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Assam Current Affairs & GK – April 2022

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Assam & NE Current Affairs & GK – April 2022

( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for the month of April 2022)

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 ‘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

  1. Gujarat
  2. Kerala
  3. Punjab


Top 3 performers among the smaller states

  1. Goa
  2. Tripura
  3. 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
  1. employer reputation,
  2. academic reputation,
  3. h-index,
  4. research citations per paper,
  5. international research network (by broad-faculty area).

World Rankings in ARTS AND HUMANITIES

  1. University of Oxford
  2. University of Cambridge
  3. Harvard University
  4. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
  5. Stanford University

World Rankings in ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

  1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  2. University of Cambridge
  3. University of Oxford
  4. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)
  5. Stanford University

World Rankings in LIFE SCIENCES AND MEDICINE

  1. Harvard University
  2. University of Oxford
  3. Johns Hopkins University
  4. University of Cambridge
  5. Stanford University

World Rankings in NATURAL SCIENCES

  1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  2. Harvard University
  3. University of Cambridge
  4. University of Oxford
  5. Stanford University

World Rankings in SOCIAL SCIENCES AND MANAGEMENT

  1. Harvard University
  2. University of Oxford
  3. The London School of Political Science and Economics
  4. University of Cambridge
  5. 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:
  1. Marine biodiversity
  2. Local crop/seed varieties
  3. Indigenous cattle breeds
  4. Freshwater biodiversity
  5. Grassland, scrubland, and animal grazing land biodiversity
  6. Conservation and management plans for areas under forest right
  7. 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.

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Assam Current Affairs & GK – March 2022

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Assam & NE Current Affairs & GK – March 2022

( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for the month of March 2022)

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Manas National Park – Tiger and Rhino Population

  • 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.
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India adds 10 GW Solar Capacity in 2021

  • 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:

  1. A) Infrastructure
  2. B) Applications
  3. C) Research and development (R&D)
  4. 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.

 

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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:
  1. Purification of the land records in the state in a mission mode.
  2. 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:
  1. Computerization of the land records.
  2. 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.
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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. 
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Assam Current Affairs & GK – February 2022

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Assam & NE Current Affairs & GK – February 2022

( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for the month of February 2022)

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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

  1. Capital expenditure outlay hiked by 35.4%
  2. Total expenditure in 2022-23 estimated at Rs. 39.45 lakh crore.
  3. Total receipts other than borrowings in 2022-23 estimated at Rs. 22.84 lakh crore.
  4. Fiscal deficit in current year: 6.9% of GDP (against 6.8% in Budget Estimates)
  5. Fiscal deficit in 2022-23 estimated at 6.4% of GDP.
  6. Direct Taxes: Provision to file an Updated Return on payment of additional tax. This will enable the assessee to declare income missed out earlier.
  7. Direct Taxes: No change in income tax slabs.
  8. Scheme for taxation of virtual digital assets: Any income from transfer of any virtual digital asset to be taxed at rate of 30%.
  9. 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.

  1. MSME: Emergency Credit Linked Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) to be extended up to March 2023.
  2. Skill Development: Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood (DESH-Stack e-portal) will be launched.
  3. 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.

  1. Health: An open platform for National Digital Health Ecosystem to be rolled out.
  2. Har Ghar, Nal Se Jal: Rs. 60,000 crores allocated to cover 3.8 crore households in 2022-23
  3. Housing for All: Rs. 48,000 crores allocated for completion of 80 lakh houses in 2022-23 under PM Awas Yojana.
  4. NE: New scheme PM-DevINE (Development Initiative for North-East Region) launched for the North-East.
  5. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. Defence: 68% of capital procurement budget earmarked for domestic industry in 2022-23, up from 58% in 2021-22.
  2. 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

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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


Gujarat’s Khijadia & UP’s Bakhira wildlife sanctuary declared as Ramsar sites

  • 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.
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India’s new Green Hydrogen Policy

  • 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.
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Assam Current Affairs & GK Quiz for APSC 2023 – Set 344: October 2023, Week 1

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Assam Current Affairs & GK Quiz for APSC 2023 – Set 344: October 2023, Week 1

(Daily and Monthly Assam Current Affairs & GK Quiz & MCQ for APSC Exams and various Assam exams)

Quiz Home Page Current Affairs Assam Quiz - Assam exam

Q1. Who was awarded the Sahitya Akademi’s Bal Sahitya Puraskar in Assamese language for the year 2023?

  1. Rothindranath Goswami
  2. Shyamalkanti Das
  3. Pratima Nandi Narzaree
  4. Naorem Bidyasagar

Rothindranath Goswami

His has been awarded for his novel Powalmoni Aru Chichingar Duhxahaxik Abhijan.

 

Q2. Which state’s Yak Churpi has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag?

  1. Himachal Pradesh
  2. Sikkim
  3. Jammu and Kashmir
  4. Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh’s Yak Churpi has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag. It is a naturally fermented dairy product crafted from the milk of yaks. Churpi is a traditional food of the tribal yak herders in the state.

Q3. When is the International Day of Non-Violence celebrated?

  1. October 1st
  2. October 2nd
  3. October 5th
  4. October 7th

October 2nd

The International Day of Non-Violence is celebrated on October 2nd each year, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. This day is an occasion to disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness, and reaffirm the desire for a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence. 

 

Q4. Which county won the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup?

  1. South Africa
  2. Australia
  3. England
  4. India


Australia

Q5. Which of the following Indian states has received a GI tag for its Pashmina craft?

  1. Rajasthan
  2. Himachal Pradesh
  3. Uttarakhand
  4. Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu &and Kashmir

Basohli Pashmina, a renowned traditional craft from the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, has recently received the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag. This recognition not only celebrates the exceptional craftsmanship of the artisans but also protects the authenticity and uniqueness of this artisanal heritage.

 

Q6. Who won the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2023?

  1. Drew Weissman and Haruki Murakami
  2. Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman
  3. Pierre Agostini and Katalin Karikó
  4. Louis Brus and Ferenc Krausz

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19”. Their work was critical for the development of the mRNA vaccines that have been used to vaccinate billions of people around the world against COVID-19. Their discoveries have also paved the way for the development of mRNA vaccines for other diseases.

 

Q7. When is World Nature Day observed on

  1. September 31
  2. October 2
  3. October 3
  4. October 5

October 3

World Nature Day is celebrated on October 3 every year. It is a day to raise awareness about the challenges facing our environment, particularly due to climate change. The theme for World Nature Conservation Day 2023 is ‘Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet’. This theme highlights the importance of forests for both people and the planet. Forests provide us with essential resources such as food, water, and clean air. They also play a vital role in regulating the climate and protecting biodiversity.

 

Q8. Who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2023?

  1. Annie Ernaux
  2. Abdulrazak Gurnah
  3. Louise Glück
  4. Jon Fosse

Jon Fosse

Jon Fosse won the Nobel Prize in Literature 2023 “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable”. Fosse is a Norwegian playwright and novelist. His work is known for its spare, poetic prose and its focus on themes such as birth, death, and faith.

 

Q9. Who won the Maldives presidential election in 2023?

  1. Ibrahim Solih
  2. Mohamed Muizzu
  3. Abdulla Yameen
  4. Mohamed Nasheed

 

Mohamed Muizzu

 

Q10. Annual joint military exercise SAMPRITI being held between India and which country?

  1. Nepal
  2. Bangladesh
  3. Sri Lanka
  4. Thailand

 

Bangladesh

The 11th edition of the India-Bangladesh annual joint military exercise SAMPRITI is being held in Umroi, Meghalaya. The exercise is being organized alternately by both countries and highlights their robust bilateral defence cooperation initiatives. SAMPRITI-XI began on October 3, 2023, and will continue for 14 days. The focus of the exercise is on enhancing interoperability, sharing tactical drills, and promoting best practices.

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Assam Current Affairs and GK Quiz – Set 330: November 2022, Week 2

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Assam Current Affairs and GK Quiz – Set 330: November 2022, Week 2

( Daily and Monthly Assam Current Affairs & GK Quiz & MCQ for APSC Exams and various Assam exams)

Quiz Home Page Current Affairs Assam Quiz - Assam exam

 

Q1. Who was crowned Miss Northeast 2022?

  1. Irene Dkhar
  2. Eshanee Hatimuria 
  3. Lika Chophy 
  4. Mannasha Devi Sapam


Irene Dkhar

Irene Dkhar of Meghalaya was crowned Miss Northeast after she won the hearts of the judges in the final round, raising the issue of mental health.

 

Q2. The National Cancer Awareness Day observed on

  1. November 03
  2. November 07
  3. November 09
  4. November 17

November 07

National Cancer Awareness Day is observed every year on November 7 to raise awareness about the deadly disease.

 

Q3. Which institution has recently released the report titled ‘Adaptation Gap Report 2022: Too Little, Too Slow – Climate adaptation failure puts the world at risk’?

  1. NASA
  2. NITI Aayog
  3. UNEP
  4. World Bank

 UNEP

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) launched a report titled ‘Adaptation Gap Report 2022: Too Little, Too Slow – Climate adaptation failure puts the world at risk’.

 

Q4. Which team has won the ‘Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022’ for the first time?

  1. Mizoram
  2. West Bengal
  3. Kerala
  4. Mumbai

 Mumbai

Mumbai defeated Himachal Pradesh to win the 2022 edition of the ‘Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022’.

 

Q5. Which country has recently created a world record by operating the world’s longest passenger train?

  1. China
  2. Australia
  3. Switzerland
  4. USA

 Switzerland

Switzerland has created a world record by operating the world’s longest passenger train. The train is designed to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the country’s first train system. The train has 100 coaches, measures 1910 metres and consists of 4,550 seats.

Q6. Which organisation released the ‘State of the Global Climate in 2022’ report?

  1. UNEP
  2. World Meteorological Organization
  3. World Bank
  4. IUCN

 World Meteorological Organization

The World Meteorological Organization released the provisional State of the Global Climate in 2022 report.

 

Q7. Which technology giant company has recently launched the FloodHub platform that will display when and where floods may occur?

  1. Meta
  2. Microsoft
  3. Amazon
  4. Google

 Google

Google, an American technology giant, has launched a platform that displays flood forecasts, namely ‘FloodHub’.

