50th Anniversary Celebration of Vande Mataram

Introduction

• The Union Cabinet has approved a nationwide celebration to commemorate 150 years of the national song “Vande Mataram”.
• The decision underscores the song’s profound role in the independence movement and its enduring place in India’s cultural heritage.

Why in news?

• The Cabinet will organise countrywide events, educational programmes, and public commemorations across states and Union Territories.
• The government emphasises the song’s role in India’s freedom struggle as the reason for elevating its celebration.

Background

• “Vande Mataram” was composed in Sanskrit by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and first published in his novel Anandamath in 1882.
• Its first prominent public rendition was at the 1896 Indian National Congress session, when Rabindranath Tagore rendered it.
• It became a rallying cry for patriots and freedom fighters during the anticolonial struggle.

Significance

• Freedom Movement Emblem: It united freedom fighters and inspired movements, protests, and nationalist literature during colonial rule.
• Cultural Unity: It venerates the motherland in poetic terms, invoking civilisational sentiment beyond linguistic or regional lines.
• Selective Usage: Public use typically limits to the first two stanzas, as later verses contain strong religious imagery seen as divisive in a multireligious society.
• State Responses: Some regions, including Assam, have seen debate or resistance over adopting it as the sole anthem, with alternative regional songs or state anthems used locally.

Facts/General knowledge

• While India has the national anthem “Jana Gana Mana”, the Constituent Assembly accorded “Vande Mataram” the status of national song.
• The Constitution explicitly mandates respect only for the national anthem, not the national song.
• This distinction reflects sensitivity in a plural society, where the national song is honoured for its emotional and historical significance but not enforced by law in the same way as the anthem.

Maldives’ Generational Smoking Ban

Introduction

• The Maldives has enforced a generational ban on smoking that prohibits anyone born on or after 1 January 2007 from ever purchasing, possessing, or using tobacco products.
• The ban covers all tobacco forms, including cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco.
• The Maldives already has a complete ban on vaping and e-cigarettes, regardless of age.

Why in news?

• The Maldives is the first country to enforce a generational smoking ban.
• New Zealand was the first to enact a similar law (for those born after 1 January 2009), but it was repealed in 2023 before taking effect.

Background

• The policy aims to phase out tobacco use within one generation.
• Retailers are required to verify age before sale to prevent violations.
• The move is aligned with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Significance

• Tobacco kills nearly 7 million people annually (WHO).
• The measure strengthens comprehensive tobacco control by targeting all tobacco forms and reinforcing restrictions alongside the existing vaping and e-cigarette ban.

Facts/General knowledge

• WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC):
• The world’s first global public health treaty; adopted in 2003 and enforced in 2005.
• Ratified by over 180 parties (including India).
• Objective: to protect present and future generations from the health, social, environmental, and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.
• Key provisions include: Ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship.

• Health warnings covering at least 30–50% of packaging.
• Measures to reduce tobacco demand and supply, including taxation and public smoking bans.
• Regulation of illicit trade and protection from industry interference in policy-making.

Indonesia free from Type-2 cVDPV poliovirus

Introduction

• Indonesia has achieved freedom from a vaccine-derived poliovirus strain, marking a public health milestone.

Why in news?

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Indonesia free from this poliovirus category.

Background

• The milestone reflects the success of mass immunisation campaigns, surveillance systems, and polio eradication efforts in the country.

Significance

• Strengthens global progress toward complete polio eradication.
• Protects children.
• Improves international health security.

Facts/General knowledge

• Specific virus: Type-2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2).
• No cases have been reported since June 2024.

Jakarta becomes the world’s most populous city — UN World Urbanisation Prospects 2025

Introduction

• Jakarta has overtaken Tokyo to become the world’s most populous city, as per the United Nations’ World Urbanisation Prospects 2025 report.
• The Indonesian capital’s estimated population stands at 42 million, leading a list dominated by rapidly expanding Asian megacities.

Why in news?

• The latest UN report places Jakarta first, followed by Dhaka and Tokyo.
• Key rankings (2025):
• Jakarta (Indonesia) – 42 million
• Dhaka (Bangladesh) – 37 million
• Tokyo (Japan) – 33 million
• Tokyo, which led previous rankings including the 2018 UN report, has moved to third place while remaining a major global urban centre.

Background

• The UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs revised urban delimitation criteria to create a more standardised and globally comparable framework.
• Earlier assessments relied on varying national definitions of city boundaries, often favouring cities like Tokyo with expansive administrative coverage.
• The new methodology provides: Consistent population and geospatial criteria

• More accurate mapping of functional urban areas
• Better inclusion of urban sprawl and regional connectivity
• Cities are now compared using similar population density and spatial data, offering a more accurate representation of urban size for places such as Jakarta and Dhaka.

Significance

• The reshaped rankings reflect changing dynamics in urbanisation, migration, and demographic growth.
• The report serves as a key resource for policymakers and students of urban development by improving comparability across cities worldwide.
• It underscores Asia’s prominent role in contemporary urban expansion.

Facts/General knowledge

• In 1950, only 20% of the global population lived in cities.
• In 2025, nearly half of the world’s 8.2 billion people reside in urban areas.
• By 2050, two-thirds of global population growth is expected to occur in cities, with much of the rest in towns.
• The number of megacities (population ≥10 million) has risen from 8 in 1975 to 33 in 2025.
• Nine of the ten most populous cities are in Asia: Jakarta, Dhaka, Tokyo, New Delhi, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Manila, Kolkata, and Seoul; the only non-Asian city in the top ten is Cairo (Egypt).

DigiArivu digital literacy and STEM initiative in Tamil Nadu

Introduction

• The Government of Tamil Nadu has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Samsung and the UN Global Compact Network India to launch the "DigiArivu" programme.
• Subtopic: Why in news?
• The MoU marks the launch of DigiArivu in Tamil Nadu.

Background

• The programme is intended for school students.
• It promotes digital literacy and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education.

Significance

• It will build technology skills among students.
• It will strengthen innovation capacity and digital readiness.
• It supports India's digital transformation goals.
• Subtopic: Facts/General knowledge
• Name: DigiArivu.
• Stakeholders: Government of Tamil Nadu; Samsung; UN Global Compact Network India.
• Target group: school students.
• Core domains: digital literacy; STEM.
• Strategic alignment: India's digital transformation goals.