Current Affairs – May 14, 2025

{GS1 – A&C – Religion} Buddhavanam

• Context (HT): Miss World 2025 contestants visited Buddhavanam on Buddha Purnima.

Buddhavanam

• It is a Buddhist heritage theme park spanning 279 acres beside the iconic Nagarjuna Sagar Dam on northern bank of Krishna River in Telangana’s Nalgonda district.
  • Thematic zones include an Entrance Plaza, Buddha Charitha Vanam, Jataka Park, Dhyana Vanam, Stupa Vanam with the Maha Stupa, and a Buddhist Heritage Museum, collectively showcasing Buddha’s life, teachings, past lives, meditative practices and heritage.
• Developed under the GoI’s Integrated Buddhist Circuit initiative to boost spiritual tourism from Southeast Asia and beyond.
• Envisioned as a cultural, spiritual & educational destination showcasing life & teachings of the Buddha.

Link to Nagarjunakonda

• Adjacent to Buddhavanam lies Nagarjunakonda or Sriparvata-Vijayapuri, the capital of the Ikshvaku dynasty (3^rd-4^th century AD).
• Named after Acharya Nagarjuna, the famed Mahayana (Madhyamika) Buddhist philosopher.
• Once a vibrant centre of Mahayana Buddhism with multiple monasteries, stupas, chaityas and shrines.
• Excavations (1954-1960) revealed Buddhist structures and sculptural panels depicting Buddha’s life and Jataka stories, along with a palace complex and a few Brahmanical temples built of bricks. 
• Reconstructed remnants are preserved on Nagarjunakonda Island & Anupu, on the Krishna riverbank.

{GS1 – Geo – EG – Water Resources} Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project

• Context (TH): Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project jointly.

• Water from the Tapti River will be diverted to cater to the drinking water needs of northeastern Maharashtra and provide irrigation support to the southern and southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh.

Tapti River

• Also known as Tapi, it is one of the major rivers of peninsular India, with a length of around 724 km.
• One of only three rivers in peninsular India that run from east to west (the others being the Narmada River and the Mahi River).
• The Tapi River rises near Multai in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh and drains into the Arabian Sea through the Gulf of Cambay.
• Tapi is the 2^nd largest westward-draining interstate river basin. It covers a large area in the State of Maharashtra, besides regions in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

Major Tributaries of the Tapi River

• Purna River: It rises in the Gawilgarh hills and joins the Tapi from the left.
• Girna River: It originates at Kem peak in the Western Ghats range of Nashik District, Maharashtra.
• Gomai: It originates in the Satpura Mountain Range.

{GS2 – IR – UN} UN Charter

• Context (IE): Pakistan accused India’s retaliatory actions under Operation Sindoor of being a violation of Article 2(4) of the United Nations (UN) Charter.

What is UN Charter?

• Founding Document of UN: Signed on 26 June 1945 in San Francisco. Enforced on 24 October 1945.
• Status: It is considered an international treaty and is legally binding on all UN member states.
• Outlines Principles of International Law:
  • Sovereign equality of states,
  • Prohibition of the use of force,
  • Respect for territorial integrity and political independence.
• Amendment: The text has been amended three times (1963, 1965, 1973) and also incorporates the Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as an integral part.

Pakistan’s Accusation

• Violation of UN Charter: Pakistan argues that India has violated Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force.
• Article 2(4): It states that “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”
  • It is a fundamental norm of international law aimed at preserving peace and preventing aggression.

India’s Position

• India maintains that its actions under Operation Sindoor comply with Article 51, based on:
  • Right to Self Defence: India has exercised its inherent right to individual self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
  • State-Sponsored Terrorism: Involvement of non-state actors does not exempt Pakistan from responsibility if they provide support or safe havens.
    • Pakistan’s support to terror groups is a breach of international law (Nicaragua Case by ICJ, 1986).