 

Q8. Reliance India Limited will develop India’s first multi-modal logistics park in which state?

  1. Tripura
  2. Gujarat
  3. Tamil Nadu
  4. Odisha

Tamil Nadu

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has been awarded the project to build India’s first multimodal logistics park (MMLP) in Chennai by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

 

Q9. Which aerospace company will launch India’s first privately developed rocket Vikram-S?

  1. Garuda Aerospace
  2. Skyroot Aerospace
  3. Antrix Corporation
  4. Skylabs Aerospace

 Skyroot Aerospace

Skyroot Aerospace, a Hyderabad-based private space startup, is set to launch India’s first private rocket between November 12 and 16 from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Sriharikota.

 

Q10. Which country hosts the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC?

  1. USA
  2. Egypt
  3. Sri Lanka
  4. France

 Egypt

The 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, is being held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022.

 

Q11. Which country is the leading producer of millets with 41 per cent of world’s total production?

  1. Pakistan
  2. India
  3. China
  4. Malaysia

 India

India is one of the leading producers of millet in the world with an estimated share of 41 per cent of the global production.

 

Q12. Which country has taken over the G20 Presidency in 2023?

  1. UK
  2. Bangladesh
  3. China
  4. India

 India

The theme of India’s G20 Presidency in 2023 is ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or ‘One Earth One Family One Future’.

 

Q13. Who has been appointed as the Chairperson of the 22nd Law Commission of India?

  1. Rituraj Awasthi
  2. Shri Rajiv Kumar
  3. Anup Chandra Pandey
  4. Arun Goel

 Rituraj Awasthi

 

Q14. Which of the following tiger reserves has recently unveils the elephant adoption scheme?

  1. Kaziranga National Park
  2. Anaimalai Tiger Reserve
  3. Manas Tiger Reserve
  4. Ranthambore National Park

 Anaimalai Tiger Reserve

The Anaimalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) has launched an Elephant Adoption Programme in which NGOs, institutions, trusts, or individuals can sponsor the costs of the Forest Department’s camp elephants.

 

Q15. Who has become the first batter in cricket history to reach 4000 runs in T20 Internationals?

  1. Virat Kohli
  2. Rohit Sharma
  3. Babar Azam
  4. Shane Watson

 Virat Kohli 

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Assam Current Affairs – September 16-18, 2022

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Assam & NE Current Affairs & GK – September 16-18, 2022

( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for the September 16-18, 2022)

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Assam Current Affairs and GK Quiz – Set 316: July 2022, Week 4 

September 16-18, 2022

Government of Sikkim hikes minimum wage by 67%

The Sikkim government hiked the minimum wage for unskilled workers by 67 percent to Rs 500. 

Key Points

  • The daily wage for unskilled laborers was Rs 300 which is now increased to Rs 500 with retrospective effect from 11th July 2022.
  • The daily wage for semi-skilled workers was increased to Rs 520 from Rs 320, while skilled workers will get Rs 535 instead of Rs 335.
  • Highly skilled labor will be paid Rs 565 per day, instead of Rs 365 per day. 
  • These updated wages will be applicable for laborers who are working at altitudes up to 8,000 feet, while 50 percent more wages will be given to those working at altitudes from 8,001 feet to 12,000 feet. 
  • The laborers working in the altitudes of 12,001 feet to 16,000 feet will be paid 75 percent more than the normal wage. The laborers working at places above 16,001 feet will get double the normal wage.
  • The new rates would be effective from July 11, 2022, and the labourers will be given arrears.  

The Kibithu military camp was renamed as Gen Bipin Rawat Military 

Kibithu, A military station on the banks of Arunachal’s Lohit Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has been renamed as ‘Gen Bipin Rawat military garrison’ in honour of the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who was killed in a chopper crash. 

The camp was renamed as Gen Bipin Rawat Military Garrison wherein a grand gate constructed in accordance with the region’s traditional architectural style was inaugurated by the Governor. 

The 22-km road stretch connecting Walong and Kibithu was also named as Gen Bipin Rawat Marg by the Chief Minister. 

India’s First Forest University will be Established in Telangana

India’s First Forest University will be Established in Telangana. The Telangana legislative assembly approved the University of Forestry (UOF) Act 2022.  

Key Points 

  • As per the act, The University of Forestry (UoF) will be India’s first of its kind. It will be the third University of Forestry in the world, following Russia and China.
  • The Telangana Govt decided to expand the Forestry College and Research Institute (FCRI) in Hyderabad.
  • Once the FCRI is upgraded to University, it will have additional programmes including a PhD, diploma, and certificate courses in Urban Forestry, Nursery Management, Agro-Forestry, Tribal livelihood enhancement, Forest entrepreneurship, Climate-smart Forestry & Forest Parks Management. 
  • The University’s goals will be to promote research and development of appropriate methods for propagation of plantation crops to meet industry demand.
  • The university will also work to develop Agro-Forestry models suitable for different Agro-ecological situations to reduce pressure on natural forests, economic upliftment of farming communities, and enhance ecological conditions.
  • Under the flagship program ‘Telangana Ku Haritha Haram,’ the Telangana government has planted 268.83 crore saplings.

Indore will become the first Indian city with ‘Smart Addresses’

Indore will become the country’s first Smart City with ‘Smart Addresses’. The Memorandum of Understanding is signed by Rajat Jain, co-founder of Pataa Navigations, and Rishav Gupta (IAS), CEO of Indore Smart City for implementing a fully digital addressing system.

Key Points

  • Pataa has developed patented technology and is working with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to develop a digital addressing system for the nation. 
  • Pataa is a brief and distinctive code, comparable to KUMAR100, SINGH221, or other commonly used codes, that will help the user find the specific geotagged location.
  • Users of the Pataa App can upload images of their homes, landmarks, etc., along with their addresses in full text.

About Pataa app

  • Pataa Navigation will integrate with government platforms like those for the departments of electricity, agriculture, excise, women and child welfare, and education. 
  • The Pataa App is a free service and aims to help delivery providers find a specific geotagged location.
  • Government agencies and emergency services including police, fire department, and ambulance will use the Pataa app.
  • This app will help in necessary services like E-KYC and banking geotagging. It can be accessible to everyone at the business.
  • All significant public assets, including bus stops, light poles, public restrooms, and bus stops, should have digital address numbers pasted on them. 
  • This app will also be essential for bringing down Indore’s pollution levels.

World’s largest museum of Harappan culture will be built in Rakhigarhi

The world’s largest museum of Harappan culture will be built in Rakhigarhi, Haryana. Rakhigarhi is a famous archaeological site from the Indus Valley civilisation period.

Key Points

  • The museum on Harappan culture in Rakhigarhi would showcase some 5,000-year-old artefacts belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. 
  • The museum would give recognition to Rakhigarhi at the international and national levels and increase job opportunities for the local communities. 
  • This world class museum would display photographs depicting Rakhigarhi’s history and would also house an open-air theatre and a library.
  • A special zone is being created in the museum for children to make them aware of the history in a recreational manner. 
  • The village of Rakhigarhi was part of the Indus Valley Civilisation from 2600-1900 BC. The place was one of the largest settlements of the ancient civilisation located in the Ghaggar-Hakra River plain.
  • The two villages Rakhi Khas and Rakhi Sahapur currently host the archeological remains of the Indus Valley site.

HDFC Bank issues first Electronic Bank Guarantee in India

HDFC Bank became the first bank in India to issue an Electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG) in collaboration with the National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL).

Key Points

  • Electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG) has been developed to simplify the process and eliminate the possibility of fraud and manipulation. 
  • e-BG will be issued on the NeSL portal through an API-based digital workflow. 
  • eStamping has replaced physical stamping and with e-BG, the applicant and beneficiary can immediately view a bank guarantee on the NeSL portal. 
  • Paper-based bank guarantees take 3-5days for completing the physical pick process from the bank, courier to the beneficiary, stamp it, and re-verify it. Before e-BG, there was no central repository for bank guarantees. 
  • e-BG offers advanced security, bringing inefficiency of time. The applicant and beneficiary can instantly view a bank guarantee on the NeSL portal.

 

Assam Current Affairs – September 01-03, 2022

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Assam & NE Current Affairs & GK – September 01-03, 2022

( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for the September 01-03, 2022)

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Current Affairs Quiz – Set 321: September 2022, Week 1 | Watch video 

September 01-03, 2022

Amlan Borgohain breaks 100m national record at All India Railway Championships

Assam’s Amlan Borgohain has broke the 100m national record at the 87th All India inter-Railway Championships in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, 

He clocked 10.25s (wind speed +1.8, legal) to break the six-year-old national record of Amiya Kumar Mallick (10.26s). 

The 24-year-old Amlan, is now the reigning national champion in the 100m and 200m. Amlan Borgohain holds the 200m national record of 20.52s, set in April this year at the Federation Cup.

Meanwhile, Himashree Roy won the women’s 100m in 11.42s while R. Rajesh (46.73s) and Kiran Pahal (53.91s) took the men’s and women’s 400m titles.

World Resource Institute (WRI) India launches online geospatial platform in Guwahati

World Resource Institute (WRI) India in partnership with Assam Energy Development Agency (AEDA) launched an online, open source, interactive geo-spatial platform, called Energy Access Explorer (EAE).

Key Points

  • Energy Access Explorer (EAE) will help visualize the extent of energy access at Assam’s health, education, and livelihood infrastructures. 
  • It claims to assist policy-makers, renewable energy industry entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers from the development sector to make integrated and impactful decisions to expand energy access in the state in the most efficient, cost-effective and sustainable way possible.
  • In the past decade, 37.7 percent of health sub-centres and 41 per cent of schools in rural Assam lack access to reliable and sustainable power, while Assam has made great strides in electricity provisioning to homes. 
  • The leverage data will be provided by the platform and create a scenario of viability and affordability for consumers.

University Grants Commission launched ‘e-Samadhan’ portal

Recently. University Grants Commission (UGC) has launched an online portal, e-Samadhan for addressing student-related grievances. 

UGC will now monitor and address all grievances of students and teaching/non-teaching staff through a centralized portal called ‘e-Samadhan’. 

