Five Languages given-Classical  Language Status (PRELIMS – POLITY & GOVERNANCE)

Why in News?

The government’s decision to accord classical language status to five more languages- Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali, mandated that a language must have original literary tradition, was dropped.

Background

The Government of India created a new category of languages as “Classical Languages” in 2004.  The criteria for the status of Classical Language were:

• High Antiquity of its early texts/ recorded history over a thousand years.
• A body of ancient literature/ texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generation of speakers.
• The literary tradition must be original and not borrowed from another speech community.

Accordingly, Tamil was the first language to be given the status of classical language in 2004.

The Revised Criteria

The above criteria was revised by the Linguistic Experts Committee (LEC). The revised criteria were:

• High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years
• A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers
• The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community.
• The classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.

After the revised criteria, Sanskrit was declared as a classical language in 2005.

The Government of India, has conferred status of Classical Languages to following languages so far:

Again in 2024, the Linguistics Experts Committee (under Sahitya Akademi) in a meeting unanimously revised the criteria as below. Sahitya Akademi has been appointed as nodal agency for the LEC. The criteria are as follows:

• High antiquity of (its) is early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500- 2000 years.
• A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a heritage by generations of speakers.
• Knowledge texts, especially prose texts in addition to poetry, epigraphical and inscriptional evidence.
• The Classical Languages and literature could be distinct from its current form or could be discontinuous with later forms of its offshoots.

The following languages were declared as classical languages- Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali.

Civil war in Sudan (Prelims – IR)

Why in News?

Sudan’s civil war entered its second year

Sudan’s civil war entered its second year ,  driven by a power struggle between the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo,

The conflict has killed 150,000 to date. A further 10.2 million have been displaced

South Sudan,  gained independence from Sudan in 2011,

Sudan has also faced conflict in Darfur, Southern Kordofan, and Blue Nile starting in 2003.

Sudan – Facts

Location 

north-eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea

Border Countries (7): Central African Republic 174 km; Chad 1,403 km; Egypt 1,276 km; Eritrea 682 km; Ethiopia 744 km; Libya 382 km; South Sudan 2,158 km. 

Highest point: Jabal Marrah 3,042 m (In Darfur region)

The Red Sea Hills sits along the eastern edge of the county. T A narrow coastal plain lies to the east of this hilly region along the Red Sea. 

Natural Resourses: petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold; hydropower

KHARTOUM (capital),the Nile is Sudan’s primary water source; its major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, meet at Khartoum to form the River Nile, which flows northward through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.

Major  Aquifiers –  Nubian Aquifer System, Sudd Basin (Umm Ruwaba Aquifer)  

IAF Fast-Tracks Procurement of 12 New AEW&C Aircraft with 4D AESA Radar and 360-Degree Coverage  (PRELIMS – S&T)

Why in news?

The Indian Air Force (IAF), which is short of Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft, a critical force multiplier, is looking at the procurement of 12 aircraft under two different programmes.

Aim of the programme:

To address the shortage of AEW&C aircraft which was highlighted during the aerial engagement with the Pakistan Air Force following the Balakot air strike in 2019.

About the programme:

➤Six additional Embraer-based AEW&C systems (Netra Mk1A).[It’s an updation of Netra]

➤six A-321 aircraft have already been transferred from Air India to the IAF, the project has faced delays due to the complexity of the required modifications.

About Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft:

➤The AEW&C system is an indigenously developed & produced airborne surveillance system by the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). 

It is mounted on aircrafts for scanning and surveillance.

➤Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW&C) is a force multiplier system that uses advanced radars for detection & tracking enemy/hostile aircrafts/ UAVs etc. from a considerable distance (primarily long-distance). 

➤The systems use advanced communication equipment to share real-time data with operators onboard and on ground to identify, assess the threat and take actions to guide specific interceptors (fighter jets or surface-to-air missiles) towards the  airborne threats to neutralise them.

➤Acts as a command center for operators to select, command, and guide interceptors efficiently.

➤Significance: In Indian context, AEW&C systems can play a vital role to maintain national airspace security, especially along the China and Pakistan border.  

AEW&C systems already operating in India are:

➤Netra AEW&C: 

• Indigenous system developed by DRDO in collaboration with IAF. 
• Mounted on Embraer ERJ-145 jets.
• Netra provides 240-degree coverage of airspace. 
• Range over 200 kms. 

➤Phalcon AWACS:

• India presently operates three Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS). 
• The Israeli-made system is mounted on top of an IL-76 transport aircraft. 
• Provides 360-degree radar coverage.
• Detects aircraft at ranges exceeding 400 kilometres.

CONCLUSION: The acquisition of these 12 new AEW&C aircraft represents a significant investment in the IAF’s capabilities, providing enhanced situational awareness, improved command and control, and a critical advantage in future air operations.