News In Short-07-10-2024

Banjara Virasat Museum

Syllabus :GS 1/Society 

In News

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Banjara Virasat Museum in Pohardevi, Washim, Maharashtra, highlighting the heritage of the Banjara community.

About the Banjara community.

• The Banjara are a nomadic community primarily found in Rajasthan, North-West Gujarat, Western Madhya Pradesh, and Eastern Sindh (pre-independence Pakistan). 
• They claim descent from the Agnivanshi Rajputs and are known by various names, including Banjari, Pindari, and Lambani. 
• Together with the Domba, they are sometimes referred to as the “Gypsies of India.” 
• The Banjara are divided into three tribes: Maturia, Labana, and Charan.
• They have migrated to several Indian states, including Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, adopting local languages such as Lambadi, Hindi, and Telugu. 

Source: Air

Rani Durgavati 

Syllabus: GS1/ History 

Context

• Rani Durgavati, the Queen of the Gond Kingdom of Garha-Katanga, was commemorated on her 500th Birth Anniversary on October 5.

About Rani Durgavati 

• Born in 1524 into the Chandela dynasty of Mahoba, she was the daughter of Raja Salbahan of Ratha and Mahoba. 
• She was married to Dalpat Shah, son of Gond King Sangram Shah, who ruled over the powerful Garha-Katanga kingdom, spanning the Narmada Valley and parts of northern Madhya Pradesh. 
• After Dalpat Shah’s death in 1550, Rani Durgavati became regent for her young son, Bir Narayan, and ruled the kingdom with courage.
• According to Tarikh-i-Firishta Durgavati repulsed Baz Bahadur, the ruler of Malwa, who had attacked her kingdom between 1555 and 1560.
• She fiercely defended her kingdom against the Mughal Subedar Abdul Mazid Khan, dying on the battlefield.
• Later Akbar restored control of the region to Chandra Shah, the younger son of Sangram Shah, after he accepted Mughal suzerainty.

Source: PIB

100 Years of Surrealism

Syllabus: Miscellaneous

Context

• The year 2024, marks 100 years of Surrealism, an art and literature movement in which unusual or impossible things are shown happening. 

What is Surrealism?

• Surrealism is an influential 20th-century art and literary movement known for depicting strange or impossible scenarios, often blending the dreamlike with reality. 
• It aimed to unlock the power of the subconscious mind, liberating thought from the confines of reason and conventional logic.

Origins of Surrealism

• The roots of Surrealism can be traced to the Dada movement, an anti-establishment art movement, developed around 1915.
  • However, there are some fundamental differences between the two. 
• Its formal birth is traced to the publication of the surrealist manifesto in October 1924 by French poet and writer Andre Breton.

Prominent artists and artworks

• One of the most prominent artists of Surrealism were;
  • Spanish artist Salvador Dalí, 
  • German painter and sculptor Max Ernst, 
  • Belgian artist René Magritte and 
  • Spanish Catalan modernist Joan Miró 

The enduring legacy

• Over the years, Surrealism’s emphasis on freeing the creative process from rational thought, has continued to influence artists, writers, and filmmakers. 
• Surrealism also played an essential role in the birth of other art movements such as Abstract Expressionism and Neo-Surrealism. 

Source: IE

S-400 Air Defense Missile System

Syllabus: GS3/ Defence

Context

• Indian Air Force Chief Marshal AP Singh said that India will receive the remaining two squadrons of the S-400 air defense missile system by 2025.

What is the S-400 system?

• The S-400 Triumf is a surface-to-air missile system developed by Russia. 
• It is considered one of the world’s most advanced air defense systems with the key features;
  • Simultaneous Target Engagement: It can track and neutralize a wide range of airborne threats, including aircraft, missiles, and UAVs, across very long ranges and in dense countermeasure scenarios.
  • Multi-Layered Defense: The system is equipped with four types of missiles, offering interception ranges of 40 km, 120 km, 250 km, and 400 km, and it can engage threats up to 30 km altitude, creating a layered defense mechanism.
  • Tracking Capability: Its 3D phased array radar can detect and track up to 300 targets at a distance of up to 600 km.
  • Mobility: The system is fully mobile and includes a command and control center, automatic tracking and targeting systems, launchers, and support vehicles.
• A standard S-400 battalion consists of eight missile launchers, each typically loaded with four missiles.

Source: TOI

Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS)

Syllabus :GS 3/Defense

In News 

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted three flight tests of the 4th Generation Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) at the Pokhran Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan. 

About VSHORADS 

• It is an indigenously developed Man-Portable Air Defence System (MANPAD).
• VSHORADS is a Man Portable Air Defence System developed by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories.
• It aimed at high-speed targets, demonstrated critical capabilities in maximum range and altitude interception. 

