National Maritime Heritage Complex

Source: PIB

The Chief of the Naval Staff visited the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal, Gujarat.

National Maritime Heritage Complex

• About: It is an ambitious cultural and tourism project in Lothal, Gujarat that aims to highlight India’s rich and diverse 4,500-year-old maritime heritage and establish the largest maritime heritage complex in the world.
  • Key projects include a world-class Lighthouse Museum, coastal state pavilions, and a maritime-themed eco-resort.
• Development and Funding: Under India's Sagarmala Programme, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) is developing the NMHC, with its Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) funding the world's tallest Lighthouse Museum. 

Lothal

• About: It is one of the southernmost sites of the Harappan civilization, located in the Bhal region of Gujarat, between the Bhogavo and Sabarmati rivers near the Gulf of Khambhat. 
  • The name Lothal in Gujarati means “mound of the dead”, similar to Mohenjo-daro in Sindhi.
  • The site was discovered in 1954 by S.R. Rao was nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in April 2014.
• Significance: It is famous for having the world’s earliest known dock, which connected the city to an ancient course of the Sabarmati river. 
  • It was also famous for bead workshops, and maritime trade links with Mesopotamia and Egypt dating back nearly 4,000 years.

Read More: Lothal: World’s Earliest Known Dock

Revisiting India-Japan Relations

For Prelims: Indo-Pacific region, ASEAN, United Nations Charter, Veer Guardian, Dharma Guardian, JIMEX, Buddhism

For Mains: India-Japan Relations, Strategic Partnerships and Regional Security, Key Challenges and Way Forward in India-Japan Relations

Source: TH

Why in News?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan reinforced the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, resulting in 13 key agreements and a pledge of 10 trillion yen (USD 68 billion) investment  in private investment from Japan over the next decade.

How is the India-Japan Strategic Partnership Evolving in Key Sectors?

The key announcements and developments made during the Prime Minister’s visit are as follows:

• Joint Vision Roadmap: Announcement of the India–Japan Joint Vision for the Next Decade, outlining 8 priority areas- economic partnership, security, mobility, ecological sustainability, technology and innovation, health, people-to-people ties, and state-prefecture engagement.
• Defence & Security Cooperation: India and Japan signed a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, marking a substantial update and expansion of their 2008 agreement.
  • Institutionalised NSA-level dialogue and expanded tri-service exercises (Dharma Guardian, Veer Guardian, Milan).
  • DRDO–ATLA collaboration on missile defence and maritime surveillance; movement towards co-production of defence equipment.
• Technology & Space Collaboration: Launched Digital Partnership 2.0 and India-Japan AI Initiative for Large Language Models(LLMs) and R&D.
  • Signed ISRO–JAXA pact for Chandrayaan-5 joint lunar polar mission.
  • Cooperation in robotics, semiconductors, shipbuilding, space awareness, and nuclear energy.
• Infrastructure & Connectivity: Progress on Bullet Train project with next-gen Shinkansen (360 kmph) in both countries by 2030, suited for seismic zones. 
  • Launched Next-Gen Mobility Partnership across transport sectors.
  • Japan’s continued support through projects like Delhi Metro (USD 2.6 Billion investment) and vision for 7,000-km high-speed rail by 2047.
• Green Energy & Climate Cooperation: Operationalised Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) under Paris Agreement.
  • Signed declarations on Clean Hydrogen & Ammonia; launched Sustainable Fuel Initiative.
• People-to-People Cooperation: Action Plan on Human Resource Exchange to enable mobility of 5 lakh people, including 50,000 Indian workers.
  • Launched Next-Gen State Prefecture Partnership, cultural MoUs, and diplomacy training programs.

How Have India-Japan Deepened Their Bilateral Relationship?

