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North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) sanctions over ₹750 crores for 5,300 Northeast Projects
North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) has sanctioned Rs 766.47 crore and disbursed Rs 547.11 crore for 5338 projects in the NorthEast region, in diverse sectors – education & training food processing, handlooms & handicrafts, healthcare, hotels & tourism, microfinance etc.
Important Initiatives of NEDFI
NEDFi in collaboration with the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) in setting up ₹100 crore North East Venture Fund to promote regional startups.
It also partners with banks, microcredit organisations and NGOs for last-mile delivery to remote areas.
North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) plays an important role in facilitating setting up of new industrial and service sector projects in the NE Region.
₹547 crore disbursed at concessional interest rates to micro and small businesses
₹41 crore credit extended via microfinance institutions ₹53 crore direct micro lending to benefit over 9 lakh individuals.
₹98 crore venture capital commitments to 67 startups.
About North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi)
It is a public limited company registered under the Companies Act 1956 on August 9, 1995.
It provides financial assistance to MSMEs in the NE region for setting up industrial, infrastructure and agriculture-related projects.
It also provides micro financing through MFIs/NGOS. It also provides consultancy and advisory services to state governments, private sectors and other agencies.
Three New Frogs Discovered in Arunachal Pradesh
The Scientists have reported three new frog species belonging to new genera from Arunachal Pradesh’s Namdapha-Kamlang protected area network along the Myanmar border.
About the discovery
Gracixalus patkaiensis – A translucent green tree frog with jelly-like appearance and insect-like call
Alcalus fontinalis – A tiny brown frog inhabiting fast-flowing hill streams with unique trickling vocalization
Nidirana noadihing – A marsh-dwelling “music frog” named after the Noa-Dihing river
About Namdapha Tiger Reserve:
It is located in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, near the international border with Myanmar.
It was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary under the Assam Forest Regulation 1891 on 2nd Oct.’1972.
In the 1983 year it was declared as a tiger reserve under Project Tiger Scheme of the Govt. of India on 15th March 1983.
India, Nepal hold Seventh Joint Commission Meeting
The Seventh Meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Commission was held in Kathmandu. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Nepal counterpart NP Saud recently attended the 7th meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Commission.
Key Points
Nepal and India signed a long-term agreement for the export of 10,000 MW of power to India for the next 10 years.
Inauguration of Cross-Border Inauguration of 3 cross-border transmission lines which was completed with the help of India (132 kV Raxaul-Parwanipur, 132 kV Kushaha-Kataiya and New Nautanwa-Mainahiya lines).
An agreement for the launch of Nepali satellites was formalized between the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology and NewSpace India Limited under the Indian Space Research Organisation.
Inaugurated 3 132-kV cross-border transmission strains, which include the second circuits of the Raxaul-Parwanipur line and the Kataiya-Kusaha line, and the New Nautanwa-Mahiya line.
About India-Nepal Joint Commission:
It was established in 1987 as a platform for the Foreign Ministers of both countries to review all aspects of the bilateral partnership.
Raghuram Iyer appointed as CEO of Indian Olympic Association
Raghuram Iyer has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
His appointment follows a meticulous selection process conducted by the nomination committee of the IOA.
The appointment comes after a significant delay and repeated reminders from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Raghuram Iyer’s extensive experience in sports management and administration, particularly his previous roles as CEO of Indian Premier League teams Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiants, has been recognized as making him an ideal candidate for this position.
XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite) mission
The Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launched the PSLV-C58 XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite) mission.
About XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite)
XPoSat is designed to study X-ray polarization in the medium X-ray band, offering insights into celestial sources’ radiation mechanisms and geometry.
This study is crucial for understanding the physics behind these celestial bodies.
The satellite carries two main payloads, POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing).
It is India’s first dedicated polarimetry mission to study various dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources.
It is designated for observation from low earth orbit.
After this launch, India became the second nation after the US to send an observatory to study astronomical sources, such as black holes, and neutron stars, among others.
Wetland City Accreditation
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has submitted three nominations from India for Wetland City Accreditation (WCA).
The nominated cities include Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), and Udaipur (Rajasthan).
These are the first three Indian cities for which nominations have been submitted for WCA based on the proposals received from respective State Wetlands Authorities in collaboration with the Municipal Corporations.
About Wetland City Accreditation:
The Ramsar Convention during COP12 held in the year 2015 approved a voluntary Wetland City Accreditation system.
The scheme aims to promote the conservation and wise use of urban and peri-urban wetlands, as well as sustainable socio-economic benefits for local populations.
It recognizes cities which have taken exceptional steps to safeguard their urban wetlands and also recognizes the importance of wetlands in urban and peri-urban environments and to take appropriate measures to conserve and protect these wetlands.
This voluntary scheme provides an opportunity for cities that value their natural or human-made wetlands to gain international recognition and positive publicity for their efforts.
About the cities nominated for WCA
Indore: Founded by Holkars. Sirpur Lake, a Ramsar Site in the city has been recognised as an important site for water bird congregation and is being developed as a Bird Sanctuary.
A strong network of wetland mitras is engaged in bird conservation and sensitising the local community to protect Sarus Crane.
Bhopal: Bhoj Wetland, Ramsar Site is the city’s lifeline, equipped with the world-class wetlands interpretation centre, Jal Tarang. Additionally, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation has a dedicated Lake Conservation Cell.
Udaipur: The city is surrounded by five major wetlands, namely, Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Rang Sagar, Swaroop Sagar, and Doodh Talai. These wetlands are an integral part of the city’s culture and identity, help maintain the city’s microclimate, and provide a buffer from extreme events.
Union Cabinet approves overarching scheme “PRITHvi VIgyan (PRITHVI)”
The Union Cabinet recently approved the comprehensive scheme “PRITHvi VIgyan (PRITHVI)” by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. This overarching initiative, with an allocation of Rs 4,797 crore for the period 2021-26.
About PRITHvi VIgyan (PRITHVI) Scheme
Objectives:
The major Objectives of the overarching Prithvi Scheme are:
Augmentation and sustainance of long-term observations of the atmosphere, ocean, geosphere, cryosphere and solid earth to record the vital signs of the Earth System and change
Development of modelling systems for understanding and predicting weather, ocean and climate hazards and understanding the science of climate change
Exploration polar and high seas regions of the Earth towards discovery of new phenomena and resources;
Development of technology for exploration and sustainable harnessing of oceanic resources for societal applications ·
Translation of knowledge and insights from Earth systems science into services for societal, environmental and economic benefit.
The Prithvi scheme integrates five existing sub-schemes:
Atmosphere and Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems and Services (ACROSS)
Ocean Services, Modelling Application, Resources and Technology (O-SMART)
Polar Science and Cryosphere Research (PACER)
Seismology and Geosciences (SAGE)
Research, Education, Training, and Outreach (REACHOUT).
Additionally, the scheme focuses on providing advanced warning services for natural disasters like cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and earthquakes, facilitating prompt and effective disaster management.
The scheme ensures precise weather forecasts for both land and oceans, enhancing safety and minimizing property damages in adverse weather conditions.
‘Clean and Green Village’ Programme for Solar Power Expansion
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is prioritizing the ‘Clean and Green Village’ theme as part of its Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP).
About ‘Clean and Green Village’ Programme
Clean and Green Village’ is the fifth theme under the GPDP.
The programme aims to install solar power capacities on a commercial basis.
It aims to develop sustainable business models for solar initiatives at the grassroots level.
The programme focuses on access to safe water, sanitation, and low pollution environments for healthier lives.
It emphasizes sustainable natural resource management for better livelihoods, food security, and environmental protection.
It aims to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG7 (affordable and clean energy) and SDG13 (climate action).
Areas of Action: Includes 10 specific areas like Open Defecation Free (ODF) Village, Clean and Green School, promotion of Organic Farming, and more.
Initiatives and Schemes for Clean and Green Village:
Organic and natural farming initiatives like Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana.
Reducing chemical fertilizers through schemes like PM-PRANAM. Waste to wealth initiatives like GOBARdhan and SATAT.
Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) in Bengaluru have observed a significant shift in the habitat of numerous bird species in the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary due to the escalating temperatures in the region.
About Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary
It is a protected area of India in the Himalayan foothills of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh.
It conjoins Sessa Orchid Sanctuary to the northeast and Pakhui Tiger Reserve across the Kameng river to the east.
It is situated in the biodiversity hotspot of Eastern Himalayas and home to over 500 bird species.
It is also a part of the Kameng Elephant Reserve.
It derives its name from the Red Eagle Division of the Indian army The temperate cloud forest is intermixed with dense bamboo patches and broadleaved evergreen forest across a wide altitudinal range, with conifers and rhododendrons at the higher elevations.
Current Affairs 2022 Yearbook – Important Current Affairs & GK (Important for APSC & other exams)
Current Affairs 2022 Yearbook comprehensively covers all the important events/topics of Current affairs of Assam, North-East, India and the World, important for competitive exams point of view.
Current Affairs 2023 Yearbook – Important Current Affairs & GK (Important for APSC & other exams)
Current Affairs 2023 Yearbook comprehensively covers all the important events/topics of Current affairs of Assam, North-East, India and the World, important for competitive exams point of view.
Sahitya Akademi Award 2023 winners, Sahitya Akademi Award winners list, 2023 Sahitya Akademi Award ceremony.
At the Sahitya Akademi ‘Festival of Letters 2024’, Twenty-four writers. The awards were given for literary works including nine books of poetry, six novels, five of short stories, three essays and one literary study.
The awards relate to books first published during the five years immediately preceding the year of the award, i.e. between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2021.
The award ceremony coincided with the 70th anniversary celebrations of the National Academy of Letters at the ‘Sahityotsav’.
Pranavjyoti Deka has been selected for the award by the jury board for his work “Dr Pranavjyoti Dekar Shrestha Golpo”, which is a compilation of short stories in Assamese language.
Nandeswar Daimari has won the award for his work “Jiu-Safarni Dakhwn” in Bodo language, which is also a book of short stories.
Sorokhaibam Gambhini from Manipur won the award for her poetry book “Yachangba Nang Hallo”.
Tapan Bandyopadhyay has been awarded the Sahitya Akademi award 2022 for his novel “Birbal”. The decision was taken by a three-member jury comprising Goutam Ghoshdastidar Samaresh Majumder and Himabanta Bandyopadhyay Bandyopadhyay
Hindi novelist Sanjeev was awarded for his novel “Mujhe Pehchaano”.
English author Neelum Saran Gaur for her book “Requiem in Raga Janki” received the prestigious award.
Swapnamay Chakrabarti (Bengali)
Sadiqua Nawab Saher received the award for her book “Rajdev Ki Amrai” in Urdu
Swarnjit Savi was awarded for his book of poetry “Mann Di Chip” in Punjabi.
The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the 8th Schedule to the Indian constitution as well as in English and Rajasthani language.
Established in 1954, the award comprises a plaque and a cash prize of ₹ 1,00,000.
The award’s purpose is to recognise and promote excellence in Indian writing and also acknowledge new trends. The annual process of selecting awardees runs for the preceding twelve months.
The plaque awarded by the Sahitya Akademi was designed by the Indian film-maker Satyajit Ray.
The awards are selected on the basis of unanimous selections made by the jurors, or the selection made on the basis of a majority vote.
Assam govt announces yearly stipend for female PG students
The Govt of Assam will introduce a scheme under which all female students pursuing post-graduate courses in the state will be provided a yearly stipend of Rs 10,000 each which would be helpful in covering their commutation and other related expenses.
This was announced by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The Chief Minister appealed to the female students pursuing PG courses to apply for getting the stipend in the portal to be launched by the Department of Education for the purpose in a few weeks from now.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also distributed scooters to meritorious candidates who cleared the last higher secondary examination conducted by the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) with a percentage above a certain threshold at a ceremony held in Guwahati.
To be eligible for the award, the male candidates had to score a minimum of 75 per cent in higher secondary examination, while for female candidates the cut-off was fixed at 60 per cent.
23rdHornbill Festival 2022 in Nagaland
The 23rd edition of the Hornbill International Festival 2022 begins at the Heritage Village Kisama in Nagaland. The festival commenced on December 1 and will continue till December 10.
The aim of the festival is to revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland and display its extravaganza and traditions.
About Hornbill Festival
The festival is named after the Indian hornbill, the large and colourful forest bird which is displayed in the folklore of most of the state’s ethnic groups.
To encourage inter-ethnic interaction and to promote cultural heritage of Nagaland, the Govt of Nagaland organizes the Hornbill Festival every year.
The 10-day Hornbill Festival represents all ethnic groups of Nagaland for which it is also called the Festival of Festivals.
The festival host guests from across states and nations, representing the rich culture of various tribes of Nagaland,
The festival provides a colourful mixture of dances, performances, crafts, parades, games, sports, food fairs and religious ceremonies.
Traditional arts which include paintings, wood carvings, and sculptures are also on display.
The Hornbill Festival has contributed significantly to enhancing the state’s tourism brand.
India-US joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’
The 18th edition of India-US joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’is scheduled to be conducted in Uttarakhand.
Exercise Yudh Abhyas is conducted annually between India and USA with the aim of exchanging best practices, Tactics, Techniques and Procedures between the Armies of the two nations.
Key Points
US Army soldiers of 2nd Brigade of the 11th Airborne Division and Indian Army soldiers from the ASSAM Regiment will be participating in the exercise.
The training schedule focuses on employment of an integrated battle group under Chapter VII of the UN Mandate.
The schedule will include all operations related to peace keeping & peace enforcement.
The joint exercise will also focus on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.
The troops from both nations will work together to achieve common objectives and will practice launching of swift & coordinated relief efforts in the wake of any natural calamity.
In order to derive full benefit from the professional skills & experiences of both the armies, a Command Post Exercise and Expert Academic Discussions (EAD) on carefully selected topics will be carried out.
The scope of the Field Training Exercise includes validation of integrated battle groups, force multipliers, establishment and functioning of surveillance grids, validation of operational logistics, mountain warfare skills, casualty evacuation and combat medical aid in adverse terrain and climatic conditions.
The exercise will involve exchanges and practices on a wide spectrum of combat skills including combat engineering, employment of UAS/Counter UAS techniques and information operations.
The exercise will facilitate both Armies to share their wide experiences, skills and enhance their techniques through information exchange.
The previous edition of the exercise was conducted at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska (USA) in October 2021.
India assumes United Nations Security Council Presidency for December 2022
India assumed the monthly presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the second time in its two-year tenure as an elected member of the Council in 2021-22. India had earlier assumed the Presidency in August 2021.
India has been a non-permanent member of the United Nations security council for 8 terms, with the most recent being the 2021-22 term.
Key Points
India will hold a “high-level open debate” on “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism (NORMS)” at the Security Council.
New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism (NORMS) envisages reforms in the current multilateral architecture, with the UN at its centre, to make it more representative and fit for purpose.
The other signature event planned is the high-level briefing on the theme “Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts: Global Approach to Counter Terrorism — Challenges and Way Forward”.
This briefing intends to underscore the necessity of collective and coordinated efforts to combat the menace of terrorism.
About United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was established by the UN Charter in 1945.
It is one of the UN’s six main organs and is aimed at maintaining international peace and security.
The Headquarters of the UNSC is located in New York City.
The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security Council.
It is composed of 15 members: 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent.
Five permanent members: China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The 10 non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis as follows:
Five for African and Asian States.
One for the Eastern European States.
Two for the Latin American and Caribbean States;
Two for Western European and other States
India MMR dips to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20, Assam worst at 195
According to the report released by the office of the Registrar General of India, The maternal Mortality Ratio in India has dropped from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20.
About Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)
Maternal mortality in a region is a measure of the reproductive health of women in the area.
According to the World Health Organization, “Maternal death is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes”.
The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is the number of maternal deaths during a specific time period per 100,000 live births during the same period.
Key Points
As per the statistics derived from Sample Registration System (SRS), the country has witnessed a progressive reduction in MMR from 130 in 2014-2016, 122 in 2015-17, 113 in 2016-18, 103 in 2017-19 and to 97 in 2018-20.
Upon achieving this, India has accomplished the National Health Policy (NHP) target for MMR of less than 100/lakh live births.
Target 3.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations aims at reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 1,00,000 live births during the same period.
According to the data, Assam has the highest MMR of 195, followed by Madhya Pradesh with an MMR of 173 and Uttar Pradesh with MMR of 167 per 1 lakh live births.
Kerala has the lowest MMR, followed by Maharashtra at 33 and Telangana at 43.
Silchar-Sylhet Festival organised at Silchar
The first ever Silchar-Sylhet Festival, organized to celebrate the cultural ties between the Barak Valley region of Assam and the Sylhet segment of Bangladesh.
Key Points
Assam’s Silchar town is hosting the two-day Silchar-Sylhet Festival, to celebrate the linguistic and cultural ties between the Barak Valley region of Assam and the Sylhet segment of Bangladesh.
Silchar-Sylhet Festival is organised by the India Foundation.
The Festival coincides with the 75th year of India’s independence and the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan.
The festival underlines the commonalities between India and Bangladesh, specifically the Sylheti variant of the Bengali language and the Sylheti culture.
The festival will showcase tribal culture, cuisine, arts, crafts and local produce, entertainment and bring together eminent people from both sides to discuss and deliberate on issues of mutual growth and opportunity.
Indo-French Partnership on Kaziranga Project
India and France are collaborating under the Kaziranga Project in the Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
The Kaziranga project is a part of a larger Assam Project on Forest and Biodiversity Conservation (APFBC) for which the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) has committed funding of €80.2 million for a 10-year period, between 2014-2024.
The project conceptualised the reforestation of 33,500 hectares of land and the training of 10,000 community members in alternate livelihoods by 2024.
The Assam Govt, with the support of AFD, launched the APFBC in 2012, to restore forest ecosystems, protect wildlife and enhance the livelihood of the forest-dependent communities.
About Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam.
It is the single largest undisturbed and representative area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain.
It was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950, and notified as Kaziranga National Park in 1974.
It is the home of the world’s most one-horned rhinos.
In 1985, Kaziranga was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its unique natural environment.
It is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for conservation of avifaunal species.
India ranked 48thin Global Aviation Safety ranking
India ranked 48th position in the global aviation safety ranking by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
India was in the 102nd position four years ago in the ranking.The position is the highest-ever spot attained by the country.
Key Points
In the ranking, Singapore is at the top, followed by the UAE and South Korea at the second and third positions.
As per Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the audit was conducted in the areas of legislation, organisation, personal licensing, operations, airworthiness and aerodromes.
India’s score in terms of effective implementation of key safety elements has improved to 85.49%.
India’s score for civil aviation organizations increased from 63.64% to 72.73 %, aircraft operations from 80.34% to 97.44%, personnel licensing and training from 25.58% to 84.71%, and aerodrome and ground aid from 72.36% to 92.68%.
‘Millets-Smart Nutritive Food’ Conclave
‘Millets-Smart Nutritive Food’ Conclave is being organized by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry through its apex agricultural export promotion body, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
The Conclave is to be a pre-launch event of the ‘International Year of Millets – 2023’ (IYoM-2023). It is organised with the objective of promoting the export of millets.
Key Points
At the Millets Smart Nutritive Conclave, stakeholders of the supply chain such as Farmer Producer Organisations, Start-ups, exporters, producers of millet-based value-added products are key participants.
At the Conclave, exhibition and B2B meetings will also be organized to showcase Indian millets and millet-based products.
At the first-of-its-kind Millets Conclave, the Govt will release e-catalogue on 30 potential importing countries and 21 millet producing states of India.
India is one of the leading producers of millets in the world with an estimated share of around 41 percent in the global production.
India recorded 27 percent growth in millet production in 2021-22 as compared to millet production in the previous year was 15.92 MMT.
India’s top five millet producing states are Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Share of export of millets is nearly 1% of the total millet production.
Exports of millets from India include mainly whole grain and the export of value-added products of millets from India is negligible.
