Prelims Focus 26th May 2025

Agamas

In News: The Supreme Court has allowed the Tamil Nadu government to appoint ‘archakas’ (priests) to the state’s temples not ruled by Agama tradition.

• Agamas are a set of scriptures that lay down rituals, temple architecture, idol worship techniques, and everyday worship techniques in temples.
• They are derived from the Vedas and form the scriptural basis of temple-based Hinduism, specially in South India.
• Agamas are vital to the Shaiva, Vaishnava, and Shakta traditions.
  • Shaiva Agamas: Focused on the worship of Lord Shiva; widely accompanied in Tamil Shaiva temples.
  • Vaishnava Agamas (Pancharatra and Vaikhanasa): These cope with the worship of Lord Vishnu and are accepted in many main South Indian Vaishnava temples like Tirupati.
  • Shakta Agamas (Tantras): Worship of Goddess Shakti.

Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems(GIAHS)

In News: New sites from China, Brazil, China, Mexico and Spain recognized as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems.

• It was released by  the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2002 to deal with threats to traditional farming systems, including climate change and biodiversity loss.
• It aims to balance conservation, sustainable version, and socioeconomic improvement by supporting farmers, promoting conventional information, and enhancing market opportunities.
• It  welcomes proposals that mirror agricultural and cultural historical past and help international sustainable development and biodiversity dreams.
• FAO’s global agricultural history community now consists of 95 systems in 28 countries around the world.

Tianwen-2 Mission

In News: China’s Tianwen-2 mission, set to launch on May 28, 2025, marks a significant step in asteroid exploration by targeting the near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamo‘oalewa. 

• This ambitious endeavor aims to collect samples from the asteroid and return them to Earth, potentially making China the third nation to achieve this feat after the U.S. and Japan.
• The spacecraft will launch aboard a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. 
• Its primary goal is to investigate Kamo‘oalewa, a quasi-satellite that orbits the Sun while maintaining a stable gravitational relationship with Earth. 
• After sampling, the probe will return materials to Earth by late 2027 and then proceed to study comet 311P/PANSTARRS in the main asteroid belt.

Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs)

In News: Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) are specialized quasi-judicial bodies established under the Recovery of Debts and Bankruptcy Act, 1993 (RDB Act) to ensure the expeditious adjudication and recovery of debts owed to banks and financial institutions. 

• They provide a streamlined mechanism for resolving disputes related to loan defaults, typically where the debt amount is ₹20 lakh or more.

Key Functions of DRTs:

• Adjudicate cases involving recovery of debts for banks and financial institutions.
• Facilitate faster resolution of loan defaults compared to traditional civil courts.
• Empower financial institutions to recover dues efficiently, reducing the burden on the regular judiciary.

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