UPSC Current Affairs 03 May 2026

• No Internet Required: Alerts work on cellular signals alone; no data or Wi-Fi is needed to receive them.
• Anti-Congestion: Unlike SMS, which can be delayed by heavy network traffic, CBS bypasses congestion to deliver messages in seconds.
• Geo-Targeting: Authorities can send alerts to specific cities, neighbourhoods, or even individual cell tower zones to avoid unnecessary panic.
• Attention-Grabbing: Messages arrive as pop-up notifications with a unique loud tone and vibration, even if the phone is on Silent or Do Not Disturb.
• Privacy-Friendly: No personal data (like phone numbers) is collected; the message is broadcast to every device connected to the local tower.
• Multilingual Support: Alerts are sent in English, Hindi, and local regional languages based on the user's location.
• Accessibility: On supported devices, the system can read alerts aloud, helping users with visual impairments.

1. Alert Generation: Government agencies (like NDMA) generate an alert via the SACHET platform.
2. Transmission: The message is sent to telecom operators (Jio, Airtel, etc.).
3. Broadcasting: Mobile towers in the affected zone "broadcast" the signal to all nearby phones simultaneously.
4. Reception: Every compatible handset within range displays the alert instantly as a priority notification.

• Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, tsunamis, flash floods, and cyclones.
• Weather Alerts: Heatwaves, lightning strikes, and heavy rainfall.
• Man-made Hazards: Gas leaks, chemical spills, or industrial accidents.
• Public Safety: Evacuation notices and critical government advisories.

• Statute: Established under the Recovery of Debts and Bankruptcy Act (RDB Act), 1993.
• Objective: To provide a fast-track mechanism for banks and financial institutions to recover dues, bypassing the slow civil court system.
• Two-Tier System: DRT is the court of "first instance," and DRAT is the "appellate" court for those dissatisfied with DRT orders.

• Total Count: There are currently 5 DRATs in India (located in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Allahabad) overseeing 39 DRTs.
• Head: Each DRAT is headed by a chairperson who is (or has been) a Judge of a High Court.
• Independence: They are quasi-judicial bodies under the administrative control of the Ministry of Finance.

• Pecuniary Limit: They generally handle cases where the debt amount is ₹20 lakh or more.
• Statutory Reach: They adjudicate appeals under both the RDB Act, 1993 and the SARFAESI Act, 2002.
• Authority: DRATs can confirm, modify, or set aside DRT orders and grant interim stays on recovery actions.

• Timeline: An appeal must usually be filed within 30 to 45 days of the DRT order.
• Pre-Deposit Rule: To prevent frivolous delays, the borrower must often deposit 50% of the debt (which the tribunal can reduce to 25% in specific cases) before the appeal is even heard.
• Finality: DRAT decisions can only be challenged further in a High Court or the Supreme Court.

Feature	Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT)	Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunal (DRAT)
Role	Trial Court (First Instance)	Appeals Court (Review)
Headed By	Presiding Officer (District Judge level)	Chairperson (High Court Judge level)
Number	39 across India	5 across India
Function	Issues "Recovery Certificates"	Reviews the legality of DRT orders

• Technology & Digital Public Infrastructure: Focus on sharing India’s "stack" and digital transformation experience to help Jamaica’s logistics and connectivity goals.
• Healthcare & Innovation: Exploring the expansion of generic medicine supply and medical technology. India recently deployed its Aarogya Maitri portable hospital cubes to Jamaica.
• Disaster Resilience: Strengthening cooperation through the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). Jamaica expressed gratitude for India's relief items sent after Hurricane Melissa.
• Renewable Energy: Advancing solarisation projects under the International Solar Alliance (ISA) framework.
• Public Broadcasting: Moving forward on agreed cooperation between the public broadcasters of both nations.

• Trade Milestone: Bilateral trade has crossed USD 100 million recently, with growth potential in pharmaceuticals, apparel, and engineering goods.
• Indian Diaspora: Jamaica has a 180-year-old Indian connection through the Girmitiya community, which Jaishankar noted gives the relationship a "special flavour".
• Sports Diplomacy: Highlighting shared cricket history; India recently gifted a digital scoreboard for the Sabina Park stadium in Kingston.

