The UPSC Daily Chronicle

BHIL PITHORA RITUAL MURALS: SACRED LAKHINDRA TRADITION, DOT-TECHNIQUE & CENTRAL INDIAN ETHNOGRAPHY

Context & Analysis: The Ministry of Culture has sanctioned specialized conservation documentation for the ancient ritual mural tradition of Pithora and contemporary Bhil painting across Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Practiced by the Bhil tribe (India's largest tribal community, predominantly inhabiting Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra) and the allied Bhilala community, Pithora is not mere decorative ornamentation but an elaborate votive ritual painted to invoke the blessings of Baba Pithora (the supreme tribal deity of prosperity). Executed on mud-plastered walls washed with cow dung and white chalk (*lipan*), Pithora murals are painted exclusively by initiated tribal priests and male artists known as Lakhindras under the ritual supervision of a shaman (*Badva*). The visual iconography is dominated by horses (*ghoda*), sacred groves, agricultural cycles, dancing figures, and cosmic deities, rendered in brilliant natural pigments mixed with mahua liquor and milk.

SARDAR PATEL 151ST BIRTH ANNIVERSARY: BARDOLI SATYAGRAHA, KARACHI RESOLUTION & ALL INDIA SERVICES ARCHITECTURE

Context & Analysis: On 31 October, the nation commemorates the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (born 31 October 1875 in Nadiad, Gujarat), celebrated nationwide as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) since 2014. Patel’s rise as an undisputed national mass leader began with the Kheda Satyagraha (1918) and culminated in the historic Bardoli Satyagraha (1928). In Bardoli taluka (Surat district), the Bombay Presidency arbitrarily increased land revenue assessments by 22% despite severe agricultural distress. Patel organized a disciplined non-violent no-tax campaign, dividing the taluka into 13 chhavanis (camps) and mobilizing women and Kaliparaj (tribal) landless laborers. The extraordinary organizational success forced the colonial government to institute the Broomfield-Maxwell Committee, which slashed the tax hike to 6.03%. It was the women of Bardoli who bestowed upon him the reverent title "Sardar" (Leader).

SIACHEN GLACIER & NUBRA BASIN: KARAKORAM CRYOSPHERE, SALTORO RIDGE TECTONICS & INDIRA COL STRATEGY

Context & Analysis: Glaciological surveys by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) alongside Indian Army logistics updates have highlighted the accelerating impact of climate change on the Siachen Glacier in eastern Ladakh. Situated in the East Karakoram Range immediately south of the great water divide that separates Central Asia from the Indian subcontinent, Siachen spans roughly 76 km in length, making it the second-longest non-polar valley glacier in the world (after the Fedchenko Glacier in Tajikistan). Originating at Indira Col (5,753 m), the glacier flows southeastward between the Karakoram main ridge to the northeast and the Saltoro Ridge to the southwest. Meltwaters from the glacier's snout (at ~3,620 m) give birth to the Nubra River, which cascades down to join the Shyok River—a major right-bank tributary of the Indus River system.

SPECIAL MARRIAGE ACT, 1954: SECTION 5–7 NOTICE DISCLOSURE VS. ARTICLE 21 RIGHT TO PRIVACY & AUTONOMY

Context & Analysis: Ongoing constitutional litigations before the Supreme Court and High Courts have intensified scrutiny on the 30-day public notice requirement under the Special Marriage Act (SMA), 1954. Enacted as India's premier secular matrimonial code, the SMA enables civil marriage between two individuals irrespective of their religious faith without requiring religious conversion. However, under Sections 5 and 6, parties must submit a formal 30-day notice to the Marriage Officer in the district where at least one party has resided for 30 days, which is then published in a public Marriage Notice Book. Under Section 7, any member of the public can file objections within 30 days. Petitioners argue that mandatory public display invites vigilante harassment, honor threats, and paternalistic interference, violating the Fundamental Right to Privacy and Personal Autonomy recognized in K.S. Puttaswamy (2017), Shafin Jahan / Hadiya (2018), and Navtej Singh Johar (2018).

PM SVANIDHI EXPANSION: GRADUATED MICRO-CREDIT, 7% INTEREST SUBSIDY & 'SVANIDHI SE SAMRIDDHI'

Context & Analysis: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has announced that the PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme has crossed over 65 lakh beneficiaries, disbursing credit worth more than ₹12,000 crore to urban street vendors. Launched in June 2020 as a Central Sector Scheme under the Atmanirbhar Bharat package, PM SVANidhi formalizes street vending and facilitates affordable working capital loans to rebuild urban informal livelihoods without demanding physical collateral. The scheme operates on a graduated credit ladder: an initial loan of up to ₹10,000; upon timely or early repayment, vendors become eligible for a second loan of up to ₹20,000, and a third loan of up to ₹50,000. Vendors enjoy a 7% interest subsidy per annum credited directly via DBT, alongside cashback rewards of up to ₹1,200 annually for executing digital transactions via UPI QR codes.

