News In Short – 17 September, 2025

Sarnath

Syllabus: GS1/Ancient History

Context

• India officially nominated Sarnath for the UNESCO World Heritage List for the 2025-26 cycle.

About

• Location: It is situated near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
  • One of the four major Buddhist pilgrimage sites (others: Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Kushinagar).
• Historical Importance: 
  • After attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon at Sarnath (around 528 BCE).
  • This event is called “Dhammachakrapravartana” or “Turning of the Wheel of Dharma”.
  • It marked the beginning of the Buddhist Sangha (community of monks).
• Monuments & Structures: 
  • Dhamek Stupa – built by Ashoka, commemorates the Buddha’s first sermon.
  • Chaukhandi Stupa – marks the spot where Buddha met his first disciples.
  • Ashokan Pillar – erected by Emperor Ashoka; its lion capital is now the National Emblem of India.
  • Monasteries & remains – ruins of ancient viharas, temples, and sculptures.
• Ashoka’s Contribution: Emperor Ashoka visited Sarnath in 3rd century BCE.
  • Built stupas, monasteries, and inscribed edicts promoting Dharma.
  • The Lion Capital of Ashoka from Sarnath was adopted as India’s national emblem in 1950.

Source: IE

Chhath Mahaparva

Syllabus: GS1/Culture

Context

• India is exploring a multinational nomination of ‘Chhath’ for inscription in UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

About Chhath

• Chhath Mahaparva, dedicated to the Sun God and Goddess Chhathi Maiya, is among India’s oldest festivals. 
• It is celebrated extensively in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and by diaspora communities in Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, UAE, and the Netherlands.
• The four-day festival, known for its ecological and egalitarian ethos, fosters reverence for nature, sustainability, inclusivity, and community spirit.

India and UNESCO Intangible Heritage

• India already has 15 elements inscribed (e.g., Yoga, Kumbh Mela, Durga Puja).
• Nodal Agency: Sangeet Natak Akademi coordinates India’s nominations.
• For inclusion, state parties must submit a nomination dossier under the 2003 UNESCO Convention.

Do You Know?

• Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH): Includes song, music, drama, skills, crafts, and the other parts of culture that can be recorded but cannot be touched.

Source: PIB

Moran Community

Syllabus: GS2/ Governance

In News

• The Moran community launched an indefinite economic blockade demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

About Moran Community

• The Moran community is an aboriginal tribe of Assam that once had its own independent kingdom before the advent of Ahom rule. 
• Historically, they lived in the southeastern Brahmaputra valley and had prominent chiefdoms, including the Matak country ruled by chiefs such as Bodousa.
• In the 17th century, Sri Aniruddhadeva, a disciple of Srimanta Sankardeva converted the Morans to Vaishnavism, leading to the rise of the Moamoria (Mayamara) sect and a period of social and cultural renewal.
• They are predominantly Vaishnava, with the Moamoria uprising (1769–1799) acting as a major challenge to Ahom power, stemming in part from their low-caste origins and reformist religious leadership.

Source: TH

PM Vishwakarma Scheme

Syllabus: GS2/ Governance

Context

• On 17 September 2025, the PM Vishwakarma Scheme completed two years.

About the scheme

• It is a Central Sector Scheme that provides end-to-end support to artisans and craftspeople who work with their hands and tools.
  • The Scheme covers artisans and craftspeople engaged in 18 trades.
• Key Benefits:
  • Recognition of artisans and craftspeople through PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card.
  • Skill Upgradation: Basic Training of 5-7 days and Advanced Training of 15 days or more, with a stipend of Rs. 500 per day.
  • Credit Support: Collateral free ‘Enterprise Development Loans’ of upto Rs. 3 lakh in two tranches of Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 2 lakh with tenures of 18 months and 30 months, respectively, at a concessional rate of interest fixed at 5%, with Government of India subvention to the extent of 8%.
  • Marketing Support in the form of quality certification, branding, onboarding on e-commerce platforms such as GeM, advertising, publicity and other marketing activities to improve linkage to value chain.

Source: PIB

Unified Pension System (NPS)

Syllabus: GS2/Governance

Context

• Central government employees have till September 30 to opt for the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) under the National Pension System (NPS).

