Current Context : Recently, National Human Rights Commission seeks report on ‘sale of underage girls’ as part of ‘Nata Pratha’.

• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices on to the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development and the States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat over a practice known as ‘Nata Pratha’.

ABOUT NATA PRATHA

• Nata Pratha is a traditional practice prevalent in certain communities in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat.
• This practice involves the selling of girls, often on stamp paper, under the guise of marriage.
• The woman typically goes to live with the man, leaving behind the children from her previous marriage.
• It is commonly practiced by the Bhil tribe, is one of the largest tribes in South Asia.

Current Context : Recently, two onboard remote sensing instruments of ISRO’s Aditya-L1 spacecraft’s have captured the recent solar fury.

• The Solar Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) and the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) have captured the dynamic activities of the Sun.

ABOUT SUIT AND VELC

• SUIT: To image Solar Photosphere and Chromosphere in near Ultra-violet (UV) and, to measure solar irradiance variations in near UV.
• VELC: To study solar corona and dynamics of coronal mass ejections.

ABOUT ADITYA L-1

• It is India’s first space mission to observe Sun from a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of Sun-Earth system
• Launched in 2023, by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) XL (PSLV-C57) with 7 payloads on board.
• It is located roughly 5 million km from Earth and enables the spacecraft to view the Sun continuously.

OTHER SOLAR MISSIONS OF DIFFERENT NATIONS

• NASA – Parker Solar Probe
• European Space Agency : Solar and Heliospheric Observatory

China – Kuafu-1 solar probe

Current Context : Recently, government appointed Lt. General Upendra Dwivedi as the new Army Chief of India.

• Lt Gen Dwivedi will now take over the new appointment from the June 30, 2024, when Gen Pande retires from office.

ABOUT :

• He was born on July 01, 1964, and was commissioned into the Infantry ( Jammu & Kashmir Rifles) of the Army on December 15, 1984.
• He has served in a variety of Command, Staff, Instructional and Foreign appointments.
• He also served as Director General Infantry and General Officer Commanding in Chief (Headquarter Northern Command) from 2022-2024.

Current Context : Mohan Charan Majhi to be elected as new Chief Minister of Odisha.

• He is (52-year) is a prominent tribal leader hailing from the Santhal tribal community.
• Shri KV Singh Deo and Smt. Pravati Parida will serve as the deputy Chief minister of state.

ABOUT ODISHA

• Odisha (formerly known as Orissa), is an eastern Indian state on the Bay of Bengal.
• It is known for its tribal cultures and its many ancient Hindu temples.
• It is the eighth largest state in terms of area.
• Capital – Bhubaneswar
• Area: 155,820 km²
• Festival – Durga Pooja

Current Context : Recently, India participated in the first ministerial meeting of the BRICS group of countries with the newly added members held in the Russian city of  Nizhny Novgorod.

• Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined BRICS at the 15th BRICS summit meeting was held in Johannesburg, South Africa in August 2023.
• Russia is the current Chairman of BRICS.
• Brazil will be the next chairman of BRICS after Russia.

ABOUT BRICS

• BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation that originally consisted of four countries: Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
• The first summit BRIC countries was held in June 1996 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
• The group’s name was changed to BRICS after South Africa joined the group in 2010.

Current Context : United Nations officially declared 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology in  General Assembly meeting.

• Aim : to strengthen national capacities in the basic sciences and science education.
• The year-long initiative will celebrate the impacts of quantum science on technology, culture, and our understanding of the natural world .
• Objective : to bring quantum (science) education and research to young people in Africa and developing countries around the world with the hope of inspiring the next generation of scientists.
• It was supported by more than 70 countries.

Current Context : Recently, Indian Army has launched ‘Vidyut Rakshak’, an integrated generator monitoring, protection, and control system developed by the Army Design Bureau (ADB).

• Aim : to save manpower and signifies the Army’s commitment to leveraging technology for transformative change.

ABOUT VIDYUT RAKSHAK

• It is an Internet of Things-enabled integrated generator monitoring, protection and control system.
• The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of interrelated devices that connect and exchange data with other IoT devices and the cloud.
• During Aero India 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Army and the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi, for the production of innovations.

Current Context : Recently, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog (AIM) has launched two missions, the ‘AIM – ICDK Water Challenge 4.0’ and the fifth edition of ‘Innovations for You’ handbook, spotlighting SDG entrepreneurs of India.

Aim : to foster innovation and sustainability in India.

ABOUT ATAL INNOVATION MISSION

• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is the Government of India’s flagship initiative to create and promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the country.

ABOUT ICDK  WATER CHALLENGE

• AIM – ICDK Water Challenge 4.0 has been initiated in collaboration with the Innovation Centre Denmark (ICDK) at the Royal Danish Embassy in India.
• Objective : to address critical water related challenges through inventive solutions.
• The focus of the program is to encourage the exploration of sustainability, digital solutions, inclusion, and universal  design principles

Current Context : The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO launched the State of the Ocean Report 2024 publication (StOR) in Iceland.

KEY FINDINGS OF THE REPORT :

• Ocean Warming : The rate of ocean warming has doubled in 20 years, with 2023 seeing one of the highest increases since the 1950s. Ocean temperatures have increased by an average of 1.45°C, with hotspots above 2°C in the Mediterranean, Tropical Atlantic Ocean and Southern Oceans.
• Rising Seal level rise : Mostly due to accelerated ice mass loss from the Greenland and West Antarctica ice sheets, and to a lesser degree from accelerated ocean warming.
• Blue Carbon and MPAs : Marine forests including mangroves, seagrass plains, tidal marshes are able to absorb up to 5 times more carbon than forests on land. However, 60% of countries still do not include marine forest restoration and conservation in their Nationally Determined Contribution plans.
• Acidification : Ocean absorbs around 25% of annual anthropogenic CO2. This process reduces seawater pH (ocean acidification). Ocean acidification would increase by more than 100% by the end of the century.

Current Context : Swiatek completes hat-trick with 2024 title in French Open women’s singles champions.

• Iga Swiatek won her fourth French Open title and third on the trot with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Jasmine Paolini in the final at Roland Garros, Paris.
• Swiatek is only the third woman to win three consecutive titles at Roland Garros after Justine Henin (2005-2007) and Monica Seles (1990-92).
• She also set various other Open Era records.
• She also became the fourth woman, after Henin (4), Steffi Graf (6) and Chris Evert (7) to win the tournament four times.