1. AFRICAN RAPTOR (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Raptors in Africa have experienced a widespread decline of about 88% in the past 40 years, a new study revealed.

oThe researchers studying 27 species in multiple regions of Africa found that 24 of them (89%) exceeded the decline threshold.

African Raptor

• About: A raptor is a bird of prey, that primarily hunt and feed on mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, rodents as well as other birds.
• Characteristics: A hooked beak, strong feet with sharp talons, excellent eyesight, and a carnivorous diet are all characteristics of raptors.
• Threat: Use Diclofenac, which is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Deforestation, Shooting and Poisoning, and Habitat Loss and Degradation.
• Significance

oRaptors eat a wide variety of vertebrates, making long-distance seed dissemination easier. This boosts seed yield and pest control indirectly.

oPredators at the top of the food chain are known as indicator species because threats have the most dramatic impact on top predators.

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2. LANCET REPORT ON CHILD MARRIAGE Syllabus GS Paper 3 – Social Issue)

Context: Child marriage is prevalent in India according to a study published in the Lancet Global Health that showed stalled progress.

Key Finding

• Four States: Bihar (16.7%), West Bengal (15.2%), Uttar Pradesh (12.5%), and Maharashtra (8.2%) accounted for more than half of the total headcount burden of child marriages in girls.
• Six States increase in girl child marriages: Manipur, Punjab, Tripura, and West Bengal.
• Eight states rise in boy child marriages: Chhattisgarh, Goa, Manipur, and Punjab.
• State Disparities: While some states show significant reductions in child marriage prevalence for girls, the report highlights challenges faced by states like West Bengal.
• West Bengal's Alarming Increase: West Bengal witnessed the largest absolute increase in child marriage, with a 32.3% rise in headcount, equating to over 500,000 more girls being married as children.
• Continued High Rates: The survey reveals that in West Bengal, 41.6% of women aged 20-24 years were married before the age of 18, a figure consistent with the National Family Health Survey-4. In contrast, the all-India average for this age group is 23.3%.

UNICEF's Perspective

• About: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) views child marriage as a "violation of human rights" and identifies its detrimental impact on the development of both girls and boys.
• Gender Inequality: Child marriage often stems from entrenched gender inequality, with girls disproportionately bearing the brunt of this harmful practice.
• Strategic Importance for SDG 5: Ending child marriage is considered crucial in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, aiming to "achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls" by 2030.
• SDG 5.3 Target: SDG target 5.3 specifically aims to "eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation."

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3. INLAND WATERWAYS (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Infrastructure)

Context: The Inland Waterways Authority of India, under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW), is set to host the inaugural 'Inland Waterways Development Council' meeting on January 8, 2023, in Kolkata.

Inland Waterways

• About: An inland waterway refers to a navigable route utilized for the transportation of goods, materials, or other mobile items. Such waterways encompass rivers, lakes, canals, and backwaters.
• Natural Waterways: Rivers and Lakes
• Artificial Waterways: Canals and Backwaters
• Uses: Inland waterways serve as conduits for the movement of substantial cargo via water, with the corresponding transportation system often termed as marine transport.

Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)

• About: The IWAI is tasked with the development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation.
• Established: In October 1986, the Authority, headquartered in Noida, operates regional offices in various cities.
• Aim: At the development and upkeep of Inland Water Transport (IWT) infrastructure on national waterways.
• Funded by: From the Shipping Ministry.

Inland Waterways in India

• India possesses around 14,500 km of navigable waterways, with approximately 5,200 km of rivers and 4,000 km of canals suitable for mechanized crafts.
• Despite their considerable potential for transportation development, inland waterways in India remain underutilized compared to those in other countries.
• The Road Transport Sector dominates, constituting about 87% of passenger traffic and 60% of freight traffic movement within the country.
• Number of National Waterways: Out of the 111 National Waterways (NWs) declared under the National Waterways Act, 2016, 13 NWs are operational for shipping and navigation and cargo/passenger vessels are moving on them.

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4. SAUDI ARABIA (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Geography)

Context: India and Saudi Arabia have signed the Bilateral Haj Agreement 2024, further solidifying their ties and prioritizing the well-being of pilgrims.

