Agriculture: India became poised to be the world's largest lentil producer in 2023-24, with pulse imports falling from 6 million to 2 million tonnes over six years.
Culture: four Shankaracharyas declined to attend the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony, raising theological questions about the timing of the event.
Governance: Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra became India's first Dark Sky Park, the 5th in Asia.
Health: a new study linked hydroxychloroquine use in healthy populations to an 11 per cent higher mortality rate.
1. India's pulse production and self-sufficiency drive
India is on track to become the world's largest lentil producer in 2023-24, with lentil cultivation area exceeding 19 lakh hectares.
Import trend: pulse imports fell from 6 million tonnes in 2016-17 to 2 million tonnes in 2022-23, reflecting domestic production growth.
Government target: pulse self-sufficiency by 2027.
Importance: pulses are the primary protein source for India's large vegetarian population. Leguminous crops also fix atmospheric nitrogen, reducing the need for fertilisers.
Challenges: stagnating acreage, pest attacks, uncertain monsoons, and the cobweb phenomenon (high prices reduce demand, causing farmers to switch away, only to face shortfalls again).
Government initiatives: NAFED-led price support, National Food Security Mission for Pulses, PM-AASHA scheme, and ICAR research.
All four Shankaracharyas declined the invitation to attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Mandir scheduled for 22 January 2024.
Shankaracharyas: the religious heads of four muthas (monasteries) established by the 8th-century philosopher Adi Shankara across India.
Four muthas and their locations: Dwarka (Gujarat), Joshimath (Uttarakhand), Puri (Odisha), and Sringeri (Karnataka).
Reason for declining: the Shankaracharyas argued that the consecration of an unfinished temple violates Agama Shastra (traditional texts on temple consecration rituals). They maintained the ceremony was politically motivated.
Historical reference: the Adi Shankara consolidated Advaita Vedanta in the 8th century CE. His four muthas are centres of Hindu philosophy and scholarship.
3. Pench Tiger Reserve: India's first Dark Sky Park
GS area: Biodiversity, Conservation
Pench Tiger Reserve in Nagpur district, Maharashtra, was designated as India's first Dark Sky Park and the 5th in Asia.
Dark Sky Park: an area with low light pollution where the night sky is protected from artificial light. The designation supports astronomy and ecosystem health.
Pench Tiger Reserve: declared a national park in 1975 and a tiger reserve in 1998-99. The reserve is divided by the Pench River. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling drew inspiration from the forests of this region.
Wildlife: sloth bears, jackals, nilgai, Indian wild dogs (dholes), and a rich bird population. It is an Important Bird Area designated by BirdLife International.
A joint study by IIT Kharagpur researchers confirmed that Vadnagar in Gujarat shows cultural continuity from at least 800 BCE through the post-Harappan collapse, challenging the "Dark Age" theory.
Vadnagar: located in Mehsana district, Gujarat. The site shows 5,500 years of cultural continuity across Harappan, post-Harappan, early historic, Buddhist, and medieval periods.
Artefacts: pottery, metals, bangles, and a Buddhist monastery were found across stratigraphic layers.
UNESCO tentative list: Vadnagar is on India's UNESCO World Heritage tentative list along with the Modhera Sun Temple.
Static linkage: ancient Indian history, archaeological sites.
5. Operation Amrith: Kerala's antibiotic use campaign
GS area: Governance, Health
Kerala's Drug Control Department launched Operation Amrith to reduce antibiotic overuse by requiring pharmacies to record antibiotic sales and display "no sale without prescription" signage.
AMR threat: antimicrobial resistance is a global health crisis. India is among the countries with high antibiotic consumption. Overuse in agriculture, healthcare, and self-medication drives resistance.
KARSAP: the Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Action Plan is Kerala's state-level AMR containment framework.
Static linkage: public health, antimicrobial resistance.
6. Briefly noted
Right to reside in India: the Delhi High Court ruled that foreign nationals cannot claim Article 19(1)(e), which grants citizens the right to reside anywhere in India. The government's power to expel foreigners is near absolute.
India's first steel slag road: CSIR-CRRI developed a road on NH-66 (Mumbai-Goa highway) using steel industry waste. The road requires 28 per cent less thickness than conventional bituminous roads. Steel slag utilisation reduces industrial waste and lowers road construction costs.
Practice MCQs
Check yourself
India's four Shankaracharya muthas, established by Adi Shankara in the 8th century, are located at:
Check yourself
With reference to India's pulse sector, consider the following: 1. India is the world's largest producer and consumer of pulses. 2. Pulses fix atmospheric nitrogen, reducing fertiliser needs. 3. The cobweb phenomenon describes a cycle where high prices lead farmers to over-produce, then prices crash. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Check yourself
Which of the following statements about Pench Tiger Reserve is correct?
Check yourself
Vadnagar in Gujarat is archaeologically significant because it shows cultural continuity from approximately which period?
Check yourself
Operation Amrith, a campaign against antibiotic overuse, was launched by which state?