Assam’s Nayanmoni Saikia receives Arjuna Award
Assam’s Nayanmoni Saikia was conferred with the Arjuna Award at Rashtrapati Bhawan by President Draupadi Murmu.
Nayanmoni Saikia was nominated for the award for her achievements in Lawn Bowl.
Apart from Nayanmoni Saikia, Shushila Devi from Manipur was also presented with the prestigious award for her remarkable contributions and achievements in the field of boxing.
Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sharma congratulated Commonwealth Games gold medalist Nayanmoni Saikia for receiving Arjuna Award, 2022 from Hon’ble President Droupadi Murmu.
Mirabai Chanu won silver medal in World Championship 2022
Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has won a silver medal at the weightlifting World Championships in Bogota, Colombia.
Mirabai won a silver medal at the World Championships with a total lift of 200kg. China’s Jiang Huihua, who won the gold with a total effort of 206kg (93kg+113kg) while Tokyo Olympics champion Hou Zhihua who won the bronze with a total effort of198kg (89kg+109kg).
Mirabai had previously won gold in the 2017 world weightlifting championship. This was Mirabai’s second medal at the World Championships.
Tripura gets its first Film and Television Institute
Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha inaugurated Tripura’s first film and television institute at Nazrul Kalakshetra in Agartala.
The institute has been set up in collaboration with Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI).
This film Institute will promote Tripura’s rich cultural heritage in the global sphere. It will help the youths of the state to nurture their cultural talents and will also help to improve the socio-economic condition of the youths.
The state Govt has allocated Rs 5.76 crore for the institute. Four short-term courses, including screen acting, film appreciation, production, and management along with news reporting, anchoring and newsroom automation would be started initially.
India ranked 87thin Passport Index 2022
India has been ranked 87 in the world’s strongest passport list for 2022, published by Arton Capital.
Passport Index 2022 published by Arton Capital ranked the world’s strongest and weakest passports.
Key Points
The Passport Index is based on the 139 members of the United Nations and 6 different aspects have been considered to make this list.
UAE ranked first in the rating of passports for 2022 followed by Germany, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain and France.
Travellers with UAE passports can travel visa-free or “visa on arrival” to 180 countries.
Countries with the weakest passports are Afghanistan (38) Syria (39), Iraq (40), Pakistan (44).
The data for this list has been given by the Govts of different countries.
Oxford dictionary announces ‘goblin mode’ as word of the year 2022
The Oxford English Dictionary recently announces ‘goblin mode’ as word of the year 2022 that was selected by public votes – Goblin mode.
It’s the first time Oxford Languages opened up its annual word of the year listing to a public vote.
Goblin mode is a slang term that describes a type of behavior that is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, generally rejecting social norms and expectations.
The word goblin mode is used to acknowledge that individuals are not always idealized, curated selves that they force themselves to present in social media platforms.
The term speaks to the current times when people are embracing their inner goblin and choosing to reject the accepted social customs.
American dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster has chosen “gaslighting” as its word of the year for 2022.
Meghalaya health dept awarded for Best Practice in Tuberculosis ACSM
Meghalaya was awarded for Best Practice in Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization in Tuberculosis control at the National Workshop on ACSM to end TB in India,
The award was given to recognize the efforts by the Meghalaya Govt for initiating ‘jan andolan’ (people’s movement) against Tuberculosis
The award was presented to representatives of the health department at a national workshop, aimed at ending TB infections, in New Delhi.
Key Points
TB affects 2.6 million people in India every year.
The TB Mukt Bharat campaign, or ‘Jan Andolan’ aims to enhance awareness, eradicate stigma and generate demand for services throughout the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set a national target to eliminate the disease, which affects more than 26 lakh Indians each year, by 2025, five years ahead of the WHO’s Sustainable Development Goals.
A National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination (2017-25) has also been launched which ensures greater community engagement.
Assam’s Gamusa gets Geographical Indication (GI) tag by Govt of India
‘Gamocha’ of Assam, has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the central Govt. Gamusa is considered as one of the prominent cultural identifiers of the Assamese community.
About Assamese Gamocha
The ‘gamocha’, a handwoven rectangular cotton piece of cloth with red borders and different designs and motifs. It is an integral part of all socio-religious ceremonies in the state and is considered as an Assamese identity and pride.
It is traditionally offered to elders and guests as a mark of respect and honour by Assamese people. A ‘gamocha’ meant for exchange during ‘Bihu’ festival is known as ‘Bihuwan’.
About Geographical Indication (GI) tag
A geographical indication (GI) is a tag or sign used on products which correspond to a specific geographical location or origin.
A GI is tagged to primarily agricultural, natural or manufactured products, handicrafts and industrial goods originating from a definite geographical territory.
The GI tag has been registered in favour of the Directorate of Handloom & Textiles of the Assam Govt under the Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
Ladakh’s Hanle becomes India’s first dark sky reserve
Ladakh is all set to have India’s first Dark Night Sky Reserve at Hanle village in Changthang region.The Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR) will come up within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, situated 4,500 metres above sea level, which makes it a perfect host for telescopes.
Ladakh is also ideal for long-term observatories and dark-sky sites because of its large arid area, high elevation, and sparse population. The Milky Way Galaxy is visible through the night in the Hanle region due to its cloudless skies and lower atmospheric disturbance.
Hanley is home for the second-highest optical telescope in the world, established in 2001 by Indian Institute of Astrophysics.
About Dark sky Reserve
The International Dark Sky Association (IDSA) defines an international dark sky reserve (IDSR) as “a public or private land of substantial size possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and nocturnal environment, and that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage, and/or public enjoyment”.
A dark sky reserve requires a “core” area that has a clear sky without any light pollution, which can enable telescopes to see the sky in its natural darkness. To support the core, it should be surrounded by a “peripheral” or “buffer” area that supports dark sky values in the core while receiving the same benefits.
Assam govt launches ‘Orunodoi 2.0’, scheme
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the ‘Orunodoi 2.0’, the flagship scheme of the state Govt aimed at providing financial security to financially disadvantaged families.
Key Points
Around 10.50 lakhs new beneficiaries will be newly added under the ambit of Orunodoi 2.0 making the scheme as the Largest DBT scheme in the history of Assam.
With total financial outlay for Orunodoi at Rs.4,142 crore per annum, this scheme is billed as one of the largest direct beneficiary transfer (DBT) schemes in the country.
The scheme will also cover disabled and transgender. The people living in old age homes will also be benefitted from the scheme with DC quota.
Orunodoi, the poverty alleviation scheme, launched to entail a monthly grant of Rs. 1,250 to each beneficiary.
It is one of the flagship schemes of the Govt of Assam currently in operation.
The Orunodoi benefit is usually transferred to the bank account of each beneficiary by the 10th of every month.
Indo-Kazakhstan Joint Military Exercise “Kazind – 2022” is scheduled to be conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya
The 6th Edition of Indo – Kazakhstan joint training exercise “KAZIND-22” is scheduled to be conducted at Umroi (Meghalaya) from 15 to 28 December 2022.
This joint exercise will enable the two armies to train, plan and execute a series of combined tactical drills for neutralising of likely threats that may be encountered in UN peace keeping operations.
Aim of the exercise is to build positive military relations, imbibe each other’s best practices and promote the ability to operate together while undertaking counter terrorist operations in semi urban / jungle scenario, under a UN peace enforcement mandate.
About “Kazind – 2022”
Joint annual training exercise with the Kazakhstan Army was instituted in 2016 as Exercise Prabal Dostyk, which was later upgraded to a company level exercise and renamed as Ex Kazind in 2018.
The scope of this exercise involves a Command Post Exercise (CPX) at the Battalion level and Company level Field Training Exercise (FTX) on sub-conventional operations.
It will enhance the level of defence cooperation between Indian Army and Kazakhstan Army which will further foster the bilateral relations between the two nations.
During the exercise, participants will engage in a variety of missions ranging from joint planning, joint tactical drills, basics of special arms skills, HADR and raiding a hostile target.
Kazakhstan Army soldiers composed of troops from the Regional Command, South and Indian Army soldiers from the 11 Gorkha Rifles will be participating in the exercise.
8th edition of Falcon festival begins at Umrangso
The 8th edition of the popular Falcon Festival got underway with great fanfare at the Golf Course near Umrangso in Dima Hasao.
The Falcon Festival is organized on two main ideas. The first aims to increase awareness of the Amur Falcon, and the second is to promote the state’s Dimasa customs and culture.
The Amur Falcon is a tiny yet effective bird predator in the Falcon family. It is a migratory bird that nests in Siberia and Northern China and then travels large distances to Africa.
However, throughout time, a large number of these birds selected Assam and Nagaland as their roosting grounds.
One of the key issues of conservation in this region is the arrival of this bird and the necessity to maintain it. At the occasion, seminars on the conservation of this species will be held.
Indo-Nepal joint training Exercise Surya Kiran XVI
The 16th Edition of Indo-Nepal joint training Exercise “SURYA KIRAN-XVI” between India and Nepal is being held from December 16 to 29 this year in Nepal Army Battle School in Nepal’s Saljhandi.
About Exercise Surya Kiran
Exercise Surya Kiran is a joint military exercise between the armies of India and Nepal.
Its objectives include improving interoperability and sharing experiences and best practices on counter-insurgency operations.
It aims to establish military relations in inaccessible mountainous areas by the soldiers of both countries, Provide humanitarian assistance under disaster management, Get training in anti-terrorist operations.
The inaugural edition of this bilateral exercise was held in Mizoram in 2011. Since then, it has been held each year between the two armies.
The 15th edition was held in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand.
It is also improving the mutual cooperation between both the armies and further strengthening diplomatic relations of the two countries.
The joint military training is set to conclude on December 29, 2022, after a grueling 48-hour validation exercise to confirm the performance of both armies in the counter-insurgency environment.
The Gorkha battalion from the elite Gorkha regiment is representing the Indian Army in this exercise. The Nepal Army is represented by the Shree Bhawani Baksh Battalion.
During this exercise, the two militaries will share experiences that were gained during the various counter-insurgency operations over the years in their respective countries.
The scope of the Surya Kiran series has been expanded to include Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), High Altitude Warfare, and Jungle Warfare operations.
It will also focus on the evolution of joint drills for planning and conducting tactical operations at the unit level in the counter-terrorism operations and disaster response mechanisms and armed forces’ role in managing disasters.
Assam Grant Industry Status to its Tourism Sector
The state Govt of Assam has approved the proposal for grant of industry status to the tourism sector in the state.
Significance of this transition
To boost investments and generate employment.
The industry status, fresh investments in tourism infrastructure, permanent in nature, will contribute towards rapid employment generation, public-private partnership and development.
With the grant, restaurants, cafeterias, health clubs, spas and wellness centers, among others, are eligible for incentives under the industrial policy.
The newly-implemented policy aims for sustainable and environmentally friendly investment besides capital formation and the creation of gainful employment. The ministry also said the infrastructure can be developed through Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, which will contribute to the overall development of the region.
Assam has now become an all-season tourist destination for its unique wildlife, bio-diversity and experience of an unexploited wonderland. Tourism is to be one of the main sources of income generation for the people over the years.
Tamil Nadu Govt launched Climate Change Mission
The state Govt of Tamil Nadu has launched the Climate Change Mission to protect the natural resources in the state besides restore them on a long-term basis.
The state is first to launch its own Climate Change Mission to make Tamil Nadu a climate smart state.
Key Points
The mission aims to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions in the state, increase the use of public transport, develop strategies to cut emissions by using green and renewable energy, increase forest cover, and manage waste effectively.
To develop ways to mitigate the impact of climate change, access financial resources for adaptation, initiate climate education in educational institutions, focus on climate action for women and children.
Adopt a ‘One Health’ approach that includes human, animal, and ecological health to understand health disruptions caused by climate change.
The state has also aimed to achieve carbon neutrality much ahead of 2070 target set by PM Modi.
Japanese space startup, ispace has launched the world’s first commercial moon lander, HAKUTO-R
Japan has successfully launched a spacecraft to the moon recently. This mission was took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, after two postponements caused by inspections of its SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
About HAKUTO
HAKUTO refers to the white rabbit that lives on the moon in Japanese folklore. The national space agencies of the United States, Russia and China have already achieved the soft landings on moon.
The ispace craft intends to deploy a tiny NASA satellite into the orbit of the moon to look for water deposits prior to its touch in the Atlas Crater. Additionally, the M1 lander will station two robotic rovers, a baseball-sized device from the JAXA space agency, and the four-wheeled Rashid explorer. The Rashid explorer is crafted by the United Arab Emirates.
Assam Cabinet approved a bill to create Safai Karamchari Commission
The Assam Cabinet approved a bill to create a Safai Karamchari Commission and decisions related to providing financial benefits to pregnant women, monitoring drug prices, protecting Safai Karmacharis’ rights and filling up vacancies in the Forest Department were also taken in the meeting.
Key Decisions made during the Cabinet Meeting
The cabinet has also renamed the Dergaon Police Academy as Lachit Barphukan Police Academy.
The Assam cabinet has resolved to transfer Rs 700 to all pregnant women to their bank accounts and around 5 lakh pregnant women of the state will get the benefit.
Approved Rs 361 crore for BTC as the first installment under the annual budget. The state cabinet has approved to set up Safai Karmachari Aayog for Safai workers for their development
The state cabinet has approved Rs 525 crore for the construction of 162 new police stations in the state under the Moitry scheme.
Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain Win Gold Medals at the Women’s National Boxing Championships 2022
Lovlina Borgohain and Nikhat Zareen won gold medals in their respective weight categories at the Women’s National Boxing Championships 2022 in Bhopal
Key Points
Assam’s Lovlina Borgohain beat Arundhati Choudhary of Services 5-0 in the 75kg final, while Nikhat endured a hard test from Anamika of the RSPB in the 50kg final before the 26-year-old Telangana pugilist won 4-1 to defend her championship.
The Railways team topped the medals tally with 10 medals – five golds, three silvers and two bronze.
Madhya Pradesh, with one gold, two silver and five bronze, and Haryana (two gold and two bronze) claimed second and third position, respectively.
Manipur’s young boxer Sanamacha Thokchom Chanu, who won gold medal at the 2021 Youth World Championships, also put up an impressive show to secure the title in the 70kg by beating Madhya Pradesh’s Shruti Yadav 3-2 in the final.
Haryana’s Manisha (57kg) and Saweety Boora (81kg), SSCB’s Sakshi (52kg), Madhya Pradesh’s Manju Bamboria (66kg) also clinched gold medals in their respective categories at the tournament, which witnessed participation of 302 boxers fighting in 12 categories.
RRR bagged three awards at Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Annual Awards
The Indian film, ‘RRR’ has bagged three awards at the 2022 Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Annual Awards. The film has won three awards at the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Annual Awards.
Categories – Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Score/Soundtrack.
Earlier, the film has also received nominations in two categories for 2023 Golden Globes. The film has been nominated in the Best Picture – Non-English Language category and “Naatu Naatu” in the Best Original Song – Motion Picture category.
This film also bagged four nominations at the inaugural HCA Creative Arts Awards 2023 which included Sreekar Prasad for Best Editing, Srinivas Mohan for Best VFX, M. M. Keeravaani for Best Original Song – ‘Naatu Naatu’, and King Solomon for Best Stunts.
Hansraj Gangaram Ahir appointed as the Chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC)
Hansraj Gangaram Ahir assumed charge as Chairperson, National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). He had been elected four times Member of Parliament from Parliamentary Constituency Chandrapur, Maharashtra and also he was Member of Maharashtra Legislative Council.
He had been Member of various Standing Committees of Parliament and also served as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal and Steel. He had been Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Govt of India the 16th Lok Sabha.
About National Commission for Backward Classes
National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) was initially constituted by the Central Govt by the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993.
The National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 (27 of 1993) has been repealed through the National Commission for Backward Classes (Repeal) Act, 2018 dated 14.08.2018.
The present Commission has been accorded Constitutional Status and constituted through “The Constitution (One Hundred and Second Amendment) Act, 2018” Act dated 11.8.2018, whereby Article 338B has been inserted, forming a Commission for the socially and educationally backward classes to be known as National Commission for Backward Classes.
The Commission consists of a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and three other Members in the rank & pay of Secretary to the Govt of India and their condition of service and tenure of office has been notified vide Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Notification dated 23.08.2018.
India’s first Gold ATM has been launched in Hyderabad
India’s first Gold ATM and world’s first real-time Gold ATM has been launched at Begumpet, Hyderabad. The ATM was set up by the Goldsikka in collaboration with Opencube Technologies (Technology support).
Key Points
The firm’s first ATM has been installed at its head office in Ashoka Raghupathi Chambers, Begumpet, and it aims to install such ATMs throughout the city, especially in rural areas.
This ATM can dispense gold coins in different denominations ranging from 0.5 gm to 100 grams
The ATM, the firm says, aims to give access to a “varied audience”. Anybody can withdraw gold anywhere – 24*7 – with the machine is said to be the goal.
Apart from debit and credit cards, buyers can also use prepaid and postpaid smart cards to withdraw the yellow metal.
The update in the price of gold is based on the live prices.
Each ATM has a capacity of holding up to 5 kg of gold, worth around Rs. 2-3 crores.
There are eight available options, including 0.5 grams, 1 gram, 2 grams, 5 grams, 10 grams, 20 grams, 50 grams and 100 grams,” On security features, Security measures like inbuilt camera in the machine, alarm system, external CCTV cameras are there.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Nepal
Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Nepal for the third time. He replaced Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress party.
A coalition of 6 parties have decided to project Pushpa Kamal Dahal as the Prime Minister. An agreement has been reached. Dahal will lead the Govt for two and a half years and the CPN-UML will be in power in the remaining two-and-a-half years,” Barshaman Pun, leader of the Communist Party of Nepal.
The Indian govt is considering to shift from “Minimum” to “Living” Wages
The Union Labour Ministry is currently mulling to shift from the “minimum wages” to “living wages” in a bid to bring more people from poverty in the country.
The Indian Govt is considering to shift from the minimum wage to the living wage to eliminate poverty in the country. If such a shift happens, it would have significant financial implications for India and the Govt. It will make Sustainable Development Goal commitments easily achievable.
India is planning to receive assistance from the International Labour Organization (ILO) to understand what constitutes a living wage since it is highly subjective.
Difference between living wage and minimum wage
The term ‘living wage’ is defined as the minimum income necessary for workers to meet their basic necessities. It is different from the minimum wage, which is based on labor productivity and skill sets.
Minimum wage is the lowest amount of money a laborer can earn as mandated by the law. It does not change based on inflation. It can increase only with Govt intervention. This is not true for the living wage.
The living wage is determined by the average cost to live comfortably, while the minimum wage is the fixed amount set by the Govt.
The difference between the minimum wage and the living wage can range between 10 and 25 percent based on the cost of living in a specific place.
First Bekal International Beach Festival in Kerala
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has inaugurated the 10-day first international beach festival, that captures the wholeness and the essence of the district’s cultural and artistic uniqueness and displays the rich cultural diversity and grandeur of the country, at the majestic Bekal Beach Park.
About Bekal International Beach festival
It is put on by the Bekal Resorts Development Corporation (BRDC) in collaboration with the district’s local self-Govt entities, Kudumbashree, Asmi Holidays, and the District Tourism Promotion Council.
This festival showcases the country’s rich cultural diversity and magnificence in the majestic Bekal Beach Park.
The festival reflects a cross-section of culture and the unique identity of the land.
More than 1,000 international, national and local artists performed at the Beach Festival.
‘Varuna’ Naval Exercise conducted by India and France
The 20th edition of the bilateral naval exercise that is named ‘Varuna’ is being conducted by India and France in the Arabian Sea from 30th March till 3rd April 2022.
In this exercise, various units of the two navies which include submarines, ships, fighter aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft, and helicopters are participating.
This exercise is conducted so that the participating units can sharpen and enhance their operational skills in the maritime sector. The participating units also look to improve their inter-operability so that they can undertake various maritime security operations. The units also demonstrate their commitment, as an integrated force, to the promotion of the region’s security, peace, and stability.