• Historical Ties: India and Japan share civilizational links through Buddhism. 
  • Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru donated an elephant to Japan (1949), symbolizing the beginning of a renewed relationship after World War II.
  • India established diplomatic relations with Japan in 1952 with the signing of a peace treaty.
• Strategic Partnership: The relationship was elevated over time with the signing of Global Partnership (2000), Strategic & Global Partnership (2006), and Special Strategic & Global Partnership (2014). 
  • ‘India–Japan Vision 2025’ was announced in 2015 outlining a framework for cooperation.
• Defence & Security: India-Japan defence ties have strengthened since 2015 with agreements on Defence Equipment and Technology Cooperation and Security of Classified Military Information. 
  • Key milestones include 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue (2019), and Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) (2020).
  • Regular Joint Working Group on Defence Equipment and Technology Cooperation (JWG-DETC)  meetings. 
  • Amendments to the Three Principles for Transfer of Equipment and Technology (2023), and the first Joint Services Staff Talks (2023) have enhanced tri-service interoperability. 
  • Exercises include Malabar, Milan, JIMEX, Dharma Guardian, and Coast Guard cooperation, with focus on technology transfer.
• Indo-Pacific & Regional Cooperation: India’s Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) align with Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision.
  • The Act East Forum (2017) and joint statements emphasising a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” guide strategic cooperation. 
  • Japan is India’s largest Official Development Assistance (ODA) donor, and both cooperate in Quad, ISA, CDRI, and SCRI.
• Trade & Investment: As part of the China+1 strategy, Japan views India as a key manufacturing base and market. 
  • The review of CEPA  and promotion of GIFT City aim to boost trade and financial ties, while Japan’s USD 68 billion investment pledge by 2035 reflects strong confidence in India’s growth. 
  • The Joint Action Plan on Economic Security further reinforces supply chain resilience, marking a transformative phase in bilateral economic relations.

What Are the Key Challenges in India–Japan Relations?

• Trade Imbalance: Despite the CEPA, bilateral trade remains skewed in Japan’s favour. 
  • In FY24, Japan exported goods worth USD 17.69 billion to India, while India’s exports stood at only USD 5.15 billion.
  • Non-tariff barriers, stringent import standards (especially on agriculture and textiles), and slow progress in CEPA reform are the major contributing factors.
• Divergent Strategic Outlooks: India’s strategic autonomy contrasts with Japan’s formal alliance with the U.S., leading to differences in response to issues like Russia sanctions.
  • This divergence affects coordination in multilateral forums and weakens strategic alignment.
• Regional Priorities: India focuses on South Asia, and the Indian Ocean, while Japan is preoccupied with East Asian security, North Korea, and US alliance obligations, limiting full engagement.
• Delays in Development:The Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project faces significant delays due to land acquisition hurdles and regulatory issues, pushing completion from 2022 to 2028.
  • The US-2 amphibious aircraft deal remains stalled over unresolved concerns on technology transfer and pricing.

What Steps Are Needed to Advance India–Japan Strategic Partnership?

• Economic Transformation: Reform CEPA to unlock trade potential, anchor Japanese FDI in semiconductors, critical minerals, and manufacturing, and expand the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) as a credible alternative to Chinese dominance.
• Defence & Security: Enhance defence collaboration focusing on shared security, joint exercises, technology transfer, and co-development projects.
• Indo-Pacific & Regional Strategy: Ensure coherence in approach at platforms such as QUAD, promoting freedom of navigation and the rules-based order, and engage diplomatically to promote regional peace, despite differences on global issues like Ukraine.
• Infrastructure & Connectivity: Accelerate Bullet Train, industrial corridors, and connectivity projects, including in India’s Northeast and ports linking India, Japan, and Indo-Pacific partners, enhancing multilateral infrastructure cooperation.
• People-to-People Exchanges: Promote academic exchanges, language programs, tourism, diaspora engagement, and business forums, including skilled worker mobility and digitalisation support by Indian IT professionals, to strengthen soft power and business-to-business collaboration.

Conclusion

The India–Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership encompasses defence, technology, trade, infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges. Despite challenges such as trade deficits and regional strategic differences, both nations are deepening bilateral cooperation. Leveraging their strengths in technology, investment, and human capital, the partnership can serve as a resilient and mutually beneficial model in the Indo-Pacific.

