PIB Summary (November 2022)

RAJ IAS ACADEMY PIB (November 2022) Page 1
RAJ MALHOTRA’S IAS ACADEMY, CHANDIGARH 

 
POLITY/GOVERNANCE 6
Electoral Bonds 6
Performance Grading Index 6
UDISE+ 7
Deemed to be Universities 8
Atal New India Challenge 9
Urban Mobility India Conference 10
Innovations for You 10
Target Olympic Podium Scheme 11
National Sports Awards 2022 12
Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals 13
Draft Digital Data Protection Bill 13
National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration 14
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards 2021 14
Constitution Day 15
National Anti-Profiteering Authority 15
E-court initiatives 16
ECONOMICS 17
IIPDF Scheme 17
Millets 17
Vostro Accounts 19
Bharat Gaurav Trains 19
Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence 20
National Gopal Ratna Award 20
International Tourism Mart 21
Indian Chemicals Council Sustainability Conclave 21
Incredible India Campaign 22


International Committee for Weights and Measures 22
Network Readiness Index 2022 23
Digital Rupee 24
National Milk Day 24
Manthan Platform 25
SOCIAL ISSUES 25
Mother Tongue Survey of India 25
Child Welfare Police Officers 26
National SC-ST Hub Scheme 26
Eat Right Station 27
Digital Shakti 4.0 27
GHAR - Go Home and Re-Unite 28
Economic Advisory Council to PM 29
National Suicide Prevention Strategy 29
Ima Keithel 30
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 30
G-20 Presidency 30
East Asia Summit 31
AI-ECTA 33
Indira Gandhi Prize 2021 33
India-Egypt relations 34
Global Technology Summit 35
International Electrotechnical Commission 35
ENVIRONMENT 36
Sovereign Green Bonds 36
Groundwater 37
Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India 38
National Bio Energy Programme 38
Middle East Green Initiative 39


Aerosol Pollution 39
Tokhu Emong Bird Count 40
Action plan at COP27 40
Low Emissions Development Strategy 41
Climate Finance 42
Mangrove Alliance for Climate Action 43
Lavender 43
Shisham 44
Great Nicobar Plan 45
Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture 46
Decarbonising of industrial emissions 47
Batagur Kachuga 48
Leith’s Soft-Shelled Turtle 49
Hornbill Festival 49
Sangai Festival 50
International Jaguar Day 51
Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program 51
Re-Hab Project 52
Jeypore Ground Gecko 52
Himalayan Yak 53
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 53
RISAT-2 Satellite 53
Early Warning System 54
Cordy Gold Nanoparticles 54
Indian Biological Data Bank 55
CRISPR 56
Yotta D1 57
Vikram-S 57
Conference on Anti-microbial resistance 59


SARAS 3 Telescope 59
Agnikul Launch Vehicle 60
PSLV-C54 61
Small Modular Reactors 62
Gram-negative bacteria 63
ART AND CULTURE 63
Mathura-Vrindavan Pilgrimage Centre 63
Nankana Sahib 64
Guru Nanak Jayanti 2022 64
Acharya Kripalani 64
Nadaprabhu Kempegowda 65
Janjatiya Gaurav Divas 65
Patan Patola Scarf 66
International Film Festival of India 66
India’s cultural heritage at Bali Summit of G-20 66
Lachit Barpukhan 68
Rani Lakshmibai 68
Uda Devi 69
Shaheedi Diwas 69
Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 70
Shilp Guru and National Awards 70
SECURITY 71
Seema Darshan Project 71
Submersible Platform for Acoustic Characterisation and Evaluation 71
Garuda-VII Air Exercise 72
No Money for Terror 72
Yudh Abhyas 73
Malabar Exercise 73
Sea-Vigil 22 75


Walong Mela 75
Agni-3 Missile 75
Dark Net 76
Battle of Rezang La 77
Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 77
Exercise Garuda Shakti 78
Cryptology 78
Exercise Naseem al Bahr 2022 79
Ikshak 79
Austra Hind 2022 80
ALH MkIII Helicopters 80
Harimau Shakti 2022 80
Samanvay 2022 81

POLITY/GOVERNANCE
Electoral Bonds
The Department of Economic A airs has amended the electoral bonds scheme to allow their
sale for 15 extra days during the year of general elections or to the legislative assembly of
states and Union territories with legislature.
Details -
• So far, it was sold four times a year (in January, April, July and October) for 10 days as noti ed
by the government.
• With the latest change, 15 additional days will be provided in the years that have assembly
elections, too.
What is an ‘electoral bond’?

• An electoral bond is like a nancial tool used for making donations to political parties.
• The general public can also issue these bonds to fund eligible political parties.
• The bonds play a similar role as banknotes that are payable to the bearer free of interest and
demand.
• An individual party can purchase these bonds digitally or with the help of a DD or cheque.
• The electoral bond scheme was launched by the Union government in 2018.
Working -
• A citizen of India or a body incorporated in India is eligible to purchase the bond.
• EBs are issued/purchased for any value, in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1,00,000, Rs
10,00,000 and Rs 1,00,00,000 from the speci ed branches of the State Bank of India (SBI).
• SBI is the only bank authorised to sell these bonds.
• EBs have a life of only 15 days during which it can be used for making donation only to the
political parties registered under section 29A of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951.
• The party must have secured not less than one per cent of the votes polled in the last
general election to the Lok Sabha or a State Legislative Assembly.
• The bonds shall be available for purchase for a period of 10 days each in the months of
January, April, July and October as may be speci ed by the Central Government.
• The bond can be encashed by an eligible political party only through a designated bank
account with the authorised bank.
• The political parties have to disclose the amount to the Election Commission.
Performance Grading Index

Recently, Union Ministry of Education released the national Performance Grading Index (PGI) of
school education for 2020-21.
About the ‘Performance Grading Index’ -
• The Performance Grading Index is an annual publication, released by the Ministry of

Education.
• It assesses states!" performance in school education based on data drawn from several
sources including the –
• Uni ed District Information System for Education Plus,
• National Achievement Survey, and
• Mid-Day Meal.
• The prime objective of PGI is to promote evidence-based policymaking and highlight course
correction to ensure quality education for all.
• The Education Ministry released the rst PGI in 2019 for the reference year 2017-18.
Grading system -
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• States are scored on a total of 1,000 points across 70 parameters, which are grouped under ve
broad categories –
• Access (e.g., enrolment ratio, transition rate and retention rate);
• Governance process;
• Infrastructure & Facilities;
• Equity (di erence in performance between scheduled caste students and general category
students) and
• Learning outcomes (average score in mathematics, science, languages and social

science).
What does the Grading system re ect?

