{"id":39634,"date":"2025-03-22T19:12:14","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T13:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=39634"},"modified":"2025-03-22T19:13:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T13:43:01","slug":"news-in-short-22-march-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-03-2025\/news-in-short-22-march-2025","title":{"rendered":"News In Short-22-03-2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Kaliyattam Festival<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1-Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Kaliyattam festival takes place in the Malayalam month of Kumbham (February-March).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Also known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/07-03-2022\/theyyam-ritual-art-form-of-kerala#:~:text=Each%20Theyyam%20is%20a%20man,(the%20consort%20of%20Shiva).\"><strong>Theyyam<\/strong><\/a>, this festival showcases ritual dance performances primarily held to honour and worship <strong>Goddess Kali<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Recognized as an essential part of<strong> Kerala\u2019s<\/strong> <strong>intangible heritage<\/strong>, it is celebrated in <strong>Kavus<\/strong> (sacred groves) and <strong>tharavadus<\/strong> (ancestral households).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>During the festival, performers are believed to become <strong>channels of deities<\/strong>, earning it the title <strong>&#8220;dance of gods&#8221;<\/strong> or <strong>&#8220;dance of the divine&#8221;<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/photos\/picture-of-the-week-rising-from-the-ashes\/article69356546.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Demands for Grants&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus :GS 2\/Governance&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Lok Sabha passed the Demands for Grants for various Ministries for 2025-26, approving an expenditure of over \u20b950 lakh crore.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The approval was made using the guillotine method, meaning funds for the affected Ministries were deemed approved without discussion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Demand for Grants<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a proposal for expenditure from the Consolidated Fund, presented to the Lok Sabha as part of the annual financial statement, in accordance with<strong> Article 113 of the Constitution<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It covers revenue &amp; capital expenditure, grants to states\/UTs, and loans &amp; advances.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Every ministry or department of the Government of India presents its own Demand for Grants. Large ministries (e.g., Defence, Railways) may present multiple Demands based on their functional divisions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Lok Sabha has the power to approve, reject, or reduce the proposed amounts, Rajya Sabha does not vote on these demands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The demand can only be presented with prior approval from the President.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source :TH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Madras High Court on the NIRF Ranking&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus :GS 2\/Governance&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court restrained the Ministry of Education and the <strong>National Board of Accreditation (NBA)<\/strong> from publishing the <strong>National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for 2025.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>&nbsp;National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It was launched in 2015 by the <strong>National Board of Accreditation (NBA<\/strong>) under the <strong>Ministry of Education.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It ranks higher education institutions annually in five categories:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"dcdce7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/National-Institutional-Ranking-Framework-NIRF-1024x342.png\" alt=\"National Institutional Ranking Framework NIRF\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-39635\" style=\"--dominant-color: #dcdce7; width:526px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/National-Institutional-Ranking-Framework-NIRF-1024x342.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/National-Institutional-Ranking-Framework-NIRF-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/National-Institutional-Ranking-Framework-NIRF-768x257.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/National-Institutional-Ranking-Framework-NIRF.png 1146w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Institutions are required to upload data like student and staff strength, salaries, graduation index, placement, and research funds on the NIRF portal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance Of NIRF<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Informed Decision-Making:<\/strong> Helps students choose universities based on their relative standing across various categories and subject domains.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Quality Assessment: <\/strong>Provides a benchmark for evaluating the excellence of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Multi-Dimensional Evaluation:<\/strong> Uses diverse parameters to comprehensively measure institutional performance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Encourages Competition: <\/strong>Motivates HEIs to improve their academic and research standards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Policy Planning: <\/strong>Assists policymakers in identifying areas for improvement in the education sector.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Criticism <\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e5e1d7\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"523\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/academic-ranking-challenges-1024x523.png\" alt=\"academic ranking challenges\" class=\"has-transparency wp-image-39636\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e5e1d7; width:514px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/academic-ranking-challenges-1024x523.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/academic-ranking-challenges-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/academic-ranking-challenges-768x392.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/academic-ranking-challenges-1536x785.png 1536w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/academic-ranking-challenges.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Source :TH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Raisina Dialogue 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ IR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The 10th edition of the Raisina Dialogue was recently held in New Delhi, bringing together leaders, thinkers, and policymakers from across the globe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It was co-hosted by the <strong>Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Christopher Luxon<\/strong>, Prime Minister of New Zealand was the <strong>Chief Guest.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>central theme for 2025 <\/strong>was <strong>&#8220;K\u0101lachakra \u2013 People, Peace, and Planet,&#8221; <\/strong>emphasizing the interconnectedness of humanity, global harmony, and environmental sustainability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The dialogue served as a platform to <strong>discuss pressing global challenges<\/strong>, including climate change, digital transformation, economic competition, and geopolitical conflicts, aiming to foster collaborative solutions and strengthen international partnerships.