Key Points

  • The e-Samadhan Portal will handle issues like non-refund of fees, making admission contrary to merit, refusal of admission in accordance with the declared admission policy, withholding of original degrees/diplomas/certificates by institutions, etc.
  • The portal will be the one-stop solution for all grievances; and all other existing portals and helplines will be merged with it except for the anti-ragging helpline.
  • Through this portal, the users can register their complaints on the portal anytime within 24 hours by following a simple procedure using their email id or by placing a call on the toll-free number 1800-111-656.

About University Grants Commission (UGC)

  • University Grants Commission is a statutory body set up by the UGC Act 1956. 
  • It is set up by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India in accordance and is charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education in India.
  • Its headquarters are in New Delhi, and it has six regional centres in Pune, Bhopal, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Bangalore.
  • It provides recognition to universities in India, and disbursements of funds to such recognized universities and colleges.
  • It provides doctoral scholarships to all those who clear JRF in the National Eligibility Test. 

Cabinet approves an MoU with Govt of Nepal on biodiversity conservation

Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for signing an MoU with the Government of Nepal on biodiversity conservation

The MoU aims to strengthen and enhance the coordination and cooperation in the field of forests, wildlife, environment, biodiversity conservation and climate change, including restoration of corridors and interlinking areas and share knowledge and best practices, between the two countries.

The MoU is expected to help in promoting cooperation between the Parties in the field of forests, wildlife, environment, biodiversity conservation, and climate change, including restoration of corridors and interlinking areas and sharing knowledge and best practices.

India’s first indigenously developed Vaccine for Cervical Cancer will be launched 

India will launch its first indigenously developed Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (qHPV) against Cervical cancer with the help of the Serum Institute of India (SII) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).

Key Points

  • The CERVAVAC vaccination will be the first quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine (qHPV) in India, to prevent cervical cancer. 
  • The vaccine would be launched once an adequate quantum of doses is manufactured and ready for distribution and will be administered with a two-dose schedule for girls in the age group of 9-14 and a three-dose schedule for girls and women in the age group of 15-26.
  • Cervical cancer is the 2nd most prevalent cancer in India and accounts for nearly one-fourth of the world’s cervical cancer deaths despite being largely preventable. 
  • Every year approximately 1.25 lakhs women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and over 75 thousand die from the disease in India and 83 % of invasive cervical cancers are attributed to HPVs 16 or 18 in India, and 70% of cases worldwide. 
  • The most promising intervention for preventing cervical cancer is vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV). 
  • It is estimated that HPV types 16 and 18 (HPV-16 and HPV-18) together contribute to approximately 70% of all invasive cervical cancer cases worldwide.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched virtual school

Recently, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the virtual school called the ‘Delhi Model Virtual School’, in which students from across India will be eligible for admission in classes 9 to 12. 

Key Points 

  • Delhi Model Virtual School will be affiliated to the Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE). 
  • The virtual school will prove to be a milestone in the education sector in the country. 
  • The admission will be open for students across India who are aged between 13 and 18. who has cleared class 8 from any recognised school can apply for admission to DMVS
  • The classes will be online and recorded lectures will also be uploaded online. 

Current Affairs Quiz – Set 321: September 2022, Week 1 | Watch video 

 

Assam Current Affairs and GK Quiz – Set 315: July 2022, Week 3

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Assam Current Affairs and GK Quiz – Set 315: July 2022, Week 3

( Daily and Monthly Assam Current Affairs & GK Quiz & MCQ for APSC Exams and various Assam exams)

Current Affairs GK & Quiz Monthly – July 2022 | Quiz Home Page Current Affairs Assam Quiz - Assam exam

 

Q1. The literacy rate of which of the following districts is highest in Assam?

  1. Jorhat
  2. Kamrup
  3. Kamrup Metropolitan
  4. Dibrugarh

Kamrup Metropolitan

 

Q2. Who is crowned as the Femina Miss India World 2022?

  1. Sini Shetty
  2. Shinata Chauhan
  3. Manasa Varanasi
  4. Shikha Gayatri

Sini Shetty

 

Q3. Which new body has been approved to replace the Banks Board Bureau (BBB)?

  1. Banks and Insurance Companies Bureau
  2. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
  3. Financial Services Institution Bureau (FSIB)
  4. Financial Institutions Bureau (FIB)

Financial Services Institution Bureau (FSIB)

  • The government has set up the Financial Services Institution Bureau (FSIB) to replace the Banks Board Bureau (BBB).
  • The BBB was entrusted with the task of selecting candidates for appointments to the senior management-level posts.

 

Q4. Maryna Viazovska was named as one of four recipients of the 2022 Fields Medal. Fields Medal is associated with which field?

  1. Sports
  2. Science & Technology
  3. Computer Science
  4. Mathematics

Mathematics

  • Fields Medal is also described as the Nobel Prize in mathematics. Ukrainian mathematician Maryna Viazovska, who works in Switzerland, was named as one of four recipients of the 2022 Fields Medal.
  • The Fields Medal is awarded by the International Mathematical Union (IMU), an international non-governmental and non-profit scientific organisation to promote international cooperation in mathematics.

 

Q5. Droupadi Murmu has been selected as the

  1. 12th President of India
  2. 15th President of India
  3. 17th President of India
  4. 18th President of India

15th President of India

  • The 2022 Presidential Election is conducted to choose the 15th President of India are being held in India.
  • NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu and the opposition’s Yashwant Sinha are participating in the election.
  • The President is elected by the members of the Electoral College, comprising elected members of both houses of Parliament and legislative assemblies of all states as well as the NCT of Delhi and the UT of Puducherry.

Q6. India reported its first monkey-pox case in Kerala. Monkeypox in humans and other animals is caused by?

  1. Virus
  2. Bacteria
  3. Fungus
  4. Chemical pollutant

Virus

  • India reported its first monkey-pox case in the state of Kerala. Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, with a lesser clinical severity.

 

Q7. Which is ranked first in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2022?

  1. IIT Madras
  2. IISc Bangalore
  3. IIT Kharagpur
  4. Jawaharlal Nehru University

IIT Madras

  • The Ministry of Education has released the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for the year 2022.
  • Indian Institute of Technology Madras has retained its first position for the fourth consecutive year in the overall category and for the seventh consecutive year in Engineering. Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi was ranked second while Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, was ranked third.

 

Q8. Which state is ranked first in the NITI Aayog’s India Innovation Index (2021)?

  1. Uttar Pradesh
  2. Tamil Nadu
  3. Telangana
  4. Karnataka

Karnataka

  • Karnataka has been ranked first in the NITI Aayog’s India Innovation Index (2021) for the third time in a row. The first edition was released in October 2019. India Innovation Index ranks states and union territories on the basis of innovation capabilities.
  • Manipur topped the ‘North East and Hill States’ section.
  • Chandigarh won the ‘Union Territory and City States’ category.

TOP State Ranks

  1. Karnataka
  2. Telangana
  3. Haryana
  4. Maharashtra

 

Q9. Which institution releases the ‘Global Gender Gap Report’?

  1. World Economic Forum (WEF)
  2. International Monetary Fund (IMF)
  3. International Labour Organization (ILO)
  4. International Court of Justice

World Economic Forum (WEF)

  • Iceland (90.8%) led the Global Gender Gap Index 2022 ranking in the first place.
  • India is ranked at 135 out of 146 countries. Last year, India was ranked 140 out of 156 countries.

 

Q10. Which Indian state is included in the ‘World’s 50 Greatest Places of 2022’ by Time Magazine?

  1. Uttarakhand
  2. Karnataka
  3. Tamil Nadu
  4. Kerala

Kerala

  • Kerala has been included in the list of the “World’s 50 Greatest Places of 2022” by Time Magazine. TIME has described Kerala as ‘one of India’s most beautiful states.
  • India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City, Ahmedabad has also been included in the list of the World’s 50 Greatest Places of 2022.

 

Q11.  Kharchi festival is celebrated in which state?

  1. Tripura
  2. Nagaland
  3. Manipur
  4. Assam

Tripura

 

Q12. Which Indian shuttler won the ‘Singapore Open 2022’ championship title?

  1. Lakshya Sen
  2. Ashwini Ponnappa
  3. Aparna Popat
  4. P V Sindhu

P V Sindhu

  • India Ace shuttler PV Sindhu defeated China’s Wang Zhi Yi in the final match of women’s singles at the Singapore Open 2022.
  • The two-time Olympic medallist clinched her maiden Super 500 title of the year 2022. The Singapore Open 2022 is Sindhu’s third title of the 2022 season after winning the Syed Modi International and Swiss Open BWF Super 300 titles.

 

Q13. Which city has been selected as the first Cultural and Tourism Capital of SCO for 2022-23?

  1. Varanasi
  2. Ahmedabad
  3. Kolkata
  4. Jaipur

Varanasi

  • Varanasi is declared the first Cultural and Tourism Capital of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
  • Varanasi will become the Capital of SCO for 2022-23 under a new rotating initiative by the eight-member organisation, which aims to promote people-to-people contacts and tourism among the member states.

 

Q14. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently unveiled a 30-ft bronze statue of legendary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju, he was a freedom fighter from which present-day state?

  1. Maharashtra
  2. Andhra Pradesh
  3. Tamil Nadu
  4. Kerala

Andhra Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 30-ft bronze statue of legendary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju on his 125th birth anniversary.

The 15-tonne statue was carved out at a cost of Rs 3 crore and installed by the Kshatriya Seva Samiti in Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh. The leader was known for the ‘Rampa Rebellion’ or ‘Manyam Uprising’, in the Rampachodavaram forest area, which was undertaken against the mighty British forces.

 

Q15. Which Union Ministry implements the ‘Mission Shakti’ scheme’?

  1. Ministry of Defence
  2. Ministry of MSME
  3. Ministry of Women and Child Development
  4. Ministry of Home Affairs

Ministry of Women and Child Development

  • ‘Mission Shakti’  was launched as an integrated women empowerment programme as umbrella scheme for the safety, security and empowerment of women for implementation during the 15th Finance Commission period 202l-22 to 2025-26. ‘Mission Shakti’ has two sub-schemes – ‘Sambal’ and ‘Samarthya’.