• Leadership Meetings: Scheduled calls on Prime Minister Andrew Holness and bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith.
• Business Interactions: Engagements with prominent Jamaican business leaders to explore trade expansion.
• Cultural Connection:

• Global South Outreach: The visit is part of a 9-day three-nation tour (including Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago) to strengthen ties with the Global South.
• First Bilateral Visit: While previous high-level visits occurred (like President Kovind in 2022), this is the first dedicated ministerial bilateral mission.
• "Continuity and Change": Jaishankar described the relationship as rooted in shared history but energised by modern cooperation and future possibilities.

• Parveen Shaikh: Won for her "Guardian" model to protect the Indian Skimmer (an endangered riverine bird) in the Ganga and Chambal basins.
• Barkha Subba: Won for leading the first grassroots movement to save the Himalayan salamander in the Darjeeling Himalaya.

• Established: Founded in 1993 (first awarded in 1994) by Edward Whitley.
• Purpose: To recognize and fund effective grassroots conservation leaders in the Global South (biodiversity-rich, resource-poor countries).
• Organizer: The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), a UK-based charity.
• Alias: Widely known as the "Green Oscars" due to their prestige in the environmental sector.

• Funding: Each standard winner receives £50,000 (approx. ₹52 lakh) in project funding for one year.
• Gold Award: A past winner is selected annually for the Whitley Gold Award (worth £100,000 in 2026) to scale up their work.
• Beyond Cash: Winners receive professional training in media, speech, and networking to help them influence policy and reach global audiences.

• Focus: Must be locally led, science-based, and involve the local community.
• Geography: Primarily targets projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
• Impact: Aims for "near-zero latency" in conservation action, focusing on species on the brink of extinction.

Winner	Country	Project / Species
Farwiza Farhan (Gold)	Indonesia	Leuser Ecosystem (Sumatra)
Parveen Shaikh	India	Indian Skimmer (Ganga/Chambal)
Barkha Subba	India	Himalayan Salamander (Darjeeling)
Issah Seidu	Ghana	Guitarfish (Western Coastline)
Marina Kameni	Cameroon	Endemic Amphibians (Mt. Manengouba)
Moreangels Mbizah	Zimbabwe	Lions (Lower Zambezi Valley)
Paola Sangolquí	Ecuador	Galápagos Petrel

• Purnima Devi Barman (2017 & 2024 Gold): For her "Hargila Army" protecting the Greater Adjutant Stork.
• Charudutt Mishra (2022 Gold): For snow leopard conservation across Asia.
• Nuklu Phom (2021): For establishing biodiversity peace corridors in Nagaland.
• Sanjay Gubbi (2017): For leopard conservation and tiger corridor protection.

• Origin: China's first astronomical satellite, launched by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
• Launch Date: December 17, 2015, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
• Orbit: Sun-synchronous polar orbit at an altitude of approximately 500 km.
• Primary Objective: To identify "smoking gun" signatures of dark matter annihilation or decay by observing high-energy electrons and photons.
• International Collaboration: While led by China, it includes significant contributions from Italy (INFN) and Switzerland (University of Geneva).

• BGO Calorimeter: Measures the energy of cosmic rays with excellent resolution.
• Silicon-Tungsten Tracker (STK): Reconstructs the paths and directions of incoming particles.
• Plastic Scintillator Detector: Measures the electric charge of high-energy particles.
• Neutron Detector: Helps distinguish between different types of high-energy signals.

• Proton & Helium Flux: Recorded the most precise measurements of proton and helium spectra at tera-electronvolt (TeV) levels.
• Gamma-Ray Excess: Confirmed an excess of gamma rays from the Galactic center, consistent with previous observations by NASA's Fermi-LAT.
• Boron-to-Carbon Ratio: Obtained high-precision spectra of secondary particles, helping refine models of how cosmic rays travel through the interstellar medium.

• District: Located in the Junagadh district of Gujarat, India.
• Terrain: It covers the rugged and hilly terrain of the Girnar hills in the Saurashtra region.
• Size: Spans approximately 178.8 square kilometers.

• Hunting Reserve: Historically, it served as a hunting reserve for the Nawabs of Junagadh.
• Establishment: It was officially notified as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 2008 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Eco-Sensitive Zone: The periphery was designated as an ESZ in 2016 to create a "buffer" between the core forest and human settlements.