• The PGI grading system has 10 levels.
• Level I indicates top-notch performance and a score between 951 and 1,000 points.
• Level II indicates a score between 901 and 950.
• The lowest is Level X, and it means a score between 0 and 550 points.
• The ultimate aim of PGI is to propel States and UTs towards undertaking multi-pronged
interventions that will bring about the much-desired optimal education outcomes covering all
dimensions.
About PGI 2020-21 -
• The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education recently released the
Performance Grading Index (PGI) for States/UTs for 2020-21.
• As per the report, no state or union territory managed to attain the highest achievable grade of
level I as a score above 950 was required.
• Punjab shared top honours with Kerala and Maharashtra as all three states have scored 928
out of total of 1,000 points to make it to Level II (901-950) of the annual grading index.
• Apart from the above three states, four new states have been listed in Level II of the index for
the rst time. These four states/UTs are – Gujarat, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Andhra
Pradesh.
• The newly formed UT viz., Ladakh has made signi cant improvement in PGI from Level 8 to
Level 4 in 2020-21 or improved its score by 299 points in 2020-21 as compared to 2019-20
resulting into the highest ever improvement in a single year.
UDISE+
According to the recent Uni ed District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) data
released by the Ministry of Education for the academic year 2021-22, India's school system has
been able to retain more students over time. Total enrolment in 2021-22 was slightly more than
25.57 crore, an increase of more than 19 lakh over 2020-21, with more than 8 lakh girl students.
About UDISE -
• Initiated in 2012-13 by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of

Education, UDISE is one of the largest Management Information Systems on School Education.
• It integrates the District Information System for Education for elementary and secondary
education.
• It covers more than 1.5 million schools, more than 9.6 million teachers and more than 264
million children.
About UDISE+ -
• It is an updated and improved version of UDISE, developed in the year 2018-19, with online
data collection from the schools, to overcome the issues related to manual data lling.
• Inclusion of name of a school in any of the lists in the UDISE+ does not confer the status of
recognition to the school by the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
• Signi cance — Well-functioning and Sustainable Educational Management Information System

is of utmost importance today, as the timely and accurate data is the basis of sound and
e ective planning and decision-making.
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Highlights of the UDISE+ -
• Total number of schools — In 2021-22, it stood at 14.9 lakhs as compared to 15 lakhs in
2020-21. This decline is mainly due to closure of private and other management schools and
grouping/clustering of schools by various states.
• Among schools that shut down, the share of private schools was 24% and government
schools were 48%.
• Enrollment in government schools —
• The trend of children switching from private to public schools deepened over the last
scal year, demonstrating the economic burden of the pandemic, de ned by job losses and
wage cuts.
• The period saw enrollment in government schools increased by 83.35 lakh throughout the
time, while enrollment in private schools decreased by 68.85 lakh.
• Uttar Pradesh witnessed the highest number of enrolment of students in government

schools and recruitment of teachers.
• The pupil teacher ratio — It has improved between 2018-19 and 2021-22 across di erent
levels of school education as the total teachers in 2018-19 was 94.3 lakh which increased to 95
lakhs in the year 2021-22.
• The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) — GER, which denotes enrollment in a certain level of
education as a fraction of the population in the age-group most age-appropriate for that level of
education, decreased marginally at the secondary level while rising across the other levels.
• The Gender Parity Index (GPI) — GPI shows the representation of females in school
education in line with representation of girls in the population of corresponding age groups.
• Its values are one or more at all levels of school education, signifying greater participation of
girls in school education.
• Over 12. 3 crore girls are enrolled in primary to higher secondary in 2021-22, a rise of 8. 2
lakhs over the enrollment of girls in 2020-21.
• Overall school infrastructure — It has improved, especially in availability of electricity, drinking

water facilities, computers, internet and toilets for children with special needs.
Deemed to be Universities
The Government of India has released the draft UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities)
Regulations, 2022.
Details -
• The draft proposed to remove the requirement that an institute be in operation for at least
20 years before applying for the tag - 'deemed-to-be' universities.
• Amendments to the existing guidelines are required to bring them in line with the National
Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which calls for the removal of the terms "deemed-to-be
university" or "a liating institution" altogether.
What is a ‘deemed university’?

• A deemed university or deemed-to-be-university is an accreditation granted to higher
educational institutions in India.
• According to the Ministry of Education, an Institution of Higher Education (other than

universities) that works at a very high standard in a speci c eld of study might be
designated as a 'Deemed-to-be-university' by the Central Government on the advice of the
UGC.
• Such institutions enjoy the academic status and privileges of a university. Also, the status of
deemed university allows for complete autonomy in terms of courses, curriculum, admissions
and fees.
• This provision was introduced to ensure that more higher education institutions achieve
university status for all practical purposes.
• Under the UGC Act, 1956, university status can be obtained by institutes established under
state or union laws.
• As of 2021, the UGC lists 126 institutes that have been given deemed university status.
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• According to this list, the rst institute to be given deemed university status was the Indian
Institute of Science in 1958 and Tamil Nadu has the most deemed universities (28).
Salient features of the regulations -
• The governance structure of the deemed universities will be similar to that of the Central
Universities.
• Making multi-disciplinary institutions or a cluster of them, with a minimum of ve