Current Affairs GK & Quiz Monthly – July 2022

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Assam Current Affairs – July 01-03, 2022

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Assam & NE Current Affairs & GK – July 01-03 2022

( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for the July 01- 03, 2022)

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Current Affairs GK & Quiz Monthly – July 2022

Assam Current Affairs and GK Quiz – Set 313: July 2022, Week 1 | Watch Quiz Video

July 01-03, 2022

NITI Aayog and World Food Program Releases Report

NITI Aayog and World Food Program have released a report titled ‘Take Home Ration-Good Practices across the State/Union Territories’.

The report presents a set of good and innovative practices adopted in the implementation of the Take Home Ration value chain by the States and UTs. 

Key Points

  • In this report, various good practices at the State/UTs level have been identified and are documented which would serve as a guidebook to policymakers and administrators in strengthening their Take-Home Ration system.
  • Take-Home ration is provided by Government of India, under Supplementary Nutrition component of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
  • It is provided to fill the gap in nutrition among children as well as Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW).
  • To generate a document on good practices under the programme, aspects related to production, distribution, formulation, packaging, labelling, quality assurance, monitoring, and social & behavioural change have been reviewed. 
  • This document will help in adopting good practices in Take-Home Ration programmes across states and UTs.

Recommendations made by the report: 

  • In order to realize the full potential of the THR, all components of this value chain need to function at optimum. 
  • Building a robust system for procurement, supply chain management and monitoring that ensures complete transparency, standardized process, sustainability, full coverage, leverages local ties, fosters a culture of collaboration and builds trust within a community.

About World Food Program

  • The World Food Program was founded in 1961 by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) headquartered in Rome, Italy. 
  • It is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations. 
  • It is the world’s largest humanitarian organization in the world, saving lives in times of need and utilising food aid to help people recover from war, natural disasters, and the effects of climate change create a road to peace, stability, and prosperity. 
  • The WFP was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for its efforts to provide food assistance in areas of conflict, and to prevent the use of food as a weapon of war and conflict.
  • It is is an executive member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.

India’s Largest Floating Solar Power Project Commissioned

Recently, the  National Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC) has commissioned India’s largest floating solar power project at Ramagundam, Telangana.

Key Points

  • It is a 100-megawatt(MW) floating solar power photovoltaic project commissioned by the National Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC).
  • It is endowed with advanced technology as well as environment friendly features.
  • The floating platform comprises a transformer, inverter and a HT breaker. 
  • The project spreads over 500 acres of its reservoir divided into 49 blocks and each block has a capacity of 2.5MW and each block comprises one floating platform and a matrix of 11,200 solar modules.
  • The solar modules are kept on floaters which are manufactured with HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) material.

Benefits of this project

  • Minimum land requirement mostly for associated evacuation arrangements.
  • With the presence of floating solar panels, the evaporation rate from water bodies is reduced, thus helping in water conservation. 
  • The water body underneath the solar modules helps in maintaining their ambient temperature, thereby improving their efficiency and generation.

World Cities Report 2022

Recently, United Nations-Habitat(UN-Habitat) has released the World Cities Report 2022. 

Key Points

  • The UN-Habitat World Cities Report 2022 highlights that, rapid urbanization in India was delayed temporarily due to the covid-19 pandemic.
  • According to the report, the urban population in India is estimated to reach 675 million in 2035. It will be the second-highest figure, behind China’s one billion. 
  • In lower income countries, existing urban populations continuing to increase naturally with increasing birth rates. Urban population is expected to grow from 56 percent of the world’s total in 2021 to 68 per cent by 2050.
  • In last two decades, India and China experienced rapid urbanisation and economic growth which led to massive reduction in the number of people living in poverty. 
  • India’s urban population is likely to reach 675,456,000 in 2035, as compared to 483,099,000 in 2020. 
  • The percentage of the population in urban areas of India will be 43.2 percent, by 2035.

About UN-Habitat

  • The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) was established in 1978 headquartered at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya. 
  • It is a member of the United Nations Development Group.
  • It is the United Nations programme for human settlements and sustainable urban development.
  • It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. 

IIE, Guwahati signs MoU with IIM, Shillong to boost entrepreneurship ecosystem in North Eastern Region

The Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Incubation and Enterprise Support Centre of Indian Institute of Management Shillong (IIMS) to boost the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the North Eastern Region (NER).

Objectives

  • To encourage entrepreneurship, incubation, and startups in the North Eastern Region. 
  • To support professional development in the areas of management, entrepreneurship, and skill development.
  • To meet the larger demand for capacity building and entrepreneurship promotion in the North Eastern Region. 

By collaborating on this initiative, both institutes will benefit from each other’s strengths in promoting skill development in the NER and the country at large. 

The institutes will together conduct certified courses on entrepreneurship development and also train startups and incubates under the Incubation and Enterprise Support Centre, IIM Shillong. They will also promote educational lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and other knowledge dissemination programmes in the region. 

ISRO launches PSLV-C53 satellites 

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the PSLV-C53 with three Singapore Satellites onboard. 

Key Points 

  • PSLV-C53 is the second dedicated commercial mission of New Space India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO. This was ISRO’s 55th mission of PSLV.
  • The rocket placed the three customer satellites in the precise orbit of 570 km with a 10 degree inclination.
  • The four-stage, 44.4-metre-tall rocket had a lift-off mass of 228.433 tonnes. 
  • The launch vehicle has carried three satellites – DS-EO, a 365 kg and NeuSAR, a 155 kg satellite and 2.8 kg Scoob-1 satellite. 
  • DS-EO carries an Electro-Optic, multi-spectral payload which will provide full colour images for land classification, and for serving humanitarian assistance and disaster relief needs. 
  • NeuSAR satellite will provide images in day and night and under all weather conditions and the Scoob-I satellite is the first satellite in the Student Satellite Series (S3-I), which is a hands-on student training programme.

Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2022

Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has issued the Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2022, under the Forest (conservation) Act, 1980.

Provisions of Forest (conservation) Rules 2022 

  • It constituted an Advisory Committee, a regional empowered committee and a screening committee at each of the integrated regional offices and a screening committee at State/Union Territory (UT) government-level.
  • The Advisory Committee is restricted to advise or recommend with regards to grant of approval under relevant sections in respect of proposals referred to it and any matter connected with the conservation of forests referred to it by the Central government.
  • Integrated Regional Office will be set up to examine all the linear projects (Highways and roads) on land up to 40 hectares and those projects using forest land up to 0.7 canopy density. These rules provide for a fixed time for reviewing each project quickly. 
  • States are given the responsibility of settling forest rights of forest dwellers (Forest Rights Act, 2006) and allowing diversion of forest land. They will also allow diversion of forest land. 
  • Compensatory afforestation (CA) will now be allowed in other states. If the state already has over two-thirds area under green cover or over one-third area under forest cover, then CA could be taken in other states/UTs where the cover is less than 20%.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)  has also proposed the removal of imprisonment as a penalty for the “less severe’’ contraventions and replace it with a monetary penalty. However, serious violations of EPA which lead to grievous injury or loss of life shall be covered under the provision of Indian Penal Code.

Sini Shetty crowned Femina Miss India 2022

Karnataka’s Sini Sadanand Shetty won the Femina Miss India 2022. She will now represent India at the 71st Miss World pageant. 

Sini Shetty hails from Karnataka. Shetty was born in Mumbai in 2001. The 21-yr-old, who holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and financing, is currently pursuing a course in Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Femina Miss India 2022’s first runner-up is Rubal Shekhawat from Rajasthan, while the second runner-up is Shinata Chauhan, who hails from Uttar Pradesh.

Femina Miss India 2022 was the 58th edition of the Femina Miss India beauty pageant.

Raja Kumar has been appointed as the president of Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

T. Raja Kumar has been recently appointed as the president of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the anti-money laundering watchdog.

Raja Kumar, who hails from Singapore has replaced Marcus Pleyer. He will discharge his service for next two years. 

He has been working against global terror financing for quite a long time. As soon as he took over the charge, he presented his objectives for the coming Plenary period (July 2022 -June 2024) to strengthen the FATF. 

During the Singapore Presidency, the FATF will continue its core work of identifying and analysing money laundering and terrorist financing methods and trends, developing and refining the FATF Standards, and evaluating and supporting the assessments of countries within the Global Network.

About Financial Action Task Force

  • The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an intergovernmental organisation. Headquarters at Paris, France.
  • It is also known by its French name, Groupe d’action financière (GAFI).
  • It was founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering.
  • The objectives of FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.
  • In 2001, its mandate was expanded to include terrorism financing.

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Current Affairs GK & Quiz Monthly – July 2022

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Assam Current Affairs – May 2022

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Assam & NE Current Affairs & GK – May 2022

( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for the month of May 2022)

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Current Affairs GK & Quiz Monthly – May 2022

 

Arunachal Pradesh Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan pact signed with WWF India
  • 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.
  • 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.
FACTFILE – Pakke Declaration
  • In 2021, the “Pakke Tiger Reserve 2047 Declaration on Climate Change Resilient and Responsive Arunachal Pradesh” was adopted by the state government 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.
ADB Loan to Nagaland for Urban Infrastructure Projects
  • The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government 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.
  • The cities and towns of Nagaland are facing challenges related to climate change, poor connectivity, and lack of basic amenities.
  • The state’s major transport routes are also affected due to landslides during the monsoon season. The urban roads of the state are in poor condition as they do not have a proper stormwater drainage system.
  • A lot of the cities of the state also face acute water shortages and have inadequate sewerage management systems.
  • The loan will help in designing sanitation, water supply, urban roads, and solid waste management infrastructures having climate-resilient features and improved access to the state’s vulnerable and poor.

 OIL commissioned Jorhat Green Hydrogen Pilot Plant 
  • 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 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.
 NIXI-CSC and Tripura signed MOU to set up International Standard Data Centre 
  • A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been inked between the government 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.
  • Rs 150 crore will be invested by the joint venture company while the state government will only be providing the space for setting up the Data Centre.
  • In the next one or two months, the NIXI-CSC Data Services Centre will kick start the Data Centre while it will take a year to raise the Data Centre’s standards to a world-class level.
  • This collaboration will enable the state government to host all of its data in the proposed Data Centre, while the state will also be provided with data free of cost. The company will be charging for data exchange to other private players and governments other than Tripura.
 Meghalaya Enterprise Architecture (MeghEA) Project won UN Award

The government 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 government departments in the state.

