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Rare golden tiger - Page No.1 , GS 3

Aadhaar card no proof of citizenship, birth date - Page No.1 , GS 2
Endless war - Page No.6 , GS 2
Nari Shakti at Republic Day Parade - Page No.11 , GS 2
Rat Hole Mining - Page No.12 , GS 2

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Rare golden tiger - Page No.1 , GS 3
Pg no. 1 GS 3
• While the photograph of a golden tiger, shared by Assam Chief Minister
Himanta Biswa Sarma on X (formerly Twitter) on National Tourism Day
(January 25), has left nature enthusiasts spellbound, the man behind the
image feels that the rare encounter in the wild might never happen again.

• Professor Uma Ramakrishnan of the National Centre for Biological

Sciences, Bengaluru, whose team studied the black or pseudomelanistic
tigers in the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha, is conducting a study on
the golden phenotype of Kaziranga using scat samples.

• “This tiger looks golden because it has a mutation or a genetic variant.

Basically, tigers have three colours: black, orange, and white. In this tiger,
the black colour is missing, and it is slightly faded. Even the orange is
faded,” said Ms. Ramakrishnan.
 Pg no. 1 GS 2

Aadhaar card no proof of citizenship, birth date - Page

No.1 , GS 2
• New Aadhaar cards and PDF versions of the identity document have
started including a more explicit disclaimer that they are “a proof of
identity, not of citizenship or date of birth”, signalling to government
departments and other organisations not to use it for those purposes.

• Aadhaar card has never been proof of citizenship as foreign nationals are
also eligible to obtain one if they have been living in India for 180 days.
However, different government departments accept it for purposes
reserved for citizens or adults.

• For instance, the Election Commission of India explicitly accepts Aadhaar

as a proof of date of birth for enrolling people to vote. These new
clarifications, prominently printed on the document, may challenge such
allowances.
• The 12-digit ID is a proof of uniqueness and residence, but different
government agencies accept it — often on a stand-alone basis — for
any citizen establishing their identity.

• This invalidity of Aadhaar for use in determining the date of birth and
citizenship has been the case for years — the Ministry of Electronics
and Information Technology clarified in a 2018 memorandum that
Aadhaar is “per se… not a proof of date of birth”, as the date of birth
is based on a different document given by applicants.

• It is now mandatory for a number of government services and is also

being used by private companies for identification purposes.
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI):

• It is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the

Aadhaar Act 2016 by the Govt. of India under the Ministry of
Electronics & Information Technology.
• Vision: To empower residents of India with a unique identity and a
digital platform to authenticate anytime, anywhere.
• It is created to issue Unique Identification Numbers (UID), which is
also known as ‘Aadhaar number’ to all the residents of India.
• Under the Aadhaar Act 2016, UIDAI is responsible for Aadhaar
enrolment and authentication, including operation and management
of all stages of the Aadhaar life cycle and the system for issuing
Aadhaar numbers to individuals.
• Composition: UIDAI consists of a Chairperson, two part-time Members
and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who is also the Member-
Secretary of the Authority.
Consider the following statements: (2018)

1. Aadhaar card can be used as a proof of citizenship or domicile.

2. Once issued, Aadhaar number cannot be deactivated or
omitted by the Issuing Authority.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a )1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

 Pg no. 6 GS 2

Endless war - Page No.6 , GS 2

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
• Formed in 1949 with the signing of the Washington Treaty, NATO is a
security alliance of 30 countries from North America and Europe.
• Recently, Finland joined the alliance as 31st member.

• NATO’s fundamental goal is to safeguard the Allies’ freedom and security

by political and military means.

• It is a system of collective defence where independent member states

agree for mutual defence in case of any attack by external party.

• Article 5 of the Washington Treaty states that an attack against one Ally is
an attack against all.
• This article forms the core of the Alliance, a promise of collective defense.
• Headquarter - Brussels, Belgium.
Should India join NATO?

Arguments in favour of joining

• End of Cold War era

• To combat terrorism

• Members of NATO are well-established partners of India

• To contain China

Arguments against joining the alliance

• Fear of antagonising Russia

• It would hurl India headlong into the Global War on Terror

• Sovereignty and Principle of Non-Alignment

 Pg no. 11 GS 2
Nari Shakti at Republic Day Parade - Page No.11 , GS
2
• Republic Day celebrations displayed women power — Major
Saumya Shukla unfurled the National Flag; 112 women artists
skilfully played folk and tribal percussion instruments; an all-
woman tri-service contingent marched for the first time

• The parade had as its running theme aspirations to a Viksit Bharat

(developed India) and Bharat — Loktantra ki Matruka’ (India —
mother of democracy).

• For the first time ever, the French Air and Space Force joined the
fly-past over Kartavya Path with two French Rafales and one A330
MRTT. France is the first foreign country to join the fly-past.
Similarly, the French regiment was the first to have marching
contingent at the parade in 2016.
 Pg no. 12 GS 3
Rat Hole Mining - Page No.12 , GS 2
• Rat hole mining is a method of extracting coal from narrow, horizontal seams,
prevalent in Meghalaya.

• The term “rat hole” refers to the narrow pits dug into the ground, typically
just large enough for one person to descend and extract coal.

• Once the pits are dug, miners descend using ropes or bamboo ladders to
reach the coal seams. The coal is then manually extracted using primitive
tools such as pickaxes, shovels, and baskets.

Concerns:
• Rat hole mining poses significant safety and environmental hazards. The
mines are typically unregulated, lacking safety measures such as proper
ventilation, structural support, or safety gear for the workers.
• The process is not only perilous for the miners but also detrimental to the
environment. Rat-hole mining has been linked to a host of ecological issues,
such as the acidification of rivers, Land Degradation, Deforestation, and
Water Pollution.
Why was Rat-Hole Mining Banned?
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned rat-hole mining in
2014 for being unscientific, but the practice continues to be
rampant.

• Several accidents have resulted in deaths of rat-hole miners in

the Northeastern state.

• In 2018, 15 men involved in illegal mining were trapped inside a

flooded mine. Only two bodies could be recovered in the course
of the rescue operation that lasted for more than two months.

Q. “In spite of adverse environmental impact, coal mining is still

inevitable for development”. Discuss.(2017)
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