UPSC Daily Current Affairs| Prelimbits 26-07-2025

Paika Rebellion

Prelims - Current events of National & International importance and

History of India & Indian National Movement

Why in News?

Recently, NCERT replied to the Former Odisha Chief Minister's speech, stating that the inclusion of the Paika rebellion in the second volume of the textbook.

• Paika rebellion - Armed uprising against British colonial oppression that erupted in 1817 in the eastern province of Khurda (present-day Odisha).
• Leadership - Bakshi Jagabandhu, the former commander-in-chief of the king of Khurda.
• Paikas - The Paikas pronounced “paiko”, literally “foot soldiers”.
• They were a class of military retainers recruited from various social groups by the Gajapati rulers of Odisha since the 16th century.
• They would render martial services to the king in return for hereditary rent-free land (nish-kar jagirs), which they would cultivate during peacetime.
• Causes
  • Political – Dethronement of the native Khurda king, weakening of paika patronage, and abolition of traditional administration.
  • Economic – Confiscation of rent-free land, payment of taxes by silver currency, influx of absentee landlords and salt taxation.
  • Social – Disruption of tribal and peasant economies, with grievances stemming from over-exploitation.
• Events
  • In March 1817, 400 Kondhs equipped with traditional arms marched from Ghumusar towards Khurda.
  • Attacked the police station of Banpur, burnt government quarters, killed policemen, and looted the government treasury
  • Fought bloody battles at several places over the next few months, and killed several British officials.
• Decline
  • Later, the Company army gradually crushed the revolt.
  • Bakshi Jagabandhu escaped to the jungles and remained on the run till 1825, finally surrendering to the British under negotiated terms.

Reference

The Indian Express| Paika Rebellion - Honour of Odisha

National Crisis Management Committee

Prelims - Current events of National & International importance

Why in News?

Recently, the government constituted the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) under the newly amended Disaster Management Act 2025.

• NCMC – It is an apex body to effectively coordinate and implement relief and rescue operations during major disasters and crises with national implications.
• Established under - Section 8A of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
• Nodal ministry - Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Chairman - Cabinet Secretary.
• Members
  • Union Home Secretary,
  • Defence secretary,
  • Secretary (coordination),
  • Cabinet Secretariat and member,
  • Head of department, the National Disaster Management Authority.
• Role
  • Inclusion of experts - The Chairperson may designate any expert or officer, either from the central or state government, or any organisation.
  • Designation depending on the nature of the crisis, to assist the committee in performing its functions during a disaster situation.
  • Evaluate preparedness – Accessing plans which respond to any threatening or emerging disaster situation.
  • Coordinate and monitor – Organize actions of the concerned ministries or departments, state governments, national authority, state authorities, governmental and non-governmental organisations about disaster response.
  • Guidelines - Provide directions as necessary for the effective management and monitoring of disaster response in the country.

References

1. Hindustan Times| National Crisis Management Committee
2. Live Mint| National Crisis Management Committee

New Wolf Spider Species

Prelims - Current events of National & International importance,

General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity & climate change.

Why in News?

Recently, researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) announced the discovery of a new spider species on Sagar Island in the Sundarbans.

• Scientific name - Piratula acuminata, commonly known as wolf spider.
• Genus - India’s first recorded instance of the Genus Piratula.
  • It is a group of wolf spiders predominantly found across Asia, with limited distribution in Europe and North America.
• Family – Lycosidae.
• Size - Medium-sized, approximately 8-10 millimeters in length.
• Appearance - Pale creamy white coloration interspersed with brown, chalk-white spots on its abdomen, and a pair of light brown stripes towards the rear.
• Distinctive structural intricacies of its genitalia mark a novel identification for it.

• Hunting Strategy - Unlike web-building spiders, these agile predators are ground-dwelling and ambush their prey.
• Discovered in- Sagar Island, the largest island within the Sundarbans deltaic complex, reinforces the ecological richness of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Its unique ecosystems, shaped by alluvial deposits from the Ganga River, include vital mudflats and estuarine waters supporting a diverse array of flora and fauna.

References      

1. Deccan Herald| The New Wolf Spider in Sundarbans
2. The Times of India| New Spider Species in Sundarbans

TRACER –Twin Satellites

Prelims – Importance of national and international importance, General science.

Why in News?

Recently, NASA launched the twin satellite on SpaceX Falcon 9 at Vandenberg Space Force Station in California.

• TRACERS - Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites.
• Aim
  • To study the constant stream of solar wind and charged particles flowing from the sun, which interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere.
• It will observe magnetic reconnection and its effects in Earth’s atmosphere.
• Role - It will measure magnetic reconnection 3,000 times in a year to help scientists observe how quickly reconnection changes and evolves.

• Orbit - It will be placed in Sun-synchronous orbit.
• Orbiting through Earth’s polar cusp region, funnel-like openings in the magnetic field where the solar wind has a direct path into our atmosphere.
• Mission Duration - The primary science mission is planned for 12 months.
• Instruments - The satellites are equipped with instruments including DC Magnetometers, Search Coil Magnetometers, Electric Field Instruments, and Analyzers for Cusp Electrons and Ions.

Three additional payloads with TRACERS

• Athena EPIC (Economical Payload Integration Cost) SmallSat - It is designed to demonstrate an innovative, configurable way to put remote-sensing instruments into orbit faster and more affordably.
• PExT (Polylingual Experimental Terminal) - It will showcase new technology that empowers missions to roam between communications networks in space, like cell phones roam between providers on Earth.
• REAL (Relativistic Electron Atmospheric Loss) CubeSat - It will use space as a laboratory to understand how high-energy particles within the bands of radiation that surround Earth are naturally scattered into the atmosphere.
• Aiding the development of methods for removing these damaging particles to better protect satellites and the critical ground systems they support. 
• Significance - Scientists hope to better understand and prepare for impacts of solar activity like interruptions involving communications satellites, GPS systems, and power grids on Earth.

Quick facts

References

1. Times of India| TRACER – A Twin Satellites
2. NASA | TRACER