FACTFILE – MeghEA Project
  • The Meghalaya Enterprise Architecture Project (MeghEA) was launched in 2021 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.
  • The MeghEA initiative is spread across 6 pillars i.e.  Governance, Human Resources, Entrepreneurship, Primary Sector, Infrastructure and Environment, and envision to make Meghalaya a high income state by 2030.
  • The project aims to improve service delivery and governance for the people using power of Digital technologies.

MeghEA is supporting the digital government goals that are:

  • A planned transformation initiative of the state government 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 government process with the aim of providing multi-channel service delivery.
  • Ensuring that the systems and applications of the state government provide users with all relevant information.
  • Crafting an ecosystem to boost the digital economy by leveraging ICT for growth and employment.

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Current Affairs GK & Quiz Monthly – May 2022

 Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – North East Festival
  • The week-long Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – North East Festival began on 28th April 2022 till 4th May 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 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.
  • Cultural programs will also be held that will celebrate the uniqueness of this region and will also be highlighting its potential.
  • The valedictory session of this festival would be celebrated on 4th May at Guwahati.
Themes of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – North East 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)
 Open Neobank become India’s 100th Unicorn Start-up
  • Open, a Bengaluru-based neobank platform has become the 100th unicorn start-up in India.
  • The start-up has raised fresh funds that increased its valuation to USD 1 billion. The new investment round to raise funds was led by IIFL, a Mumbai-based investment firm along with the existing investors, Temasek, Tiger Global, and 3one4 Capital. USD 50 million was raised in the latest round.
  • Temasek, Google, SoftBank, and Visa have invested USD 100 million in this neobank start-up Open.
FACTFILE – Open Neobank
  • The start-up was founded in the year 2017 by Anish Achuthan, his wife Mabel Chacko, and his brother Ajeesh Achuthan. Deena Jacob is the fourth founding member of this organization. In the month of May 2018, USD 2 million was raised by this start-up.
  • CEO- Anish Achutan, Chief Operating Officer- Mabel Chacko, Chief Technology Officer- Ajeesh Achutan and Chief Financial Officer- Deena Jacob
FACTFILE – Neobanks

Neobanks are digital banks having zero branches. Instead, such organizations have their presence online. Neobank organizations target the tech-savvy customers. Neobanks basically are fintech firms providing mobile-first and digital services like debit cards, payments, lending, money transfers, etc. The services of the neobanks can be accessed via an app.

FACTFILE – Unicorns

A Unicorn is a start-up company that is privately held and has been valued at more than USD 1 billion. This term was made popular by venture capitalist Aileen Lee who is the founder of Cowboy Ventures.

 Rajasthan became the first state to surpass 10 GW solar capacity
  • Rajasthan became the first state in the country to surpass 10 GW of cumulative large-scale solar installations, as per the Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker.
  • Rajasthan has a total of 32.5 GW of installed power capacity.
  • Renewable energy contributes to 55% of Rajasthan’s total installed power capacity. Whereas thermal energy contributes 43%, and nuclear energy contributes the remaining 2%.
  • Solar is the predominant source in Rajasthan, which accounts for around 36% of the power capacity mix and 64% of renewables.
  • Rajasthan has over 16 GW of solar projects under development.

Some of the favorable conditions for the generation of solar power in Rajasthan are:

  • Rajasthan enjoys the highest solar irradiation levels in India.
  • Availability of land to commission solar projects.
  • Minimal power curtailment issues.
FACTFILE – Rajasthan’s Solar Energy Policy 2019
  • Rajasthan’s Solar Energy Policy 2019, which aims to achieve a target of 30 GW of solar power by the FY 2024-25.
  • Of this, utility or grid-scale solar parks have a major share, which will account for 24 GW.
Installed solar capacity of India

As of December 2021, the cumulative solar installed capacity of India is 55GW. Within the 55GW, grid-connected utility-scale projects contribute 77%.

 

 Cynthia Rosenzweig awarded 2022 World Food Prize
  • Cynthia Rosenzweig, NASA’s head of the Climate Impacts Group and a senior research scientist at Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) received the 2022 World Food Prize from the World Food Prize Foundation. She received USD 250,000 along with a commemorative sculpture and a diploma.
  • She received the award for her research that helped understand the relationship between food systems and climate and the forecast of how both will be changing in the future.
FACTFILE – World Food Prize
  • The World Food Prize is an award that is given with the aim of recognizing the achievements of individuals from across the world who have helped in advancing the development of humans by improving the quantity, quality, or availability of food across the world.
  • The award was conceived by Norman Borlaug, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
  • This prize was established in 1986 and the first prize was given in the year 1987 to S. Swaminathan.
  • This prize has been awarded annually since to recognize contributions in all those fields that involve world food supply like:
    • Aquaculture
    • animal science
    • water conservation
    • soil science
    • health
    • nutrition
    • seed science
    • plant science
    • crop protection
    • plant pathology
    • food safety
    • food technology
    • research
    • policy
    • emergency relief
    • infrastructure
    • hunger
    • poverty alleviation
 India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System Train set handed to NCRTC
  • The first trainset of India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) was recently handed over to National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). These trains are 100% indigenous. This is in line with the government’s Make in India program and Aatmanirbhar Bharat’s ambition.
  • The trainset was designed at Alstom’s Hyderabad engineering center and manufactured in Alstom’s factory in Savli (Gujarat). The propulsion systems and electricals are manufactured in Maneja (Gujarat).
FACTFILE – Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS)
  • It is an 82.15 km long semi-high speed rail corridor connecting Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Meerut. The corridor is under construction.
  • It is one of the three rapid rail corridors planned under Phase I of the Regional Rapid Transport System (RRTS) project of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
  • The Delhi-Meerut RRTS will be the first in India to adopt the European Train Control System (ETCS) hybrid Level 2 signaling system.
  • The RRTS corridors will operate the fastest trains in India with a design speed of 180 kmph.
FACTFILE – National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC)
  • National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) is a joint venture company of the Government of India and the States of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh (UP).
  • It is mandated for implementing the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project across the National Capital Region (NCR) of India.

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Current Affairs GK & Quiz Monthly – May 2022

 World Bank Report on World Governance Indicators (WGI)

The Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) project reports governance indicators for over 200 countries for the following six dimensions of governance:

  1. Voice and Accountability
  2. Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism
  3. Government Effectiveness
  4. Regulatory Quality
  5. Rule of Law
  6. Control of Corruption

These aggregate indicators are based on over 30 individual data sources produced by a variety of survey institutes, think tanks, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations, and private sector firms such as Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project and Freedom House, etc.

Concern of the Indian government
  • According to the government, World Governance Indicators (WGI) is based on impressions from the Western press or small surveys of NGOs and a handful of academics, many of them do not even have an India expert.
  • Due to the negative commentary on India by these institutes there will be a drop in WGI scores.
  • This could downgrade India’s Sovereign Ratings.

The government reached out to sovereign rating agencies. On October 5, 2021, Moody’s Investors Service raised the outlook on India’s sovereign rating to ‘stable’ from ‘negative’.

  B.V. Doshi conferred with the Royal Gold Medal 2022
  • Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi has been conferred with the prestigious Royal Gold Medal 2022, which is one of the world’s highest honours in the field of architecture.
  • Simon Allford who is the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) presented this award to B.V. Doshi at his residence in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
  • This award is presented to recognize a lifetime’s work of an individual that had a significant impact on advancing the field of architecture. Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom personally approves this prestigious medal.
BIOGRAPHY – B.V. Doshi

·         B.V. Doshi became the first Indian to be conferred with the Pritzker Architecture Prize when he was awarded it in 2018.

·         After receiving the Royal Gold Medal, he became the first Indian and very few from across the globe to have received both prizes.

·         He was conferred the Padma Bhushan by the Indian central government in the year 2020. It is the country’s third-highest civilian award.

·         B.V. Doshi has worked on 100 projects that include educational facilities, cultural buildings, housing developments, etc. Some of his important projects include:

  • Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
  • Ahmedabad School of Architecture
  • Aranya Low-Cost Housing
  • Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur
  • Tagore Hall and Memorial Theatre, Ahmedabad
  • NIFT Delhi
 National Technology Day celebrated on May 11
  • Every year, May 11th is celebrated in India as National Technology Day, to mark the anniversary of the Pokhran nuclear tests (Pokhran-II) conducted in May 1998.
  • Pokhran-II nuclear tests were a series of five nuclear tests conducted under the administration of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan’s Thar desert from 11th to 13th May 1998.
  • Pokhran-II nuclear tests was code named Operation Shakti.
  • The first nuclear tests were conducted by India in 1974. It was code-named, Smiling Buddha.
  • Theme for this year’s National Technology Day is Integrated Approach in Science & Technology for Sustainable Future.
  Tomato Flu Outbreak in Kerala
  • Kerala has been struck by another viral disease known as the Tomato Flu. It is a rare viral disease due to which blisters shaped like tomatoes are formed. As of 11th May 2022, around 80 children of the state who are under the age of five have already been affected.
  • All the 80 cases in Kerala have been detected from the Kollam district. Due to this outbreak, the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have increased their border surveillance.
  • This disease has no specific treatment for Tomato Flu. This disease is also highly contagious.
FACTFILE – Tomato Flu
  • This is a flu that causes red blisters and rashes on the body of the infected child. They are mostly generally red in colour and hence it is known as Tomato Fever or Tomato Flu. The main symptoms of this disease include:
  • Large blisters that are red in colour and are tomato sized
  • Body ache
  • High fever
  • Swelling of joints.
  • Nausea
  • Abdominal cramps
  • Fatigue
  • Vomiting
  • Discolouration of knees, hands, and buttocks.
 Rajiv Kumar elected New Chief Election Commissioner of India
  • From May 15th, 2022, Rajiv Kumar, the current Election Commissioner (EC), will take over as the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). This announcement was made by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.
  • Since September 1st, 2020 Rajiv Kumar is serving as the Election Commissioner (EC).
  • Sushil Chandra is the incumbent Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) who will demit his office on May 14th, 2022.
FACTFILE – Election Commission of India (ECI)
  • According to Article 324 (2) of the constitution, the Election Commission of India (ECI) shall consist of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other election commissioners, if any, as the President may from time to time fix. 
  • Currently, ECI consists of the CEC and two Election Commissioners (ECs).
  • The salary of the CEC is the same as the salary of a Judge of the Supreme Court of India.
  • Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) can be removed from office only in a manner and on grounds similar to a Judge of the Supreme Court of India.
 Czech Republic to replace Russia on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) 
  • The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in a secret ballot voting elected the Czech Republic to replace Russia on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
  • 157 countries voted in favor of the Czech Republic in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and there were 23 abstentions. 
  • The Czech Republic retains the UNHRC seat till 31 December 2023.
  • Russia was suspended from UNHRC by a vote in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for its human rights violations in Ukraine. Still Russia can participate in the UNHRC sessions as it has observer status.
FACTFILE – United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
  • The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a UN organization that aims to protect human rights.
  • It was established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2006.
  • It replaced the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR).
  • The headquarters of UNHRC is in Geneva in Switzerland.
  • The UNHRC has 47 members elected for three-year terms and the seats are divided on a regional group basis.
  • No member can occupy the UNHRC seat for more than two consecutive terms.
  • The UNHRC seats are divided into the following regional groups: 13 for Africa, 13 for Asia, 6 for Eastern Europe, 8 for Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC), and 7 for the Western European and Others Group (WEOG).
 Niti Aayog launced National Data & Analytics Platform
  • NITI Aayog launched the National Data & Analytics Platform (NDAP) for open public use. In August 2021, a beta version of the platform was released, which provided access to only a few users for testing and feedback.
  • National Data & Analytics Platform (NDAP) aims to make public government data accessible, interoperable, and available on a user-friendly platform. The platform contains data from different government agencies. It provides tools for analytics and visualization of the data.
  • It has 203 datasets from 46 central government ministries and agencies which were selected based on use cases and expert advice. These datasets are interoperable with each other. The datasets will be regularly updated to ensure that it remains relevant.
  • The datasets will be available in multiple languages. Users can follow any particular dataset they’re interested in. When there is an update in the dataset followed by the users, they will notification. The platform can be easily accessed by visually-impaired users as it will have audio and video tutorials in Hindi and English.
  • The NDAP makes the datasets interoperable with each other, which will enable easy cross-sectoral analysis. It will also democratize the use of public government data, by ensuring its availability till the last mile. It will promote data-driven policy-making and evidence-based decision-making.
 Manik Saha became Tripura’s New Chief Minister
  • Manik Saha has taken oath as the new Chief Minister of Tripura on 15th May 2022. He was elected as the new Chief Minister of the state after former CM Biplab Kumar Deb resigned.
  • The Governor of the state Satyadeo Narain Arya had administered the oath of secrecy to Manik Saha at a ceremony that was held at Raj Bhawan.
  • Manik Saha is the BJP State unit president of Tripura as well as the only Rajya Sabha MP from the state.
 India wins Thomas Cup for the first time
  • India created history by winning the Thomas Cup title for the first time. Thomas cup 2022 was held in Bangkok, Thailand.India defeated defending champions Indonesia in the Thomas cup finals by 3-0. 
  • India’s Lakshya Sen won the first match against Anthony Sinsuka Ginting. In the second match, Satwik and Chirag defeated the Indonesian pair of Ahsan and Sukamuljo. In the third match, K. Srikanth defeated Jonathan Christie in straight. In this tournament, Srikanth played won all the six matches played by him.
  • Badminton Association of India (BAI) President announced prize money of Rs 1 crore for the Thomas Cup-winning team. Prize money of Rs 20 lakh will be given to the support staff.
FACTFILE – Thomas Cup
  • It is an international badminton competition among men’s teams of various countries of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
  • Since 1982, Thomas cup championships are held every two years. Before that, they were conducted once every three years. The first Thomas cup tournament was conducted in 1948–1949.
  • Indonesia is the most successful team, as it won the Thomas cup 14 times. China comes second with 10 titles. Malaysia is ranked third with 5 titles.
  • Only six countries have won the Thomas cup title. India is the sixth country to win the Thomas Cup.
 Bangladesh offered India the use of the Chittagong Port
  • Bangladesh Prime Minister offered India the use of the Chittagong Port. Access to Bangladesh’s Chittagong Port will benefit India’s northeastern states like Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, and Mizoram.
  • Chittagong Port, Bangladesh’s principal seaport is built on the Karnafuli River. It is the busiest port along the coastline of the Bay of Bengal. It is also used for transshipment by India, Nepal, and Bhutan.
  • In March 2021, the Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh inaugurated the Maitri Setu Bridge. It was built over the Feni River and reduced the distance between Tripura and the Chittagong port in Bangladesh.
  • Road infrastructure in Meghalaya’s Dawki, Assam’s Sutarkandi, and Tripura’s Akhaura linking Bangladesh is also being improved.
  • Mizoram is planning to build bridges across the Khawthlangtuipui river for faster access to the Chittagong port.

Historical Prospective

  • Before India’s independence, the northeastern part of India had access to Chittagong Port via the Brahmaputra and Barak River systems. After partition in 1947, India’s Northeast lost access to the sea. The Chittagong Port had gone to East Pakistan and India lost a major trade route. However, India continued to use the ports of East Pakistan until the 1965 war with Pakistan. After that, the northeast had to depend on a narrow strip in West Bengal for goods and passenger transportation.The revival of pre-Partition trade routes would improve the trade for the Northeast region and generate revenue for Bangladesh.

 Novak Djokovic and Iga Świątek won Italian Open 2022 singles
  • Novak Djokovic and Iga Świątek won Italian Open 2022 Men’s singles and Women’s singles respectively. The 2022 Italian Open was concluded recently on 15th May 2022.
  • Men’s doubles winners are Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić (Croatia) and Women’s doubles: Veronika Kudermetova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia).
  • The Prize money in Italian Open 2022 is €6,008,725 for men and USD 2,527,250 for women.
FACTFILE – Italian Open 2022
  • The Italian Open is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It is held in Rome, Italy.
  • Italian Open 2022 was the 79th edition of the Italian Open. It was classified as an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2022 ATP Tour and a non-mandatory event on the 2022 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. It was held from 2 May 2022 – 15 May 2022.
  • Rafael Nadal (Spain) won the Italian Open men’s singles title a record 10 times.
 First Incredible India International Cruise Conference (IIICC) organised
  • Recently, the first Incredible India International Cruise Conference (IIICC), a two-day event jointly organized by the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  • Strategies for developing India as a cruise hub, port infrastructure, and the potential of river cruise tourism in India were some of the issues focused on at the conference.
 Some of the MoUs signed are
  1. Mumbai Port signed MoUs with Angriya Sea Eagle Ltd and Waterways Leisure Tourism P. Ltd for homeporting their cruise ships in Mumbai and Chennai respectively for the upcoming cruising season.
  2. Mumbai Port and Training Ship Rahaman signed MoU for being an existing service provider in the field of Maritime Training for Cruise Vessels.
  3. Mumbai Port and The Apollo Group USA signed MoU for being an existing service providers to cruise operators in the country.
  4. Chennai Port and Waterways Leisure Tourism P. Ltd. Signed MoU for home porting their cruise ship in Chennai for the upcoming cruising season.
  5. A MoU was signed between the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Adventure Resorts and Cruises for the Development of Long Cruise on Backwaters of Kerala.
  6. Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) signed MoUs with JM Baxi River Cruise and Antara Luxury River Cruises for River Cruise between Varanasi and Bogibeel via Kolkata under the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route.

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Current Affairs GK & Quiz Monthly – May 2022

 Mayiladumparai is India’s earliest Iron Age site
  • Mayiladumparai is the oldest Iron Age site currently found in India. Radiocarbon dating Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (C14-carbon dating) method of excavations from the Mayiladumparai site confirmed that it is the oldest Iron Age site currently found in India.
  • After excavations at the Mayiladumparai site, it is now confirmed that iron was used in Tamil Nadu state as early as 2172 BCE or 4,200 years ago.
  • Mayiladumparai site is located in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu. It is habitation-cum-burial site.
  • The Mayiladumparai site was first excavated in 2003 by K Rajan of the Thanjavur-based Tamil University. In 2021, excavations were resumed by Tamil Nadu’s Department of Archaeology.
  • Iron Age in Tamil Nadu has been identified as early as 2172 BCE or 4,200 years ago. The late Neolithic phase (the last part of the Stone Age) is identified before 2200 BCE.
 World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) Report
  • According to the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report that was released by the United Nations, the global economy this year is expected to grow by only 3.1 per cent. The earlier prediction in January was 4.0 per cent but the rate was slashed mainly due to the war in Ukraine. This report has been published by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) of the UN.
  • The forecast has revealed that the Ukraine conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic have increased commodity and food prices, thus increasing the inflationary pressures. Global inflation this year is set to reach 6.7 per cent. The high inflation rate in the developing and least developed countries is reducing the real income of the households.
  • Higher food and energy prices are mostly affecting the developing economies that import a lot of commodities, especially the African countries.
  • The growth prospects downgrade is affecting all countries across the world including major economies like the United States, the European Union, China, etc as well as other major economies.
  • Due to this war between Russia and Ukraine, energy prices have increased drastically. The European Union faced a blunt of this effect as around a quarter of Europe’s energy consumption is in the form of natural gas and oil imports from Russia.
  • This report has highlighted that India is still the world’s fastest-growing major economy across the globe. In 2022, India has been projected to grow by 6.4 per cent. This is slower than 2021’s 8.8 per cent.
 ‘India International Centre for Buddhist Culture & Heritage’ to be setup in Lumbini, Nepal 
  • Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba recently laid the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in Lumbini, Nepal.
  • The construction of the center is undertaken by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) on a plot allocated by the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT), under an agreement between the IBC and the LDT signed in March 2022. Ministry of Culture, Government of India is providing financial support to the center.
  • The center will be a world-class facility and pilgrims from all over the world can have the essence of the spiritual aspects of Buddhism at this center. The center will also be Nepal’s first ‘Net Zero Emission’ building.
  • International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) was formed in 2013 and has its headquarters in New Delhi, India. IBC serves as a common platform for Buddhists all over the world. IBC aims to preserve and promote Buddhist values and teachings.
FACTFILE – Lumbini
  • Lumbini is the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha).
  • This Buddhist pilgrimage site is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.
  • The Indian emperor Ashoka visited Lumbini and erected a commemorative pillar.
 Sweden and Finland request to join NATO

Finland and Sweden submitted their application to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Although Finland and Sweden have a non-alignment policy, they were always close to NATO. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted them to join NATO and seek its safety net.