departments eligible to apply for the deemed university status.
• The 20-year condition to get the deemed university status is waived only in cases where
applicants can establish that they will address the strategic needs of the country, engaged in
preservation of cultural heritage, etc.
• Such applicants are granted deemed status under #De Novo!
• De-Novo Deemed University is an institution which will undertake study and research in
unique and emerging areas of knowledge that are not o ered by any existing institution.
• The draft regulations also envisage replacing the term"#De Novo!"with #Distinct institution!.
• A proposal has been made to simplify the process of sanctioning o -campus centres of
deemed universities.
• The approval for o -campus centres will be granted by the UGC. Earlier this approval was
given by the Ministry of Education.
• Deemed to be universities will also be eligible to start o -shore campus centres as per UGC
regulations on the subject.
• The deemed universities should maintain transparency in fee policy keeping non-pro teering
or non-commercial aspects in view.
• Such universities may implement the reservation policy in admissions/recruitment as per the
law and may o er online/distance courses/degrees in accordance with the UGC Regulations.
• Government or UGC can conduct enquiry or inspection on complaints in matters of

academics, administration and nance or any matter connected with the functioning of such
universities.
• In case of violations of the regulations, graded penalties have been introduced.
About the UGC -
• The Sargent Report was the rst attempt to formulate a national system of education in India
in 1944.
• It recommended the formation of a University Grants Committee, which was established in

1945 to oversee the work of the three Central Universities of Aligarh, Banaras, and Delhi.
• Soon after independence, the University Education Commission was established (in 1948)
under the chairmanship of Dr. S Radhakrishnan to report on Indian university education and
suggest improvements and extensions.
• It proposed reorganising the University Grants Committee along the lines of the University
Grants Commission of the United Kingdom, with a full-time Chairman and other members.
• As a result, the UGC was formally inaugurated in 1953 by Maulana Abul Kalam, the then
Minister of Education, Natural Resources, and Scienti c Research.
• However, the UGC was established as a statutory body in November 1956 by the UGC Act
1956.
• It is set up by the Ministry of Education's Department of Higher Education.
• A proposal to replace it with another new regulatory body called the Higher Education
Commission of India (HECI) is under consideration by the Government of India.
Atal New India Challenge

Atal Innovation Mission of NITI Aayog has recently launched the Women centric challenges under
the 2nd edition of Atal New India Challenge (ANIC).
Details -
• ANIC!s Woman centric challenges address the major issues faced by women from all spheres
of life.
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• These include driving women hygiene through innovation, innovations to improve women!s
safety, professional networking opportunities for women, innovations that make working
mothers!"life better, and easing the life of Rural Women.
• ANIC is an initiative by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog targeted to seek, select,
support and nurture technology-based innovations that solve sectoral challenges of national
importance and societal relevance through a grant-based mechanism of up to INR 1 crore.
Other initiatives -
• Indo-German development cooperation project #Economic Empowerment of Women

Entrepreneurs and Start-ups by Women (Her&Now)! —
• The project was commissioned by Germany!s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation
and Development (BMZ) and jointly implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Ministry for Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship to train AIM business incubators with the knowledge, tools, and methods
to boost women entrepreneurs.
• Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) —
• NITI Aayog currently runs the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), which was launched
in 2018, to help women become entrepreneurs, scale up their innovations and chalk-out
sustainable, long-term strategies for their businesses.
Urban Mobility India Conference

Recently, the 15th Urban Mobility India Conference was inaugurated under the aegis of the Union
Ministry of Housing and Urban A airs (MoHUA) in Kochi, Kerala.
Details -
With the continued expansion of India's metro rail network, the MoHUA has asked State
Transport Corporations across the nation to ensure balanced availability metro-bus transport
across cities.
About the ‘Urban Mobility India Conference’ -
• The annual Conference is a agship event held under the aegis of the MoHUA and is
inaugurated by the Union Minister of Housing and Urban A airs.
• The genesis of UMI is from the National Urban Transport Policy of the Government of India,
2006 (NUTP).
• The policy places a high emphasis on strengthening capacities at the state and city levels
to address urban transportation issues and establish sustainable urban transportation
networks.
• The primary objective of the conference is to disseminate information to the cities, whose
o cials attend the conference, to help them keep up-to-date with best urban transport
practices.
• The conference provides an opportunity for key decision makers and delegates to interact
with stakeholders in Urban Transport both domestic and international.
• It is also a forum to discuss key issues relevant to the sector and suggest measures to
address them.
Innovations for You

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) NITI Aayog recently launched the fourth edition of #Innovations for
You! co ee table book featuring 75 successful women entrepreneurs of India.
What is it?
• 'Innovations For You' is a Co ee Table Book series with 3 editions being released previously.
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• The book captures success stories of start-ups supported through Atal Incubation Centres,
Atal Community Innovation Centres and Atal New India Challenges, three agship programs
under the Atal Innovation Mission.
• Each edition showcases the journey of entrepreneurs working in di erent sectors and is
dedicated to creating new, disruptive, innovative products, services, and solutions that can pave
the path for a sustainable future.
• The rst edition was focused on the Healthcare sector; the second on Agriculture and the
Allied sector and the third on Transport and Mobility.
• Out of the 2900 plus startups supported by AIM, more than 850 plus are led by women.
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) -
• Objective — The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) including Self-Employment and Talent
Utilisation (SETU) is Government of India's endeavour to promote a culture of innovation and
entrepreneurship especially in technology driven areas.
• Mission HQ — New Delhi.
• Background — In 2016, Union Cabinet approved the establishment of Atal Innovation Mission
(AIM) and Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) in NITI Aayog.
• It has two core Functions —
1. Entrepreneurship promotion through Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation wherein

innovators will be supported to become successful entrepreneurs and
2. Innovation promotion to provide a platform where innovative ideas are generated.
Components -
• Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) — ATLs were established in schools across India as a workspace
where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands-on do-it-yourself mode, and
learn innovation skills.
• Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) — Established across India to help start-ups expand quicker
and enable innovation-entrepreneurship, in core sectors such as manufacturing, transport,
energy, education, agriculture, water and sanitation, etc.
• Scale-up support to Established Incubators (EIC) — Under it, the start-up ecosystem in the
country will be transformed by upgrading the Established Incubation Centres to world-class
standards.
• Atal New India Challenge — To promote the design and development of innovation-driven
products based on cutting edge technologies.
• Mentor of Change Programme — To guide and mentor students at the ATLs and AICs set up
all over the country with a vision to enable them to develop the skills of strategic thinking,
creation and innovation.
• Atal Community Innovation Centre — The main aim is to cater to the underserved/unserved
regions of India so as to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship as well as creativity and innovation.
• Atal Research & Innovation for Small Enterprises (ARISE) — To promote research and
innovation and increase the competitiveness of Indian startups and small enterprises
including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
Target Olympic Podium Scheme

