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■ ABHYAS : High-speed Expendable Aerial Target. • Recently, The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested Abhyas High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, off the Bay of Bengal coast in Odisha. • It is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), of DRDO. • ADE is a key Aeronautical Systems Design Laboratory under DRDO. • It is a drone (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) that will be used as a target for the evaluation of various missile systems. • It offers a realistic threat scenario for practice of weapon systems. • It is powered by a gas turbine engine to sustain a long endurance flight at subsonic speed. •It is equipped with a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) based Inertial Navigation System (INS) for navigation along with the Flight Control Computer (FCC) for guidance and control. • The vehicle is programmed for fully autonomous flight and their check-out is done using a laptop-based Ground Control Station (GCS). • The current flight test is carried out as a part of developmental flight trials. • This indigenous target aircraft, once developed, will meet the requirements of High-speed Expandable Aerial Targets (HEAT) for Indian Armed Forces.

■ Genetically Modified Rice (GM Rice) : • Recently, a French manufacturer of rice flour claimed it had found unauthorised genetically modified rice in a consignment of 500 tonnes of broken rice imported from India this June. • Since the European Union does not permit any use of GM rice, manufacturers of confectionery items and baked goods which had used the rice flour were then forced to carry out a mass recall of products.  • Despite the outrage, the Commerce Ministry initiated an investigation by Agricultural & Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA). • Farm and environmental activists allege that plants or seeds from the GM rice field trials could have contaminated non-GM crops, noting that illegal varieties of GM cotton and brinjal are already freely circulating among sections of Indian farmers. • This is not the first time such allegations have been made. In May 2012, the European Commission had issued a notification to the Commerce Ministry regarding an allegation of GM contamination of basmati rice from both Indian and Pakistani suppliers. ● About GM rice : • GM foods are derived from plants whose genes are artificially modified, usually by inserting genetic material from another organism, in order to give it a new property, such as increased yield, tolerance to a herbicide, resistance to disease or drought, or to improve its nutritional value. • Probably, the best known variety of GM rice is golden rice, which involves the insertion of genes from a plant -- both daffodils and maize have been used -- and a soil bacterium to create a grain that is enriched with Vitamin A. • India has approved commercial cultivation of only one GM crop, Bt cotton. • No GM food crop has ever been approved for commercial cultivation in the country. • However, confined field trials have been allowed for at least 20 GM crops. That includes varieties of GM rice which would have improved resistance to insects and diseases, as well as hybrid seed production and nutritional enhancements such as golden rice. • Trials have been carried out by public universities and research institutions such as the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, as well as private firms such as Bayer Bioscience and Mahyco. 📝 India is the world’s top rice exporter, earning ₹65,000 crore last year by selling 18 million tonnes of grain, about a quarter of which is premium basmati.  ● Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) : • Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is an apex body under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. • It is responsible for the export promotion of agricultural products. • It is a statutory body. It was established under the APEDA Act of 1985. • Its headquarters is in New Delhi. □ Functions of APEDA : • Promotion of exports of agricultural and processed food products. • Promotion of export oriented production and development of the scheduled products. • To make improvement in areas such as packaging, setting standards and specifications for the scheduled products. • Financial assistance, reliefs and subsidies to the related industries. • Provide training in the related areas.

■ Paika rebellion, 1817 : • Paika Rebellion was an armed rebellion against the British East India Company's rule in Odisha in 1817. • Paikas were essentially the peasant militias of the Gajapati rulers of Odisha who rendered military service to the king during times of war while taking up cultivation during times of peace. • Paikas had been recruited since the 16th century by kings in Odisha from a variety of social groups to render martial services in return for the rent-free land (nish-kar jagirs) and titles. • They were the traditional land-owning militia of Odisha and served as warriors. • Till 1803, Odisha was under Maratha rule, however after the second Anglo-Maratha War, the Marathas were forced to cede most of their territory in Odisha to the British East India Company. • When armies of the East India Company overran most of Odisha in 1803, the Raja of Khurda lost his primacy and the power and prestige of the Paikas went on a decline. □ Causes : • The British were not comfortable with these aggressive, warlike new subjects and set up a commission under Walter Ewer to look into the issue. • The commission recommended that the hereditary rent-free lands granted to the Paikas be taken over by the British administration. • Paikas lost their traditional position in the society and their lands were taken away. • In addition to losing their estates, the Paikas were also heavily exploited by the revenue collectors under the British. • Changes in the currency and revenue systems meant the Odias had to pay taxes in silver, which was more expensive for them. • Ban on making salt from seawater gave rise to widespread dissatisfaction and hatred against the British. • This resulted in further marginalisation and oppression of the Odias. □ Attack : • Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar Mohapatra Bharamarbar Rai was the highest-ranking military general of King of Khurda Mukund Dev II, led the Paikas to join the uprising by taking support of tribals and other sections of society. The rebellion rose in March 1817. • The Paikas were supported by the rajas, zamindars, village heads and ordinary peasants. The rebellion quickly spread to different parts of the province. • The Paikas attacked British symbols of power, setting ablaze police stations, administrative offices and the treasury during their march towards Khurda. • British were initially taken aback and then tried to regain lost ground but faced stiff resistance from the rebelling Paikas. However, the Paikas were eventually defeated by the British. • The Paikas retreated into the thick jungles of Odisha and carried out guerrilla warfare for several years. • After successive defeats, the Paika leader, Bakshi Jagabandhu, surrendered to the British in 1825 and lived as a prisoner in Cuttack till his death in 1829. 📝 On 24th December 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative stamp and coin on the Paika Rebellion. Along with the stamp and coin.