Saudi Arabia

• About: It is a country in West Asia. 
• Coverage: It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about 2150000 km2 (830000 sq mi), making it the fifth-largest country in Asia and the largest in the Middle East.
• Bordered by: The Red Sea to the west; 

oJordan, Iraq, and Kuwait to the north; 

oPersian Gulf, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to the east; 

oOman to the southeast; 

oand Yemen to the south.

oThe Gulf of Aqaba in the northwest separates Saudi Arabia from Egypt and Israel.

• Capital: Riyadh
• Five Terrestrial Ecoregions: Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert, Southwestern Arabian foothills savanna, Southwestern Arabian montane woodlands, Arabian Desert, and Red Sea Nubo-Sindian tropical desert and semi-desert.

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5. ZOONOTIC DISEASE (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: With another variant of COVID marking its presence across India, the Union health ministry has sought to emphasize that it's been increasing its focus on zoonotic diseases–infections typically spread from animals to people.

Zoonotic Disease

• About: It is a disease that has passed into the human population from an animal source directly or through an intermediary species.
• Zoonotic infections: It can be bacterial, viral, or parasitic in nature, with animals playing a vital role in maintaining such infections.
• Examples: HIV-AIDS, Ebola, Lyme disease, malaria, rabies, West Nile fever, and the current novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) disease.
• Common zoonotic diseases in India: Rabies, anthrax, brucellosis, plague, bovine tuberculosis, leptospirosis and salmonellosis.
• According to the World Health Organisation: Zoonotic pathogens may be bacterial, viral or parasitic, and can spread to humans through direct contact or through food, water or the environment.

Government Initiatives

• National One Health Programs for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses, 
• National Rabies Control Programs, 
• Program for Prevention and Control of Leptospirosis, 
• Snake Bite Prevention and Control, 
• National Programme on AMR Containment, 
• National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCHH).

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6. NETAJI SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – History)

Context: Leaders like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose are “immortal” and do not need bestowing of a recognition through a judicial diktat, the Supreme Court said recently.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

• About: Subhas Chandra Bose, an Indian nationalist leader, played a pivotal role in the country's struggle for independence against British colonial rule.
• Early Life: Born on January 23, 1897, in Cuttack, Orissa, Bose showed early signs of leadership and commitment to the cause of India's freedom.
• Entry into Civil Service and Resignation: In 1920, Bose successfully passed the civil service examination but chose to resign from his position in April 1921 after learning about the nationalist unrest in India.
• Association with Indian National Congress: Joining the Indian National Congress, Bose actively engaged in the Indian independence movement and initially collaborated with C.R. Das in Bengal.
• Congress Presidency and Resignation: Despite being elected president of the Indian National Congress for two consecutive terms, Bose resigned due to ideological conflicts with Mahatma Gandhi.
• Formation of Forward Bloc: In 1939, Bose established the Forward Bloc, an organization aimed at uniting all anti-British forces in India.
• World War II and International Alliances: At the onset of World War II, Bose sought alliances with the Soviet Union, Germany, and Japan, to attack British forces in India.
• Formation of Indian National Army (INA): With Japanese assistance, Bose reorganized and led the Indian National Army, comprised of Indian prisoners-of-war and plantation workers from Southeast Asia, against British forces.
• Azad Hind Government and INA Battles: Securing Japanese support in various forms, Bose formed the Azad Hind Government in exile and led the INA in battles against the Allies at Imphal and in Burma.
• Mysterious Death: Subhas Chandra Bose is believed to have died on August 18, 1945, in a plane crash over Taiwan. The circumstances surrounding his death remain shrouded in mystery and controversy.

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7. ADITYA L1 MISSION (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: Recently, the Prime Minister of India expressed joy as India's first solar observatory, Aditya-L1, reached its destination.

Aditya L1

• About: Aditya L1 represents India's inaugural space mission dedicated to the study of the Sun.
• Launched by: PSLV-XL launch vehicle.
• The spacecraft is destined to be positioned in a halo orbit encircling Lagrange point 1 (L1) within the Sun-Earth system, located approximately 1.5 million km away from Earth.
• This continuous observation capability will significantly enhance the capacity to monitor solar activities and their immediate impact on space weather in real time.
• Payloads: Aditya L1 carries a total of seven payloads, which are designed to scrutinize the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost solar layers (the corona) using various detectors for electromagnetic waves, particles, and magnetic fields.
• Objective: To unravel the fundamental drivers of space weather, which encompass the origin, composition, and dynamics of the solar wind. 

