Cauvery Water Management Authority 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-1-Geography 

 Why in News? 

The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee decided to recommend to the Cauvery Water Management Authority that Karnataka releases 5,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu for the next 15 days.

 · Cauvery River water dispute involves 3 states and 1 UT. 

 · They are: 1. Tamil Nadu 2. Kerala 3. Karnataka 4. Puducherry 

 Cauvery Water Management Authority:

 · Composition: 1. Chairman 2. Secretary 3. Eight Members

 · Functions:

 · To implement and compliance of the Supreme Court order for the storage, appointment, regulation and the control of Cauvery waters. 

 · It will advise the states to take suitable measures. · It will prepare the annual report covering its activities during the preceding year. 

 Mekedatu Project: 

 · It is a multi-purpose project which will be constructed in Ramanagara district of Karnataka. 

 · It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Cauvery and its tributary Arkavathi. 

 · Its main objective is to provide drinking water to Bengaluru and its neighbouring areas. 

 · It indicates 4.7 TMC and generate 400 MW of power. 

 Present Status:

 · Karnataka Government has not obtained the consent of Tamil Nadu which is mandatory 

 · It does not get approvals from the authorities such as Central Water Commission. Opposition: 

 · Tamil Nadu opposes the project as it reduces the water flow into the state.

 · It will further leads to the problems in the agricultural activities and water supply. 

 Cauvery River: 

 · It is the fourth largest river in South India 

 · It is known by the name Ponni in Tamil 

 · It rises on Brahmagiri Hills of the western Ghats

Magic Rice 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-1-Geography

 Why in News? 

Magic Rice has recently got G.I. Tag 

 Magic Rice:

 · It is also known as Chokuwa rice. 

 · It is a unique possession of Assam’s Ahom dynasty.

 · It is cultivated around the Brahmaputra area and also in several parts of Assam.

· It is a semi-glutinous winter rice known as Sali rice. 

 · This low amylose Chokuwa rice are used to make soft rice, which is known as Komal chaul or soft rice. 

 · This whole grain can be consumed after soaking the rice in the cold or lukewarm water. 

 · This rice is widely consumed for its convenience of preparation and nutritional value. 

 Geographical Indication Tag: 

 · It is an indication which is used to identify the goods that have special characteristics originates from a definite geographical territory.

 · It is mainly an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product. 

 Validity: 

 · It is valid for a period of 10 years from which it can be renewed. 

 G.I. Registration:

 · The G.I. Registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods Act 1999. 

 · It came into force from the year 2003.

· The first product of India which received the G.I. Tag was Darjeeling tea.

Article 35A 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-2-Polity

 Why in News? 

 · Chief Justice of India has said that Article 35A, which empowered the Jammu and Kashmir Legislature to define permanent residents of the state and provide them special privileges, denied fundamental rights to others. 

 · CJI mentioned that 35A gave special rights and privileges to permanent residents and virtually took away the rights for non-residents. 

 Article 35A: 

 · Article 35A has conferred from the Article 370.

 · It defines the permanent residents of the state and their privileges. 

 · The authority to define the permanent residents of the state lies within the Jammu and Kashmir legislature.

 · This article prohibits any person from outside Jammu and Kashmir from working, settling or acquisition of property in J&K. 

 · It appears in the Appendix I of the constitution. 

 Article 370:

 · It was added to the Indian Constitution in 1949. 

 · It is a temporary provision which permitted the Jammu & Kashmir to draft its own constitution.

 · Under this article Jammu & Kashmir can recommend which articles of the Indian constitution applies to the state. 

 · According to this article the legislative assembly of J&K had 6 year term

 · It had the separate constitution , flag or anthem.

 · The citizens of J&K used to have the dual citizenship 

 · Financial Emergency will not be applied to it. 

 Changes: 

 · The Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill was passed in 2019 to replace the presidential order. 

 · It has divided the states of Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

 · This is the first time that a state is converted into the UT. 

 · Under Section 32 of the J&K 2019 Bill the J & K assembly an only make laws on any state subject except on the public order and Police. 

 · Now the citizens will have the Fundamental Rights mentioned in the constitution.

 · The Indian Penal Code will replace the Ranbir Penal code of J&K. 

 · Article 35A originated from the Article 370 was declared void. 

 Challenges: 

 · Constitutional challenges-The President must require the recommendation of the constituent assembly of Jammu and Kashmir.

 · It is violation of the Article 3 because it was not referred to the State assembly by the President. 

 · It leads to the rise in militancy.

Moon Sniper

Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Science & Technology

 Why in News? 