Recently, Ministry of Youth A airs and Sports (MYAS) has approved wrestler Vinesh Phogat!s
proposal to train in Belmeken, Bulgaria, which is a High Altitude training area situated
approximately 2600m above sea level.
About TOPS scheme -
• In order to improve India!s performance at Olympics and Paralympics, the Ministry of Youth
A airs and Sports started the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) in September 2014.
• This was revamped in April 2018 to have a technical support team for managing the TOPS
athletes and providing holistic support.
• The scheme is fully functional and has been extending all requisite support to probable athletes
identi ed for the Tokyo-2021, Paris-2024 and Los Angles - 2028 Olympic Games and
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Paralympic Games including foreign training, international competition, equipment and
coaching camp besides monthly stipend of Rs. 50,000/- for each athlete.
• High priority category of sports discipline has been identi ed to put focus on and incentivise
those sports disciplines played in the Olympics in which India has won medals in the last
conducted Asian Games as well as Commonwealth Games or in which India has good
chance of winning medals in the upcoming Olympics of 2024 (Paris) and 2028 (Los
Angeles). Presently, nine sports disciplines viz., (i) Athletics, (ii) Badminton (iii) Hockey (iv)
Shooting (v) Tennis (vi) Weightlifting (vii) Wrestling, (viii) Archery and (ix) Boxing have been
categorised as #High Priority!.
• Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), which covers the junior and sub-junior athletes
also, is a dynamic exercise, wherein review of performance is done periodically xing targets
and intermediate milestones for individual athletes; and the sportspersons who fail to achieve
the targets despite providing additional support and adequate time are dropped from the
scheme.
• Further, on the basis on key performance indicators brought out by the Sports Authority of
India (SAI) in collaboration with the National Sports Federations (NSFs), Coaches and other
stakeholders, a periodic performance review is conducted for all athletes under the
Scheme.
• TOPS Elite Athletes!"Identi cation Committee —
• It was constituted to identify the elite athletes who could achieve the Olympic podium.
• MYAS is responsible for appointment of TOPS members with emphasis on ensuring

representation from #High-Priority!"sports (Archery, Badminton, Boxing Hockey, Shooting and
Wrestling).
• The total members of the committee are to be decided by MYAS. TOPS constitution does
not stipulate minimum/maximum members for the committee.
National Sports Awards 2022

Ministry of Youth A airs and Sports recently announced National Sports Awards 2022.
Details -
• India's Table Tennis star Achanta Sharath Kamal has been conferred with the Major
Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award for 2022.
• Seema Punia and Lakshya Sen were amongst the Arjuna Award winners for this year.
• Eldhose Paul, Avinash Mukund Sable, and Nikhat Zareen were also conferred with Arjuna
Awards.
• The Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games Regular category
went to Jiwanjot Singh Teja (Archery), Mohammad Ali Qamar (Boxing), Suma Siddharth Shirur
(Para Shooting) and Sujeet Maan (Wrestling).
Awards presented -
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna — It is the highest sporting honour of India. It was instituted in 1991–
92. The recipient(s) is/are honoured for their outstanding performance in the eld of sports over
a period of four years at international level.
• Dronacharya Awards — It was instituted in 1985 to honour eminent Coaches for producing
medal winners at prestigious International sports events.
• Arjuna awards — It was instituted in 1961. To be eligible for the Award, a sportsperson should
have had not only good performance over the previous four years at the International level but
also should have shown qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.
• Dhyan Chand Award — It was instituted in 2002. It is an award for life-time achievements in
sports.
• Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award — It is the highest national recognition for
outstanding achievements in the eld of adventure on land, sea and air.
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy — It was instituted in 1956-57 to honour the top
overall performing university in the Inter-University Tournaments.
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• Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Purushkar — It was instituted from 2009 to recognise the
corporate entities (both in private and public sector) and individuals who have played a visible
role in the area of sports promotion and development.
Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals

A three-day National Workshop on Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals in Gram
Panchayats through Adopting Thematic Approaches — Theme 1: Poverty Free and Enhanced
Livelihood Gram Panchayats is being organised during 14th – 16th November, 2022 at CIAL
Convention Centre, Kochi, Kerala.
What is it?
• The workshop aims to create awareness on the national level importance of addressing —
• marginalisation – inclusion and access to basic services, social safety nets and protection
systems – leveraging National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and National Rural Livelihoods
Mission (NRLM) through Panchayats, and
• livelihoods – the role of Panchayats in addressing income inequality & poverty, eradicating
extreme poverty and improving employment opportunities for poor, vulnerable and
marginalised sections and
• building resilience of vulnerable communities against the sudden shocks brought about by
disasters and extreme climate events.
Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals -
• Sustainable Development Goals adopted by United Nations came into e ect from January 1,
2016.
• Ministry of Panchayat Raj, Government of India has adopted thematic approach to SDGs – It
is approach to ensure ‘local action’ for achieving ‘global plan’.
• The approach aims to localise SDGs in rural areas through PRIs, especially Gram Panchayats
by clubbing 17 ‘Goals’ into ‘9 Themes’.
• Appropriate policy decisions and revisions have followed resulting into revamping of Rashtriya
Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) and Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) Guidelines
which smoothens the process of Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) in
Gram Panchayats.
Sustainable Development Goals -

• The SDGs are a set of 17 broad-based global goals adopted by the United Nations General
Assembly in 2015, and intended to be achieved by 2030.
• The Sustainable Development Goals agenda was accepted by all members of the United
Nations in 2012 at the Rio De Janeiro Council Meet with an aim to promote a healthy and
developed future of the planet and its people.
Draft Digital Data Protection Bill

