DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS
1 – About the Perucetus colossus: GS III – Environmental Conservation
Context:
- Researchers have identified a gigantic extinct whale species from bones recovered more than a decade ago.
Important information:
- Perucetus is supposed to have been 20 metres (66 feet) long and weighed up to 340 metric tonnes.
- In comparison, the largest blue whale ever documented weighed 180 metric tonnes.
- The large size of this animal indicates that evolution can develop creatures with characteristics that are beyond our comprehension.
- Peruceetus, like sirenians, ate at the seafloor of shallow coastal waters and was not an active predator.
- The animal family that contains dugongs and manatees.
Source The Hindu
2 – Details of the Privilege Motion: GS II – Parliament related issues
Context:
- The Rajya Sabha Chairman sent any concerns concerning House privileges to the privileges committee.
About the privilege motion:
- Parliamentary privileges are rights granted to Members of Parliament in order for them to do Parliamentary business.
- There is no legally mandated list of the exact privileges, but it includes the right to free expression during Parliamentary debates, for which Members of Parliament are not held accountable in court.
- Any member may propose a motion if he or she believes that such a privilege has been infringed.
- The Chairman has the authority to grant it.
- The subject can then be submitted to the Privileges Committee.
- The Chairman may, from time to time, appoint such a Committee of ten members.
- It will also have a Chairman, who will be appointed by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The right to raise a privilege question is based on two conditions:
- The query must be limited to a single recent occurrence.
- The Council must step in.
- Similar statutes exist in the Lok Sabha, with the Speaker having the ability to issue such rulings.
- The Speaker/RS chairperson is the first level of review for a privilege motion.
What can the privileges committee do?
- As part of its investigation, it may call relevant individuals and review relevant documents.
- It must then produce a report, and if the Council has not specified a date for its presentation, the report must be submitted within one month after the date the Committee was referred to.
- To consider the report, a resolution must be passed, and changes may be offered.
Source The Hindu
3 – What is Trachoma: GS II – Health-related issues
Context:
- Trachoma is no longer a public health concern in Iraq.
Trachoma facts:
- It is a neglected tropical disease and the leading infectious cause of blindness in the world.
- Pathogens that cause them include viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and parasitic worms (helminths).
- Trachoma blindness is irreversible.
- Trachoma is caused by infection with the microorganisms Chlamydia trachomatis.
- It is a public health issue in 42 countries, causing blindness or visual impairment in around 1.9 million people.
- The disease is still endemic in six countries in the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Region.
- Trichiasis is the most advanced stage of trachoma.
The SAFE approach is recommended by WHO to remove trachoma as a public health issue. The SAFE method includes the following components:
- Treatment for the blindness stage (trachomatous trichiasis).
- Antibiotics, mainly azithromycin, to treat the condition;
- facial hygiene and
- Environmental enhancements, including access to water and sanitation.
Source The Hindu
4 – About the Kalbelia Dance: GS I – Indian Culture
Context:
- Rajasthani performers perform the ‘Kalbelia’ dance at the National Folk and Tribal Art Festival in Bhopal.
Important information:
- It is also known as the ‘Sapera Dance’ or the ‘Snake Charmer Dance’.
- Rajasthan’s Kalbelia dance and songs have been added to UNESCO’s representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2010.
- Males play various traditional instruments as females perform the dance in Kalbelia dance.
Elements of Kalbelia Dance:
- Poongi, also known as Been, is a traditional musical instrument used in Kalbelia dance.
- Poongi is a type of woodwind musical instrument used by the Kalbelia tribe when they catch snakes.
- Dufli, Morchang, Dholak, Khanjari, and Khuralio are other traditional musical instruments utilised by the Kalbelia people in Kalbelia dance.
Costume:
- Female Kalbelia dancers wear Angrakhi on their upper bodies.
- The female Kalbelia dancers wear Odhani on their heads.
- They dress in a long skirt known as a Lehenga or Ghagra.
- This entire outfit is primarily black, with red ornamental laces.
Kalbelia clan:
- The Kalbelia are a snake-charming tribe from Rajasthan’s Thar Desert.
- Sapera and Jogira, Gattiwala and Poogiwara are other names for them.
- They are nomads and belong to one of the scheduled tribes.
Source The Hindu
5 – Details of the Manas National Park: GS III – Environmental Conservation
Context:
- Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam is 63% understaffed.
Fauna:
- Manas is well-known for its wild water buffalo population.
- Manas National Park is a biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its extraordinary biodiversity, landscape, and range of habitats.
- The park takes its name from the Manas River.
- The Manas River is a major tributary of the Brahmaputra River, which runs through the national park’s centre.
Source The Hindu
6 – What are Shaligrams: GS I – Indian Culture
Context:
- Shaligrams, sacred fossils revered by Hindus and Buddhists for almost 2,000 years, are becoming increasingly scarce as a result of climate change.
Important information:
- Shaligrams have been revered by Hinduism, Buddhism, and the shamanic Himalayan religion of Bon for over 2,000 years.
What exactly are Shaligrams?
- These are ancient ammonite fossils, a type of extinct sea creature linked to modern squids.
- It is gathered from the riverbed or banks of Nepal’s Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River.
- Within Hinduism, it is also seen as a manifestation of Vishnu.
- Shaligrams are kept in homes and temples as both living gods and active members of the community.
History:
- The statues of Vishnu in Thiruvananthapuram’s Padmanabhaswamy Temple and Garhwal’s Badrinath Temple, as well as Krishna in Udupi’s Krishna Matha and Vrindavana’s Radha Raman Temple, are also thought to be fashioned of shaligrama shilas.
- The pilgrimage to Shaligram takes place high in the Himalayas.
Source The Hindu
