Current Affairs

MANU BHAKER WINS BRONZE AT PARIS OLYMPICS

Why in the News?

Manu Bhaker became the first Indian woman to win a shooting medal at the Olympics. She achieved a bronze medal in the women's 10m air pistol event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

About Manu Bhaker

• She hails from Goria village in Jhajjar district, Haryana.
• Career
  • She won a silver medal at the 2017 Asian Junior Championships.
  • In the 2017 National Games, she won nine gold medals, surpassing multiple World Cup medalist Heena Sidhu.
  • She excelled in various sports, including Huyen langlon (a Manipuri martial art), boxing, tennis, and skating.
  • She clinched a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and became the youngest Indian to win a gold at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup.
  • In the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, she was disqualified due to a pistol malfunction.

Manu Bhaker, India’s First Female Shooting Medalist

Paris Olympics 2024

• Event: 2024 Summer Olympics
• Dates: 26th July to 11th August 2024
• Host City: Paris
• Paris's Status: Third time hosting the Summer Olympics
• France's Status: Sixth time hosting overall (summer and winter)
• Previous French Olympics: 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville

CULTURAL PROPERTY AGREEMENT (CPA)

Why in the News?

• The U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti and Govind Mohan, Secretary of Indian Ministry of Culture signed a CPA between the two countries at the 46th World Heritage Committee.

About the Agreement

• Aim: To prevent illegal trafficking of cultural property and retrieval of antiquarian objects to their place of origin.
• CPA is aligned with Article 9 of 1970 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
• It shall be helpful in quick seizure of Indian antiquities at US Customs and their repatriation back to India.
• India has repatriated 358 antiquities since 1976, out of these 345 have been retrieved since 2014.

Eric Garcetti and Govind Mohan signed Cultural Property Agreement

About 1970 Convention

• It provides a common framework for the States Parties on the measures to be taken to prohibit and prevent the import, export and transfer of cultural property.
• To date, it has been ratified by 145 states.

Charaideo Maidam

Why in the News?

• Moidams – the Mound-Burial System also known as Charaideo Maidam from Assam has been officially inscribed on the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage List. The announcement was made during the ongoing 46th session of the World Heritage Committee. This makes it the 43rd property from India to be included here and the third World Heritage Property from Assam, following Kaziranga National Park and Manas Wildlife Sanctuary.

About Charaideo Maidams

• It represents the late medieval (13th-19th century CE) mound burial tradition of the Tai Ahom community in Assam.
• It enshrines the mortal remains of the members of the Ahom royalty, who used to be buried with their paraphernalia.
• After the 18th century, the Ahom rulers adopted the Hindu method of cremation and began entombing the cremated bones and ashes in a Maidam at Charaideo.
• Out of 386 Maidams or Moidams explored so far, 90 royal burials at Charaideo are the best preserved, representative of and the most complete examples of mound burial tradition of the Ahoms.

Moidams – the Mound-Burial System

About Ahom Dynasty

• The kingdom was established in 1228 in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam and retained its sovereignty for 600 years.
• It was founded by a 13th century ruler Chaolung Sukapha.
• They ruled the land till the province was annexed to British India in 1826 with the signing of the Treaty of Yandaboo.
  • The Treaty of Yandabo was signed by Gen. Campbell from the British side and Governor of Legaing Maha Min Hla Kyaw Htin from the Burmese side on 24 February 1826.
  • The treaty formally ended the First Anglo-Burmese War.
• They created a new state by suppressing the older political system of the bhuiyans (landlords).
• The Ahom state depended upon forced labour. Those forced to work for the state were called paiks.
• They were divided into clans or khels, a khel often controlled several villages.
• They worshipped their own tribal gods, yet they accepted the Hindu religion and the Assamese language.
• The full contingent of the Ahom Army consisted of infantry, navy, artillery, elephantry, cavalry and spies.
• The main war weapons consisted of bows and arrows, swords, Javelins discus, guns, match-locks and cannons.
• The Ahom soldiers were experts in guerilla fighting.

Historic Location – Ahom Dynasty

Symbol of Ahom Dynasty

General Knowledge

TYPHOON GAEMI

• Formation: Originate over warm tropical oceans accompanied by heavy rains.
• It has brought torrential rains that have caused widespread destruction
• They are intense circular storms that originate over the warm tropical oceans with speed more than 119 km/hr and heavy rains.
• It rotates counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Regions Affected
  • Taichung, Taiwan
  • Philippines
  • Zhejiang and Wenzhou, China
• Terminology
  • Typhoon - China Sea and Pacific Ocean
  • Hurricane - West Indian islands, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean
  • Tornado - Guinea lands of West Africa, southern USA
  • Willy-willies - North-western Australia
  • Tropical Cyclone - Indian Ocean Region

Location on Map of Typhoon Gaemi

ASIAN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS CENTRE (APDC)

• Establishment: 1986
• Headquarter: Bangkok, Thailand
• Chairperson: Rajendra Singh, Head of Department of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
• Founding Members: India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand
• It is an autonomous International Organization for cooperation and implementation of disaster risk reduction and building climate resilience in Asia and the Pacific region.
• India has taken over the Chair of ADPC for the year 2024-25, succeeding China.

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)

• It was established through the Disaster Management Act, 2005 enacted by the Government of India and was formally constituted by Dec 2006.
• It is a Statutory Body for disaster management in the country.
• It is also the apex body to lay down policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster Management to ensure a timely and effective response to disasters.
• Aim: To coordinate the response to natural or man-made disasters and for capacity-building in disaster resiliency and crisis response.
• Organizational Structure
  • The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairperson of the NDMA.
  • The Cabinet Minister is the Vice-Chairman.
  • The NDMA Secretariat, headed by a secretary, is responsible for providing secretarial support and continuity.
  • Along with this, NDMA has 8 Ministers of State as its members.