JAXA on Monday has postponed for the third time the launch of its Moon Sniper lunar mission due to strong winds just half an hour before launch 

 About:

 · It is a joint effort between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA.

· This mission also involves the launch of XRISM satellite 

 XRISM Satellite:

 · XRISM satellite is designed to capture celestial objects in a new light.

 · XRISM satellites stands for X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy mission. 

 · It aims to observe the universe’s hottest region using X-ray light. 

 · It wants to uncover the cosmic mysteries that are related to energetic phenomena such as stellar explosions and near-light speed particle jets from supermassive black holes.

 · It contains Resolve instrument which is designed to track temperature shifts. 

 · This instrument will also help to determine the source, composition, motion and physical state of X-rays. 

 Moon Snipper:

 · It is also known as Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM). 

 · It will be launched to achieve a pinpoint landing within a specific location on the moon. 

 · It wants to enhance the landing precision compared to the previous lunar missions. 

 · It plays an important role for future missions exploring resource-rich lunar areas and avoiding hazardous terrain.

Aditya-L1 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Science & Technology 

 Why in News? 

ISRO will launch Aditya-L1 on September 2 to study the Sun 

 About:

 · It is the first Indian space mission to observe the Sun and the solar corona

· It will be launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. 

 · It carries 7 payloads on board. 

 · They are: 

 · VELC

 · Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) 

 · Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS) 

 · Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) 

 · High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) 

 · Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA)

 · Advanced Tri-axial High Resolution Digital Magnetometers. 

 Objective: 

 · It will be launched to study the Sun’s corona, Sun’s photosphere, chromosphere, solar winds and flares. 

 · It will carry out round-the-clock imaging of the Sun.

Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate 

Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Environment & Ecology 

 Why in News? 

 · 48 countries have now agreed to adopt the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change

· The expansion of the KDMECC was discussed at a 3-day conference that began on 23^rd August 

 · It was co-hosted by the Government of Kenya and Uganda along with its support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and also the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) 

 Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change: 

 · It was initially signed by 15 African States in Kampala, Uganda in the year 2022. 

 · Its main objective is to address the nexus of human mobility and climate change in the continent.

 · It is known for being the first comprehensive, action-oriented framework led by the member states to address climate-induced mobility in a practical and effective manner.

 · Expert working group was formed in the year 2023 to make sure that the signatory states of the KDMECC receive the necessary support they need to meet their commitments. 

 · It ensures that youth, women and persons in vulnerable situations are the priority of the expanded declaration. 

 International Organisation for Migration: 

 · It was established in the year 1951 with its headquarters in Geneva. 

 Members: · It consists of 175 member states

 Important Points: 

 · It is a United Nations Agency which provides services and advice regarding migration to governments and migrants.

Onam 

 Syllabus: Prelims-Important Festivals

 Why in News? 

Prime Minister of India greets everyone on Onam 

 Onam: 

 · It is the festival of harvest that is celebrated in the state of Kerala. 

 · It is celebrated to honour King Mahabali who brought about peace and prosperity in the state of Kerala.

· It is celebrated during the month of Chingam which is the first month in the Malayalam Calendar.

· In English calendar it generally falls in the month of August or September 

 · It celebrates for a period of 10 days.

 · This festival ends with Thiruvonam which is the most important day. 

 · Onam is celebrated by making Pookkalam which means the flower rangolis.

 · Some other rituals are also performed like: 

 · Vallam Kali-The boat race

 · Pulikali-The Tiger dance

 · Kummattikali-Mask dance

 · Onathallu-Martial arts 

 · ThumbiThullal-Women’s dance

 · Onavillu-Music

Questions

1.Consider the following statements regarding Mekedatu Project: 

 1. It will be constructed in the state of Tamil Nadu 

 2. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Cauvery and its tributary Arkavathi 

 Which of the above statements are correct?

 a. Only 1

 b. Only 2 

 c. Both 1&2 

 d. Neither 1 nor 2

2.Consider the following statements regarding Magi Rice: 

 Statement-I: It is a unique possession of Assam’s Ahom dynasty

 Statement-II: It is cultivated around the Brahmaputra area 

 Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? 

 a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect 

 d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct.

3.Consider the following statements are correct regarding Aditya-L1: 

 1. It is the first Indian space mission to observe the Sun and the solar corona 

 2. Lagrange Points are the locations in space where the gravitational force of a two body system like Sun and Earth produce enhanced regions of attraction and repulsion 

 Which of the above statements are correct? 

 a) Only 1 

 b) Only 2 

 c) Both 1&2 

 d) Neither 1 nor 2