PRELIMS
SHILLONG — SILCHAR HIGHWAY & KALADAN CORRIDOR PROJECT
Key Project Details:
- Length: 166.8 km (144.8 km in Meghalaya, 22 km in Assam).
- First high-speed four-lane corridor in the North-East and first in a hilly region.
- Route: Mawlyngkhung (Shillong) → Panchgram (Silchar), connects to Mizoram & beyond.
- Expected Journey Time Reduction: From 8.5 hours to 5 hours.
- Cost: ₹22,864 crore (approved by Union Cabinet on April 30, 2025).
- Execution Mode: Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) under Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
Technical Features:
- 19 major bridges, 153 minor bridges, 326 culverts
- 22 underpasses, 26 overpasses, 8 limited height subways, 34 viaducts
- Hill slope stabilization using LiDAR surveys, rock anchors, geotechnical instruments (e.g., piezometers, geophones, inclinometers)
Strategic & Economic Importance:
- Alternative to Siliguri Corridor (‘Chicken’s Neck’), reducing dependence on Bangladesh.
- Enhances connectivity to Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, and Barak Valley.
Integrates with Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP):
- Connects Kolkata–Sittwe (Myanmar) via sea
- Then via Kaladan river (Sittwe–Paletwa) and road to Zorinpui (Mizoram border)
- Finally, connects to Lawngtlai–Aizawl–Silchar–Shillong via the new highway
Kaladan Multi-Modal Project (India–Myanmar):
- Funded by: Ministry of External Affairs, India
- Components:
- Sea route: Kolkata to Sittwe (Rakhine state, Myanmar)
- Inland waterway: Sittwe to Paletwa
- Road route: Paletwa to Zorinpui (Mizoram border)
- Aim: Provide an alternate trade and transport route bypassing Bangladesh
Political Context:
- Seen as a strategic response to Bangladesh interim PM Muhammad Yunus’s remark in China (March 2025) claiming NE India is “landlocked” and dependent on Dhaka for maritime access.
- India emphasized avoiding “vitiating rhetoric” during Yunus–Modi meeting (April 2025, BIMSTEC Summit).
SHINGLES VACCINE
What is Shingles?
- Caused by Varicella-Zoster Virus (same virus as chickenpox).
- Virus remains dormant and can reactivate as shingles, especially in older adults or immunocompromised people.
- Symptoms: Painful rash (often on torso), can cause vision loss, facial paralysis, or brain inflammation in severe cases.
Vaccines for Shingles:
- Zostavax: Live attenuated vaccine.
- Shingrix: Recombinant subunit vaccine (non-live).
- Both are available in India (₹6,000–₹17,000 per dose).
- Recommended for adults 50+ years and immunocompromised individuals.
Recent Findings on Health Benefits:
South Korean Study (2025 – European Heart Journal):
- Study of 1.2 million people.
- Shingles vaccine linked to reduced risk of:
- Stroke: ↓24%
- Heart attack: ↓22%
- Heart failure: ↓26%
- Major cardiovascular event: ↓26%
- Clotting disorder: ↓22%
- Effect stronger in men, <60 years, and people with unhealthy lifestyles.
- Welsh Study (2024 – Nature):
- Used a natural experiment: Only 79–80 year olds eligible for vaccine.
- Found 3.5 percentage point lower dementia diagnoses over 7 years.
- 20% relative risk reduction.
- Suggests causation (not just correlation), unlike earlier observational studies.
Mechanisms Hypothesized:
- Prevention of virus reactivation may avoid cognitive decline.
- Immune system modulation may have protective effects on the brain.
Other Vaccine-Dementia Links:
- Shingrix (Oxford study): 17% lower dementia risk (6 years post-vaccination).
- Vaccines for Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Diphtheria, Pneumococcal also show reduced dementia risk:
- Diphtheria: ↓30%
- Pneumococcal: ↓27%
- Shingles: ↓25%
PARASNATH HILL / MARANG BURU CONFLICT
Location:
- Giridih district, Jharkhand
- Elevation: ~1,350 m
- Site sacred to both Jains and Santal Adivasi
Religious Significance:
For Jains:
- Known as Parasnath Hill
- Believed that 20 of 24 Tirthankaras attained nirvana here
- 40+ Jain temples and pilgrimage sites
- Named after Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara
For Santals:
- Known as Marang Buru (“Great Mountain”)
- Site of Jug Jaher Than (sacred grove) and Dishom Manjhi Than (community ritual centre)
- Venue for Sendra Festival (annual 3-day ritual hunt
- Associated with Santal Hul (1855 rebellion) led by Sidhu-Kanhu Murmu
Historical Conflict:
- Jain-Santal friction formally recorded in 1911
- Jains filed a suit to ban Sendra; dismissed by District Court, Patna HC (1917), and Privy Council
- Court upheld Santals’ customary hunting rights
Post-Independence Developments:
- 1972: Wildlife Protection Act + loss of Fifth Schedule status for nearby Adivasi villages
- 2000: Jharkhand created; ritual practices resumed
- 2023: MoEFCC memo bans meat, alcohol, eggs within 25 km radius
- Affects 99 mostly tribal villages
- Enforcement reaffirmed by Jharkhand High Court (May 2025)
Recent Events:
- Santals celebrated Sendra festival in 2025 despite restrictions
- Santals have filed a counter-petition asserting traditional rights
Key Constitutional Angle:
- Fifth Schedule: Provides safeguards and land rights to Scheduled Tribes in designated areas
- Denotification led to loss of forest access and ritual freedom
NEW FLOWERING PLANT DISCOVERY : PORTULACA BHARAT
Taxonomy & Classification:
- Genus: Portulaca
- Species: Portulaca bharat
- Type: Flowering succulent plant
- Family: Portulacaceae
- Total Portulaca species in India: 11
- Endemic species in India: 4 (including Portulaca bharat)
Key Facts:
- Location: Found near Galtaji Temple, Aravalli Hills, outskirts of Jaipur, Rajasthan
- Habitat:
- Dry, rocky hill slopes
- Grows in rock crevices
- Semi-arid landscape
- Conservation Status:
- “Data Deficient” as per IUCN Red List
- Known from only one location
- Vulnerable to habitat degradation and climate change
Discovery Details:
- Discovered by: Nishant Chauhan (Satpura Biodiversity Conservation Society)
- Cultivated in: Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh) and Lucknow for study
- Published in: Phytotaxa (international scientific journal)
Genus Portulaca – Additional Info:
- ~153 species globally
- Found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions
- Known for:
- Succulent nature
- Water-storing tissues
- Adaptation to harsh/dry environments
