News in Short – 18 October, 2025

Bathou Religion

Syllabus: GS1/ Art & Culture

In News

• The Bathou religion of the Bodo community in Assam has been officially granted a separate code in the upcoming national census.

About

• Bathouism is the indigenous religion of the Bodo community, primarily concentrated in Assam and parts of North Bengal, where it serves as a core marker of cultural identity and community life. 
• The term “Bathou” denotes “Five Principles,” a cosmology wherein the universe is constituted by five elements—Ha (Earth), Dwi (Water), Or (Fire), Bar (Air), and Okhrang (Sky)—a framework often explained as five deep principles or thoughts in Bodo tradition. 
• Rooted in nature-veneration, Bathouism emphasizes reverence for the environment and maintaining equilibrium in human–nature relations through household and community rituals centered on sacred plants (Sijou plant) and elemental symbolism.

Source: ET

We Rise Initiatives

Syllabus: GS2/ Women Empowerment

In News

• ‘We Rise (Women Entrepreneurs Reimagining Inclusive and Sustainable Enterprises) initiative was launched recently. 

About

• The ‘We Rise’ initiative has been launched to empower women entrepreneurs to expand globally through trade facilitation, mentorship, and strategic partnerships. 
• It is a joint programme by NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) under its Award to Reward (ATR) initiative and DP World, aligning with the government’s focus on women-led development.

Source: TH

UPOV Convention

Syllabus: GS2/IR

Context

• A new report by GRAIN warns of growing corporate control over seeds via free trade agreements.

About

• Powerful economies — including the US, EU, Japan and the UAE — are pushing harsh IP rules on plant varieties.
• The UAE emerged as a new player promoting UPOV 1991 standards in trade deals with Asia and Africa.
• Farmers’ rights to save, exchange and reuse seeds are being undermined globally.

The UPOV 1991 Convention:

• The 1991 Act of the Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) grants seed corporations monopoly rights over new crop varieties for 20–25 years.
• It was first signed in 1961.
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
• It provides and promotes an effective system of plant variety protection to encourage the development of new plant varieties
• Farmers are prohibited from saving, sharing, or reusing these seeds, undermining traditional agricultural practices, indigenous knowledge, and food sovereignty.
• Originally designed to support industrial agriculture in Europe, it is now being exported globally via FTAs.

Source: DTE

Rotavirus Vaccine Effective Against Gastroenteritis in Children

Syllabus: GS2/ Health

Context

• According to a recent study India’s indigenous rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac, has significantly reduced rotavirus-related gastroenteritis cases among children since its introduction in the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).

About Rotavac

• Introduction: India introduced Rotavac, an indigenous oral rotavirus vaccine, in 2016 under the Universal Immunisation Programme, administered at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age.
• Accessibility: As part of UIP, the vaccine is provided free of cost to all eligible beneficiaries.

What is Rotavirus?

• Rotavirus is a highly contagious virus that infects and damages the cells lining the small intestine.
• It is a leading cause of severe diarrhoea (gastroenteritis) in infants and young children worldwide.
• Transmission: Primarily through the fecal–oral route (contaminated food, water, or surfaces).

Source: TH

State Mining Readiness Index

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

Context

• The Ministry of Mines has released the State Mining Readiness Index (SMRI) and corresponding State rankings.

About the State Mining Readiness Index (SMRI)

• The SMRI is designed to benchmark State performance in facilitating and reforming the mining sector, particularly focusing on non-coal minerals.
  • The index aims to promote transparency, efficiency, and sustainable mining by encouraging competition among States.
• The structure of the index comprises indicators like auction performance, early mine operationalization, thrust on exploration and sustainable mining pertaining to non-coal minerals.

Categorisation of States

• States have been divided into three categories based on their mineral endowment;
  • The top three ranked States in Category A (Mineral-rich States): Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
  • The top three ranked States in Category B (Moderately endowed States): Uttar Pradesh, and Assam.
  • The top three ranked States in Category C (Lesser-endowed States): Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Tripura.

