• 29 Oct 2025

Ghoomar Festival to be Organised Across Rajasthan

Why in News? 

The Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Diya Kumari, has announced that the state government will organise a Ghoomar Festival across all seven divisional headquarters in November to celebrate and promote the traditional royal dance form of Rajasthan. 

 

Key Points 

• About: The Department of Tourism will host the Ghoomar Festival on 19^th November 2025, simultaneously across the seven divisional headquarters — Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ajmer, Bikaner, Bharatpur, and Kota. 
• Objectives: 
  • To revive and preserve Rajasthan’s traditional Ghoomar dance. 
  • To encourage women’s participation in cultural and tourism activities. 
  • To promote Rajasthan as a vibrant cultural tourism destination. 
• Participation: Girls and women aged 12 years and above can participate by registering individually or in groups, while for the competition segment, only group entries of 20 to 25 members will be allowed. 
• Awards: The festival will present awards across multiple categories, and winning groups will get the opportunity to perform at major state tourism events. 
• About Ghoomar Dance: 
  • Ghoomar is a traditional folk dance of Rajasthan, historically performed by royal women on special occasions. 
  • The dance is characterised by graceful circular movements, colorful attire, and rhythmic clapping and twirling. 
  • It is recognised as a symbol of womanhood, grace, and cultural identity in Rajasthan. 

Gold Reserves Discovered in Rajasthan

Why in News? 

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has discovered new gold reserves in the Banswara district of Rajasthan. 

Key Points 

• About: The latest find in the Kankariyagarha block of Ghatol tehsil includes an estimated 1.20 tonnes of gold along with traces of copper, nickel, and cobalt. 
  • This marks the third consecutive discovery of gold in the region, enhancing Banswara’s prospects of becoming a major gold-mining hub after Karnataka. 
  • The government has approved a G-2 level detailed investigation to verify the mineral content, quality, quantity, and depth, based on which mining tenders will be issued and commercial extraction initiated. 
• Associated Minerals: Along with gold, the region also contains deposits of copper (nearly 1,000 tonnes), nickel, and cobalt, which are strategically important for battery and renewable energy industries. 
• Geological Context: Banswara lies along the Aravalli mountain range, where rocks are estimated to be over 5,000 years old. Geological activities over time have pushed mineral-rich rocks closer to the Earth’s surface, making this region abundant in gold, copper, nickel, cobalt, and other minerals. 
• Economic Potential: Once mining begins, Rajasthan is expected to become the second state after Karnataka to mine gold, potentially contributing over 25% of India’s total gold production.  
  • This development is likely to boost local employment, generate new infrastructure, and strengthen the regional economy. 
• Previous Discoveries: Earlier, the GSI had identified 11.48 crore tonnes of gold-bearing ore in the Bhukia and Jagpura areas of Ghatol tehsil. These sites also contained 13,739 tonnes of cobalt and 11,146 tonnes of nickel.

Passenger Trains Begin Operations on DFC

Why in News? 

For the first time in Indian Railways history, passenger trains have begun operating on the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) network. 

Key Points 

• Traditionally, the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) were designed exclusively for freight transport, aiming to enhance logistics efficiency and reduce congestion on existing railway lines. 
• However, due to the heavy rush during Chhath Puja ( 25^th–28^th October 2025), the Railways has allowed empty passenger coaching rakes and special trains to run on the DFC for the first time. 
• This step enables the operation of a larger number of passenger and express trains during the festive period. 
• DFC consists of two arms: 
  • Eastern DFC (EDFC): Ludhiana (Punjab) – Dankuni (West Bengal) via Uttar Pradesh and Bihar (Approx. 1,839 km). The World Bank is funding a majority of the EDFC. 
  • Western DFC (WDFC): Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT), Mumbai – Dadri (Approx. 1,506 km). The Japan International Cooperation Agency is funding it. 

 

UP to Implement ‘Learning by Doing’ Model

Why in News?

The Uttar Pradesh government has developed a comprehensive action plan to promote experiential and skill-based learning by introducing the ‘Learning by Doing (LBD)’ model across 3,288 government schools and District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) institutions in the state. 

