Defense
Main Battle Tanks Arjun Mk-1A

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) Arjun Mk-1A )
What's the NEWS

• Ministry of Defence (MoD) placed an order with Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF), Avadi, Chennai for supply of 118 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) Arjun Mk-1A for the Indian Army

Know! about MBT Mk-1A

• The state-of-the-art MBT Mk-1A is a new variant of Arjun Tank designed to enhance fire power, mobility and survivability.
• Infused with 72 new features and more indigenous content from the Mk-1 variant, the tank would ensure effortless mobility in all terrains, besides precise target engagement during day and night.
• It has been designed and developed by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) by incorporating numerous upgrades on Arjun MBT, the in-service main battle tank with the Indian Army.
• The MK-1A is equipped with accurate & superior firepower, all-terrain mobility and an invincible multi-layered protection provided by an array of advanced technology systems.
• It can take on the enemy during day & night conditions and in both static & dynamic modes.
• By virtue of these capabilities, this indigenous MBT proves to be at par with any contemporary in its class across the globe.
• This tank is particularly configured and designed for Indian conditions and hence it is suitable for deployment to protect the frontiers in an effective manner.
• This will be a flagship project showcasing the indigenous capability in cutting edge defence technologies.
• The MBT Arjun Mk-1A has been designed & developed by Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), along with other laboratories of DRDO within two years (2010-12).

Prelims Factoids
BIJOYA SANSKRITIK MAHOTSAV
Know! about the Mahotsav

• 16 December 2021 will mark 50 years of the liberation of Bangladesh and India's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
• To commemorate this landmark event in India's history, Swarnim Vijay Varsh celebrations are being organised throughout the Country.
• A cultural event titled "Bijoya Sanskritik Mahotsav" aimed at showcasing the cultural linkages between India and Bangladesh during the war is being organised by the Eastern Command of Indian Army at Kolkata from 26 to 29 September 2021.
• Events of "Bijoya Sanskritik Mahotsav" will bring to fore the various tales of valor of Indian Army soldiers and Mukti Jodhas in the various historical battles fought by these brave hearts in the 1971 war of liberation.

Prelims Factoids
Air gun surrender campaign
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about air gun surrender campaign)
What's the NEWS

• Union Minister of State for Forest, Environment and Climate Change appreciated the air gun surrender campaign of the Arunachal Government campaign

Air Gun Surrender Campaign of the Arunachal Government

• It is an important initiative to save animals and birds from poaching and for their conservation
• Air guns do not require any license. In such a situation, many people in our country hunt birds through air guns in every district and village. Due to this, the number of many birds is rapidly decreasing.

World's first Hoolok Gibbon Breeding Canter

• The Environment Minister also visited Itanagar Biological Park, the world's first Hoolok Gibbon Breeding Canter and reviewed the work being done to save this species.
• The hoolock gibbons are three primate species of genus Hoolock in the gibbon family, Hylobatidae, native to eastern Bangladesh, Northeast India, Myanmar, and Southwest China.
• Hoolocks are the second-largest of the gibbons, after the siamang.
• In northeast India, the hoolock is found south of Brahmaputra and the North Bank areas and east of the Dibang Rivers.

Social Issues
Climate-induced migration and modern slavery report

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about climate-induced migration and modern slavery report)
What's the NEWS

• A new report from Anti-Slavery International and IIED is among the first to outline the critical link between climate-induced migration and modern slavery.
• This groundbreaking report provides important new evidence to inform the UN climate summit (COP26) in November and high-level bodies such as the World Bank and United Nations on the need to address climate change as a factor of modern slavery.

Know! about the report ( take away parts)

• Climate change is harming the Earth, leading to global inequality and increasing disputes over the use of land, water and scarce resources.
• There is increasing migration within and outside the country's borders in search of resources and income.
• At least 55 million people were internally displaced within their countries in 2020 due to extreme weather events.
• There are 40.3 million people living in slavery in the world.
• They have exposed women, children and minorities to threats such as modern slavery and human trafficking.
• Forms of modern slavery include human trafficking, forced labour, debt bondage/bonded labour, lineage-based slavery, enslavement of children, forced and early marriage.

Indian context in the report

• Severe cyclones and floods in the Sundarbans delta have reduced agricultural land, which is a major source of livelihood.
• Because of this, millions of people in the Sundarbans are unable to work for most of the year.
• In such a situation, restrictions on smuggling were imposed by the border countries, yet widows and men who were willing to cross the border to India in search of employment were targeted by smugglers operating in the disaster affected area.
• Trafficking of women forced them into hard labor and prostitution.
• Forms of modern slavery include human trafficking, forced labour, debt bondage/bonded labour, lineage-based slavery, enslavement of children, forced and early marriage.