Drishti Mains Question:

Discuss the strategic, economic, and technological dimensions of India–Japan cooperation. What are the key challenges, and how can both countries enhance their partnership?

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Q1. In which one of the following groups are all four countries members of G20? (2020)

(a) Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey
(b) Australia, Canada, Malaysia and New Zealand
(c) Brazil, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam
(d) Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea

Ans: (a)

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Q. Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is transforming itself into a trade bloc from a military alliance, in present times Discuss. (2020).

Safeguarding Transgender Rights in India

For Prelims: Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, NALSA Judgement 2014, Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020, Garima Greh.    

For Mains: Indian Society and the Challenges faced by Transgenders, Reforms for Transgender Persons, Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act - Provisions and Associated Concerns   

Source: PIB

Why in News?

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) hosted a National Conference on Transgender Rights aimed at addressing systemic discrimination, strengthening institutional support, and reaffirming constitutional guarantees for transgender persons in India.

How Does the Legal & Constitutional Framework Uphold the Rights of Transgender Persons in India?

Transgender 

• Definition: As per the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, a transgender person is someone whose gender identity does not match the gender assigned at birth.
• Population: India has around 4.8 million transgender persons (Census 2011).
  • This includes individuals with intersex variations, gender-queer identities, and socio-cultural identities such as kinnar, aaravani and jogta, etc.
  • Part of LGBTQIA+: Transgender persons are represented by the “T” in LGBTQIA+, which stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual.
  • The “+” covers other identities like non-binary and pansexual, reflecting the evolving understanding of gender and sexuality.

Legal & Constitutional Framework  

• Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019: Created a comprehensive legal structure for the protection and empowerment of transgender persons.
  • Key Provisions Include:
    • Non-Discrimination Clause: Prohibits exclusion or unfair treatment in education, employment, healthcare, housing, and access to public services.
    • Self-Identification: Recognises the right to self-perceived gender identity, allowing individuals to obtain identity certificates from the District Magistrate without the requirement of medical or psychological assessments.
    • Healthcare Access: Mandates provision of gender-affirming medical care, HIV surveillance, and inclusion in public health insurance schemes.
    • Statutory Institutional Mechanism: Establishes the National Council for Transgender Persons (NCTP) to advise the central government on welfare policies, monitor implementation, and coordinate inter-ministerial efforts.
• Landmark Judgments:
  • NALSA v. Union of India (2014): Marked a historic shift by recognising transgender persons as the “third gender”.
    • Affirmed that gender identity is integral to dignity, equality, and personal autonomy under articles 14, 15,19 and 21 of the Constitution.
    • Framed transgender rights as a matter of human rights, not just legal identity.
  • Karnataka High Court in Ms. X vs State of Karnataka, 2024 upheld the right of transgender persons to change name and gender on birth certificates, as permitted under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019  and Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020. 
• Election Commission Directive (2009) introduced an “others” option in voter registration forms, allowing transgender individuals to avoid male or female classification.

What are the Key Challenges Faced by Transgender Persons in India?

• Marginalisation: Historical invisibility continues to impact social and economic inclusion, despite progressive laws judgements (NALSA v. Union of India-2014).
  • Transgender persons face stigma, bullying, and rejection, which leads to their poor mental health. A NALSA survey found 27% were denied healthcare due to gender identity.
  • Gender-affirming treatments cost Rs 2–5 lakh and are often not covered in insurance. Ayushman Bharat TG Plus provides medical coverage but its awareness and accessibility remain limited.
  • The literacy rate among transgender persons stands at 56.1%(2011 Census), significantly lower than the national average of 74%, highlighting the lack of a gender-sensitive curriculum across the country.
• Economic Exclusion: Transgenders face employment bias, workplace hostility, and lack of gender-neutral facilities, limiting economic opportunities. 
  • 92% experience economic exclusion (NHRC 2018) and 48% are unemployed (ILO 2022). 
  • Despite a 2024 RBI circular allowing transgender and queer persons to open joint bank accounts and nominate partners, access to financial services remains limited due to institutional gaps and low awareness.
• Law Enforcement and Social Protection Gaps: Garima Greh shelters, though progressive in intent, face issues like inadequate funding, poor awareness, and limited state coverage.
  • Despite the 2019 Act, challenges in ID issuance, complex certification processes, and issues like police harassment and family rejection continue to hinder self-identification and timely support for transgender persons.
  • Institutional mechanisms for child protection and elder care often exclude gender-diverse individuals.
    

