Why in news?

• Cadbury has cut the size of its chocolate product Dairy Milk sharing bar but kept the price same.
• Shrinkflation is basically a form of hidden inflation that involves reducing the size of a product while maintaining its sticker price.
• Rather than increase the price of a product, the company simply offers a smaller package for the same sticker price.
• Raising the price per given amount is a strategy employed by companies, mainly in the food and beverage industries, to stealthily boost profit margins.

Why in news?

• The Bill seeks to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 for the inclusion of the Darlong community in the list of Tripura Scheduled Tribes.
• It proposes the “Darlong” community as a sub-tribe of “Kuki” in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Tripura.
• The tribal communities of Tripura include Tripuri or Debbarma, Reangs or Brus, Jamatia, Noatia, Uchoi, Chakma, Mog, Lushal, Kuki, Munda, Kour, Oram, Santhal, Bhul, Bhutia, Chaimar or Sermai, Garo, Khasi, Lepcha and Halam.
• The Halam community has several small tribal clans within it. Many of these are linguistically endangered groups like Bongcher, Karbongs etc.

Why in news?

• The Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR) has deferred its decision on a recommendation to remove the 1921 Malabar Rebellion martyrs including Variamkunnaathu Kunhahamad Haji and Ali Musliyar from the list of India’s freedom fighters.
• Earlier, a three-member panel brought out by the ICHR, is understood to have recommended the deletion as it felt that the 1921 rebellion was never part of the independence struggle but a fundamentalist movement.

About Malabar Rebellion or Moplah Uprising or Mapillah Revolt (1921)

• Reasons:
• The trigger of the uprising came from the Non-Cooperation Movement launched by the Congress in 1920 along with the Khilafat agitation.
• The anti-British sentiment fuelled by these agitations affected the Muslim Mapillahs (also known as Moplahs) of south Malabar region of
• New Tenancy Laws: After the death of Tipu Sultan in 1799 in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, Malabar had come under British authority as part of the Madras Presidency.
• The British had introduced new tenancy laws that tremendously favoured the landlords known as Janmis and instituted a far more exploitative system for peasants than before.
• The new laws deprived the peasants of all guaranteed rights to the land,share in the produce they earlier got and in effect rendered them landless.
• The Communal Angle: Most of the landlords were Namboodiri Brahmins while most of the tenants were Mapillah Muslims.
• The Revolt: Fuelled by the fiery speeches by Muslim religious leaders and anti-british sentiments, the Mopillahs launched a violent rebellion. Numerous actions of violence were reported and series of persecutions were committed both against the British and the Hindu landlords.
• Support: In the initial stages, the movement had the support of Mahatma Gandhi and other Indian nationalist leaders, but as it turned violent they distanced themselves from it.
• Collapse: By the end of 1921, the rebellion was crushed by the British who had raised a special battalion, the Malabar Special Force for the riot.
• Wagon Tragedy: In November 1921, 67 Moplah prisoners were killed when they were being transported in a closed freight wagon from Tirur to the Central Prison in Podanur. They died of suffocation. This event is called the Wagon Tragedy.

Why in news?

• The Nyishi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh celebrated a decade success of HNAP.
• HNAP, launched in 2011 as community-based hornbill conservation programme, operates in the forests outside Arunachal Pradesh’s Pakke Tiger Reserve.
• Hornbills are indicators of the health of a forest; they are seed dispersers and called as ‘farmers of the forest’.
• India is home to nine species, of which four are found in Western Ghats—Indian Grey Hornbill, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Malabar Pied Hornbill and the Great Hornbill.

Why in news?

• The International Labour Organization (ILO) elected Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo from Togo as its next Director-Ge neral (DG). He will take office on 1st October 2022 for five years.
• Gilbert F. Houngbo will become the 11th DG of ILO and the First African to hold the post of DG.
• He will succeed Guy Ryder from the United Kingdom (UK), who has held the office since 2012.
• He was elected by the ILO’s Governing Body, which consists of representatives of governments, workers and employers during their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.
• The ILO’s Governing Body is composed of 56 titular members (28 Governments, 14 Employers and 14 Workers) and 66 deputy members (28 Governments, 19 Employers and 19 Workers).

About International Labour Organization (ILO):

• Headquarters-Geneva, Switzerland
• Director-General- Guy Ryder (March 2022)
• Founded-1919 Members-
• 187 Member Countries

Why in news?