In 1993, this bilateral naval exercises between the Navies of the two were countries were first initiated. In 2001, the name of the exercise was christened ‘Varuna’ and it has become an important part of the bilateral strategic relationship between India and France.
India’s First Steel Slag Road at Surat
Surat, Gujarat is the first Indian city to get a road built from processed steel slag (industrial waste). This road has been developed as a joint-venture project by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), NITI Aayog, Union Steel Ministry, and ArcelorMittal-Nippon Steel (AM/NS), at Hazira, a suburb of Surat.
This steels road’s construction cost is 30 percent cheaper than the roads that are built using natural aggregates. Also, this road’s thickness is 30 percent lesser than the normal ones. As steel slag is used to construct this road its durability is much longer.
This project has been implemented under the Waste to Wealth and Clean India Campaign initiative.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Falguni Nayar and Radha Vembu in Hurun Richest Self-Made Women list 2022
Three Indian women Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon, Falguni Nayar of Nykaa, and Radha Vembu of Zoho have been featured in the latest Hurun Richest Self-Made Women in the World 2022 (Hurun list of women self-made billionaires).
Wu Yajun, a Beijing-based property developer has topped this list. Her estimated worth is USD 17 billion. She cofounded Longfor in 1993 with her ex-husband Cai Kui. In 2021, Longfor reported revenues of USD 34.6 billion.
Indians on this list
CEO and Founder of Nykaa, Falguni Nayar with 7.6 billion dollars has been placed in the top 10 richest list. She overtook billionaire Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw to become India’s richest self-made woman. She was also featured in first place in Hurun’s list of Top 10 New Faces.
Among the biggest risers, Radha Vembu is first in India, and second across the world. Vembu is India’s second-richest self-made woman billionaire with USD 3.9bn. Vembu is Zoho’s product manager, a company she founded along with her brother. On the Hurun list, she has been placed on the 25th rank.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder and executive chairperson of Biocon Biologics and Biocon Limited, has been placed 26th on the list with a wealth of USD 3.8 bn. From last year she dropped down two places.
Arunachal Pradesh inked pack with WWF India to develop State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
To develop the State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (SBSAP) a pact has been inked by Arunachal Pradesh with WWF India. The SBSAP will be aligning with the Pakke Declaration and the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
Through a participatory approach and multi-stakeholder consultations, the SBSAP will be developed.
This pact will be showcasing Arunachal Pradesh’s participatory conservation initiatives and will be looking to develop an action plan that will be inclusive in nature and will be looking to secure nature’s contribution to people.
The plan will also be reflecting the people as well as the state’s aspirations toward sustainable development.
About Pakke Declaration
In 2021, the “Pakke Tiger Reserve 2047 Declaration on Climate Change Resilient and Responsive Arunachal Pradesh” was adopted by the state Govt and aims to promote development that is climate-resilient in the state.
This declaration also focuses on multi-sectoral approaches for climate-resilient development and low emission which are based on five themes which are Health and Well-being for all; Environment, Forest, and Climate Change; Livelihoods, and opportunities; Sustainable and Adaptive living; and Evidence generation, and collaborative action.
HDFC Limited to merge with HDFC Bank
HDFC’s board of directors has approved the merger of HDFC Bank, India’s largest private sector bank with HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation), India’s largest housing finance firm
The deal will be building the housing loan portfolio of the bank and will also be enhancing its existing customer base.
Under the agreement that has been proposed, public shareholders will be 100 percent owning HDFC Bank, and HDFC Limited’s existing shareholders will own 41 percent stake in HDFC Bank.
The proposed agreement will be creating a large net worth as well as a balance sheet that would allow a greater credit flow into the economy. Also, underwriting of larger ticket loans such as infrastructure loans will be enabled due to this agreement.
After merging, the total assets of HDFC Bank and HDFC Ltd will be more than Rs 25 lakh crore. The turnover of HDFC is Rs 35,681.74 crore while for HDFC Bank it is Rs 1.16 lakh crore.
Composer Ricky Kej and Indian-American singer-songwriter Falu: Winners at the Grammy Awards 2022
At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, two Indian musicians were among the winners. Falu, an Indian-American singer-songwriter won her maiden Grammy in the category of Best Children’s Music Album. Composer Ricky Kej also won his second Grammy as he and Stewart Copeland won the award in the category of Best New Age Album.
Falguni Shah or Falu won the award for her album A Colorful World in the category of Best Children’s Music Album. Falu is a New York-based musician and has collaborated with AR Rahman for the movie Slumdog Millionaire.
In 2015, Ricky Kej had won his first Grammy Award and this win was his second. He won the award with Stewart Copeland for the album Divine Tides. He won the award in the Best New Age Album category.
Jon Batiste won the Best Album of The Year award. The award for the Best New Artist as well as for Best Pop Vocal Album was won by Olivia Rodrigo and Doja Cat won the award for Best Pop Duo/ Group.
India’s export in 2021-2022 touch a record high of USD 418 billion
In 2021-22 fiscal, the merchandise exports of India grew to touch a record high of USD 418 billion. This was due to higher exports of products including engineering goods, petroleum products, jewellery, etc. In 2020-21, the merchandise exports of India were worth USD 292 billion.
During 2021-22, the goods trade (imports and exports) of the country crossed USD 1 trillion.
India’s imports also touched USD 610 billion a record of its own.
In March 2022, the outbound shipments of the country also touched a record high of USD 40.38 billion. In March 2021, the exports of India stood at USD 35.26 billion.
During the period of April 2021 to March 2022 the Agriculture exports crossed USD 48 billion.
The sectors that played a key role in the increase of merchandise exports include engineering, petroleum products, jewellery, gems, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.
Top export destinations
The US, Bangladesh, the UAE, Singapore, the Netherlands, the UK, Hong Kong, Germany, and Belgium were the top export destinations for the products.
India’s Agriculture Exports in 2021-22 touched USD 50 billion
For FY 2021-22, the exports of agricultural products, including plantation and marine products of India have touched a record USD 50 billion. This is a 20 per cent increase from last year.
The export of marine products which stands at USD 7.71 billion has benefitted farmers of West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
The export of Spices has touched USD 4 billion.
For the first time, coffee exports crossed USD 1 billion and have helped in enhancing the income of coffee growers in Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
This growth in export has been achieved due to a surge in shipments of marine products, rice, buffalo meat, sugar, wheat, and raw cotton.
This growth has been achieved despite facing logistical challenges like container shortages, high freight rates, etc.
This increase in the growth of agriculture export will also enhance the income of the farmers of the country.
The highest ever exports have been achieved by
rice (USD 9.65 billion)
wheat (USD 2.19 billion)
sugar (USD 4.6 billion)
other cereals (USD 1.08 billion).
Tripura and Manipur among Top 3 smaller states performers in NITI AAYOG’S STATE ENERGY & CLIMATE INDEX
The State Energy and Climate Index (SECI) has been launched by NITI Aayog. It is a first-of-its-kind index that aims to track the efforts made in the energy and climate sector by the states and UTs of India.
This index’s parameters have been devised while keeping in mind the country’s goals regarding clean energy transition and climate change.
This index has ranked the states and the UTs of India based on the efforts they have put towards improving energy consumption, energy access, safeguarding the environment, and energy efficiency.
This index has also helped to move toward the agenda of the accessible, affordable, clean, and efficient energy transition at the State level.
Six parameters have been used by this index that are:
Access Affordability and Reliability of Energy
Discoms’ (Power distribution companies) Performance
Energy Efficiency
Clean Energy Initiatives
New Initiatives
Environmental Sustainability
The States and the UTs have been categorized into three groups i.e. Achievers, Front Runners, and Aspirants.
Top 3 performers among the larger states
Gujarat
Kerala
Punjab
Top 3 performers among the smaller states
Goa
Tripura
Manipur
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022
Recently the QS World University Rankings 2022 by subject has been released. The rankings have been announced for subjects including engineering and technology, humanities and arts, natural sciences, medicine and life sciences, and management and social sciences.
Global higher education think-tank QS Quacquarelli Symonds released this report.
To rank the universities five components were considered
employer reputation,
academic reputation,
h-index,
research citations per paper,
international research network (by broad-faculty area).
World Rankings in ARTS AND HUMANITIES
University of Oxford
University of Cambridge
Harvard University
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
Stanford University
World Rankings in ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Cambridge
University of Oxford
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)
Stanford University
World Rankings in LIFE SCIENCES AND MEDICINE
Harvard University
University of Oxford
Johns Hopkins University
University of Cambridge
Stanford University
World Rankings in NATURAL SCIENCES
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Harvard University
University of Cambridge
University of Oxford
Stanford University
World Rankings in SOCIAL SCIENCES AND MANAGEMENT
Harvard University
University of Oxford
The London School of Political Science and Economics
University of Cambridge
Stanford University
Indian Universities in the list
In India, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has topped the list.
IIT Delhi’s four academic programmes have also featured among the top 100 in the rankings.
Under Arts and Humanities category, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the University of Delhi (DU) have secured 101-150 and 151-200 slabs respectively in the History subject.
Under Life Sciences category, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has secured a 204 ranking for the subject of medicine followed by Delhi University (330) and Manipal Academy of Higher Education (375).
Under Natural Sciences category, for Chemistry IISc Bangalore has been ranked 81 followed by IIT Bombay (112) and IIT Delhi (151-200 slab).
For mathematics, IIT Bombay has been placed among the top 200 with a rank of 117. Next on the list are IIT Delhi (128), IIT Kanpur (132), IISc Bangalore (142) and IIT Madras (148).
Under Engineering and Technology, IIT Delhi (65) and IIT Bombay (67) have been placed among the top 100 ranks in Computer Science subject. Also, IIT Kanpur (109), IIT Kharagpur (109), IIT Madras (114), and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore (144) have also been placed on this list. Among the top 251-300, IIT Roorkee has been placed. Among the top 301-350, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) has been placed and among 351-400 IIT Guwahati and DU have been placed.
Dipika Pallikal won mixed doubles and women’s doubles in World Doubles Squash Championships
Dipika Pallikal won the mixed doubles and women’s doubles championships at the World Doubles Squash Championships teaming up with Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa respectively.
This is the first time India has won the gold medal in this tournament.
Teaming up with Saurav Ghosal, Dipika first clinched the mixed doubles title with an 11-6, 11-8 win over Alison Waters and Adrian Waller of England.
Dipika teamed up with Joshna Chinappa to win the women’s doubles final with an 11-9, 4-11, 11-8 win over Sarah Jane Perry and Alison Waters who were representing England.
In 2014 and 2016 India won two silver medals in this tournament. In 2016, Dipika and Saurav had lost the mixed doubles final. In 2014, Saurav and Ritwik Bhattacharya had lost the men’s doubles final.
Nilamani Phookan conferred with Jnanpith award
Assam Chief Minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma presented the country’s highest literary award, the 56th Jnanpith for the year 2021 to one of the most celebrated poets of Assam, Nilamani Phookan.
Nilmani Phookan is the third person to win the Jnanpith Award from Assam after Mamoni Roisom Goswami and Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya. The Award carried a Citation, a shawl, and Rs. 11 lakh.
BIOGRAPHY: Nilmani Phookan
The octogenarian was awarded the Padma Shri in 1990 and received the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2002.
He was selected as an ‘Emeritus Fellow’ for a period of two years by the Cultural Department, Govt. of India in 1998.
Assam Sahitya Sabha also conferred ‘Sahityacharya’ honour to him.
The notable works of Phukan are ‘Xurjya Henu Naami Aahe Ei Nodiyedi’, ‘Kabita’ and ‘Gulapi Jamur Lagna’.
Waterways Conclave 2022 at Dibrugarh
The Waterways Conclave 2022 was organized by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) on 11th and 12th April 2022 in Dibrugarh.
The aim of this conclave was to focus on harnessing the potential of the international and domestic waterway ecosystem in the country’s North-eastern region.
The industry partner of this conclave was the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
The conclave was launched by Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and AYUSH.
The conclave was attended by various stakeholders in the sector of the waterway ecosystem like Senior Govt Officials, Policy Planners, Sector Experts, Domestic and International Investors, Infrastructure players, Cruise Tourism industry, Vessel Owners and Operators, Representatives of Major Ports, Cargo Passengers, and representatives from the Govts of Maritime States in India.
The aim of this conclave is to fast-track the Multimodal projects for the development of the country’s Northeast region so that business opportunities, economic activities, and employment generation can be enhanced.
Gauhati University (GU) and the IWAI signed an MoU on the research and development as well as investment and consultancy in inland waterways.
Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL), Dibrugarh and IWAI also signed an MoU for cargo transportation via inland water transport.
Discovery of Megalithic Stone Jars in Assam’s Dima Hasao district
In the Dima Hasao district of Assam, a number of megalithic stone jars have been discovered. This discovery has highlighted the possible links, that date back to the second millennium BC, between Southeast Asia and the Northeast region of India.
Three distinct shaped jars have been documented in the paper, ‘An archaeological survey of the Assam stone jar sites.’
In a site named Nuchubunglo, 546 jars were discovered making it the largest such site across the planet.
The study that has been published in Asian Archaeology has called for more research so as to understand this cultural relationship between Laos and Assam and Indonesia.
Indonesia and Laos are the only two other sites from where such similar jars have been discovered.
The jars that were discovered in Assam were first sighted in the year 1929 by John Henry Hutton and James Philip Mills, British civil servants. The presence of the jars was recorded by them to have been found in six different sites in Kobak, Dima Hasao: Derebore (now Hojai Dobongling), Molongpa (now Melangpeuram), Kartong, Bolasan (now Nuchubunglo), and Ndunglo. In 2016 and 2020 more such sites have been discovered.
ADB loan to Nagaland for Urban Infrastructure Projects
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Govt of India have signed a USD 2 million Project Readiness Financing (PRF) Loan for strengthening the institutional capacity, designing urban infrastructures that are climate-resilient, and improving the mobilization of municipal resources in Nagaland’s 16 district headquarter towns (DHTs).
The loan has been signed by Additional Secretary Rajat Kumar Mishra of the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, Takeo Konishi.
The PRF loan will help in the facilitation of various key preparatory activities to ensure projects that are aimed to improve urban infrastructure and other services to boost the economic potential of Nagaland.
The loan will ensure the state’s project readiness by undertaking feasibility studies, preparing the implementation of detailed engineering designs for selected subprojects and an urban sector strategy, and capacity building of various state-level agencies for the purpose of project implementation, anchoring reforms, and resource mobilization.
Hyderabad and Mumbai recognised as the ‘2021 Tree City of the World’ by Food and Agriculture Organisation
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN-FAO) along with Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Hyderabad and Mumbai jointly as the ‘2021 Tree City of the World.’
The recognition has been won by the two Indian cities due to their commitment to maintaining and growing greenery and urban trees so as to build resilient, healthy, and happy cities.
This is the first time Mumbai has made it to the list. Hyderabad has been featured on this list for the second consecutive year.
Lieutenant General Manoj Pande appointed India’s New Chief of Army Staff
Lieutenant General Manoj Pande will be replacing General Manoj Mukund Naravane as the 29th chief of the Indian Army. He will be taking charge of this post from 1st May 2022.
On 1st February he replaced Lieutenant General CP Mohanty as the vice army chief.
BIOGRAPHY: Lieutenant General Pande
He is an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun and the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla. In 1982, he was commissioned into the Bombay Sappers after passing out from the IMA.
Lt General Pande held prestigious command and staff assignments in counter-insurgency and conventional operations in all types of terrain during his 39-year military career. In the Western theatre, he has commanded an engineer brigade. He has also commanded an infantry brigade along the Line of Control (LoC), in the Ladakh sector and a corps in the North-east region of the country.
Before taking over as the army’s vice-chief, he has also served as the Eastern Army Commander. From June 2020 to May 2021, he served as the Andaman and Nicobar Command’s commander-in-chief. After General Narvane retires, he will be the senior-most officer of the Army.
He has been conferred with the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Param Vishisht Seva Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal, two times with the GOC-in-C Commendation, and the Chief of Army Staff Commendation.
World Bank Report on Extreme Poverty in India dropped to 10.2% in pre-Covid year of 2019
According to a working paper of the World Bank, extreme poverty in India has dropped from 22.5 percent in 2011 to 10.2 percent in the pre-Covid year of 2019. Also, the pace of poverty reduction in rural India has been more than in urban areas of the country.
In the urban and rural areas poverty level declined by 7.9 percent and 14.7 percent respectively during the period 2011 to 2019.
In 2019, the poverty level stood at 11.6 percent in rural areas and 6.3 percent in urban areas.
Extreme poverty measured based on the number of people living on less than USD 1.90 (around Rs 145) per day has been used to measure extreme poverty.
World’s Highest Tunnel at Shinku La Pass
The world’s highest tunnel will be constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at Shinku La Pass at 16,580 feet. This tunnel will be connecting Himachal Pradesh to Ladakh.
The construction of this tunnel by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) will begin by July 2022 and will be completed by 2025.
This tunnel will be connecting Ladakh’s Zanskar Valley to Himachal Pradesh. The tunnel’s south portal will be at Shinku La. The tunnel’s north portal will be at Lakhang.
This tunnel will help in boosting the economy of the Zanskar Valley as the travel time between Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh will be reduced after this tunnel is opened.
National Civil Services Day observed on 21st April
On the 21st of April every year, National Civil Services Day is observed to acknowledge the work of all the officers across the country who are engaged in various public service departments.
This day also acts as a reminder to the civil servants to run the administration of the nation with the dedication to serving the citizens.
This date was chosen to commemorate the day when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Independent India’s first Home Minister, in 1947 addressed the probationers of Administrative Services Officers at Delhi’s Metcalf House in Delhi.
Civil servants were referred to as the ‘steel frame of India’ by him as they act as the supporting pillars of the country’s administrative system. Father of Indian Civil Service title has been given to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
On 21 April 2006, the first such function was held in New Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan and since then this day has been celebrated as National Civil Service Day.
India’s first commercial-Green Hydrogen Pilot Plant commissioned at Jorhat
Oil India Limited (OIL) has commissioned India’s first commercial-grade green hydrogen production plant at Jorhat, Assam.
To produce hydrogen, this plant will be using renewable energy from Oil India’s 500kW solar plant pump station.
The produced hydrogen will be blended with natural gas to run hydrogen buses in the state of Assam.
This newly commissioned pilot project has a daily production capacity of 10kg, which will be increased to 30kg per day.
Green hydrogen has the potential of replacing fossil fuels.
Green Hydrogen is being produced in the plant from the electricity that is generated by the existing 500kW Solar plant utilizing a 100 kW Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) Electrolyser array. This is the first time AEM technology is being used in India. This plant is a big step toward the country’s target of achieving energy independence.
Ajay Kumar Sood is the new Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to Govt of India
Ajay Kumar Sood, an eminent physicist has been appointed as the central Govt’s principal scientific advisor (PSA). He will be succeeding renowned biologist K Vijay Raghavan.
He is a member of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.
He is known for his work on graphene. Also, he is a physics professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
The PSA’s office has the aim of providing objective and pragmatic advice to the cabinet as well as the prime minister on matters that are related to the fields of technology, science, and innovation with a special focus on the application of technology and science in economic and social sectors and critical infrastructure in cooperation with the various Govt departments, industries, and institutions.
NIXI World-Class Data Centre to be setup in Tripura
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been inked between the Govt of Tripura and the NIXI-CSC Data Services Centre to establish an international standard Data Centre in the state.
To set up this proposed data centre, CSE e-governance services Ltd and the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) have floated a joint venture.
The international standard Data Centre will be located at Indranagar, the headquarters of Tripura’s IT Bhavan.
Rs 150 crore will be invested by the joint venture company while the state Govt will only be providing the space for setting up the Data Centre.
The MoU was signed by AK Bhattacharjee, in-charge director of the IT department on behalf of Tripura and CEO Anil Jain, NIXI-CSC Data Services Centre.
