Today in History (January 19th, 1966)

• On this day, an Indian politician and Congress leader belonging to the prominent Nehru family, Indira Gandhi, was elected India’s fourth and first female Prime Minister.

Summary of Today’s News

Maritime Exercise – Ayutthaya

• Recently, the maiden Bilateral Maritime Exercise – Ayutthaya between the Indian Navy (IN) and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) was conducted.
• The India-Thailand Bilateral Exercise is being named as ‘Ex-Ayutthaya’, which literally translates to ‘The Invincible One’ or ‘Undefeatable’.
• It symbolises the significance of two of the oldest cities Ayodhya in India and Ayutthaya in Thailand, the historic legacies, rich cultural ties and shared historical narratives dating back to several centuries.

Shankaracharyas

The four Shankaracharyas recently said that they will not attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

• Shankaracharya, is a religious title used by the heads of the four Hindu maths (monasteries) that were established by saint Adi Shankara.
• These maths consist of religious shrines, temples, libraries, and residences.
• These maths are located in
  1. Dwarka (Gujarat),
  2. Joshimath (Uttarakhand),
  3. Puri (Odisha), and
  4. Sringeri (Karnataka).

• Each math, called peetha or pitha in Sanskrit, was tasked with serving as the custodian of one Veda each and keeping alive Vedic literature.
• Govardhan Math in Puri is the custodian of the Rig Veda,
• The Dwarka Sharada Peetham in Gujarat is responsible for the Sam Veda.
• The Sringeri Sharada Peetham in Karnataka is responsible for the Yajur Veda,
• The Jyotir Math in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath for the Atharva Veda.

SHRESHTA Scheme

• It is Scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas (SHRESHTA)
• The scheme aims to provide access to the best private residential schools for meritorious students from Scheduled Caste (SC) communities.
• It will provide scholarships to meritorious students from SC communities to study in private and NGO-run residential schools for Classes 9-12.

Chang’e 6 Mission

• It is mission by China
• The Chang’e 6 mission is a planned lander designed to return samples from the lunar south pole.
• The mission aims to land on the Moon, collect samples from the lunar surface, and return them to Earth. This process will contribute crucial data to unravel the Moon’s geological mysteries.

Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace

• The Indian Vice President recently inaugurated the 12th General Assembly of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace in New Delhi.
• It was founded in 1970 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, as a voluntary movement of followers of Buddhism with both monastic (monks) and lay members.
• Its aim is to bring together the efforts of Buddhists in support of consolidating universal peace, harmony, and cooperation among people in Asia.