News in Shorts: 19 December 2025

GOBARDHAN Scheme

Context: Gujarat is transforming its rural landscape through the effective implementation of the central GOBARdhan  scheme.

About the GOBARDHAN Scheme

• GOBARdhan stands for Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan).
• It is an umbrella initiative based on a “whole-of-Government” approach, aiming to convert waste to wealth and promote a circular economy.
• Launched: 2018 under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin); strengthened in 2021 as a national mission.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Jal Shakti
• Objectives:
  • Convert cattle dung & organic waste into biogas/CBG, compost, and bio-slurry.
  • Promote clean energy, sanitation, and rural livelihoods
  • Reduce open dumping, GHG emissions, and dependence on fossil fuels
• Key Features: 
  • Establishment of Biogas/Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants in rural & urban areas.
  • Convergence with schemes like SATAT, MGNREGA, NPBM, and Swachh Bharat.
• GOBARdhan Portal: A Unified Registration Portal where any entity intending to set up a Biogas/CBG plant can enroll.
• The initiative is a key driver for villages to achieve ODF+ (Open Defecation Free Plus) status, indicating sustained sanitation.

Nupi Lan Day

Context: On the 86th Nupi Lan Day, President Droupadi Murmu paid tribute at Imphal, highlighting Manipur’s historic women-led resistance against colonial economic exploitation.

About Nupi Lan Day

Nupi Lan Day is observed annually on 12 December in Manipur to commemorate the second Nupi Lan (1939), a landmark women-led mass movement against colonial policies and economic injustice

About Nupi Lan

• Nupi Lan, meaning “Women’s War” in the Meitei language, refers to two major women-led uprisings (1908 and 1939) against British colonial rule in Manipur.
• The first Nupi Lan (1908) protested against  forced labour and colonial administrative excesses.

Second Nupi Lan (1939)

• It erupted against large-scale rice exports, price rise, scarcity, and exploitation by Marwari traders under British patronage.
  • Manipuri women, central to rice trade through local markets like Khwairamband Bazar (Ima Market), led mass protests demanding a ban on exports.
• Thousands of women confronted colonial authorities; clashes occurred with British forces despite repression.
• The agitation expanded from an economic protest into demands for administrative and constitutional reforms in Manipur.

Significance

• Nupi Lan remains a powerful symbol of women’s collective action, inspiring contemporary movements for economic justice, democratic governance, and gender-inclusive public participation in Manipur and beyond.

Piprahwa Stupa and Piprahwa Gems

Context: India has blocked the Hong Kong auction of Piprahwa Gems, asserting the relics as living spiritual heritage, leading to their repatriation for public display.

About the Piprahwa Stupa

• The Piprahwa stupa is widely considered the burial site for a portion of the ashes and bone fragments of Gautama Buddha, given to his own Shakya clan following his cremation around 480 BCE.
• Location: Piprahwa Stupa is in Siddharthnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, near Lumbini on the India–Nepal border.
• Historical Significance: Linked with Kapilavastu, the capital of the Shakya clan of Gautama Buddha.
• Discovery: Excavated in 1898 by William Claxton Peppe, a British engineer.
• Relic Find: Stone caskets containing bone relics, jewels, and gold ornaments were discovered.
• Brahmi Inscription: One casket bears an inscription referring to relics of the Buddha deposited by the Shakyas.
• Chronology: The earliest stupa dates to 5th–4th century BCE, soon after the Mahaparinirvana of Buddha.
• Mauryan Connection: The stupa was enlarged during the Mauryan period, possibly under Emperor Ashoka.
• Current Status: Recognized as an important Buddhist archaeological site and part of India’s Buddhist heritage tourism circuit.

Piprahwa Gems

• Found inside the Piprahwa Stupa by William Claxton Peppé along with bone relics believed to be of Gautama Buddha.
• Nature of Gems: Include gold ornaments, semi-precious stones, beads, and jewellery.
• Historical Period: Dated to around 5th–4th century BCE, linked to early Buddhist relic worship after the Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana.
• Dispersal: Many relics went to museums in India and abroad; some gems remained with Peppé’s descendants.
• 2025 Controversy: Proposed auction by the Peppé family heirs of the gems in Hong Kong triggered objections from the Government of India.
• India’s Stand: Claimed the gems as living spiritual and cultural heritage, not private collectibles.
• Repatriation: The Godrej Group acquired and brought the gems back to India for public display.

India and Doping

Context: According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2024 report, India has recorded the highest number of doping violations worldwide for the third consecutive year.

About Doping

• Doping refers to the use of prohibited substances or methods by athletes in competitive sports to enhance performance artificially. 
• Common Forms of Doping: 
  • Anabolic Steroids: for muscle growth.
  • Stimulants:  to increase alertness and endurance.
  • Hormones (for example: Erythropoietin/EPO): to boost red blood cell count and stamina.
  • Diuretics and masking agents: to hide the use of other substances.

India’s Doping Crisis

• Magnitude of the Problem: 260 Indian athletes tested positive from 7,113 samples, giving a 3.6% positivity rate, among the highest globally.
  • Nearly 1 in every 5 Indian athletes tested by the national anti-doping watchdog during a competition were dope positive.
• National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), India: As per NADA, the number of dope tests has gone up from 4,004 in 2019 to 7,113 in 2024 
  • The positivity rate has decreased during the corresponding period from 5.6 per cent to 3.6 per cent.
  • As of December 16, 2025, 7,068 tests had been conducted this year, with 110 positive cases, for a positivity rate of 1.5 per cent.
• Comparison with Other Nations: China, Germany, France, Russia, Italy, and the UK reported fewer positive cases despite conducting more tests.
• Trends: Athletics, weightlifting, and wrestling are the most affected sports.