Suman Bery appointed as Vice-chairperson of NITI Aayog
The central Govt appointed economist Suman Bery as the vice-chairman of NITI Aayog after Rajiv Kumar resigned from the post on 22nd April 2022.
BIOGRAPHY: Suman Bery
Suman Bery was the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) director-general for a period of 10 years from 2001 to 2011.
He was also a senior visiting fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, Delhi.
He is a Global Fellow in the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Asia programme in Washington, DC. Also, he is a non-resident Fellow of Bruegel which is a Brussels based economic policy research institution.
He had earlier served as a member of India’s Statistical Commission, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, and Reserve Bank of India’s Technical Advisory Committee on Monetary Policy.
From 2012 to mid-2016 he served as the Chief Economist of Shell International and also advised the management and the board of Royal Dutch Shell on global political and economic developments.
Prior to joining NCAER, he was with the World Bank, Washington DC, having joined through the Young Professionals’ Program. At World Bank, he worked on country policy and strategy, and financial sector development notably in the Caribbean and Latin America. His country experience included Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and Chile.
Between 1992 to 1994 he was also appointed as a Special Consultant to the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
National Panchayati Raj Day observed on 24th of April
On the 24th of April annually, National Panchayat Raj Day is celebrated. In 2010 this day was first celebrated.
In India there are over six lakh villages, with over 750 districts and six thousand blocks that are all governed by the Panchayati Raj system.
Panchayati Raj Institution is one of India’s oldest governing bodies. A panchayat is a five-member assembly that works for the improvement of local communities and settles disputes at a lower level.
History of this day
On this day in 1992, the Indian constitution’s 73rd amendment was enacted. As a result of this amendment, the powers of the grassroots were decentralized and the Panchayati Raj was founded. Hence, this day is commemorated by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj as the National Panchayati Raj Day.
It was necessary to have governing bodies for the country’s rural areas. Hence, in 1957, a committee under the chairmanship of Balwantrai Mehta was established. This committee suggested bringing changes to the central power system and thus the Panchayati raj came into existence. In 1959, the first state to implement this system was Rajasthan.
World Malaria Day observed on April 25
Annually on the 25th of April World Malaria Day is observed across the world to highlight the need for sustained political commitment and continued investment so as to prevent and control malaria across the world.
The World Health Organization has continuously highlighted the need for and also called for innovations and investments to bring in new vector control approaches, antimalarial medicines, diagnostics, and other tools that will help in fighting against malaria.
The theme for this year’s world malaria day is “Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives.”
In 2007, WHO got the idea of observing this day came from Africa Malaria Day, which is observed by the African Govt since 2001. At the WHO-sponsored World Health Assembly’s 60th session it was proposed to change the Africa Malaria day to World Malaria Day. This was done with the aim of generating greater awareness regarding the fight against malaria.
Malaria
The day is significant as despite being a treatable disease, Malaria continues to impact the livelihoods of people all over the world.
According to the WHO, in the year 2020 around 241 million new cases of malaria and 6,27,000 fatalities due to malaria in 85 nations were witnessed.
In the African region, more than two-thirds of the reported fatalities were among children who were below the age of 5.
Meghalaya Enterprise Architecture (MeghEA) Project won UN Award – World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum Prizes 2022
The Govt of Meghalaya’s Planning Department’s initiative of the “e-Proposal System”, has won the UN Award – World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum Prizes 2022. The “e-Proposal System” is a part of Meghalaya Enterprise Architecture (MeghEA), which eliminates 75 per cent physical work of files in all Govt departments in the state.
About MeghEA Project
The Meghalaya Enterprise Architecture Project (MeghEA) was launched with the aim of improving governance and service delivery for the people of the state using the power of various digital technologies.
Enterprise Architecture (EA) is the process by which various organisations standardise and organise their Information Technology related infrastructure to achieve various business objectives.
This initiative of the state Govt of Meghalaya is spread across six different pillars that are Human Resources, Governance, Primary Sector, Entrepreneurship, Environment, and Infrastructure.
Through this initiative Meghalaya will be made into a high-income state by 2030.
MeghEA is supporting the digital Govt goals that are:
A planned transformation initiative of the state Govt which demands efficient coordination among policies, strategies, services, processes, and organizational capacity.
All information and communications technology (ICT) initiatives will be coordinated under one umbrella to provide a better holistic perspective.
Implementation of ICT enabled state Govt process with the aim of providing multi-channel service delivery.
Ensuring that the systems and applications of the state Govt provide users with all relevant information.
Crafting an ecosystem to boost the digital economy by leveraging ICT for growth and employment.
India 3rd top military spender: SIPRI Report on World Military Expenditure
A report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on World Military Expenditure stated that India was the world’s third-highest military spender behind the US and China.
The global defence expenditure in 2021 reached an all-time high and stood at USD 2.1 trillion despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, the US has accounted for 38 percent of the world’s military spending. China accounts for around 14 percent and the UK has moved up two ranks as it spent USD 68.4 billion.
Top five military spenders account for 62 percent of the world’s global military expenditure. The five countries are:
The United States
China
India
The United Kingdom
Russia
Military spending of India
Military spending of India stood at USD 76.6 billion in 2021, which is a 0.9 percent increase from 2020 and a 33 percent increase from 2012.
India is facing ongoing border tensions and disputes with Pakistan and China that occasionally cause armed conflicts. Hence, India is constantly modernizing its armed forces and is increasing its self-reliance in the production of armaments.
Jammu’s Palli village is India’s First ‘Carbon-neutral Panchayat’
Palli village located in the Samba district of Jammu has become India’s first panchayat to become carbon neutral, fully solar energy powered, and all its records have been digitized which will help in receiving all benefits of Central schemes easily.
Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the 500 KW solar plant at this carbon-neutral panchayat. With this inauguration Palli has become the country’s first panchayat to become carbon-neutral.
Palli will now be looked at as a model panchayat, and this will motivate the other panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir, and India to become carbon-neutral.
In Palli in a total area of 6,408 square metres 1,500 solar panels have been set up. These solar panels will be providing clean electricity to 340 houses that are located in the panchayat.
The central Govt has been pushing for major technology-related measures, modes of payments, and e-swaraj with the aim of making Panchayats of the country more powerful.
Carbon Neutrality
This refers to achieving zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing carbon dioxide emissions with their removal or through the elimination of emissions.
The term “net-zero” is used to describe a comprehensive commitment to climate action and decarbonization. Net-zero emissions can be achieved only when an organization’s greenhouse gas (CO2-e) emissions are balanced by their removal.
Odisha’s oldest fortified settlement at Asurgarh
An advanced radiocarbon dating technique that has been conducted on the Asurgarh fort settlement in the Kalahandi district of Odisha has placed this settlement in the ninth century BC or the Iron Age. This makes the settlement 2,500-2,600 years older than Odisha’s oldest fortified settlement, the Sisupalgarh fort.
Archaeologists have used the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon technique to establish that this settlement spanned over three cultural phases beginning from the ninth century BC to the third or fourth century AD. This settlement was earlier believed to be from the Mauryan period.
The Sisupalgarh fort dates back to the fifth to sixth century BC.
Asurgarh fort consists of exterior fortification and the main fort. The main fortification is spread over an area of 12 hectares.
Human settlements in Asurgarh began around the ninth century BC, but the iron tools found in this site are believed to have been developed between the fourth century BC to the second century AD which coincides with the Mauryan period.
This site’s cultural period has been divided into three phases that are:
Iron Age (9th century BC – 4th century BC)
Early Historic Period (2nd century BC – 1st century AD)
Late Period (2nd century AD – 3rd -4th century AD).
417 antiquities have been excavated from this site so far including beads of coral, carnelian, lapis lazuli, jasper, glass, shell, garnet, milky quartz, agate, kaolin, terracotta, and soft stone. The people of that period were good with iron technology and its uses. The iron materials that have been found at the Asurgarh site have not yet rusted as they have high ‘Fe’ content.
The first excavation on this site was done by N K Sahu in 1973 on behalf of the Postgraduate Department of History, Sambalpur University. Later in 1973, this site was declared protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – North East Festival
The week-long Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – North East Festival began on 28th April 2022 and it will be showcasing the potential of the Northeast region.
This week-long festival will be held across the 8 states of the northeast region in their own significant and special manner.
This festival’s coordinating body is the Ministry of DoNER.
This festival is being leveraged to discuss the various fundamental aspects of the development of India’s Northeast region. This festival will be celebrating aspiration, hope, and vision for a prosperous and developed North East Region.
Starting from the 29th of April, every day will be celebrated under a different theme across the 8 different states. Cultural programs will also be held that will celebrate the uniqueness of this region and will also be highlighting its potential.
Themes of the festival
Shillong: Investment Potential and future energy needs of North East (29th April)
Itanagar: Welfare of Tribals and Border Management (30th April)
Gangtok: The Smart City Revolution in the North East (30th April)
Agartala: Role of women in the development of North East (1st May)
Aizawl: Eco-Tourism in North East (2nd May)
Dimapur: Agri Horti and organic products potential of North East (2nd May)
Sports Potential of the North East region will be celebrated as a parallel to Sports week.
Imphal: The culmination would be celebrated (3rd May)
Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) program launched
The launch of the Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) program was announced by the Govt of India with the aim of creating Microprocessors for the country’s and the world’s future and to achieve industry-grade commercial silicon and design for the next generation of microprocessors by the month of December 2023.
RISC-V is an open and free ISA that will enable a new era of processor innovation through collaboration. This initiative is in line with the Govt’s ambition toward Atmanirbhar Bharat.
DIR-V will be witnessing partnerships between academia, start-ups, and multinationals with the aim of making India not a talent hub of RISC-V as well as a supplier of RISC-V SoC (System on Chips) to the world for mobile devices, servers, IoT, automotive, microcontrollers, etc.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship unveiled the blueprint for the roadmap of implementation and design of the DIR-V Program with the VEGA Processor by C-DAC and the SHAKTI Processor by IIT Madras.
Ministry of Electronics and IT has plans to join the RISC-V International as a premier board member to contribute, collaborate, and advocate India’s expertise with other global leaders of RISC-V.
IIT Madras’s director, Professor V. Kamakoti will be the Chief Architect and the program manager will be S. Krishnakumar Rao of the DIR-V Program.
Maharashtra Gene Bank is first-of-its-kind project in India
Recently, Maharashtra Cabinet approved the ‘Maharashtra Gene Bank’, a first-of-its-kind project in India.
Objective of the Maharashtra Gene Bank Project is to conserve genetic resources in Maharashtra including marine diversity, seeds of local crops, and animal diversity.
The ‘Maharashtra Gene Bank Project’ will work on seven themes:
Marine biodiversity
Local crop/seed varieties
Indigenous cattle breeds
Freshwater biodiversity
Grassland, scrubland, and animal grazing land biodiversity
Conservation and management plans for areas under forest right
Rejuvenation of forest areas.
In the next five years, an amount of ₹172.39 crores will be spent on these seven focus areas.
Indigenous knowledge resources will be tapped. The species and the knowledge of local communities will be well documented.
Genetic and molecular samples will be preserved and their breeders will be supported.
To preserve crop biodiversity, the Govt will encourage genome carriers who conserve seeds of local crop varieties and create seed banks.
About National Gene Bank of India
The Indian National Gene Bank has been established by the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) to conserve the national heritage of germplasm collections in the form of seeds, vegetative propagules, tissue/cell cultures, embryos, gametes, etc. National Gene Bank can preserve about one million germplasm in the form of seeds.
About National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR)
National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) was established in 1976 as the nodal agency at the National level for the Management of plant genetic resources (PGR) for food and agriculture, and to carry out related research and human resource development.
The Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam have witnessed a sharp rise in the population of rhinos and tigers. he authorities of the national park expect the tiger population will rise to more than 60 from 48 as per the 2021 census.
The park’s Rhino population has also increased. Under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV 2020), the Assam Govt decided to reintroduce rhinos in Manas National Park in 2005, and the first rhino was translocated to the park in 2006, from the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) near Kaziranga National Park.
About Manas National Park
Manas National Park is a national park that has been given the status of UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, an elephant reserve, a Project Tiger reserve, and a biosphere reserve.
It is located in the Himalayan foothills of Assam and is contiguous with Bhutan’s Royal Manas National Park.
Assam extended Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act,1958 (AFSPA) for six months
The Assam Govt has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in the state for six more months.
DoNER Ministry celebrates‘Nari Shakti of the North East’
The Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (MDoNER), as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, is celebrating a week-long campaign called ‘Nari Shakti of the North East,’ to recognize the exceptional achievements of women and girls in North East India ahead of International Women’s Day 2022.
The campaign was launched by Minister of Development of the North Eastern Region, G. Kishan Reddy.
The North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society (NERCRMS), Shillong and Changlang Community Resource Management Society (CCRMS), in collaboration with the District Administration and with support from the North Eastern Council and Ministry of DoNER, successfully conducted an awareness campaign on female hygiene and care products across District Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh.
It was conducted under the convergence of the Chief Minister’s flagship initiative, which promotes girls’ hygiene and health, with awareness in waste management. Under CCRMS and NERCRMSS, low-cost biodegradable and re-usable sanitary napkins are being produced by self-help groups with the focus being on girls and rural women.
As per the ‘Annual 2021 India Solar Market Update’ of Mercom India Research, India installed a record 10 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity in the calendar year 2021, a 212 percent increase year on year (y-o-y). Only 3.2 GW of solar capacity installations were made by India in 2020.
India’s cumulative solar installed capacity was at around 49 GW at the end of December 2021.
India added a total of 10 GW of solar power, the highest in a single year. In 2021, solar accounted for 62% of new power capacity additions, the largest power capacity shares ever.
Large-scale solar projects accounted for 83 percent of installations during the year, with a 230 percent y-o-y increase.
In 2021, rooftop installations increased by 138 percent y-o-y.
As of December 2021, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh were the top three states in terms of cumulative large-scale solar capacity, accounting for 50% of the country’s installations.
Rajasthan led capacity addition in 2021, with 4.5 GW of solar capacity installed.
Indian and Sri Lankan Navy bilateral maritime exercise SLINEX 2022
From March 7 to 10, the ninth edition of the Indian and Sri Lankan Navy bilateral maritime exercise SLINEX (Sri Lanka–India Naval Exercise) will be held at Visakhapatnam.
In two phases this exercise will be conducted with the Harbour Phase taking place at Visakhapatnam on March 7 and 8, and the Sea Phase taking place in the Bay of Bengal on March 9 and 10.
In October 2020, the previous edition of SLINEX was conducted in Trincomalee.
The aim of SLINEX is to increase mutual understanding, interoperability, and the exchange of best procedures and practices for multi-faceted maritime operations between the two navies.
India’s set to export record 7 million tonnes of wheat
This financial year, India is set to export around 7 million tonnes of wheat. This would be one of the highest exports of wheat by India.
India is the world’s second biggest producer of wheat, accounting for 13.53% of global production. But it only accounts for 1% of global wheat exports.
Annually India produces around 108 million tonnes of wheat. However, majority of the production goes for domestic consumption.
India exported a record 6.5 million tonnes in the financial year 2012-13. By the end of February 2022, India already exported 6.6 million tonnes of wheat.
Rajasthan announced Camel Protection and Development Policy
The state Govt of Rajasthan in its budget 2022-23 has announced a Camel Protection and Development Policy.
According to the state Govt figures, in Rajasthan there are less than two lakh camels left. Since 2012, the number of camels has reduced by 1.5 lakh in India. Around 2.5 lakh camels were left when in 2019 it was last counted.
The state animal of Rajasthan is the Camel and their number is decreasing continuously. In 2014, the Govt of Rajasthan had declared the camel as the state animal.
Nearly 85 per cent of India’s camels are found in Rajasthan which is followed by Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
According to the 2019 animal census, the number of camels in Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, and Nagaland dropped to zero, although these states had 45, 03, 07, and 92 camels, respectively, in 2012.
As the camel population is continuously declining, the Govt of Rajasthan has announced this policy. For this policy, a budget of Rs 10 crore has also been proposed. The amount will be used for protecting, rearing and developing the animals.
International Women’s Day on 8th March
On March 8th Women’s Day is celebrated annually across the globe. This day is dedicated to women and talks about their achievements and the journey they have taken to better their lives.
This day is celebrated with the aim to focus on gender equality and spread the message that without the inclusion of half of the planet’s population no vision can be fulfilled.
The Theme for International Women’s Day 2022 ‘Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow’ is the theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022.
‘#BreakTheBias’ is the IWD 2022 campaign theme. Its aim is to encourage a gender-equal world free of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.
In 1977 the United Nations first officially recognized International Women’s Day. However, one of the earliest calls for women’s rights dates back to 1848, when Americans Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the first women’s rights convention in the United States at an anti-slavery convention.
On February 13, National Women’s Day is held in India to commemorate Sarojini Naidu’s birth anniversary. She was a pioneer in women’s rights advocacy. Sarojini Naidu was called the Nightingale of India and was a poet as well as political leader.
PARAM Ganga supercomputer installed at IIT Roorkee
PARAM Ganga is the ‘Made in India’ Petascale supercomputer installed at IIT Roorkee under National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).
About PARAM GANGA
PARAM GANGA has a supercomputing capacity of 1.66 PFLOPS (Peta Floating-Point Operations per Second). It was designed and commissioned by C-DAC under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).
The crucial components required to build PARAM GANGA are manufactured and assembled in India along with an indigenous software stack developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
PARAM Ganga will provide greater computational power to Indian scientists and will give a boost to research and development activities across various disciplines.
About National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)
National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeiTY) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
It is being implemented by the C-DAC and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. It is the responsibility of C-DAC to design, develop and commission the supercomputing system. The goal of the mission is to develop the indigenous supercomputing ecosystem of India.
The four major pillars of the mission are:
A) Infrastructure
B) Applications
C) Research and development (R&D)
D) Human Resource Development (HRD).
About supercomputers
Supercomputers are the fastest and high-performance systems that are primarily used for scientific and industrial purposes requiring high-speed computations.
Supercomputer’s performance is measured in floating-point operations per second. Petascale computing refers to the computing systems that are capable of calculating at least 1015 floating-point operations per second.
Mission Indradhanush: Odisha Tops highest coverage of complete immunization
Odisha topped the list at the national level in full immunization coverage, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5, with 90.5 percent coverage.
Odisha’s twenty districts were above 90 percent in full immunization, while the remaining 10 districts were less than 90 percent.
As per the composite index assessment Ganjam, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jharsuguda, Koraput, Keonjhar, Malkangiri, Khurda, Sambalpur, Mayurbhanj, and Sundargarh districts were selected for inclusion under Intensified Mission Indradhanush.
Preventive doses against 12 different kinds of diseases are included in full immunization. The disease includes tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, jaundice, tetanus, whooping cough, brain fever, HIV, measles, pneumonia, diarrhoea, rubella, Japanese fever, and others.
About Mission Indradhanush
The Govt of India’s Mission Indradhanush is a healthcare initiative. It was first launched on December 25, 2014. This scheme seeks to achieve 90 percent full immunization coverage in India and also sustain it by the year 2022.
Vaccination is being provided against Whooping Cough, Diphtheria, Polio, Tetanus, severe form of Childhood Tuberculosis, Measles, and Hepatitis B and pneumonia &meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenza type B and also against Japanese Encephalitis and Rotavirus Diarrhea in selected states and districts of the nation.
About Intensified Mission Indradhanush
PM Narendra Modi launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) in October 2017 to further intensify the immunization programme. The Govt hopes to reach every kid under the age of two, as well as all pregnant women who have been left out of the routine immunization programme. The goal of the special drive was to boost immunization coverage in a few districts and cities, with the goal of reaching 90 percent coverage by December 2018 instead of 2020.
About Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0
Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0 was launched in December 2019 to ensure reaching the unreached with all available vaccines and to speed coverage of children and pregnant women in the specified blocks as well as districts from 2019 December to 2020 March.
