1. Sacred Groves

Recently, the Supreme Court directed the Forest Department of Rajasthan to map on the ground and via satellite every ‘sacred grove’ in detail.

• About: Sacred groves are forested areas that have special religious significance and are protected by local communities.
• Classified as ‘forests’ and notified as ‘community reserves’ under WLPA 1972.
• Impact: Shifts control from community conservation to Forest Department, contradicting FRA 2006, which seeks community rights over forest lands.
• Sacred Groves in Rajasthan: Known as ‘orans’, ‘malvan’, ‘deo ghat’, ‘baugh’ in Rajasthan, approx. 25,000 groves covering ~6 lakh hectares.
• Presence Across India: Names include ‘devara kadu’ (Karnataka), ‘devban’ (Himachal), ‘sarna’ (Jharkhand), ‘kavu’ (Kerala), ‘devgudi’ (Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh), ‘ki law kyntang’ (Meghalaya), ‘jahera’ (Odisha), etc.
• Community Reserves under WLPA 2002: New Protected Area Category (alongside National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries).

o Criteria: Notified over community/private land for conserving flora, fauna, and cultural practices.

o Community Responsibilities: Prevent WLPA violations, report wildlife deaths, fire prevention, assist authorities.

o Restrictions: Land-use changes require approval of the management committee & State government.

o Management: Controlled by Chief Wildlife Warden, assisted by Community Reserve Management Committee (includes Gram Sabha/Panchayat representatives).

o Honorary Wildlife Warden: Elected chairperson of the committee.

• Conflict with the FRA 2006

o FRA’s Definition: Sacred groves = ‘Community Forest Resources’ (CFR), managed by Gram Sabhas, not Forest Department.

o Community Forest Resource Management Committees: Responsible for management plans with State support.

Legal Conflict: FRA grants rights to communities, while SC order shifts control to the Forest Department, overriding customary governance systems.

---

2. Gaza strip

The US president recently announced that U.S. will take over Gaza, "own it," and develop it economically.

• About: Gaza is a strip of land, just 365 sq km in size, wedged between the Mediterranean Seato the west, Israelto the north and east, and Egypt to the south. It is 41 km long and 12 km wide at its widest point.
• About Gaza Development Plan: Remove unexploded bombs and weapons → Level the area and clear destroyed buildings → Create jobs and housing for people in the region.

---

3. United Payments Interface (UPI)

The United Payments Interface (UPI) has become the dominant force in India’s digital payments landscape, accounting for 83% of the total payment volume by the end of 2024, according to the Payments System Report by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). 

• About: The UPI is a payment system that allows users to transfer money between bank accounts and make merchant payments.

o Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016. 

• UPI’s Dominance in Digital Payments: UPI Market Share: 83% of total digital payment volume by end of 2024 (up from 34% in 2019).

o Other payment systems (RTGS, NEFT, IMPS, Credit & debit cards) saw a decline from 66% to 17%.

• Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR): 89.3% in volume, 86.5% in value.
• RBI’s Role in Payment Innovation: Encourages innovation & regulatory support to make India’s payment system one of the most modern globally.

---

4. Stryker Infantry Vehicle

India and the U.S. are in advanced discussions and deals for the Co-production of Stryker armoured infantry combat vehicles (ICVs).

• The deal also includes General Electric F-414 jet engine production in India and delayed F-404 engine deliveries for LCA-Mk1A.

About Stryker Infantry Vehicle: Manufactured by General Dynamics, the Stryker was tested in Ladakh (Sep-Oct 2023) at altitudes of 13,000-18,000 feet.

• Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) was also tested but did not perform optimally due to an older system variant.
• Proposed Stryker Procurement & Assembly in India: Two-stage plan, Stage 1: Direct import of a small number of Strykers → Stage 2: License manufacture in India, likely by Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), with customizations.
• About Stryker Armoured Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICVs):

o Type: Eight-wheel-drive armoured infantry combat vehicle.

o Developers: General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) Canada & GDLS USA.

o Induction: First new military vehicle in U.S. Army since the Abrams tank (1980s).

o Mobility: Moves faster than tanks on paved roads, ensuring quick response in war-like situations.

o Survivability: Offers better protection against IEDs than other light military vehicles.

o Transportability: Can be airlifted via Chinook helicopters (used by the Indian Air Force).

