Prelims Pinpointer 24-01-2026

Lambadi (Banjara / Sugali) Tribe

Context

• The Supreme Court is hearing a renewed challenge to Parliament’s decision granting Scheduled Tribe status to the Lambadi community in Telangana.

Identity & Distribution

• Also known as: Banjara, Sugali
• Regions: Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
• Traditional lifestyle: Historically nomadic traders and transporters.

Language

• Gor Boli / Lambadi
• Language family: Indo-Aryan
• Script: None (oral tradition)

Belief System

• Predominantly Hindu
• Elements of animistic traditions integrated into rituals and worship

U.S. Withdrawal from the World Health Organization

Context

• The United States has completed the one-year notice period to formally withdraw from the WHO, raising concerns over funding gaps and weakened global health coordination.

Overview of WHO

• The UN’s specialised agency for global public health, responsible for health emergency response, standard-setting, and international coordination.
• Established: 7 April 1948 (World Health Day).
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
• Membership: 194 Member States.
• Historical Background
  • Originated from International Sanitary Conferences (1851–1938).
  • Absorbed the League of Nations Health Organization post–World War II.
• Core Functions
  • Global health leadership: Coordinates responses to pandemics and health emergencies.
  • Standard-setting: Develops ICD and international health regulations.
  • Universal Health Coverage: Promotes equitable access to essential services.
  • Technical support: Policy advice, training, and capacity building.
  • Surveillance: Global health data, alerts, and early-warning systems.
• Withdrawal Mechanism (U.S.)
  • Legal requirements:
    • One-year advance notice.
    • Settlement of outstanding financial obligations.
  • Current status: Legal and procedural issues flagged due to unpaid dues; modalities under review by the WHO Executive Board.

Insider Trading

Concept

• Meaning: Trading in a company’s securities using non-public, price-sensitive information.
• Nature: Market malpractice undermining fairness, transparency, and investor confidence.

Who is an Insider? (SEBI Definition)

• Any person with access to Unpublished Price Sensitive Information (UPSI).
• Includes individuals associated with the company in the previous six months.
• Covers:
  • Employees, directors, promoters
  • Relatives and professional advisors (bankers, lawyers, auditors)
  • Stock exchange officials, trustees
  • AMC employees linked to the company

Unpublished Price Sensitive Information (UPSI)

• Definition: Non-public information likely to materially affect security prices.
• Examples:
  • Financial results
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Takeovers and major investments
  • Capital restructuring, dividends, key management changes
• Illegality: Trading using UPSI for personal gain is prohibited.

Regulatory Framework in India

• Regulator: Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
• Law: SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015
• Objective: Ensure fair trading, market integrity, and investor protection.
• Enforcement Powers of SEBI
  • Impose monetary penalties
  • Ban individuals/entities from accessing capital markets
  • Order disgorgement of illegal gains
• Illustrative Case
  • Director shares confidential deal information before public disclosure.
  • Tippee trades on the basis of UPSI.
  • Both liable under SEBI PIT Regulations.
• Significance
  • Protects retail investors
  • Maintains market efficiency and credibility
  • Prevents information asymmetry and manipulation

Long-Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Glide Missile (LR-AShM)

Context

• India to publicly debut LR-AShM at the 77th Republic Day parade, showcasing indigenous hypersonic maritime strike capability.

LR-AShM – Overview

• Definition: An indigenous hypersonic glide missile designed to destroy high-value naval targets, including aircraft carrier battle groups, at very long ranges.
• Developer: DRDO for the Indian Navy.
• Primary role: Coastal battery and maritime strike missions.

Objectives

• Strengthen maritime deterrence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• Enable standoff engagement beyond conventional cruise missile ranges.
• Enhance A2/AD (Anti-Access/Area Denial) through shore-based mobile launchers.

Key Features

• Speed: Operates in the hypersonic regime (Mach 5+), drastically reducing enemy reaction time.
• Range: Approx. 1,500 km (future variants under development).
• Architecture: Boost-glide system,  solid rocket boost followed by unpowered, manoeuvrable hypersonic glide.
• Guidance: Inertial navigation + satellite support + active radar seeker for engaging moving naval targets and resisting ECM.
• Flight profile: Low-altitude, evasive trajectory to reduce detection and interception.
• Deployment: Land-based mobile launchers initially; ship-borne and air-launched variants planned.

Significance

• Positions India among select hypersonic-capable nations (US, Russia, China).
• Strengthens sea-denial and power-projection across the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.
  

Red-Eared Slider Turtle

Context

• An invasive red-eared slider turtle population is threatening freshwater ecosystems in Coimbatore due to pet releases.

Identity

• Scientific name: Trachemys scripta elegans
• Type: Freshwater turtle (aquatic invasive species)
• IUCN Status: Least Concern

Habitat & Distribution

• Habitat: Predominantly aquatic; terrestrial during range expansion
• Global spread: Established on all continents except Antarctica
• Introduction route: International pet trade

Key Features

• Distinctive mark: Red stripe behind each ear
• Adaptability: Tolerates sub-optimal temperatures
• Behaviour: Opportunistic and aggressive feeder during breeding phases
• Lifespan: 20–50 years (wild)

Ecological Impacts

• Rapid breeding: Expands unchecked, few natural predators
• Competition: Displaces native turtles from basking and nesting sites
• Food pressure: Preys on fish and aquatic fauna, disrupting ecosystems
• Biodiversity risk: Alters freshwater habitat balance

Donbass

About the Region

• Definition: Donbass is a historical and industrial region in south-eastern Ukraine.
• Geographic extent: Comprises primarily Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts.

Political Status

• Since 2014, parts of the region have been under control of Russia-backed separatist entities.
• These groups proclaimed the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR).
• The area remains a core theatre of the Russia–Ukraine conflict.

Strategic Significance

• Major coal and heavy industry belt of Ukraine.
• Critical for economic, military, and geopolitical influence in Eastern Europe.

Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary

Context

• Forest fire since 20 January 2026 near the Indo–China border, affecting ~12 hectares of forest land.

About the Sanctuary

• Description
  • High-altitude protected area and Important Bird Area (IBA).
  • Located in the Eastern Himalayas biodiversity hotspot.

• Location: East Sikkim, Sikkim
• Extent & Terrain
  • Area: ~12,400 hectares
  • Altitude range: ~1,300 m to >4,000 m
  • Ecosystems: Subtropical, temperate, alpine
• Established: 2002

Boundaries & Connectivity

• East: Bhutan
• North: China (Tibet Autonomous Region) via Nathu La–Jelep La corridor
• South: Connects to Neora Valley National Park (West Bengal)

Biogeographical Zones

• Eurasian High Montane (Alpine/Tibetan)
• Sino-Himalayan Temperate Forest
• Sino-Himalayan Subtropical Forest

Flora

• Rhododendron forests
• Silver fir, juniper, oak
• Bamboo thickets
• Alpine meadows
• High-altitude wetlands: Bedang Tso Lake

Fauna

• Mammals: Tiger, Leopard, Takin, Musk Deer, Goral, Serow, Asiatic Black Bear
• Birds: Himalayan Monal, Snow Partridge, Pallas’s Fish Eagle,
  • Wood Snipe (Vulnerable)
  • Tibetan Eared Pheasant (Near Threatened)

Ecological Role

• Migratory corridor via Nathu La and Jelep La passes
• Supports high-altitude watersheds and species movement

Strategic Significance

• Located near India–China–Bhutan tri-junction zone
• Presence of Army deployments affects access and conservation operations