It also aims that by 2030, the Sustainable Development Goal of reducing avoidable child deaths will be achieved. Because of the difficult-to-reach and tribal populations, it seeks to immunize 272 districts in 27 states and 652 blocks in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Youth Affairs, and Ministry of Urban Development have joined to guarantee that vaccine benefits reach the last mile.
Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0 scheme was implemented to cover children and pregnant women who missed routine immunization due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Intensified Mission Indradhanush 4.0 was launched recently by the Ministry of Health. It will ensure that unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children, as well as pregnant women, receive Routine Immunization (RI) services. Children up to the age of two will be covered under this drive.
India’s First Women-owned Industrial Park opened in Hyderabad
Commemorating the International Women’s Day 2022, India’s first 100 percent women-owned industrial park was opened in Hyderabad, Telangana. Telangana Industries Minister KT Rama Rao inaugurated this park.
With 25 women-owned and operated Green Projects, this industrial park has begun its operations.
The FLO Industrial Park is named after the FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO), which is promoting it in association with the Telangana Govt. The FLO Industrial Park, covers 50 acres and cost Rs 250 crore to build.
Indian Govt to setup National Land Monetization Corporation
The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi has approved the setting up National Land Monetization Corporation (NLMC).
NLMC was first proposed in the Union Budget 2021-22 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. NLMC will now be set up as a wholly-owned Govt of India company.
NLMC will be under the administrative jurisdiction of the Department of Public Enterprise, Ministry of Finance. NLMC’s initial authorized share capital will be ₹5000 crores and paid-up share capital is ₹150 crore.
NLMC will support and undertake monetization of excess land and buildings of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and other Govt institutions. NLMC will also provide technical advice to the Govt in the implementation of the asset monetization program. CPSEs may transfer their non-core assets to NLMC to manage and monetize them.
Need for monetization
Many Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) have surplus assets like land and buildings, which are not put into productive use. Monetization of such non-core assets with help in unlocking their value.
Through monetization, these un-used & under-used assets can be productively used to attract investments from the private sector and generate new employment opportunities.
Monetization of these assets will also generate substantial revenues to the Govt, which can be used for creating economic and social infrastructure.
Monetization by National Land Monetization Corporation (NLMC) will speed up the strategic disinvestment process of CPSEs.
India tops medals tally at ISSF World Cup 2022
The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup 2022 was held in Cairo, Egypt from 26th February to 8th March 2022.
With a total of seven medals, the Indian team took first place in the medals tally, with four gold, two silver, and one bronze.
Norway, won six medals which include three gold, one silver, and two bronze, and came second on the medals tally. With three golds, France came third.
India’s performance
The first gold medal was won by Saurabh Chaudhary. He defeated Germany’s Michael Schwald with a score of 16-6 in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol gold medal match.
Anish Bhanwala and Rhythm Sangwan won the gold medal in the 25m rapid fire pistol mixed team match against Thailand.
Indian trio of Anish Bhanwala, Gurpreet Singh, and Bhavesh Shekhawat won the silver medal in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol team competition after losing to Germany.
In the women’s 10m air pistol team event Nivetha Paramanantham, Esha Singh, and Ruchira Vinerkar clinched the gold medal.
In the women’s 25m pistol team event Esha Singh, Rahi Sarnobat, and Rhythm Sangwan won the gold for India. They defeated the team from Singapore in the gold match.
In the women’s 10m air pistol individual event Esha Singh clinched the Silver medal.
In the 50m rifle 3 positions mixed team event Akhil Sheoran and Shriyanka Sadangi won the bronze medal.
Katalin Novák elected Hungary’s First Female President
Katalin Novák, a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has been elected as Hungary’s first female president by the Hungarian parliament.
She won 137 votes to 51 in the parliament, which is dominated by Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party, defeating opponent Peter Rona, an economist.
Novák will be succeeding Janos Ader, a co-founder of Orban’s ruling Fidesz party who has served as prime minister since 2012.
Novák has been the face of Govt initiatives which include encouraging young families to have more children, as well as giving significant tax breaks.
Gujarat top position in 2nd edition of Export Preparedness Index 2021 by NITI Aayog
NITI Aayog, in partnership with the Institute of Competitiveness, released the Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2021.
About the Report
The Export Preparedness Index is a data-driven endeavour to identify the fundamental areas critical for subnational export promotion.
Primary Goals-
To instil competition among all Indian states (‘Coastal’, ‘Landlocked’, ‘Himalayan’, and ‘UTs/City-States’)
To bring about favourable export-promotion policies,
Ease the regulatory framework to prompt subnational export promotion,
Create the necessary infrastructure for exports
Assist in identifying strategic recommendations for improving export competitiveness.
4 Pillars
Policy: A comprehensive trade policy provides a strategic direction for exports and imports.
Business Ecosystem:An efficient business ecosystem can help attract investments and create an enabling infrastructure for businesses to grow.
Export Ecosystem:This pillar aims to assess the business environment, which is specific to exports.
Export Performance:This is the only output-based pillar and examines the reach of export footprints of states and union territories.
Top Performers
Gujarat has retained the top position at the NITI Aayog’s second edition of the Export Preparedness Index 2021 followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as among the states who are the top 10 performers.
Among union territories, Delhi has topped the index followed by Goa, Jammu, Kashmir, Chandigarh, and Puducherry while Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Sikkim, and Manipur were at the top five spots among the Himalayan states.
India on verge of achieving SDG Target of Maternal Mortality Ratio
In a significant achievement, Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of India has declined by 10 points as per the Special Bulletin on MMR released by the Registrar General of India.
The ratio has declined from 113 in 2016-18 to 103 in 2017-19 (8.8 % decline).
The country has been witnessing a progressive reduction in MMR from 130 in 2014-2016, 122 in 2015-17, 113 in 2016-18, and to 103 in 2017-19.
With this persistent decline, India is on the verge of achieving National Health Policy (NHP) target of 100/lakh live births by 2020 and certainly on track to achieve the SDG target of 70/ lakh live births by 2030.
States that achieved SDG Targets
The number of states which have achieved the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target has now risen from 5 to 7 viz. Kerala (30), Maharashtra (38), Telangana (56), Tamil Nadu (58), Andhra Pradesh (58), Jharkhand (61), and Gujarat (70).
There are now nine (9) States that have achieved the target of MMR set by the NHP which include the above 7 and the States of Karnataka (83) and Haryana (96).
States with MMR between 100-150
Five states [Uttarakhand (101), West Bengal (109), Punjab (114), Bihar (130), Odisha (136) and Rajasthan (141)] have MMR in between 100-150.
States with MMR above 150
4 states namely, Chhattisgarh (160), Madhya Pradesh (163), Uttar Pradesh (167) and Assam (205) have MMR above 150.
Debasish Panda appointed as the new Chief of IRDAI
Debasish Panda has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) for a three-year term.
About IRDAI
The IRDAI is a regulatory body that falls under the ambit of the Ministry of Finance. This organization is responsible for licencing and regulating the insurance and reinsurance sectors in India. It was constituted under the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act of 1999.
The agency’s headquarters have been in Hyderabad since 2001 when it relocated from Delhi. The chairman, as well as five full-time and four part-time members selected by the Indian Govt, constitute the IRDAI.
Mukhyamantri Chaa Srami Kalyan Prakalpa scheme
Tripura Govt has announced a special scheme ‘Mukhyamantri Chaa Srami Kalyan Prakalpa’ for tea workers.
It is introduced as a step towards bringing the 7000 tea garden workers of Tripura under the social security net.
This special scheme would ensure housing, rations, and financial support to the tea garden workers.
India’s equity market in Top 5 in terms of market capitalization
For the first time, India’s equity market reached the world’s fifth position in terms of market capitalization.
At present India is ranked 5th, after the U.S., China, Japan, and Hong Kong. At the start of 2022, India was ranked 7th. Later, India climbed two positions despite a 7.4% drop in its market capitalization. Now, India’s total market capitalization is $3.21 trillion.
Market capitalization (market cap) is the total market value of a publicly-traded company’s outstanding shares of stock. Market cap is calculated by multiplying the total company’s outstanding shares by the current market price of one share
Sikkim announced ‘Bahini’ scheme
The Govt of Sikkim is set to announce the Bahini scheme in its annual Budget later this month.
About the Bahini scheme
The Bahini scheme aims to provide secondary and senior secondary school-going girls with 100% access to free and safe sanitary pads. Under the Bahini scheme, Vending machines will be installed in 210 secondary and senior secondary Govt schools of Sikkim to provide free sanitary pads.
The scheme will cover 18,665 adolescent girls studying in Govt schools in Sikkim.
This is the first time in India that a state decided to cover all girls studying in Class 9-12. Under the scheme, incinerators will also be installed at the schools to dispose of pads.
Anganwadi and ASHA workers will also be involved in the Bahini Scheme.
Aims of the Bahini scheme
The main aim of the Bahini scheme is to curb the dropout of adolescent girls from schools. According to an international NGO WaterAid India, 23% of adolescent girls drop out of school due to a lack of proper sanitation facilities and sanitary napkins. The scheme also raises awareness about menstrual hygiene among school-going adolescent girls.
Assam launched Unique Land Parcel Identification Number
Union minister of rural development and Panchayati raj, Giriraj Singh launched Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) in Assam.
About ULIPN
Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULIPN) project was launched in Assam on a pilot basis.
Under this project, every land parcel in Assam will have a 14-digit alphanumeric geospatial unique identification number (UIN). Thus, ULPIN will act as an “adhaar for land”.
About Mission Basundhara
‘Mission Basundhara’ is a mission launched by the Govt of Assam to streamline and make land revenue services accessible to all, thereby promoting ease of doing business environment in the land management ecosystem of Assam. ‘Mission Basundhara’ aims to reduce the pendency in the updation of the land records.
The three components of ‘Mission Basundhara’ are:
Purification of the land records in the state in a mission mode.
Conducting Polygon survey of yet to be surveyed 672 non-cadastral villages.
Conducting a Re-survey of 18789 cadastral villages using the hybrid methodology.
About DILRMP
ULPIN project is part of the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP).
DILRMP was launched in 2008 by the Govt of India. It was earlier known as the National Land Record Modernization Programme (NLRMP). The objective of DILRMP is to digitize and modernize the land records and to develop a centralized land record management system in India.
The three important components of DILRMP are:
Computerization of the land records.
Conducting a survey or resurvey of the land.
Computerization of the land registration.
The ultimate aim of the DILRMP is to move towards the conclusive titling system with title guarantee by replacing the present presumptive title system in India.
Karnataka launched India’s first-ever Digital Water Data Bank
Karnataka’s IT Minister, C N Ashwath Narayan launched India’s first-ever digital water data bank, AQVERIUM.
The Digital water data bank is a list of water data sourced from various institutions.
It provides reliable information and insights regarding the various aspects of water.
It helps in making evidence-based policies and decisions to achieve a water-secure world.
This data will help tackle some common development challenges and water pollution. It also helps in improving service delivery, sustaining water resources, & building resilience.
About AQVERIUM
AQVERIUM is India’s first-ever digital water data bank. It is an initiative of AquaKraft Ventures, a company that has expertise in sustainable initiatives to provide drinking water and sanitation to all.
AQVERIUM intends to train around one million youth in water, sanitation, hydro-geological sciences, and data sciences. It is a unique innovation combining sustainable technologies along with IT, skill development, and entrepreneurship.
A unique social franchising model is also offered by the company. The objective is to create ‘water entrepreneurs’ and make India ‘Water Positive’ by 2030.
Achieving water security is crucial for India to become a USD 5 trillion economy. At present, the Indian water market is highly unorganized and there is a need for a comprehensive 360-degrees approach towards water management.
Nagaland India’s first state Assembly to implement National e-Vidhan Application
Nagaland became India’s first State Assembly to implement the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) programme to become paperless.
About National e-Vidhan Application
NeVA is a type of work-flow system that was deployed on NIC Cloud, MeghRaj which helps to conduct the proceedings of the House smoothly by the Chair of the House and also to conduct Legislative Business of the House in a manner which is paperless.
NeVA is a member-centric and device neutral application that was created to equip the members to smartly handle various House Business by putting entire information regarding the contact details of members, list of business, rules of procedure, bulletins, notices, starred or unstarred questions, and answers, bills, committee reports, papers laid, etc. in their handheld devices such as tablets and equip all Departments and Legislatures to handle it efficiently.
Through the use of NeVA the process of sending out a request or notice for the data collection is completely eliminated.
Each Member of the House has a secure page where they can submit questions and other notices.
mNeVA is a user-friendly mobile version of NeVA that is accessible on both Android and iOS. mNeVA has made information about how legislatures conduct business available to the public which can be accessed any time and from any location.
Aim of NeVA
NeVA aims to bring the country’s legislatures together, in one platform thus creating a massive depository of data without having the complexity faced due to having multiple applications.
Surajkund Crafts Mela being held in Surajkund, Haryana
From the 19th March 2022, the annual Surajkund International Crafts Mela is being held in Surajkund, Haryana for celebrating Indian cultural heritage and folk traditions.
This Mela attracts more than a million visitors including thousands of overseas visitors. The aim of this festival is to promote the vast culture and talent of the nation’s indigenous artisans.
This Mela is the largest crafts fair in the world, showcasing the rich diversity of India’s handlooms, handicrafts, and cultural fabric.
This Mela is an international artisan fair that is one-of-a-kind and provides a platform for artists from across the globe to demonstrate their creativity and culture.
Haryana’s Tourism Department hosts this Mela at Surajkund annually, and it attracts travellers of all ages.
The partner nation of this year’s Mela is Uzbekistan.
The theme state of the Surajkund Mela 2022 is Jammu &Kashmir, presenting its rich legacy and distinct culture via handicrafts and art forms and is the theme state of the Surajkund Mela 2022. Hundreds of artists from Jammu and Kashmiri will perform various indigenous performances to enchant the audience, ranging from exquisite crafts to traditional dances.
World Water Day observed on 22nd March
On 22nd March, World Water Day is observed annually. This day is observed to raise awareness regarding the importance of water and its conservation.
This day focuses to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) of the United Nations. SDG 6 looks to ensure sanitation and safe water for all across the globe by 2030.
This day acts as a reminder for us to take precautionary steps to tackle water crisis across the globe.
The theme of World Water Day 2022
“Groundwater, making the invisible visible” is the theme for this year’s World Water Day. The programs that have been organized for this day will focus on groundwater importance.
Many organizations, as well as individuals, are being called upon to create awareness regarding this resource which is continuously depleting.
In 1992, during the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, the idea to observe this day was first put forward. The UN General Assembly, in 1992, adopted a resolution declaring 22nd March as World Day for Water. The observation of this day began in 1993.
Rooftop Solar Programme Phase- II
The Rooftop Solar Programme Phase-II is being implemented by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The guidelines for this were issued in August 2019. Through Central Financial Assistance (CFA), 4000 MW rooftop solar (RTS) capacity addition has been targeted under this programme in the residential sector.
For RTS projects till 3 kW capacity and till 20% for the RTS system capacities with more than 3 kW till 10 kW for individual households, the CFA up to 40% of the benchmark cost is provided.
For Residential Welfare Associations and Group Housing Societies, the CFA has been limited to 20% for the RTS plants for power supply to the common facilities with a maximum capacity of 500 kW.
Additionally, around 10 per cent of the rooftop solar cost are provided as incentives to the distribution utilities depending upon capacity addition above baseline.
For the residential sector, the ministry has allocated a capacity of 3162 MW so far. A total of 1252 MW capacity out of the allocated capacity has been reported to have been installed as of 28th February 2022. Under this programme, Rs 1,132.74 crore of Central financial assistance has been distributed to various electricity distribution corporations.
Dennis Parnell Sullivan won Abel Prize for 2022
The winner of the Abel Prize 2022 is Dennis Parnell Sullivan, an American mathematician. This award also includes prize money which amounts to 7 Million NOK (Norwegian Krone).
He received this award for his contributions to topology, especially its geometric, algebraic, and dynamical aspects.
Topology is a field of mathematics that considers two things of different forms to be equivalent only if they can be deformed into each other. Topology is a new field of mathematics as it was born at the end of the 19th century. Topology is important in maths and various other fields like data science, economics, and physics.
About Abel Prize
The King of Norway presents the Abel Prize and it is given annually to an individual who has done a remarkable job in the mathematics field.
This prize has been named after Niels Henrik Abel who was a famous Norwegian mathematician. This award took inspiration from the famous Nobel Prize.
Nobel Prize doesn’t have a section for mathematics, though some mathematicians have won this prestigious prize in other fields.
The Fields Medal is an annual award that is also considered to be the ‘Mathematics Nobel’ but it is only awarded to those individuals who are below the age of 40.
The Abel Prize was first awarded in 2003 to Jean-Pierre Serre, a French mathematician, for his contribution to algebraic geometry, topology, and number theory.
In 2007, S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan, who is an Indian-American citizen had won the Abel Prize for his contribution in probability theory and for creating a unified large deviation theory.
India’s exports crossed the USD 400 billion for the first time
India’s exports crossed the USD 400 billion mark in a fiscal year. This is the first time India’s export has reached such heights.
This milestone has been achieved due to good performance by various sectors such as engineering, petroleum products, jewellery and gems, and chemicals.
Exports increased by 37 percent to USD 400.8 billion in 2021-22 until March 21, compared to USD 292 billion in 2020-21. Earlier, a record of USD 330.07 billion in 2018-19 was reached by outbound shipments.
During this period imports amounted to USD 589 billion, which leaves a USD 189 billion trade deficit. The country had a target of USD 400 billion for merchandise export set for FY2022 which was was achieved with 10 days remaining in the fiscal. There’s a chance that the total export for this fiscal might cross USD 410 billion.
Increase in the export of other types of goods. Several goods such as motor vehicles, auto components, buffalo meat, cereal preparations, carpets, rice, and processed fruits saw an increase in their overall exports volumes despite commodity price decline.
Engineering goods contributed the most. It grew at a nearly 50 percent rate and is expected to touch USD110 billion by FY2022’s end. By 42.8 percent the export of electronics goods rose. By 57.3 percent the jewellery and gems exports rose.
Due to a steady increase in the prices of crude oil, petroleum products exports rose by 147.6 percent.
Along with this inorganic and organic chemicals, meat, readymade garments, dairy products, and marine products saw an increase in exports.
Reserve Bank Innovation Hub in Bengaluru inaugurated
The Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) has been inaugurated by Shaktikanta Das, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in Bengaluru.
RBIH has been set up as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the RBI with Rs 100 crore as an initial capital contribution.
Gopalakrishnan is selected as the Chairman.
This initiative of the RBI puts it among a select few global central banks that are trying to bring about change in the mode of engagement while trying to bring about innovations in this sector.
The aim of the RBIH is to create an ecosystem that will focus on the promotion of access to various financial products and services for the low-income group population across the nation.
The RBIH also has the objective of bringing world-class innovation to the country’s financial sector along with working towards the theme of financial inclusion.
The Hub will also be looking to mentor and identify various start-ups. It will also collaborate with Govt Departments, Ministries to identify and resolve challenges in different domains.
Indian Antarctic Bill 2022 approved
A Draft legislation has been approved by India’s Union Cabinet to provide a regulatory framework for research activities of India in Antarctica and also to protect the continent’s environment. The Ministry of Earth Sciences has piloted the Indian Antarctica Bill.
This bill is expected to help fulfill the nation’s obligations under the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources of 1982, the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, and 1998s Treaty of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic.
India’s Antarctic program began in the year 1981 and since then 40 scientific expeditions have been completed. India has also built three bases on the continent.
India’s base stations in Antarctica
As of now, India has two fully functioning base stations in Antarctica named Maitri which was established in 1988, and Bharati which was established in 2012. Another one named Dakshin Gangotri was established in 1983 but it is not functional currently.
PV Sindhu won Swiss Open 2022
P V Sindhu won the Swiss Open 2022 defeating Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand in the finals of the Swiss Open Super 300 badminton tournament held in Basel, Switzerland.
