The Chief Justice of India has underlined the concept of Substantive Equality in the State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh Case 2024 (Sub-classification in SC/ST reservation).

About Substantive Equality

• It refers to the principle that the law must account for the different backgrounds and historical injustices faced by persons or groups.
• It focuses on equality of outcomes and impacts of laws and policies. 
• While formal equality applies consistent rules, substantive equality aims for social redistribution through moral principles.

Union Minister for Home Affairs urged the countrymen to hoist the Tricolour at their homes under 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign.

• Hoisting/ display of the Indian National Flag are governed by the Flag Code of India, 2002 [as amended in 2021 & 2022].

Salient Provisions of the Flag Code of India, 2002

• National Flag shall be made of hand spun and hand woven/ machine-made, cotton/ polyester/ wool/ silk/ Ichadi bunting. 
• National Flag can be displayed day and Night.
• National Flag shall be rectangular in shape. The Flag can be of any size but the ratio of the length to the height (width) of the Flag shall be 3:2.

Yen carry trade has been in focus in the past few trading sessions in the wake of the sell-off in shares of US technology giants.

About Carry Trade

• A carry trade is an investment strategy most often associated with foreign currency trading.
• In a carry trade, an investor borrows in a low interest-rate currency to buy a currency or asset earning a higher interest rate.
• It is a high-risk strategy due to volatile currencies or changes in interest rates.

Union Minister said that Village Defence Guards (VDGs) have been provided with sophisticated weapons to deal with rising incidents of terror in the Jammu region.

About VDGs

• Constituted under VDGs Scheme 2022, to organize small group of volunteer armed civilians in identified villages in Jammu division, to instill sense of self-protection and ensure safety and security of such villages, infrastructure, etc.
  • Previously, Village Defense Groups were constituted in 1995 in identified vulnerable villages to supplement efforts of security forces in safeguarding internal security.
• VDGs shall be headed by a retired officer of the Army/ CPMF/ J&K Police.

Recently, 5th AITIGA Joint Committee and related meetings for review of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) were held in ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta (Indonesia).

About AITGA

• Entered into force in 2010 (signed in 2009).
• It aims to achieve free flow of goods in the region resulting to less trade barriers and deeper economic linkages among Member States, lower business costs, increased trade, and a larger market and economies of scale for businesses.

Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has exempted surveys involving drilling and felling of up to 100 trees for hydro and other developmental projects in forest areas from taking prior forest clearance.

About FAC

• It is a statutory body under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
• FAC approves diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes.
• FAC assesses land request validity, evaluates impact minimization plans, and considers potential damage to local ecology and wildlife habitats.
• Role of FAC is recommendatory in nature so far as diversion of forest land for purpose of non-forestry use is concerned. 

The elusive Four-ringed butterfly (Ypthima cantliei) resurfaces in Arunachal Pradesh’s Namdapha National Park, the country’s easternmost tiger reserve, bordering Myanmar.

About Butterfly

• Butterflies belong to the insect Order Lepidoptera.
• Butterflies can be found in nearly all types of habitats and some spend part of their lives underground.
• Significance: 
  • Butterflies are flagship species for conservation, especially for invertebrates.
  • Butterflies play critical role in pollination of some plants. 
  • They’re an important element of food chain and are prey for birds, bats and other insectivorous animals.
• Monarch butterflies have poison in their wings. 

Researchers, using data from AstroSat, discovered a vampire star (named WOCS 9005) in star cluster M67.

• Vampire Stars, known as Blue Straggler Stars (BSS), defy simple models of stellar evolution and show characteristics of younger stars.
• They rejuvenate by eating up material from a binary companion star in a process known as mass-transfer in a binary system. 

AstroSat

• Launched in 2015, AstroSat is India’s first dedicated space observatory. 
• It is aimed at studying celestial sources in X-ray, optical and UV spectral bands simultaneously.