• Key Features:

o V-hull structure made of high-hardness steel with ceramic tile armor for added protection.

o Weapons: Equipped with a 30 mm cannon & 105 mm mobile gun.

o Crew Capacity: Operated by two crew members and carries a nine-member infantry squad.

o Range & Speed: Covers 483 km with a top speed of ~100 km/h.

---

5. Fort William

The Indian Army has recently decided to rename its Eastern Command headquarters Fort William in Kolkata as 'Vijay Durg'.

• About Fort William: Situated in Kolkata, West Bengal, on the eastern banks of the Hooghly River, a distributary of the Ganga.
• Built between 1696-1706 by the British East India Company under Sir John Goldsborough.
• Rebuilt Fort: 1758-1781, reconstructed under Robert Clive after the Battle of Plassey (1757).
• Architecture: Covers 70 hectares, one of the largest British-era military structures in India.
• Star-shaped layout for enhanced defense.
• Current Use: Serves as the headquarters of the Indian Army’s Eastern Command.
• Cultural & Military Heritage: Houses a war memorial & museum with artifacts from the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War and Bangladesh Liberation War.

---

6. Intellectual Property

A question recently arose before SC, does ‘damage to property’ in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act include intellectual property (IP)?

• SC judgement: It expanded the definition of ‘damage to property’ in the Act to include intellectual property.

About: Intellectual property rights are the rights given to persons over the creations of their minds. Ex - patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, industrial designs, geographical indications & plant variety rights. 

oAim: To foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish.

oProtection of IPR in India: Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry is the apex body regulating IPR.

ü IPR regime of India is in compliance with the WTO’s agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

---

7. North Pole

Recently, temperatures at the North Pole rose more than 20°C above average, crossing the threshold for ice to melt.

• About: The North Pole is found in the Arctic Ocean, on constantly shifting pieces of sea ice, northernmost point on Earth. The recent study has found:

o Since 1979, the Arctic has warmed four times faster than the global average.

o The Arctic acts as a refrigerator for the planet, and its warming can lead to rising sea levels and disruption of weather patterns.

o The unusually mild temperatures in the Arctic were due to a deep low-pressure system over Iceland, allowing warmer air from lower latitudes to enter the region.

o Hot sea surface temperatures in the northeast Atlantic further intensified the wind-driven warming.

o Arctic warming has been 3.8 times faster than the global average since the late 1970s.

o Global temperatures have risen by 1.3°C since the 1850-1900 baseline, but this increase is uneven across the planet.

o The albedo effect is a major factor in the Arctic's rapid warming: sea ice reflects sunlight, but as ice melts, more land or water absorbs heat.

---

8. International Meeting of World Pharmacopoeias (IMWP)

The 15th International Meeting of World Pharmacopoeias (IMWP) recently held in New Delhi.

• About: The event was hosted by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).
• IMWP was recognized as a crucial platform for international collaboration in pharmacopoeial science and regulatory harmonization.
• Key focus areas of the 15th IMWP include: Updates on recommendations from the 14th IMWP → Review of progress on harmonization initiatives → Emerging issues in impurity assessment (Q3) and implications of ICH Q6 guidelines → Defining the IMWP Charter for long-term governance → Enhancing collaboration among global pharmacopoeias and regulatory bodies → Promotion of environmental sustainability in pharmaceutical practices.

---

9. Aga Khan IV (Prince Karim Al-Hussaini)

The 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, passed away.

• About Aga Khan: Born on December 13, 1936, in Creux-de-Genthod, Switzerland, to Joan Yarde-Buller and Aly Khan.

o He succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan, as Imam in 1957 at the age of 20.

o Regarded as a spiritual leader, advocating Islam as a compassionate, tolerant faith that upholds human dignity.

o He was known as a builder of bridges between Muslim societies and the West, avoiding political involvement.

o He was the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).

ü Key AKDN projects include Aga Khan Health Services, Aga Khan Schools, Aga Khan Foundation, Aga Khan University, and the University of Central Asia.

o In 2015, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award.

---