Key Measures For Transgender Welfare in India

• SMILE Scheme & Garima Greh provides rehabilitation, skill development, healthcare, and livelihood support for transgender persons.
• Ayushman Bharat TG Plus offers health insurance coverage for gender-affirming treatments and healthcare needs.
• National Portal for Transgender Persons facilitates access to schemes, services, and grievance redressal.
• Transgender individuals are included under the disability pension scheme with a specific “transgender” option.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs (2022) directed prisons to ensure privacy and dignity for third-gender inmates.
• Under state-level Initiatives, Maharashtra has set up transgender cells in colleges, while Kerala provides university reservations and hostel facilities for transgender students.

What Measures Should be Taken for Transgender Empowerment in India?

• Legal Framework: The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 must be fully implemented by setting up grievance redressal cells, a central digital portal for applications, conducting audits, and training police, health, and education officials on transgender rights and gender sensitivity.
• Economic Empowerment: Promote gender-inclusive policies, diversity hiring, financial schemes, and entrepreneurship support, scaling successful corporate models like Tata Steel’s diversity program. 
  • A World Bank report (2021) estimates that integrating transgender persons into the workforce could boost India’s GDP by 1.7%.
• Access to Social Services : Schools and colleges should implement inclusive policies, provide teacher training, prevent bullying and discrimination, expand counselling services, ensure gender-neutral washrooms, and promote peer and teacher support for transgender students.
  • Ensure insurance coverage for gender-affirming treatments, establish dedicated clinics, expand mental health services, and provide sensitivity training for providers.
• Awareness Campaign: Conduct gender sensitisation programs, encourage diverse media representation, support cultural events like the Koovagam Festival, and promote campaigns like “I Am Also Human” to reduce stigma.

Drishti Mains Question:

Examine the key challenges faced by transgender persons in India despite legal protections, and suggest measures to ensure their social, economic, and legal inclusion.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs) 

Prelims

Q. In India, Legal Services Authorities provide free legal services to which of the following types of citizens? (2020)

1. Person with an annual income of less than Rs. 1,00,000 
2. Transgender with an annual income of less than Rs. 2,00,000 
3. Member of Other Backward Classes (OBC) with an annual income of less than Rs. 3,00,000 
4. All Senior Citizens 

Select the correct answer using the code given below: 

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1 and 4 only 

Ans: (a)

Strengthening India’s Nuclear Supply Chain

For Prelims: Nuclear Sector, Small Modular Reactors, Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor, Light Water Reactors (LWRs), Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).                        

For Mains: Importance of nuclear energy for India's development and key challenges in modernisation of India’s nuclear sector. Measures required to modernise India’s nuclear sector.

Source: IE  

Why in News?

India is planning to introduce legal reforms in its civil nuclear sector to allow controlled private and foreign investment, address supplier liability, and align with global norms—focusing on expanding low-carbon nuclear capacity through LWRs and SMRs.

Nuclear Energy 

• About: It is a form of energy released from the nucleus, the core of atoms, made up of protons and neutrons. 
  • This source of energy can be produced in two ways: fission – when nuclei of atoms split into several parts – or fusion – when nuclei fuse together.
  • It is a low-carbon, high-density energy source providing base-load power and contributing to energy security and sustainable development.
• Status in India: India’s current nuclear power capacity stands at 8.18 GW, with plans to expand to 22.48 GW by 2031-32 and an ambitious target of 100 GW by 2047.
  • Currently, India operates more than 20 nuclear reactors, all managed by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), with over a dozen new projects planned. 
  • Key developments, such as the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam, showcase India’s expanding nuclear capabilities. 
• Government Support: The Union Budget 2025-26 allocated Rs. 20,000 crore to the Nuclear Energy Mission, targeting the deployment of five Bharat Small Reactors (BSRs) by 2033 to diversify energy infrastructure.