Key Points 

• About: The initiative aims to make education more experiential, skill-driven, and future-oriented, replacing rote memorisation with a “learning by doing” approach. 
  • It aligns with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasises critical thinking, creativity, and innovation-driven learning. 
• Training Programme Details: The Basic Education Department will conduct train-the-trainer programmes to build teacher capacity. 
  • The training will be conducted in 66 residential batches, focusing on integrating classroom learning with experiments, projects, models, and real-life applications. 
• Objectives: 
  • To transform classrooms into spaces that encourage understanding, exploration, and discovery rather than memorisation. 
  • To equip teachers with practical teaching methods that foster creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking among students. 
  • To prepare learners for a skill-based, innovation-driven, and AI-powered economy. 
• Significance: 
  • The Learning by Doing model enhances active learning by allowing children to experiment, question, and explore solutions independently. 
  • It promotes curiosity, analytical ability, scientific outlook, expression, and problem-solving skills, transforming students from passive listeners to active learners. 
  • The initiative is expected to redefine the identity of basic education in Uttar Pradesh and set a benchmark for other states.

32% Candidates in Bihar Face Criminal charges

Why in News? 

A report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Bihar Election Watch (BEW) has revealed a high number of candidates with criminal and financial influence contesting in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections. 

• The findings underscore the persistent issue of criminalisation in politics and the increasing role of money power in Indian elections. 

Key Points 

• About: The analysis by ADR and BEW is based on self-sworn affidavits of 1,303 out of 1,314 candidates contesting for 121 assembly seats in Phase 1 of the Bihar elections, scheduled for 6th November 2025. 
  • The findings highlight both criminal cases and the financial backgrounds of candidates. 
• Criminal Background: 
  • 423 candidates (32%) have declared criminal cases against themselves. 
  • 354 candidates (27%) face serious criminal charges, including murder and crimes against women. 
  • 33 candidates have declared murder charges, while 86 candidates face attempt to murder cases. 
  • 42 candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women, including 2 cases of rape. 
• Financial Background: 519 candidates (40%) are crorepatis (declared assets worth ₹1 crore or more). 

Legal Aspects of Disqualification of Criminal Candidates 

• About: The Indian Constitution does not specify as to what disqualifies a person from contesting elections for the Parliament, Legislative Assembly or any other legislature. 
  • The Representation of People Act 1951 mentions the criteria for disqualifying a person from contesting an election of the legislature. 
    • Section 8 of the act provides for disqualification on conviction for certain offences, according to which an individual punished with a jail term of more than two years cannot stand in an election for six years after the jail term has ended. 
    • However, the law does not bar individuals who have criminal cases pending against them from contesting elections therefore, the disqualification of candidates with criminal cases depends on their conviction in these cases. 
• Recommendations: 
  • In 1983, the Vohra Committee on Criminalisation of Politics was constituted with an objective to identify the extent of the political-criminal nexus and to recommend ways in which the criminalisation of politics can be effectively dealt with. 
  • The Law Commission submitted its 244^th report in 2014, which dealt with the need to curb the trend of criminal politicians in the legislature posing serious consequences to democracy and secularism

Terms of Reference of 8th CPC Approved

 Why in News? 

The Union Cabinet has approved the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC), which is responsible for reviewing and recommending revisions in the pay structure and retirement benefits of central government employees and pensioners. 

Key Points 

• About: The formation of the 8^th CPC was first announced in January 2025, and its Terms of Reference were approved by the Cabinet on 28^th October 2025. 
  • The Commission will submit its recommendations within 18 months of its constitution, impacting around 50 lakh central government employees (including defence personnel) and 69 lakh pensioners. 
  • The revised pay and pension structures are expected to be implemented from January 2026, after the submission of the Commission’s report. 
• Composition of 8^th CPC: 

Position	Name / Designation
Chairperson	Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (Former Supreme Court Judge)
Part-time Member	Professor Pulak Ghosh (Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore)
Member-Secretary	Pankaj Jain (Petroleum Secretary)

•  Terms of Reference (ToR): The 8^th CPC has been tasked with making recommendations after considering: 
  • Economic conditions of the country and the need for fiscal prudence. 
  • Availability of resources for developmental expenditure and welfare measures. 
  • The unfunded cost of non-contributory pension schemes (particularly the pre-2004 pension liabilities). 
  • The impact on state finances, as state governments often align their pay scales with the Centre. 
  • The current emolument structure, benefits, and working conditions of employees in central public sector undertakings (CPSUs) and the private sector. 
• Background: The Pay Commission is typically constituted once every 10 years to review and recommend changes in the salary structure, allowances, and pensions of government employees. 
  • The 7^th CPC was constituted in 2014, and its recommendations were implemented from 1^st January 2016.