National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2023

GS Paper - 2 (Education)

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras retained the top spot in the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF), 2023 for the fifth consecutive year, while the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru has been ranked as the best university, according to the Ministry of Education.

More about the Ranking

1. IISc Bengaluru has bagged the second spot in the "overall" category followed by IIT Delhi.
2. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Banaras Hindu University and Jamia Millia Islamia were the top autonomous institutes in the overall list, bagging the 10th, 11th and 12th spot respectively.
3. Among the engineering institutions, IIT Madras retained the top spot for the eighth consecutive year. IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay have been ranked second and third, respectively in the category.
4. Delhi University's Miranda House and Hindu College have bagged the first and second spot among colleges followed by Presidency College, Chennai.
5. IISc Bengaluru has been ranked as the best institution for research, while IIT Kanpur has been ranked the best for innovation.
6. Among the management colleges, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad has been ranked at the top followed by IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode.
7. In pharmacy, the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad has been ranked first. Jamia Hamdard and BITS Pilani have been ranked at the second and third spot, respectively.
8. Similarly for law, the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru followed by the National Law University, Delhi and NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad has figured in the ranking.

Iran-Taliban water conflict

GS Paper - 2 (International Relations)

Iran and Afghanistan are locked in a long-standing dispute over the sharing of water from the Helmand River. Clashes broke out recently along the border. Iran and the Taliban exchanged heavy gunfire on the Islamic Republic’s border with Afghanistan, killing and wounding troops while sharply intensifying rising tensions between the countries. Both sides accused each other of shooting first.

Why this clash?

1. The clash came amid an escalating dispute between Kabul and Tehran over the Helmand River, which is a vital source of water for both sides, supporting agriculture, livelihoods and ecosystems in the region. Afghanistan and Iran have been at loggerheads over the sharing of river water for over a century.
2. The Helmand is Afghanistan’s longest river. It originates near Kabul in the western Hindu Kush mountain range and flows in a southwesterly direction through desert areas for a total of about 1,150 kilometers (715 miles) before emptying into Lake Hamun, which straddles the Afghanistan-Iran border.
3. Lake Hamun is the largest freshwater lake in Iran. It used to be one of the world’s largest wetlands, straddling 4,000 square kilometers (1,600 square miles) between Iran and Afghanistan, fed by the Helmand.
4. But it has since dried up, a trend experts blame on drought and the impact of dams and water controls. The lake is of great importance for the regional environment and economy.

What do Tehran and Kabul accuse each other of?

1. Afghanistan and Iran signed an agreement — the Helmand River Treaty — in 1973 to regulate the allocation of river water.
2. But the accord was neither ratified nor fully implemented, causing disagreements and tensions to persist. Iran has accused Afghanistan of violating its water rights for years, arguing that far less water than the amount agreed to in the 1973 treaty flows into Iran.
3. A major source of concern for Iran is Afghanistan’s construction of dams, reservoirs and irrigation systems along the Helmand River.
4. Tehran fears that these projects reduce water flow into Iran. But Kabul argues that it is within its rights to expand water storage and irrigation capacities within Afghanistan.

What’s the state of Tehran-Taliban ties?

1. Iran and Afghanistan share a 950-kilometer land border. Both countries have no major territorial disputes.
2. Tehran had cultivated good ties with the Taliban before the Islamic fundamentalist group captured Kabul in August 2021 as US and NATO troops were in the final weeks of their pullout from Afghanistan. Both sides were united in their opposition to the US’s presence in the region.
3. Even though Iran has so far refrained from formally recognizing the Taliban government, it has been pragmatic and maintained relations with Afghanistan’s current rulers.
4. A close relationship with Kabul is essential for Tehran to achieve goals such as the preservation of Lake Hamun. But, since the Taliban seized power, there have been repeated incidents at the border.

Ravidassia community

GS Paper - 1 (History)

In California, members of an under-the-radar, minority religious community are stepping into the public eye to advocate for making the state the first in the nation to outlaw caste bias. They are the Ravidassia — followers of Ravidass, a 14th century Indian guru who preached caste and class equality. There are about 20,000 members of the community in California, most of them in the Central Valley.

What

1. Guru Ravidass belonged to the lowest-rung of the caste system formerly considered untouchable and also known as Dalit, which means “broken” in Hindi.
2. Today, many Ravidassia members share that caste identity, but they are hesitant to make that widely known, fearing repercussions for being exposed to the larger community as “lower-caste.”
3. Members of the Fresno Ravidassia community say publicly championing the anti-caste bias legislation is worth the risk, noting that fighting for equality is part of their history and their spiritual DNA.
4. The faith itself emerged in response to the societal exclusion of the lowest caste members, including persistent roadblocks to land ownership. Caste-based discrimination was outlawed in India in 1947.

Who was Guru Ravidass?

1. Ravidass was an Indian guru, mystic and poet who was one of the most renowned figures in the North Indian bhakti movement, which placed love and devotion to god above all and preached against the caste system.
2. Ravidass was born in the 14th century in a village near Varnasi, India, to a family of cobblers and tanners who belonged to the then-untouchable or leather-working caste known as “chamars.”
3. The Guru Granth Sahib, which is the sacred text of Sikhism, bears 40 verses or shabads of Ravidass.

Ravidassia temples

1. A Ravidassia place of worship is called a sabha, dera, gurdwara or gurughar, which could all be translated as temple.
2. Adherents cover their heads and remove their shoes before entering the prayer hall or place of worship.
3. In California Ravidassia temples, the Guru Granth Sahib is the focal point of the prayer hall.
4. The temples serve a post-worship meal as Sikh gurdwaras also do, which is known as langar. Ravidassia temples often display idols and/or pictures of Guru Ravidass in the prayer halls.