What is the Significance of Nuclear Energy for India?

• Ensuring Reliable Energy Supply: Nuclear power can play a pivotal role in meeting India’s rapidly growing energy demand by providing continuous, 24/7 electricity. 
  • Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and microreactors can deliver clean energy to remote locations without dependence on the conventional grid.
  • Nuclear plants provide a stable power supply even during natural disasters or geopolitical disruptions, offering a reliable alternative when conventional grids are compromised.
• Achieving Net-Zero Goals: Nuclear energy plays a pivotal role in India's strategy to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and meet its net-zero emissions target by 2070. 
• Boosting Industrial Development: Nuclear energy can support high-capacity, energy-intensive sectors such as steel, cement, and data centers that require stable power. 
  • SMRs can further enable remote industrial operations, hydrogen production, and large-scale desalination projects.
• Strengthening Strategic Position: Indigenous technological achievements, such as the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (Kalpakkam), demonstrate India’s technological self-reliance, reduce strategic vulnerabilities, and enhance the country’s negotiating power in global energy and technology partnerships.

Small Modular Reactors

• About: SMRs are next-generation nuclear reactors with a power output of up to 300 MW(e) per unit, roughly one-third that of conventional nuclear reactors.
• Features: They are defined by three key features:
  • Small: Much smaller than traditional nuclear power reactors, making them suitable for limited-space installations.
  • Modular: Designed for factory-assembly and transport, systems and components can be pre-assembled and moved as a complete unit to the installation site.
  • Reactors: Harnessing nuclear fission to generate heat for producing energy.

What are the Major Challenges Associated with Modernisation of India’s Nuclear Sector?

• Supply Chain and Quality Control Challenges: The mid- and lower-tier supplier base lacks quality standards, modern processes, and capacity, causing gaps in supporting advanced technologies like Light Water Reactors (LWRs) and SMRs, and reliance on a single foreign company for specialized systems.
  • Quality assurance (QA) issues and outdated expertise lead to project delays and production stoppages due to a shortage of qualified QA professionals.
• Cybersecurity Challenges: Global vendors warn of weak cybersecurity in India’s nuclear sector, risking loss of critical plant data and vulnerability to cyber-attacks and ransomware.
• Regulatory Hurdles: The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) oversees design certification, while NPCIL manages quality control, leading to coordination challenges across the supply chain.
• Capacity Challenges: For critical areas like control and instrumentation, indigenisation efforts are heavily dependent on a single public sector enterprise like Electronics Corporation of India Ltd whose capacity was recorded as “limited”.
• Laps in Legal Framework: The Atomic Energy Act, 1962 restricts private participation in India’s nuclear projects, limiting investment, technology development, and slowing progress.
  • Foreign and domestic suppliers fear unlimited liability because of unclear insurance rules, ambiguous definitions of “nuclear damage”, and the risk of civil suits.

What Measures are Required to Modernise India’s Nuclear Sector?

• Strengthening Supply Chain: Implement a National Quality Upgradation Programme to train mid- and lower-tier nuclear suppliers on manufacturing processes and quality standards for LWRs and SMRs. 
  • Simultaneously, develop and certify new vendors for core equipment and specialised systems to expand domestic capacity.
• Enhance Quality Control: Increase manpower by deploying qualified QA professionals for 24/7 coverage, use Third-Party Inspection (TPI) to support in-house QA, and station full-time QA teams at all critical supplier sites.
• Address Cybersecurity Gaps: Implement a state-of-the-art cybersecurity framework across the nuclear ecosystem, covering plant operators and suppliers, to safeguard control systems and critical data from cyber attacks.
• Modernise Legislative Framework: Prioritise passing policy and legal reforms, including major amendments to the Electricity Act, the Atomic Energy Act, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, to align with global standards, address investor concerns, and encourage foreign collaboration and investment.
• Strategic Development and Competitiveness: Execute the SMR strategy by advancing indigenous SMR development with clear timelines for prototype demonstrations to ensure technology readiness. 
  • Facilitate global exports for qualified Indian suppliers to boost capacity, competitiveness, and quality.

