Kambala

History & Culture

News-

Kambala recently made its historic debut at the Mysuru Dasara festivities.

Kambala

ITION: Traditional buffalo race associated with coastal Karnataka.
REGION: Tulu Nadu, particularly Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
EVENT: Pairs of buffaloes race through slushy, water-filled paddy fields, guided by a jockey.
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: Reflects the agrarian traditions and cultural identity of the Tulu-speaking region.
SEASON: Generally held during post-monsoon and winter months.
ORGANISATION: Conducted by local communities and Kambala committees.
ANIMAL WELFARE: Subject to applicable animal welfare laws and judicial directions.
IMPORTANCE: Promotes Karnataka’s cultural heritage, rural tourism and local traditions.

PM CARES for Children Scheme

Government Schemes

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has notified Aadhaar authentication or proof of possession of an Aadhaar number as a requirement for availing benefits under the Special Scholarship Scheme of PM CARES for Children.

About –

Launch: 2021, to support children who lost both parents, a surviving parent, legal guardian or adoptive parents due to COVID-19.
Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Objective: Ensure comprehensive care, protection and well-being of affected children.

Key Features

Education: Support for school education, scholarships and continuation of higher education.
Financial Assistance: Provision of ₹10 lakh upon attaining 23 years of age.
Health Coverage: Health insurance under Ayushman Bharat–PM-JAY, as per scheme provisions.

State of Biodiversity Action Report

Environment

Context:

Released by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), providing the first global stocktake of progress towards 2030 targets and the 2050 vision.

Key Gaps

Implementation: National targets do not fully align with global targets.
Progress: Slow action on biodiversity-loss drivers; gaps in marine, coastal and inland water ecosystems.
Finance: Limited private funding and reduction of harmful subsidies.
Data: Gaps in data, indicators and technical capacity.
Governance: Poor policy coordination and stakeholder participation.

Additional Information – Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

- Origin: The Convention was opened for signature in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio Earth Summit).
- The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) entered into force on 29 December 1993.
- The first session of the COP was scheduled in 1994 in the Bahamas.

Secretariat: Montreal, Canada.

- Ratification: The CBD has been ratified by 196 nations, making it one of the most widely adopted international treaties.

Note – The United States is the only UN member state that has not ratified the convention.

It has 3 main objectives;

The conservation of biological diversity
The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity
The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

The governing body is the Conference of the Parties (COP), which meets every two years.
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing are supplementary agreements to the CBD.

Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was concluded at COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held in Montreal, Canada, in 2022.
It features 23 targets to be met by 2030 and four global goals for 2050 to preserve biodiversity for current and future generations.
The agreement is not binding on members.

Green Diwali Campaign

Environment

Context –

WWF-India & Environmental Information, Awareness, Capacity Building and Livelihood Programme (EIACP) has launched a nationwide Green Diwali Campaign.
It encourages environmentally responsible Diwali celebrations by promoting cracker-free festivities.

Environmental Information, Awareness, Capacity Building and Livelihood Programme (EIACP)

EIACP is an initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Objective – It focuses on environmental information dissemination, public awareness, capacity building and the promotion of environmentally sustainable livelihoods.
WWF-India is a conservation organisation working on biodiversity protection and environmental sustainability. It was established in 1969.

India’s First Red List of Ecosystems (RLE)

Environment

News-

Kerala launched India’s first state-level RLE project across all 14 districts to assess ecosystem collapse risk.

India’s First Red List of Ecosystems (RLE)

Launched by: Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB).
Coverage: All 14 districts of Kerala.
Objective: Assess the risk of ecosystem collapse.
Key Concern: Southern Western Ghats riparian evergreen forests have lost 83% of their extent and qualify as Critically Endangered.

Additional Information – International Union of Conservation of Nature

Establishment – 1948.
Set up in – Gland, Switzerland.
Objective – To promote international cooperation and to provide scientific knowledge and tools to aid conservation action.
IUCN Red List – It established the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 1964.

IUCN Red List

- It is a list compiled by the IUCN, which contains the world’s most comprehensive information on the conservation status of plants, animals, and fungus species.
- Species in the IUCN Red List – There are 143000 species on the Red List.

India’s membership in IUCN – India became a member in 1969

The IUCN classification – The IUCN classification of species is based on their extinction/conservation status.

They are as follows

Extinct (EX)

Extinct in the Wild (EW)

Critically Endangered (CR)

Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU)

Near Threatened (NT)

Least Concern (LC)

Data Deficient (DD)
Not Evaluated (NE)

Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Mission

Science & Technology

Context (IT):

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is preparing to launch its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX).

Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Mission

Agency: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), with international contributions.
Objective: Collect at least 10 grams of material from Phobos and return it to Earth in 2031.
Timeline: Arrival at Mars system in 2027; sample return planned for 2031.
Significance: If successful, it will be the first mission to return samples from a Martian moon.
Rover: Developed jointly by Germany’s DLR and France’s CNES.

Phobos and Deimos

Location: Two natural satellites of Mars.
Discovery: August 1877 by American astronomer Asaph Hall.
Shape: Small and irregular.

Namo Bharat Diwas 2026

Polity

Context (PIB):

National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) celebrated Namo Bharat Diwas 2026 on October 17, to mark the anniversary of the launch of Namo Bharat services for the public.

About:

India’s Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) service for fast, comfortable intercity travel.
First Corridor: Delhi–Ghaziabad–Meerut, approximately 82 km.
Inauguration: First priority section (Sahibabad–Duhai Depot) inaugurated on 20 October 2023.
Objectives: Reduce travel time, road congestion and vehicular emissions; promote regional development.
Implementing Agency: National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), incorporated in 2013 as a joint venture of the Centre and Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh governments.

World Health Summit (WHS) 2026

International

Context (TH):

Recently, the World Health Summit took place from October 11–13, 2026, in Berlin, Germany.
Theme (2026): From Crisis to Resilience: Innovating for Health.

Purpose: Summit convened leaders from politics, science, civil society, and private sector to catalyse collaborative and innovative solutions for key global health priorities.

World Health Summit (WHS)

Founded: 2009 by Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
Annual Summit: Held every October; international presidency rotates annually among WHS Academic Alliance institutions.
WHS Academic Alliance: Scientific network (formerly M8 Alliance) promoting international collaboration and evidence-based health policy.
Regional Meeting: Hosted by the institution holding the presidency; Rio de Janeiro will host the 2028 Regional Meeting.