Rapid Fire Current Affairs | 24 Mar 2023

Sarus Crane

Recently, Sarus Crane, Uttar Pradesh's state bird, was recently rescued and transported to Raebareli's Samaspur Bird Sanctuary. A day after the bird was taken to the sanctuary, it was claimed that the bird was missing.

The scientific name of Sarus Crane is Grus Antigone. It is the tallest flying bird in the world, standing 152-156 cm tall with a wingspan of 240cm. The Sarus crane has predominantly grey plumage with a naked red head and upper neck and pale red legs. It is known to mate for life with a single partner, and its breeding season coincides with heavy rains during the monsoon season.

The sarus crane is listed in Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and it is predominantly found in India, Southeast Asia, and Australia.

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Ram Manohar Lohia

The Prime Minister paid tribute to Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia on his birthday (March 23, 1910 – October 12, 1967).

Ram Manohar Lohia was a prominent figure in socialist politics and in the movement towards Indian independence. He was a committed supporter of Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent struggle against British rule and participated in the Quit India movement in 1942.

Lohia's early political career began with the Congress Party, where he held the position of secretary of the Foreign Department of the All-India Congress Committee (A.I.C.C.), the Congress Party's highest body.

In 1963 Lohia became a member of the Lok Sabha after a by-election in Farrukhabad (Lok Sabha constituency). He also won the Lok Sabha general election of 1967 from Kannauj (Lok Sabha constituency) but died a few months later.

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Lingayats, Vokkaligas’ Share in Reservation

The Karnataka High Court removed a stay imposed on the state government’s order to create new subgroups of Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation for the dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga castes in the state. The removal of the stay was allowed by a division bench headed by Chief Justice P B Varale. At present, the reservation of Lingayat and Vokkaliga castes stands in Category III (B) with 5% reservation and in Category III (A) with 4% reservation respectively.

The Panchamasalis, which is the largest sub-sect within the Lingayats have been demanding their inclusion under the OBC 2A Category to avail of the 15% quota in government jobs and educational institutions.

As per the proposed recommendations, the dominant Vokkaligas and the Lingayats will be identified under the new OBC categories (2C and 2D) and by allotting to them 6% of the 10% Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota created by the Centre.

Exercise Konkan 2023

The Annual Bilateral Maritime Exercise Konkan 2023 was a joint maritime exercise conducted between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Britain. The annual military drill was held from 20 to 22 March-2023 off the Konkan coast in the Arabian Sea.

The Konkan exercise series began in 2004. The exercise exhibited op-readiness, enhanced interoperability, and conducted joint operations. Participating ships included INS Trishul (Indian Navy), HMS Lancaster (Royal Navy) and Type 23 guided missile frigate.

The exercises covered all domains of maritime operations, air, surface and sub-surface, and included gunnery shoots on surface inflatable target ‘Killer Tomato', helicopter operations, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare drills, Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS), ship manoeuvres and exchange of personnel.

Other military exercises of India and the UK include - Konkan Shakti 2021 (first-ever tri-services joint exercise), Exercise Indradhanush (joint air force exercise), Exercise Ajeya Warrior (joint military exercise between India’s & UK’s soldiers)

Read more: India – UK Relations