{"id":166391,"date":"2025-05-17T20:43:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T15:13:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&p=166391"},"modified":"2025-05-17T20:43:05","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T15:13:05","slug":"news-in-shorts-17-may-2025","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/news-in-shorts-17-may-2025","title":{"rendered":"News in Shorts: 17 May 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>58th Jnanpith Award<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, renowned Urdu poet Gulzar and Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya have been named the recipients of the 58th Jnanpith Award.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About Jnanpith Award<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Establishment:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In 1944.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was instituted in 1961, and the first award was given in 1965.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sponsored<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by: The<\/span><b> cultural organization Bharatiya Jnanpith<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Eligibility<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The Award is open for only Indian citizens.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The Highest Literary Award in India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The Jnanpith Award is given annually for outstanding contributions to Indian literature.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is given annually for the best creative literary writing to writers in any Constitutionally recognized<\/span><b> 22 Scheduled Languages<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and,<\/span><b> since 2013, in English.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Honor<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The prize carries a <\/span><b>cash award of Rs 21 lakh<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a citation, and a bronze replica of <\/span><b>Vagdevi (Saraswati)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the goddess of learning.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>ASI Completes Conservation Work in Lodhi-Era Stepwell<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, in collaboration with the <\/span><b>World Monuments Fund India (WMFI)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the <\/span><b>TCS Foundation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, has completed the conservation work of \u2018Rajon ki Baoli\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About Rajon Ki Baoli<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Name Origin: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The name <\/span><b>&#8220;Rajon Ki Baoli&#8221; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">translates to<\/span><b> &#8220;Stepwell of the Masons,&#8221; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">derived from &#8216;<\/span><b>rajmistris&#8217;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014the masons who once inhabited the area.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Location: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">located in Mehrauli Archaeological Park, <\/span><b>New Delhi<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Built In: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rajon ki Baoli was constructed circa <\/span><b>1506 CE <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by <\/span><b>Daulat Khan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a governor during the Lodhi dynasty.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Purpose: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Intended as a <\/span><b>resting place for travelers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>showcasing Indo-Islamic architectural features.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Features: It is a U-shaped four-tiered stepwell <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with<\/span><b> Indo-Islamic arches and Lodhi-period plasterwork.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Significance: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Baoli highlights the <\/span><b>importance of restoring traditional water systems<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as<\/span><b> sustainable solutions for water management <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the face of climate change<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About World Monuments Fund<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a leading independent nonprofit organization <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dedicated to preserving and protecting the world&#8217;s most treasured cultural heritage sites.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Headquarter:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> New York City<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Pushkar Kumbh Begins After 12 Years<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The<\/span><b> Pushkar Kumbh<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has commenced at <\/span><b>Keshav Prayag <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">located in<\/span><b> Mana village <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of <\/span><b>Chamoli district, Uttarakhand<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, after a 12-year interval.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About Pushkar Kumbh<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to religious tradition, when the planet <\/span><b>Jupiter enters the Gemini sign once in 12 years,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the Pushkar Kumbh is held at Keshav Prayag.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Keshav Prayag <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is at the <\/span><b>confluence of the Alaknanda and Saraswati rivers.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This event is primarily attended by devotees of the <\/span><b>Vaishnavite tradition from South India.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Operation AAHT<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, the <\/span><b>Railway Protection Force\u2019s (RPF) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rescued four minor girls from a <\/span><b>human trafficking attempt<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at Raxaul Railway Station.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About Operation AAHT<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Objective: Operation AAHT (Action Against Human Trafficking) is the flagship campaign of the Railway Protection Force\u2019s (RPF) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to <\/span><b>combat human trafficking<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> across Indian Railways, with a focus on protecting vulnerable individuals, especially children.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are set up across the railway network.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Impact (2024\u201325):<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">929 victims were rescued, including 874 children (50 girls, 824 boys).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">274 traffickers arrested through joint efforts and surveillance.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>About Human Trafficking:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It is the<\/span><b> act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the<\/span><b> purpose of exploitation such as sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, or organ harvesting etc.