Lagrangian Points

• About: These are particular points in space where the gravitational forces between two massive objects, like a planet and its moon or a planet and the Sun, create areas of heightened gravitational stability/equilibrium.
• Found by: Joseph Louis Lagrange.
• Located: About 1.5 million kilometres inside Earth's orbit, between the Sun and the Earth.

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8. INDIA OUT CAMPAIGN (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: Recently, under fire and grappling with a situation fast turning into a diplomatic row, the Maldives government of President, whose party rode to power last year on an 'India Out' poll campaign, suspended three ministers for making derogatory remarks about the Prime Minister of India and the people of India.

India Out Campaign

• About: ‘India Out’ campaign started around 2020 with some on-ground protests in the Maldives and later spread widely across social media platforms using the phrase with a related hashtag. 

oIt was alleged that New Delhi has sent a large military contingent to the Maldives, a claim that the Solih government repeatedly denied.

• Cooperation for Harbor Development: Attention has been specifically drawn to the collaboration between the two nations aimed at developing a harbor on the Uthuru Thilafalhu (UTF) atoll for the Maldivian Coast Guard.
• Indian Military Presence Clarification: The current Maldivian government asserts that, aside from a maintenance and flight crew managing three Dornier aircraft for surveillance, rescue, and air ambulance operations, there are no Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives.

Importance of Maldives for India

• India's West Coast: Maldives is located just 70 nautical miles away from Minicoy and 300 nautical miles away from India's west coast.
• Strategic Position in Commercial Sea-Lanes: It serves as a strategic hub for commercial sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean, particularly at the 8° N and 1 ½° N channels.
• Location Between Busy Trade Routes: Maldives is positioned between the world's busiest trade routes, including the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal.

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9. EK BHARAT SHRESHTHA BHARAT (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Govt Scheme)

Context: The government has said that two crore students participated in Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) activities in schools across the country last year.

Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB)

• About: This programme aims to enhance interaction & promote mutual understanding between people of different states/UTs through the concept of state/UT pairing.
• Launched: In 2015
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Education.
• Scheme's Activities: Each state and union territory (UT) in the country will be partnered with another state/UT for a designated period.

oDuring this time, they will engage in structured activities, fostering collaboration in various aspects such as language, literature, cuisine, festivals, cultural events, and tourism.

• Objectives: Commemorating the diversity within our nation.

oReinforcing the longstanding emotional connections that have traditionally defined our country.

oShowcasing the varied heritage, culture, customs, and traditions of each state to enhance understanding and appreciation of India's diversity, fostering a shared sense of identity.

oEstablishing enduring relationships for the long term.

oFacilitating learning among states through the exchange of best practices and experiences.

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10. SCLSC (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: Supreme Court judge Justice BR Gavai has been nominated as the Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC), replacing Justice Sanjiv Khanna – the seniormost judge of the top court after the Chief Justice of India (CJI).

Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC)

• Establishment: The Supreme Court Legal Services Committee was established under Section 3A of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.
• Objective: To provide "free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of society," particularly in cases falling under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
• Composition of the Committee: According to Section 3A of the Act, the Central Authority, represented by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), is responsible for constituting the committee. 

oThe committee is comprised of a sitting Supreme Court judge, appointed as the chairman, along with other members possessing the specified experience and qualifications set by the Centre. Both the chairman and other members are nominated by the Chief Justice of India (CJI).

• Nomination Process by the CJI: In the nomination process, the CJI plays a crucial role. The CJI not only nominates the chairman and other members of the committee but also has the authority to appoint the Secretary to the Committee. 
• Articles 14 and 22(1): It obligatory for the State to ensure equality before the law and a legal system that promotes justice based on equal opportunity.
• Free Legal Aid: Article 39A emphasizes the need for accessible justice, ensuring free legal aid for the poor and weaker sections of society.

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