Article 51 – Right to Self-Defence

• Article 51 states that “Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the UN”
  • Right to self-defence predates the existence of the UN & is rooted in customary international law.
  • It draws on the Caroline incident of 1837, a dispute between the US and the British Government regarding US support for Canadian rebels.
• Self-defence can be exercised until the UN Security Council takes necessary action.
• This article forms the legal basis for many collective defence arrangements, such as NATO.

Nicaragua Case (ICJ, 1986) – Armed Attacks by Non-State Actors

• Judgement: Nicaragua Case held that US support to Contra rebels in Nicaragua constituted a breach of international law.
• Reaffirmed 1970 Declaration on Friendly Relations: The declaration prohibits organising, assisting, inciting, or financing armed activities against another state and sponsoring terrorism in another state.

UNGA Resolution 3314 (1974)

• Expanded the definition of aggression to include – Sending armed groups, irregulars, or mercenaries by or on behalf of a state to carry out acts of armed force against another state, etc.

{GS2 – Polity – IC – Citizenship} Indian e-Passport

• Context (MINT): The Indian government officially rolled out e-passports on April 1, 2024, under the Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Version 2.0.

Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Version 2.0 Launched on April 1, 2024, by the Ministry of External Affairs, PSP 2.0 aims to modernize passport services using advanced technology. Key features include: Supports e-passport rollout with RFID chip & PKI security. Uses AI, biometrics, cloud, and data analytics for faster, secure processing. Enables real-time tracking, better grievance redressal, and wider accessibility. Integrated with DigiLocker and Aadhaar for paperless service.

About e-Passport

• Objective: To enhance data security, prevent duplication or forgery, and enable faster global immigration checks through a secure and modern passport system.
• Contains a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip & antenna in the back cover. Stores both printed and electronic data, including personal information and biometric details.
• Uses Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to sign and encrypt the chip data digitally. It protects sensitive data stored in the embedded RFID chip.
  • Prevents forgery, tampering, duplication or cloning of passports.
• Recognisable by a gold-coloured chip symbol on the front cover, below the word ‘Passport’.
• Fully compliant with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
• Can be read at automated e-gates worldwide, allowing faster immigration processing.
• Issued at selected Regional Passport Offices (RPOs)- Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Jammu, Goa, Shimla, Raipur, Amritsar, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Surat, and Ranchi. Gradual rollout planned for other regions.
• Replacement Status: Not mandatory for current passport holders.
  • Existing passports will remain valid till expiry and do not need to be replaced.

Benefits for Citizens

• Dual authentication via printed and digital information.
• Safer against fraud and misuse.
• Enables faster immigration clearance due to global compatibility.
• Boosts trust in travel documents at international borders.

{GS2 – Polity – IC – FRs} Safe Harbour & Intermediary Liability **

• Context (TH): The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is reconsidering the Safe Harbour provisions under the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000.

About Safe Harbour

• A legal immunity granted to online intermediaries (e.g., social media platforms, search engines, hosting services), protecting them from being held liable for user-generated content.
• Encourages digital innovation and free expression by shielding platforms from constant legal risk, provided they meet specific obligations.

Intermediary Liability

• The concept of holding digital intermediaries legally accountable for content shared by their users.
• Liability depends on:
  • The platform’s awareness of the content.
  • Action taken after receiving notice of illegal or harmful material.

Legal Framework in India

• Section 79, IT Act, 2000: Grants conditional protection from liability for third-party content.
  • Inspired by Section 230 of the U.S. Communications Decency Act.

Section 230 of the U.S. law is a counterpart to India’s Section 79. Offers broad immunity to platforms for third-party content. Now under scrutiny. due to rising concerns over hate speech, misinformation, and algorithmic bias.

• Conditions for Immunity: Platforms must act upon receiving “actual knowledge” of unlawful content.
  • Defined by the SC (Shreya Singhal v. Union of India, 2015) as a court order or government notice.
  • Failure to act within a reasonable time leads to loss of immunity.

