1. SWACHH BHARAT MISSION GRAMEEN (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Government Scheme)

Context: Recently, the country reached another significant milestone in Phase II of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) as 75% of its villages achieved the ODF Plus status.

• Top Performing States/UTs are Andaman & Nicobar Islands, D&N Haveli, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana & Tripura

  Open Defecation Free (ODF)

  • The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has adopted a uniform definition of ODF (open defecation-free) :

  o No visible feces was found in the environment/village; and

  o Every house as well as public/community institutions uses safe technology options for the disposal of feces.

  • ODF +: ODF+ focuses on toilets with water, maintenance, and hygiene
  • ODF plus village: It is defined as “a village which sustains its ODF status, ensures solid and liquid waste management, and is visually clean.”
  • ODF ++: Focuses on toilets with sludge and septage management.

  Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G)

  • Launched: In 2014
  • Nodal Ministry:  Ministry of Jal Shakti
  • Aim: To accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage and to focus on sanitation.
  • Implementation: As a nationwide campaign/Janandolan which aimed at eliminating open defecation in rural areas.
  • SBM-G Phase-I: The rural sanitation coverage in the country at the time of the launch of SBM (G) on 2nd October 2014 was reported as 38.7%.

  o More than 10 crore individual toilets have been constructed since the launch of the mission, as a result, rural areas in all the States have declared themselves ODF as of 2nd October 2019.

  • SBM(G) Phase-II: It emphasizes the sustainability of achievements under Phase I and provides adequate facilities for Solid/Liquid & Plastic Waste Management (SLWM) in rural India.

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2. OVERSEAS CITIZENSHIP OF INDIA (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: India has recently initiated the cancellation of registration for over a dozen Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders due to their involvement in pro-Khalistan activities and anti-India propaganda.

Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) 

• About: OCI citizens are of Indian origin but they are foreign passport holders and are not citizens of India.
• Section 7A of the OCI: An applicant is not eligible for the OCI card if he, his parents, or grandparents have ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh. 
• Category was introduced by: Government of India in 2005.
• The Government of India via Citizenship (Amendment) Act, of 2015 merged the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) category with the OCI category in 2015.
• MHA Define Eligibility of OCI: A person who: Was a citizen of India on or after 26th January 1950; Was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26th January 1950; or Is a child or grandchild of such a person, among other eligibility criteria.

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3. NAGORNO-KARABAKH REGION (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: Recently, Ethnic Armenian refugees have started departing from Nagorno-Karabakh, marking the first exodus since Azerbaijan initiated an offensive aimed at capturing the breakaway territory and potentially resolving a long-standing three-decade conflict.

Nagorno-Karabakh Region

• About: It is a disputed territory between Azerbaijan and Armenia, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. 
• Governed by: The unrecognized Republic of Artsakh (also known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic [NKR]) since the first Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988-94).
• It is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik, and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains.

Azerbaijan

• About:  It is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of the South Caucasus region.
• Bordered by: Caspian Sea to the east, Russia (Republic of Dagestan) to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south.
• Capital: Baku and is the largest city.

Armenia

• About: It is a landlocked country located in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region.
• Bordered by: Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, the Lachin corridor (under a Russian peacekeeping force) and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the south.
• Capital: Yerevan, and is the largest city and the financial centre.

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4. FIVE EYES ALLIANCE (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Security)

Context: Recently, amid an escalating diplomatic dispute between India and Canada, a top US diplomat in Canada confirmed that the Canadian Prime Minister's allegations against India in the murder of Khalistani militant Hardeep Singh Nijjar were based on shared intelligence among 'Five Eyes' partners.

Five Eyes Alliance

• About: Five Eyes is a secret agreement between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the USA. This secret agreement allows the intelligence agencies of these five nations to spy on the world.
• Founded: In 1941
• Origin: The Atlantic Charter, which was issued in August 1941 to lay out the Allied goals for the post-war world.
• Member Countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the US.

o These countries are parties to the multilateral UK-USA Agreement, a treaty for cooperation in signals intelligence.

o These partner nations exchange a wide spectrum of intelligence within one of the world's most tightly-knit multilateral agreements as part of the collaboration.

• Nine Eyes Group: 5 Eyes Group + Netherlands, Denmark, France and Norway.
• 14 Eyes Group: 9 Eyes Group + Belgium, Italy, Germany, Spain and Sweden.

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5. INS VIKRANT (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Security/Sci & Tech)

Context: The Defence Procurement Board (DPB) recently deliberated on the Indian Navy's proposal for acquiring a second Vikrant-like aircraft carrier, with a displacement of 45,000 tonnes and an estimated cost of approximately ₹40,000 crore.

Features

• Length: 262 metres in length, exceeding that of two football fields and is 62 metres wide. Around 20 aircraft can be parked in the hangar.
• Speed:  28 knots (more than 50 mph) and a cruising speed of 18 knots with an endurance of about 7,500 nautical miles.
• Built by: Cochin Shipyard Ltd.

o The IAC was commissioned in 2022 making it the most potent sea-based asset. 

INS Vikrant

• The INS Vikrant, the 44,000-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC), is the first to be designed and constructed in India.
• After its induction, the warship will be a key component of the Indian Navy’s push to establish itself as a “blue water” force, one with the ability to project its power on distant seas.

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6. INS VIKRAMADITYA (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Security/Sci & Tech)

Context: Recently, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) paid a visit to the Naval Base at Karwar as well as the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.