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>\u201cBiomanufacturing for mRNA Therapeutics\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context: Recently, The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Government of India conducted the 14th Webinar under the<\/span><b> \u2018Webinar Series on Biofoundry and Manufacturing Initiative\u2019.<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>More about the Initiative<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The session focused o<\/span><b>n \u201cBiomanufacturing for mRNA Therapeutics\u201d<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Policy Framework:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It falls under <\/span><b>the BioE3 Policy<\/b> <b>(Biotechnology for Economy, Environment &#038; Employment).<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Goal of BioE3: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The policy aims to make India a<\/span><b> global leader in sustainable bio-based innovations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, inc<\/span><b>luding mRNA therapeutics.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About \u201cBiomanufacturing for mRNA Therapeutics\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Biomanufacturing involves producing biolog<\/span><b>ical products using living cells or microorganisms.<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For mRNA Therapeutics, genetically engineered cells or organisms are essential for large-scale productio<\/span><b>n.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>mRNA Therapeutics: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These therapies use messenger RNA to direct cells to produce proteins that triggers an immune response which help treat <\/span><b>diseases.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Advantages of mRNA Therapeutics<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Faster Development:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> mRNA treatments can be developed quickly compared to traditional drugs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>High Versatility:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They can be used to treat <\/span><b>a wide range of diseases<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">E<\/span><b>asy Scalability: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mRNA vaccines are simpler to produce in large quantities than conventional ones.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About Bio-foundry<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Bio-foundry is a <\/span><b>high-tech facility f<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or biomanufacturing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It helps scale up<\/span><b> bio-based innovations <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">through collaboration with startups and researchers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Agamic Temples in Tamil Nadu<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, The Supreme Court requested <\/span><b>a committee<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> formed by the Madras High Court to identify <\/span><b>Agamic temples<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a<\/span><b>s against non-Agamic temples in Tamil Nadu in three months.<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>What are Agamas?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agamas are<\/span><b> a group of ancient Hindu scriptures and texts based on Tantra.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>T<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he word <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agam<\/span><\/i><b><i>a<\/i><\/b><b> means \u201cthat which has come down\u201d or simply \u201ctradition\u201d.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>These texts discuss topics like: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cosmology and philosophy, Meditation practices, Four types of yoga, Use of mantras, Rules for temple construction, Worship of deities, and Ways to fulfill six types of desires.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Agamas temple must have <\/span><b>Sthala, Tirtha, and Murti<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for a place of pilgrimage.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>A<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gamas are writt<\/span><b>en in Sanskrit and Tamil.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Branches of Agamas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Agama texts are classified into three m<\/span><b>ain schools:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Shaiva Agamas \u2013<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Related to worship of Lord Shiva<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Vaishnava Agamas (Pancharatra Samhitas) \u2013 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Related to worship of Lord Vishnu<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Shakta Agamas (Tantras) \u2013 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Related to worship of Goddess Shakti<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Number of Texts : <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shaiva Agamas \u2013 28, Shakta Agamas \u2013 64, Vaishnava Agamas \u2013 108<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and Upa-Agamas \u2013 Numerous additional <\/span><b>secondary texts.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Agamas include different spiritual philosophies: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dvaita (Dualism) and Advaita (Non-dualism).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Important Agamic Texts<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 Isvara-Samhita, Narada-Pancharatra, Spanda-Pradipika and Mahanirvana-Tantra<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Notable Agamic Temples in Tamil Nadu:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Brihadeeswarar Temple (Thanjavur), Meenakshi Amman Temple (Madurai), Ranganathaswamy Temple (Srirangam).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Reason for Legal Dispute on Agamic Temples in Tamil Nadu<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The legal dispute arises as<\/span><b> Agamic temples follow strict traditional norms requiring priests<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from specific sects, while the Tamil Nadu government&#8217;s reform <\/span><b>allows trained individuals from any caste to become priests.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Critics argue that such reform violates<\/span><b> religious customs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, expressing concern\u00a0 that short-term training and inclusion of non-believers could dilute temple sanctity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div 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About Jnanpith Award Establishment: In 1944. It was instituted in 1961, and the first award was given in 1965.\u00a0 Sponsored by: The cultural organization Bharatiya Jnanpith. Eligibility: The Award is open&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/news-in-shorts-17-may-2025\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">News in Shorts: 17 May 2025<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":166195,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[],"subject":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/166391"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166391"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/166391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":166416,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/166391\/revisions\/166416"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166391"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=166391"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=166391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}