Regulatory Framework

• Governed by the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. [Notified under Section 87 of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, aims to regulate intermediaries, OTT platforms, and digital news media.]
• Key obligations for Intermediaries:
  • Appoint Grievance Officer and Nodal Contact Person.
  • For Significant Social Media Intermediaries (SSMIs):
    • Appoint a Resident Compliance Officer.
    • Publish monthly compliance reports on grievance redressal and content moderation.
  • 2023 Amendment: Safe Harbour to be revoked if content is flagged as “fake news” by the PIB Fact Check Unit.
  • Facing legal challenge (e.g. Bombay HC) over concerns of executive overreach and lack of due process.

Why the Government Wants Change? Issue: Non-compliance and delays by platforms like X in following Indian takedown orders. Amendment Goals: Increase accountability for misinformation, cyberfrauds, and AI-generated deepfakes. Assert digital sovereignty by aligning platform operations with Indian laws and the constitution.

Significance of Safe Harbour

• Innovation-Friendly: Reduces legal burdens, promoting startups and digital entrepreneurship.
• Protects Free Speech: Prevents excessive censorship by platforms fearing prosecution.
• Ensures Due Process: Creates a structured mechanism for takedown, avoiding arbitrary removals and ensuring user rights.

Also read > Section 69A & Section 66(A) of the Information Technology (IT) Act

{GS2 – Vulnerable Sections – Women} Women at the Frontlines, yet Excluded

• Context (TH): Women have played pivotal roles in leading grassroots movements defending land and resources, such as the Narmada Bachao Andolan.
• Despite their leadership, they remain largely excluded from key decision-making processes, such as Gram Sabha consultations and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes.

FPIC: Free, Prior, and Informed Consent It is the right of tribal and local communities to decide on projects that affect their land or resources. Free: Consent given without coercion or pressure. Prior: Obtained before project planning or implementation begins. Informed: Based on complete, accurate, and accessible information. Consent: Communities have the right to say yes or no. In India, the PESA (1996) and FRA (2006) laws legally uphold FPIC through Gram Sabhas, but this is often bypassed in practice, particularly in excluding women’s voices.

Systemic Exclusion of Women from Governance

• Despite laws like PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 and Forest Rights Act 2006 (FRA) ensuring their participation, implementation is weak, and land titles often remain with men. Women’s environmental knowledge is dismissed, leading to gender-blind policies.
• Women’s environmental knowledge, often rooted in generations of community experience, is frequently dismissed as “emotional” or “non-scientific,” leading to gender-blind policies that neglect their input in environmental and developmental planning.

Challenges Faced by Women in the Informal Sector in India

• Workforce Dominance: Over 80% of India’s workforce is informal, with women largely engaged in home-based work, domestic labour, and piece-rate manufacturing.
• Low Pay & No Rights: These women earn as little as ₹80/day while lacking formal contracts, minimum wages, maternity leave, and workplace protections.
• Subcontracting & Legal Evasion: Companies deliberately use subcontracting to bypass labour laws, denying women legal protections, grievance redress, and social security.
• Intersectional Marginalisation: Women from marginalised castes, classes, and religious backgrounds face layered discrimination, worsened by crises like demonetisation and the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Burden of Unpaid Care Work: Household responsibilities reduce women’s mobility and access to education, legal systems, and formal employment.
• Excluded from GDP Metrics: Informal and unpaid labour by women remains unaccounted for in national economic calculations, reinforcing their invisibility.
• Exploitation Behind Daily Goods: Items like pens, toys, and festival decorations are produced by women under exploitative conditions, with no income security or recognition.
• Policy Neglect: National policies lack focus on the rights and protections of informal women workers, normalising exploitation as economic necessity.