The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) recently released the revamped draft data protection
Bill.
Details -
The rst draft of the Bill was presented by an expert panel headed by Justice B.N. Srikrishna in
July 2018.
Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022 -
• The new Bill now being called the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, has provisions on
#purpose limitations!" around data collection, grounds for collecting and processing personal
data, relaxation on cross-border data ows, and imposes signi cant penalties on businesses for
violating provisions of the Bill.
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• Cross-border data ows — The proposed legislation o ers signi cant concessions on cross-
border data ows, in a departure from the previous Bill!s contentious requirement of local
storage of data within India!s geography. According to the new draft, the Centre will notify
regions to which data of Indians can be transferred.
• Penalties — The draft also proposes to impose signi cant penalties on businesses that
undergo data breaches or fail to notify users when breaches happen.
• Entities that fail to take $reasonable security safeguards” to prevent personal data breaches
will be ned as high as Rs 250 crore.
• If an entity fails to notify users about a data breach, the ne could go as high as Rs 200 crore.
• Data localisation — The new Bill would relax data localisation requirements and allow data
ows to trusted geographies.
Exemptions -
• National security-related exemptions have been kept intact in the new Bill.
• The Centre has been empowered to notify such exemptions in the interest of sovereignty
and integrity of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, maintenance of
public order or preventing incitement to any cognisable o ence relating to any of these.
• The government could also exempt certain businesses from adhering to provisions of the Bill
on the basis of number of users and the volume of personal data processed by the entity.
• This has been done keeping in mind startups of the country who had complained that the
previous version of the Bill was too $compliance intensive”.
• Data Protection Board — The Bill also proposes to set up a Data Protection Board to ensure
compliance with the Bill. It can impose a penalty of up to ₹500 crore if non-compliance by a
person is found to be signi cant.
National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration

National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) recently celebrated the
Diamond Jubilee anniversary of its establishment.
Details -
• It was established by the erstwhile Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry
of Education), Government of India.
• It is a premier organisation dealing with capacity building and research in planning and
management of education not only in India but also in South Asia.
• The Institution is one of the rst institutions established in the world in the area of education
and planning.
• Over the past six decades, the institute has acquired a global reputation as one of the most
recognised national institutions in the theory and practice of educational policy, planning and
administration.
History -
• The National Institute has its origin dating back to 1962 when the UNESCO established the
Asian Regional Centre for Educational Planners and Administrators which later became the
Asian Institute of Educational Planning and Administration in 1965.
• After 4 years of its existence, it was taken over by the Government of India and renamed as the
National Sta College for Educational Planners and Administrators.
• Subsequently, with the increased roles and functions of the National Sta College,
particularly in capacity building, research and professional support services to governments, it
was again renamed as the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration
(NIEPA) in 1979.
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards 2021

The Ministry of Youth A airs and Sports, Government of India recently announced the National
Adventure Awards called $Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award” (TNNAA) for the year 2021.
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Details -
• Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards are given every year.
• It aims to recognise the achievements of persons in the elds of adventure, to encourage

young people to develop the spirit of endurance, risk–taking, cooperative teamwork and quick,
ready and e ective re exes in challenging situations and to provide incentive to the young
people for getting exposed to the adventure activities.
• Awardees will receive statuettes, certi cates and award money of Rs. 15 lakh each.
• The award will be given in four categories namely, Land Adventure, Water Adventure, Air
Adventure and Life Time Achievement.
Constitution Day
On November 26, 1949, the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution of India, and it came
into e ect on January 26, 1950. While January 26 is celebrated as Republic Day, since 2015,
November 26 has been observed as the Constitution Day of India, or Samvidhan Divas.
Why is November 26 observed as Constitution Day?

• In May 2015, the Union Cabinet announced that November 26 will be observed as Constitution
Day to promote"$constitutional values amongst citizens”. This was the year that marked the
125th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the
Constitution. Other members included Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel and Shayama
Prasad Mukherjee, among others.
• On November 19, 2015, the government formally noti ed November 26 as Constitution Day.
Before this, the day was observed as National Law Day. Ambedkar was also the rst Law
Minister of India.
Timeline of events -
• The Constituent Assembly, the body meant to draft the Constitution of India, held its rst
session on December 9, 1946, attended by 207 members, including nine women. Initially, the
assembly had 389 members, but after independence and the partition of India, the strength was
reduced to 299. The assembly took over three years to draft the constitution, spending over
114 days considering the content of the draft alone.
• On December 13, 1946, Nehru moved the $Objectives Resolution” that was later adopted as
the Preamble on January 22, 1947.
• The Drafting Committee chaired by Ambedkar was one among the over 17 committees of the
Constituent Assembly. Their task was to prepare a Draft Constitution for India. Out of some
7,600 amendments tabled, this committee got rid of about 2,400 amendments while debating
and deliberating the constitution.
• The last session of the Constituent Assembly ended on November 26, 1949, when the
Constitution was adopted, and two months later on January 26, 1950 it came into e ect after
284 members signed it. January 26 was chosen since the Congress!" Poorna Swaraj
resolution was declared on this day in the year 1930.
Interesting facts about the Constitution of India -
• The constitution is the largest written constitution in the world.
• The original copy had been written by hand.
• Each page of the constitution has a gold leaf frame while the opening page of each is adorned
with some kind of artwork.
• Beohar Rammanohar Sinha and Nandalal Bose, who were artists from Shantiniketan, had
decorated the original version of the Constitution.
• Prem Behari Narain Raizada was a talented calligrapher who had prepared the original
copies of the constitution.
National Anti-Pro teering Authority