■ Geospatial energy map of India : • Recently, NITI Aayog launched a comprehensive Geographic Information System (GIS)-based Geospatial Energy Map of India. • It is developed by the NITI Aayog in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with the support of Energy Ministries. • It provides a holistic picture of all energy resources of the country. • It enables visualisation of energy installations such as conventional power plants, oil and gas wells, petroleum refineries, coal fields and coal blocks, district-wise data on renewable energy power plants and renewable energy resource potential through 27 thematic layers. □ Significance : • It helps to identify and locate all primary and secondary sources of energy and their transportation/transmission networks to provide a comprehensive view of energy production and distribution in a country. • It is aimed at integrating energy data scattered across multiple organizations and to present it in a consolidated, visually appealing graphical manner. • It leverages the latest advancements in web-GIS technology and open-source software to make it interactive and user friendly. • It will be useful in planning and making investment decisions. • It will also aid in disaster management using available energy assets. □ About Geographic Information System : • A GIS is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface. • It can show many different kinds of data on one map, such as streets, buildings, and vegetation. • It enables people to more easily see, analyze, and understand patterns and relationships. □ About Geospatial Mapping : • It is a type of spatial analysis technique that typically employs software capable of rendering maps, processing spatial data, and applying analytical methods to terrestrial or geographic datasets, including the use of geographic information systems. • It is different from traditional mapping, as geospatial mapping provides us with computerized data that can be used to create a custom map designed for your needs.

■ Global Hunger Index 2021 : • India has slipped to 101st position in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2021 of 116 countries, from its 2020 position of 94th.  • It is jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe. • It was first produced in 2006. It is published every October. • The 2021 edition marks the 16th edition of the GHI. • It aims to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels. • Undernourishment data are provided by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and child mortality data are sourced from the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). • Child wasting and stunting data are drawn from the joint database of UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, among others. □ Calculation : • It is calculated on the basis of four indicators. They are : 1) Undernourishment : Share of the population with insufficient caloric intake. 2) Child Wasting : Share of children under age five who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition. 3) Child Stunting : Share of children under age five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition. 4) Child Mortality : The mortality rate of children under the age of five. • Based on the values of the four indicators, the GHI determines hunger on a 100-point scale where 0 is the best possible score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst. • Each country’s GHI score is classified by severity, from low to extremely alarming.

📰 News : Fish symbol found on ring well at Keeladi. • The symbol of a fish appears above the first coir band, on the top-most level of the ring well. • The only ring well with patterned twin coir bands, unearthed during the seventh phase of excavations in Keeladi three months ago, has thrown up another surprise — on the top most of its seven levels, a decorated fish symbol has been found incised. • It appears above the first coir band, carved with thumb impressions. • The shape of the fish, with tail, fins and scales, is clear. Only the part with its head is broken. • The terracotta ring well, with rope design, was first exposed in July. As the seventh round of excavations drew to a closure last month-end, archaeologists traced it up to a depth of 140 cm, with six rings interlocked one below the other. The seventh layer was found broken.  • Seven ring wells have been excavated so far in Keeladi, and of these, two were exposed in the seventh round. • The fifth phase unearthed three, the highest so far. The ring wells found in Keeladi not only testify the science behind building the structures, but also their aesthetic sense. □ About Keeladi : • Keeladi is an urban civilisation of Sangam Era which is located in the Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu. • It is located on the banks of river Vaigai. • This civilisation has been described by Tamil poets belonging to the Sangam period. • Previously it was believed that the Keeladi artefacts belonged to the 3rd century BC. But the carbon dating test confirmed the date of the Tamil-Brahmi script is dated to the year 580 BC. • The results suggest that the second urbanization (the first being the Indus Valley Civilization) of Vaigai plains happened in Tamil Nadu during the 6th century BC. • Pottery specimens from Keeladi confirmed that the water containers and cooking vessels were shaped out of locally available raw materials. • Skeletal fragments of Cow/Ox & Buffalo, Sheep & Goat, Nilgai & Blackbuck, Wild boar, and Peacock suggest that the society in Keeladi had used animals predominantly for agricultural purposes. □ About Sangam age : • Generally, the Age of Sangam is considered between 3rd century BCE and 3rd century CE. • Three Sangams (Academy of Tamil poets) in ancient Tamil Nadu popularly called Muchchangam. • Three dynasties ruled during the Sangam Age – the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas. • These Sangams flourished under the royal patronage of the Pandyas. • The First Sangam held at Madurai, attended by gods and legendary sages. No literary work of this Sangam is available. • The Second Sangam was held at Kapadapuram, only Tolkappiyam survives from this. • The Third Sangam at Madurai was founded by Mudathirumaran. A few of these Tamil literary works have survived and are a useful sources to reconstruct the history of the Sangam period.

