Current Context : Asur tribes in Netarhat of Gumla to get forest land rights benefits under the Forest Rights Act (FRA).

ABOUT ASUR TRIBE

• Asur Tribe are an Austroasiatic ethnic group living primarily in the Indian state of Jharkhand mostly in the Gumla, Lohardaga, Palamu, and Latehar districts.
• They are included in the list of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
• Population of around 23,000.
• Language speak : Asur language, belongs to the Munda family of Austro-asiatic languages.
• Occupation : traditionally iron-smelters. They were once hunter-gatherers, having also involved in shifting agriculture. However, majority of them shifted into agriculture, with 91.19 percent enlisted as cultivators in the 2011 census.
• Religion followed : mixture of animism, animatism, naturalism, and ancestral worships.
• Festival : Sarhul, Phagua, Navakhans

Current Context : Recently, the Prime Minister of India wished everyone, particularly the people of Tripura, on the occasion of Kharchi Puja.

ABOUT

• It is an ancient traditional festival of Tripura and deeply associated with the religious heritage and culture of the region.
• Performed during the Ashadha month (July-August) on the eighth day of the new moon.
• It is It is also known as the Festival of 14 Gods.
• Theme of this year’s Kharchi festival and exhibition is ‘green is the future’.
• The meaning of Kharchi can be understood by splitting the word into two Tripuri words “Khar” or Kharta meaning sin and “Chi” or si meaning Hence it signifies the cleansing of our sins.
• It lasts for seven days and it takes place at old Agartala in the Fourteen Gods temple known as the ‘Chaturdasha Devata’ temple premises.
• The Kharchi Puja deities do not have a full body, they have only heads which are worshipped.
• On the day of the puja, the fourteen Gods are taken from the temple to the river Saidra by the Chantai members and given bathe with the holy river water, then carried back to the temple.

Current Context : External Affairs Minister held bilateral meeting with the Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs in New Delhi.

First edition of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Foreign Ministers’ Retreat was held in Bangkok Thailand in 2023.

ABOUT BENGAL INITIATIVE FOR MULTI-SECTORAL TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION (BIMSTEC)

• It is a regional multilateral organization.
• Established in 1997 by signing Bangkok Declaration.
• 7 member states: Five are from South Asia : Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan.
  • Two are from Southeast Asia : Thailand, Myanmar.
• Permanent Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• BIMSTEC’s Principle: Sovereign equality, Political independence, Territorial integrity, Peaceful co-existence, Non-interference in internal affairs, etc.
• 7 Focus areas: Trade; Environment and Climate Change; Security; Agriculture and Food Security; People-to-People Contact; Science, Technology, and Innovation; Connectivity.

Significance of BIMSTEC for India : Regional cooperation, Geostrategic importance, Security.

Current Context : President Ram Chandra Paudel appointed K P Sharma Oli as the new Prime Minister of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML)-Nepali Congress (NC) coalition.

• K P Sharma Oli, 72, succeeds Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda who lost the vote of confidence in the House of Representatives, leading to the formation of the new government process as per Article 76 (2) of the Constitution.
• K P Sharma Oli served as Nepal’s Prime Minister from October 11, 2015, to August 3, 2016 and then, from February 5, 2018, to July 13, 2021.

ABOUT NEPAL

• Nepal is a land-locked country of Asia.
• It shares territorial borders with India and China.
• It is a place of festivals.
• Area : 147,181 square kilometers.
• Population : 30 million.
• Capital ; Kathmandu
• Currency : Nepalese rupee (NPR)

Current Context : Paonta Sahib to adopt Miyawaki method to create dense forest near Bhatanwali waste treatment plant.

• Covering an area of nearly 2 acres, the project will commence this month within the Bhatanwali National Green Tribunal (NGT ) monitored area.
• Objective : to create a dense and green buffer over the next 5-10 years
• The method’s success at the Yamuna Riverfront Park has paved the way for its expansion
• This will help shield nearby communities from the environmental impact of the waste plant.

About Miyawaki Method

• It is a scientific approach designed to establish dense forests rapidly.
• Developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki in the 1970s,
• This method involves planting two to four different types of indigenous trees within every square metre.
• Aim : to densify green cover within a small parcel of land.

Current Context : Locals in Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh are protesting against the Upper Siang Hydropower Project.

• Developed by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), on River Siang.

ABOUT SIANG RIVER

• Origin: Angsi Glacier in Kailash Ranges near Mansarovar Lake (Tibet).
• In Tibet, the river is known as the Tsangpo River. As it enters India, it becomes the Siang River.
• Major tributaries: Lohit and Dibang.
• It descends down into the plains of Assam south of Pasighat town, where it meets Dihang and Lohit and becomes the

Current Context : Central government has decided to implement e-Office in all attached, subordinate offices, and autonomous bodies.

• It is a part of the 100-day agenda of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).

ABOUT E-OFFICE

• It is an integral part of the Digital India Programme.
• Project under National e-Governance Program
• Developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC).
• It is a digital work place solution built on open architecture making it a standard reusable product amenable for replication across the Governments.
• Key Components : eFile (File Management System), KMS (Knowledge Management System), WAW (Work from Anywhere) portal, SPARROW (Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window).

Current Context : Recently, National and subnational progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) was released by NITI Aayog.

• SDG India Index 2023-24 measures and tracks national progress of all States and UTs on 113 indicators aligned to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s (MoSPI) National Indicator Framework (NIF).
• The composite score for India improved from 57 in 2018 to 66 in 2020-21 to further to 71 in 2023-24.

SDG ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDE:

• Over 4 crore houses under the PM Awas Yojana (PMAY),
• 11 crore Toilets & 2.23 lakh Community Sanitary Complexes in rural areas
• 10 crore LPG connections under PM Ujjwala Yojana.
• Tap water connections in over 14.9 crore households under Jal Jeevan Mission.
• Over 30 crore beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat -Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
• Coverage of over 80 crore people under the National Food Security Act (NFSA)
• Access to 150,000 Ayushman Arogya Mandir which offer primary medical care and provide affordable generic medicines.
• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of ₹34 lakh crore made through PM-Jan Dhan accounts.
• The Skill India Mission has led to over 1.4 crore youth being trained and upskilled and has reskilled 54 lakh youth.
• PM Mudra Yojana sanctioned 43 crore loans aggregating to ₹5 lakh crore for entrepreneurial aspirations of the youth besides Funds of Funds

Current Context : RBI expanded the scope of remittances to International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS).

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES CENTRES

• IFSC caters to customers outside the jurisdiction of the domestic economy.
• Established as a statutory authority under IFSCA Act, 2019.
• Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Co. Ltd is being developed as the country’s first international financial services centre (IFSC).
• GIFT, operationalized in 2015, aims to become India’s gateway for inbound and outbound requirements of the international financial services.
• IFSCA is a unified authority for the development and regulation of financial products, financial services, and financial institutions in IFSC.

Current Context : National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has announced an agri fund for Start-Ups & Rural Enterprises (Agri-SURE).

• The fund focuses on innovative, technology-driven, high-risk, and high-impact activities in agriculture and allied areas.
• Aim : to enhance the farm produce value chain, create new rural ecosystem linkages, generate employment, and support Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs).

ABOUT NABARD

• Nabard is the country’s apex agriculture bank which function both as a regulator and refinancier for agri lending institution.
• It is a statutory body
• Established in 1982 under Parliamentary act – National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981.
• Headquarter : Mumbai