29 April 2026

1. B’nei Menashe

Ø News:    Around 250 members of the B’nei Menashe community from Northeast India have recently arrived in Israel as part of “Operation Wings of Dawn.”

Ø  Identity and Classification: The B’nei Menashe are a small ethnic community that emerged within the Chin-Kuki-Mizo tribal groups, collectively referred to as the “Zo.”

Ø Distribution:

o In India, the community is primarily found in the northeastern states of Manipur and Mizoram, along with neighbouring regions of Myanmar and Bangladesh.

o Approximately 10,000 members of the community reside in India, where they are also known as Shinlung.

o Around 5,000 members live in Israel, distributed across towns such as Kiryat Arba, Nof HaGalil, Sderot, Nitzan, and Akko.

Ø Origin and Historical Belief:

o The community believes that it descends from the tribe of Manasseh, one of the ten lost tribes of Israel.

o These tribes are believed to have gone into exile following the Assyrian conquest of Israel around 722 BCE.

o According to their tradition, their ancestors migrated eastward through regions such as Persia, now Iran, and Afghanistan before settling in Northeast India.

Ø Early Religious Practices:

o Before the arrival of British rule in the late nineteenth century, the community followed an indigenous tribal belief system.

o This belief system included reverence for a figure known as Manasia or Manmasi.

Ø Religious Transformation:

o During British rule, many members of the community converted to Christianity due to missionary activities.

o At present, they largely follow Judaism.

Ø Language: The languages spoken by the B’nei Menashe belong to the Tibeto-Burman language family.

Ø Cultural Practices:

o Men commonly wear kippahs or head coverings.

o Married women follow the practice of covering their heads.

Ø Emergence of the Movement:

o The B’nei Menashe identity movement began in 1951 when Challianthanga, also known as Challa, experienced a vision linking his people’s origin to Israel.

o This led many among the Chin-Kuki-Mizo groups to identify themselves as descendants of the lost tribe of Manasseh.

Ø Development of Judaizing Practices:

o In the 1970s, a Judaizing movement inspired by the Hebrew Bible began within the community, although it had limited interaction with global Jewish traditions.

o In the 1980s, Eliyahu Avichail played a key role in guiding the community and introducing formal Jewish religious practices.

Ø Migration and Citizenship Requirement:  Members of the community who migrate to Israel are required to undergo formal conversion to Judaism again in order to obtain citizenship.

UPSC GS 2

2. Science Panel for the Global Energy Transition

Ø News:    The Science Panel for the Global Energy Transition was launched on April 24, 2026 in Santa Marta with the objective of accelerating the global phase-out of fossil fuels.

Ø Nature of the Panel: SPGET is a global, science-driven panel that offers policy-relevant guidance to support the transition away from fossil fuels.

Ø  Launch Details: The panel was formally launched on April 24, 2026 in Santa Marta, Colombia.

Ø Origin and Background: The idea for establishing SPGET emerged from discussions held during the plenary of COP30 in Belém.

Ø Mission of the Panel:

o The panel seeks to provide rapid, science-based, and policy-oriented advice to governments.

o Its goal is to support faster and more effective energy transition strategies worldwide.

Ø Objective of the Panel:

o SPGET aims to define country-level and sector-specific milestones aligned with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

o It also intends to guide policies for the gradual phase-out of fossil fuels.

Ø  Institutional Support:

o The initiative is supported by the Brazilian COP30 Presidency.

o It is also backed by the Dutch Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth and Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.

Ø Key Highlights:

o The launch event brought together representatives from more than 56 countries.

o This reflects the effort to build a broad-based international coalition for energy transition.

o The panel will produce analytical reports, policy briefs, and country-specific recommendations.

o These outputs will assist countries in strengthening their nationally determined contributions and sectoral strategies.

o The panel emphasises the use of the latest scientific evidence.

o It focuses on generating clear, accessible, and actionable insights.

o Its approach supports a just and orderly transition towards sustainable energy systems.

