15 January 2024

• Defence: India celebrated the 76th Army Day in Lucknow, the second time the parade was held outside Delhi. General Cariappa took charge as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief on this date in 1949.
• Science: the New Generation AKASH missile was tested successfully, intercepting a high-speed aerial target at low altitude off Odisha's coast.
• Technology: the Samavesha Project was launched at IISc Bengaluru, connecting researchers with scientific equipment across India.
• Regulation: the Ministry of Education issued guidelines for coaching centres, capping student density, banning misleading claims, and requiring fee refunds.

GS area: Defence, Polity (constitutional provisions)

India celebrated the 76th Army Day on 15 January in Lucknow, only the second time the event was held outside New Delhi.

• Historical significance: on 15 January 1949, General (later Field Marshal) K.M. Cariappa became the first Indian Officer to take command of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher. The day marks the transition of the Army from British to Indian command.
• Army Veterans Day (14 January): observed the previous day in honour of this transition. Both days are linked to Cariappa.
• AI in evaluation: AI-based systems were used for the first time to evaluate marching contingents at the parade, tracking step synchrony and formation geometry.

Static linkage: defence forces, post-independence transition.

GS area: Governance, Education

The Ministry of Education issued guidelines for coaching centres, following a rise in student suicides linked to coaching pressure, particularly in Kota, Rajasthan.

• Definition: the guidelines apply to any institution providing tuition or guidance to more than 50 students.
• Space standard: minimum 1 square metre per student.
• Teacher qualification: no tutor below graduation level.
• Admission bar: no student below Class 9.
• Prohibition on false claims: coaching centres cannot promise rank or guarantee success.
• Fee refund: if a student withdraws, fees must be refunded within 10 working days.
• Time restriction: class schedules cannot overlap regular school hours.
• Penalties: first offence Rs 25,000; second offence Rs 1 lakh; repeat violations lead to registration revocation.

Static linkage: education regulation, governance, student welfare.

GS area: Defence, Science and Technology

The New Generation AKASH surface-to-air missile system was successfully tested off the coast of Odisha in January 2024.

• Type: medium-range surface-to-air missile designed to intercept aerial threats including drones, aircraft, and missiles.
• Range: approximately 80 km.
• Key features: indigenous radio frequency seeker and multi-function radar for tracking multiple targets simultaneously.
• Development: DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited.
• AKASH vs AKASH-NG: the original AKASH system has a range of about 25 km. The New Generation version extends range to 80 km.

Static linkage: defence technology, DRDO, surface-to-air missiles.

GS area: Science and Technology, Governance (research infrastructure)

The Samavesha Project was launched at IISc Bengaluru under the Indian Science, Technology and Engineering Facilities Map (I-STEM) initiative.

• Purpose: connects researchers, students, and industries with laboratories and equipment available for rent across India. Reduces capital expenditure and prevents duplication of costly equipment.
• I-STEM: a government portal that maps all major scientific infrastructure in India and facilitates access to it.
• Relevance: addresses a key bottleneck in Indian research: equipment is often available in one institution but inaccessible to researchers elsewhere.

Static linkage: science and technology infrastructure, research ecosystem.

GS area: Biodiversity, Art and Culture

Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu's Western Ghats hosted events around the Pongal period with cultural programmes involving indigenous tribal communities.

• Location: south of the Palakkad Gap in the Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu.
• Tribal communities: home to 4,600-plus Adivasis from six tribes including Kadars, Malasars, Muduvars, and Eravallan.
• Ecosystem: wet and semi-evergreen forests, montane shola-grasslands, and moist deciduous forests. Key species include elephants, tigers, Nilgiri tahr, and gaur.
• UNESCO connection: Kariyan shola, Grass Hills, and Manjampatti valley within ATR are part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve.

Static linkage: biodiversity, protected areas, tribal communities.

• Online gaming regulation (MeitY): the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology released draft amendments to the IT Rules, 2021 requiring self-regulatory body registration for online gaming platforms, Random Number Generation Certificates, and KYC verification. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had state-level gambling bans.
• Himalayan Wolf IUCN listing: confirmed as Vulnerable in the first species-specific assessment. Range: Nepal, India, and the Tibetan Plateau.