Nomination to Rajya Sabha
Syllabus: GS2/ Polity
In News
- The President of India has appointed four new individuals as nominated members of the Rajya Sabha.
- The President nominated them on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers (headed by the Prime Minister).
About Nomination to Rajya Sabha
- Article 80 of the Constitution: Out of the maximum 250 members in the Rajya Sabha, 12 are nominated by the President of India.
- The nominated members are chosen for their special knowledge or practical experience in areas such as literature, science, art, and social service.
- Purpose: The nomination system ensures that the Rajya Sabha benefits from the insights of eminent personalities who may not wish to contest elections but can contribute significantly to national discourse.
- Term: Nominated members serve for a six-year term, the same as elected members.
- Powers and Rights: Nominated members enjoy the same rights as other Rajya Sabha members, except they cannot vote in the election of the President of India.
Source: TH
Jarawa Tribe
Syllabus: GS2/ Marginalized Community
Context
- The upcoming 2027 Census will include efforts to count the six main indigenous tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including the Jarawa tribe.
Jarawas Tribes
- The Jarawa tribe is one of the world’s oldest surviving indigenous communities and has traditionally lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers in the dense forests of the Middle and South Andaman Islands.
- They were historically hostile to outsiders and resisted contact until the late 1990s.
- They typically move in small bands of 40–50 people, relying on forest and marine resources.
Census Data and Population Estimates
- The 2011 Census recorded 380 Jarawa individuals, out of the total 28,530 Scheduled Tribe population in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- Other ST tribes in the region include: Andamanese, Nicobarese, Shompen, Onge, and Sentinelese.
- All except Nicobarese are classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
- According to recent official estimates (2025), the Jarawa population has increased to 647, which reflects improved health services and reduced mortality.
- The PM-JANMAN scheme (Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan) for PVTGs has identified 191 PVTG individuals in the islands so far.
Source: TH
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)
Syllabus: GS2/Statutory Body
Context
- The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its 15-page preliminary report on the investigation into the recent Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 260 lives.
What is the AAIB?
- The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents and serious incidents in the country.
- Under Rule 3 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, its sole objective is to prevent future accidents and incidents — not to apportion blame or liability.
- The AAIB has unrestricted access to all relevant evidence, without needing prior permission from judicial or other government authorities.
| Do you Know? – Matters of international civil aviation safety are governed by the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention, 1944). – The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN body with 193 member states (including India), oversees technical standards for global air safety. – Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention details international protocols for investigating aircraft accidents. – It mandates that the ‘State of Occurrence’ (where the accident happens) leads the investigation, while states connected to the aircraft (like the State of Registry or State of Manufacture) have the right to participate. |
Source: IE
Natural Rubber Production
Syllabus: GS3/ Agriculture
Context
- Experts have projected that India’s natural rubber (NR) consumption will reach 20 lakh tonnes by 2030, highlighting the urgent need to accelerate domestic production to meet rising demand and reduce import dependency.
Status of Natural Rubber in India
- Natural rubber is derived from the latex of Hevea brasiliensis, a tree native to the Amazon Basin.
- In the financial year 2024–25 (FY25), India’s domestic production of natural rubber stood at 8.7 lakh tonnes.
- During the same period, the domestic consumption of natural rubber reached 14.1 lakh tonnes.
- India is currently the second-largest consumer of natural rubber in the world, after China.
- However, it ranks as the sixth-largest producer globally, highlighting a significant gap between consumption and domestic production.
Initiatives taken to increase rubber production
- NE-MITRA project (North East Mission for Integrated Technology and Rubber Advancement): It aims to increase rubber production and self-reliance in natural rubber, reducing the country’s dependence on imports.
- To address the supply gap, ATMA or Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association, in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Rubber Board of India, has launched Project Indian Natural Rubber Operations for Assisted Development (INROAD).
Importance of Natural Rubber
- Tyre Industry: Consumes over 70% of NR; critical for the automobile, aviation, and defence sectors.
- Employment: Supports ~13 lakh small and marginal farmers, especially in Kerala, Tripura, and NE states.
- National Resilience: Reducing dependence on imported rubber and finished tyres enhances economic security.
| Geographical Conditions for Rubber production – Climate: Hot and humid conditions with temperatures between 25-35°C. – Rainfall: Annual precipitation between 1,800-2,500 mm. – Soil Type: Deep, well-drained loamy or lateritic soils with good water-holding capacity. – Altitude: Generally grown up to 300 meters above sea level. Rubber Production in India – Kerala: The leading state in rubber production, contributing over 70% of India’s total output. – Other states are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Tripura, and Assam. |
Source: TH
Exercise Talisman Sabre
Syllabus: GS3/Defence
Context
- India has made its debut in Australia’s largest bilateral military exercise, Exercise Talisman Sabre.
About the Exercise
- Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the United States and Australia.
- This year, more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, including Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom, will take part over three weeks.
- Malaysia and Vietnam are also attending as observers.
Source: TH
