Art and Culture

Pulikali - The Hindu

• About: Pulikali is a traditional folk art performed during the Onam festival in Kerala.
• Performance: Artists paint their bodies to resemble tigers, and they dance to the rhythm of traditional percussion instruments like thakil and udukku.

 

Aranmula Boat Race - The Hindu

About

• Oldest river boat race in Kerala, held during Onam (August–September).

Location

• Takes place at the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple (dedicated to Lord Krishna and Arjuna) on the river Pampa.

Palliyodams

• Unique snake boats of Aranmula known as "Chundan Vallam."

Vanchipattu (Song)

• Traditional boat songs sung by oarsmen while rowing the boat.

 

Tribal Harvest Festival of Karma - Indian Express

Context

• Celebrated by tribal populations in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, and Odisha.
• Known as Karam Parv or Karma Festival, it is a major harvest festival celebrated with prayers for wealth, good harvest, and social well-being.

 

Society

PM-AASHA Schemes to Continue with Additions - The Hindu

Context

• Government approved the continuation of PM-AASHA with an outlay of ₹35,000 crore to provide better prices to farmers and control price volatility of essential commodities for consumers.

Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA)

• Objective: Ensure remunerative prices for farmers.
• Announced in: Union Budget 2018.
• Components:
  1. 

 

 

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Launches ‘SUBHADRA’ - PIB

Context

• Launched in Bhubaneswar, Odisha as the largest women-centric scheme of the Government of Odisha.

SUBHADRA Scheme

• Objective: To empower women through various social, economic, and financial initiatives aimed at improving their livelihoods.

 

 

World Affairs

Can Sheikh Hasina Be Extradited? - The Hindu

Context

• The Chief Prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal announced plans to seek the extradition of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina from India. She had sought refuge in India after being ousted following a mass uprising.

 

India to Freeze Talks with Pakistan on Indus Waters - The Hindu/Indian Express

Context

• India sent a notice to Pakistan seeking a “review and modification” of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), citing changing demographics, environmental issues, and the need to develop clean energy.

Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)

• Signed: September 19, 1960, by PM Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Mohammed Ayub Khan.
• Mediator: World Bank.
• Water Sharing:
  • India has unrestricted use of the Eastern Rivers (Beas, Ravi, Sutlej).
  • Pakistan controls the Western Rivers (Indus, Chenab, Jhelum).

 

Why does India want to renegotiate the treaty?

• Change in population demographics
• Environmental issues
• Need to accelerate development of clean energy to meet India’s emission targets
• Impact of persistent cross-border terrorism
• Needs of 2 Indian hydel (run-of-the-river) power projects in J&K:
  • Kishanganga Project
  • Ratle Hydroelectric Project on Chenab in Kishtwar district

 

Economy

OIDAR Services Sector “Untapped” - Indian Express

Context

• The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) reported that many foreign providers of Online Information and Database Access or Retrieval (OIDAR) services are untapped for revenue potential.

Online Information and Database Access or Retrieval (OIDAR) services

• About: A category of services provided through the medium of the internet, and received by the recipient online without having any physical interface with the supplier of such services.
• Criteria to determine an OIDAR Service: Their delivery is mediated by information technology over the internet/ electronic network and Services are automated and impossible to ensure in the absence of internet technology.

   

 

Government Scraps Windfall Tax on Crude Petroleum - The Hindu

Context

• Windfall tax on domestically produced crude oil was slashed to 'nil' per tonne with effect from September 18.

 

 

Science and Technology

Gaganyaan - The Hindu

About

• India’s first manned space mission by ISRO to orbit Earth at 300-400 km for 3 days.

Schedule

• Two unmanned flights and one human spaceflight.

Gaganyaan System Module/Orbital Module

• Crew Module: Spacecraft carrying astronauts.
• Service Module: Powered by two liquid propellant engines.
• Safety Features: Emergency escape and mission abort systems.

Launch Vehicle

• GSLV Mk III/LVM-3.

 

 

Chandrayaan-4 and Venus Orbiter Mission Approved - The Hindu

Context

• The Union Cabinet approved the Chandrayaan-4 mission, which includes preparatory steps for a manned moon mission. The Venus Orbiter Mission was also approved for deeper exploration of Venus.

 

 

Earth to Temporarily Get a "Mini-Moon" - Indian Express

Context

• Earth’s gravitational field will capture a small asteroid, 2024 PT5, in late September, keeping it in orbit for two months before it flies off into space.

Mini-moon

• About: Very small asteroids that fail to escape Earth's gravity and end up orbiting the planet for some time.
• Hard to detect: Only four mini-moons of Earth have ever been discovered,

2024 PT5

• Discovery: Discovered with the help of the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (AT- LAS). 
• Dimensions: Estimated to be just 33 feet long and is too small to be visible to the naked eye or through typical amateur telescopes. 
• Significance: 
  • The observations of 2024 PT5 will help scientists expand the knowledge of asteroids that pass close to the Earth and those that sometimes collide with it. 
  • Many asteroids contain valuable minerals and water, which companies hope to extract one day and use for purposes such as rocket fuel.

 

 

CMFRI Unit Designated Seaweed Research Centre of Excellence - The Hindu

Context

• The Department of Fisheries designated the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) as a Centre of Excellence for seaweed cultivation.

 

Necrotising Fasciitis - Indian Express

Context

• A 59-year-old British man survived necrotising fasciitis caused by a spider bite, a flesh-eating bacterial infection.

Necrotising Fasciitis

• Common Name: Flesh-eating disease.
• Symptoms: Rapid tissue death, severe infection that can be fatal without prompt treatment.

Necrotising fasciitis/ Flesh-eating disease