Today's Brief 29-30/04/2025

JS Analysis:

1 .Chief Justice of India--Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai has been appointed as the 52nd Chief Justice of India by President Droupadi Murmu, and he is set to assume office on May 14, 2025, succeeding current Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna. 

With a distinguished legal career that includes serving as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India and the Bombay High Court,

His tenure as Chief Justice will be approximately six months, concluding with his retirement in November 2025. 

2 .The Char Dham Yatra is a revered Hindu pilgrimage circuit nestled in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand, India. It comprises four holy sites: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.

In Hindi, "char" means four and "dham" refers to religious abodes, and this yatra is considered immensely sacred by Hindus, who believe that undertaking this journey washes away sins and paves the way for "Moksha" (liberation).'

Traditionally, the yatra is undertaken in a clockwise direction, starting from Yamunotri in the west, proceeding to Gangotri, then to Kedarnath, and finally concluding at Badrinath in the north.

These high-altitude shrines remain closed for about six months each year due to the harsh winter conditions, typically opening in the summer months of April or May and closing with the onset of winter in October or November.

Each of the four sites holds unique significance:

• Yamunotri: The source of the Yamuna River and the seat of Goddess Yamuna. Pilgrims often bathe in the river's holy waters, believed to protect against untimely death. The temple here was established in the 19th century.

• Gangotri: The origin of the Ganges River (Ganga) and the abode of Goddess Ganga. It is believed that the goddess descended to Earth at this spot. The original temple was built in the early 19th century.

• Kedarnath: Dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, considered the holiest abodes of Shiva. Legend has it that the Pandavas built the original temple, and Adi Shankaracharya later revived it in the 8th century.

• Badrinath: The sacred abode of Lord Vishnu in his form as Badrinarayan. The site is associated with Nara-Narayana, an avatar of Vishnu, who is said to have performed penance here. Adi Shankaracharya is also credited with establishing the temple.

  
  

3 .The National Green Hydrogen Mission,

(GS Paper II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations)

approved by the Indian government, aims to establish India as a global hub for the production, usage, and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives.

With a significant financial outlay, the mission targets the production of at least 5 million metric tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030, coupled with an increase in renewable energy capacity by approximately 125 GW.

This ambitious initiative is expected to attract over ₹8 lakh crore in total investments and create more than six lakh jobs, while also leading to a substantial reduction in fossil fuel imports and annual greenhouse gas emissions.

4 .Gyan Post :

(GS Paper II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations)

The Indian Postal Department is launching a new service called "Gyan Post" on May 1, 2025, designed to make the delivery of educational, social, cultural, and religious books more affordable across the country.

This initiative, announced by Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia, aims to ensure that learning resources reach every individual, even in remote areas.

5 .The Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM) is a crucial supersonic air defense system jointly developed by India's DRDO and Israel's IAI, with production primarily handled by BDL.

Designed to neutralize a wide array of aerial threats, including missiles, aircraft, helicopters, and drones, the MR-SAM boasts a range of up to 70 kilometers and a speed reaching Mach 2.

Its sophisticated guidance system employs dual-mode operation with command guidance and an active radar RF seeker for precise target interception, with some variants also featuring infrared homing.

Key features include vertical launch capability for engaging multiple targets simultaneously, advanced radar systems for effective tracking, mobile launcher systems for land-based deployment, high maneuverability facilitated by thrust vector control, and all-weather operational capability.

Variants of the MR-SAM, sometimes known as Barak-8 for naval applications, serve different branches of the Indian armed forces, significantly bolstering India's air defense shield as demonstrated by numerous successful flight tests.

6 .Deepfakes

(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

are synthetic media, typically videos or audio recordings, that have been manipulated using artificial intelligence, particularly deep learning techniques, to convincingly depict people saying or doing things they never actually said or did. 

These fabricated media often involve the superimposition of one person's likeness onto another's body or the manipulation of existing audio and video to alter the content.

 While the underlying technology has potential positive applications, deepfakes have raised significant concerns due to their potential for misuse in spreading misinformation, creating non-consensual pornography, conducting fraud, and undermining trust in authentic media.

 The ease with which realistic deepfakes can be created and disseminated poses a growing challenge for detection and for maintaining the integrity of information in the digital age.

7 .The Asian Yogasana Sport Championship

(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

is a significant event that highlights the growing popularity of Yogasana as a competitive sport across the continent.

The 2nd edition of this championship was recently held in New Delhi, India, from April 25th to 27th, 2025, at the KD Jadhav Arena, Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.

This event saw participation from over 21 countries and was organized by Yogasan Bharat with support from the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Sports Authority of India.

India demonstrated exceptional prowess at the championship, securing a historic victory by winning a total of 87 medals, including an impressive 83 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze, thereby topping the medal tally.

Japan secured the second position with 3 gold, 3 silver, and 4 bronze medals, while Mongolia finished third with 1 gold, 11 silver, and 6 bronze. Oman and Nepal rounded out the top five.

The championship included competitions across four age categories: 10-18, 18-28, 28-35, and 35-45 years.

The Yogasana Federation of India and Yogasana Bharat are key organizations working to promote Yogasana as a competitive sport, aiming for its inclusion in major multi-sporting events like the Olympics.

8 .The Index of Industrial Production (IIP)

(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

in India has shown a growth of 3% for March 2025, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. 

 This marks a slight increase from  the revised figure of 2.7% in February 2025.

 The growth was primarily driven by a surge in the electricity sector, which expanded by 6.3%, and a steady performance from the manufacturing sector, which grew by 3.0%.

However, the mining sector saw a modest growth of only 0.4%. Overall, the IIP for March 2025 stood at 164.8, compared to 160.0 in March 2024.

For the entire fiscal year 2024-25, the cumulative IIP growth stood at 4%, a decrease from the 5.9% growth recorded in the previous financial year. 

 Within the manufacturing sector, several industries showed positive growth, with the manufacture of electrical equipment, motor vehicles, and basic metals being the top contributors

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