Assam & NE Current Affairs & GK – January 10-12, 2024
( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for January 10-12, 2024)
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January 10-12, 2024
Chandubi festival
The 14th Chandubi Festival was recently held near the Chandubi Lake in Assam’s Kamrup district from January 1 to January 5.
About Chandubi festival
- It is an annual five-day celebration that takes place at Chandubi Lake in Assam’s Kamrup district.
- Chandubi Lake is a natural lake that was formed due to massive landslides during the 1897 Assam earthquake, blocking the flow of the Chandubi River.
- The festival’s main goal is to encourage eco-tourism and protect the lake, which has been losing water.
- Preserving the lake and helping the tribes like Rabhas, Garos, Gorkhas, and tea tribes are reasons for holding the festival.
- The festival is deeply rooted in the cultural fabric of the region, celebrating the diversity, customs, and traditions of the local communities.
- It represents the confluence of various indigenous tribes and communities, each contributing their unique rituals, arts, crafts, and cultural practices.
- The festival features a rich tapestry of cultural performances including traditional dances like Bihu, Sattriya, and tribal dances, showcasing the vibrant folk culture of Assam.
National Sports Awards 2023
The national sports awards are given annually to recognize and reward excellence in sports, highlight extraordinary performance at the national and international competitive events, encourage sportsmanship and promote nation-building by creating a sense of national pride and unity in a country as diverse as India.
The awards are administered by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India.
The six categories of the National Sports Awards are:
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award:
- It is considered India’s highest sporting honour, the Khel Ratna was established in 1991-92.
- The award is named after the Indian hockey legend, Major Dhyan Chand.
- The award is given for outstanding performances in sports spanning over a period of four years and the Khel Ratna winners receive a medallion, certificate and a cash prize.
- Legendary sports figures like MC Mary Kom, S. MirabaiChanu, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Vijender Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli amongst others have received this highest sporting honour in the past.
- In 2023, Chirag Shetty and Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy (badminton) were awarded with Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.
Arjuna Award
It is awarded for consistent good performance over a period of four years. The winners of the Arjuna Award receive a statuette of Arjuna, a certificate and a cash prize.
Dronacharya Award: It was instituted in 1985, is India’s highest sports honour for coaches. It is awarded to individuals for producing medal winners at prestigious international events. Awardees receive a bronze statue of Dronacharya, a certificate and a cash prize.
Ganesh Prabhakaran (mallakhamb), Mahavir Saini (para athletics), Lalit Kumar (wrestling), RB Ramesh (chess), Shivendra Singh (hockey) were awarded with Dronacharya Award for Outstanding Coaches in Sports and Games 2023.
Major Dhyan Chand Award: This award represents India’s highest honour for lifetime achievements in sports. Presented for good performance and contributing towards the promotion of sports in an individual capacity since 2002, the winners get a Dhyan Chand statuette, a certificate and a cash prize.
Manjusha Kanwar (badminton), Vineet Kumar Sharma (hockey), Kavitha Selvaraj (kabaddi) were awarded with Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award 2023
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy (MAKA): It was instituted in 1956–1957. It is given to an institution or university for top performance in inter-university tournaments over the last one year.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2023: Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (winner), Lovely Professional University, Punjab (1st runners-up), Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra (2nd runners-up).
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar:
Instituted in 2009.
Awarded to organisations or corporates (both private and public) and individuals for playing a role in the area of sports promotion and development over the last three years.
In 2023, JAIN (Deemed-to-be-University), Odisha Mining Corporation Limited won this award.
DRDO conducts successful flight-test of New Generation Akash missile
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful flight-test of the New Generation AKASH (AKASH-NG) missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.
The flight-test was conducted against a high-speed unmanned aerial target at very low altitude.
During the flight-test, the target was successfully intercepted by the weapon system and destroyed. It has validated the functioning of the complete weapon system consisting of the missile with indigenously developed Radio Frequency Seeker, Launcher, Multi-Function Radar and Command, Control & Communication system.
About AKASH (AKASH-NG) missile
- It is a new generation state-of-the-art surface-to-air missile (SAM) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to destroy high manoeuvring low radar cross section agile aerial threats.
- It has been indigenously designed and developed by the DRDO and produced by defence public sector units along with other industries.
- Multiple advanced versions of the missile are under development by the team.
Global Risks Report 2024
The World Economic Forum recently released the Global Risks Report 2024.
Key Highlights of the Report
- Various global events in 2023, including lethal conflicts, Extreme Weather Conditions, and societal discontent, have contributed to a predominantly negative outlook.
- Misinformation and disinformation are listed as the most severe risks over the next two years, highlighting how rapid advances in technology also are creating new problems or making existing ones worse.