FACTFILE – North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
  • NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance consisting of 30 ember states belonging to Europe and North America (28 European states, USA, and Canada). NATO takes all decisions by consensus. The last country to join NATO was North Macedonia in 2020. 
  • NATO headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium.
  • NATO aims to guarantee the security of its members through political and military means.
  • According to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, an armed attack against any NATO member in Europe or North America will be considered an attack against all NATO members. Article 5 is invoked only once, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the USA.
 India Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program
  • India President Ram Nath Kovind highlighted India’s assistance to Jamaica in capacity building and skill development through various courses under the India Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme.
  • India Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme is India’s bilateral assistance program that focuses on addressing the needs of developing countries.
  • Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) administers ITEC.
  • Around USD 2 billion has been spent by the Indian government under the program till now.
  • Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) played a crucial role in facilitating ITEC assistance.
  • Earlier, India was the world’s largest recipient of aid, but since the 2000s India emerged as a net donor of foreign aid.
  • Along with the Special Commonwealth Assistance for Africa Programme, ITEC covers around 158 countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Caribbean nations. 70% of the grants under ITEC go to South Asian countries. African countries are the major beneficiaries of Lines of credit (LoC).
 Nanjarayan Tank declared 17th Bird Sanctuary of Tamil Nadu
  • The Nanjarayan Tank, a bio-diversity hotspot, has just been announced as the 17th bird sanctuary of Tamil Nadu. 
  • The Nanjarayan Tank also known as Sarkar Periyapalayam Reservoir, is located on the outskirts of Tirupur city near Koolipalayam, about 60 kilometres from Coimbatore.
  • It was built by King Nanjarayan as a source for irrigation.
  • The undisturbed mudflats in the middle of the lake ensure a thriving ecosystem and also attract many birds. Pelicans, painted storks, coots, etc can be found here.  It is also a haven for migratory birds. In 2010, four bar-headed geese, one of the world’s highest-flying birds from Europe were spotted in the tank. A flock of 14 ruddy shelducks that breed in parts of Europe and Central Asia was spotted in 2020.
 State of Inequality in India Report
  • Bibek Debroy, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) recently released the “State of Inequality in India” Report, which was written by the Institute for Competitiveness.
  • The report puts forward a comprehensive analysis of inequality in the country. It collates data on inequities across various sectors such as health, education, and the labor market, which makes people more vulnerable to poverty and leads to multidimensional poverty.
  • The report is an attempt to stock-take measures introduced by the government. It also contributes to the policy debates, formulation of strategies, and preparing a roadmap for social progress.
Highlights of the report
  • Using income data from PLFS 2019-20, the report showed that a salary of Rs 25,000 per month is amongst the top 10% of total incomes earned in India.
  • There is a significant improvement in the infrastructural capacity of the health sector. However, nutritional deprivation remains a big concern.
  • High out-of-pocket expenditure also directly affects inequality.
  • Cognitive development from the foundational years of a child is a long-term corrective measure for inequality.
  • The government’s focus on providing access to sanitation and safe drinking water ensured dignified life for many. According to NFHS-5 (2019-21), 96% of households have access to safe drinking water.

 Cotton Council of India set up
  • Cotton Council of India has been recently set up by the Union government. The objective of the council is to resolve the issues related to cotton & yarn pricing and bring substantial improvements in the sector.
  • Suresh Bhai Kotak is appointed as the chairman of the Cotton Council of India.
  • In 2021-22, the Cotton textile exports, including raw cotton were USD15.29 billion. The cotton prices increased by more than 100% during the last one and half years.
  • More than 60% of cotton and cotton yarn are exported to countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam, which are competitors for India in the textiles sector.
 BioRRAP: National Portal for Biotech Researchers and Start-ups
  • Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) Ministry of Science and Technology, has launched a “Single National Portal for Biotech researchers and start-ups”, named Biological Research Regulatory Approval Portal (BioRRAP) will be catering to the needs of all those seeking regulatory approval for biological development and research in India.
  • The portal will help to strengthen the interdepartmental synergies and will also bring transparency, accountability, and efficacy to the functioning of various agencies that are regulating the various aspects of biological research and also issuing permissions.
  • This portal is in line with the government’s “ease of start-ups” and “ease of doing science and scientific research.”
  • This portal is only for research-related activities and cannot be used for the purpose of product development.

FACTFILE –  Indian biotechnology industry

  • Over 2,700 biotech start-ups and more than 2,500 biotech companies are currently working in India. By the year 2025, India will become a Global Bio-manufacturing Hub and will also be featured among the top five countries across the globe in this field.
  • The Indian biotechnology industry, which stood at US$ 63 billion in 2019, is expected to reach US$ 150 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of 16.4%.
  • By 2025, the contribution of the Indian biotechnology industry to the global biotechnology market is expected to grow to 19%
 International Day for Biological Diversity observed on 22nd May
  • On the 22nd of May, the International Day for Biological Diversity is observed annually across the globe. This day is observed to generate awareness about the biodiversity issues that are overwhelming the world.
  • Biodiversity is the foundation of the planet’s ecosystem services and this is tied to the well-being of humans as well as other species. The world is filled with a variety of plants, animals, fungi, as well as microbes such as bacteria, hence, each of these species works in tandem to preserve the balance of the ecosystem and support life. 
  • In the year 2000, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) designated 22nd May as the International Day for Biological Diversity.
  • After the United Nations conducted the “Earth Conference” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the year 1992, special emphasis was given to conserving and protecting the environment. Following that conference, on 29th December, Biodiversity Day was observed till the year 2000.

 

 Centre of Excellence for Hyperloop Technology setup in IIT Madras
  • The Ministry of Railways will collaborate with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras to develop an indigenous Hyperloop system. The ministry will also help to set up a Centre of Excellence for Hyperloop Technologies at IIT Madras.
  • The Centre will be built by IIT Madras through its existing Centre of Railway Research (CRR). This project is a significant step towards the ‘Make in India’ and the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives.
  • For this project, IIT Madras will receive Rs 8.34 crore in funding from the Indian Railways. Along with the financial support, the Indian Railways will also help in the manufacturing, and formulation of safety standards. Also, access to electrical testing facilities of the railways will be provided.
  • IIT Madras will be responsible to deliver design documentation for pod, tube, and track for the hyperloop system.
FACTFILE – Hyperloop
  • Hyperloop is a new type of transport technology that uses magnetic levitation in low-pressure tubes or tunnels to transport people and goods. In 2020, the US-based company “Virgin Hyperloop” tested the Hyperloop system with passengers for the first time.
  • There are two major differences between hyperloop and standard rail. One is passengers sit in pods that travel via tubes or tunnels in which most of the air is removed to reduce friction. The second difference is that instead of using wheels, the pods will float on air skis or use magnetic levitation.
  • Hyperloop is faster and less expensive to construct than regular high-speed rail. The energy requirement is also less.
 Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF)
  • Joe Biden, the President of the United States unveiled a discussion on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). This discussion has been held with a dozen initial partner countries that also include India. The countries represent 40 percent of the world’s GDP.
  • The IPEF framework discussion was launched with the vision of an open, free, resilient, and secure Indo-Pacific region where economic growth is inclusive and sustainable.
  • The IPEF is also looking to strengthen economic partnerships among the countries with the aim of boosting resilience, sustainability, economic growth, inclusiveness, competitiveness, and fairness in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • On 23rd May 2022, India and the United States signed an Investment Incentive Agreement (IIA). This agreement was signed to make a path for strengthening and promoting Development Finance Corporation’s (DFC) investments in India in various key sectors.
 India’s FDI Inflow in Fiscal year 2021-22
  • India’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow in the Financial Year 2021-22 reached an all-time high of USD 83.57 billion, despite the Russia-Ukraine war and Covid-19 pandemic.
  • India’s foreign investment inflows increased 20-fold since the financial year 2003-04 when it was mere USD 4.3 billion. Post Covid-19 pandemic, FDI inflow increased by 23%. In the financial year 2020-21, the FDI inflow stood at USD 1.60 billion.
  • In FY 2021-22, the “computer software and hardware” sector with a share of 25% remained the top sector, followed by the services sector and automobile sector. FDI inflow in the manufacturing sectors increased by 76% in 2021-211 as compared to 2020-21.
  • In FY 2021-22, Singapore with a share of 27% is the top investor country of FDI equity inflow. Singapore is followed by the U.S. (18%) and Mauritius (16%).
  • Karnataka is the top recipient state with a 38% share of the total FDI Equity inflow, followed by Maharashtra (26%) and Delhi (14%).
 World Economic Forum 2022- Key Facts 
  • The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland scheduled from May 22nd to 26th The theme for WEF annual Meeting 2022 is ‘working Together, restoring Trust’. This year’s WEF meeting will be the first global in-person leadership event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Around 2,500 world leaders from business, politics, and civil society took part in the meeting. The meeting provides the leaders from all over the world an opportunity to take stock of the world’s situation and shape policies for the future.
  • From India Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas will attend the event on Energy Outlook: Overcoming the Crisis. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, CM of Andhra Pradesh, will attend the event on Future-proofing Health Systems. Aaditya Thackeray, Tourism Minister of Maharashtra will attend Forum Initiative Briefing – Global Plastic Action Partnership event, and Embracing Climate Adaptation Action event. KT Rama Rao, Information Technology Minister of Telangana will attend the event on AI on the Street: Managing Trust in the Public Square.
The focus areas of the WEF meeting are
  • Pandemic recovery
  • Tackling climate change
  • Building a better future for work
  • Accelerating stakeholder capitalism
  • Harnessing the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
 India Bangladesh Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) Exercise
  • The fourth edition of the two-day India-Bangladesh Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) exercises began on 22ndst May in the Bay of Bengal. The exercise aims to strengthen mutual understanding and enhance the interoperability between the navies of India and Bangladesh in countering maritime threats.
  • For the exercise, the Indian Navy deputed two indigenous warships (INS Kora and INS Sumedha). INS Kora is a guided-missile corvette and INS Sumedha is an offshore patrol vessel (OPV).  Bangladesh Navy deputed BNS Ali Haider and BNS Abu Ubaidah.
  • Maritime patrol aircraft of navies of both countries will also undertake joint patrols along the international maritime boundary line (IMBL).
 India ranked 54th in WEF Travel and Tourism Development Index
  • In the WEF Travel and Tourism Development Index 2021, India has been ranked at 54th In 2019, India had ranked at 46th position. India topped within the South Asia region.
  • In the 2021 index, the top place has been grabbed by Japan, followed by the United States, Spain, France, and Germany respectively.
Top 10 countries are
  1. Japan (5.2)
  2. United States (5.2)
  3. Spain (5.2)
  4. France (5.1)
  5. Germany (5.1)
  6. Switzerland (5.0)
  7. Australia (5.0)
  8. United Kingdom (5.0)
  9. Singapore (5.0)
  10. Italy (4.9)

