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Lakkundi Excavation

Overview

Location

  • Village: Lakkundi (historical name: Lokkigundi)
  • District: Gadag, Karnataka
  • Proximity: ~12 km from Gadag town

Historical Background

  • Period of prominence: 10th–13th centuries
  • Rulers: Kalyana Chalukyas, later Hoysalas
  • Epithet: “Village of a hundred wells and temples”
  • Cultural patronage: Linked to Queen Attimabbe (11th century), noted Jain philanthropist
  • Religious landscape: Hindu temples, Jain basadis, stepwells, and a later Muslim dargah
  • Architecture: Known for the “Lakkundi school” of Chalukyan temple architecture

Key Discoveries

  • Neolithic layer: Grey clay pot fragments, stone axe, cowrie shells, cross-shaped pedestal
  • Early historic–medieval layer: Stone pedestal with Jina carving, inscriptions, buried temple remains
  • Continuity: Evidence of occupation from prehistoric to early medieval phases.

Significance

  • Extends Lakkundi’s timeline beyond medieval history to prehistoric settlement.
  • Strengthens Karnataka’s case for UNESCO World Heritage nomination of Lakkundi monuments.

Bharat Ratna

Overview

  • India’s highest civilian honour, conferred by the President of India.
  • Awarded for exceptional service in any field, without discrimination of gender, profession, or nationality.

Establishment & Authority

  • Instituted: 2 January 1954
  • By: President Dr. Rajendra Prasad
  • Recommendations: Made by the Prime Minister to the President.

Recognition & Nature

  • Award includes:
    • Sanad (certificate) signed by the President.
    • Medallion (no cash component).
  • Not a title:
    • Article 18(1) prohibits use as prefix/suffix.
    • Permitted usage: “Recipient of Bharat Ratna” in biodata and official documents.

Eligibility & Limits

  • Open to Indians and non-Indians.
  • Annual cap: Maximum three awards per year.
  • Exceptions: 1999 (4 awards), 2024 (5 awards).
  • Posthumous awards: Allowed since 1966.

First & Notable Recipients

  • First recipients (1964):
    • Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
    • Dr. C.V. Raman
    • C. Rajagopalachari
  • First posthumous award: Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966).
  • Youngest recipient: Sachin Tendulkar (2014).
  • Non-Indian recipients: Mother Teresa, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Nelson Mandela.

Legal Position

  • Supreme Court (Balaji Raghavan v. Union of India, 1996):
    • National awards do not violate Article 18.
    • They are honours, not hereditary or titular distinctions.

Medal Design & Production

  • Shape: Peepal leaf form.
  • Obverse: Sunburst with “Bharat Ratna” in Devanagari.
  • Reverse: “Satyameva Jayate” below the State Emblem.
  • Materials:
    • Platinum (emblem, sun, rim)
    • Burnished bronze (inscriptions)
  • Minted at: Alipore Mint, Kolkata

FRBM Act, 2003

Overview

  • Full form: Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003
  • Objective: Ensure fiscal discipline, inter-generational equity, and long-term macroeconomic stability.
  • Focus: Guide Central Government towards sustainable deficit and debt management.
  • CAG Role: Mandatory annual compliance audit of FRBM provisions.

Mandatory Budget Statements (Laid Before Parliament)

  • Macro-Economic Framework Statement: Economic outlook and assumptions.
  • Medium-Term Fiscal Policy Statement: Fiscal targets and rolling projections.
  • Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement: Policy stance and fiscal priorities.

Key Fiscal Targets

  • Fiscal Deficit
    • Original target: ≤ 3% of GDP
    • Deadline: 31 March 2021
    • Actual (2023–24, CAG): 5.32% of GDP
    • Revised path: < 4.5% of GDP by FY 2025–26
  • Public Debt Limits
    • General Government (Centre + States): ≤ 60% of GDP
    • Central Government: ≤ 40% of GDP
    • Deadline: End of FY 2024–25
    • Current (2023–24):
      • Central Government: 57% of GDP
      • General Government: 81.3% of GDP
  • Additional Guarantees
    • Cap: ≤ 0.5% of GDP per year
    • Linked to: Consolidated Fund of India
  • FRBM Amendment, 2018:
    • Removed targets for Revenue Deficit and Effective Revenue Deficit.
    • Shifted focus to debt and fiscal deficit anchoring.

Strategic Asset Allocation and Risk Governance (SAARG)

Overview

  • A committee for Strategic Asset Allocation and Risk Governance (SAARG) is constituted by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
  • Chairperson: Narayan Ramachandran
  • Timeframe: To submit recommendations within 9 months
  • Scope: National Pension System (NPS) — Government and Non-Government sectors

Purpose

  • Modernise NPS investment guidelines in line with global pension best practices.
  • Align portfolio design with Indian capital market evolution and long-term subscriber needs.

