Ker Sangri

Context: Rajasthan’s famous dish Ker Sangri has received a Geographical Indication or GI tag. 

About Ker Sangri

• Ker Sangri is made using two desert plants- the Ker and Sangri.
  • The Ker is a small berry, while Sangri is a bean that grows on the Khejri tree. These ingredients grow naturally in the dry and sandy lands of the Thar Desert.
• The Sangri bean grows on the Khejri tree, which is sacred in Rajasthan. 
  • In the past, people used them during times of drought when fresh vegetables were hard to find.
  • It is high in fibre, low in fat and rich in nutrients

Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag (BBA)

Context: Recently, the Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag (BBA), or Indian Languages Section was launched.

About Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag (BBA)

• It is a government initiative to promote Indian languages in administration and reduce the dominance of English.
• Objectives: 
  • States have their own official languages, and BBA will help in the translation work.
    • Official Language Rules, 1976: Under the Official Languages Rules, 1976, the Centre communicates with Region C States (e.g. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka) only in English.
  • Provide an organised platform for all Indian languages.
  • Facilitate thinking, analysis, and decision-making in mother tongues.
  • Ensure linguistic inclusivity in governance and communication.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs
• Budgetary Support: ₹56 crore allocated in the Union Budget 2024–25.
  • Funds to be used for creating a translation platform between Hindi and other Indian languages.
• Implementation Support: Supported by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

BRICS Parliamentary Forum

Context: The 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in Brasilia, Brazil, condemned the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

About BRICS Parliamentary Forum

• It is a platform for dialogue among the parliaments of BRICS member countries to facilitate inter-parliamentary discussions on global challenges and cooperation.
• Establishment: The first BRICS Parliamentary Forum was held in 2015, as a parallel institution to the BRICS summits.
• Chairmanship: It rotates annually among BRICS countries.
  • India assumed the chairmanship of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum to be hosted in 2026. 

Key Outcomes Of 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum

• Reaffirmed commitment to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Urged donor countries to meet Official Development Assistance (ODA) obligations.
• Collective agreement among member nations to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on terrorism.

800-year-old temple of later Pandya

Context: Recently, a temple from the later Pandya period (around 800 years old) has been discovered  in Udampatti village, Melur taluk, Tamil Nadu.

About the Temple

• It was dedicated to Lord Shiva.
• It dates back to 1217-1218 CE, during the reign of Maravarman Sundara Pandya.
• Inscriptions & Their Meaning
• • Inscriptions show the original name of Udampatti was Attur.
  • The temple was called Thennavanisvaram (Thennavan was a title used by Pandya rulers).
  • The inscriptions are about a land and waterbody sale recorded in ancient Tamil.
  • A chieftain named Alagaperumal sold Nagankudi waterbody and land for 64 kasu (coins).
  • The tax from the land was given to the temple for daily expenses.

ASW-SWC Arnala

Context: Indian Navy is set to commission the first Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) named Arnala at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam.

About Arnala

• It is the first ship in a series of 16 ASW-SWC class warships.
• Designed and built by : Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, in partnership with L&T Shipbuilders under a Public-Private Partnership model.
• ship’s motto:  Arnave Shauryam meaning Arnave Shauryam”.
• Naming: Named after Arnala Fort in Maharashtra, highlighting India’s maritime legacy.

Key Features

• It possesses Advanced Anti-Submarine Warfare Capabilities which makes it useful in rescue missions and low intensity operations.
• It has advanced subsurface surveillance which helps threat detection underwater. 
• It contains a Modern Propulsion System i.e. powered by a Diesel Engine-Waterjet combination, a first for an Indian Naval warship of this size.
• It is built with 80% indigenous content, boosting self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

Cowpea  

Context: Cowpea is a legume that scientists now believe could be vital in the global fight against climate change.

About Cowpea

• Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), also known as black-eyed pea, is naturally drought-tolerant legume within the pea family (Fabaceae).
• It thrives in poor soils, and can withstand heat, making it ideal for climate-vulnerable regions.  
• It improves soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, benefiting low-input farming systems.  
• It is a staple food in West Africa, often referred to as “poor man’s meat” due to its affordability and high protein.
• Regional Names: Lobia (Hindi), chavli (Marathi), karamani (Tamil), alasandulu (Telugu).  
• Recently ISRO conducted the Cowpea Experiment in Space aboard the PSLV-C60/POEM-4 mission, reaching the two-leaf stage in microgravity . 

Iberian-North African Genetic Links

Context: Recently, a groundbreaking genetic study that reveals how North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) were closely connected for millennia—genetically, culturally, and historically—until a major ethnic cleansing event in the 17th century severed that connection.

Genetic Findings

• Pre-Islamic North African Ancestry: DNA confirms North African links in Iberia before 711 CE, likely due to trade/Carthaginian ties.  
• Islamic Period Intensified Mixing:  Strong North African genetic signatures in early Al-Andalus, gradually diluted over time.  
• Post-Reconquista Survival:  North African DNA persisted in Christian populations until the 17th century.  
• Morisco deportations (1609–1614) drastically reduced but did not fully erase this ancestry.  
  • The Moriscos were Muslims forcibly converted to Christianity in Iberia  after the Christian Reconquista (1492). 
  • Many of them secretly kept Muslim traditions, leading to suspicion, violence and deportation. 
• Legacy in the Americas:  Some North African-Iberian DNA carried to Latin America by early colonists.  

Significance of the Findings

• Challenges simplistic narratives of Iberian history (e.g., “pure” Christian reconquest).  
• Highlights how political decisions (like ethnic cleansing) can reshape genetic landscapes.

Chenab Bridge

Context: The Chenab bridge in Jammu and Kashmir ( the highest arch-railway bridge in the world) has been recently inaugurated.

About Chenab Bridge

• The bridge is one of the 927 bridges in the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project and is the only arch-shaped railway bridge in India
  • The project also includes India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge at Anji Khad.

RBI Cuts Repo Rates by 50 bps

Context:  The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has cut the repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.50 per cent recently.

• The rate cut marks the third consecutive reduction since February 2025.
• The Cash Reserve Ratio of banks was also slashed by 100 basis points to 3 per cent, releasing Rs 2.5 lakh crore of lendable resources to the banking system.
• Policy Stance: It has changed from ‘accommodative’ to ‘neutral’ in a bid to support economic growth. 
• GDP and Inflation Estimates: The policy panel retained the GDP growth estimates at 6.5 per cent but projected a lower CPI inflation of 3.7 per cent in the current fiscal.
• Reason: The fall in retail inflation driven by the sustained fall in food prices.
  • Inflation rates were below 4 per cent in the last three months (February, March and April) of 2025 and a sharp fall in food inflation.
• Impact: 
  • The rate cut will boost growth prospects as it will stimulate borrowing and investment, leading to a higher growth rate and will benefit borrowers, especially home loans.
  • The rate cuts will benefit the bond market as bond prices will rise and bond Yields may decline further, enhancing returns for existing bondholders and boosting demand for fixed-income assets.
  • It will negatively impact the savers and depositors who will see their returns declining as there will be a reduction in  the deposit rate.

About Cash Reserve Ratio

• CRR is the proportion of a bank’s Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL) that must be maintained with the RBI in cash form.
• The Cash Reserve Ratio serves as one of the reference rates when determining the base rate.
• CRR and Liquidity: When CRR is increased, banks have to keep more money with the RBI, reducing their ability to lend. The higher the CRR, the lower is the liquidity with the banks and vice-versa.
  • Banks don’t earn returns on money parked as CRR.

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