International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

• IIED is a policy and action research organization based in London, UK.
• It promotes sustainable development and links local priorities with global challenges.

Anti-Slavery International

• Established in the year 1839, it is the oldest international human rights organization in the world.
• This is a British charity organization working to end all forms of slavery / slavery.

Environment
Biodegradable Multifunctional Polymer Sheet
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about biodegradable multifunctional polymer sheet)
What's the NEWS

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have prepared a biodegradable multifunctional polymer sheet by combining cellulose extracted from 'inedible oils' and 'agricultural straw'.
• It can be a replacement option for 'Single-use Plastic'.
• This research is in line with the plan to make India free from 'single-use plastic' by the year 2022 and discourage the use of 'single-use plastic' across the country.

Know! about Strategy to ban 'Single use Plastic'

• This is a three-pronged strategy.
• In the first category, plastic sticks used in balloons, flags, candy, ice cream and ear buds and thermocol used in decoration will be removed.
• In the second category, plates, cups, glasses and cutlery such as chopsticks, spoons, straws and trays; Membranes used in the packing of sweet boxes ; Invitation letter; This would include the removal of cigarette packets and plastic banners less than 100 microns in thickness.
• It is proposed to ban this category of items with effect from 1st July, 2022
• In the third category, the removal of non-woven bags of thickness less than 240 microns would be included.

National
Ladakh Resident Certificate

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the provisions of Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC)
What's the NEWS

• According to the Ladakh administration, only the holders of the permanent residence certificate of the area will be entitled to get the domicile certificate.
• On the contrary, according to the new domicile law in the resident certificate of Jammu and Kashmir, outsiders are allowed to apply for jobs, land and other facilities.
• Defined provisionally as a resident of the Union Territory of Ladakh for the purpose of appointment to all non-gazetted posts on the establishment of any Department or Service of the Administration of Ladakh.

Resident Certificate and New Rules

• Any person who has a Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) issued by a competent authority such as Tehsildar in the districts of Leh and Kargil or belongs to the category of persons who are eligible to issue a PRC would be eligible to receive.
• The Ladakh administration has decided to increase the upper age limit for admission to government services for all posts. Relaxation in age limit will be available only once, which will be applicable for two years.
• Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) is a type of domicile certificate which helps people to avail domicile related quota in government jobs and get admission in educational institutions.
• PRC in India is issued by states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and Manipur.
• It is a legal document which acts as a proof of residence and thus can be submitted wherever proof of residence is required.

Prelims Factoids
Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Padmanabhaswamy Temple)
What's the NEWS

• The Supreme Court declined to entertain an application filed by the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple Trust, created by the erstwhile Travancore Royal Family, seeking exemption from the audit of 25 years, which was ordered by the top court last year.
• A bench headed by justice U.U. Lalit said that the special audit was intended not confined to the temple, but included the trust as well.
• The bench said the audit should be completed preferably in 3 months.
• This temple has been in discussion since the year 2011 as treasures worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore were discovered in its underground vaults.

Shebait Rights/Right to Manage and Disputes

• The temple had been at the centre of a tussle over its control for decades.
• The dispute was finally resolved in 2020 when the Supreme Court overturned a 2011 decision by the Kerala High Court that had handed responsibility for its administration to the state government and restored the status of the royals as the shebaits, or servitors, of the temple.
• As per customary law, members of the royal family have the right to manage the shebait even after the death of the last ruler.'
• Shebait authority: The right to manage the financial affairs of the deity.
• However, the court had directed the Thiruvananthapuram District Judge to constitute an administrative committee as the chairman for transparent administration of the temple in future.
• According to the trust, the administrative committee was formed to look after the rituals of the temple and it had no role in the administration. Since it is a separate entity from the temple, it cannot be included in the audit.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple

• The Padmanabhaswamy temple is a Hindu temple located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India.
• It is considered the richest place of worship in the world.
• The name of the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Tamil translates to "The City of Lord Ananta", referring to the deity of the Padmanabhaswamy temple.
• This temple dates back to the 8th century but the present structure was built in the 18th century by the then Maharaja Marthanda Varma of Travancore.
• This temple was initially made of wood but later it was made of granite.
• The main deity here is Lord Vishnu who is seated in the Aadish or the king of all serpents in the Anant Shayan Mudra (the inclined posture of Eternal Yoga).
• The temple blends the Kerala and Dravidian styles of architecture and is renowned for fascinating work in stone and bronze, mural paintings, and wood carvings
• The idol of the presiding deity is made of "12008 salagramams or round boulders brought from the Himalayas.

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