1.Banjara Virasat Museum

• Inauguration: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Banjara Virasat Museum in Pohardevi, Washim, Maharashtra.
• Purpose: Highlights the heritage of the Banjara community.
• Banjara Community:
  • Nomadic community primarily found in Rajasthan, North-West Gujarat, Western Madhya Pradesh, and Eastern Sindh.
  • Claim descent from Agnivanshi Rajputs.
  • Known by various names like Banjari, Pindari, and Lambani.
  • Sometimes referred to as the “Gypsies of India.”
  • Divided into three tribes: Maturia, Labana, and Charan.
  • Migrated to several Indian states, adopting local languages.

 

2.Rani Durgavati

• Commemoration: 500th Birth Anniversary on October 5.
• Queen of Garha-Katanga Kingdom: Ruled over the Narmada Valley and parts of northern Madhya Pradesh.
• Background: Daughter of Raja Salbahan of Ratha and Mahoba, from the Chandela dynasty.
• Reign: Became regent for her young son, Bir Narayan, after her husband’s death in 1550.
• Battles: Repulsed Baz Bahadur of Malwa and fought fiercely against Mughal Subedar Abdul Mazid Khan.
• End: Died on the battlefield while defending her kingdom.
• Legacy: Akbar restored control of the region to her younger son, Chandra Shah, after he accepted Mughal suzerainty.

 

 

3.100 Years of Surrealism

• Movement: An art and literature movement that depicts unusual or impossible scenarios.
• Goal: To unlock the power of the subconscious mind and liberate thought from reason.
• Origins: Can be traced to the Dada movement, but formally established with the publication of the surrealist manifesto in 1924 by Andre Breton.
• Prominent Artists: Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, René Magritte, Joan Miró.
• Legacy: Continued influence on artists, writers, and filmmakers. Played a role in the birth of other art movements like Abstract Expressionism and Neo-Surrealism.

 

 

4.S-400 Air Defense Missile System

Context:
India’s Air Force Chief, Marshal AP Singh, announced that India will receive the remaining two squadrons of the S-400 air defense missile system by 2025.

About the S-400 System:

• Developed by: Russia.
• Key Features:
  • Simultaneous Target Engagement: Can track and neutralize various airborne threats such as aircraft, missiles, and UAVs over long distances, even in dense countermeasure scenarios.
  • Multi-Layered Defense: Equipped with four types of missiles, providing interception at ranges of 40 km, 120 km, 250 km, and 400 km, and engaging targets up to 30 km altitude.
  • Tracking Capability: 3D phased array radar can detect and track up to 300 targets at a distance of 600 km.
  • Mobility: Fully mobile system, includes command and control center, automatic tracking and targeting systems, launchers, and support vehicles.
  • Standard Battalion Composition: Includes eight missile launchers, each with four missiles.

 

 

5.Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS)

In News:
DRDO successfully conducted three flight tests of the 4th generation Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) at the Pokhran Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan.

About VSHORADS:

• Type: Man-Portable Air Defence System (MANPAD).
• Developed by: Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in collaboration with other DRDO labs.
• Functionality:
  • Targeted at high-speed aerial threats.
  • Demonstrated key capabilities in terms of maximum range and altitude interception.
  • Designed to enhance India’s close-range air defense.

 

 

6.Tanks Armoring the Ladakh Sector

• Ukraine War: Demonstrated the importance of armored vehicles in modern warfare.
• Other Conflicts: Armenia-Azerbaijan and Israeli offensives highlighted threats from drones, projectiles, and loitering munitions.
• India’s Developments:
  • Showcased armored capabilities (T-90 tanks, BMP-2 carriers) in Eastern Ladakh at high altitudes.
  • Improved military infrastructure and deployments since 2012, including longer troop tenures and airlifting equipment (K9 Vajra howitzers).
• Challenges of High Altitude Warfare:
  • Oxygen scarcity for personnel and machinery.
  • Extreme temperatures (-40 degrees Celsius).
  • Limitations of foreign-made military equipment.
  • Quicker degradation of machinery.
  • Transporting tanks and ensuring operational readiness in remote areas.
• Future Outlook:
  • Indian Army focused on adapting tank and armored platforms to high-altitude warfare.
  • DRDO developing ‘Zorawar’ light tank (user trials by August 2025).
  • Army aiming to develop Future Ready Combat Vehicles (FRCVs) and Future Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICVs).
  • Army evaluating new platforms like U.S. Stryker infantry combat vehicles.

 

 

7.Black Carbon

In News:
A study reveals that India’s black carbon emissions from kerosene lamps contribute 10% of total residential emissions.

About Black Carbon (BC):

• Formation: Produced through incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass.
• Lifespan: Short-lived pollutant with an atmospheric lifetime of days to weeks.
• Warming Potential: Significantly higher warming potential than CO₂, despite its short lifespan.
• Health Impacts: Contributes to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases due to fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
• Climate Action:
  • The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), founded in 2012 under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), aims to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), including black carbon, which contribute to global warming and air pollution.

 

 

8.Greening of Antarctica

Context:
Vegetation cover on the Antarctic Peninsula has increased significantly, with researchers observing rapid environmental changes.

About:

• Vegetation Expansion:
  • Increased vegetation cover from less than 1 sq km in 1986 to nearly 12 sq km by 2021.
  • Greening accelerated by 30% in recent years.
• Causes:
  • Coincides with a reduction in sea-ice extent in Antarctica between 2016 and 2021.
  • The Antarctic Peninsula is warming faster than the global average, with more frequent extreme heat events.
• Antarctica:
  • World’s southernmost and fifth-largest continent.
  • Contains about 90% of the world’s ice and 80% of its freshwater.
  • Ice Shelves: Large sheets of ice connected to land, extending into the ocean, formed by glaciers flowing toward the sea.