Conclusion

Modernising India’s nuclear sector is crucial for energy security, industrial growth, and strategic autonomy. Strengthening the supplier base, enforcing quality standards, enhancing cybersecurity, and advancing indigenous SMRs will boost reliability, competitiveness, and resilience, ensuring sustainable, low-carbon energy and a robust industrial ecosystem.

Drishti Mains Question:

Q. What are the key challenges in modernising India’s nuclear sector and how can they be addressed?

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)  

Prelims

Q. In India, why are some nuclear reactors kept under “IAEA safeguards” while others are not? (2020)

(a) Some use uranium and others use thorium  
(b) Some use imported uranium and others use domestic supplies  
(c) Some are operated by foreign enterprises and others are operated by domestic enterprises  
(d) Some are State-owned and others are privately owned  

Ans: (b)

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Q. Consider the following statements: (2017)

1. The Nuclear Security Summits are periodically held under the aegis of the United Nations.  
2. The International Panel on Fissile Materials is an organ of the International Atomic Energy Agency.  

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?  

(a) 1 only  
(b) 2 only  
(c) Both 1 and 2  
(d) Neither 1 nor 2  

Ans: (d) 

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Mains

Q. With growing energy needs should India keep on expanding its nuclear energy programme? Discuss the facts and fears associated with nuclear energy. (2018)

Q. Give an account of the growth and development of nuclear science and technology in India. What is the advantage of the fast breeder reactor programme in India? (2017)

Stellar Parallax

Source: TH

Astronomers have demonstrated a pioneering technique using stellar parallax to navigate spacecraft in deep space without relying on Earth-based beacons.

• Stellar parallax: As the earth orbits the sun, a star’s position relative to other stars might seem to shift. This is because every six months, the earth is on opposite sides of the sun, providing two different viewpoints.
  • The New Horizons spacecraft observed Proxima Centauri (4.2 light-years away) and Wolf 359 (7.9 light-years away) from a distance of 7 billion km from Earth.
• Other Space Navigation Methods:
  • Stellar Astrometric Navigation: It uses stars and special relativity to estimate a spacecraft’s 3D position and velocity by measuring the angular separation between two stars.
  • Pulsar Navigation: It uses rapidly spinning neutron stars like lamps in space to guide the way.
• NASA launched New Horizons in 2006 to study the dwarf planet Pluto, its moons, and objects in the Kuiper Belt, a disc of icy rocks and dust at the solar system’s outer edge.

Read More: Cosmic Story of Pluto and Charon

100 Years of the Self-Respect Movement

Source: TH

2025 marked the centenary of the Self-Respect Movement, which advocated rationalism, social equality, and anti-caste ideology.

Self-Respect Movement

• About: It was launched by EV Ramasamy (Periyar) in 1925 in Tamil Nadu, who later established the Dravidar Kazhagam and started the Tamil weekly Kudi Arasu (Republic).
  • Periyar was influenced by social reformers like Jyotirao Phule and BR Ambedkar, and also participated in the Vaikom Satyagraha.
• Objectives: It aimed to eradicate the caste system, reject Brahminical dominance, and promote rational thinking and individual dignity, as outlined in its pamphlets Namathu Kurikkol and Tiravitak Kalaka Lateiyam.
• Key Features:
  • Pioneered Self-Respect Marriages- simple priest-less ceremonies that were legally recognized.
  • Fought against social evils like the Devadasi system, caste discrimination, and restrictions on widow remarriage.
  • Promoted women’s leadership, with notable figures like Annai Meenambal and Veeramal.
    • Meenambal bestowed the title ‘Periyar’ on EV Ramaswamy, and was referred to as “my sister Meena” by BR Ambedkar.

Read More: Caste Movement in India