News In Short-11-06-2025

Sant Kabir Das

Syllabus: GS1/History 

In News

• The Prime Minister paid tribute to Sant Kabir Das on his birth anniversary (11th June).

Sant Kabir Das

• Early Life:
  • He was a 15th-century Indian poet and mystic.
  • He was born in Kashi (Varanasi), though details of his life are largely based on legends and scattered sources like the Bijak, Adi Granth, and Dabistan-i-Tawarikh.
  • It is said to have been born to a Brahmin widow and later adopted by Nima, the wife of a Muslim weaver.
  • He developed a deep spiritual inclination and sought initiation under the saint Ramananda.
• Teaching and Belief: 
  • His philosophy was shaped by elements of Upanishadic non-dualism, Islamic monism, and the Bhakti tradition. 
  • He strongly rejected caste discrimination, idol worship, and empty rituals, emphasizing devotion, inner truth, and moral living instead.
  • He wrote in a mix of local dialects—Hindi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Urdu, and Persian—making his poetry accessible yet rich in mystical symbolism.
  • He Influenced figures like Guru Nanak and movements like the Kabir Panth.
  • He is revered in Hinduism, Sikhism, and Sufism and his verses continue to inspire with their focus on inner truth and enlightenment.
• Contributions:
  • He is known for his simple and profound couplets, “Kabir ke Dohe,” which are rich in mystical symbolism and everyday metaphors. 
  • The Kabir Bijak is preserved by the Kabirpanth (the path or sect of Kabir) in Varanasi and elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh.
  • Kabir Granthavali is associated with the Dadupanth in Rajasthan, and many of his compositions are found in the Adi Granth Sahib.

Source :PIB

Hodeidah Port

Syllabus: GS1/ Places in News

In News

• Israel conducted its first-ever naval strike on Yemen’s Hodeidah Port, targeting two key piers.

About Hodeidah Port

• Location: Yemen’s Hodeidah Port is situated on the western coast of Yemen, along the Red Sea on the Tihāmah coastal plain.
• Historical Context: The port has historical significance, having been shelled during the Italo-Ottoman War (1911–1912). Its location along the Red Sea has made it a focal point in regional power struggles
• Significance: Hodeidah Port is the largest and most vital seaport for Yemen, facilitating the import of essential goods, including humanitarian aid, fuel, and commercial imports.

Source: TOI

Supreme Court Ruling on Narco Test

Syllabus: GS2/ Polity and Governance

Context

• The Supreme Court has ruled that narco-analysis tests cannot be conducted on accused persons without their free and informed consent, reaffirming that such practices violate fundamental rights under the Indian Constitution.

Narco-Analysis

• It involves the injection of a drug called sodium pentothal into the accused, inducing a hypnotic or sedated state. 
• The assumption is that a subject in such a state is less inhibited and is more likely to divulge information.
  • Because the drug is thought to weaken the subject’s resolve to lie, it is often referred to as a “truth serum.” 

Supreme Court ruling

• The Court held that the use of involuntary narco-analysis:
  • Violates Article 20(3): Protection against self-incrimination.
  • Violates Article 21: Right to life and personal liberty, including the right to privacy.
• The Court emphasized that technological advancement in investigation cannot override constitutional protections.
• Earlier in 2010, the SC in the case of Selvi v. State of Karnataka ruled that no lie detector tests should be administered “except on the basis of consent of the accused” in accordance with the fundamental right against self-incrimination as enshrined under Article 20(3) of the Constitution. 

Source: HT

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIF)

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

Context

• The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs chaired the 6th meeting of the Governing Council (GC) of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIF) in New Delhi.

About

• NIIF was established in 2015 by the Government of India as a sovereign-linked alternative investment platform. 
• Objective: It aims to attract long-term capital from international and domestic investors into infrastructure and other high-priority sectors of the Indian economy.
• NIIF is registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as an Alternative Investment Fund (AIF).
  • The Government of India holds a 49% share in NIIF, while the remaining is open to other institutional investors. 
• The Governing Council of NIIF is chaired by the Union Finance Minister.

Source: AIR

Ejiao

Syllabus: GS3/ S&T

In News

• Donkey prices soar in Pakistan due to China’s demand for ejiao.

About Ejiao

• Ejiao is a gelatin derived from stewing and concentrating donkey skin. 
• It has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for its anti-fatigue, immune-boosting, tumor-suppressing, and anti-anemia properties.

Source: TH

Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN)

Syllabus: GS3/Science and Technology

Context

• The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN) in Germany has recently published new findings that sharpen our understanding of the neutrino’s mass.

About the Finding

• After analyzing data from five experimental runs between 2019 and 2021 — involving over 36 million electron events — researchers concluded that the combined mass of all three known types of neutrinos is no more than 8.8 × 10⁻⁷ times the mass of an electron.

Why does this matter? 

• Neutrinos are known to have mass — a discovery that won the 2015 Nobel Prize — but the Standard Model of physics predicts them to be massless. Measuring their mass more precisely could uncover new physics beyond our current theories, hinting at unknown forces or particles.
• Other experiments have tried similar feats using astrophysical data or rare nuclear decays, but those rely on assumptions. KATRIN’s results, by contrast, are model-independent — based purely on experimental data. That makes this achievement both rare and robust.
• For a particle that barely interacts with matter and travels at near light-speed, weighing the neutrino is like catching a ghost in a hurricane. But with KATRIN’s precision, physicists are finally getting closer to solving one of nature’s greatest puzzles.

Source: TH

Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)

Syllabus: GS3/Economy 

In News

• The Finance Minister chaired the 29th meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC).

Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)

• It is an apex-level non-statutory body established in December 2010 and is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and includes top financial officials such as the RBI Governor, Finance Secretary, Chief Economic Adviser, and heads of Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority(IRDAI) and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
• It addresses issues related to financial stability, sector development, inter-regulatory coordination, financial literacy, inclusion, and supervision of large financial entities. 
• In addition to the main council, a sub-committee of FSDC has been formed. This sub-committee is chaired by the Governor of RBI and plays a key role in addressing specific issues related to financial stability and development.

Source :PIB

Etalin Hydropower Project

Syllabus: GS3/Economy 

In News

• The Environment Ministry’s Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has granted in-principle forest clearance to the 3,097-MW Etalin hydropower project despite earlier rejections over ecological concerns.
  • Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) is a statutory body established under Section 3 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

Etalin project

• It is proposed to be constructed on Dri river and Talo river, the local name for Dibang in Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang Valley.
• It is among the largest proposed hydropower projects in India in terms of generation capacity.
• It is a joint venture of the Jindal Power Limited and the Hydropower Development Corporation of Arunachal Pradesh Limited.
• It will be a run-of-the-river one, which does not involve storage.

Implications of the Etalin Hydropower Project

• The project involves diverting 1,175 hectares of forest and felling about 2.78 lakh trees in a biodiversity-rich area inhabited by species like tigers and snow leopards.
• 56% of India’s total bird species are found in this region, making it an important biodiversity hotspot.
• The project has faced resistance from the local Idu Mishmi community, and concerns persist over the lack of updated environmental assessments.

Source: IE