Indian Naval Ship Imphal

Context: INS Imphal, an Indian naval ship, reached Port Louis, Mauritius, on March 10, 2025.

Key highlights of the visit

• This is the ship’s first-ever visit to the country.
  • The visit aligns with India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy and SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) initiative.
• Participation in Mauritius National Day
  • The ship will take part in Mauritius’ 57th National Day celebrations on March 12, 2025.

About INS Imphal

• INS Imphal is part of Project 15B (Visakhapatnam-class destroyers).
• It was commissioned in December 2023 and is the third in this series.
• It is equipped with advanced weapons, sensors, and machinery, making it one of the most modern warships in the world.
• INS Imphal is the first warship to be named after a city in the North-east. 
  • The naming underscores the importance and contribution of the region and Manipur to the Nation & the Indian Navy.

Jadayaswamy Festival

Context: Recently the Jadayaswamy Festival was celebrated by the Badagas of Nilgiris.

About Jadayaswamy Festival

• The Jadayaswamy festival is an important religious celebration of the Badagas community in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu.
• It is celebrated at Jackanarai village near Kotagiri and is dedicated to Jadayaswamy, a revered deity of the Badagas.
• A significant ritual of the festival is firewalking, performed annually as an act of devotion.

About Badagas of Nilgiris

• The Badagas are the largest indigenous community in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu.
• Ethnicity and  Origin: The Badagas migrated from Mysore to the Nilgiris in the 16th century after the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire.
  • They share ethnic ties with the Gaudas and have distinct customs and traditions.
• Language: The Badagas speak Badaga (Badugu), a Dravidian language that evolved from 16th-century Kannada.
  • The language has influences from Tamil, English, and Sanskrit.
• Festivals and Traditions: The Badagas celebrate Hindu festivals like Diwali and Pongal along with their unique festivals, such as Hethai Habba and Hetthai Amman, honoring their ancestral deity.
• Traditional Occupation: Traditionally, the Badagas practiced slash-and-burn agriculture before transitioning to intensive farming.
  • They cultivated millets, barley, wheat, and later cash crops like potatoes and cabbages.
• Modern Economy: Over time, Badagas have diversified into tea plantations, dairy farming, education, and government services, leading to economic progress.
• Settlement and Lifestyle: Their villages, called “Hattis,” consist of stone or brick houses arranged in parallel rows with a central village green for communal gatherings.
• Demography : As per 1991  Census the Badaga population was estimated at 145,000, with high literacy rates in Tamil and English.

Mission Amrit Sarovar

Context: Phase II of Mission Amrit Sarovar has been envisaged to continue with a renewed focus on ensuring water availability.

About Mission Amrit Sarovar

• Mission Amrit Sarovar was launched in April 2022 by the Union Government  to construct or rejuvenate 75 ponds per district across India.
• Purpose:
  • Address water scarcity by improving surface and groundwater availability.
  • Establish sustainable water resources beyond immediate needs.
• Pond Specifications:
  • Each Amrit Sarovar will have a minimum pondage area of 1 acre.
  • Water holding capacity: Approximately 10,000 cubic meters.
• Approach: Implemented using a “Whole of Government” strategy, involving multiple ministries:
  • Ministry of Rural Development (Nodal Ministry)
  • Ministry of Jal Shakti
  • Ministry of Culture
  • Ministry of Panchayati Raj
• Funding: No separate financial allocation; works are undertaken through convergence of existing schemes, including:
  • Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)
  • 15th Finance Commission Grants
  • Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) sub-schemes (Watershed Development, Har Khet Ko Pani)
  • State government initiatives, crowdfunding, and CSR contributions.

Progress and Future Plans

• Achievements: As of January 2025, over 68,000 Amrit Sarovars have been completed.
  • Enhanced water conservation efforts across India.
• Phase II Focus:
  • Ensure community participation (Jan Bhagidari).
  • Strengthen climate resilience and ecological balance.
  • Deliver long-term water sustainability benefits.

Role of Indian Railways in the Mission

• Railways contribute by digging and rejuvenating ponds near railway sites for water conservation.
• Coordination with: Ministry of Rural Development.
• Responsibilities include:
  • Desilting and excavation at suitable locations near railway lines.
  • Utilizing excavated material for railway embankments (if soil quality is suitable).
  • Collaborating with district authorities to identify potential locations.
• Technical Support: Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) is engaged as the technical partner for monitoring and implementation.

UN80 Initiative

Context: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has announced the UN80 Initiative aimed at improving efficiencies at the 80-year-old world organisation and making it more cost-effective.

About UN80 Initiative

• Purpose: To improve efficiencies, reduce costs, and make the UN more effective in addressing global challenges like shrinking resources, a liquidity crisis, and increasing global uncertainty.
• Key Objectives: The UN80 Initiative focuses on three main areas:
  • Efficiency Improvements: Rapid identification of efficiencies in UN operations.
    • Streamlining processes to reduce costs and improve effectiveness.
  • Mandate Review: Thorough review of all mandates given to the UN by member states.
    • Address the significant increase in mandates in recent years.
  • Structural Changes: Strategic review of deeper, structural changes within the UN system.
    • Realignment of programs to better address 21st-century challenges.