Current Affairs - April 27, 2025 Current Affairs

Odisha is home to the Lanjia Saora tribal group, a culturally vibrant and isolated community mainly residing in the forested hills of Gajapati and Rayagada districts. During the mango harvest season, the women of this group celebrate with spirited dances featuring brass pipes, cymbals, and gongs. Their colourful attire includes turbans adorned with crane feathers and accessories like umbrellas, swords, and peacock plumes. As part of the larger Saora tribe, which finds mention in ancient Indian epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Lanjia Saora maintain distinct cultural practices, including shifting cultivation, ritual art, and unique tattooing traditions.

The deal between India and France for the acquisition of Rafale-M fighter jets includes a total of 26 jets, comprising 22 single-seat carrier-capable jets and 4 twin-seat trainer jets. This government-to-government agreement marks a significant enhancement of India’s naval capabilities. The Rafale-M jets will be equipped for operations from India’s aircraft carriers, particularly enhancing the combat capabilities of the Indian Navy. This deal builds upon a previous 2016 agreement for 36 Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force, further strengthening India's defence infrastructure.

Bhutan is tapping into its abundant hydropower to mine green cryptocurrencies, a strategic move aimed at driving economic growth while supporting the global shift towards sustainable energy. By utilizing 100% clean energy, Bhutan ensures that its cryptocurrency mining operations are environmentally friendly, aligning with global ESG goals. The country has been investing in cryptocurrencies since 2019 through its sovereign wealth fund, using profits to bolster public spending. With a rising youth unemployment rate and concerns over brain drain, Bhutan is also focusing on blockchain and AI training to create employment opportunities. The plan includes expanding hydropower capacity to sustain this green economic diversification.

Odisha is the state where a farmer officially registered the indigenous paddy variety known as Keonjhar Kalachampa, notable for its resilience to diseases, pests, and climate change. Recognized by the government in 2015, the variety has been widely produced and distributed by the Odisha State Seeds Corporation (OSSC) and private players. Its features include non-lodging capacity, high yield, and adaptability to both timely and late sowing. Odisha has also taken significant steps toward preserving its traditional agricultural biodiversity through a dedicated gene bank initiative, ensuring the long-term conservation of native paddy seeds under controlled conditions for up to 50 years.

Dr. K. Kasturirangan served as the Chairman of ISRO from 1994 to 2003, during which he played a pivotal role in transforming India's space program from an experimental phase to a fully operational one. His leadership saw advancements in earth observation, communication satellites, and launch services. Additionally, his initiatives like commercializing space and introducing thematic space missions such as EDUSAT for tele-education and Chandrayaan-1 for lunar exploration had a significant impact on India’s technological and societal growth.

The Doha Round of WTO negotiations began in 2001 with the goal of reforming international trade rules by reducing tariffs and addressing issues like agricultural subsidies and industrial barriers. Despite ambitious objectives, the negotiations ultimately collapsed due to deep divisions between developed and developing countries. Only a partial agreement on fisheries has been achieved. The failure of the Doha Round revealed the difficulties within the WTO’s consensus-based system and highlighted the broader shift toward bilateral and regional trade agreements, weakening the influence of multilateral trade mechanisms.

Miasma theory was the dominant belief for centuries that diseases like malaria were caused by “bad air” emanating from marshes and decaying matter. It wasn’t until scientific breakthroughs in the late 19th century, such as Alphonse Laveran’s discovery of the malaria parasite in human blood and Ronald Ross's identification of its transmission by mosquitoes, that the actual cause of malaria was understood. The shift from miasma theory to germ theory and parasite transmission not only revolutionized medicine but also had far-reaching impacts on colonial expansion, as better malaria control allowed European powers to colonize vast areas of Africa more effectively.

India’s astronomers, from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), made a significant breakthrough by identifying the cause behind the strange lack of dark matter in the galaxy NGC 1052-DF2. This galaxy is unique because it contradicts the standard understanding that dark matter is essential for galaxy formation. The Indian researchers built detailed models to study this phenomenon and discovered that the galaxy’s mass is mostly from stars, not dark matter. Their findings not only question the traditional models of galaxy formation but also open up new areas of research into the very nature of dark matter itself.

India achieved a significant milestone in its National Quantum Mission with the launch of its first full-stack quantum computer, QpiAI-Indus, by Bengaluru-based QpiAI on World Quantum Day (14th April). QpiAI-Indus is fully designed and built in India, covering both hardware and AI-driven software for running quantum applications. It features 25 qubits, which are essential for high-performance quantum computing with greater stability and minimal errors. This system promises revolutionary advancements across sectors like life sciences, materials science, and logistics. The launch marks a new chapter in India's quantum capabilities and aligns with global movements like the UN’s International Year of Quantum Science in 2025.

Judicial review in India is primarily inferred from Article 13 of the Constitution, even though the term itself is not explicitly mentioned. Article 13 states that any law inconsistent with or in derogation of fundamental rights shall be void, laying the foundation for the judiciary to invalidate unconstitutional laws. This power is crucial to maintaining constitutional supremacy, protecting citizens' rights, and ensuring the separation of powers among the legislature, executive, and judiciary. Judicial review is considered part of the basic structure of the Constitution, meaning it cannot be abrogated even by constitutional amendments. It acts as a guardian of democracy and constitutional integrity.