Regulatory Institutions Associated With Doping

• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA): International body that monitors and enforces anti-doping rules globally.
  • It maintains an annually updated list of banned substances and methods.
• National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), India: Implements the WADA Code, conducts testing, and imposes sanctions.

Rhino Dehorning

Context: Dehorning 2,284 rhinos across eight reserves reduced poaching by 78%, using only 1.2% of the anti-poaching budget. It shows strong potential as a long-term anti-poaching strategy.

About Dehorning

• Definition:  Dehorning is the removal of most of a rhino’s horn to reduce the risk of poaching without harming the animal.
• Purpose:
  • Removes the main incentive (i.e., horns) for poachers.
  • Protects rhinos from being killed for their horns.
• Process:
  • Animal Preparation: Rhinos are sedated, blindfolded, and fitted with earplugs to reduce stress.
  • Horn Removal: 90–93% of the horn is cut above the germinal layer to allow regrowth.
  • Post-Care: The remaining stump is smoothed and coated with pine tar to prevent drying or infection.
• Effectiveness: Studies show a 75–78% drop in poaching in dehorned reserves.
• Dehorned rhinos face a 95% lower risk of being poached individually.

About Rhino Horns

• About Rhinos: Rhinoceroses are the world’s second-largest land mammals after elephants. 
  • Their horns are made of keratin.
• Significance of the Horns: Rhinos are primarily vegetarians. 
  • They use their horns to dig to access edible plants and roots. 
  • The horn also serves as a symbol of virility, as females usually prefer those with the largest horns as mates

Reasons for Rhino Poaching

• Economic Pressure: Poverty in local communities, combined with high demand for rhino horns, creates strong financial incentives for poaching.
• Poachers’ Method: Poachers kill rhinos to remove the entire horn because even leaving 10% behind is not profitable.
• Demand for Horns: Rhino horns are perceived as status symbols and are also used in traditional medicine in asian countries like Vietnam and China, despite having no scientifically proven medicinal benefits.
• High Trade Value: The raw rhino horn trade between 2012 and 2022 generated an estimated $874 million to $1.13 billion, with prices ranging from $3,382 to $22,257 per kilogram.

Global Rhino Decline

• Population Status: Fewer than 28,000 rhinos remain worldwide across all five species as of 2024.
• Poaching Threat: Relentless poaching is a significant threat to rhinos’ survival.
• African Reserves Impact: The Greater Kruger reserves lost 1,985 black and white rhinos between 2017 and 2023 (nearly 6.5% per year) despite a $74 million anti-poaching investment, including ranger patrols, trained dogs, AI cameras, and aerial surveillance.

Jumping Genes

Context: Polar bears in southern Greenland are using jumping genes to rewrite their own DNA to survive the rapidly melting sea ice.

About Jumping Genes

• Definition: Jumping genes, also known as transposons or transposable elements, are pieces of DNA that move from one location on the genome to another.
• Significance: They influence how other genes are switched on and help organisms respond rapidly to environmental stress.
  • They play a significant role in genetic diversity and evolution by enabling mutations and rearrangements.
• Composition: Over one-third of the polar bear genome, 45% of the human genome, and up to 70% of plant genomes consist of Jumping Genes.

Key Findings of Research

• Study Area and Comparison: Researchers analysed DNA from polar bears in Greenland, comparing southern (warmer) populations with northern populations.
• Increased Gene Activity: Southern Greenland bears showed higher jumping gene activity compared to northern bears.
  • Higher activity was linked to warmer environmental conditions. 
  • This suggests rapid biological responses to climate stress.
• Affected Genes: Genes related to metabolism, ageing, and heat stress were influenced, potentially helping regulate energy use and fat storage.
• Implications: Genetic flexibility may allow short-term adaptation to climate stress but does not guarantee long-term survival.
• Future Research: Scientists plan to track whether these genetic changes are heritable and study their impact on health, reproduction, and survival under continued Arctic warming.

International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas

Context: The 11th International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas warns that global diabetes cases may rise to nearly 900 million by 2050, driven largely by urbanisation and ageing.

• The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium,serving as the central hub for its global network of over 250 national diabetes associations. 

Key Highlights of the Report

• Global Burden: Global diabetes cases are projected to increase from ~500 million in 2024 to 850–900 million by 2050, affecting nearly 13% of adults aged 20–79 years.
  • Urban areas already account for a larger diabetes burden (400 million) than rural regions (189 million), with this gap expected to widen by 2050.
• India’s Share: India ranks second globally in diabetes burden, with nearly 90 million people affected in 2024, after China.
  • By 2050, India is projected to retain its position among the top two countries with the highest diabetes load.

Causes Behind Rising Diabetes

• Rapid urbanisation leading to sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets, and reduced physical activity.
• Population ageing and growth in low- and middle-income countries, where healthcare systems are under strain.
• Workplace stress and behavioural risk factors, including obesity and poor metabolic health, especially among working-age adults.

Recommendations to Curb Rising Diabetes

• Stronger prevention strategies to slow disease progression, tailored to country-specific and population-specific risk profiles.
• Early detection and primary care strengthening, especially in urban centres and vulnerable populations.
• Integrated public health policies addressing lifestyle risks such as diet, physical inactivity, and stress, alongside improved access to care.

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