State PCS - Uttar Pradesh (UP PCS)

• 19 Aug 2025

Karikot Village Wins ICRT Award 2025

Why in News? 

Karikot village, located in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, has been selected for the prestigious Indian Subcontinental Responsible Tourism (ICRT) Award 2025.  

• This award is presented by the ICRT India Foundation and is supported by the Ministry of Tourism. 

Key Points 

• ICRT Award 2025: The award honors leaders in sustainable tourism, emphasizing the reduction of negative impacts and the enhancement of positive ones, and will be presented in New Delhi on 13th September 2025. 
  • Categories: The awards ceremony will recognize institutions under various categories, like One to Watch, Silver, and Gold. 
  • Criteria: The panel evaluated entries based on authenticity, replicability, community involvement, and long-term impact. 
    • Karikot stood out for its innovative and community-driven approach to rural tourism, making it a prime example of sustainability and impact. 
• Karikot Village Model:  Karikot, located near the India-Nepal border and adjacent to the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, sees tourism initiatives driven primarily by the Tharu tribal community, focusing on homestays, eco-tourism, and cultural immersion experiences. 
  • These initiatives have helped revive traditional Tharu crafts, cuisine, and folk arts, turning Karikot into a living museum of Tharu heritage. 
  • Karikot's community-driven and sustainable tourism model has created long-term benefits and new livelihood opportunities, especially for women and youth. 
• Uttar Pradesh’s Rural Tourism Strategy: Karikot's recognition underscores the state's effort to make rural tourism a key development focus, supported by initiatives like the UP Bed & Breakfast and Homestay Policy 2025 and eco-tourism promotion.

Tharu Tribe 

• Meaning of ‘Tharu’: The word tharu is believed to be derived from sthavir, meaning followers of Theravada Buddhism. 
• Habitat: The Tharu community belongs to the Terai lowlands, amid the Shivaliks or lower Himalayas. 
  • Terai is a region of northern India and southern Nepal running parallel to the lower ranges of the Himalayas. 
  • The Tharus live in both India and Nepal. In the Indian terai, they live mostly in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. 
• Scheduled Tribe: Tharu is a scheduled tribe in the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. 
• Occupation: Most of them are forest dwellers, and some practice agriculture. 
• Language: They speak various dialects of Tharu, a language of the Indo-Aryan subgroup, and variants of Hindi, Urdu, and Awadhi. 

ICRT India Foundation  

• ICRT India Foundation was founded in 2017 to support and expand Responsible Tourism in India. 
• It backs the Cape Town Declaration of Responsible Tourism (2002) and promotes its principles. 
• The Foundation signed and supports the 2022 Responsible Tourism Charter, signed on Magna Carta Island. 

India's 1st Drone Forensic Lab

Why in News? 

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, a drone forensic lab has been established at the Uttar Pradesh State Institute of Forensic Science (UPSIFS) in Lucknow. 

Key Points 

• About: The lab was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and is conceptualized and established by Milind Raj, an expert in robotics and drone technology, also known as the 'Drone Man of India.' 
• Functions: The lab will enable police to track, decode, and investigate drones in real-time, helping forensic experts determine the drone's flight path, take-off location, payload capacity, and potential hazards like explosives. 
  • It will facilitate forensic postmortems of drones to assess their intent and threat potential, helping law enforcement understand drones used in unlawful activities. 
• Training: The lab will serve as a training center for police personnel and forensic experts, offering hands-on experience with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). 
  • It will help build a dedicated drone force within UP Police, enabling swift responses to incidents involving drones for security surveillance, crowd monitoring, and potential criminal activities. 
• Technological Innovation and Future Impact: The lab is equipped with advanced data acquisition tools, reverse-engineering systems, customized kits, and hi-tech computing systems, making it possible to trace and analyze drones used in unlawful activities. 
• Applications: The lab’s applications include safeguarding sensitive zones like borders, prisons, and airports, as well as aiding in disaster management and search-and-rescue operations. 

Varanasi: India's First City to Install Solar Panels Between Railway Tracks

Why in News? 

Varanasi is the first city in India to install portable solar panels between railway tracks, promoting sustainable energy. 

• This pilot project at Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) supports Indian Railways' goal of reducing its carbon footprint and achieving net-zero emissions. 

Key Points 

• About: The installation features solar panel system spanning 70 meters of railway track, with 28 panels of 15 kWp capacity, generating 880 units per kilometre daily and a power density of 220 kWp per kilometre. 
• Panel Design: The solar panels are removable for easy maintenance and seasonal adaptation, mounted on sleepers with an indigenously designed installation procedure to ensure secure and safe attachment without disrupting train traffic. 
  • Rubber mounting pads reduce vibrations from passing trains, epoxy adhesive secures the panels, and the space between tracks eliminates the need for extra land acquisition. 
• Environmental and Operational Impact: 
  • Energy Generation Potential: The scheme is expected to produce an estimated 3.21 lakh units per kilometre per year. 
  • Indian Railways Network: With a track length of 1.2 lakh km, this technology has the potential to be deployed extensively across the network, especially on yard lines. 
    • The solar panels complement existing rooftop solar power plants installed within BLW premises, further strengthening Indian Railways' renewable energy commitment. 

153rd Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo

Why in News? 

On 15th August 2025, PM Narendra Modi paid tribute to the philosopher and freedom fighter Sri Aurobindo on his 153rd birth anniversary, acknowledging his profound impact on India’s nation-building journey.  

• He highlighted that Aurobindo's philosophy and spirituality guided the nation's growth toward realizing its potential. 

Key Facts About Sri Aurobindo 

• About: Aurobindo Ghose was born in Calcutta on 15th August 1872. He was a yogi, seer, philosopher, poet, and Indian nationalist who propounded a philosophy of divine life on earth through spiritual evolution. 
  • He died on 5^th December 1950 in Pondicherry. 
• Education: 
  • His education began in a Christian convent school in Darjeeling. 
  • He entered the University of Cambridge, where he became proficient in two classical and several modern European languages. 
  • He returned to India in February 1893 at the age of twenty-one and commenced his service in the Baroda State. 
  • He began the study of Yoga and Indian languages, including classical Sanskrit. 
• Indian Revolutionary Movement: From 1902 to 1910, he partook in the struggle to free India from the British. As a result of his political activities, he was imprisoned in 1908 (Alipore Bomb case). 
• Spirituality: In Pondichéry, he founded a community of spiritual seekers (1910), which took shape as the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1926. 
  • He believed that the basic principles of matter, life, and mind would be succeeded through terrestrial evolution by the principle of supermind as an intermediate power between the two spheres of the infinite and the finite. 
• Literary Works: 
  • In 1906, he became the editor of Bande Mataram, an English newspaper (founded by Bipin Chandra Pal in 1905). 
  • Bases of Yoga 
  • Bhagavad Gita and Its Message 
  • The Future Evolution of Man 
  • Rebirth and Karma 
  • Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol 
  • Hour of God 
• The Five Dreams of Sri Aurobindo: In 1947, upon India’s independence, Aurobindo shared his five dreams, which included a free and united India, the resurgence of Asia, a global union for a fairer life, India’s spiritual gift to the world, and a transformative step in human evolution towards higher consciousness and societal perfection. 
• Auroville: Auroville, founded by Mirra Alfassa (The Mother) in 1968, is an experimental township in Pondicherry that embodies Aurobindo’s vision of a global, spiritually united community.  
  • Endorsed by UNESCO in 1966, it emphasizes sustainable living and addresses humanity's future cultural, environmental, social, and spiritual needs.