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From December 1, all complaints related to GST pro teering will be dealt with by India's antitrust
watchdog Competition Commission of India (CCI), in place of National Anti-Pro teering Authority.
Details -
• Currently, all consumer complaints of companies not passing on GST rate cut bene ts are
investigated by the Directorate General of Anti-pro teering (DGAP), which then submits its
report to the NAA.
• The tenure of NAA ends this month and its functions will be taken over by the CCI from
December 1.
• The central government, on the recommendations of the Goods and Services Tax Council, has
transferred the functions of NAA to the CCI.
• i.e., now CCI will examine whether input tax credits availed by any registered person or the
reduction in the tax rate have actually resulted in a commensurate reduction in the price of
the goods or services or both supplied by him.
About the ‘National Anti-Pro teering Authority’ -
• The NAA was set up in November 2017 as a statutory body under the GST law to check
unfair pro teering activities by registered suppliers.
• Its core function is to ensure that bene ts of reduction in GST rates on goods and services
and of the input tax credit are passed on to consumers by way of reduction in prices
• It was set up for two years till 2019, but was later extended till November 2021.
• Working —
• As per the GST law, a 3-tier structure was set up for investigation and adjudication of the
pro teering complaints.
• The complaints are required to be first sent to state-level screening and standing
committees, which are then forwarded to DGAP for investigation.
• The investigation report is then submitted to NAA. The authority thereafter passes an order
after hearing both the parties.
• If NAA nds that a supplier has indulged in pro teering, it has to return the pro teered
amount, along with 18 per cent interest, to the consumer.
• If all the consumers cannot be identi ed, then the amount is transferred to the consumer
welfare fund.
Why was it established?

• Any reduction in rate of tax on any supply of goods or services or the bene t of input tax
credit should be passed on to the recipient by way of commensurate reduction in prices.
• However, it has been the experience of many countries that when GST was introduced there has
been a marked increase in in ation and the prices of the commodities.
• This was happening because the suppliers were not passing on the commensurate bene ts
to the consumer and thereby indulging in illegal pro teering.
• Therefore, NAA was constituted by the Central Government to examine whether the reduction
in the tax rate have actually resulted in a commensurate reduction in prices to the recipients.
E-court initiatives
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched various initiatives under the e-court project.
Details -
• Virtual Justice Clock —
• It is an initiative to exhibit vital statistics of the justice delivery system at the Court level
giving the details of the cases instituted, cases disposed and pendency of cases on day/
week/month basis at the Court level.
• The e ort is to make the functioning of the courts accountable and transparent by
sharing with the public the status of case disposals by the court.
• Public can access the Virtual Justice Clock of any court establishment on the District
Court's website.
• JustIS Mobile App 2.0 —
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• It is a tool available to judicial o cers for e ective court and case management by
monitoring pendency and disposal of not only his court but also for individual judges
working under them.
• This App is also made available to High Court and Supreme Court Judges who can now
monitor pendency and disposal of all the States and Districts under their jurisdiction.
• Digital Court — It is an initiative to make the court records available to the judge in digitised
form to enable the transition to Paperless Courts.
• S3WaaS Websites —
• It is a framework to generate, con gure, deploy and manage websites for publishing
speci ed information and services related to district judiciary.
• S3WaaS is a cloud service developed for government entities to generate Secure,

Scalable & Sugamya (Accessible) websites. It is multilingual, citizen friendly and disability
friendly.
ECONOMICS
IIPDF Scheme
Recently, the Department of Economic A airs (DEA), Ministry of Finance noti ed Scheme for
Financial Support for Project Development Expenses of PPP Projects – India Infrastructure Project
Development Fund Scheme (IIPDF Scheme).
What is it?
• It is a Central Sector Scheme which will aid the development of quality PPP projects by
providing necessary funding support to the project sponsoring authorities, both in the Central
and State Governments.
• Funding —
• The corpus of the IIPDF shall comprise of initial budgetary outlay of Rs. 100 Crore by the
Ministry of Finance. This would be supplemented, should it become necessary, through
budgetary support by the Ministry of Finance from time to time.
• Funding under IIPDF Scheme is in addition to the already operational Scheme for Financial
Support to PPPs in Infrastructure (VGF Scheme).
• Organisational Structure — The IIPDF will be administered by the Empowered Institution. The
Empowered Institution will —
• Select projects for which project development costs will be funded.
• Set the terms and conditions under which the funding will be provided and recovered.
• Set milestones for disbursing and recovering (where appropriate) the funding.
• The Public Private Partnership Cell of the DEA will provide support functions examine the
applications received for assistance under IIPDF.
Millets
The Central government has recently formulated an action plan to promote exports of millet.
The government has planned to facilitate participation of exporters, farmers, and traders in 16
international trade expos and Buyer Seller Meet for exports and promotion of Indian millets across
the globe.
What is the plan?

• According to the action plan, Indian missions abroad would be roped in branding and
publicity of Indian millets.
• This include, identi cation of potential buyers such as departmental stores, supermarkets,
and hypermarkets for organising business-to-business meetings and direct tie-ups.
• As part of the promotion of Indian millets, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA) has planned to showcase millets and its value-added
product on various global platforms.
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• NOTE - The 160th session of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Council approved
India!s proposal to observe an International Year of Millets in 2023. Consequently, the United
Nations declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
What are millets?