Source: AIR

Tanks Armouring the Ladakh Sector

Syllabus :GS 3/Defense

In News 

The ongoing Ukraine war has highlighted the importance of armored vehicles in modern warfare, demonstrating that tanks remain crucial alongside long-range firepower. 

• Other Conflicts like Armenia-Azerbaijan, and Israeli offensives have highlighted threats from drones, long-range projectiles, and loitering munitions.

Developments in India 

• In September 2024, the Indian Army showcased its armored capabilities near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, deploying T-90 tanks and BMP-2 armored carriers at high altitudes (up to 13,700 feet) while addressing challenges related to extreme weather conditions. 
• The T-90, known as Bhishma, is touted as one of the best tanks globally, featuring advanced capabilities like deep-fording and firing Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs).
• Since 2012, India has significantly improved its military infrastructure and deployments in Ladakh, transitioning from six-month troop rotations to longer tenures to enhance acclimatization and operational readiness. 
• Following the May 2020 Galwan clash, there was a substantial military buildup in response to Chinese troop movements. 
• The Indian Air Force played a vital role in airlifting troops and equipment, including K9 Vajra self-propelled Howitzers, which are being procured in greater numbers due to their effectiveness.

Challenges of High Altitude Warfare

• Oxygen scarcity at high altitudes affects both personnel and machinery.
• Extreme Temperatures: Conditions can drop to -40 degrees Celsius, complicating operations.
• Military Hardware Limitations: Most foreign-made military equipment isn’t designed for such harsh conditions.
• High-altitude environments cause quicker degradation of machinery, necessitating rapid turnaround for spares.
• Transporting tanks and ensuring operational readiness in remote areas is a significant task.

Future Outlook 

• The Indian Army is focused on adapting its tank and armoured platforms to meet the challenges posed by high-altitude warfare, with an emphasis on modernization and indigenous development to maintain a strategic edge.
• The DRDO is developing the ‘Zorawar,’ a 25-tonne light tank, set for user trials by August 2025.
• The Indian Army aims to develop Future Ready Combat Vehicles (FRCVs) and Future Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICVs) to replace ageing systems, with expected advancements by 2030.
• The Army is evaluating new platforms, including U.S. Stryker infantry combat vehicles, to enhance operational capabilities in response to evolving threats.

Source: TH

Black Carbon

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment

In News

• India’s potent black carbon emissions from kerosene lamps make up 10% of total residential emissions: Study

About Black Carbon

• Black Carbon (BC) is a short-lived pollutant formed through incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass.
• Unlike CO₂, it has a short atmospheric lifetime (days to weeks), but its warming potential is much higher.
• It causes respiratory and cardiovascular diseases due to fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
• The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), founded in 2012, is a voluntary partnership convened within the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Its primary goal is to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), which are potent contributors to global warming and air pollution.

Source: DTE

Greening of Antarctica

Syllabus: GS3/Environment and Conservation

Context

• Antarctica is undergoing a significant transformation, with vegetation cover on the Antarctic Peninsula increasing dramatically. 

About

• Researchers report that this greening has accelerated by over 30% in recent years, highlighting a profound environmental shift.
  • Vegetation cover on the Antarctic Peninsula expanded from less than one square kilometer in 1986 to nearly 12 square kilometers by 2021.
• The acceleration in vegetation growth coincides with a marked decrease in sea-ice extent in Antarctica between 2016 and 2021.
• The Antarctic Peninsula is warming faster than the global average, leading to more frequent extreme heat events.

Antarctica

• Antarctica, the world’s southernmost and fifth largest continent. Its landmass is almost wholly covered by a vast ice sheet.
• The continental contains about 90 percent of the world’s ice and 80 percent of its fresh water. 
• An ice shelf is a huge sheet of ice, connected to land but extending out into the ocean.
  • Ice shelves develop mainly from glaciers flowing slowly downhill toward the ocean. 

Source: ET

World Cotton Day

Syllabus: GS3/Agriculture

Context

• October 7 is celebrated each year as World Cotton Day.

About

• The idea for World Cotton Day originated from the Cotton Four nations, Burkina Faso, Benin, Chad, and Mali aiming to promote cotton by-products and their markets.
• The first World Cotton Day (WCD) event was initiated in Geneva and observed on October 7, 2019.

Cotton Production in India

• India is the second largest producer of cotton in the world after China.
• India accounts for 23% of the total global production.
• The Central Zone (which comprises states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh) are the biggest producer of cotton in India.
• Cotton cultivation requires a hot and sunny climate with an extended frost-free period. It thrives best in warm and humid conditions. The crop can be successfully cultivated in a variety of soil types, such as well-drained deep alluvial soils in the northern regions, black clayey soils of varying depths in the central region

Source: PIB