Common products: Vases, bowls, cups (with or without metal rims), boxes, trays, and lamp bases.
- Recently, products like papier-mâché models of extinct birds (e.g., dodos) have also gained attention.
- Artistic elements: The designs feature floral motifs, forest prints, and other intricate patterns symbolizing cultural and ecological themes.
- Market: While the products have a significant domestic market, they are also highly demanded internationally in Europe, Mauritius, and other regions.
Legal and Cultural Recognition:
- Protected under the Geographical Indication (GI) Act, 1999, ensuring authenticity and cultural preservation.
- Registered by the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trademarks.
The Dodo Connection:
- Christmas exports: Over 50,000 papier-mâché dodo models were shipped to markets in Europe and Mauritius for Christmas.
- Dodos, extinct since 1681, are the national emblem of Mauritius, making these items culturally significant.
5. Critical Minerals
About Critical Minerals:
- Critical minerals are those minerals that are essential for economic development and national security.
- The lack of availability of these minerals or concentration of extraction or processing in a few geographical locations may lead to supply chain vulnerabilities and even disruption of supplies.
- The future global economy will be underpinned by technologies that depend on critical minerals such as lithium, graphite, cobalt, titanium, and rare earth elements.
- These are essential for the advancement of many sectors, including high-tech electronics, telecommunications, transport and defence.
- They are also vital to power the global transition to a low carbon emissions economy, and the renewable energy technologies that will be required to meet the ‘Net Zero’ commitments of an increasing number of countries around the world.
About the Critical Minerals Summit:
- Organised by: Ministry of Mines, Government of India, with collaboration from Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, CEEW, and IISD.
- Purpose: To foster collaboration, innovation, and policy dialogue on critical mineral beneficiation and processing.
- Key Highlights:
- Focus on eight key minerals, including lithium, rare earth elements, graphite, vanadium, and platinum group minerals.
- Interactive workshops on mineral auctions, policy incentives, and sustainable solutions.
India’s Current Scenario:
- The Ministry of Mines listed 30 critical minerals essential for economic and strategic security.
- India relies entirely on imports for 10 critical minerals.
- Dependence on China: India’s dependency on China exceeds 40% for 6 critical minerals: Bismuth (85.6%), Lithium (82%), Silicon (76%), Titanium (50.6%), Tellurium (48.8%), and Graphite (42.4%)
- Reasons for reliance: China’s dominance in mineral processing, controlling: 87% of rare earth processing, 58% of lithium refining, and 68% of silicon processing.
6. Sagar Island
About Sagar Island:
- It is also known as Ganga Sagar or Sagardwip is located in the Ganges delta, lying on the continental shelf of Bay of Bengal
- It consists of 43 villages. Sagar and Mahisani Islands are separated by River Muriganga Batala.
- This island along with the Mahisani and Ghoramara islands are classified under the sand group category.
- This Island is a religious place for Hindus, where pilgrims celebrate Makar Sankranti festival in honour of the Sun.
- The Kapil Muni temple on the island is a popular pilgrim centre.
Who is Kapil Muni?
- Kapila or Maharishi Kapila is a Vedic sage traditionally considered to be the original proponent of the Samkhya systemof Indian philosophy.
- He is said to have lived in the India, around the sixth or seventh century B.C.E.
7. Youth Co:Lab
About Youth Co:Lab:
- It was co-created in 2017 by UNDP and Citi Foundation, aims to empower and invest in youth to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship.
- In India, Youth Co: Lab was launched in 2019 in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog.
- As of the end of 2024, Youth Co:Lab has conducted six national theme-specific youth social innovation and entrepreneurship dialogues in India through this collaboration.
- This year, the Youth Co: Lab National Innovation Challenge 2024-2025, held in collaboration with AssisTech Foundation (ATF).
- It will focus on empowering young entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs with disabilities innovating for solutions that “Enhance access to opportunities and well-being of Persons with Disabilities”, across the following sub-categories: Inclusive and Accessible Assistive Technology (AT), Inclusive Educational Technology and Skilling Solutions and Accessible and Inclusive Care Models.
About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM):
- It is a flagship initiative set up by the NITI Aayog in 2016.
- Objective: To create and encourage an environment of innovation and entrepreneurship across schools, educational organisations, research institutes, and industries, including MSMEs.
