1. PAKKE PAGA HORNBILL FESTIVAL (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: The 9th edition of the Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival (PPHF) will take place at Seijosa in the Pakke Kessang district from January 18-20, 2024.

Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival (PPHF)

• About: It is a state festival of Arunachal Pradesh.
• First PPHF: It was held on January 16-18, 2015
• Aim: Recognising the efforts of the Nyishi hunters-turned-conservationists of hornbills.
• Focus: Four species of the birds — Wreathed, Great Indian, Oriental Pied and the endangered Rufous-necked — are found in the Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR) of Arunachal Pradesh.

oThe area is also home to the Nyishi, the largest tribal group in Arunachal Pradesh.

• Other Activities: Bird-watching, butterfly walks, bear walks, hornbill roost site visits, literary competitions, MTB cycling, short film screenings, panel discussions, cultural programs, food stalls, plays, sightseeing tours, river and village walks, as well as displays of local tribal sports and dances.

Great Hornbill:

• Hornbills are large, fruit-eating birds found along certain fleshy fruit trees.

oEcological role: They are responsible for dispersing undamaged seeds in large patches away from mother plant, thereby creating fruit orchards.

• Great Indian Hornbill is the state bird of Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Distribution: The hornbills are found in tropical and subtropical Africa and Asia.
• Conservation Status of Great Indian Hornbill: IUCN: Vulnerable; Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule I; Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES): Appendix I.

---

2. THIRUVALLUVAR Syllabus GS Paper 1 – History)

Context: On the occasion of Thiruvalluvar Day, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi revived a controversy by paying floral tributes to a portrait of Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar in saffron robes.

Thiruvalluvar

• About: Thiruvalluvar, also known as Valluvar, remains a figure of debate regarding his existence and religious identity.
• Time Period: The period of his existence is uncertain, with conflicting theories placing him between the 3rd-4th or 8th-9th century.
• Linked to: Jainism, there are claims from Hindus asserting his association with Hinduism.
• Diverse Recognition as a Saint: Dravidian groups recognize Thiruvalluvar as a saint due to his outspoken dismissal of the caste system.
• The varied religious affiliations attributed to him reflect the cultural diversity surrounding his legacy.
• Tirukkural: Thiruvalluvar's significant contribution to Sangam literature is the Tirukkural or 'Kural.'

Sangam Literature

• Origin: The term 'Sangam' in Tamil finds its roots in the Sanskrit word 'Sangha,' denoting a group or association.
• The Tamil Sangam refers to an academy of poets that thrived in distinct periods and locations, under the patronage of Pandyan kings.
• Historical Timeline: The Tamil Sangam's historical timeline spans from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century CE.
• Poetic compositions within the Sangam literature are richly themed around subjects such as love and war.

---

3. PRIOR APPROVAL UNDER PCA (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: Recently, the Supreme Court rendered a split verdict on former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s petition seeking to dismiss an FIR related to the alleged skill development scam case.

Prior Approval

• Amendment to Delhi Special Police Establishment Act: In 2003, an amendment was made to the DSPE Act, 1946, governing agencies like the CBI. 

oThe amendment introduced Section 6A, which mandated seeking approval from the central government before investigating alleged offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), 1988, if the involved employee held a rank higher than joint secretary.

• Supreme Court's 2014: In 2014, the Supreme Court struck down the requirement outlined in Section 6A, rendering it unnecessary to seek approval from the central government before investigating corruption allegations against employees holding ranks higher than joint secretary.
• Introduction of Section 17A: This section mandated obtaining approval from the central/state government or a competent authority to initiate an inquiry or investigation if a public servant committed an offence under the Act while discharging official duties.
• NGO Challenge: In 2018, the NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) challenged the constitutionality of the approval requirement. 

oThe CPIL argued that placing the burden on investigators to obtain approval before conducting an inquiry would protect corrupt officials, leading to an increase in corruption levels.

• Supreme Court's Review of 'Previous Approval': In July 2023, a Bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Sanjay Karol reviewed the case involving the challenge to the 'previous approval' requirement in Section 17A of the PCA.

---

4. TRADE CONNECT E-PLATFORM (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal announced the launch of the Trade Connect ePlatform.

