Syllabus:

• Prelims – CURRENT EVENT

Context: The Nagaland government is all set to organise the popular Hornbill festival, which will take place from December 1 to December 10, 2024.

Background: –

• Referred to as the “Festival of Festivals,” the Hornbill Festival is one of the most iconic cultural events in Nagaland.

Key takeaways

• The Government of Nagaland organises the Hornbill Festival every year, usually between 1st and 10th December. The first festival was held in December 2000.
• The main venue is at the Kisama Heritage Village located in the Southern Angami region of Kohima District which is about 12 km from Kohima.
• Named after the revered Hornbill bird, the festival showcases the culture, heritage, food and customs of Naga tribes and people from these tribes come together to celebrate their traditions with colourful dance performances.
• The annual programme brings all the 17 tribes of the state on a platform.
• The festival is vibrant with warriors dressed in full ceremonial attire performing traditional dances and war cries. Each performance tells a story—of victories, harvests, love, and tribal legends.
• The warriors, adorned with distinctive headgear decorated with hornbill feathers, boar tusks, and colorful woven sashes, create an unforgettable spectacle.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – ENVIRONMENT

Context: Asiatic Lions – whose entire population numbering 674 is in Gujarat – co-exist with humans through mutual adaptation, enforced legal protection, economic drivers, and government compensation for livestock, among others, revealed new research. 

Background: –

• Analysing data on over 14,000 livestock depredations and 11,000 compensation claims, attacks on humans, and surveys across 277 villages, the research attempted to find out the reasons behind human-lion co-existence.

Key takeaways

• It was found that economic drivers, such as earnings from regulated and unregulated wildlife tourism on private lands, and sociocultural acceptance, were key drivers for higher tolerance of the predator among humans. 
• As per the study, regulated tourism happens in and around protected areas such as Gir National Park while there is unregulated tourism on private land and this also includes offering livestock as bait, illegally.
• Lions, on the other hand, have benefitted on two key counts. With greater human acceptance, they can move around outside Gir’s protected areas. Second, owing to legal and cultural practices, old cattle are abandoned, which forms a big chunk of the big cat’s diet in the form of old livestock or carrion.
• The co-existence comes in the backdrop of the geographic range of lions rising by 36 per cent between 2015 and 2020 and population increasing at 6 per cent per annum.
• Since economic drivers played an important role in co-existence, the researchers recommended that the livestock compensation scheme should be revised regularly and said that a livestock insurance scheme should be explored.
• To reduce attacks on humans and livestock, the study prescribed that lion prides in risk hotspots should be monitored proactively, using radio collars that have virtual geofences that can trigger warning signals.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims – HISTORY

Context: Recently, near the Harappan site of Lothal, a 23-year-old researcher from IIT Delhi lost her life while trying to collect soil samples from a trench that collapsed. She was part of ongoing research on the impact of climate change on the Indus Civilisation.

Background:

• Lothal stands out for its engineering marvels, including the world’s oldest dockyard, with an innovative water-locking mechanism. Artefacts such as bead necklaces, axes and fish-hooks of copper or bronze point to maritime trade with ancient civilisations like Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Persia.

Key takeaways

• Lothal was one of the southernmost sites of the Indus Valley civilization, located in the Bhāl region of what is now the state of Gujarat. It is situated between the Sabarmati and Bhogavo rivers in Saurashtra region. The port city is believed to have been built in 2,200 BC.
• The meaning of Lothal in Gujarati is “the mound of the dead”. Incidentally, the name of the city of Mohenjo-daro (also part of Indus Civilisation, now in Pakistan) means the same in Sindhi.
• Lothal was first discovered in 1954 by Archaeologist SR Rao, who discovered over 30 Harappan sites. It is he who identified the excavated Lothal structure as a dockyard.
• According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Lothal had the world’s earliest known dock, connecting the city to an ancient course of the Sabarmati River.
• Other evidence that Lothal served as a hub for maritime commerce came from the presence of seals — that were likely used to seal documents or mark packages, the discovery of various items that were likely traded, a warehouse, and what Rao referred to as stone anchors for ships.
• But not everyone was convinced. In 1968, anthropologist Lawrence S Leshnik posited the “port” was actually a reservoir for drinking water and irrigating crops. He held that the dimensions of the inlet for ships to dock were inadequate to support seafaring vessels. As was the depth of the “dock”. He also questioned the inlet’s orientation.
• These doubts have been addressed by a study by the Indian Institute of Technology-Gandhinagar that has found fresh evidence that can confirm the dockyard’s existence. The study has revealed that the Sabarmati River used to flow by Lothal (currently, it flows 20 km away from the location) during the Harappan Civilisation.
• Lothal’s archaeological record indicates its settlements were rebuilt multiple times. Rao identified five distinct phases in the site’s stratigraphic record dated circa 2400-1900 BCE. At its peak, late 3rd millennium BCE, Lothal may have been home to 15,000 people.
• The decline, and eventual destruction of Lothal, occurred due to catastrophic flooding, and the Sabarmati changing course.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains  – ECONOMY