Towards a Gender-Just Development Framework

• Recognition and Representation: Women should be recognized as stakeholders in governance, climate planning, and land negotiations.
• Inclusive Legal Enforcement: Strengthen the implementation of PESA and FRA, ensuring joint land titles, legal awareness, and accountability.
• Secure Informal Work: Ensure formal recognition, social protection, legal aid, and minimum wage enforcement for informal women workers.
• Gender-Responsive FPIC: Ensure FPIC processes are inclusive, prioritising women’s participation, especially in tribal and marginalised communities.

Also Read,> PESA (1996), FRA (2006)

{GS3 – IS – Cyber Security} Steganography in Cybercrime

• Context (IE): Scammers are increasingly using Least Significant Bit (LSB) steganography to hide malware in media files and carry out financial fraud.

What is Steganography?

• It is a technique of hiding data within media files, such as images or audio, by modifying the least significant bits of data units.
• The word “steganography” has Greek origins, meaning “hidden writing.” In cybercrime, this technique is exploited to embed malware or secret instructions inside harmless-looking media files.

Difference from Traditional Malware

• Unlike obvious phishing or malware attempts, such as fake login pages or suspicious attachments, steganography hides code within seemingly innocent files.
• Scammers most often embed malicious code in everyday formats like JPG, PNG, MP3, MP4, and PDF, because these familiar, widely shared files appear harmless and often bypass antivirus software.
  • Steganography can fool even advanced tools like AI-based image recognition.
• When a person opens the infected image, the malware installs silently and gains access to data.

Detection Challenges

• Detecting steganography requires forensic tools, steganalysis platforms, and behavioural analytics to spot anomalies in file structures or execution behaviour.
• Traditional antivirus tools are ineffective because they don’t scan for embedded content.
• AI and machine learning offer a better shot by detecting behavioural irregularities within files and improving early threat detection.

{GS3 – IS – Policy} India’s New Anti-Terror Doctrine **

• Context (IE): PM unveiled a bold new anti-terror doctrine after Operation Sindoor, India’s most intense military operation since Kargil, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Strategic Shift in India’s Anti-Terror Policy

• Precedent-Based Evolution: Building on Uri Surgical Strike (2016) and Balakot Airstrike (2019), Operation Sindoor is now a new benchmark, lowering the threshold for future Indian military action.
• New Normal Doctrine: Establishes offensive readiness as the baseline for India’s counter-terror responses; India will no longer wait to react; it will proactively eliminate threats.
• Full Military Freedom: Armed forces given operational autonomy to act decisively with a strategy driven by national interest and “Nation First” spirit.

Three Core Tenets of the New Doctrine

• India’s Terms: India will determine the timing, nature and scale of its military response to terror.
• No Nuclear Blackmail: India will not be deterred by Pakistan’s nuclear threats.
• No Distinction Doctrine: Terrorists, their leaders and the states that support them will be treated alike.

India’s Global Diplomatic Messaging on Terrorism

• India urged the international community to act unitedly against state-sponsored terrorism.
• India linked JeM and LeT attacks with 9/11 and London bombings to position itself as a frontline state in global counterterrorism.
• To counter accusations of war-mongering, PM invoked his now-famous phrase, “This is not the era of war,” & stated, “This is also not the era of terrorism”, & emphasised global zero tolerance for terror.
• Warning on Pakistan’s Terror Policy: India cautioned that Pakistan’s support for terrorism would backfire and destabilise it.
• Firm Line on Pakistan Talks: India maintained that dialogue with Pakistan will only be on terrorism and PoK, asserting that “terror and talks” cannot go together.

{GS3 – S&T – BioTech} RNA Exosomopathies and the Yeast Breakthrough

• Context (TH): Study has demonstrated that mutations in RNA exosome-related genes, known to cause severe brain development disorders in humans, produce similar effects in yeast.

What was Discovered?

RNA Exosomopathies

• Rare genetic disorders are caused by mutations in genes encoding RNA exosome components. Mutations impair RNA exosome function, disrupting RNA surveillance, ribosome production, and protein synthesis.
• Leads to developmental defects, particularly in brain development.

Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia Type 1 (PCH1)

• Linked to RNA exosome gene mutations, resulting in underdevelopment of the pons and cerebellum.
• Causes severe motor and cognitive impairments and often early childhood mortality.
• Highlights the RNA exosome’s crucial role in brain development.

Role of RNA exosome

• RNA Exosome: The RNA exosome is a multi-protein complex discovered in yeast in 1997, with pivotal roles in maintaining RNA integrity within the cell. It carries out several key functions:
  • Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) Processing: Ensures the maturation of rRNA, which is essential for assembling ribosomes, the protein factories of the cell.
  • mRNA Surveillance and Degradation: Identifies and degrades faulty or unnecessary mRNA, maintaining proper cellular function.
  • Non-Coding RNA (ncRNA) Regulation: Regulates various non-coding RNAs that play critical roles in cellular processes beyond protein synthesis.

Why Yeast as a Model Organism?

• Genetic Similarity: Yeast is a simple eukaryote with genetic pathways similar to those in humans, making it highly relevant for studying human diseases.
• Ease of Use: Easy to culture and genetically modify, a cost-effective and efficient platform for research.
• Benefits of Using Yeast:
  • Rapid Functional Screening: Yeast allows researchers to test and identify the functional effects of disease-causing mutations quickly.
  • Accelerated Drug Testing: By testing potential treatments in yeast models first, researchers can accelerate the development of therapies for human conditions.

Significance for India and Global Health

• Alignment with National Goals: This research aligns with India’s National Biotechnology Development Strategy and Rare Diseases Policy, which emphasise affordable and innovative healthcare solutions.
• Encouraging Translational Research: The use of yeast as a model organism promotes the translation of laboratory findings into practical healthcare applications.
• Strengthening Public Health Biotechnology: This research enhances India’s capacity to address complex health issues through biotechnological innovations.
• Personalised Medicine: The insights gained from this research can contribute to the development of personalised treatments for neurological and genetic disorders, particularly those affecting children.

{GS3 – S&T – Defence – Missile} BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile System *

• Context (IE): India reportedly used BrahMos missiles during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, marking its potential first combat deployment.

Cruise Missile is a guided, unmanned missile flying at constant speed and low altitude using aerodynamic lift, designed for high-precision strikes. It is distinct from Ballistic Missiles in that it maintains a consistent trajectory and speed, with reduced radar visibility and greater strike accuracy.

Strategic Genesis and Development

• Post-Gulf War Realisation (1991): India recognised the need for cruise missile capability.
• IGMDP Foundation: Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme under Dr APJ Abdul Kalam built the missile foundation (Agni, Akash, Prithvi, Nag).
• India-Russia Pact (1998): Inter-Governmental Agreement signed in Moscow led to BrahMos Aerospace.
• Joint Venture: DRDO (India, 50.5%) and NPOM (Russia, 49.5%).
• Name Origin: Brahmaputra + Moskva = BrahMos.
• First Successful Test: June 12, 2001, Chandipur, Odisha.

Technical Architecture

• Speed: Up to Mach 3 (3.5 Mach for NG, Mach 7 for BrahMos-II).
• Range: 290-400 km (BrahMos-II: over 480 km).
• Warhead: 200-300 kg conventional warhead.
• Flight Profile: Low radar cross-section (RCS), unpredictable trajectory, cruising altitude 15 km, terminal dive at 10 m.
• Propulsion & Navigation: Solid booster+liquid ramjet, inertial & satellite navigation (GPS/GLONASS).
• Launch Format: Fire-and-forget with Transport Launch Canister (TLC) support.
• Stealth Features: Compact design with advanced materials.

BrahMos Missile Family

BrahMos- Base Variant

• Platform Integration: Land, ship, submarine, and air-based platforms.
• Features: Supersonic speed throughout, high strike precision, rapid engagement.