UPSC GS 3

3. INS Kalpeni

Ø News:     INS Kalpeni recently reached Gan, marking an important development in maritime cooperation between India and the Maldives.

Ø Classification and Type: INS Kalpeni is a fast attack craft of the Indian Navy.

Ø Class and Construction:

o The vessel is part of a series of 10 Car Nicobar-class waterjet fast attack craft.

o These ships were constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers for the Indian Navy.

Ø Commissioning and Naming:

o INS Kalpeni was commissioned on 14 October 2010.

o The ship is named after Kalpeni Island.

Ø Base and Operational Command:

o The vessel is based at Kochi.

o It operates under the Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy.

Ø Primary Roles:

o The ship is primarily tasked with coastal surveillance and defence.

o It undertakes anti-smuggling operations.

o It is involved in vessel boarding, search and seizure missions.

o It also performs search and rescue operations.

Ø Armament:

o The primary armament consists of a 30 mm CRN 91 gun.

o This gun is supported by an optronic pedestal sight that functions as its fire-control director.

o The ship, which is approximately 49 metres in length, is equipped with 11 machine guns of different types.

o It is also fitted with shoulder-launched IGLA surface-to-air missiles for countering aerial threats.

4. Pushkarmema Curajae

Ø News:     Researchers from the Central University of Rajasthan have identified a new species of cyanobacteria named Pushkarmema curajae from Pushkar Lake.

Ø   Nature and Discovery:

o Pushkarmema curajae is a newly discovered species belonging to the group of cyanobacteria.

o It was isolated and identified from Pushkar Lake in Ajmer district of Rajasthan.

Ø Nomenclature:

o The genus name “Pushkarmema” is derived from Pushkar Lake.

o The species name “curajae” honours the Central University of Rajasthan.

Ø  Potential Applications:

o The species has potential applications in developing pharmaceutical products.

o It may also be used in the production of biofertilizers.

o It holds promise for creating nutrient-rich supplements that can enhance immunity and overall health.

Ø  General Characteristics:

o Cyanobacteria are microscopic organisms capable of photosynthesis.

o They are naturally found in all types of aquatic environments.

Ø  Classification and Structure:

o They were historically referred to as blue-green algae, although they are not true algae.

o These organisms are prokaryotic, meaning they lack a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

o They are typically unicellular but can form visible colonies.

Ø   Colour and Appearance:

o While commonly green or blue-green, cyanobacteria can also appear white, brown, blue, yellow-brown, or red.

o Dense growth often imparts a greenish or bluish tint to water bodies.

Ø Habitat and Distribution:

o They inhabit freshwater, brackish water, and marine ecosystems.

Ø Physiological Functions:

o Cyanobacteria perform photosynthesis similar to plants, requiring sunlight, nutrients, and carbon dioxide.

o They contribute to oxygen production in aquatic ecosystems.

Ø   Nitrogen Fixation Ability:

o Many species have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen.

o They convert nitrogen gas into usable compounds for living organisms.

Ø Evolutionary Significance:

o Cyanobacteria are among the oldest known life forms, with fossil records dating back more than 3.5 billion years.

o They have played a major role in shaping Earth’s ecological and evolutionary history.

o The oxygen-rich atmosphere of the Earth was largely generated by cyanobacteria during the Archaean and Proterozoic eras.

Ø Algal Blooms:

o High nutrient levels in water can trigger rapid growth of cyanobacteria, leading to algal blooms.

o Such blooms are more common during warm conditions.

Ø Water Quality and Toxicity:

o Cyanobacterial blooms can degrade water quality.

o Some species produce toxins that are harmful to animals and humans.

o Exposure to these toxins has been linked to deaths of livestock, wildlife, and pets.

5. Doppler Weather Radar

Ø News:    The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has installed a new X-band Doppler Weather Radar at Mahabaleshwar under Mission Mausam.

