Famous Basohli painting from Jammu and Kashmir Kathua gets GI tagging (GS Paper 3, Economy)
Why in news?
- The world-famous Basohli painting from Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district has obtained the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag following an approval by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
What is GI tag?
- The GI tag to a product, goods or speciality grants legal protection to the original producers and prevents their unauthorised use by third parties.
- It also boosts exports, promotes the goods at the international level and brings economic prosperity to producers and stakeholders.
GI tags from J& K region:
About Basohli painting:
- Basohli painting of Kathua is the first independent GI tagged product from Jammu region.
- Basohli, a town in the Jammu region, was the cradle of Pahari paintings. It gave birth to a unique style of miniature paintings that witnessed a fusion of mythology and traditional folk art.
- It was under Sangram Pal (1635-1673) and later Kirpal Pal (1678-1693) that Basohli paintings flourished. Vaishnavism was adopted under Sangram Pal and hence the early paintings, specifically the Rasmanjari series, depict Krishna as the protagonist.
- The most distinctive feature of these paintings was the portrayal of jewellery- embossed white paint was used for pearls and the wing-case of beetles for emerald green.
Arctic scientists race to preserve ice memory
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Why in news?
- Arctic scientists are set to start drilling to save samples of ancient ice for analysis before the frozen layers melt away due to climate change.
- Italian, French and Norwegian researchers have set up camp in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago in what they called a race against time to preserve crucial ice records for analysing past environmental conditions.
Key Highlights:
- They will extract ice in a series of tubes from 125 metres below the surface, containing frozen geochemical traces dating back three centuries.
- One set of ice tubes will be used for immediate analysis while a second set will be sent to Antarctica for storage in an “ice memory sanctuary” under the snow, where the samples will be preserved for future generations.
- Analysis of chemicals in deep “ice cores” provides scientists with valuable data about past environmental conditions.
- But experts warn that water from melting ice is leaking down and altering the geochemical records preserved in ancient ice beneath.
Carbon emissions:
Way Forward:
- The eight specialists have set up camp at an altitude of 1,100 metres on the crevasse-ridden Holtedahlfonna ice field and plan to start drilling.
- They will work for three weeks in temperatures as low as minus 25C (-13 Farenheit), cutting and pulling out a series of cylinders of ice, each one metre long and 10cm wide.
Malaysia ends mandatory death penalty for serious crimes
(GS Paper 1, Social Issues)
Why in news?
- Recently, Malaysia's Parliament passed sweeping legal reforms to remove the mandatory death penalty, trim the number of offences punishable by death, and abolish natural-life prison sentences.
Background:
- Malaysia's move comes even as some Southeast Asian neighbours have stepped up use of capital punishment, with Singapore in 2022 executing 11 people for drug offences and military-ruled Myanmar carrying out its first death sentences in decades against four anti-junta activists.
- Malaysia has had a moratorium on executions since 2018, when it first promised to abolish capital punishment entirely.
- The government, however, faced political pressure from some parties and rowed back on the pledge a year later, saying it would retain the death penalty but allow courts to replace it with other punishments at their discretion.
Key Highlights:
- Under the amendments passed, alternatives to the death penalty include whipping and imprisonment of between 30 to 40 years. The new jail term will replace all previous provisions that call for imprisonment for the duration of the offender's natural life.
- Life imprisonment sentences, defined by Malaysian law as a fixed term of 30 years, will be retained.
- Capital punishment will also be removed as an option for some serious crimes that do not cause death, such as discharging and trafficking of a firearm and kidnapping.
Way Forward:
- More than 1,300 people facing the death penalty or imprisonment for natural life - including those who have exhausted all other legal appeals can seek a sentencing review under the new rules.