BrahMos-NG (Next Generation)

• Lightweight, stealthier, multi-platform missile with up to 3.5 Mach speed, 290 km range, smaller RCS, faster readiness, deployable from torpedo tubes.
• Application: Land, air, sea, submarine platforms.

  

  Source: Wikipedia

BrahMos-II (Hypersonic)

• Inspired by Russian 3M22 Tsirkon with a speed up to Mach 7 and a range of ~480 km.
• Technology: Scramjet propulsion engine providing naval deterrence in Indo-Pacific.

Variants by Launch Platform

Land-Based Systems

• Configuration: 4–6 Mobile Autonomous Launchers with 3 missiles each.
• Features: NBC protection, multi-target capability, 400 km range at Mach 2.8.
• Versions: Block I- Precision target capability; Block II- Deep-dive and target discrimination; Block III- Mountain warfare adaptation.

Ship-Based Systems

• Mode: Sea-to-sea and sea-to-land attacks.
• Advantages: Vertical/inclined launch, salvo capability (up to 8 missiles), beyond radar horizon strikes.
• Deployment: Began in 2005 with INS Rajput; now on multiple frontline warships.

Air-Launched Systems (ALCM)

• Integration: Sukhoi-30MKI; future plan includes LCA Tejas.
• Features: Standoff capability, anti-ship and land-attack, 1500km aircraft range, 300km missile range.
• Tests: Sea target destruction validated in 2017 and subsequent years.

Submarine-Launched Systems

• Launch Depth: 50 meters; vertical launch from pressure hull.
• Feature: Canister-based compact design for stealth underwater operations.
• Advantage: First-of-its-kind underwater deployment by India.

Tactical and Operational Advantages

• Unmatched Speed: Supersonic and hypersonic variants reduce interception probability.
• Precision Strikes: Near-perfect strike accuracy (~99.99%).
• Quick Reaction: High speed enables rapid engagement with minimal dispersion.
• Fire-and-Forget Capability: No post-launch operator input required.
• Platform Versatility: One missile family usable across land, air, sea, and submarine.

Strategic Significance for India

• Deterrence Capability: Enhances India’s posture along LAC & in Indian Ocean amid Chinese aggression.
• Tri-Service Synergy: Operational in all three armed forces, aiding integrated warfare capabilities.
• Indigenous Capability: Embodies Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence manufacturing alongwith the prospective BrahMos Industrial Complex to support domestic tech ecosystem and long-term capability building.
• Symbolic Value: Called a “message of strength and deterrence” by Defence Minister.
• Strategic Diplomacy Tool: Strengthens India’s defence diplomacy in Indo-Pacific.
• Global Export Potential: Philippines Deal (2022) worth $375 million export of shore-based anti-ship systems; Ongoing Negotiations with >12 countries exploring BrahMos acquisition.

{GS3 – S&T – Defence} Operation Keller

• Context (ET): Indian Army successfully conducted Operation Keller on May 13, 2025.

About Operation Keller

• Location: Shoekal Keller forests, Shopian district, Jammu & Kashmir.
• Forces Involved: Units of the Rashtriya Rifles, specialising in counter-insurgency.
• Trigger: Specific intelligence about LeT terrorists hiding in the forest region.
• Encounter Details: Heavily armed terrorists opened fire during a cordon-and-search operation.
• Outcome: Recovery of weapons and bodies from the dense forest. No casualties among Indian forces.

About Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Founded: Late 1980s, as militant wing of Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-Irshad. Ideology: Radical Sunni-Wahhabism; aims for Islamic rule over the Indian subcontinent. Mode of Operation: Guerrilla warfare, recruitment of locals, cross-border infiltration. Designated Terror Group: By India, UN, USA, UK, EU, and others. Attacks: 2001 Parliament attack, 2008 Mumbai attacks, ongoing Kashmir militancy.

Strategic Significance

• Reinforces India’s zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism.
• Boosts counter-infiltration posture in South Kashmir’s volatile belt.
• Reflects synergy between real-time intelligence and precision military response.
• Highlights increased cross-border involvement in Kashmir militancy (2 Pakistani nationals).

