Current affairs for UPSC

1.‘Odisha Rasagola’ is a sweet from the state of Odisha gets GI tag.

Colour development of the ‘Odisha Rasagola’ is very specific, where without addition of external colour, various intensely-coloured rasagolas are prepared using the principle of caramelisation of sugar with specific methods of preparation.

The reference of rasagola is found in the late 15th-century Odia Ramayana written by Balaram Das.Balaram Das’s Ramayana is known as Dandi Ramayana or Jagamohana Ramayana as it was composed and sung at the Jagamohana of the Puri Temple.

Poem on Cuttack’s famous, historic fair, Bali Jatra (Journey to Bali Island of Indonesia) mentions about presence of the Rasagola.

Both Odisha and West Bengal have been contesting the origin of the rasagola.

Source : The Hindu

2.Himalayan conclave at Mussorie

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS II-  issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure

In News

Himalayan states gathered together and made the following demands to the centre
A separate Union ministry to deal with problems endemic to them

A green bonus in recognition of their contribution to environment conservation.

Rationale behind such demands
Most of the country’s rivers originate in the Himalayan states and thus they have to play significant role in water conservation efforts

Also large part of their land fell into eco-sensitive zones where developmental activities are severely restricted
A green bonus is thus needed to compensation for their disadvantages

3.Red Mud:

Context: Ministry of mines organises a workshop on Effective utilization of Red Mud.

Red Mud is a solid waste generated during the aluminium production process.

Concerns: This is an environmental concern due to presence of impurities such as caustic soda and others minerals.

Background: Global generation of red mud is more than 150 million tons and there exists a global inventory of more than 3 billion tons. Red mud generation in India is around 9 million tons per year.