This is her second title this season as she had earlier in January won the Syed Modi India International.
She is the second Indian woman to win this tournament, following Saina Nehwal who had earlier won in 2011 and 2012.
PV Sindhu is a two times Olympics medal winner having won the silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
This is her second finals appearance in the Swiss Open, having been defeated by Carolina Marin in 2021.
Oscar Awards 2022 – Winners full list
The Oscars 2022 or the 94th Academy Awards ceremony which is presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
All Winners
Best Picture: CODA
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain for the movie The Eyes Of Tammy Faye
Best Director was won by Jane Campion for The Power Of The Dog.
Best Actor: Will Smith for the movie King Richard
Best Supporting Actress went to Ariana DeBose for the movie West Side Story.
Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur for the movie CODA
Best Original Screenplay: Bellfast
Best Adapted Screenplay: CODA
Best International Feature Film: Drive My Car (Country-Japan)
Best Documentary Feature: Summer Of Soul
Best Animated Feature Film: Encanto
Best Animated Short: The Windshield Wiper
Best Original Score: Dune
Best Live Action Short: The Long Goodbye
Best Cinematography: Dune
The Queen of Basketball received the award for Best Documentary (Short)
Best Original Song: No Time To Die (Movie- No Time To Die)
Best Production Design: Dune
Best Costume Design: Cruella
Best Sound: Dune
Best Makeup and Hair went to the movie The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Best Visual Effects: Dune
Best Film Editing: Dune
Stockholm Water Prize 2022 to Professor Wilfried Brutsaert
The Stockholm Water Prize 2022 has been awarded by The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) to Professor Wilfried Brutsaert for his innovative work in evaluating environmental evaporation.
This prize is widely considered to be the Nobel Prize for Water.
Professor Brutsaert was awarded this prize as he has developed methods for quantifying evaporation and the role it plays in the Earth’s energy balance that allows for accurate estimations of how precipitation can evolve.
This method is of utmost importance to the exposed local communities across the world as they will be needing to predict daily water levels as well as water levels available in the future.
About Stockholm International Water Institute
SIWI is a not-for-profit, independent organization that aims to strengthen freshwater governance regionally, globally, locally, and nationally.
This organization was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Torgny Holmgren is the current Executive Director.
This organization performs research, provides advisory services, and builds institutional capacity in five areas of transboundary water management, water governance, the water-energy-food nexus, water and climate change, and water economics.
Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya to be setup in Delhi
The Museum of Prime Ministers or the Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya is being built at Teen Murti Estate in Delhi.
This Museum will be covering the life of all of India’s 14 Prime Ministers who have taken up this role so far. Their contribution will also be showcased. The works and collection of Jawaharlal Nehru will however be staying in the Nehru Memorial Museum, which was also his residence at one point in time.
In this museum, speeches, rare photographs, newspapers, video clips, interviews, and original writings will be displayed. There will also be displays of personal belongings like caps, pens, letters, etc as well as interactive digital displays in this museum. Virtual reality and digital displays will be focused upon. This museum has been designed to accommodate all future PMs as well.
Gilbert F. Houngbo appointed ILO’s New Director-General
Gilbert F. Houngbo has recently been elected as the International Labour Organization’s 11th Director-General. He is the former Prime Minister of Togo and will be taking office in October 2022.
He will be the first African to have been elected to this post.
Since 2017, he is serving as the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Every 10 years, the ILO elects a new Director-General. The votes for this post are cast by the governing body of ILO which comprises representatives of workers, Govts, and employers.
National Education Society for Tribal Students established under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs
National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) is an autonomous organization that was established under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA).
NESTS started its journey four years back with the aim of providing high-quality education to all the tribal students across the country in their own specific environment.
It has also approved the building of 391 new schools. 140 schools are currently under construction and a total of 123 schools have started to function
NESTS and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs have set up targets to complete the construction of a total of 452 new schools and the pending 67 schools under its old scheme by the year 2025.
The constructed schools will be having state of the art facilities which will be in line with the Navodya Vidyalaya.
3rdborder haat on Bangladesh-India border to be set-up at Kamalpur-Kumarghat
The foundation stone for the third border haat at Kamalpur-Kumarghat on Tripura- Bangladesh border was laid jointly by the Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb and Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi. High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami was also present on the occasion.
Apart from enhancing trade relations between the two countries, the border haat will also strengthen friendly relationship between the two countries.
Tripura CM said that eight border haats are proposed to be built on the border between Tripura and Bangladesh out of which two are already functional at Kamalasagar in Sepahijala district and Srinagar in South Tripura district. Two others are already approved.
The border haat will start functioning at Kamalpur from this year. The consent for the fourth border haat at Raghna in Dharmanagar has been received on which work is expected to start from this year.
Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said that with the improvement in trade relations between the two countries, both the countries will benefit and come closer.
Border haats have become vibrant centres of trade, people to people connect and cultural exchange between border communities.
The border haat is spread over 75 square metres and can accommodate 100 vendors on each side of the border.
216-feet ‘Statue of Equality’ of 11th-century Bhakti saint Ramanujacharya unveiled at Hyderabad
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated to the nation 216-feet tall ‘Statue of Equality in Hyderabad to commemorate the 11th-century Bhakti saint Ramanujacharya. The statue has been conceptualised by Chinna Jeeyar Swami of Sri Ramanujacharya Ashram.
The inauguration of the statue is a part of the 12-day Sri Ramanuja Sahasrabdi Samaroham, the ongoing 1000th birth anniversary celebrations of the Bhakti saint. A 3D presentation on the life and teachings of the saint will also be showcased during the event.
The statue is made of ‘panchaloha’, a combination of five metals- gold, silver, copper, brass, and zinc. It is among one of the tallest metallic statues in sitting positions in the world.
The 216-feet tall ‘Statue of Equality statue is mounted on a 54-feet high base building, called ‘Bhadra Vedi’.
The floors of the building are dedicated to a Vedic digital library and research centre, ancient Indian texts, a theatre, an educational gallery detailing works of Sri Ramanujacharya.
Divya Desams
The monument will be surrounded by 108 `Divya Desams’ of Sri Vaishnavism tradition (model temples) like Tirumala, Srirangam, Kanchi, Ahobhilam, Bhadrinath, Muktinath, Ayodhya, Brindavan, Kumbhakonam and others. The idols of deities and structures were constructed in the shape at the existing temples. The idols were also painted.
BIOGRAPHY: Ramanujacharya
Ramanuja or Ramanujacharya was an Indian philosopher, Hindu theologian, social reformer, and one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavism tradition within Hinduism.
His philosophical foundations for devotionalism were influential to the Bhakti movement.
Ramanujacharya promoted the idea of equality in all aspects of life including faith, caste and creed.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Union Budget for 2022-23 in Parliament
Capital expenditure outlay hiked by 35.4%
Total expenditure in 2022-23 estimated at Rs. 39.45 lakh crore.
Total receipts other than borrowings in 2022-23 estimated at Rs. 22.84 lakh crore.
Fiscal deficit in current year: 6.9% of GDP (against 6.8% in Budget Estimates)
Fiscal deficit in 2022-23 estimated at 6.4% of GDP.
Direct Taxes: Provision to file an Updated Return on payment of additional tax. This will enable the assessee to declare income missed out earlier.
Direct Taxes: No change in income tax slabs.
Scheme for taxation of virtual digital assets: Any income from transfer of any virtual digital asset to be taxed at rate of 30%.
Gems and Jewellery: Customs duty on cut and polished diamonds and gemstones being reduced to 5%.
10.Customs duty of at least Rs 400 per Kg to be paid on imitation jewellery import.
11.Customs duty on umbrellas being raised to 20%. Exemption to parts of umbrellas being withdrawn.
12.Tariff measure to encourage blending of fuel: Unblended fuel to attract an additional differential excise duty of Rs 2/ litre from Oct 1, 2022.
13.National Highways Network to be expanded by 25000 Km in 2022-23.
14.Railways: One Station One Product concept to help local businesses & supply chains.
15.Ken Betwa project: 1400 crore outlay for implementation of the Ken – Betwa link project.
MSME: Emergency Credit Linked Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) to be extended up to March 2023.
Skill Development: Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood (DESH-Stack e-portal) will be launched.
Startups will be promoted to facilitate ‘Drone Shakti’ and for Drone-As-AService (DrAAS)
19.Education: ‘One Class-One TV channel’ programme of PM eVIDYA to be expanded to 200 TV channels.
Health: An open platform for National Digital Health Ecosystem to be rolled out.
Har Ghar, Nal Se Jal: Rs. 60,000 crores allocated to cover 3.8 crore households in 2022-23
Housing for All: Rs. 48,000 crores allocated for completion of 80 lakh houses in 2022-23 under PM Awas Yojana.
NE: New scheme PM-DevINE (Development Initiative for North-East Region) launched for the North-East.
Vibrant Villages Programme for development of Border villages on the northern border.
25.Banking: Scheduled Commercial Banks to set up 75 Digital Banking Units (DBUs) in 75 districts.
Accelerated Corporate Exit: Centre for Processing Accelerated Corporate Exit (C-PACE) to be established for speedy winding-up of companies.
27.AVGC Promotion Task Force: An animation, visual effects, gaming, and comic (AVGC) promotion task force to be set-up to realize the potential of this sector.
Defence: 68% of capital procurement budget earmarked for domestic industry in 2022-23, up from 58% in 2021-22.
Digital Rupee: Introduction of Digital Rupee by the Reserve Bank of India starting 2022-23.
30.States: In 2022-23, States will be allowed a fiscal deficit of 4% of GSDP, of which 0.5% will be tied to power sector reforms
PR Sreejesh wins World Games Athlete of the Year 2021 Award
Veteran Indian Hockey goalkeeper P R Sreejesh has won the prestigious World Games Athlete of the Year for his 2021 performances, becoming only the second Indian to receive the accolade.
In 2020, Indian Women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal became the first Indian to win the honour for her 2019 show.
Sreejesh beat competition from sport climber Alberto Gins Lopez of Spain and Italy’s wushu player Michele Giordano for the award.
Sreejesh, a former captain of Indian Men’s Hockey Team and part of the Tokyo Olympics-bronze medal winning side, received around one lakh twenty seven thousand votes, whereas Lopez got around sixty seven thousand votes and Giordane accumulated over fifty two thousand votes.
The 33-year-old was the only Indian nominated and was recommended by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
In the FIH Stars Awards in October, Sreejesh was named the goalkeeper of the year for 2021.
Sreejesh has represented India in 244 senior international matches. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Sreejesh led the Indian hockey team to the quarterfinals of the tournament. He led the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2016 Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy held at London
India gets two more Ramsar sites; Gujarat’s Khijadia & UP’s Bakhira wildlife sanctuary declared as Ramsar sites, taking the total number of protected sites in the country to 49, covering an area of 10,93,636 hectares, the highest in South Asia.
Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary in UP provides a safe wintering and staging ground for a large number of species of the Central Asian Flyway while Khijadia Wildlife Sanctuary is a coastal wetland with rich avifaunal diversity providing a safe habitat to endangered and vulnerable species.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2 February
This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
The Standing Committee of the Convention has approved the themes for World Wetlands Day as follows:
2022: Wetlands action for people and nature,
2023: Wetland restoration
2024: Wetlands and human wellbeing
World Wetlands Day is observed every year on 2nd February all over the world. The idea is to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and our planet. This day also marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2nd February, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar.
On this occasion, “National Wetland Decadal Change Atlas” prepared by the Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad was released highlighting the changes which have happened in Wetlands across the country in the past decade.
IISc Bengaluru Commissions one of India’s most powerful supercomputers ‘Param Pravega’
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), Bengaluru, has installed and commissioned ‘Param Pravega’, one of the most powerful supercomputers in India.
It is also the largest supercomputer commissioned in an Indian educational institution.
Param Pravega has a total supercomputing capacity of 3.3 petaflops (1 petaflop equals a quadrillion, or 1015 operations per second).
The supercomputer has been designed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)
It has been developed under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), a joint initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and implemented by C-DAC and IISc
JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar named as new Chairman of UGC
Govt of India has appointed JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) Vice-Chancellor, M Jagadesh Kumar as the new Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). University Grants Commission was founded in 1956.
Biography: M Jagadesh Kumar:
Hailing from Mamidala village in Telangana’s Nalgonda district, 60-year-old Kumar holds a masters degree and a PhD from IIT-Madras. He also completed his post-doctoral research at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, at Ontario, Canada.
He was a professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT-Delhi before being appointed as the JNU vice-chancellor in January 2016. He continued teaching at IIT-Delhi while serving as the JNU VC.
4th February observed as 2024 World Cancer Day: closing the care gap
Cancer is one of the world’s leading causes of death, and its burden is growing. In 2021, the world crossed a sobering new threshold – an estimated 20 million people were diagnosed with cancer, and 10 million died. These numbers will continue to rise in the decades ahead. And yet all cancers can be treated, and many can be prevented or cured.
Care for cancer, however, like so many other diseases, reflects the inequalities and inequities of our world. The clearest distinction is between high- and low-income countries, with comprehensive treatment reportedly available in more than 90% of high-income countries but less than 15% of low-income countries.
Similarly, the survival of children diagnosed with cancer is more than 80% in high-income countries, and less than 30% in low- and middle-income countries. And breast cancer survival five years after diagnosis now exceeds 80% in most high-income countries, compared with 66% in India and just 40% in South Africa.
A recent WHO survey found that cancer services are covered by a country’s largest, Govt health financing scheme in an estimated 37% of low- and middle-income countries, compared to at least 78% of high-income countries. This means that a cancer diagnosis has the potential to push families into poverty, particularly in lower-income countries, an effect that has been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
India’s Atal Tunnel is now the World’s Longest Highway Tunnel above 10,000 ft
The 9.02 km Atal Tunnel at Rohtang has created a new record! Located at an altitude of more than 10000 ft, this tunnel connects Manali with Lahaul.
It has been recognised as the world’s longest single tube highway at this height by the World Book of Records, London.
White Cheeked Macaque found in Arunachal Pradesh
The scientists recently found white cheeked macaque in Arunachal Pradesh. The discovery adds a new species to the mammal list of India.
The White Cheeked macaque was first discovered in southeastern Tibet.
With the discovery of White Cheeked macaque, India’s total mammal count has increased to 438.
About White Cheeked Macaque
These macaques are different from the other macaques mainly because of their white cheeks. Also, they have a longer tail, long and thick hairs in the neck area. It has not yet been included in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The major threat to the species is hunting, habitat degradation, infrastructure development and consumption by the locals.
Other Macaques in India
Apart from the white cheeked macaque, India has Arunachal macaque, Assamese macaque, Rhesus macaque.
Macaques
The macaques are old world monkeys. There are 23 species of macaques in the world. They are mainly found in Asia, North Africa, Gibraltar. They mainly feed on leaves, seeds, flowers and tree bark. The pig tailed macaques in Malaysia eat rats. Also, there are crab eating macaques.
India ranked 46 in Democracy Index 2021: EIU Latest Report
The Economic Intelligence Unit recently released the Democracy Index Report, 2021. The report described the state of democracy in 165 countries.
The report was prepared based on five parameters. They were functioning of the Govt, electoral process and pluralism, political participation, civil liberties and political culture.
Norway topped the index. The country scored 9.75. Following Norway, New Zealand was at the second position. Finland, Sweden and Iceland were at the third, fourth and fifth position respectively. Afghanistan scored the least with 0.32. Earlier North Korea was at the bottom most position.
China was ranked at 148th position. Myanmar: 166, Nepal: 1010, Pakistan: 104, Bhutan: 81, Bangladesh: 75, Sri Lanka: 67
Countries that showed improvement are Singapore, UAE, Uruguay, Guyana, Montenegro, Republic of Congo, India, Moldova, Qatar, Indonesia, Zambia.
One – third of the world population is living under authoritarian rule. 6.4% is having full democracy. The current global democracy score is 5.28 out of 10.
India ranked 46 in the index. The overall score of India was 6.91. The individual scores of the country are as follows:
Political Culture: 5
Electoral process and Pluralism: 8.67
Civil liberties: 6.18
Political participation: 7.22
Functioning of Govt: 7.5
LIC to be India’s largest Initial Public Offering
The Govt of India is planning to sell 5% of its share in Life Insurance Corporation (LIC). With this, the Govt is trying to raise Rs 65,000 crores.
The IPO is to help Govt of India in achieving its target. In the fiscal year 2021-22, the Govt of India had set a divestment target of Rs 2.1 lakh crores. However, the target counldnt be achieved. For the fiscal year, 2022-23, the divestment target is Rs 78,000 crores.
10% of the shares are being reserved for eligible policy holders. These shares will carry discounted prices. The plan is to sell 316.25 million shares. This is 5% of the total equity base. The total equity base of LIC is 6.32 billion shares. The pricing of IPO, Initial Public Offering, has not yet been decided. 35% of the shares are to be reserved for retail investors. Discounts are to be provided to LIC employees.
The most valuable firm right now is Reliance Industries. The market capitalization of Reliance is Rs 16.1 lakh crores.
Initial Public Offering (IPO)
The IPO is providing the shares of private corporation to the public. The fund raised through IPO is used in further development of the business. It helps in publicity, fundraising, exit opportunity, etc. Also, it helps in the expansion of the company. The transparency in the process brings credibility.
Vice Admiral (retd) G Ashok Kumar appointed India’s first National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC)
Following the 26/11 terrorist attack, India has been consistently trying to augment the nation’s maritime security. In regard to this, the Govt has appointed Vice Admiral (retd) G Ashok Kumar as the nation’s first national maritime security coordinator with the view of strengthening the country’s maritime security.
This move has been made with the aim of ensuring cohesion among the various defense stakeholders of the nation with the primary aim of securing the country’s interest.
Since the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, the Govt has authorized a plethora of security measures to ensure that a repeat of such attacks does not occur again.
About Vice Admiral (retd) G Ashok Kumar served as the nation’s 35th Navy Vice Chief. He assumed this position in the year 2019 and served till July 2021.
Working of the National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC)
The NMSC works in tandem with the National Security Council which is headed by Ajit Doval (NSA). The NMSC is tasked with coordinating with the Coast Guard, the Indian Navy, and various other security agencies who are involved in providing maritime and coastal security, in 13 Union Territories and coastal states of the country.
Nepal to be the first country to adopt India’s UPI system
The first country to adopt India’s UPI system will be Nepal which will be critical in modernising the neighbouring country’s digital economy.
To deliver the services in Nepal, NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), NPCI’s international arm, has partnered with Manam Infotech and Gateway Payments Service (GPS). In Nepal, GPS is the authorized payment system operator, and Manam Infotech will implement the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) there.
According to NPCI, the collaboration will benefit Nepal’s greater digital public good by strengthening interoperable real-time person-to-merchant (P2M) and person-to-person (P2P) transactions in the neighbouring country. This collaboration will allow the citizens of Nepal’s last-mile consumers to benefit from an interoperable, open payment system that enables real-time financial transfers between merchant payments and bank accounts.
It will open the way for real-time cross-border P2P transfers between Nepal and India in the future. UPI’s real-time payment system can help accelerate Nepal’s financial inclusion process while also expanding business opportunities.
It will aid in the modernization of Nepal’s digital payment infrastructure and provide citizens with the convenience of digital payments.
About the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
The Reserve Bank of India’s specialized section, the National Payments Corporation of India which was founded in the year 2008 is managed by the Ministry of Finance of the Govt of India. It was established by the Reserve Bank of India to manage India’s retail payment and settlement systems.
About NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL)
NPCI has established a separate business to market its product internationally. Countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East have approached NPCI to strengthen their payment infrastructure. NIPL wants closer cooperation with international partners in areas such as cross-border remittance, UPI implementation, and the use of indigenously produced technologies in digital payments.
Asia’s largest Bio-CNG plant in Indore
Asia’s largest Bio-CNG plant will virtually be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Indore.
