GS-I

Thousands of Kuki-Zo people in Churachandpur district of Manipur on Thursday took out a rally, pressing their demand for a separate administration in light of the ongoing ethnic conflict in the State. The rally was organised by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum and other Kuki-Zo groups. People raise slogans for …

In California, members of an under-the-radar, minority religious community called the Ravidassia are stepping into the public eye to advocate for making the state the first in the nation to outlaw caste bias. Who are the Ravidassias? The Ravidassias are the followers of Ravidass, a 14th century Indian guru who preached caste and class equality. …

Keeladi is a tiny hamlet in the Sivaganga district in south Tamil Nadu. It is about 12 km south-east to the temple city of Madurai and is located along the Vaigai river. The excavations here from 2015 prove that an urban civilisation existed in Tamil Nadu in the Sangam age …

CONTEXT: The Indian Meteorological Society (IMS) and the North Eastern Space Applications Centre organise a 4-day Virtual Symposium on Tropical Meteorology called TROPMET-2020. KEY POINTS: The theme of the event is “Weather and Climate Services over Mountainous Regions”. There would be several talks and lectures by eminent scientists during the …

CONTEXT: Nepal and China have announced the revised height of Mount Everest as 8,848.86 metres. The new height is 86 cm more than the previous measurement. MAIN POINTS: The new height of 8,848.86 meters replaced the long-associated 8,848 metre height, which was, as per a measurement carried out by the …

CONTEXT: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has taken steps to protect the stone chariot inside Vittala Temple complex at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hampi. ASI, under the Ministry of Culture, is the premier organization for the archaeological research and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation. …

CONTEXT: Recently, the Union Education Minister has set up a task force for preparing a roadmap on imparting technical education in the mother tongue of students. AIM: To achieve the Prime Minister’s vision that students may pursue the professional courses such as medicine, engineering, law, etc in their mother tongue. …

CONTEXT: Cyclonic Storm ‘Burevi’ over southwest Bay of Bengal. MAIN POINTS: According to the Cyclone Warning Division of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the deep depression over southwest Bay of Bengal moved west northwestwards with a speed of 9 kmph, intensified into a cyclone storm and lay centred over southwest …

CONTEXT: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched the virtual edition of Aadi Mahotsav – Madhya Pradesh.The next focus state would be Gujarat, followed by West Bengal. BACKGROUND: It is a national tribal festival and a joint initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development …

CONTEXT: The President of India has greeted the citizens on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti. It is a sacred festival of the Sikh community and is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, who is believed to be born on Poornima (full moon) of the Kartika …

CONTEXT: Rainfall over the southern peninsular region has been deficient so far, indicating that the northeast monsoon has remained subdued this year. Inter Tropical Convective Zone (ITCZ): The current position of the ITCZ has also contributed to the poor rainfall during the ongoing monsoon season.  The ITCZ is a low-pressure …

CONTEXT: PM pays tribute to Lachit Borphukan on Lachit Diwas. Background: During the last phase of the Battle of Saraighat 1671, when the Mughals attacked the Assamese forces through the river in Saraighat, many Assamese soldiers began losing their will to fight. It was Lachit’s clarion call to all the …

CONTEXT: Recently, a Hoysala-era idol of Goddess Kali of the Lakshmi Devi Temple at Doddagaddavalli, Karnataka has been found damaged. Lakshmi Devi Temple: Lakshmi Devi temple was built by the Hoysalas in the year 1114 CE during the rule of king Vishnuvardhana. The building material is Chloritic schist, more commonly …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gifted German Chancellor Angela Merkel an exquisite handloom woollen khadi stole from Ladakh and a Ratnam pen. The stole, known as “Call of Ladakh”, has an intricate traditional Ladakhi border pattern and four corner motifs, in dark wool. The yarn is hand-spun using the finest …

Ramanathapuram district recorded the highest average rainfall of 320 mm during October, as rains lashed southern districts on Thursday. After heavy rainfall was witnessed from Tuesday night, the district administration of Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari declared holiday for all government and private schools on Wednesday. The Dindigul Collector announced holiday …