- Context (TH): There is a declining participation in the Gotipua dance of Odisha.
- Gotipua Dance emerged in Odisha in the 16th century, during Bhoi king Rama Chandra Dev.
- In the Oriya language, Goti means single and Pua means boy.
- It is developed as a male counterpart (boys dressed as girls) to the declining Mahari tradition (a ritualistic dance performed by Devadasis at the Jagannatha temple in Puri).
- It is considered a precursor to the Odissi dance.
- Dance Style: There are two primary postures: Tribhangi (three bends at the head, torso, and knees) and Chouka (a square-like stance symbolizing Lord Jagannath). Dancers sing while performing.
- Upper torso movements resemble the waves of the Odisha coastline.
- Training involves rigorous practice in singing, dancing, yoga, and acrobatics.
- Boys maintain long hair, wear flower garlands, and apply white and red powders for makeup.
- It is performed in praise of Lord Jagannath and Lord Krishna.
- Dancers typically retire upon reaching puberty as they struggle to maintain flexibility and lose their feminine character.
- Sculptures in the Konark Sun Temple and Puri Jagannath Temple illustrate this ancient tradition.
Source: Gotipua.com
{GS1 – Geo – PG – Climatology} Cloudbursts
- Context (TH): The cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh have resulted in significant casualties and extensive damage. An orange alert for severe weather is issued.
- A cloudburst is an intense torrential rainfall brought by a thunderstorm that lasts for a relatively short duration (a few minutes to a few hours).
Read More > Cloudburst
{GS2 – Polity – IC – FRs} SC’s Rule on Manish Sisodia Case
- The court acknowledged the excessive number of documents and witnesses (as in Sisodia’s case) could delay the trial inordinately.
- Procedural delays that can lead to unjust confinement of undertrials are recognized as a punishment, defeating the purpose of legal processes.
- SC ruled that the right to a fair and speedy trial is a right under Article 21 and that individual liberty must be protected against excessive executive actions.
- The Court cited the Arnab Goswami Case (2020) on the tenacity of liberty, and cases from Kashmira Singh (1977) to Sheikh Javed Iqbal (2024) supporting the right to a speedy trial.
- Section 45 of the PMLA won’t prevent bail if prolonged incarceration or slow trials occur.
- The Court noted the low conviction rate under the PMLA (40 convictions out of over 5,000 cases in 10 years), raising concerns about the oppressive application of penal laws.
- SC stressed the need for justice and dignity, especially in a democracy under stress.
{GS2 – Social Sector – Education} Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas
- Context (TH): NCERT finds shortfalls in functioning of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas.
- Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas are residential schools that provide quality education for girls aged 10-18 from disadvantaged groups (SC, ST, OBC, Minority communities, and BPL families).
- It is merged with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan program and aims to bridge gender and social category gaps at all levels of school education.
- It ensures the availability of at least one residential school for girls in Classes VI-XII in every educationally backward block (EBB).
- The scheme reserves 75% of seats for girls from SC and ST communities and prioritizes the remaining 25% for girls from BPL families.
Issues
- Lack of transparency in the utilization of funds, non-completion of construction work and weak infrastructure, shortage and low salary of teachers, delays in process of selection of sites and land issues with other departments and concerns about safety of students.
Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs)
- A block has been designated as an EBB on the basis of twin criteria of Female Literacy Rate being below the national average of 46.13% and Gender gap in Literacy being above the national average of 21.59%.
- The criteria has been earmarked by the Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner.
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{GS2 – Social Sector – Education} NIRF Rankings
- Context (TH): IIT Madras retains top spot in NIRF ranking for sixth consecutive year.
- National Institutional Ranking Framework(NIRF) is a methodology adopted by the Ministry of Education to rank higher education institutions since 2015 to promote quality, innovation, and competition among institutions.
- The rankings are released annually and serve as a tool to assess the performance of institutions.
- The framework considers various parameters including teaching-learning and resource, research and professional practice, graduation outcome, outreach and inclusivity and peer perception.
- The ranks were given in 16 categories this year, with three new categories of open universities, skill universities, and State public universities.
- The IIM, Ahmedabad continued to be the top management institute, the AIIMS, New Delhi became the best plac to study medical sciences.
- IIT Bombay is the best ‘inmovational institution’ followed by IIT Madras and IIT Delhi. IIT Roorkee retained its first position in architecture and planning.
- The NLU, Bangalore was named as the best law school in the country.