Indore is considered as one of the cleanest cities India. With the inauguration of bio-CNG plant, it will set another high standard in cleanliness.
The Bio-CNG plant will be operated using 100 per cent wet waste. It is estimated to produce 18,000 kg gas per day. As per estimates of Indore Municipal Corporation, amount of Bio-CNG will help in running around 400 buses in the city daily.
The bio-CNG plant has a total capacity of 550 MT. It will produce CNG with 96 per cent pure methane gas.
This ‘lighthouse plant’ has been set up under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, by Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and Indo Enviro Integrated Solutions Limited (IEISL). From this, Indore Municipal Corporation will earn a revenue of Rs 2.5 crore per year.
This plant will improve the calorific value as well as increase the effectiveness of Bio-CNG. It will help in purifying the air quality of densely-populated cities. It will further help in mitigating 1,30,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
Indore: Cleanest City of India
Indore has emerged as the cleanest city in India, over the past few years. It ensures 100 per cent segregation of solid waste at source. It leads to less than 1 per cent impurities in wet waste. As per experts, quality of wet waste in Indore is one of the best across the world. This prompted the private partners to participate in PPP bid to set up the plant.
India’s new green hydrogen policy was unveiled, promising cheaper renewable energy, a 25-year fee waiver for inter-state power transmission for projects completed before June 2025, land in renewable energy parks, and mega manufacturing zones to help local industries move away from fossil fuels.
The policy aims to boost green hydrogen and ammonia, also making it easier for green power producers to ‘bank’ their surplus renewable energy with an electrical distribution business for up to 30 days. It also proposes the construction of bunkers near ports for the storage of green ammonia for export.
Importance of Green Energy for India
The race for green energy takes is very important as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis has pushed up energy prices around the world, particularly in India, which imports 85 percent of its oil and 53 percent of its natural gas.
A transformation to large-scale hydrogen fuel use could assist India’s geopolitical influence as well as its energy security.
India’s strategy is to use its vast landmass and low solar and wind tariffs to manufacture low-cost green hydrogen and ammonia for export.
Domestic boost caused by the policy
Any new renewable energy facilities built to produce power for green hydrogen generation before July 2025 will receive 25 years of free power transmission under the new policy. This move is projected to make green hydrogen production more cost-effective for users of hydrogen and ammonia, such as the fertilizer, oil refining, and steel industries.
A single portal will be created by the Govt for all green hydrogen production clearances, as well as facilities so that excessive energy production can be stored with discoms for up to 30 days and use it as needed. Energy plants that create green hydrogen/ammonia will be granted priority access to the grid.
Under this policy, power distribution industries may also acquire renewable energy to supply green hydrogen manufacturers, but only at a reduced rate that includes only the wheeling costs, cost of procurement, and a small margin defined by the state commission.
About Green Hydrogen
Green hydrogen is created by electrolysis of water, which is a technique for separating water into hydrogen and oxygen and can be done with renewable energy.
Assam to launch Project Arohan mentorship program
Assam Govt is set to launch a four-year mentorship programme called Project Arohan. This project will be launched to provide guidance to students and boost their skills.
For this project, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met Anita Rajan, CEO of Tata STRIVE, to sought their cooperation on this project.
Tata STRIVE
Tata STRIVE is a skill development programme of Tata Trusts.
It was launched with the aim of Tata STRIVE started working under the parent head of Tata Trusts in FY 2017-18. It was started working a result of strategy of ‘Simplification, synergy and scale’ of Tata Group.
This move recognises close synergies between Tata STRIVE and broader community interventions of Tata Trusts. This initiative is skilling youth from underprivileged backgrounds by means of innovations in technology, methodology and pedagogy. Since 2014, 6.5 Lakh Individuals have experienced the advantage of Tata STRIVE.
International Mother Language Day 2022 observed on February 21
The International Mother Language Day 2022 is being observed on February 21. The day is observed every year for promoting awareness on linguistic and cultural diversity.
The day is raises awareness with the aim of promoting multilingualism, that is, the ability to speak multiple languages or using multiple languages.
It is part of a broader initiative of promoting preservation and protection of all languages that are used by peoples across the world, as adopted by the UN General Assembly.
The international mother language day was an initiative of Bangladesh. It was later approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference. Since then, it has been celebrated annually. First ever International Mother Language Day was observed in 2000. This day was first announced by UNESCO on November 17, 1999. In 2002, it was formally recognised by the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Army’s Bent-Toed Gecko discovered in Meghalaya
A team of researchers recently discovered a new species of bent-toed gecko or lizard, from Umroi Military station in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya.
The new species of Gecko or lizard belongs to the family of Cyrtodactylus exercitus (‘exercitus’ means army, in Latin).
It has been named to honour the valour of Indian Army for their services to India.
These new species was discovered as part of efforts of research team, to uncover herpetofaunal diversity of North East India.
North East India has now become home to 16 species of bent-toed gecko.
Genus Cyrtodactylus
The genus Cyrtodactylus is represented by about 320 species across the world. It is the third most speciose vertebrate genus worldwide. Members of the genus range from South Asia to Melanesia. There is high diversity of the species in south Asia.
About bent-toe gecko
Bent-toe geckos are scientifically known as Cyrtodactylus. It is a diverse genus of Asian geckos. This genus has about 300 described species as of 2020. Thus, it is the largest of all gecko genera.
Statehood day of Arunachal Pradesh & Mizoram on February 20
On February 20, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram on the occasion of statehood day both the states.
Year 2022 marked the 36th State Foundation Day of Arunachal Pradesh. North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) was given a new name and a new identity as Arunachal Pradesh, 50 years ago.
On February 20, 1987, Arunachal Pradesh became a full-fledged state and Mizoram was the 23rd state of India with 53rd Amendment Act of Indian Constitution, 1986.
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is called as “Land of Dawn-Lit Mountains”. It is the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region.
It states border with states of Assam and Nagaland to the south.
It has international borders with Bhutan, Myanmar and China.
It is the largest among Seven Sister States of Northeast India by area.
About Mizoram
It is one among the seven sister states of north-eastern India. Name of this state is derived from Mizo and Ram’ which means land in the Mizo language.
It is the southernmost landlocked state among northeast region of India. The state share borders with three states namely Tripura, Manipur and Assam.
It also shares a 722-kilometre border with Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Japan launched first Hydrogen Train
Japan has launched its first hydrogen-powered train. This unveiling is seen as a step towards the country’s objective of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. The hydrogen-fuelled train will be tested in the country in March.
“Hybari” the two-car train costs over USD 35 million or 4 billion yen and can go up to 140 kilometers or 87 miles at a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour on a single hydrogen refuelling.
In hydrogen-fuelled trains, Europe has been a pioneer. Germany launched the world’s first train in 2018 which was built by Alstom SA. Special fuelling stations and new regional trains are being developed by Deutsche Bahn AG and Siemens AG, and they will be tested in 2024.
The Govt of Japan has plans to increase hydrogen usage to 20 million tonnes by 2050. Energy industries such as Kawasaki and Iwatani Heavy Industries are attempting to develop hydrogen supply chains in order to lower the cost of fuel.
National Digital University to be setup
The Union Budget for 2022-23 looks to implement the National Education Policy (NEP). To help this the decision to establish a National Digital University was announced that will look to solve India’s seat scarcity problem in educational institutions. It will provide world-class quality education and promote online learning in several Indian languages.
The digital university will provide access to high-quality higher education in several languages while also complying with the National Education Policy 2020.
The digital university which has been proposed along with the increased education through television programmes will help in guiding the nation through a pioneering, modern, and practical blueprint.
Professor Neena Gupta conferred the Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians 2021
Professor Neena Gupta, conferred the Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians 2021.
BIOGRAPHY: Neena Gupta
Neena Gupta is a mathematician from Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata.
She conferred the award for her outstanding work in affine algebraic geometry and commutative algebra.
About Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians
The Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians is a mathematics prize, that is awarded annually by “International Centre for Theoretical Physics” in Italy. It has been named after Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
The prize was founded in 2004 and first awarded in 2005.
It is awarded to researcher from a developing country who are aged below 45 years and has conducted outstanding research in developing country.
It is supported by Ministry of Science and Technology (India) as well as Norwegian Academy of Science & Letters through the Abel Fund, in cooperation of “International Mathematical Union”.
The prize is funded by Department of Science and Technology (DST) in collaboration with International Centre for Theoretical Physics and International Mathematical Union.
BIOGRAPHY: Srinivasa Ramanujan
Srinivasa Ramanujan was an Indian mathematician lived during the British Rule in India. He had almost no formal training in pure mathematics, but he made substantial contributions to mathematical analysis, infinite series, number theory, continued fractions, and solutions to mathematical problems, that were then considered unsolvable.
India ranks 43rd in USCC International Intellectual Property Index
According to an annual report which has been published by the US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center, India’s total IP score has risen from 38.4 percent to 38.6 percent, and the country is now ranked 43 out of 55 countries on the International Intellectual Property Index.
The overall score of India has increased from 38.40 percent (19.20 out of 50) in the ninth edition of this report to 38.64 percent (19.32 out of 50) in the latest edition.
The report of this year analyzed data of the last 10 years and revealed that the global IP environment has consistently improved over time, even in the last two years of turmoil due to the pandemic. The report also states that emerging economies are strengthening their IP regimes.
The Top 5 Countries in the International Intellectual Property Index
United States of America
United Kingdom
Germany
Sweden
France
About Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC)
The USCC’s principal institution is the GIPC and handles all the issues which are related to creativity and innovation by advocating strong standards of intellectual property.
The GIPC is working to promote creativity and innovation across the globe through intellectual property standards that save lives, create jobs, cultural prosperity, and advance global economy.
First Dugong Conservation Reserve of India to be setup in Palk Bay region
Tamil Nadu Govt has begun work to set up the first Dugong Conservation Reserve of India in the Palk Bay region.
Dugongs are endangered species and are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act’s, 1972 Schedule 1.
Tamil Nadu’s Environment, Forests, and Climate Change Department accepted the concept note of Shekhar Kumar Niraj, the Chief Wildlife Warden, and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, for the Dugong Conservation Reserve’s creation.
The size of the reserve will be spread over around 500 sq km and will be located in Palk Bay’s northern part from Adiramapattinam to Amapattinam.
There are plans to build enhanced seagrass beds and an international conservation centre under the Climate Change Mission.
About Dugong
The dugong is a sirenian species found along the Indian coast. Dugongs are related to manatees and have a similar plump appearance to them, but they have a tail that looks like a dolphin’s fluke. Unlike manatees, which live in freshwater, dugongs are purely marine mammals. Dugongs are also known as Sea Cows. They graze, on seagrass, in shallow coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Population of Dugong in India
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) states that only 200-250 dugongs are left, of which 150 are found in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay. The dugong is on the verge of becoming extinct.
The Dugong population of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is less than 100. In the Gulf of Mannar, there are only a few left. There are only a few sporadic records in the Gulf of Kutch.
About Palk bay
Palk Bay, a semi-enclosed shallow water body is located between the southeast coast of India and Sri Lanka and has a maximum water depth of 13 m. It is said to be one of the Gulf of Mannar’s major sinks for sediments.
National Science Day 2022 observed on 28 February
On 28 February, every year National Science Day is celebrated to recognize the contributions of scientists towards the nation’s development.
On 28 February 1928, an important discovery in the field of spectroscopy was made by renowned Indian Physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman. Later, this discovery was named after him i.e. the Raman Effect. In 1930, CV Raman received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work.
On February 28, 1987, the first National Science Day was observed in India.
BIOGRAPHY: CV Raman
CV Raman was an Indian physicist and is known for his work in light scattering under the fields of physics. He and his student K. S. Krishnan, using a spectrograph developed by Raman, discovered that when light passes through a transparent medium, the frequency, and wavelength of the deflected light change. They named this phenomenon “modified scattering” and was later termed the Raman scattering or Raman effect.
In 1930, CV Raman received the Nobel Prize in Physics for this discovery and was Asia’s first person to receive a Nobel Prize in science.
Assam partners with National Dairy Development Board to set up Rs 2,000-cr dairy joint venture
The Assam Govt and National Dairy Development Board signed an agreement to create a Rs 2,000-crore joint venture for holistic development of the sector in the state.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Guwahati in the presence of Union Animal Husbandry & Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, state Agriculture Minister Atul Bora and other senior officials.
As per the MoU, a joint venture company will be set up for Rs 2,000 crore with a target of processing 10 lakh litres of milk through six new units in seven years.
Milk from more than 4,100 dairy cooperative societies will be processed, packed and marketed.
This will benefit more than 1,75,000 farmers associated with dairy farms in Assam and increase their earnings, Sarma said.
Two cattle feed and organic manure manufacturing units will also be set up as per the agreement.
The milk producers will be provided subsidies for market price fluctuation of their produce and urged all the cooperatives to engage in healthy competition for the economic growth of Assam.
As part of the dairy development project, more than 15,000 high milk-yielding Gir cows will be brought to Assam to ensure high returns to the farmers of Assam.
This joint venture will be guided and managed by NDDB, and it will introduce technological innovations.
The foundation stone of Guwahati-based Purabi Dairy’s expansion initiative was laid under the World Bank-funded Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transportation Project.As part of the expansion project, Purabi Dairy’s processing capacity will be upgraded from the existing 60,000 litres per day to 1.5 lakh litres.
Urjit Patel appointed as Vice-President of AIIB
Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Urjit Patel has been appointed as a vice-president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a Beijing based multilateral development bank.He will be one of the five Vice Presidents of the AIIB with a three-year tenure.
Urjit Patel was the 24th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) succeeding Raghuram Rajan in September 2016 and was with RBI till December 2018.
AIIB & India
India is a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) with the 2nd highest voting share after China.
India has emerged as AIIB’s biggest beneficiary by obtaining $6.8 billion funding for 29 projects.
AIIB has funded projects across sectors in India especially in transport and energy sectors.
Members of AIIB
Except the US and Japan, most of the developed and developing countries have joined the bank. In late December, the AIIB approved the application of Iraq to join, becoming the bank’s 51st regional member to bring its membership to 105.
Jin Liqun is the current President of AIIB.
India State of Forest Report 2021 – Highlights
TheUnion Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released the biennial ‘India State of Forest Report 2021’ prepared by the Forest Survey of India (FSI).
The ISFR-2021 provides information on forest cover, tree cover, mangrove cover, growing stock, carbon stock in India’s forests, forest fire monitoring, forest cover in tiger reserve areas, above ground estimates of biomass using SAR data & climate change hotspots in Indian forests.
(OF: Open Forest; MDF: Moderately Dense Forest; VDF: Very Dense Forest)
Major Findings
Forest and Tree Cover
The total forest and tree cover of the country is 80.9 million hectare which is 62 per cent of the geographical area of the country.
Increase in Forest & Tree Cover: As compared to the assessment of 2019, there is an increase of 2,261 sq kmin the total forest and tree cover of the country. Increase in forest cover has been observed in open forest followed by very dense forest.
Forest Cover:1,540 sq km
Tree Cover:721 sq km.
Top Three States Showing Increase in Forest Cover:Andhra Pradesh (647 sq km) followed by Telangana (632 sq km) and Odisha (537 sq km).
Area-wise Largest Forest Cover: Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra.
Forest Cover as Percentage of Total Geographical Area: In terms of forest cover as percentage of total geographical area, the top five States are Mizoram (84.53%), Arunachal Pradesh (79.33%), Meghalaya (76.00%), Manipur (74.34%) and Nagaland (73.90%).
17 states/UT’s have above 33 Percent of the Geographical Area Under Forest Cover: Out of these states and UT’s, five states/UTs namely Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have more than 75 per cent forest cover while 12 states/UTs namely Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Goa, Kerala, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Assam, Odisha, have forest cover between 33 per cent to 75 per cent.
Mangrove Cover
Total mangrove cover in the country is 4,992 sq km.
An increase of 17 sq Km in mangrove cover has been observed as compared to the previous assessment of 2019.
Top three states showing mangrove cover increaseare Odisha (8 sq km) followed by Maharashtra (4 sq km) and Karnataka (3 sq km).
Carbon Stock
Total carbon stock in country’s forest is estimated to be 7,204 million tonnes and there an increase of 79.4 million tonnes in the carbon stock of country as compared to the last assessment of 2019.
The annual increase in the carbon stock is 39.7 million tonnes.
Kerala’s Kumbalangi village is India’s first sanitary-napkin-free panchayat
Kumbalangi village in Cochin is all set to become India’s first sanitary-napkin-free panchayat. The village has previously won acclaim as India’s first model tourism village.
This move is a part of ‘Avalkayi’ initiative, which is being implemented in the Ernakulam parliamentary constituency, in association with “Thingal Scheme” of HLL Management Academy’s and Indian Oil Corporation.
Avalkayi Initiative
Under this initiative, menstrual cups will be distributed to women aged 18 and above in Kumbalangi village. 5000 menstrual cups will be distributed under it.
Model Village
In the same event, Governor will also declare Kumbalangi village as a model village. The model village project is implemented as a part of ‘Pradhan Mantri Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (PM-SAGY)’.
About Kumbalangi village
Kumbalangi is an island village, located in the outskirts of Kochi city of Kerala. It is a major tourist attraction and is famous for the Chinese fishing nets. It is situated amidst backwaters, about 12 km from the city center. The village is also the first eco-tourism village in India.
Kumbalangi Integrated Tourism Village project
This project seeks to transform the tiny island of Kumbalangi into a model fishing village and tourism spot. Project is being implemented by panchayat (village council) while state Govt is providing financial assistance. This project was started in 2003 to help the local people, economy and locality through tourism.
Assam to expansion of Orang National Park
The Assam Govt has recently decided to increase the size of Orang National Park. The park is to be expanded thrice.
Assam is to add 200.32 square kilometre to the Orang National Park. The area to be added consists of Brahmaputra river. It also includes sandbars and islands of the river.
Tigers and Rhinos are using the islands and sandbars that are being included. Orang region in the northern bank of Brahmaputra is essential to Kaziranga Orang Riverine Landscape. This is because animals move between the Orang and Kaziranga stretch through these lands. This stretch is 180 km. It is a corridor connecting two habitats.
The rhinos and Gangetic Dolphins are to be benefitted greatly with the addition of this extra land. It will also benefit 16 species of turtles.
Orang NP is a major rhino habitat. It became a tiger reserve in 2016.
The other seven national parks in Assam are Dehing Patkai, Dibru – Saikhowa, Manas, Kaziranga, Nameri, Raimona.
Future plans for Kaziranga – Orang
Gharials became extinct in the region six decades ago. The Assam Govt is planning to reintroduce gharial here.
National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries
National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries are declared under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. On the other hand, the Biosphere reserves are declared under UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve Programme, 1971.
The Wildlife Protection Act says that the area comprised within the forest as decided by the State Govt is declared as the wildlife sanctuary and National Parks.
The National Parks, Wild Life sanctuaries and other wildlife related subjects were moved to Concurrent List. Earlier it was under the state list. In 1976, the 42nd constitutional amendment moved these subjects to concurrent list.
Lt Gen Manoj Pande appointed as next Vice Chief of Army Staff
Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Manoj Chandrashekhar Pande has been appointed as the next Vice Chief of Army Staff.He will succeed Lt Gen CP Mohanty who is scheduled to superannuate on January 31, 2022.
Lt Gen Manoj Pande has taken active part in Operation Vijay and Operation Parakram.
S Somnath appointed new Chairman of ISRO
Dr S Somnath is to become the new chairman of ISRO. He is to succeed K Sivan.
Currently he is the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
Biography: S Somnath
Somnath completed his college pre – degree in Maharaja College, Ernakulam.
He studied his engineering in TKM College of Engineering. He joined the VSSC centre in 1985. He completed his master’s in Indian Institute of Science in aerospace engineering.
He was associated with PSLV project in its early phases. Under his leadership, the experimental test flight of LVM3-X/CARE was completed.
In 2010, he became the Associate Director of ISRO. He was the project director of GSLV Mk – III.