FACTFILE – Travel and Tourism Development Index 2021

Travel and Tourism Development Index 2021 of the World Economic Forum comprises 117 countries. This index has shown that despite various positive trends, the tourism and travel industry is still facing hurdles and are yet to recover properly. 117 countries have been assessed by this index and it has identified certain key factors for enabling resilient and sustainable growth of tourism and travel economies.

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Current Affairs GK & Quiz Monthly – May 2022

 India and US signed Investment Incentive Agreement 
  • On 23rd May 2022, India and the USA signed the Investment Incentive Agreement (IIA) in Tokyo. The agreement was signed by India’s foreign secretary and CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The investment Incentive Agreement (IIA) is a legal requirement for DFC to continue providing investment support to India.
  • The agreement will help in increasing the investment support from USA’s development finance institutions in various sectors. The investment support is given in the form of debt, equity investment, investment guaranty, reinsurance, grants, etc.
FACTFILE – US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)
  • US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is the successor agency of the erstwhile Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), established after the enactment of the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development (BUILD) Act of 2018.
  • DFC provided investment support worth USD 5.8 billion since 1974.
  • DFC provided investment support in various sectors such as healthcare, renewable energy, financial inclusion, etc.
  • DFC is also involved in funding the vaccine manufacturing capabilities under the vaccine partnership of Quad.
 Bongosagar: India-Bangladesh Bilateral Naval Exercise
  • The third edition of the Bongosagar Naval exercise commenced at Port Mongla, Bangladesh on the 24th of May 2022 between the navies of India and Bangladesh.
  • The harbour phase of this naval exercise was held from 24th to 25th May 2022. This will be followed by the sea phase which is scheduled to be held in the Northern Bay of Bengal from 26th to 27th May 2022.
  • This exercise is aimed to develop a high level of interoperability as well as joint operational skills through conducting various maritime operations and exercises between both navies.
  • During the exercise, the Navies from both countries will be discussing various operational procedures, conducting joint drills, and exchanging best practices. Apart from this, there will be discussions on tactical level planning regarding the conduct of the exercises at sea.
  • The sea phase of this Naval exercise will facilitate the participation of the ships from both the navies in intensive weapon firing drills, surface warfare drills, coordinated air operations in a tactical scenario, and seamanship evolutions.
 India joins First Movers Coalition
  • India joined a global public-private partnership initiative called the First Movers Coalition. The First Movers Coalition initiative was launched by President of the USA Joe Biden and the World Economic Forum (WEF) at COP26. It was joined by 50 new corporate members with a collective market capitalization of USD 8.5 trillion.
  • The First Movers Coalition aims to decarbonize the most carbon-intensive sectors such as the heavy industry and long-distance transport sectors, which are responsible for 30% of global emissions.
  • It is expected that emissions from these sectors will increase to around 50% by mid-century unless urgent actions are taken on clean technology innovation. The targeted sectors of the First Movers Coalition include aluminum, aviation, chemicals, concrete, shipping, steel, and trucking.
  • Apart from India, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, and the UK joined the First Movers Coalition as government partners. India, Japan, and Sweden also joined the steering board of the First Movers Coalition.

FACTFILE – First Movers Coalition

  • The First Movers Coalition is a global initiative harnessing the purchasing power of companies to decarbonize seven “hard to abate” industrial sectors that currently account for 30% of global emissions: Aluminum, Aviation, Chemicals, Concrete, Shipping, Steel, and Trucking; along with innovative Carbon Removal technologies.
  • The First Movers Coalition’s unique approach assembles ambitious corporate purchasing pledges across the heavy industry and long-distance transport sectors responsible for a third of global emissions. For these sectors to decarbonize at the speed needed to keep the planet on a 1.5-degree pathway, they require low-carbon technologies that are not yet competitive with current carbon-intensive solutions but must reach commercial scale by 2030 to achieve net-zero emissions globally by 2050.
  • The 50+ companies who make up the Coalition seek to send a powerful market signal to commercialize zero-carbon technologies.
 Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022
  • The biggest drone festival Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022 is being celebrated at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on 27th and 28th May 2022. The Prime Minister will also be interacting with Kisan drone pilots and with start-ups in the drone exhibition centre and will be witnessing the open-air drone demonstrations.
  • Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), i.e. an aircraft without any human pilot, passenger or crew on board. These UAVs are making the lives of security, farmers, and defence personnel easier.
  • More than 1,600 delegates comprising foreign diplomats, government officials, central armed police forces, armed forces, private companies, PSUs, drone start-ups etc. will be participating.
 Captain Abhilasha Barak appointed Army’s First Woman Combat Pilot
  • Captain Abhilasha Barak of Haryana has become the Indian Army’s first woman combat aviator. On 25th May 2022, she successfully completed her Combat Army Aviation Course which was of six months to join the Army Aviation Corps as a helicopter pilot. Captain Barak has been designated to the 2072 Army Aviation Squadron’s second flight which operates the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH).
  • Till now, women were only given the posts of ground duty and traffic control in the Aviation Department, but Captain Barak will be taking over the responsibility of being the first woman pilot.
FACTFILE – Army Aviation Corps
  • The Army Aviation Corps was established on 1st November 1986 and it is the component of the Indian Army. The corps was inducted immediately into ‘Operation Pawan’ (operation of the Indian Peace Keeping Force to take control of Jaffna from the LTTE) and this played a crucial role in testing the newly formed corps.
  • The Army Aviation Corps carries out the primary operations of evacuating injured troops during operations or during health emergencies from the high-altitude areas. The Aviation Corps are also deployed for reconnaissance, observation, combat search and rescue, casualty evacuation, and dropping essential supplies.
 National Achievement Survey 2021 released by Union Education Ministry 
  • The National Achievement Survey 2021 report was released by the Union Ministry of Education. National Achievement Survey (NAS) is a national-level assessment survey conducted to evaluate the progress and learning achievement of school students. It provides a system-level reflection on the effectiveness of school education and is useful to chalk out new educational policies. 
  • The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) developed the Assessment Framework to assess the competencies attained by the students vis-a-vis learning outcomes.
National Achievement Survey 2021 – Highlights
  • NAS has registered a dip in performances across subjects and grades at the national level as compared to the last achievement survey conducted in 2017.
  • Punjab was the best performer in India across all grades and subjects.Punjab has the highest mean score for subjects across Classes 3, 5, 8, and 10.
 WMO released State of Global Climate Report 2021
  • The State of the Global Climate Report 2021 has been released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). According to the report, four key climate change indicators which are sea-level rise, greenhouse gas concentrations, ocean acidification, and ocean heat set new records in 2021. The report shows that human activities are causing planetary level changes in the ocean, land, and the atmosphere, with long-lasting and harmful effects on ecosystems and sustainable development.
  • Due to extreme weather, the world has witnessed hundreds of billions of dollars worth of economic losses. It has also wreaked a heavy toll on the lives of humans and their well-being and triggered shocks for water and food displacement and security that have accentuated in the year 2022.
  • The past seven years are the warmest seven years that have been recorded. In 2021, the average global temperature was around 1.11 (± 0.13) °C above the pre-industrial level.
State of Global Climate Report 2021 – Highlight
  • Greenhouse gas concentrations: In 2020, the concentrations of greenhouse gases reached a new global high as carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration reached 413.2 parts per million (ppm) globally which is 149 percent of the pre-industrial level.
  • Global Annual Mean Temperature: In 2021, this was around 1.11 ±0.13 °C above the pre-industrial average of the 1850s and the 1900s. This was less warm compared to some recent years due to the cooling La Niña conditions at the beginning and end of the year. On record, the seven warmest years are from 2015 to 2021.
  • Ocean Heat: In 2021, the upper 2000m depth of oceans continued to warm up. It is expected to rise in the future, a change that is irreversible. The rates of ocean warming have increased in the past two decades.
  • Ocean acidification: 23 percent of the annual emissions of anthropogenic CO2 are absorbed by the oceans. This reacts with seawater which leads to ocean acidification. This is threatening the ecosystem, organisms, tourism, food security, and coastal protection.
  • Global Mean Sea Level: In 2021, it reached a new record high after it increased from 2013 to 2021 at an average of 4.5 mm per year. This is mainly attributed to the accelerated loss of ice sheets and ice mass.
  • Food security: Due to economic shocks, extreme weather events, and the COVID-19 pandemic the food security of the globe worsened.
  • Displacement: Due to hydrometeorological hazards, internal displacement has increased.
  • Ecosystems: A lot of the world’s ecosystems such as water towers, mountain ecosystems, etc, are degrading at an unmatched rate. The increase in temperature is increasing the risk of irreversible coastal and marine ecosystem loss.

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Current Affairs GK & Quiz Monthly – May 2022