{GS3 – S&T – AI} AI-Driven Cyber Risks
- Context (TH): AI advancements heightened security concerns, with major events like the Paris Olympics vulnerable to cyberattacks.
- AI-enabled deep fakes (manipulated videos, audio, and images) contribute to disinformation and confusion (E.g., Taiwan Election 2024).
- There has been an exponential growth in incidents of cyber fraud, phishing, identity theft, and other online threats.
- Ordinary individuals and businesses are particularly vulnerable, and traditional defenses such as firewalls and antivirus programs are often insufficient.
Cyber Attack Examples
- CrowdStrike Outage (2024): A Microsoft Windows glitch caused disruptions to global flight operations and the stock exchange.
- WannaCry Ransomware (2017): Infected over 230,000 computers in 150 countries.
- Shamoon Virus (2017): Targeted oil companies, causing significant damage.
- Petya Malware (2017): Affected banks and infrastructure across multiple countries.
- Stuxnet Worm (2010): Targeted Iran’s nuclear program, showcasing cyber weapon potential.
Read more > Characteristics of AI posing challenges, AI-based autonomous weapons
Responses and Solutions
- Government Actions: Efforts are underway to address digital threats, but private sector responses lag.
- Corporate Preparedness: Companies need to improve their cybersecurity measures, including hiring chief information and security officers.
- Awareness and Coordination: Increased awareness and coordinated efforts are essential to combat digital threats, including disinformation and cyberbullying.
Read more > Regulating AI, Need for Regulating AI
{Prelims – Awards} UNESCO Kalinga Prize
- Context (IE): The Science and Technology Ministry has withdrawn support from the Kalinga Prize as part of the rationalization of science awards.
{Prelims – In News} River Nile
- Context (TG): Amidst the civil war, Sudan has been struck with a deadly flood caused by river Nile due to heavy rainfalls causing displacement of thousands of people.
- The Nile River is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa and is the longest river in Africa.
- It is the primary water source of Egypt, Sudan and South Sudan. It empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
- Its drainage basin covers 11 countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt.
- The two main tributaries of the river are the Blue Nile and the White Nile:
- The White Nile rises in the Great Lakes region (Lake Victoria) and flows through Uganda and South Sudan.
- The Blue Nile begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia and flows into Sudan from the southeast. Both meet at the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.
- The northern section of the river flows north almost entirely through the Nubian Desert to Cairo.
- The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Africa’s largest dam is constructed over the Blue Nile.
To read more about the Sudan Civil War, refer > Sudan Civil war
{Prelims – PIN World – Europe} Kursk Oblast
- Context (IE): Ukrainian troops have advanced around 30 km into the Russian territory of the Kursk region and Russia has declared a “federal-level” emergency in the region.
Credit: US Department of Defense
- Kursk is one of the oldest cities in Russia lying along the upper Seym River in Moscow and is home to large nuclear power stations.
- It is located in the fertile Black Earth territory and has a moderate continental climate.
- It contributes to two major drainage areas: the Dnieper River and the Don River.
- The Kursk Magnetic Anomaly has one of the richest iron ore deposits in the world.
Dnieper River
- Dnieper (or Dnipro) river is a major transboundary river in Eastern Europe flowing through Russia, Belarus and Ukraine and is emptied into the Black Sea.
- Historically, it was an important barrier dividing Ukraine into right and left banks.
Don River
- It flows through the Central Russia and drains into the Sea of Azov.
Seym River
- The Seym is a west-flowing river in Russia and Ukraine and is the largest tributary of the river Desna.
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To read more on Russia-Ukraine war, refer< Russia-Ukraine war
{Prelims – PIN} Vikram Sarabhai
- Context (TET): The nation celebrated August 12 as 105th birth anniversary of the ‘Father of the Indian Space programme‘, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.
Contributions
- Founder of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad in 1947.
- Established the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962 (later evolved into Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)).
- Set up India’s first rocket launching station in 1963 at Thumba, with the support of Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha and found the Vikram Sarabhai Community Science Centre in Ahmedabad in 1966.
Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS)
- TERLS is India’s first spaceport and rocket launching station, located in Thumba, Kerala.
- It was established in November 1963, and is operated by ISRO.
- The station is close to the magnetic equator of earth, which makes it ideal for certain programs.
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{Prelims – Sports} Duleep Trophy
- Context (TH): One of the two opening round fixtures of the Duleep Trophy is set to be shifted from Anantapur to Bengaluru.
- It is a domestic first-class cricket competition in India named after former cricketer Duleepsinhji.
- All games are staged as day-night games and use pink cricket balls.
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