In 2014, he acted as the Deputy Director of Propulsion and space Ordinance Entity. In 2015, he was made the director of Liquid propulsion system centre at Valiamala, Thiruvananthapuram.
About Chairman of ISRO
The chairman of ISRO is the secretary to the Govt of India. He is an executive of Department of Space. The Department reports to the prime minister directly.
Vikram Sarabhai is the longest serving chairman of ISRO. He served for 12 years. In 1962, he urged Nehru to establish INCOSPAR (Indian National Committee for Space Research) under Department of Atomic Energy. INCOSPAR became ISRO in 1969.
Lakshya Sen won “Yonex-Sunrise India Open” Badminton title
India’s Lakshya Sen secured his maiden Super 500 title by winning “Yonex-Sunrise India Open”, on January 16, 2022.
He secured the title with a stunning straight-game victory over reigning world champion from Singapore, Loh Kean Yew in the men’s singles final.
20-year-old Lakshya had earlier claimed his maiden world championships medal with a bronze in Spain in December 2021.
Doubles’ final
In the doubles’ final, top doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won against three-time world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan from Indonesia. The pair become India’s first men’s team to win the Yonex-Sunrise India Open. The world no. 10 Indian pair had won its first Super 500 tournament in 2019 in Thailand.
India Open Badmintor tournament
India Open is an annual badminton event. It has been held in India since 2008. It is a BWF World Tour Super 500 Grade international badminton tournament.
The first three editions of the India Open were designated as Grand Prix Gold events. It was upgraded to BWF superseries tournament in 2011. India open is categorised as one among seven BWF World Tour Super 500 events by BWF since 2018.
Indonesia’s New Capital at Nusantara
The Indonesians are moving to a new capitalcalled ‘Nusantara’, it is East Kalimantan. Till now, Jakarta was the capital of Indonesia.
Nusantarais located in the Borneo island. The plan to shift the capital here was announced in 2019.It was announced by President Joko Widodo.
Jakarta has been the capital of Indonesia since 1949. Jakarta is facing environmental and financial issues. Pollution is increasing in Jakarta and it has been consistently ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world.
Currently, Jakarta is densely populated, also, Jakarta is sinking. By 2050, most of the Jakarta is expected to go under water. This is mainly because Jakarta is surrounded by several rivers. These rivers are prone to frequent floods. Between 2019 and 2020 many cities in Jakarta sank up to 10.7 cm.
The other countries that recently changed its capital are as follows:
Brazil changed from Rio De Janeiro to Brasilia. Brasilia is more centrally located. The country changed in 1960.
In 1991, Nigeria changed its capital from Lagos to Abuja.
Kazakhstan changed its capital from Alamty to Nur – sultan.
In 2005, Myanmar changed its capital from Rangoon to Naypyidaw.
SEBI’s Saa₹thi mobile app about security markets
The Securities and Exchange Board of India, SEBI launched the Saarthi mobile application. The application provides information about security markets. It is highly useful for investors.
The application provides explanation about mutual funds, its working, trading and settlement, KYC (Know Your Customer) processes, developments in the market, etc. Also, the application includes grievance redressal mechanism.
The application uses both Hindi and English. It is available for both iOS and android users. In future, the app will be made available in local languages as well.
Recently, the number of individual investors entering the market is increasing. The app was launched to help these individual investors. Also, the new investors are using smart phones to do trading. Thus, they are being assisted through mobile apps.
Security Markets
Security markets are those markets where the securities are bought and sold. Securities are nothing but guarantees. The securities are forfeited when the concerned person fails to repay the money.
In simple terms, the securities are the tradable financial instruments that raise capital in public and private markets.
Rise in individual investor in India
In India, the individual investors have been increasing. Their share was 39% in 2020. In 2021, it has increased to 45% according to NSE (National Stock Exchange) data.
The interest rates in the banks are reducing. The Fixed Deposit rates are varying between 2.9% and 5.4%.Thus, the returns from such investments is very low. There is increase in global liquidity. Also, people are spending more time at home because of the pandemic.
The market capitalization at BSE (Bombay stock Exchange) increased by 1.8 times. It increased by 1.6 times in Russia. The other countries with significant increase are China, France and South Africa.
It is evident that market capitalization is higher in India as compared to other countries.
Waterfowl Census in Kaziranga National Park
The Kaziranga National Park is a Tiger Reserve and a World Heritage site. The park recently conducted its water fowl census.
The census is conducted in the 52 wetlands in the parks. In 2021, the bird count increased to 93,491. It was 34,284 in 2020. The bird count has increased by 175% in one year.
Around 126 species were spotted during the census. The census used point count method.
The census reported 868 deers. This includes 173 males, 557 females and 138 yearlings. Unfortunately, the deer population has decreased. Earlier it was 907. The population of deers in the park decreased mainly because of floods.
66,776 wetlands birds were reported. Of this 42,205 were counted in the national park area. 24,571 were counted in Burhachapori Wildlife sanctuary and Laokhowa.
Of all the animals, the bar headed geese were in greatest numbers. There were 16,552 bar headed geese. Also, the census reported 5,631 common teal, 9,493 northern pintail and 2,236 ferruginous ducks.
40,000 hog deers were reported. They are the main food for the tigers in the park.
As per a recent study, one of the oldest known Homo sapiens fossils, Omo Kibish I, may be around 35,000 years older than it was previously thought.
Omo Kibish I was first unearthed in Ethiopia in 1967.The study used volcanic ash to date the fossils and thus there were 22,000-year margin of error.
New minimum age for Omo I is consistent with most recent theories of human evolution. Study also brings it closer to the age given to oldest Homo sapiens remains, which were discovered in 2017 in Morocco. Remains in Morocco were dated to 300,000 years ago. Omo I is the only fossil, with all the morphological characteristics of modern man.
Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura celebrated Statehood Day January 21
Every year, the states of Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura celebrate their statehood day on January 21. These states were formed under the North Eastern Region (Reorganization) Act, 1971.
The princely states of Manipur and Tripura were joined with India in 1949. They were then granted the union territory status.
In 1972, Meghalaya and Tripura were granted complete statehood. The states were formed under the North Eastern Region (Re-organization) Act, 1971.
In 1947, the north eastern region of India comprised of Assam plains, North Eastern Frontier Tracts and hill districts. Later in 1949, the princely states of merged with India. They were made as union territories. The state of Nagaland was formed in 1963.
In 1969, the Assam Reorganization (Meghalaya) Act was enacted. Under the act, Meghalaya was carved out of Assam and was made an autonomous state. This was done under the sixth schedule of Indian constitution.
In 1972, the North Eastern Reorganization act was enacted. It granted full statehood to Meghalaya and Tripura. Also, under the act, the NEFA and Mizo hills of Assam were made the union territories.
The Mizo Accord was signed in 1986. The state of Mizoram was created in 1987.
In 1987, NEFA, that is, Arunachal Pradesh was granted full statehood.
Assam’s Shakuntala Choudhary and Dhaneswar Engti conferred Padma Awards 2022
· Ms. Shakuntala Choudhary and Shri Dhaneswar Engti from Assam receive the Padma Shri Award for the year 2022. The Padma Awards were announced on Tuesday 25 January by the Indian government.
· Shakuntala Choudhary from Assam has been selected for her contribution to social work for the welfare of society.Shakuntala Choudhary was earlier honored by the government of India with the National Awards for Senior Citizens – Vayoshestha Samman in the year 2021. She works as the supervisor at the Kasturba Ashram located in Guwahati and is recognized as a well-known social worker of the state. She has immense contribution to the well-being and empowerment of women across the country.
· Dhaneswar Engti from Karbi Anglong district is a well-known lyricist and a writer who is widely recognized for his contribution to the field of Karbi music and Karbi literature. He has been selected for the most prestigious award in the field of Literature and Education. Notably, the renowned writer has earlier received the prestigious award of Kristinandan Literary in the year 2017.
· Six esteemed personalities from the Northeast will be receiving the fourth highest civilian award, Padma Shri for the year 2022.
· On 25th January, 2022, on the eve of 73rd Republic Day, Padma Awards were declared. The President has approved conferment of 128 Padma Awards including 2 duo case (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one) – 4 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards. 34 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 posthumous awardees.
19 January observed as Kokborok Day in Tripura
On 19 January 2022 Tripura observed 44th Kokborok Day, also known as the Tripuri Language Day.
The day commemorates the initial recognition of Kokborok as the official language in 1979.
The state Govt. is stressing more on regional languages and renamed Baramura hills to Hatai Kotor two years ago.
Govt in Tripura officially rechristened two more locations with Kokborok names while observing the 44th Kokborok Day – Gandacherra was renamed as Ganda Twisa, where the picturesque Dumbur Lake is there and Atharomura range to Hachuk Berem in Kokborok language.
India becomes the largest exporter of Cucumber and Gherkins
India emerged as the ‘Pickle King of The World’, in a recent development.
India crossed the exports of worth USD 200 million of agricultural processed product, pickling gherkins, cucumber or cornichons, in the financial year 2020-2021.
With this, India became the largest exporter of cucumbers and gherkins worldwide.
India exported 1,23,846 metric tonnes (MT) of cucumber and gherkins, with a value of USD 114 million during April-October 2021.
In 2020-21, India shipped 2,23,515MT of cucumber and gherkins with value worth USD 223 million.
India meets 15 percent of total global requirement of demand of gherkins. Indian plants are of international standards and have been made to cater to the requirements of foreign countries.
Export of pickled cucumber – Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh process and export the pickled cucumber across the world. Pickled cucumbers are imported by more than 20 countries, namely, USA, France, South Korea, Japan, Israel, Canada, Germany etc.
Gherkin is also known as pickled cucumber. It is a cucumber that has been pickled in vinegar, brine, or other solution and left to ferment for some time.
Steps by APEDA to promote export
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has also undertaken several initiatives in infrastructure development, product promotion in international market and food safety management systems across processing units. The gherkin manufacturing and exporting companies are ISO, IFS, BRC, FSSC 22000 or HACCP certified or they possess all the certifications.
National Girl Child Day celebrated on January 24
Every year the National Girl Child Day is celebrated on January 24. The day is celebrated to promote the rights of girl child in the country. Also the day aims to spread the importance of education, health and nutrition of the girl child.
The first national girl child day was celebrated in 2008. It is an initiative of Ministry of Women and Child Development.
International Girl Child Day is celebrated on October 11. It is celebrated by the United Nations and several other international organisations. The United Nations celebrated the first International Day of Girl Child in 2012.
8 percentage of girls are married before the age of 18 years. The under five mortality rate of girl children is 40 per 1000 livebirths. This is 11% higher than that of the under five mortality rate of boy child.
Govt of Assam conferred its highest award ‘Assam Baibhav’ on Ratan Tata
Govt of Assam conferred its highest civilian award ‘Assam Baibhav’ on Ratan Tata, on January 24, 2022. However, Ratan Tata did not attend the event personally because of Covid-19 situation. Award was received by his representative during a programme held in Guwahati.
Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma announced to confer Assam Baibhav, Assam Saurav and Assam Gaurav Awards, for the year 2021.
Assam Saurav award was conferred on Professor Dipak Chand Jain, Lovlina Borgohain, Professor Kamalendu Deb Krori, Dr Lakshmanan S, and Neel Pawan Baruah.
Assam Gaurav award was conferred on Manoj Kumar Basumatary, Munindra Nath Ngatey, Dharanidhar Boro, Hemoprabha Chutia, Dr Basanta Hazarika, Kaushik Baruah, Khorsing Terang, Akash Jyoti Gogoi, Namita Kalita, Dr Asif Iqbal, Kalpana Boro, Boby Hazarika, and Bormita Momin.
FACTFILE: Assam Baibhav
It is the highest civilian award of Assam. It was declared on the occasion of “Asom diwas” (Assam Day). The Award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. Furthermore, the recipient can avail medical treatment at Govt expense, throughout his life. Obverse of the award has an image of Jaapi and words “Assam Baibhav” has been inscribed in Assamese script, on the leaf of Hollong tree.
India rank 85th in 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index
The Transparency International recently released the Corruption Perception Index. According to the index, India ranked 85 among the world countries. The report said that the score of corruption has been stagnant for India over a decade.
The rankings were created based on the corruption in the public sector of the countries. Based on this, the Corruption Perception Index is calculated. Here zero means highly corrupt, a score of 100 means the country is clean. India scored 40.
India in the ranking:India scored 86th in the ranking in 2020. In 2019, India was ranked 80th. According to the report, the journalists in India are facing severe risks.
Relative performance of India: Around 86% of the countries showed little or no improvement since 2012. India was one among them. India was in 94th position in 2012.
Top Countries: Denmark topped the index followed by Denmark, New Zealand. Their scores were around 88.
India’s first Graphene Innovation Centre set up in Kerala
The first Graphene innovation centre of the country is set up in Kerala. This is the first research and development centre being established for graphene.
The central Govt has allocated Rs 86.41 crores of funds for the project. The centre is to be built along with the support of Kerala Govt. Tata steel is the industrial partner.
The state Govt run Digital University Kerala and the Centre for Materials for Electronics will join hands along with the state and central Govts in implementing the project.
About Graphene
Graphene is the strongest material in the world. Also, it is the thinnest material. Graphene has good electrical conductivity and chemical stability. It is transparent, light in weight and has a large surface area.
Graphene has the ability to replace indium. It brings down the cost of Organic Light Emitting Diode. Graphene is an isotope of carbon. It has a two – dimensional honeycomb nanostructure.
Graphene is addressed to as “Wonder material” for its electronic and electrical properties.
Graphene is a zero gap semiconductor. This means the conduction band and the valence band are at the same energy level. For an element to conduct electricity, it should have free electrons in conduction band.
Applications of Graphene
It is used to make tennis racquets. Also, graphene is used in making composite materials, biological engineering, energy storage and filtration. It is also used in lubricants, paints, functional fluids, batteries, coatings, oils, capacitors, display materials, solar cells.
Graphene is also used to add strength to other materials. Adding a very little amount of graphene to metals, plastics or any other materials makes it highly stronger.
As Graphene has high surface area to volume ratio, it is ideal to be used in making super capacitors.
Graphene has anti – corrosion coatings. It is used in drug delivery, sensors, paints and solar panels.
James Webb Space Telescope succeeded the Hubble Space Telescope.
The James Webb Space Telescope succeeded the Hubble Space Telescope. It was jointly built by NASA, European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency. It uses infrared light to make observations.
It was at first called the “Next Generation Space Telescope”. It was renamed in 2002. James Webb was a former NASA administrator. He played a major role in the Apollo programme of NASA. It has a large sized 6.5 metre mirror.
The telescope is to be used to look deep into the cosmos. It will capture light from the very first star population. That is, the telescope will study stars that were formed 13.5 billion years ago.
The main telescope used is Korsch telescope. The transponders in the James Webb Telescope use S – band for tracking. S – band is a part of the microwave band. It covers frequencies between 2 GHz and 4 GHz. Usually the S – band is used for communication between NASA and International Space Station. Also, S – band is used for airport surveillance, for weather monitoring, air traffic control.
Orbit of the telescope is Halo Orbit. The halo orbit is an orbit near one of the Lagrange points. The Halo orbits exist only in three body system. For instance, in sun, earth and moon.
The Space Telescope Science Institute located in Baltimore, Maryland operates as the Science and Operation Centre of the James Webb Space Telescope.
Anantha Nageswaran appointed new Chief Economic Advisor
The Govt of India has appointed Anantha Nageswaran as the new Chief Economic Advisor. He is a former member of Prime Minister Economic Advisory Council.
BIOGRAPHY :Anantha Nageswaran
Nageswaran has taught in Business schools in India and Singapore. He is a visiting professor at Kre University. Krea University is one of the top private universities of the country. It is sponsored by IFMR. IFMR is Institute for Financial Management and Research.
He has completed post-graduation from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Also he has a doctoral degree from the Massachusetts institute.
Nageswaran worked as a senior advisor to the International Financial Services Authority of India (IFSCA) between 2019 and 2021.
Between 1994 and 2011, he worked as a currency economist at the Union Bank of Switzerland.
Chief Economic Advisor
The post of CEA was lying vacant after Dr Krishnamurthy Subramanian left office in December 2021. He succeeded Arvind Subramanian in 2018.
The CEA reports to the Finance Minister of India.The post is equivalent to Secretary in India.
The CEA is the head of the Department of Economic Affairs that operates under Ministry of Finance.
PM Economic Advisory Council
It is an independent body. Nageswaran had led the council for PM Modi. Currently Dr Bibek Debroy is the Chairman of the council. The council advises the PM on national and international economic issues.
IFSCA
IFSCA aims to bring a strong global connect between India and rest of the world. It was created in 2020 at the GIFT city, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
IFSCA develops and regulates financial services and financial products. It is governed by nine members. Each member from IRDAI, SEBI, RBI, PFRDA.Two members from Ministry Finance and two members as recommended by the selection committee. It is led by a chair person.
Rafael Nadal won his 21st Grand Slam at Australian Open
Rafael Nadal won his 21st Grand Slam title as he beat Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open Final to grab his Grand Slam.
Roger Federer of Switzerland and Novak Djokovic of Serbia have won 20 Grand slams.
Asteroid named after Nadal
In 2003, the 128036 astroid in the main asteroid belt was named after him. The asteroid is now called the Rafale Nadal asteroid. The asteroid was named by the International Astronomical Union.
BIOGRAPHY: Rafael Nadal
Nadal is ranked at fifth place by the ATP ranking. He was ranked number one for 209 weeks. Nadal has won 62 ATP singles titles. This includes 13 French open titles.Also, he has won Olympic gold medal, five Davis Cup titles.
He has continuously won 81 matches on clay. This is the world longest single surface win.
He was the first person to win on all the three different surfaces such as clay, grass and hard surface.
He is the youngest to win Grand Slam. He won his first grand slam when he was 24 years old.
The top level tennis players Roger Federer, Noval Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are addressed to as the Big three. Nadal is the only left – handed player of the big three.
Rapid Train connectivity in Manipur – First freight train to enter Manipur
On January 27, 2022, the first goods train reached the Rani Gaidinliu station of Manipur. This is the first freight train to enter Manipur after 75 years. This shows the rapid transformation happening in the state of Manipur.
Manipur is a hilly state. The new railway line built in the state is 111 km long. It runs from Jiribam to Imphal. The Jiribam railway station is 17 km from the Assam – Manipur border.
The Railway department is to construct 46 tunnels along the new rail line. Also, it includes 153 bridges. The world tallest bridge is in this line. It is in Noney district. The bridge is 141 metres high.
The Railways has spent Rs 14,000 crores in constructing the railway line so far. The construction started in 2013. The line was to be constructed up to Imphal. Now, there are plans to extend up to Moreh. Moreh is a trading centre located in Manipur-Myanmar border.
India’s First Geo Park in Jabalpur, MP
The first geological park of India will be built in Lamheta, Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.
Park will be constructed with an investment of Rs 35 crores, over five-acre land.
The geological park will be built in Lamheta, because this place is among significant places in world, from geological point of view. In 1928, William Henry Sleeman had discovered Dinosaur fossil from this area. UNESCO has also recognised Lamheta as geo heritage site.
Geopark is a unified area, which advances the protection and use of geological heritage in sustainable manner. It also promotes the economic well-being of the people living there.
Lamheta Formation is also called as Infratrappean Beds. It is a sedimentary geological formation found in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. It is associated with the Deccan Traps. It is of Maastrichtian age and is known for dinosaur fossils.
FACTFILE: Geological Survey of India (GSI)
GSI was founded in 1851. It is a scientific agency of India, working under ministry of Mines organisation. It is one of the oldest organisations worldwide and the second oldest survey organisation in India, following Survey of India. The Survey of India was founded in 1767.
It was set to conduct geological surveys and studies of India. It also acts as prime provider of basic earth science information to general public, industry and Govt besides official participant in coal, steel, cement, metals, power industries and international geoscientific forums.