• The Big Cats: It is a critical habitat for Asiatic lions and leopards. It acts as a "stepping stone" for lions dispersing from the core Gir National Park.
• Vegetation: Primarily dry deciduous forest and thorny scrubland, featuring teak, acacia, and dhak trees.
• Birdlife: Home to over 300 bird species, including endangered vultures like the long-billed and white-rumped vultures.
• Other Wildlife: Includes spotted deer (Chital), Sambar, Nilgai, Indian golden jackals, and four-horned antelopes.

• Temples: The Girnar hills are home to the Amba Mata Temple, the Dattatreya Shrine, and several ancient Jain temples (Tirthankaras).
• Pilgrimage: Every year, the sanctuary hosts the Girnar Parikrama and the Maha Shivratri Mela, which draw millions of devotees. The sanctuary and safari remain closed to tourists during these periods to manage the crowds.

Feature	Gir National Park (Sasan Gir)	Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary
Primary Landscape	Dense deciduous forest	Hilly, rugged mountain terrain
Lion Status	Core "Source" Population	"Satellite/Stepping Stone" Population
Religious Sites	Minimal (Kankai/Aneidhar)	High (Major Jain/Hindu temples)
Safari Type	Extensive jeep tracks	Hilly terrain tracks (limited)

• Region: Southeastern Papua, Indonesia (near the Arafura Sea).
• Discovery: Remained entirely unaware of other people until first contact with a Dutch missionary in 1974.
• Population: Estimated between 2,500 and 4,400 people living in small nomadic clans.

• "Rumah Tinggi": They are world-famous for building houses high in the canopy, typically 8–12 metres up, though some reach 45 metres.
• Materials: Built using banyan trees for support, with sago palm bark for walls and leaves for roofing.
• Purpose: The height protects them from swarms of mosquitoes, flooding, wild animals, and (historically) raids from rival tribes.
• Lifespan: A treehouse is usually occupied for about 3–5 years before the tree decays or the clan moves on.

• Egalitarian Society: They have no formal hierarchy or chiefs; decisions are made through community consensus and equality.
• Spiritual World: They believe the forest is filled with spirits. Their creator god is known as Gimigi.
• Khakhua (Witch-Demons): Historically, unexpected deaths were blamed on a malevolent spirit called a khakhua inhabiting a human body. This belief was the root of past ritual cannibalism—intended as a form of "criminal justice" against the demon, not for food.

• Sago: Their primary staple is sago starch extracted from sago palms.
• Hunting: They are expert archers, hunting wild boar, cassowaries, and snakes using bone-tipped arrows.
• Sago Grubs: They host festivals to harvest sago grubs, which are considered a high-protein delicacy.

• Health: Due to lack of modern medicine, life expectancy is relatively low, and diseases like malaria are common.
• Language: Their native tongue is part of the Awyu–Dumut family, but younger members are increasingly learning Indonesian.

• Own Source Revenue (OSR) Boost: The primary goal is to help Gram and Block Panchayats generate their own income through taxes, fees, and bankable projects, reducing total reliance on government grants.
• "National Challenge" Process: Panchayats submit innovative project ideas. Those selected receive dedicated technical assistance to turn ideas into "bankable" projects.
• Diverse Funding Avenues: It facilitates project financing through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), CSR funding, and direct bank finance.
• Gram Sabha Sovereignty: No project can proceed without mandatory consent from the Gram Sabha, ensuring that development is community-led and transparent.
• Four-Year Implementation: The programme is structured as a four-year journey to transform Panchayats into economically confident local units.

• SAMARTH Panchayat Portal: A centralized platform to digitize revenue collection and monitor financial processes.
• e-GramSwaraj: Integrated with the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) for real-time tracking of assets and fund transfers.
• Atma Nirbhar Panchayat Special Award (ANPSA): A special category award introduced to recognize and reward top-ranking Panchayats excelling in OSR augmentation.
• Institutional Partners: Organizations like HUDCO and NABARD provide financial expertise and support for rural project development.

• Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Empowered Panchayats are viewed as the foundational units for achieving India’s vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
• Climate & Sustainability: Encourages projects focused on renewable energy and "Net-Zero" carbon emissions at the village level.
• Grassroots Democracy: Shifts the role of Panchayat leaders from simple administrators to catalysts of change and local entrepreneurs.

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