Trade Connect ePlatform 

• About: It serves as an intermediary connecting Indian exporters and entrepreneurs with international trade stakeholders.
• Objective: To increase the participation of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), and startups in exports, a move aimed at promoting exports with the involvement of small and medium traders.
• Empowering New Exporters: The portal aims to assist novice exporters in accessing crucial information and opportunities, particularly benefiting MSME traders who often face limitations due to a lack of knowledge about the trade mechanism.
• Inclusive Information Access: Designed with inclusivity in mind, the platform ensures that all users can easily obtain comprehensive information for export promotion activities, including vital contact details.
• Sector-Specific Events: The platform will offer access to sector-specific events, providing users with the opportunity to stay updated on industry developments and network with relevant stakeholders.

---

5. FARSI LANGUAGE (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Art and Culture)

Context: External Affairs Minister of India announced that the Government of India has decided to include Farsi (Persian) as one of the nine classical languages in India under the New Education Policy.

Farsi Language 

• About: Farsi, also known as the Persian language, holds the status of being the most widely spoken member of the Iranian branch within the Indo-Iranian languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages.
• Official Language Status: It serves as the official language of Iran, while two variations of Persian, namely Dari and Tajik, are recognized as official languages in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, respectively.
• Global Presence of Farsi: Beyond its official status, substantial Farsi-speaking populations can be found in various Persian Gulf countries such as Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, large Farsi-speaking communities exist in the United States.
• Speaker Statistics: Farsi boasts approximately 62 million native speakers, positioning it among the top 20 most widely spoken first languages globally.
• Persian Script and History: The Farsi script in Iran is a variant of the Arabic script known as Perso-Arabic, developed to accommodate Persian phonological nuances. This script emerged in Persia after the seventh-century Islamic conquest.
• Linguistic Relations: Farsi is linguistically related to the languages of northern India and, more distantly, to major European languages, including English.

Classical Languages in India

• Criteria: The Government of India has established specific criteria for declaring a language as classical, including a high antiquity of early texts, a valuable literary heritage, originality, and distinctiveness from modern forms.
• Currently Classical Languages: As of now, six languages hold the prestigious 'Classical' status in India: Tamil (2004), Sanskrit (2005), Kannada (2008), Telugu (2008), Malayalam (2013), and Odia (2014).

---

6. LARGEST FOOD GRAIN STORAGE (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: To set up the world's largest food grain storage, the ministry of cooperation plans to sign agreements with the Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), Nabard, (NCDC, and NCCF.

World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan 

• About: The plan centers on establishing storage facilities and agricultural infrastructure at the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) level. This aims to bolster food security and minimize wastage.
• Part of: This initiative is part of the government's strategy to address the shortage of food grain storage capacity in the country.
• Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of Cooperation (MIC) will spearhead a pilot initiative across a minimum of 10 diverse districts in different States.
• Agencies: Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), and National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Ltd (NCCF)
• The MIC intends to execute a pilot project in a minimum of 10 chosen districts spanning various States and Union Territories across the nation.

• Food Grain Management in India: The Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies manage food grain procurement, storage, and distribution.
• India's Food Security Success: India has successfully averted famines since the Green Revolution of the early 1970s.
• Ensuring Food Availability: The government's well-designed food security system guarantees food grain availability nationwide, even in adverse conditions.
• Current Status: India has a grain storage capacity of about 145 million tonnes, with annual food grain output over 300 million tonnes. Every year, the country losses of tonnes of food grains due to inadequate storage.

---

7. EXERCISE AYUTTHAYA (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: Recently, the maiden Bilateral Maritime Exercise -Ayutthaya’ between the Indian Navy (IN) and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) was conducted.

Exercise Ayutthaya

• About: The India-Thailand Bilateral Exercise, 'Ex-Ayutthaya,' is named to signify invincibility, translating to 'The Invincible One' or 'Undefeatable.'
• Historical and Cultural Symbolism: The exercise symbolizes the historic legacies, rich cultural ties, and shared historical narratives between the two nations, represented by the ancient cities of Ayodhya in India and Ayutthaya in Thailand.
• Participation: Indigenously built Indian Naval ships Kulish and IN LCU 56 actively participated in the inaugural edition of the exercise.
• Strengthening Operational Synergy: The institution of this Bilateral Exercise marks a significant step towards strengthening operational synergy between the Indian and Thai navies, progressively increasing the complexity of joint exercises.
• Maiden Exercise Activities: During the maiden edition, participating units from both navies engaged in surface and anti-air exercises, encompassing activities such as weapon firing, seamanship evolutions, and tactical maneuvers.
• India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol: The 36th edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) was conducted concurrently with the maiden bilateral exercise.
• Involvement of Maritime Patrol Aircraft: Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both navies actively participated in the Sea Phase of the exercise.
• SAGAR Initiative Contribution: The participation aligns with the Government of India's vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region), emphasizing proactive engagement for enhancing regional maritime security.
• Close and Friendly Relations: The Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy have maintained a close and friendly relationship, which has strengthened over the years.