- A persistent cost-of-living crisis may lead to uncertainties in the global economic stability.
- Inflation and economic downturn have emerged noteworthy top risks.
- The risk of interstate armed conflict is the immediate concern. The ongoing conflicts, coupled with underlying geopolitical tensions pose the risk of conflict contagion.
- In the absence of secure livelihood options, individuals may be prone to crime, militarization, or radicalization.
- The countries with a history of conflict or vulnerability to climate change may face growing isolation from investment, technologies and job opportunities. There is continued dominance of environmental risks in the World.
- Extreme weather events, critical shifts in Earth systems, biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, natural resource shortages, and pollution emerge as severe risks over the next decade.
Global Risks Report 2024: Key Recommendation
- To mitigate the risks of AI-enabled misinformation campaigns, the report suggests: Increasing societal resilience through renewed focus on critical thinking, media literacy, and civic responsibility education Governments collaborating with tech firms to promote information integrity while respecting digital rights Fostering international cooperation for early identification and containment of misinformation campaigns
- Policymakers need to balance measures to control inflation with targeted relief for vulnerable groups to maintain social cohesion, as per the WEF.
- Urgent climate mitigation and adaptation efforts are essential to prevent catastrophic outcomes, the WEF stresses. Similarly, reversing nature loss through conservation and restoration initiatives is vital for our collective future.
- The collective actions of individual citizens, companies and countries may seem insignificant on their own, but at critical mass they can move the needle on global risk reduction.
ANUBHAV Awards Scheme 2024
The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare launched Anubhav Portal in 2015, for sharing experiences of retiring/retired Central Government employees while working with the Government. It is envisaged that this culture of leaving notes by retirees will become the foundation stone of good governance and administrative reforms in future.
About ANUBHAV Awards Scheme 2024
- The scheme aims to create a database of significant suggestions and work experiences.
- It channels the human resource of retiring employees for nation building and also enables Ministries/ Departments to take crucial steps while considering useful and replicable suggestions.
- To participate in the scheme, retiring Central Government employees/pensioners are required to submit their Anubhav write ups, 8 months prior to retirement and up to 1 year after their retirement.
- Thereafter, the write-ups will be published after assessment by concerned Ministries/Departments. The published write-ups will be shortlisted for Anubhav Awards and Jury Certificates.
- The last date for submission under ANUBHAV Awards Scheme 2024 is 31.3.2024.
- To encourage broader participation in the Anubhav Awards Scheme, 2024, the DOPPW has undertaken an Outreach Campaign to reach out to every pensioner to submit his ANUBHAV experience.
- As of now, 54 ANUBHAV Awards have been conferred since the inception of the scheme.
Ujjain Unveils India’s First Hygienic Food Street ‘Prasadam’
Union Minister of Health, Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya and Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav jointly inaugurated the country’s first Healthy and Hygienic Food Street (Prasadam) at Neelkanth Van, Mahakal Lok, Ujjain.
Key Points
- It is in line with the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’.
- The initiative aims to connect people in every corner of the country with pure and safe local and traditional food.
- The ‘Prasadam’ initiative aims to enhance Ujjain’s tourism attraction and preserve its culinary heritage while also playing a role in promoting economic development.
- The newly launched food street is designed to provide various facilities including a kids’ play area, drinking water facility, CCTV surveillance, parking, public conveniences and seating spaces.
- In addition to enhancing Ujjain’s tourism appeal and preserving its culinary traditions, “Prasadam” will also contribute to economic growth and community engagement.
Indian Navy gets first India-made long endurance Drishti 10 Starliner drone
The Indian Navy has recently received its first indigenous medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drone, the Drishti 10 Starliner unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
About Drishti 10 Starliner unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
- It is developed by Adani Defence and Aerospace with technology transfer from Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems.
- It is India’s first indigenous medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drone. 70% of the drone is made using indigenous components.
- With an endurance of 36 hours and the ability to carry a payload of 450 kg, the drone is well-equipped for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
- It is a variant of Elbit Systems’ Hermes 900 Starliner drones.
Divyakriti Singh Becomes 1st Indian Woman Arjuna Awardee for Equestrian Sports
Divyakriti Singh has been conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award for Equestrian Sports, making her the first woman from Rajasthan to achieve this honour.
Divyakriti Singh’s remarkable journey in the equestrian world reached new heights with the Arjuna Award, recognizing her outstanding contribution to the sport.
She underwent three years of training in Germany at the Hof Kasselman dressage yard in Hagen. She secured an Individual Silver and two Bronze medals at the International Dressage Competition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.