1. 'Kavach’ system in Railways

literally means ‘armour’, was developed in 2002 by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in collaboration with three Indian vendors.

It assists in train operations during bad weather conditions and dense fog; automatically applies the brakes when needed; and brings a train to a halt if it detects another train on the same line within a specified distance.

Why in News :- The Supreme Court on Monday gave the Centre four weeks to file a status report on measures taken to implement ‘Kavach’, an automatic train protection (ATP) system, considering the number of lives lost in train mishaps.

2. Tackling Malnutrition : The UPModel

Uttar Pradesh is a remarkable example of the importance of women’s empowerment in tackling malnutrition by supporting community-based micro enterprises led by self-help groups.

These enterprises produce fortified and nutritious foods for pregnant/breastfeeding mothers and children, provided as take home ration through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme.

The model involves the production of different variants for ICDS beneficiaries. This is done by a 20-member women group that uses automated equipment with a capacity of five metric tonnes per day.

Once the rations are delivered to Anganwadi centres by the women’s groups, the women are reimbursed according to ICDS cost norms. The feasibility of this model was demonstrated by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) by using two pilot plants in Unnao and Fatehpur in 2021.

3) Champai Wins the Floor Test

Jharkhand has got the new Chmpai Soren Government, as it won the floor test.

Lets understand the basics of Floor test :-

• Constitutional provisions:

• Article 175(2) of the Indian Constitution:

• It gives the Governor the power to summon the members of the House and call for a floor test to prove whether the incumbent government has the majority in the State Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha). 

• On the central or national level, this power lies with the President.

• Article 164 of the Indian constitution: 

• It states that, “The council of ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly of the State.” 

• And so, if they do not enjoy the Legislature’s support, the Executive has to step down.

• S.R. Bommai case:

• In this landmark cas, the Supreme Court ruled that the refusal of the Chief Minister to undergo the floor test will be considered as the Government losing the faith of its own legislature.

About Composite Floor Test: 

• In case of a hung assembly with no clear majority to any one party  more than one person is claiming to form the government and the majority is not clear, the Governor may call for a special session to see who has the majority. In case of a tie, the Speaker casts his vote.

• Article 174: The Governor has the power to prorogue, summon, and dissolve the legislature of a state.

4) Girmitiyas

Why in News :- Fiji Deputy PM said that, Indentured labourers took inspiration from Lord Ram during their struggles.

Girmitiyas, (गिरमिटिया) also known as Jahajis, were indentured labourers from British India transported to work on plantations in Fiji, South Africa, Eastern Africa (namely Mauritius, Seychelles, Réunion, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda), Malaysia, Singapore, and the Caribbean (namely Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname).

What is Indentured Service :- Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an "indenture", may be entered voluntarily for purported eventual compensation or debt repayment, or it may be imposed involuntarily as a judicial punishment.

5) The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 moved

The Bill  mentions “leakage of question paper or answer key”, “directly or indirectly assisting the candidate in any manner unauthorisedly in the public examination”, and “tampering with the computer network or a computer resource or a computer system” as offences done by a person, group of per sons or institutions.

“Any person or persons resorting to unfair means and offences under this Act shall be punished with im prisonment for a term not less than three years but which may extend to five years and with fine up to ₹10 lakh".

6) Indians winning Grammy Awards, 2024

At the 2024 Grammy Awards  five musicians from India, including tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hus sain and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, winning the coveted prize in Los Angeles.

Singer Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram won for the fusion group Shakti, won one Grammy each.

Shakti won the 2024 Grammy Award for best global music album for This Moment.

7. CBSE urges teachers to gear up for National Credit Framework

NEP 2020 proposed for a New National Credit Framework.

The board is set to notify a new set of credit framework for schools next year from Class nine to twelve.

The present system :- As per the existing regulations, a student has to pass in 5 subjects (two languages and three main subjects - maths, science and social science) to pass.

The New Framework:- Student in Class nine and ten will have to study ten subjects compulsorily.

Additional subjects include a compulsory inclusion of a third language, one subject in interdisciplinary area, physical education and health, art education and a skill-related subject.

Of the three languages, two will have to be native to India.

“Under new NCF, thrust is compulsory on Physical Education and Art Education, every child will learn three languages,”

Will they get credit if they fail :- The CBSE also said that credits can only be earned in full or nil.

Student can earn full credits upon passing a subject after assessment or will receive nil credit for not passing a subject.

Where will the credits go ?: - All credits collected by students will be stored in their academic bank of credit in the students’ digilockers.

8. Myanmar's Civil war and India angle :-

In February 2021, the Myanmar military leaders ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, three years later, the opposition to military rule gains in strength.

Arakan Army captured Paletwa in the Chin State which lies on Myanmar’s western borders with Bangladesh and India.

Conflict within conflict

The fall of the town of Paletwa has altered the dynamic between the Chin and the Arakan ethnic groups. A majority of Paletwa’s residents belong to the Chin ethnic community. On the other hand, some in the Rakhine State, previously known as Arakan, contend that the township was historically part of the Arakan Hill Tracts during colonial rule.

How it will impact India :-

The developments in Paletwa will also impact the Indian government’s Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) in Myanmar, which has already faced significant delays.

The Kaladan project was aimed at addressing the geo-economic and geo-political challenges of northeast India.