---

8. PM KISAN SCHEME (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Govt Scheme)

Context: Every fourth beneficiary added under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme over the past two months is a woman, according to the data available with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.

Key Points

• Gender Distribution: As per the data, a total of 40,50,375 beneficiaries were added during this period, with 10,61,278 being women, 29,87,884 men, and 1,213 others.
• Beneficiaries under PM-Kisan: Uttar Pradesh leads with 1.69 lakh additions, followed by Rajasthan, Manipur, Jharkhand, and Kerala.
• States Where New Beneficiaries: Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram show a higher percentage of women beneficiaries. Meghalaya tops with 68.96%, followed by Manipur (56.57%), Nagaland (54.97%), and Mizoram (50.26%).
• Regional Disparities: Meghalaya recorded the highest at 70.33%, followed by Nagaland (55.84%), Arunachal Pradesh (52.63%), and Manipur (51.85%). Punjab reported the lowest proportion at 0.26% women beneficiaries.

PM-KISAN Scheme

• About: This Scheme is a Central Sector Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme. 
• Launch: February 2019 (made effective from December 2018) to give income support to farmers.
• Funding: 100% funding of rupee 6000 in 3 installments.
• Implemented by: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare.
• Purpose: The scheme is meant to provide income support to all landholding farmer’s families across the country and enable them to meet expenses related to agriculture as well as domestic needs.
• Beneficiaries: Farmer families rest with the State / UT Governments.

 

---

9. MEDICAL TERMINATION PREGNANCY ACT (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Social Issues)

Context: The Centre has moved Delhi HC seeking a recall of an order allowing a widow to terminate her 29 week pregnancy, saying the unborn child has a fair chance of survival and the court should consider protecting the right to life of the fetus.

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971

• About: According to this act, termination of pregnancy is permissible for a variety of conditions up to 20 weeks of gestation
• Termination: It  is allowed when the continuation of pregnancy poses a risk to the life of the pregnant woman.
• It is permissible when there is a significant risk that the child, if born, would face serious physical or mental abnormalities.

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 2021

• About: The Act extends the permissible termination of pregnancy from 20 weeks to 24 weeks, providing women with a longer gestation period for making this choice.
• Recommended by: One doctor for pregnancies up to 20 weeks and by two doctors for specific categories of women within the 20 to 24-week range.

oIf the gestational period exceeds 24 weeks, termination is only allowed in cases of substantial foetal abnormalities determined by a Medical Board or when the mother's life is at risk.

• Applicable: Unmarried women can now seek an abortion in the event of contraceptive failure, with this ground being applicable for pregnancies up to 20 weeks.
• Medical Board: It will be established by all state and union territory governments, responsible for evaluating whether a pregnancy can be terminated after 24 weeks due to substantial fetal abnormalities.

---

10. 10TH SCHEDULE OF CONSTITUTION (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: The Maharashtra Assembly Speaker has refused to disqualify 40 MLAs of the Eknath Shinde faction after recognising it as the real Shiv Sena.

10th Schedule of Constitution

• About: The Tenth Schedule was instituted in response to political instability caused by legislators' defections during the 1960s and 70s, leading to the downfall of elected governments.
• Objective: The 52nd constitutional amendment in 1985 introduced the Tenth Schedule, aiming to ensure stability in elected governments by implementing an 'anti-defection' law.
• Provisions: The Tenth Schedule dictates that members who voluntarily abandon their political party or vote against party instructions in a House face disqualification. Party instructions are issued by the 'whip,' a member of the 'legislature party' appointed by the 'political party.'
• Distinction Between Political and Legislature Party: The Tenth Schedule defines a 'political party' as the entire organization, including legislators, while 'legislature party' comprises only party members in a Parliament or State legislature.
• Original Tenth Schedule: Originally, there were two exceptions to disqualification: one-third members splitting to form a separate group and the merger of a political party with another approved by two-thirds of its 'legislature party.' However, para 3 was omitted in 2003.

• Disqualification: The Speaker of the House holds the authority to decide on disqualification. However, concerns about neutrality have arisen, with past instances showing a tendency to favor the ruling dispensation.
• Constitutional Amendment: In the K. M. Singh versus Speaker of Manipur (2020) case, the Supreme Court recommended constitutional amendments to transfer the powers of disqualification decisions from the Speaker to an independent tribunal headed by judges.

---