■ Detoxification of Lukha river : • A detoxing pilot project has brought a river back from the dead. • The Lukha — “reservoir of fish” in the local Pnar language — was considered toxic beyond redemption a decade ago. • The Meghalaya Pollution Control Board had in its 2012 investigative report blamed the contamination on acid mine drainage and run-off from the coal mines. • Phytoremediation method was used to detoxify the river, where Algae was used to remove major toxic contents from the water. • The pilot project was undertaken under the District Mineral Fund after reports of low pH levels affecting the aquatic life in the river. • Most living organisms, especially aquatic life, function at the optimal pH range of 6.5 to 8.5. • The pH of water is a very important measurement concerning water quality. • pH is a measure of how acidic/basic water is. The range goes from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. pHs of less than 7 indicate acidity, whereas a pH of greater than 7 indicates a base. □ About Lukha River : • The Lukha is located in the southern part of east Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya where most of Meghalaya’s rat-hole coal mines are located. • It has become a victim of the unsustainable large-scale mining of coal and limestone, allegedly responsible for the pollution that turns the river its surreal winter hue. • It receives water from the Lunar river (Wah Lunar) and small streams draining from the Narpuh Reserve Forest and the undulating hills of the area while flowing down. • The river is mainly fed by monsoon rain and flows in the south-west direction and later takes a southern path after joining the Lunar river near the Gaddum village. • The river passes via the Sonapur village and then into southern Assam’s Barak Valley and ends up in the floodplains of Bangladesh. □ About Rat hole mines : • Rat-hole mining is the primarily practiced mining technique in Meghalaya in which deep vertical shafts with narrow horizontal tunnels of 3 to 4 feet diameter are dug and miners are sent down to extract coal till 100 to 150 metre and in some case even more than that. • Rat hole mining involves digging of very small tunnels, usually only 3-4 feet high, which workers (often children) enter and extract coal. • The National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned it in 2014, on grounds of it being unscientific and unsafe for workers.  • Although banned, it remains the only procedure of coal mining in Meghalaya. • Rat-hole mining is primarily practiced only in Meghalaya. Such cases are not witnessed in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh because the coal seems are thick in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh while in Meghalaya coal seems are very thin. So, economically it is not a good idea to do an open mining, and therefore, they prefer rat-hole mining. • Since rat-hole mining is illegal, it is practiced behind closed doors, and therefore, no one is ready to invest in infrastructure development. Coal is stored near rivers because of shortage of space which leads to pollution around water bodies. • The water in the Kopili River (flows through Meghalaya and Assam) has turned acidic. 

■ Gati Shakti scheme : • Recently, the government of India has launched the ambitious Gati Shakti scheme or National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity plan, with the aim of coordinated planning and execution of infrastructure projects to bring down logistics costs. • PM Gati Shakti is a digital platform that connects 16 ministries — including Roads and Highways, Railways, Shipping, Petroleum and Gas, Power, Telecom, Shipping, and Aviation — with a view to ensuring holistic planning and execution of infrastructure projects. • It aims to ensure integrated planning and implementation of infrastructure projects in the next four years, with focus on expediting works on the ground, saving costs and creating jobs. • The Gati Shakti scheme will subsume the Rs 110 lakh crore National Infrastructure Pipeline that was launched in 2019. • Besides cutting logistics costs, the scheme is also aimed at increasing cargo handling capacity and reducing the turnaround time at ports to boost trade. • It also aims to have 11 industrial corridors and two new defence corridors - one in Tamil Nadu and other in Uttar Pradesh.  • Extending 4G connectivity to all villages is another aim.  • Adding 17,000 kms to the gas pipeline network is being planned. • It will help in fulfilling the ambitious targets set by the government for 2024-25, including expanding the length of the national highway network to 2 lakh kms, creation of more than 200 new airports, heliports and water aerodromes. • Currently, any inter-ministerial issues that arise relating to a project are addressed in regular meetings of infrastructure related ministries. The Gati Shakti portal would help reduce the human intervention required as ministries will be in constant touch. □ Integrated Approach : • It intends to bring together 16 infrastructure related Ministries. • This will help in removing long-standing issues such as disjointed planning, lack of standardisation, problems with clearances, and timely creation and utilisation of infrastructure capacities. □ Gati Shakti Digital Platform : • It involves the creation of a common umbrella platform through which infrastructure projects can be planned and implemented in an efficacious manner by way of coordination between various ministries/departments on a real-time basis. □ Need for Integrated Infrastructure Development : • There exists a wide gap between macro planning and micro implementation due to the lack of coordination and advanced information sharing as departments think and work in silos. • According to a study, the logistical cost in India is about 13% of GDP, which is higher than developed countries. • Due to this high logistical cost, the competitiveness of India’s exports is greatly reduced. • It is globally accepted that the creation of quality infrastructure for Sustainable Development is a proven way, which gives rise to many economic activities and creates employment on a large scale. • The scheme is in synergy with the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP). • The NMP has been announced to provide a clear framework for monetisation and give potential investors a ready list of assets to generate investment interest.