BRICS EXPANSION & THE NEW DEVELOPMENT BANK (NDB): LOCAL CURRENCY FINANCING & MULTILATERAL REFORM

Context & Analysis: Following the 16th BRICS Summit and the induction of new full members (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia), institutional focus has centered on scaling the lending operations of the New Development Bank (NDB). Established under the Fortaleza Declaration (2014) during the 6th BRICS Summit in Brazil, the NDB was founded as a multilateral development bank to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging market economies. Headquartered in Shanghai, China, the bank operates with an initial authorized capital of $100 billion. Unlike the Bretton Woods institutions (IMF and World Bank) where voting power is tied to capital shareholding with US veto dominance, the NDB was founded on strict democratic equality: each founding member held an equal number of shares and voting power, with no member possessing veto rights.

ADVANCE PRICING AGREEMENTS (APAs): SECTION 92CC IT ACT, ARM'S LENGTH PRINCIPLE & BEPS ACTION 14

Context & Analysis: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has signed record numbers of Bilateral and Unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with multinational corporations, setting new benchmarks for non-adversarial tax administration. Introduced in 2012 under Sections 92CC and 92CD of the Income-tax Act, 1961, the APA scheme is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism designed to provide certainty in Transfer Pricing. When multinational enterprises (MNEs) transact goods, intellectual property, or administrative services across borders between related entities (associated enterprises), they may artificially manipulate transfer prices to shift profits to low-tax jurisdictions. An APA determines in advance the appropriate Transfer Pricing methodology and the Arm's Length Price (ALP) for specified international transactions, shielding taxpayers from audit scrutiny and double taxation for up to five future consecutive years, with an optional four-year "rollback" provision.

NATIONAL MISSION ON NATURAL FARMING (NMNF): FOUR FOUNDATIONAL PILLARS & SOIL MICROBIOME RESTORATION

Context & Analysis: The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has institutionalized the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) with a standalone outlay to promote chemical-free farming across 1 crore hectares, building upon the Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP) sub-scheme. Pioneered by agricultural innovator Subhash Palekar as Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), Natural Farming is an agro-ecological paradigm that eliminates synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and expensive off-farm inputs. Instead, it relies on indigenous cow dung and cow urine formulations to stimulate native soil microbial life, mycorrhizal fungi, and earthworms (*Anecic* and *Endogeic* species). Crucially, Natural Farming differs fundamentally from Organic Farming: organic farming often relies on large purchased off-farm organic manures (vermicompost, bone meal) and intensive tillage, whereas Natural Farming relies strictly on local on-farm biological formulations and continuous ground mulching.

SOLID-STATE LITHIUM BATTERIES (SSBs): INORGANIC SOLID ELECTROLYTES, DENDRITE SUPPRESSION & EV RANGE

Context & Analysis: Under the Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme and DST clean-energy grants, Indian research consortia are pioneering pilot prototypes of Solid-State Lithium Batteries (SSBs). Conventional commercial Lithium-ion batteries utilize a porous polymer separator soaked in a flammable, volatile liquid organic solvent electrolyte (e.g., lithium hexafluorophosphate in organic carbonates). Under fast-charging, mechanical impact, or extreme temperatures, microscopic needle-like lithium metallic crystals—known as dendrites—grow from the anode across the separator, causing catastrophic internal short circuits, thermal runaway, and vehicle fires. Solid-State Batteries replace the flammable liquid electrolyte with a solid inorganic (oxide, sulfide, or polymer) ceramic electrolyte that physically suppresses dendrite penetration, unlocks ultra-fast charging (10–15 minutes), and operates safely over wider temperature envelopes (-30°C to 100°C).

GHARIAL (GAVIALIS GANGETICUS): CHAMBAL RIVER SANCTUARY, MORPHOLOGICAL SPECIALIZATION & HABITAT ECOLOGY

Context & Analysis: Coordinated river censuses conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) across the National Chambal Sanctuary have confirmed positive nesting recoveries for the Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), while highlighting persistent ecological pressures from illegal riverbed sand mining. The Gharial is the sole surviving member of the ancient crocodilian family Gavialidae, characterized by an exceptionally long, slender snout lined with 110 interlocking needle-sharp teeth adapted exclusively for piscivory (catching fish). Adult males develop a prominent bulbous cartilaginous nasal protuberance at the tip of the snout, resembling an earthen pot (ghara in Hindi, hence "Gharial"), used to produce resonant vocal hums and courtship bubbles. Over 80% of the world's wild Gharial population is concentrated in the clean, unpolluted waters of the Chambal River, with satellite populations in the Gandak, Girwa (Katarniaghat), Ramganga, and Son rivers.

GREY-ZONE WARFARE & COGNITIVE SECURITY: INFORMATION WARFARE, DENIABLE ASYMMETRY & MULTI-DOMAIN DEFENCE

Context & Analysis: Strategic security doctrines articulated by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) have directed the Indian Armed Forces to develop multi-agency counter-strategies against Grey-Zone Warfare. Grey-zone conflict refers to aggressive state-sponsored coercive activities that deliberately operate in the ambiguous geopolitical space between peacetime diplomacy and formal declared kinetic war (falling below the legal threshold that triggers the right of armed self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter). Hostile adversaries deploy a synchronized cocktail of non-kinetic instruments—including state-backed Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) cyber disruptions against power grids, covert maritime fishing militia swarms in the Indian Ocean, weaponized economic coercion, deepfake-driven cognitive warfare, and algorithmic narrative manipulation designed to inflame domestic ethno-religious faultlines.