Mandate / Key Functions

  • Global benchmarking: Compare NPS norms with leading international pension systems.
  • Asset class review: Assess current classes; recommend new/alternative assets for diversification.
  • Strategic allocation: Propose optimal mix across equity, debt, money market, and alternatives with prudential caps.
  • Performance framework: Reform benchmarks and evaluation of Pension Funds.
  • Risk governance & ALM: Strengthen market, credit, liquidity, and operational risk management aligned to liabilities.
  • Intermediary oversight: Review custodial architecture and end-to-end investment processes.
  • Sustainability: Integrate climate risks and net-zero pathways into NPS investments.

Significance

  • Enhances returns, diversification, and resilience of NPS portfolios.
  • Strengthens governance and accountability in pension fund management.
  • Supports long-term retirement security for NPS subscribers.

Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards

Overview

  • Nature: Civilian life-saving gallantry award series for acts involving personal risk to save lives.
  • Established: 1961 (offshoot of the Ashoka Chakra gallantry awards).
  • Authority: Approved by the President of India on PM’s recommendations.

Categories

  • Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak: Conspicuous courage under very great danger.
  • Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak: Courage and promptitude under great danger.
  • Jeevan Raksha Padak: Courage with grave risk of bodily injury.

Eligibility

  • Open to all persons, irrespective of gender or occupation.
  • Posthumous awards permitted.
  • Acts covered: Drowning rescues, fires, accidents, electrocution, mine rescues, natural disasters.

Process

  • Nominations: Invited annually from States/UTs and Union Ministries.
  • Scrutiny: Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards Committee (within two years of the act).
  • Final approval: Prime Minister and President of India.

Award & Allowance

  • Components: Medallion + Certificate.
  • One-time monetary allowance:
    • Sarvottam: ₹2 lakh
    • Uttam: ₹1.5 lakh
    • Jeevan Raksha: ₹1 lakh
  • No service concessions: No rail/airfare or additional perks.

Significance

  • Promotes civic courage and humanitarian values.
  • Recognises ordinary citizens for extraordinary life-saving acts.

Dugong Conservation Centre

Context

  • EAC (MoEFCC) recommended a design overhaul of the proposed International Dugong Conservation Centre.
  • Location: Manora, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.
  • CRZ Status: Falls in CRZ-III No Development Zone and overlaps CRZ-I areas with mangroves and seagrass meadows.

Dugong (Dugong dugon)

  • Overview
    • Type: Large marine mammal, also called “sea cow” and “farmer of the sea”.
    • Size: Grows up to 10 feet; weighs about 420 kg.
    • Tail: Dolphin-like, fluked tail.
  • Habitat & Diet
    • Habitat: Shallow, warm coastal waters (<10 m depth), bays and lagoons.
    • Diet: Strictly herbivorous, feeds on seagrass meadows.
  • Distribution in India
    • Gulf of Kutch
    • Gulf of Mannar–Palk Bay
    • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  • Behaviour & Reproduction
    • Social pattern: Solitary or in small pairs.
    • Lifespan: Up to 70 years.
    • Maturity: Reaches sexual maturity at 9–10 years.
    • Breeding interval: One calf every 3–5 years.
  • Conservation Status
    • IUCN: Vulnerable (VU)
    • CITES: Appendix I (international trade prohibited)
    • India: Schedule I, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

Seagrass

  • Overview
    • Type: Underwater flowering plant forming vital coastal wetland ecosystems.
    • Functions: Stabilises seabed, supports fisheries, carbon sequestration, shelters marine biodiversity.
  • Distribution in India
    • Highest diversity: Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu.
    • Species richness: Over 13 species recorded.
    • Limited populations: Lakshadweep, Kachchh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha.
    • Threat status: Increasingly degraded and fragmented.
  • Significance
    • Dugongs depend directly on healthy seagrass ecosystems.
    • CRZ-I overlap highlights conservation–development trade-offs in coastal infrastructure planning.

Graviton

Context

  • Researchers from Stevens Institute of Technology and Yale University are developing an experiment to detect gravitons, aiming to link quantum mechanics with general relativity.

About Graviton

  • Overview
    • Definition: A hypothetical elementary particle proposed to mediate the gravitational force.
    • Analogy: Similar to photons carrying electromagnetic force.
    • Scientific value: Confirmation would establish gravity as a quantum force.
  • Proposed Detection Method
    • Detector type: Superfluid helium resonator.
    • Operating condition: Cooled to quantum ground state to minimise background noise.
    • Mechanism:
      • A passing gravitational wave may transfer a single quantum of energy (graviton).
      • This generates a phonon (quantum vibration) inside the resonator.
      • Lasers are used to detect the vibration signal.
  • Detection Challenges
    • Weakest fundamental force: Gravity is far weaker than electromagnetic, strong, and weak nuclear forces.
    • Low interaction probability: Gravitons can pass through matter with near-zero interaction.
    • Signal ambiguity: Observed vibrations may still be explained by classical gravity effects.
  • Limitations
    • Practical feasibility: Theoretical studies suggest single-graviton detection may be technologically unachievable.
    • Noise sensitivity: Extreme isolation and precision are required to avoid false signals.
  • Significance
    • Theoretical breakthrough: Would support a quantum theory of gravity.
    • Scientific impact: Bridges the gap between Einstein’s general relativity and quantum mechanics.
    • Cosmological insight: Enhances understanding of the fundamental structure of the universe.

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