Ø Definition and Principle:

o A Doppler Weather Radar is an advanced radar system that uses the Doppler Effect to determine the velocity of objects at a distance.

o It provides data on both the position and movement of atmospheric targets such as raindrops and clouds.

Ø  Types of Radar Bands:

o Weather radars operate across different frequency bands such as S-band, C-band, and X-band.

o These bands are widely used by the India Meteorological Department for meteorological observations.

Ø  Working Mechanisms:

o The radar emits a beam of electromagnetic energy in the form of radio waves from an antenna.

o When these waves encounter objects in the atmosphere, the energy is scattered in multiple directions.

o A portion of this energy is reflected back to the radar system.

o Larger atmospheric particles reflect stronger signals back to the radar.

o By measuring the time taken for the signal to return, meteorologists can determine the distance of objects such as raindrops.

o The Doppler Effect allows the radar to measure changes in frequency of the returning signal.

o This helps in determining the speed and direction of moving weather systems.

Ø Applications:

o Doppler Weather Radars are used to track cloud movement and large-scale weather systems.

o They help estimate rainfall within a coverage area of around 500 kilometres.

o X-band radars are particularly useful for detecting thunderstorms and lightning.

o C-band radars are commonly used for tracking cyclones and their movement.

6. Cyborg Botany

Ø News:   Scientists from multiple research institutions are actively advancing the field of Cyborg Botany, which aims to convert plants into functional living circuit systems.

Ø  Definition and Nature:

o Cyborg botany refers to a hybrid approach that combines living plants with electronic components.

o It represents an interdisciplinary field involving biology, materials science, and engineering.

o The term “cyborg” originates from “cybernetic organism,” a concept traditionally linked to science fiction.

Ø  Core Objective:

o The primary goal is to integrate natural biological processes of plants with artificial electronic functions.

o This integration enables plants to act as responsive, data-generating systems.

Ø Working Mechanisms:

o Nanowires and electronic transistors can be embedded into plant cell walls.

o These embedded elements function as biosensors that detect biochemical changes in real time.

o Conductive polymers such as PEDOT can be introduced into plant tissues.

o These polymers act as internal wiring systems, transmitting signals from plant cells to external monitoring devices.

Ø  Significance:

o Plants are exposed to biotic stress, including pests and diseases.

o They also face abiotic stress such as drought and extreme temperature conditions.

o Sensors integrated within plants can detect stress signals before visible symptoms appear.

o This early detection can occur days or even weeks in advance.

o Farmers can respond promptly by applying water, nutrients, or treatments only where required.

o This approach enhances efficiency, reduces resource wastage, and improves crop health management.

7.  Eulophia Picta

Ø News:    A rare orchid species, Eulophia picta, has been documented in central Andhra Pradesh for the first time, marking its initial recorded occurrence in this region.

Ø Nature and Classification:

o Eulophia picta is a terrestrial orchid that grows in warm climatic conditions.

o It is generally a medium- to small-sized plant.

Ø Common Names:

o The species is commonly referred to as the Nodding Swamp Orchid.

o It is also known as the pink nodding orchid.

Ø Habitat and Distribution:

o The orchid has a wide geographical range extending from India through Southeast Asia to Australia.

o It typically grows in moist grasslands, sandy coastal areas behind beaches, and rainforest environments.

o It is also found in semi-deciduous and deciduous dry lowland forests at elevations up to 1000 metres.

o The plant possesses underground, spherical pseudobulbs.

Ø Morphological Description:

o It is a leafy species with three to five broad, smooth, and prominently ribbed leaves.

o The plant can produce up to 20 flowers that are usually pale pink, and only rarely white in colour.

o The flowers remain closed and tubular rather than opening fully.

o The flowering structure initially curves like a shepherd’s crook.

o As the plant develops ribbed seed capsules, the inflorescence gradually straightens.

Ø Growth Conditions:

o The species thrives under full sunlight as well as in partial shade.

o This adaptability allows it to grow across a variety of environmental conditions and habitats.