Dogri Script is Returning to Jammu’s Signboards | Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026 | Jhiram Ghati Massacre | National Film Awards | MatsyaMetri

Dogri Script is Returning to Jammu’s Signboards

Culture

Context

• New public signboards in Jammu are displaying place names in Namey Dogra Akhar, alongside Devanagari and the Roman script, as part of efforts to revive Dogri’s traditional writing system.

Namey Dogra Akhar

• Meaning: “New Dogri Script”; a modified form of the Takri script historically used for Dogri.
• Development: Evolved during Maharaja Ranbir Singh’s reign by incorporating Devanagari vowel signs for administrative use.
• Dogri: An Indo-Aryan language, mainly spoken in the Jammu region, with speakers in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and PoK.
• Speakers: About 2.6 million in India (2011 Census).

Constitutional Status

• Added to the Eighth Schedule in 2003 through the 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act.

• One of India’s 22 Scheduled Languages.

• Recognised as an official language of J&K UT in 2020.

Why did the script decline?

• Administrative shift: Urdu and later English became dominant in official communication.

• Shift to Devanagari: Dogri Sanstha adopted Devanagari in 1944 to promote Dogri literature.

• This aided Dogri’s recognition by

  Sahitya Akademi in 1969, but contributed to the decline of Namey Dogra Akhar.

Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026

Environment

Context

• The Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026 results were released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan

• Conducted by: CPCB under the NCAP; initiative of MoEFCC.
• Launched: 2022–23; annual assessment of 130 cities.
• Purpose: Ranks cities based on efforts to control major pollution sources—road dust, solid/construction waste, vehicular & industrial emissions.
• Categories:
  • Million-plus population
  • 3–10 lakh
  • Below 3 lakh

2026 Highlights

• Million-plus cities: Lucknow – 1st, Indore – 2nd, Jabalpur – 3rd.
• Delhi: 30th among million-plus cities.
• Bottom five: Chennai, Jamshedpur, Kota, Kolkata & Madurai.
• 3–10 lakh: Rourkela – 1st.
• Below 3 lakh: Kalinga Nagar – 1st.

Jhiram Ghati Massacre

Internal Security

Context

• A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Chhattisgarh’s Jagdalpur convicted all ten accused in the 2013 Jhiram Valley Maoist attack. 

Jhiram Valley Attack (2013)

• Date: 25 May 2013, Bastar, Chhattisgarh.
• Maoists ambushed the Congress Parivartan Rally, killing several political leaders and security personnel.
• Highlighted the threat posed by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in Maoist-affected areas.

Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)

• Meaning: Armed Maoist movements seeking to overthrow India’s constitutional-democratic system through prolonged armed struggle.
• Major group: CPI (Maoist); armed wing = People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA).
• Areas: Historically concentrated in remote, forested and tribal-dominated regions, known as the Red Corridor.
• Drivers: Poverty, land alienation, displacement, underdevelopment and weak governance.

Key Developments

• Salwa Judum (2005): Anti-Maoist campaign in Chhattisgarh; Supreme Court later restricted the use of tribal youth as Special Police Officers (SPOs).
• Security approach: Shift towards “Clear, Hold and Develop”—security operations followed by establishing a sustained security presence and expanding roads, infrastructure and basic services.

National Film Awards

Miscellaneous

News

• The National Film Awards ceremony is going to be organised in Gujarat for the first time, with the 72nd edition scheduled in Ekta Nagar.

National Film Awards 

• Instituted: 1954 to promote films of high artistic, technical, educational & cultural value.
• Initially called State Awards.
• First Best Actor/Actress (1968): Uttam Kumar & Nargis.
• Earlier names:
  • Best Actor → Bharat
  • Best Actress → Urvashi
• Conferred by: Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, along with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
• 72nd National Film Awards: Ceremony to be held at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, for the first time.

72nd Awards — Key Winners

MatsyaMetri

Miscellaneous

News

• Developed by: Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI); developed by scientist Eldho Varghese.
• Purpose: Smartphone app to measure fish length & width without physically handling the fish.
• Users: Fisheries scientists, researchers & field survey teams.

Uses:

• Rapid collection of biological data for fisheries assessment & management.
• Automatically records measurements and generates length-frequency datasets/distributions.
• Allows measurement of multiple individuals in a single sampling session.
• Saves measurements with photographs.
• Data can be exported as CSV for further scientific analysis.