Jiyo Parsi Scheme | Global Teacher Prize 2026 | Supreme Court Allows Abortion of 30-week Pregnancy of a Minor | Hakki-Pikki tribe | Greater Flamingos | Sickle Cell Disease | Mountain Gorillas

Jiyo Parsi Scheme

Syllabus:GS2/Social Justice

In News

• The Jiyo Parsi Scheme has supported the birth of over 490 Parsi children and provided ₹35.05 crore in financial assistance to Parsi couples

Parsi Community in India

• According to the 2011 Census of India, the Parsi population in the country was 57,264.
• This represented a significant decrease of approximately 22% from the 2001 census figure of 69,601.

Jiyo Parsi Scheme

• Launched in – 2013-14
• Objective – to reverse the declining trend of Parsi population by adopting a scientific protocol and structured interventions.

The scheme has three components:

• Medical Assistance: Provides financial aid for infertility treatments such as IVF, ICSI, surrogacy, and post-conception care.
• Advocacy: Provides for counselling of couples with fertility issues
• Health of the Community: Offers monthly financial support to Parsi couples with children as well as to dependent elderly members.

Global Teacher Prize 2026

Miscellaneous

Context

• Indian teacher Rouble Nagi has won the Global Teacher Prize 2026, receiving the one million dollar award at the World Government Summit in Dubai.

Global Teacher Prize

• It was Launched in 2014 and is often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Teaching”.
• It is Presented by GEMS Education and organised by the Varkey Foundation in collaboration with UNESCO.
• Mandate – It recognises exceptional educators for their outstanding contributions to teaching and social transformation.

Do you know?

• Rouble Nagi, is a pioneering educator from India, dedicated to making learning accessible to the most marginalised communities.
• Over the past two decades, she has established more than 800 learning centres across over 100 underserved communities and villages.

Supreme Court Allows Abortion of 30-week Pregnancy of a Minor

Polity and Governance; Social Justice

Context

• The Supreme Court has permitted the medical termination of a 30-week pregnancy of a minor, emphasising that no woman can be compelled to carry a pregnancy to full term against her will.

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act, 2021

• The Act permits abortion up to 20 weeks in the opinion of one registered medical practitioner.
• Between 20–24 weeks, termination is allowed for specified categories of women (including minors, rape survivors, and differently-abled women) on the opinion of two doctors.
• Beyond 24 weeks, termination is permitted only in cases of substantial fetal abnormalities as diagnosed by a Medical Board.

Key Observations of the Supreme Court

• The Court reiterated that reproductive autonomy is an integral part of personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.
• The Court observed that the pregnancy of a minor is “ex facie illegitimate” because she lacks legal capacity to consent to sexual relations.

Hakki-Pikki tribe

Society

In News

• The Embassy of India assisted Hakki-Pikki community members from Davangere, Shivamogga, and Chikkamagaluru districts, who were at risk of imprisonment in Chad.

The Hakki Pikki tribe

• It is a tribe that lives in several states in west and south India, especially near forest areas.
• Hakki Pikkis (Hakki in Kannada means ‘bird’ and Pikki means ‘catchers’) are a semi-nomadic tribe, traditionally of bird catchers and hunters.
• Hakki Pikki people are believed to hail originally from the bordering districts of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
• Hakki Pikkis in Karnataka follow Hindu traditions and celebrate all Hindu festivals.
• They are non-vegetarians. The eldest son in a family is not supposed to cut his hair so that he can be identified easily.
• The tribe prefers cross-cousin marriages. The society is matriarchal, where the groom gives dowry to the bride’s family. Monogamy is the norm.

Greater Flamingos

Syllabus: GS3/Environment

Context

• Nearly 70 Greater Flamingos were recorded for the first time at Hope Island in the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, Kakinada Bay, Andhra Pradesh.

Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus)

• Description: The greater flamingo is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family, averaging 110–150 cm tall and weighing 2–4 kg.
• Distribution: They are found in Northern (coastal) and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent (south of the Himalayas), the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean countries of Southern Europe.
• Greater flamingos usually migrate to India from Israel, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
• Diet and lifespan: Average lifespan is 30–40 years, and they feed on small fish and other aquatic organisms.
• Threats: The primary threats to flamingo populations are bacteria, toxins, and pollution in water supplies, which is usually run-off from manufacturing companies, and encroachment on their habitat.
• State Bird: The greater flamingo is the State bird of Gujarat.

Types and IUCN status:

1. The greater flamingo    –      Least Concern
2. Chilean flamingo              –     Near Threatened
3. American flamingo          –     Least Concern
4. Lesser flamingo                –     Near Threatened
5. Andean flamingo             –     Vulnerable

James’s flamingo                     –     Near Threatened.

Sickle Cell Disease

GS2/Health

Context

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to treat Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).

Orphan Drug Designation

• Orphan drugs are pharmaceutical agents developed specifically to treat rare (orphan) diseases.
• Once designated, orphan drugs receive several incentives to encourage their development, including market exclusivity, tax credits for research and development (R&D) expenses, and fee waivers for regulatory applications.

Sickle cell anaemia

• Disease – It is an inherited group of blood disorders that is genetic in nature.
• Cause – It is caused by a mutation in the hemoglobin-β gene found on chromosome 11. This mutation results in defective haemoglobin (Hb).
• Characteristics – After giving up oxygen, these defective Hb molecules cluster together resulting in formation of rod like structures.
• The red blood cells become stiff and assume sickle shape. (Haemoglobin (Hb) is a protein found in the red blood cells that carries oxygen in your body and gives blood its red colour)
• Transmission – It is usually transferred from the parents to the child during birthe. both parents can be carriers of SCDs.
• Symptoms – Babies who are born with sickle cell anaemia might not show symptoms for many months.
• Extreme tiredness, fussiness and painfully swollen hands and feet and jaundice.
• Effects – The misshapen cells lack plasticity and can block small blood vessels, impairing blood flow.
• The sickle cells die prematurely, resulting in a chronic lack of red blood cells (anaemia), often called sickle-cell anaemia.
• Treatment – Medication, blood transfusions and rarely a bone-marrow transplant are done.

Mountain Gorillas

Environment / Species

Context

• Rare twin mountain gorillas were recently born in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei)

• They are a subspecies of the eastern gorilla, one of the two gorilla species found globally (eastern and western gorillas).
• In the wild, gorillas can live for over 40 years, and humans share nearly 98% DNA with them.
• Habitat and Distribution: They live at elevations of about 8,000–13,000 feet and have thicker fur than other great apes to adapt to cold mountain climates.
• They are typically found in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa.
• Diet mainly includes leaves, shoots, and stems, along with insects, roots, bark, and decaying wood as a source of minerals.
• Conservation Status and Population: Endangered (IUCN Red List); estimated population is around 1,063 individuals in the wild.