• The Diamond City of India, Surat in Gujarat became India’s first city to get a road that is made out of steel waste (1st ever ‘steel slag ‘road) at Hazira, Surat .
• The road was constructed by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India with CSIR India (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) & CRRI (Central Road Research Institute) New Delhi along with the support of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog.
• The project will be constructed under the initiative of the Waste to Wealth and Clean India Campaign.
• Laid in the Hazira Industrial Area, the road consists of 100% processed steel slag.
• The 6-lane 1-kilometer long road is an experimental project, which is constructed to solve the waste material issue. The thickness of the road has been reduced by 30%.
• The processed steel slag has the great potential for sustainable products and works as a replacement for natural construction material.
• Steel slag is a type of waste from the Iron & Steel Industry but it has shown potential for use as a raw mix component up to 5-10% in the construction products.
• The Ministry of Steel has also constituted a Task Force for promotion and utilization of Iron and Steel Slag.

Why in news?

• The researchers have developed a method that can transform plastic into hydrogen when exposed to light.
• The researchers said that the generation of hydrogen from plastics is particularly useful because the gas is considered the most practical non-polluting fuel of the future.
• Plastics, most of which are derived from petroleum, are not bio-degradable, which cannot be easily broken down into harmless products.
• It is said that most of the 4.9 billion tonnes of plastics ever produced would end up in landfills, threatening human health and the environment.”

IIT MANDI

• Indian Institute of Technology Mandi is a public technical and research university located in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh.

Why in news?

• The state’s first ethno-botanical park to conserve the endangered and vulnerable species of plants and trees of the lower Shivalik hills in Kangra, Una, Bilaspur and Hamirpur districts will be set up in Una.
• The park will come up on a 26-hectare land in the Androli unprotected forest area at Bangana in Una district
• The park, being jointly developed by the Forest Department, Rural Development Department and Tourism Department at a cost of Rs 8 crore, will be located adjacent to the Govind Sagar lake.
• The park will have a laser area, night garden and butterfly park to attract tourists while the greenhouse and Ayurveda garden will be the venue for botanical knowledge sharing. The park will house about 150 rare varieties of plants and trees.
• “One block will promote seasonal visits of migratory birds to the wetlands and facilitate photographers and bird watchers to boost tourism,”

What is Ethno – botanical garden?

• Ethnobotanical gardens, defined here as landscapes featuring culturally-relevant native trees and understory plants, are sources for the revitalization of traditional knowledge as well as sources for cultural and ecological restoration projects.

Why in news?

• In the Conference of Parties (COP-4) Minamata Convention on Mercury, the participating parties have agreed to expand the mercury-added products list that has been planned to be phased out.

Outcomes of COP 4

• The COP-4 Minamata Convention on Mercury, took place in Bali, Indonesia from 21^stto 25^th March 2022.
• This convention resumed after the conclusion of the first online segment which was held in November 2021.
• The COP-4 convention covered several crucial topics, like the framework to evaluate the Convention’s effectiveness.
• Annex A and B that contain information related to all mercury-added products, and their manufacturing processes were also reviewed.
• Nine decisions were adopted at this convention.
• The implementation of national reporting, international cooperation, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), technical assistance, capacity building, mercury waste thresholds, and releases of mercury are also on schedule.
• Efforts to mainstream gender under all projects, activities, and programs were also focused upon.
• The development of a gender action plan was also discussed.
• Also, during this meeting multilateralism and international cooperation were also reinforced.
• It was also decided to tackle the challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change, and waste and pollution.

Aim of the Minamata Convention

• This convention aims to protect the environment and human health from the release of mercury, and anthropogenic emissions.
• Phasing out of mercury-added products-In this convention, the phasing out of eight mercury-added products like cold cathode fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, paper, photograph film, and propellant for satellites was listed. The dental amalgam phase-down has also benefitted substantially after two additional measures were added to protect the vulnerable populations against mercury use by dental practitioners in bulk form.
• Bali Declaration-The “Bali Declaration on Combatting Global Illegal Trade of Mercury” was also presented by the host nation. This political declaration of non-binding nature aims to develop practical tools and enhance international cooperation to share and monitor information, practices, and experiences to combat the illegal mercury trade.

Why in news?

• The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is annually observed across the globe on 25th March to recognise the dangers encountered by the UN staff members in their line of work.
• 25th March marks the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett, a former British journalist who was working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), in 1985.
• His remains were found in Bekaa Valley in Lebanon in 2009.
• Purpose of the day: To mobilize action, demand justice and strengthen our resolve to protect UN staff and peacekeepers, as well as our colleagues in the non-governmental community and the press.
• In September 1993, the UN Security Council adopted the first resolution on Staff security.
• Subsequently, the negotiations took place in the 6th (Legal) Committee of the UN General Assembly(UNGA) on an international legal convention to protect UN personnel.
• Following the negotiations, the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel was adopted by the UNGA on 9th December 1994.