- Functions:
- Promote entrepreneurship by encouraging innovators to become entrepreneurs through financial support as well as mentorship.
- Promote innovation by creating a platform where ideas are generated through like-minded individuals.
- AIM has created four programs to support these functions: Atal Tinkering Labs, Atal Incubation Centres, Atal New India Challenges and Atal Grand Challenges.
- All the initiatives of AIM are currently monitored and managed systematically using real-time MIS systems and dynamic dashboards.
- AIM is also currently having its programs reviewed by third party agencies for ensuring continuous improvements.
8. Bio-bitumen
About Bio-bitumen:
- It is a petroleum-free alternativeto bitumen, or asphalt.
- It is designed to lower the carbon footprint of road construction.
- It is made using non-petroleum-based renewable resources and can be made from vegetable oils, synthetic polymers, or both, making it a more sustainable model long term.
- Advantages:
- Sustainable: It is generated from renewable materials. This makes it a more environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum-based bitumen, which is derived from limited resources.
- Low Carbon Footprint:As it is derived from organic materials that have absorbed carbon dioxide during their development, it often has a lower environmental impact than standard bitumen.
- Improved environmental performance:It is less toxic and detrimental to the environment than regular bitumen. It contains fewer heavy metals and other hazardous pollutants.
- Applications: It is versatile and may be utilised in a variety of applications, including road paving, roofing, and waterproofing.
What is Bitumen?
- It is a dense, highly viscous, petroleum-based hydrocarbon.
- It is found in deposits such as oil sands and pitch lakes (natural bitumen) or is obtained as a residue of the distillation of crude oil.
9. Cephalopods
About Cephalopods:
- Cephalopods are the most intelligent, most mobile, and the largest of all molluscs.
- They are the most morphologically and behaviorally complex class in phylum Mollusca.
- Squid, octopuses, cuttlefish, the chambered nautilus, and their relatives display remarkable diversity in size and lifestyle with adaptations for predation, locomotion, disguise, and communication.
- These "brainy" invertebrates have evolved suckered tentacles, camera-like eyes, color-changing skin, and complex learning behavior.
- Their lengthy evolutionary history spans an impressive 500 million years and the abundant fossils they've left behind record repeated speciation and extinction events.
- Characteristics:
- They are characterized by a completely merged head and foot, with a ring of arms and/or tentacles surrounding the head. The arms, tentacles, and funnel are all derivatives of the foot.
- Locomotion in cephalopods is accomplished mainly by jet propulsion.
- All cephalopods are carnivorous. Many are skilled hunters, but some feed passively on floating debris.
- They possess well-developed nervous systems and complex sensory organs.
- They contain pigment-rich cells in the epidermis surrounded by cells containing contractile fibers.
- One of the highly complex behaviours that many cephalopods show is visual camouflage. They can open and close tiny sacs just below their skin that contain coloured pigments and reflectors, revealing specific colours.
- The Australian giant cuttlefish, Sepia apama, uses its chromatophores to communicate, creating patterns that attract mates and warn off aggressors.
- This ability can also come in handy for hunting; many cephalopods are ambush predators that blend into the background or even lure their prey.
- Some Cephalopods live alone in the nearly featureless darkness of the deep ocean; others live socially on active, sunny coral reefs.
- Some cephalopods may be capable of more complicated forms of learning, such as reversal learning – learning to flexibly adjust behaviour when different stimuli signal reward.
10. United Nations Internal Justice Council
About U.N. Internal Justice Council (IJC):
- It was established by the UN General Assembly as part of the new internal justice system in order to help ensure independence, professionalism and accountability in the administration of justice system of the United Nations.
- The IJC members are appointed by the UN Secretary General.
- It is composed of five members consisting of:
- a staff representative
- a management representative
- two distinguished external jurists, one nominated by the staff and one by management, and
- Chair: a distinguished jurist chosen by consensus by the four other members.
- Functions:
- To undertake the search for suitable candidates for the positions of judges when there is a vacancy on the UN Dispute Tribunal (UNDT) and the UN Appeals Tribunal (UNAT), to be appointed by the General Assembly.
- To recommend General Assembly two or three candidates for each vacancy with due regard to geographical distribution.
- To provide its views on the implementation of the system of administration of justice to the General Assembly.