Also Read > Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Global Fight Against Terrorism

{GS3 – S&T – IPR – GI} Rajasthani Sangri Gets GI Tag *

• Context (TN): Rajasthan’s Sangri beans have recently received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

Credit: India TV

• Sangri, often paired with Ker (a wild berry), is derived from the beans of the Prosopis cineraria (Khejri).
  • Ker (Capparis decidua) is a tree and fruit used in various Indian cuisines.
• Sangri pods grow on the khejri tree. The slender pods are green when unripe, and turn a chocolate brown upon maturing.
• Sangri pods, also known as “desert beans”, are used as a vegetable and are particularly prized for their unique taste and nutritional benefits.
• Ker-Sangri Sabzi: The Sangri beans are handpicked, sun-dried, and later soaked and cooked with spices, oil, and sometimes curd, to create the famous Ker-Sangri sabzi.

Nutritional Value

• Rich in Minerals: Sangri are rich in minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc and iron.
• Source of Protein: They are a good source of protein and dietary fibre.
• Boost Immune System: Sangri pods also contain a moderate amount of saponins, which help to boost the immune system and lower cholesterol levels in the blood.

About Khejri Tree

• Also called Persian mesquite or ghaf, the Khejri tree is the national tree of the United Arab Emirates.
• Member of the pea family. It is thorny evergreen tree that grows to around 5 meters in height.
• Distribution: It is found in the desert regions of India, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Africa. It is mainly found in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan in India.
  • It is also found in the dry regions of Delhi, Gujarat, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh in India.

Climatic Conditions

• Temperature: The tree is frost and drought resistant and tolerates extreme temperatures ranging from 40–45 ⁰C in summer to less than 10 ⁰C in winter.
• Soil: Prefers alluvial, consisting of various mixtures of sand and clay.
• Rainfall: Capable of growing in areas of rainfall ranging from 100–600 mm.
  • It can withstand the hottest winds, the driest season and stay alive where other plants cannot survive.

Different Local Names of Khejri

Sr. no.	Name	State
1	Shami	Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra & Uttar Pradesh
2	jammi	Telangana & Andhra Pradesh
3	khijro	Gujarat
4	janti	Haryana
5	jand	Punjab

Significance

• Cultural Significance: It’s the state tree of Rajasthan, and in many communities, cutting it down is discouraged or even forbidden. The tree is also central to the Bishnoi community.
• Religious Significance: Highly revered among Hindus and worshipped as part of the Dusshera festival.
  • It is believed that in the Mahabharata, the Pandavas hid their celestial weapons in a Khejri tree before their final year of exile in disguise.
• Use: All parts of the khejri tree, from the bark to flowers and leaves, are edible.

Also Read > Geographical Indication Tags

{Prelims – In News} Ayurveda Day

• Context (PIB): Government of India has officially designated 23^rd September as the date to observe Ayurveda Day every year.

Ayurveda Ayurveda means “science of life” – a traditional Indian system of medicine developed over 5,000 years ago. Emphasises preventive care, personalised treatment, and natural remedies. Philosophy: Focuses on holistic health – balance of mind, body, and spirit. Based on the Tridosha theory – Vata, Pitta, Kapha. Key texts include Charaka Samhita (medicine), Sushruta Samhita (surgery). Increasingly integrated into modern wellness and public health systems.

• Objective: To promote Ayurveda as a scientific, evidence-based, and holistic system of medicine that contributes significantly to preventive healthcare and wellness.
• Earlier observations on Dhanteras, which follow a variable lunar calendar caused planning difficulties.
• The new date is symbolic and has practical significance:
  • Falls on autumnal equinox, when day and night are nearly equal, reflecting the ayurvedic philosophy.
  • Provides a fixed, globally relevant date for observance, facilitating international participation.