Context: India’s Real Gross Domestic Product growth slumped to a seven-quarter low of 5.4 per cent in July-September 2024.

Background: –

• A 5.4% growth rate in Q2 has set alarm bells ringing in the government. The key question going forward is, has India entered a cyclical growth slowdown phase.

Key takeaways

• GDP was pulled down by “sluggish growth” in manufacturing and a deceleration in mining and quarrying.
• Manufacturing, which accounts for over 17 per cent of the total Gross Value Added (GVA) output, grew by just 2.2 per cent in July-September as against 7 per cent growth in April-June and 14.3 per cent growth in the corresponding period last year. 
• Mining and quarrying seem to have been sharply hit by the extended rainfall as it recorded a contraction of 0.1 per cent in July-September compared with 7.2 per cent growth in the previous quarter and 11.1 per cent in the year-ago period.
• According to Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran, doubling down on deregulation, expanding state capacity for public investment, and improving hiring and compensation policies in the private sector will improve growth prospects 

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims – CURRENT EVENT

Context: The Vadhavan greenfield port, which is under construction near Dahanu in Maharashtra, will double India’s container trade from the current levels upon completion. 

Background: –

• Scheduled to be finished by 2034, it is projected to be among the top 10 ports in the world.

Key takeaways

• Vadhavan Port is a proposed greenfield deep-sea port located in the Palghar district of Maharashtra, India. 
• Location: Situated on the Arabian Sea coast, about 70 km north of Mumbai and 111 km north of Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT).
• Ownership: The port will be developed by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) in collaboration with the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB).
• Stakeholders: JNPA will hold a 74% stake, while MMB will hold 26%.

Features:

• Natural Depth: The port will have a natural depth of 20 meters, making it the deepest seaport in India.
• Infrastructure: The port will include 9 container terminals, 4 multipurpose berths, 4 liquid cargo berths, a Ro-Ro berth, and a Coast Guard berth.
• Capacity: The port is designed to handle a cumulative capacity of 298 million metric tons (MMT) per annum.
• Draft Depth: The port will have a draft depth of 18 meters, allowing it to accommodate large vessels.

Economic Impact:

• Cost: The total estimated cost of the project, including land acquisition, is ₹76,220 crore (approximately US$9.1 billion).
• Employment: The project is expected to create around 10 lakh (1 million) direct and indirect employment opportunities.
• Strategic Importance: Vadhavan Port is a key project under the Indian government’s Sagarmala initiative, aimed at enhancing the performance of the country’s logistics sector.

Source: The Hindu

Q1.) Which of the following statements about the Hornbill Festival is/are correct?

1. The festival is held annually in Nagaland’s Kisama Heritage Village.
2. It brings together all 17 Naga tribes to celebrate their cultural heritage.
3. The Hornbill Festival was first organised in 2010.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3

Q2.) Consider the following statements about Lothal:

1. Lothal is located in Gujarat and is known for having the world’s oldest dockyard.
2. It was discovered by archaeologist S.R. Rao in 1954.
3. The dockyard’s primary purpose was to irrigate crops and store drinking water.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3

Q3.) Which of the following statements regarding Vadhavan Port is/are correct?

1. Vadhavan Port will be the deepest seaport in India with a natural depth of 20 meters.
2. It is a part of the Sagarmala initiative aimed at enhancing India’s logistics sector.
3. The port will be fully owned by the Maharashtra Maritime Board.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3

Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!!

ANSWERS FOR ’  Today’s – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs

Q.1) – c

Q.2) – b

Q.3) – a