INS Vikramaditya

• Acquired from: Russia
• Built: In 1987
• It is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier that entered into service with the Indian Navy in 2013.
• It has been renamed in honor of Vikramaditya, a legendary emperor of Ujjain, India.

Features

• It has an overall length of about 284 meters and a maximum beam of about 60 meters.
• The ship has a total of 22 decks. It can carry more than 1,600 personnel, including crew.
• Displacement: 44,500 Tonnes
• Speed: More than 30 knots and can achieve a maximum range of 7,000nmi.
• It can endure up to 45 days at sea.
• Powered by: 08 new-generation steam boilers.

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7. El Nino & La Nina (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Geography)

Context: Recently, the World Meteorological Organization declared the development of El Niño conditions in the tropical Pacific for the first time in seven years, potentially leading to a rise in global temperatures and the onset of disruptive weather and climate patterns. El Nino is likely to fuel further global temperature increase. It is one facet of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

• ENSO refers to the oscillation between the El Nino and the La Nina. ENSO shifts irregularly back and forth between El Nino and La Niña every two to seven years.
• IPCC AR6 indicates that “it is very likely that ENSO rainfall variability, used for defining extreme El Ninos and La Ninas, will increase significantly.

El Nino

• It was formerly referred to as "El Niño de Navidad" as it reaches its peak around December.
• El Niño involves the warming of sea waters in the Central-east Equatorial Pacific, occurring irregularly every few years.
• This warm phase is observed off the coast of Peru.
• During El Niño events, there is an increase in surface temperatures within the equatorial Pacific region.
• This phenomenon leads to a weakening of the trade winds, which are the east-west winds that typically blow near the Equator.
• Consequently, warm water from the western Pacific Ocean is transported towards the American continent.

La Nino

• La Niña involves below-average sea surface temperatures (SST) in the equatorial Pacific area.
• Stronger trade winds than usual push warmer water towards the Asian region.
• It is the opposite of El Niño, characterized by colder conditions.
• La Niña occurs when ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific become lower than normal

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8. HOYSALA TEMPLES (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Art & Culture)

Context: Three Hoysala-era temples in Karnataka were recently added to UNESCO's World Heritage List as part of the collective entry called 'Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas'.

Chennakeshava Temple – Belur

• About: It is also referred to as the Vijayanarayana Temple of Belur.
• It is a 12th-century Hindu temple in Karnataka.
• Commissioned by: King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 CE, on the banks of the Yagachi River in Belur also called Velapura, an early Hoysala Empire capital.
• Devoted to: Lord Vishnu.

Hoysaleshwara Temple- Halebid

• About: This temple referred to simply as the Halebidu temple is a 12th-century Hindu temple Dedicated to: Lord Shiva.
• The temple was built in 1121 CE during the reign of the Hoysala King, Vishnuvardhana Hoysaleshwara.
• Famous for: More than 240 wall sculptures that run all along the outer wall.

Keshava Temple- Somanathapura

• This is a Vaishnava temple on the banks of River Kaveri at Somanathapura, Karnataka.
• The temple was consecrated in 1258 CE by Somanatha Dandanayaka, a general of the Hoysala King Narasimha III.

  UNESCO

  • Formation: 1945, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris.
  • Objective: It works to achieve peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms.
  • Members: 195 member states and 10 associate members. India is a founding member of the Organization.
  • Headquarters: Paris, France.

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9. SOUTH CHINA SEA (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Geography)

Context: Context: Recently, the Philippines accused China's coast guard of placing a "floating barrier" in a contested part of the South China Sea, alleging it obstructed Filipino access and fishing rights in the region.

• Both the Philippines and China lay claim to the Scarborough Shoal (known as Huangyan Island in China) – a little more than 100 miles (160km) from the Philippines and 500 miles from China.

South China Sea

• It is one of the world's busiest waterways and plays a crucial role in global trade and merchant shipping.
• Location: The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean
• Bordering Countries: The People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.
• Straits: Taiwan Strait, connecting to the East China Sea; the Luzon Strait, linking to the Philippine Sea; straits surrounding Palawan, connecting to the Sulu Sea; the Strait of Singapore, providing access to the Strait of Malacca; and the Karimata and Bangka Strait, connecting to the Java Sea.
• Reason for Dispute: The South China Sea disputes involve claims over maritime territories and islands by various sovereign states in the region.
• Countries Party dispute: China, Brunei, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia etc.

Claims Over Islands

• The Paracel Islands: Claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
• The Spratly Islands: Claimed by China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines.
• The Scarborough Shoal: Claimed by the Philippines, China and Taiwan.

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10. MOUNTAIN SEMERU (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Geography)

Context: Recently, Mt. Semeru volcano in Indonesia’s East Java province erupted.

Mountain Semeru

• Location: Active volcano in East Java, Indonesia.

o It is located in a subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian plate subducts under the Eurasian plate.

• It is the highest mountain on the island of Java.
• Origin of Name: "Semeru" is derived from Meru, the central world mountain in Hinduism, or Sumeru, the abode of gods.
• Volcano in Indonesia: Indonesia, with themaximum number of active volcanoes in the world,is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific’s Ring of Fire.

Pacific’s Ring of Fire

• Also known as: Circum-Pacific Belt, is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
• Length: Approximately 40,000 kilometers.
• Boundaries between several tectonic plates: Pacific, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Indian-Australian, Nazca, North American, and Philippine Plates.
• Home of Volcanoes: More than 450 active and dormant volcanoes (75% of Earth’s total volcanoes) form a semicircle or horseshoe around the rim of the Pacific Ocean.

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