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The dialogue witnessed participation from <strong>representatives of over 125 countries<\/strong>, including ministers, former heads of state and government, military commanders &amp; industry leaders etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source: TH<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Eklavya Schools<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Education\/Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A parliamentary panel on social justice asked the Union government to \u201curgently\u201d pursue the <strong>centralisation of Eklavya Schools<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) <\/strong>are a network of government schools established with the aim of providing quality education to Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in remote and rural areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Every block with more than<strong> 50% ST population<\/strong> and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an EMRS.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Ministry has set the target <strong>to set up 728 EMRSs <\/strong>across the country by the <strong>year 2026.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Establishment: <\/strong>Introduced by the <strong>Ministry of Tribal Affairs <\/strong>in <strong>1997-98.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Curriculum:<\/strong> Eklavya schools follow the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and aim to provide education from the elementary level up to the senior secondary level (Class 12).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Facilities:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Residential schooling (boarding facilities).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Free education, including uniforms, textbooks, and other learning materials.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sports and cultural activities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vocational and skill development programs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Funding: <\/strong>Ministry of Tribal Affairs approves setting up of EMRSs in States\/ UTs from allocated grants provided under <strong>\u201cGrants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India\u201d.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/house-panel-asks-govt-to-pursue-centralisation-of-eklavya-schools-notes-slow-progress-of-pvtg-scheme-tribal-freedom-fighter-museums\/article69349671.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Rise in Tobacco Exports<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ Health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s tobacco exports have doubled over the past four years in dollar terms on rising global demand and prices as production takes a hit in countries such as Brazil and Zimbabwe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About the Tobacco Cultivation in India<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tobacco is one of the important <strong>commercial crops<\/strong> growing under <strong>diverse agro-ecological conditions.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is a <strong>drought tolerant, hardy and short duration crop<\/strong> which can be grown on soils where other crops cannot be cultivated profitably.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It occupies a meagre 0.24% to 0.3% of India\u2019s total arable land.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Despite this small percentage, tobacco farming is <strong>highly labour-intensive<\/strong> and remunerative compared to food crops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The major tobacco-growing states in India are Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, and West Bengal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Types of Tobacco:<\/strong> Flue-cured Virginia (FCV), Bidi, Cigar Filler, and Hookah and Chewing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Production and Distribution: <\/strong>India is the <strong>2nd largest producer and exporter<\/strong> after China and Brazil respectively.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: BL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Byadgi chilli&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus :GS 3\/Economy&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Byadgi chilli prices have dropped significantly, causing distress among farmers due to excess stock, stringent export tests, and high production costs.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Byadgi chilli&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a well-known variety from Karnataka, named after Byadgi in the Haveri district.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is a bright red, 12-15 cm long chilli with wrinkled pods.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The fragrance and deep red colour of Byadgi chillies are well-known.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is used in pickles, masalas, and chilli powder.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is also used in oleoresin extraction.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Byadgi chillies have been designated as a Karnataka Geographical Indication.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source :TH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Farm Distress Index<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Agriculture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A pilot study \u201cAgrarian Distress and PM Fasal Bima Yojana: An Analysis of Rainfed Agriculture\u201d was conducted to help farmers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh during 2020-21 and 2021-22.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Systemic assessment of <strong>Farmers\u2019 Distress Index (FDI) is not available for the whole country.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>FDI (Farmer Distress Index):<\/strong> Addresses causes of distress like climate variability, price volatility, and low risk-bearing ability of farmers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Objective: <\/strong>Develop a user-friendly tool to predict and warn stakeholders about the severity of farmer distress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Key Parameters:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Exposure to risk<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adaptive capacity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sensitivity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mitigation and adaptation strategies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Triggers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Psychological factors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Impacts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Purpose:<\/strong> Enable timely preventive actions and identify areas needing intervention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Significance:&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ensures efficient government support reaches the most affected regions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Early Warning: <\/strong>Alerts on distress three months in advance for preventive measures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Planning Tool: <\/strong>Helps tackle causes of distress and develop location-specific solutions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2112387\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Kaliyattam festival takes place in the Malayalam month of Kumbham (February-March).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39634"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39642,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39634\/revisions\/39642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}