Unified Pension Scheme (UPS)

• It was announced in 2024; effective from April 1, 2025.
• Eligibility: Central government employees who joined on or after January 1, 2004 (covered under NPS).
  • New recruits joining central government services on or after April 1, 2025.
  • Former employees who were under NPS but retired or voluntarily retired on or before March 31, 2025.
• Voluntary Option: While the NPS was mandatory for all central government employees joining from January 1, 2004, the UPS is optional.
• Features of UPS:
  • Assured Pension: 50% of average basic pay of last 12 months, after 25 years of service.
  • Family Pension: Spouses get up to 60% of pension after a pensioner’s death.
• Contributions:
  • Employee: 10% of basic pay + DA.
  • Employer: 10% of basic pay + DA.
  • Govt extra contribution: 8.5% for pool corpus.
  • Minimum Guarantee: At least ₹10,000 per month pension after 10 years of service.
    • Employees being dismissed from service would not be eligible for the assured payout.
  • Lump Sum Benefit: 1/10th of last basic pay + DA for every six months of service.

Source: IE

Genocide

Syllabus: Miscellaneous

In News

• A UN-mandated investigative body, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry, has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, accusing its leadership of incitement and intent to destroy the Palestinian population. 

What is Genocide?

• The term “genocide” was coined in 1944 by Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin, combining the Greek word genos (race/tribe) and Latin cide (killing).
  • He developed the concept in response to the Holocaust and other historical mass killings. 
• Genocide was first acknowledged as a crime by the UN General Assembly in 1946, and formally codified in the 1948 Genocide Convention
  • Genocide includes any of the following acts, committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group:
    • Killing members of the group
    • Causing serious bodily or mental harm
    • Inflicting destructive living conditions
    • Imposing measures to prevent births
    • Forcibly transferring children to another group
• The International Court of Justice (ICJ) affirms that the prohibition of genocide is customary international law and a peremptory norm (jus cogens), meaning all states are bound by it, regardless of treaty ratification.
• The definition of genocide in Article II of the Genocide Convention—also used in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court—was the result of negotiation among UN member states. 

Recent findings of Independent International Commission of Inquiry 

• The commission found that four out of five acts defined as genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention have been committed since the war began in October 2023, following the Hamas attack on Israel.
  • These include killing, causing serious harm, imposing life conditions aimed at physical destruction, and preventing births within the group.

Response of Israel

• Israel has strongly rejected the report, calling it false and politically biased, and demanded the commission be abolished.

Source :TH

Sex Sorted Semen Facility Under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission

Syllabus: GS3/Economy

In News

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Sex Sorted Semen facility under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission in Purnea, Bihar.

Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM)

• The Rashtriya Gokul Mission, launched in 2014 by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• It aims to develop and conserve indigenous cattle and buffalo breeds, improve bovine genetics, and boost milk production.
• Key objectives include enhancing productivity through advanced technologies, promoting high genetic merit bulls, expanding artificial insemination services, and encouraging scientific rearing and conservation of indigenous breeds.

Updates 

• In March 2025,The Union Cabinet approved the Revised Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) to boost the livestock sector. 
  • It will be implemented as a Central Sector component under the Development Programmes scheme with an increased total outlay of ₹3,400 crore for the 2021–2026 period, including an additional ₹1,000 crore.

Source :PIB

Ion Chromatography

Syllabus: GS3/ Science and Technology

Context

• Scientists at the University of Tasmania, Australia have developed a portable ion chromatograph called Aquamonitrix, that delivers results comparable to conventional high-cost laboratory instruments.

What is Ion Chromatography?

• Ion Chromatography (IC) is an analytical technique used to separate and quantify charged particles (ions) in a sample. 
• The process relies on the interaction of ions with a charged stationary phase inside a column.

Working Principle of Chromatography

• Column: A resin-packed column with a fixed charge (stationary phase) forms the core of IC.
• Eluent: A liquid carrier solution is continuously pumped through the column.
• Sample Injection: The sample is introduced into the eluent stream.
• Separation: Ions in the sample interact with the resin based on their charge and affinity.
  • Oppositely charged ions are attracted to the resin and similarly charged ions are repelled.
  • This causes different ions to move through the column at varying speeds, enabling separation.
• Detection: A detector, typically a conductivity meter, measures the changes in the eluent’s conductivity as the separated ions pass through.
• Chromatogram: This data is plotted as a chromatogram, showing peaks that correspond to different ions and their concentrations.

Source: TH