Ravidassia Demand for Separate Religion | India Bans Imports of Goods Made Using Forced Labour | Trial in Absentia | NAMASTE Day | Atmanirbhar Panchayat Program | Mugger Crocodile | NIDAR 2.0 | Earendil-1 Satellite

Ravidassia Demand for Separate Religion

History & Culture

News – 

• The Ravidassia community has renewed its demand for creation of a separate “Ravidassia religion” category in the Census.

Ravidassia Community

• The community follows the teachings of Guru Ravidas (15th–16th century), a renowned Bhakti Movement saint, social reformer, and mystic poet.
• Core Philosophy: Guru Ravidas advocated social equality, dignity, and the abolition of caste discrimination, and envisioned Begampura, an ideal society free from sorrow, fear, and inequality.
• Population: Punjab has India’s largest concentration of Ravidassias in India and around 32% of the state’s population comprises Dalits.
• Major Institution: Dera Sachkhand Ballan (Punjab) founded in the early 20th century by Baba Sant Pipal Das is the most influential religious institution of the Ravidassia community.

Additional Information – Sant Ravidas

• He, born in the 14th century, 
• He was a prominent figure in the Bhakti Movement, a socio-religious revolution that took place in India between the 14th and 17th centuries.

• He was a disciple of Sant Kabir and the founder of the Ravidassia religion. Mirabai was his pupil. 

Life and Teachings

• He was a great social reformer and messenger of peace, love, and brotherhood.
• He worked tirelessly to remove caste and religion-based discrimination and worked for the upliftment of the downtrodden.
• His life is a unique example of sacrifice and penance, and wrote many compositions on different social issues.
• He gave a very broad message of ‘karma’ to society by coining in the popular Hindi saying ‘Mann Changa to Kathauti Mein Ganga’.

Legacy

• The Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, contains forty-one of his devotional songs and poems.
• The Chief Architect of our Constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar embodied the Constitutional principles around the values expressed by Guru Ravidasji.

India Bans Imports of Goods Made Using Forced Labour

Polity

Context 

• The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has officially amended India’s Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023, authorizing the Central Government to ban imports of goods manufactured through forced labour.

Constitutional Framework

The Constitution of India strictly penalises forced labour under the Right against Exploitation:

• Article 23(1) abolishes not just forced physical labor, but also economic subjugation, such as paying less than the minimum wage for labor
• Article 23(2) permits the State to draft individuals for essential public services (e.g., military conscription or disaster relief), but strictly forbids discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, or class in the selection process.
• Article 24: Prohibits the employment of children below 14 years in factories, mines, or hazardous occupations.
• Directive Principles (DPSC): Article 42 mandates just and humane working conditions, while Article 43 commands the state to secure a living wage.

Trial in Absentia

Polity

News

• Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed is set to face a trial in absentia following the issuance of a non-bailable warrant by a special NIA court in Jammu for his role in the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.

About – 

• A trial in absentia under Section 356 of the BNSS, 2023, allows any competent trial court to conduct a criminal trial and pronounce judgment without the physical presence of the accused.
• CrPC, 1973, restricted courts to recording witness statements only when the accused absconded, whereas the BNSS permits a final verdict.
• Eligibility: The provision applies exclusively to proclaimed offenders declared under Section 84 for offences punishable with 10 years, life imprisonment, or death.
• The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 officially replaced the colonial-era Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973, taking effect on July 1, 2024.

NAMASTE Day

Polity

Context

• The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment celebrated the 3rd NAMASTE Day on July 14, marking three years since the launch of the National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme in 2023.

NAMASTE Day 

• It is dedicated to honouring sanitation workers including sewer and septic tank workers, waste pickers and former manual scavengers for their vital role in safeguarding public health and environmental sanitation.

National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE)

• Launched in – July 2023

• Financing – Central Sector Scheme 

• Implemented by – Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, 

Objectives:

• Zero fatalities in sanitation work.
• All sanitation operations to be performed by skilled workers.
• No direct contact with human faecal matter.
• Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers.

Key Interventions:

• • Profiling: Digital profiling of Sewer/Septic Tank Workers (SSWs).
  • Safety: Providing PPE kits, safety devices, and training to workers.
  • Empowerment: Capital subsidy for purchasing sanitation machinery to become “sanipreneurs”.
  • Health: Occupational safety training and health insurance.
• Significance: Aligns with SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and promotes the dignity and safety of sanitation workers.

Atmanirbhar Panchayat Program

Government Schemes

Context (PIB): 

• The Ministry of Panchayati Raj promotes Financial Self-Reliance of Panchayats under the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Program.

About – 

• It is a national challenge programme by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) 
• Objective – to help eligible Gram Panchayats (GPs) and Block Panchayats (BPs) develop financially viable, revenue-generating projects.
• The programme operates under the broader umbrella of the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA).

Key Features

• Eligibility: To participate, Gram Panchayats must have a minimum Own Source Revenue (OSR) of ₹50 lakh, and Block Panchayats must have an Own Source Revenue (OSR)  of ₹1 crore, with at least three years of their tenure remaining.
• Written documentation of Gram Sabha’s consent is a mandatory requirement for submission.
• Reward: Winner panchayats receive end-to-end technical assistance to develop & implement the project.

Mugger Crocodile

Environment

News – 

• An NGT-appointed joint committee confirmed that the banned pesticide Aldrin caused several mugger crocodile deaths in the Chandraloi River in Kota district, Rajasthan.

Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)

• • The mugger (or marsh) crocodile is a medium-sized, broad-snouted freshwater crocodilian.
  • It is an apex predator in its aquatic ecosystems. 
  • It digs extensive mud-bank burrows for shelter and temperature regulation during extreme weather.
  • Distribution: Inhabits marshes, lakes, rivers, and artificial ponds across the Indian subcontinent, mainly in India with smaller populations in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, and Iran.
  • Diet: Juveniles feed on insects and small fish, while adults prey on larger fish, birds, snakes, and mammals.
  • It is a keystone species that controls prey populations, recycles nutrients, and scavenges carcasses.

• Conservation status – IUCN: Vulnerable; CITES: Appendix I; WPA: Schedule I.

Additional Information – Comparison of India’s Crocodile Species

• India is home to three distinct species of crocodilians: the Gharial, the Mugger (Marsh Crocodile), and the Saltwater (Estuarine) Crocodile. 
• All three species are protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, 

NIDAR 2.0

Science & Technology

News – 

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with Drone Federation India (DFI), launched the 2nd edition of the National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research (NIDAR 2.0) under the SwaYaan initiative.
• The 1st edition of NIDAR 2025-26 was launched in March 2025. 

About – 

• It empowers India’s College Graduates to build collaborative autonomous drones for defined problem statements.

SwaYaan

• SwaYaan is a national initiative of the MeitY launched in 2022.
• Aimed at developing a skilled workforce and strengthening India’s UAS Drone ecosystem. 
• Significance – It supports the Government’s vision of making India a global drone hub by 2030.
• It focuses on capacity building for human resource development in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), including drones and related technologies.

Earendil-1 Satellite

Science & Technology

News – 

• The U.S. has authorised a startup, to launch and operate Earendil-1, an experimental satellite designed to reflect sunlight onto selected locations on Earth during nighttime.
• Earendil-1 is a non-geostationary satellite equipped with a large deployable thin-film mirror that can be steered to reflect sunlight toward specific areas on Earth.
• Significance – The project aims to extend daylight hours for solar power generation and provide temporary illumination during emergencies, disaster response, and humanitarian operations.