Source: PIB

State of Finance for Forests (SFF) Report

Syllabus :GS3/Environment

In News

• The first State of Finance for Forests (SFF) report was recently released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

State of Finance for Forests (SFF)

• It provides a global overview of public and private forest finance in 2023, comparing current flows with the investments needed to realize forests’ potential to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation. 
• It integrates key private finance channels and nature-related asset classes such as certified commodity supply chains, impact investing, carbon and biodiversity markets, philanthropic funding, and private capital mobilized through public finance

Key Findings 

• It highlights a critical underinvestment in forests, which are essential for combating climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation. 
• In 2023, global forest finance stood at US$84 billion, far below the US$300 billion needed annually by 2030 and US$498 billion by 2050, leaving a US$216 billion yearly gap.
• Private forest finance was just US$7.5 billion, mostly targeting low-risk markets rather than tropical commodities linked to deforestation. 
• Meanwhile, environmentally harmful subsidies totaled US$406 billion, and private institutions had US$8.9 trillion in active financing tied to high deforestation-risk companies, underscoring the urgent need to redirect capital toward sustainable forest investments.

Source: DTE

REDD+ Programme

Syllabus: GS3/Environment

Context

• According to a study, only a small number of tropical forests carbon offset projects have achieved significant cuts in deforestation, with just 19% meeting their reported targets.
  • These offset projects are a part of the REDD+ programme, standing for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation Plus. 

What is REDD+?

• REDD+ is a climate change mitigation solution developed by Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
  • The Paris Climate Agreement recognizes REDD+ and the central role of forests.
• It was first introduced in 2005 during the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP 11) in Montreal.
  • The “+” was added later at COP 13 in Bali, 2007 to include broader forest-related activities.
• It offers economic incentives to developing countries to preserve forests, enhance carbon stocks and promote human well-being.
• REDD+ reduces deforestation through the conservation and sustainable management of forests and supporting developing countries in turning their political commitments, as represented in their Nationally Determined Contributions.
• REDD+ projects pay governments, organisations, communities, and individuals in forest landscapes for activities that preserve forests and avoid forest-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).

Source: DTE

BrahMos

Syllabus: GS3/Defence

Context

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath flagged off the first batch of BrahMos missiles manufactured at the BrahMos Aerospace unit in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

About BrahMos Missile

• Joint Venture: Between DRDO (India) and NPO Mashinostroyeniya (Russia).
• Name Origin: Derived from the Brahmaputra (India) and Moskva (Russia) rivers.
• First Test: Conducted on June 12, 2001.
  • Induction Timeline: Navy (2005), Army (2007) and IAF (2017).
• Type: “Fire and forget” supersonic cruise missile — can be launched from land, sea, or air in all-weather conditions, and is nearly impossible to intercept.
• Combat Use: Reportedly used for the first time during Operation Sindoor.
• Speed:
  • Current: Mach 2.8 (Supersonic)
  • Future: Mach 5+ (Hypersonic version under development)
• Range:
  • Initially 290 km (under MTCR limit)
  • Extended to 400 km, with a 600+ km variant under development.
• Stages: BrahMos is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine.
  • Its first stage brings the missile to supersonic speed and then gets separated. 
  • The liquid ramjet or the second stage then takes the missile closer to three times the speed of sound in the cruise phase.

Source: AIR

Commonwealth Games

Syllabus: Miscellaneous

Context

• Gujarat’s largest city Ahmedabad has been recommended as the “proposed host” by the executive board of Commonwealth Sport.
  • India last hosted the CWG in Delhi in 2010.

About the CWG

• Started in 1930 (inaugural event in Hamilton, Canada) as the British Empire Games, the present-day Commonwealth Games is a multi-sport international event, modeled on the Olympics, involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations and their associated territories.
• The Commonwealth of Nations, or simply the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 54 sovereign countries, most of which were former colonies of the British Empire.
• The membership has evolved over time due to political changes and voluntary withdrawals or additions.
• Today, the Commonwealth Games is the world’s second-largest multi-sport event and the fourth most-watched global broadcast sports event, featuring athletes from 71 nations and territories.

Source: TH