Facts in News

                                  Facts in News

Muria Tribe

• It is a Gond tribe from the highlands of the Bastar region in southern Chhattisgarh.
  • Gond is a Scheduled Tribe (ST) from central and south-central India.
• They are known for their youth dormitories (ghotul) in which the unmarried of both sexes lead a highly organized social life and receive training in civic duties and in sexual practices.
• They have the custom of making dead pillars (gudi) in South Bastar, where people are buried with a wide and sharp 6-7 feet high stone placed on the grave.
• Muria tribal women participate in barter systems to exchange forest products like mahua flower, tamarind and other minor forest products.
  • Chhattisgarh is known as India’s Mahua Bowl.
  • Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) is an Indian tropical tree found largely in the central and north Indian plains and forests.
  • The dried flower is used to brew liquor by the local tribes.

(Image Courtesy: Swadesi)

Lachit Borphukan

• Born: 24th November 1622.
  • This day is celebrated by the people of Assam and the nation as Lachit Diwas.
• He was an Army General of Ahom (Assam) Kingdom and is revered as the greatest military hero of Assam.
• He excelled in the art of Guerrilla Warfare.
• He is known for his exemplary leadership in the Battle of Saraighat (1671), where the Ahoms defeated the Mughal forces.
  • The battle was fought on the Brahmaputra River near Saraighat and was the last major attempt by the Mughals to extend their empire into Assam.
• The Lachit Borphukan gold medal is awarded to the best cadet from the National Defence Academy.
  • It was instituted in 1999 to inspire defence personnel to emulate Borphukan’s heroism and sacrifices.
• Death: 25th April 1672.

(Image Courtesy: NDTV)

Gandhi Peace Prize

• It is given by the Ministry of Culture for social, economic and political transformation through non-violence.
• It was instituted in the year 1995.
• The award comprises Rs. 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and an item of traditional handicraft or handloom.
• Eligibility:
  • Given to individuals, associations, institutions or organizations who have worked selflessly for peace, non-violence and amelioration of human sufferings particular to the less-privileged section of society contributing towards social justice and harmony.
  • Open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or gender.
• The ‘Father of the Nation’ of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the late Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said Al Said, would be awarded the prize for 2020 and 2019 respectively.
  • This is the first time that the prize is being awarded posthumously.

                                    (Image Courtesy: Gandhi)

Standing External Advisory Committee (SEAC)

• It was set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • The constitution of an SEAC was also mentioned in the RBI guidelines for ‘on-tap licensing of small finance banks’.
• It will be a five-member committee, headed by former RBI Deputy Governor Shyamala Gopinath.
• It comprises eminent persons with experience in banking, the financial sector and other relevant areas.
• The tenure of this SEAC will be for three years.
• It will evaluate applications for universal banks and small finance banks.
• It will set up its own procedures to screen the applications.

Spring Equinox

• This year Spring Equinox took place on March 20th in the Northern Hemisphere.

Equinoxes

• The word equinox is derived from two Latin words – aequus (equal) and nox (night).
• There are only two times of the year when the Earth’s axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, which results in a nearly equal amount of daylight and darkness at all latitudes.
  •  These events are referred to as Equinoxes.
  • There are two equinoxes namely Vernal and  Autumnal.
  • The equinoxes happen in March (about March 21) and September (about September 23) on these days  the Sun is exactly above the Equator

Reasons:

• The phenomenon occurs due to the Earth’s axial tilt, or the angle by which the planet is tilted relative to the Sun.
  • The imaginary axis of our planet is not straight up and down but is tilted by 23.5 degrees.
  • This is why different regions of the Earth experience different measures of sunlight.

•  An equinox occurs when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is neither inclined away from nor towards the Sun.
  • This leads to an almost equal duration of the day and the night on Equinox day.

Study In India Programme

• The programme was launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and is currently partnered with 117 institutes across India.
• It aims at attracting international students to pursue higher studies in the country.
• Budget 2020 proposed to start an Indo-SAT exam under a ‘Study in India’ scheme, to enable the evaluation and study of students from Asia and Africa who seek admission here.