Apatani Tribe

Context: The traditional practice of facial tattoos and wooden nose plugs among Apatani women of Arunachal Pradesh now survives only among elderly women.

About Apatani Tribe

• The Apatanis are one of the prominent Scheduled Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, known for their unique cultural practices, sustainable agricultural systems, and strong community identity.
• Location and Habitat: They primarily inhabit the Ziro Valley in the Lower Subansiri district, a bowl-shaped valley nestled in the lower ranges of the eastern Himalayas.
• Nature Worshiper: The Apatanis are among the few tribes in the world who continue to worship nature.They worship the sun and the moon.
• Festivals and Activities: The elders in the tribe propagate knowledge through folk stories, songs, couplets in the form of Miji-Migun, Busi-Ayu and also extensive and elaborate festivals like Marun, Myako, Dree, and Yapung.
• Language: Tani
• Natural healing: The tribe has extensive knowledge of herbal remedies to cure most of their ailments.
• Distinctive Cultural Practices: Apatanis are traditionally recognised for women wearing facial tattoos (Tippei) and wooden nose plugs (Yaping Hullo), symbolising both protection and identity.
  • The practice began as a protective measure to make women appear less attractive to invaders, later evolving into a symbol of tribal beauty and social dignity.
  • In the early 1970s, the Government of India banned the practice, citing social hindrances for women seeking urban education and employment opportunities.
• Economic Activities of Apatanis: The Apatanis are skilled in wet rice cultivation.
  • Apatani wet rice cultivation is a sophisticated, highly evolved agro-ecosystem known for its integrated system of wet rice farming and fish farming (pisciculture).

Personalised Adaptive Learning

Context: An evaluation study has found that the Personalised Adaptive Learning (PAL) software used in Andhra Pradesh government schools led to a doubling of learning rates among students who used it.

• The study was  carried out independently by Nobel laureate Michael Kremer.
• Andhra Pradesh government partnered with ConveGenius.AI in 2019 to introduce CG PAL for Classes 6–9.

What is Personalized Adaptive Learning

• Definition: A learning approach that adapts to the individual needs of each learner.
• Customization: Enables students to learn according to their own learning level, preferences, and style.
• Shift from Traditional Methods: Moves away from one-size-fits-all teaching to a more flexible and adaptive learning model.

Key Features of PAL Software

• Gamified Learning: The software gamifies math concepts and adapts content according to each student’s grade-level knowledge and problem-solving style.
• Personalised Learning Path: Students are provided with a customised learning path, allowing instruction to be tailored to their individual learning levels.

Learning Outcomes and Gains

• Overall Learning Gains: Students using PAL achieved progress equivalent to 1.9 years of schooling compared to peers without the intervention.
• Grade-wise Impact: Younger students (Grades 6 and 7) showed larger improvements.
• Class Size & Access: Students in smaller classes with greater access to tablets (42.3 hours vs 30.6 hours) recorded higher gains.
• Gender Differences: Girls engaged with the software more than boys, resulting in larger learning gains.
• Usage Correlation: Average usage was 35.3 hours over 17 months, with learning outcomes positively correlated to the time spent on the software.

India and Israel sign Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA)

Context: India and Israel have signed a Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA), marking the first such agreement with an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member state. 

Key Features of the Agreement

• Investor Protection: Establishes a minimum standard of treatment for investors and provides an independent dispute resolution mechanism through arbitration.
• Safeguards & Transparency: Protects investments against expropriation, ensures transparency, and enables smooth transfers and compensation for losses.
• Policy Balance: Investor protection is carefully balanced with the State’s regulatory rights, preserving sovereign policy space.

Significance of Agreement

• Economic Cooperation: Expected to enhance economic ties and create a robust investment environment.
• Investment Boost: Current bilateral investments between India and Israel stand at USD 800 million; the agreement is expected to further boost investment flows.
• Sectoral Collaboration: Promotes cooperation in fintech innovation, infrastructure development, financial regulation, and digital payment connectivity.
• New Opportunities: Encourages business interaction and investment in cybersecurity, defence, innovation, and high-technology sectors.

Pacific Islands Forum

Context: Pacific Islands leaders began a week-long summit in the Solomon Islands to address regional security and climate challenges, amid rising tensions between the United States and China.

Key Focus Areas of the Summit

• Security Concerns:  The summit addresses growing geopolitical tensions in the region, particularly between the United States and China.
  • China’s pressure to block Taiwan’s participation led to the Solomon Islands cancelling the attendance of donor partners, including China, Taiwan, and the United States.
• Climate Change and COP31: Leaders are expected to support Australia’s bid to host the COP31 United Nations climate summit. 

About Solomon Islands

• Location: An island country in Melanesia, Oceania, comprising six major islands and over 900 smaller islands, located northeast of Australia.
• Neighbouring Countries & Territories:
  • West: Autonomous Region of Bougainville
  • South-West: Australia
  • South-East: New Caledonia and Vanuatu
  • East: Fiji, Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna
  • North: Federated States of Micronesia and Nauru
• Topography & Climate: Mainly mountainous and forested, with some plains. The climate is tropical, moderated by cooling sea winds.
• Capital: Honiara, located on Guadalcanal, the largest island.
• Ethnic Groups: Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, other 1.5%.

What are the Pacific Island Countries? 

• Geographical Groups: Comprise three major groups – Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
• Definition: Refers to 14 countries scattered across the South-West Pacific Ocean.
• Member States:
  Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Significance of the Summit

• Geopolitical Importance: Highlights the strategic role of the Pacific Islands in global geopolitics, particularly in balancing influence between major powers.
• Climate Vulnerability: Emphasises the islands’ exposure to climate change and their efforts to secure international support for adaptation and mitigation initiatives.

