Sikh Pilgrims Allowed to Visit Pakistan 

Context: Recently, the Government of India has reversed its earlier decision and allowed Sikh pilgrims to travel to Pakistan for Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary celebrations after a temporary suspension.

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• The Pakistan High Commission has issued visas to 2,100 Sikh pilgrims for a 10-day pilgrimage to Nankana Sahib and other shrines.
• Out of the 2,100 visas issued, 1,796 pilgrims are from Punjab, with the rest from other Indian states.
• These pilgrims will travel from November 4 to 13 through the Wagah border.
• The reversal comes weeks after the Centre had suspended pilgrimages citing security concerns.
• The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee welcomed the move and thanked both governments for facilitating the travel.
• The Kartarpur Sahib corridor remains closed, and pilgrims will have to take a longer road route to reach the shrine.
• Religious exchanges between India and Pakistan are governed by the 1974 protocol, but most cross-border travel remains suspended after recent security tensions.
• All visas issued earlier to Pakistani nationals were revoked by India in April 2025, and fresh visas for non-religious purposes remain suspended.

Marine Fisheries Census 2025 Goes Fully Digital

Context: Recently, the Union Minister of State for Fisheries launched the Marine Fisheries Census 2025 and VYAS mobile applications in Kochi, enabling real-time household-level digital enumeration of the fishing community.

Digital Transformation of Census

• The census marks a full transition from paper-based to digital data collection for the first time in India’s marine fisheries sector.
• This edition covers 13 coastal States and Union Territories, including Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep, enumerating around 1.2 million fisher households across 5,000 marine fishing villages and habitations.
• This exercise will be completed in a 45-day period from 3 November to 18 December 2025.
• This census is fully funded by the Department of Fisheries, Government of India.
• This exercise is led by ICAR–CMFRI as the nodal agency with Fishery Survey of India as operational partner.

Technology Architecture

• The census is powered by multilingual Android-based apps developed by ICAR–CMFRI.
• The system uses VYAS–NAV for validation of villages and harbours, VYAS–BHARAT for household and infrastructure data, and VYAS–SUTRA for supervision.
• The approach ensures real-time geo-tagged data, removes manual errors, and accelerates database processing.
• The operation is monitored through multi-layer dashboards and a supervisory app to ensure data integrity and accountability.
• The census includes aerial enumeration of fishing vessels using drones at major harbours during trawl ban periods.

3rd Asian Youth Games 2025

Context: India secured 48 medals, including 13 gold, at the Asian Youth Games 2025, organised by the Bahrain Asian Youth Games Organising Committee (BAYGOC). 

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• Bahrain hosted the event for the first time as an Olympic Council of Asia competition.
• The Games featured competitions in 28 sports, including kabaddi, boxing, esports, triathlon and teqball.
• The mascot for the 3rd Asian Youth Games is an Arabian Oryx named "Shahab".
• The first Asian Youth Games were held in Singapore in 2009, organised by the Olympic Council of Asia, and the second edition took place in Nanjing, China, in 2013.

Key highlights of the News

• China secured first rank at the games with a total of 147 medals, including 63 gold, 49 silver and 35 bronze.
• India won overall 48 medals with 13 gold, 18 silver and 17 bronze and stood at 6th spot at the Asian Youth Games 2025 in Manama, Bahrain.
• The medal tally surpassed India’s previous records from the 2009 and 2013 editions.
• A total of 222 Indian athletes participated in the event across 21 sports.
• The girls' kabaddi team won India’s first gold medal of the Games by defeating Iran.
• Boxing contributed four gold medals while beach wrestling added three on the final day.
• The overall performance ensured India’s qualification for the 2026 Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal.
• The 2025 edition marked the return of the Asian Youth Games after a 12-year gap since Nanjing 2013.

Lucknow Declared UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy

Context: Recently, UNESCO declared Lucknow a Creative City of Gastronomy during the 43rd General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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• The recognition highlights Lucknow’s Awadhi cuisine, living food traditions and inclusive cultural heritage.
• Lucknow becomes the second Indian city to receive this title after Hyderabad.
• The state Directorate of Tourism submitted the nomination in January 2025 and the Government of India approved it in March 2025.
• The state government said the status will expand global outreach, promote food-based entrepreneurship and support sustainable tourism.
• The government reported 82 lakh tourists in 2024 and over 70 lakh visitors in the first half of 2025, indicating rising food-driven tourism.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation)

• UNESCO, founded in 1945, has 195 Members and 8 Associate Members and is governed by the General Conference and the Executive Board.
• UNESCO promotes international collaboration in education, science, and culture. 
• The Organisation has more than 50 field offices around the world and its headquarters are located in Paris.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) 

• It was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. 
• The Network was born out of UNESCO's Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity initiative, which was created in 2002.
• The network encompasses seven creative fields of UCCN: Crafts & Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Music, and Media Arts.
• Indian cities part of the Network are: Lucknow (Gastronomy), Kozhikode (Literature), Gwalior (Music), Jaipur (Craft and Folk), Varanasi (Music), Chennai (Music), Mumbai (Film), Hyderabad (Gastronomy), and Srinagar (Craft and Folk Arts).

AI and Computational Thinking to be Introduced from Class 3 in All Schools

Context: Recently, the Department of School Education and Literacy announced that Artificial Intelligence and Computational Thinking will be included in school education from the 2026-27 academic session.

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• The initiative aims to embed AI as a basic universal skill linked to The World Around Us (TWAU) component introduced at the foundational level.
• The Central Board of Secondary Education has set up an expert committee chaired by Professor Karthik Raman of IIT Madras to design the curriculum.
• The curriculum will begin at Grade 3 and will follow the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023.
• The Ministry of Education is coordinating with CBSE, NCERT, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti for curriculum design and implementation.
• Resource material, including handbooks and digital content, will be prepared by December 2025 for use in all schools.
• Teacher training will be conducted through NISHTHA modules and other platforms with grade-specific and time-bound training plans.
• The plan aligns with NEP 2020, which mandates the introduction of contemporary subjects such as AI design thinking and environmental education.
• CBSE already offers AI as a 15-hour module from Class 6 and as an optional subject from Classes 9 to 12.