Daily Current Affairs for UPSC / State PCS Exam

To The Point Notes

1.Balfour Declaration 

Context

• The Balfour Declaration was made 107 years ago on November 2, 1917.

About

• A letter by British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lionel Walter Rothschild, expressing British support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
• Seen as a pivotal moment leading to the 1948 establishment of Israel.

Factors Leading to the Declaration

• Zionist Movement: Driven by a desire for a Jewish homeland to escape European persecution.
• British Strategic Interests: Aimed to gain support from Jewish communities in the US and Russia during WWI.
• Long-Term Impact: Created lasting regional tensions, shaping the subsequent Israel-Palestine conflict.

 

 

2.Ningol Chakkouba 

Context

• Celebrated in Manipur with enthusiasm.

About

• Held on the second lunar day of Hiyangei month in the Manipuri calendar, dating back to King Nongda Lairen Pakhangba’s reign.
• Meaning: “Ningol” (married woman) and “Chakouba” (invitation for feast) – an invitation to married daughters to return to their parental home for a feast.
• Significance: Strengthens familial bonds among parents, daughters, and siblings.
• Modern Celebrations: Originally a Meitei festival, it’s now celebrated by various communities in Manipur.

 

 

3.Digital India Common Service Centre (DICSC) Project 

In News

• MeitY launched the DICSC project to address the digital divide in rural India.

About

• Goal: Provide rural citizens with e-governance, financial, and commercial services.
• Facilities: Services include Aadhaar registration, banking, tele-law, and more.
• Infrastructure: Centres are equipped with high-speed broadband and modern amenities.
• Management: Overseen by Common Services Centres e-Governance Services India Limited.

 

 

4.India’s Fight Against Tuberculosis 

Context

• PM Modi highlighted India’s achievements in reducing TB incidence.

Progress

• WHO Recognition: India saw a 17.7% decline in TB incidence from 2015 to 2023, surpassing the global average decline of 8.3%.
• Government Initiatives:
  • Ni-Kshay Poshan Yojana: Provides nutritional support to TB patients.
  • BPALM Regimen: Introduced as an advanced treatment for multidrug-resistant TB.
• Target: India aims to eliminate TB by 2025, ahead of the global target of 2030.

 

 

 

5.Iron Beam 

News

• Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced that the Iron Beam, a high-powered laser interception system, is expected to become operational within a year.

Overview

• Purpose: Designed to intercept and neutralize projectiles like drones and rockets using high-powered lasers.
• Functionality: Engages threats at the speed of light from distances of several hundred meters to several kilometers; minimal interception cost and low collateral damage.
• Development: Created by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to complement Israel’s Iron Dome within a broader, multilayer defense strategy.
• Capabilities: Highly effective against small, fast drones; efficiency decreases in poor weather conditions (e.g., fog, rain).

 

 

6.Laika: First Living Creature to Orbit Earth 

Context

• November 3 marks 67 years since Laika’s launch on the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 2 mission (1957).

About Laika

• Species: Soviet space dog, the first living creature to orbit Earth.
• Selection: Chosen for small size and calm demeanor.
• Mission Outcome: Expected not to survive as re-entry technology was undeveloped; likely died of hyperthermia hours after orbiting.
• Significance: Provided first data on the behavior of a living organism in space, paving the way for human spaceflight (Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth in 1961).

Sputnik 2

• Launched on November 3, 1957, using the Sapwood SS-6 8K71PS launch vehicle.
• Second spacecraft to orbit Earth and first biological spacecraft; remained in orbit for five months.

 

 

7.Botswana 

News

• Duma Boko elected as the new President of Botswana.

About Botswana

• Geography: Landlocked, dominated by the Kalahari Desert, located in Southern Africa, with about two-thirds of its area within the Tropics.
• Borders: Zambia and Zimbabwe (northeast), Namibia (north and west), South Africa (south and southeast).
• Capital: Gaborone.
• Climate: Semi-arid; hot and dry most of the year.
• Natural Landmarks: Tsodilo Hills (highest point).
• Rivers: Limpopo, Okavango, Shashe, and Molopo (border with South Africa).
• Wildlife: Home to the world’s largest elephant population.

 

 

8.Bibek Debroy 

Context

• Economist Bibek Debroy, chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, has passed away.

Contributions

• Positions Held: Full-time Member of NITI Aayog (2015-2019); Chairman of Finance Ministry’s ‘Expert Committee for Infrastructure Classification and Financing Framework for Amrit Kaal.’
• Sanskrit Scholar: Translated Hindu texts like the Bhagavad Gita, Vedas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata into English.
• Debroy Committee (2014-2015): Led the committee on restructuring India’s Railway Ministry and Railway Board; focused on resource mobilization for major railway projects.
• Awards: Padma Shri (2015) and Lifetime Achievement Award by US-India Business Summit (2016).