About the Pacific Island Forum

• Formation: Established in 1971, PIF is an intergovernmental organisation comprising 18 member states in the Pacific region.
• Member States (18): Pacific Island Countries + Australia, French Polynesia, New Caledonia and  New Zealand.
• Key Members: Australia and New Zealand are the largest and wealthiest members of the organisation.
• Objectives: To promote economic growth, improve political governance, foster regional cooperation, and strengthen climate and maritime security across the Pacific region.
• Vision: A resilient Pacific region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion, and prosperity where all Pacific peoples can live free, healthy, and productive lives.

Undersea Cable Cut

Context: Recently, two undersea cable systems, South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 (SMW4) and India–Middle East–Western Europe (IMEWE) suffered cuts, disrupting internet services across India, Pakistan, and Gulf nations.

About Undersea Cables (Submarine Cables)

• Undersea or Submarine cables are fiber-optic cables laid on seabeds that carry over 99% of global internet traffic, ensuring high-speed, low-latency connectivity.
• Technology Used: They employ fiber-optic strands (as thin as human hair) that transmit light signals using total internal reflection, strengthened by layers of plastic, steel, and copper.
• Network Importance: Globally, submarine cables outpace satellites in capacity and latency
  • In India, 17 international subsea cables connect via 14 landing stations, with Mumbai and Chennai handling 68% of capacity.
• Advanced Engineering: Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) allows multiple data streams to travel simultaneously through one cable.

Possible Causes of Breakage

• Fishing activities and ship anchors, responsible for most accidental cable cuts worldwide.
• Geopolitical conflicts, such as Red Sea hostilities by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
• Natural hazards, including earthquakes and undersea landslides.

Impact of the Breakage

• Connectivity Disruption: Millions of users across South Asia and Gulf nations faced slowdowns and service outages.
• Economic Implications: Delayed transactions, slowed trade communications, and disruption in financial markets occurred due to latency increases.
• Strategic Vulnerability: Dependence on a few chokepoints highlighted risks to national security and critical digital infrastructure.

India’s Efforts to Strengthen Undersea Cable Network

• Infrastructure Expansion: New projects like India Asia Xpress (IAX), India Europe Xpress (IEX), and the Africa cable system aim to enhance redundancy and diversify international routes.
• Policy and Security Measures: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed classifying submarine cable infrastructure as an “essential service”, incentivizing dispersed landing stations, and reducing over-reliance on foreign repair fleets.

Witness Protection Scheme

Context: In Phireram vs State of U.P. (2025),the Supreme Court criticised the Allahabad High Court for issuing template orders in bail cancellation cases, wrongly relying on the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018.

Supreme Court’s Observations

• Bail cancellation must be decided on merits and principles of law, not by directing parties to Witness Protection.
• Nearly 40 applications since April 2025 were disposed of using identical “cyclostyled” orders.
• Treating the Witness Protection scheme as a substitute for bail cancellation undermines judicial scrutiny and weakens trial safeguards.
  

Distinction Between Bail Cancellation & Witness Protection

• Bail Cancellation: Preventive and supervisory role of courts; ensures accused do not intimidate witnesses or tamper with evidence.
• Witness Protection : It is remedial and curative. It  provides safety once threats materialise through measures like escorts, anonymity, or relocation.
  • SC clarified that the two are complementary, not interchangeable.

About Witness Protection scheme, 2028: 

• The Witness Protection Scheme, 2018 is India’s first holistic framework, approved by the Supreme Court, to safeguard witnesses against threats and intimidation.
• Objective: To ensure fair trial by protecting witnesses from harassment, threats to life, property, and reputation, thereby upholding the rule of law.
• Competent Authority: A District Standing Committee chaired by the District & Sessions Judge, with the District Police Chief and Head of Prosecution as members. 
• Categorisation of Witnesses as per threat perception:
  • Category A: Threat to life of witness/family.
  • Category B: Threat to safety, reputation, or property.
  • Category C: Moderate threat involving harassment or intimidation.
• Protection measures: It ranges from police escort, identity concealment, video testimony, relocation, anonymity, and new identity.

Gen Z Protest in Nepal

Context: Recently , Nepal witnessed violent Gen Z protests after a social media ban, leading to 19 deaths and the resignation of Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli.

Who are Gen Z?

• Generation Z refers to people born between 1996 and 2010. They’re the second-youngest generation, between millennials and Generation Alpha.

About the Gen Z Revolution in Nepal

• The Gen Z agitation marks the first large-scale street mobilisation of Nepal’s under-28 youth against entrenched political elites and corruption.
• Reasons for the Revolution
• • Social Media Ban: The government banned 26 major platforms (including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, and X) for non-compliance with registration rules.
  • Corruption Allegations: Almost all senior political leaders face corruption charges, eroding youth trust in democratic institutions.
  • Lack of Jobs and Opportunities: With 82% of the workforce in informal employment, limited job creation has forced many Nepali youth to seek work abroad.
  • Generational Frustration: Young citizens resent the dominance of 70-plus leaders, fueling anger against “Nepo Babies” and entrenched privilege.
  • Erosion of Press Freedom: The ban was perceived as a move to curb dissent and self-expression.

Social Media Regulation in India

• Data Protection Governance: India enacted the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, establishing the Data Protection Board to safeguard citizen data.
• Content Moderation Rules: The 2023 IT Rules amendment mandates online intermediaries to remove government-flagged “false information.”
  • Critics highlight risks of excessive state control, as the fact-checking process lacks full independence from the executive.

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