• Millets are one of the oldest foods, these are the small-seeded hardy crops which can grow
well in dry zones or rain-fed areas under marginal conditions of soil fertility and moisture.
Millets are cultivated in low-fertile land, tribal and rain-fed and mountainous areas.
• Millets can not only grow in poor climatic or soil conditions and provide nutritious grain as
well as fodder, but these can also very well t into multiple cropping systems under irrigation as
well as dryland farming due to their short growing season.
• The prolonged and easy storability of millets under ordinary conditions has given them the
status of Famine Reserves and this feature is of great importance for India, as the agriculture of
our country su ers from unexpected changes in monsoon.
Millets in India -
• The major millets grown in India are Pearl Millet (Bajra), Sorghum (Jowar), Finger Millet (Ragi),
Foxtail Millet (Kangni), Proso (Cheena), Barnyard Millet (Sawan), Little Millet (Kutki), and Kodo
Millet. All these are rich in bre, minerals, and Vitamins. Pearl Millet, for instance, has the highest
content of macro as well as micronutrients such as iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus,
folic acid, and ribo avin.
• Many of these are missing in rice or wheat. Scienti c studies link millets intake to blood sugar
control, reduced in ammation, improved digestion, and lower risk of heart diseases and
cancer.
• Major producers include Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana.
Signi cance of millets -
• While stark hunger, as re ected in starvation deaths, has more or less been banished from the
world, malnutrition (read undernourishment or disguised hunger) is still rampant. Nearly two
billion people are reckoned to su er from micronutrient de ciencies, resulting in stunted
physical and mental growth in children.
• Worse still, about 45 per cent of the deaths of children under ve are attributed to de cient
or imbalanced nutrition. Ending malnutrition and promoting sustainable farming have,
therefore, rightfully, been included in the 17 Social Development Goals, adopted at the Earth
Summit in 2015.
• Millets hold the key to achieve this objective because they o er both health gains and
sustainability of production under changing climate. Globally, most millet crops have gone
out of cultivation. The few surviving ones include Pearl Millet, Barley, sorghum, Quinoa,
Amaranth, Bulgur (Cracked wheat), Rye, Kamut (Khorasen wheat), and Freekeh (green durum
wheat).
Ecological bene ts -
• Interestingly, there are some cogent ecological reasons as well for promoting millet cultivation.
These crops are the most e cient converters of solar energy into food and biomass.
• In terms of photosynthetic e ciency, they belong to the top C4 category, against C3 of

wheat and rice.
• More importantly, millet crops sequester carbon from the atmosphere while paddy elds
spew methane, a greenhouse gas.
• Besides, these are hardy, drought-tolerant, and heat-resistant crops that generally do not
succumb to pests and diseases and are suited for cultivation without assured irrigation.
About APEDA -
• The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) was
established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products
Export Development Authority Act, 1985.
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• It functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The Authority has its headquarters
in New Delhi.
• APEDA is mandated with the responsibility of export promotion and development of the
scheduled products viz. fruits, vegetables and their products; meat and meat products; poultry
and poultry products; dairy products; confectionery, biscuits and bakery products; honey,
jaggery and sugar products; cocoa and its products, chocolates of all kinds; alcoholic and non-
alcoholic beverages; cereal and cereal products; groundnuts, peanuts and walnuts, pickles,
papads and chutneys; guar gum; oriculture and oriculture products; herbal and medicinal
plants.
• APEDA has been entrusted with the responsibility to monitor import of sugar.
• It looks after the development of industries relating to the scheduled products for export by way
of providing nancial assistance or otherwise for undertaking surveys and feasibility
studies, participating through subsidy schemes.
• Registration of persons as exporters of the scheduled products and xing of standards and
speci cations for the scheduled products for the purpose of exports.
• It also carries out inspection of meat and meat products in slaughterhouses, processing plants,
storage premises and improving packaging of the scheduled products.
Vostro Accounts
The Union Government has recently approved 'vostro' accounts for nine Russian banks to help
promote trade in rupees.
Details -
• Russia becomes rst country to facilitate rupee-based export-import transactions
• The move will facilitate India!s exports to sanction-hit Russia, which reported a 24%
decline in the April-August period. The RBI-designed mechanism only entails trade in the
Indian rupee, eliminating exchange risks.
• To facilitate trade through this route, the government, through an amendment in the foreign
trade policy recently, allowed exporters to avail of incentives or duty rebates for settling trade
in rupee terms.
About Nostro account -
• A Nostro account is an account held by a bank in another bank.
• It allows the customers to deposit money in the bank's account in another bank. It is often
used if a bank has no branches in a foreign country.
• The main di erence between a deposit account and a Nostro account is that the former is held
by individual depositors while foreign institutions hold the latter.
About Vostro account -
• A Vostro account is just another name for a Nostro account.
• It is an account held by a bank that allows the customers to deposit money on behalf of
another bank.
• A Nostro account is a Vostro account for the bank that opens the account.
• If a person deposits money in the Vostro account, it will be transferred to the account holder's
bank.
Bharat Gaurav Trains

Recently, to give promotion of rail based tourism through provision of better quality coaches and
viable tour packages, the Bharat Gaurav Trains Scheme has been reviewed.
Details -
In November 2021 the Indian Railways allowed private players to run theme-based Bharat
Gaurav trains to showcase India!s rich cultural heritage and historical places to the people of
India, and from abroad.
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How does it work?

• Any operator can lease trains from the Railways to run on a theme-based circuit as a
special tourism package. The operator has the freedom to decide the route, the halts, the
services provided and, most importantly, the tari .
• The service provider can take custody of the trains for a minimum period of two years and a
maximum period of up to the residual life of the coaches.
Salient features of revised policy -
• Henceforth, only Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches will be allotted under the Bharat
Gaurav Trains scheme.
• Ministry of Railways has decided not to levy the overhead components in the Fixed and
Variable Haulage Charges for operation of Bharat Gaurav Trains under the scheme.
• The existing service providers, who have already been allotted ICF rakes would be given
option to switch over to LHB rakes for the remaining period of agreement on the revised
charges. However, if they opt to continue with already allotted rakes, bene t of revised charges
would be available with prospective e ect.
Global Partnership on Arti cial Intelligence

India will take over the Chair of the Global Partnership on Arti cial Intelligence, GPAI from France
on November 21.
About GPAI -
• GPAI is an international initiative to support responsible and human-centric development

and the use of Arti cial Intelligence.
• It aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge
research and applied activities on AI-related priorities.
• Members — The GPAI is a congregation of 25 member countries, including the US, UK,
European Union, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South
Korea, and Singapore.
• India joined the GPAI in 2020 as a founding member.
• Its Secretariat is hosted at the OECD.
• India occupying the chair also signi es how the world today perceives it as a Trusted
Technology partner and one that has always advocated for the ethical use of technology for
transforming citizens!"lives.
About the ‘Arti cial Intelligence’ —

Arti cial Intelligence is expected to add 967 billion US dollars to the Indian economy by 2035.
It is also expected to add 450 to 500 billion US dollars to India!s GDP by 2025 accounting for 10
per cent of the country!s 5 trillion dollar GDP target.
National Gopal Ratna Award

Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying recently announced the National Gopal
Ratna Awards 2022.
About ‘Gopal Ratna Awards’ -
• Gopal Ratna Award - one of the highest National Awards in the eld of livestock and dairy
sector, with an objective to encourage all individuals and Dairy cooperative societies / Milk
Producer Company / Dairy farmers Producers Organisations working in this sector, are
conferred in three categories, namely,
• Best Dairy Farmer Rearing Indigenous Cattle/bu alo Breeds,
• Best Arti cial Insemination Technician (AIT) and
• Best Dairy Cooperative/ Milk Producer Company/ Dairy Farmer Producer Organization).
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About the ‘Rashtriya Gokul Mission’ -
• The RGM has been launched by the Government for conservation and development of
indigenous breeds in a focused and scienti c manner.
• The mission envisages establishment of integrated cattle development centres - Gokul

Grams to develop indigenous breeds including upto 40% nondescript breeds.
• Rashtriya Gokul Mission is a focussed project under National Programme for Bovine
Breeding and Dairy Development.
• Objectives —
• Development and conservation of indigenous breeds;
• Breed improvement programme for indigenous cattle breeds to improve their genetic
makeup and increase the stock; Enhancement of milk production and productivity;
• Upgradation of nondescript cattle using elite indigenous breeds like Gir, Sahiwal, Rathi,
Deoni, Tharparkar, Red Sindhi and Distribution of disease free high genetic merit bulls for
natural service.
• Implementing Agency —
• Rashtriya Gokul Mission is being implemented through $State Implementing Agencies

(SIA)” viz Livestock Development Boards.
• All Agencies having a role in indigenous cattle development are $Participating Agencies”
like CFSPTI, CCBFs, ICAR, Universities, Colleges, NGO‟s, Cooperative Societies.
International Tourism Mart

The 10th International Tourism Mart (ITM) for the northeast region has begun in Mizoram capital
Aizawl.
Details -
• The 10th International Tourism Mart (ITM) for the northeast region will focus on "priorities of
G20 for tourism track", since India will assume the yearlong Presidency of the in uential
group for a year from December 1 to November 30 next year.
• Mizoram is hosting this mart for the rst time.
• The earlier editions of the event have been held in Guwahati, Tawang, Shillong, Gangtok,
Agartala, Imphal and Kohima.
About the International Tourism Mart (ITM) -
• The International Tourism Mart (ITM) is an annual event organised in the North Eastern region
with the objective of highlighting the tourism potential of the region in the domestic and
international markets.
• It brings together the tourism business fraternity and entrepreneurs from the 8 North Eastern
States.
• The event has been planned to facilitate interaction between buyers, sellers, media, Government
agencies and other stakeholders.
• The ITMs are organised in the 8 North Eastern States on rotation basis.
Indian Chemicals Council Sustainability Conclave

Fourth Edition of Indian Chemicals Council (ICC) Sustainability Conclave recently started in New
Delhi.
Details -
• Theme — Theme of the two-day event is #boardrooms to Community-ESG, Carbon Neutrality,

Operational Safety, Greener Solutions!.
• The Conclave aims to promote sustainability in the management of the entire life cycle of
chemicals.
• Initiative — It is being organised jointly with United Nations Environment Program and
International Council of Chemical Associations with support of Ministry of Chemicals and
Fertilisers and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
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About the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) -
• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading environmental authority in
the United Nations system.
• It was established in 1972.
• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been the global authority that sets
the environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental
dimension of sustainable development within the UN system and serves as an authoritative
advocate for the global environment.
About the Indian Chemicals Council (ICC) -
• It was established in 1938.
• It is the apex national body representing all branches of the Chemical Industry in India such
as Organic & Inorganic Chemicals, Plastics & Petrochemicals & Petroleum Re neries, Dyestu s
& Dye-intermediates, Fertilisers & Pesticides, Specialty Chemicals, Paints etc.
• The Indian Chemical Council is dedicated to the growth of the Indian Chemical Industry.
• The Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, has authorised all ICC o ces
(Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai) to issue the CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN for the
exporters.
• ICC also has two initiatives - Responsible Care and Nicer Globe.
Incredible India Campaign

The government has nalised — “Incredible India! Visit India Year 2023” — as its campaign
tagline to revive international tourism post-COVID. Due to G20 Presidency and other events, India
is likely to see as many international arrivals in 2023 as it had in pre-COVID 2019 at 1.7 crore.
What is the ‘Incredible India’ campaign?

• It is an international marketing campaign to promote tourism in India. It was launched as a
Government of India initiative in the year 2002.
• The campaign was conceptualised in 2002 by V Sunil (while he was Creative Director, O&M
Delhi), and Amitabh Kant, who was the then Joint Secretary in Ministry of Tourism.
• Objectives —
• To promote India as the desirable destination among international travellers from the United
States, Europe and Asia Paci c.
• To build on the existing Incredible India campaign.
• To attract more visitors to India.
• To reach out to travellers in a cost-e ective way.
• The campaign undertook such a marketing strategy that not only comprised of the traditional
marketing media mix but also integrated online marketing.
Tourism in India -
• In the past 75 years, India has become synonymous with tourism, spirituality,
transformation, culture and diversity.
• Tourism sector generated Rs 16.91 lakh crore (USD 240 billion) or 9.2% of India!s GDP in
2018.
• It supported around 42.67 million jobs or 8.1% of total employment during that period.
• Out of the 1.7 crore international inbound in 2019, about 1.1 crore were foreign tourists.
• However, starting March 2020, international travel took an unprecedented hit with COVID. As a
result, 2020 saw 27 lakh foreign tourists. In 2021, the number was at 15 lakh.
• Since July 2020, Indian travel industry has been surviving primarily on domestic tourists.
• According to the India Tourism Statistics 2022, the arrival of NRIs had increased by 52.6% in
2021 compared to 2020.
International Committee for Weights and Measures

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Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta Director, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi,
has been elected as a member of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM).
Details -
The CIPM is a supreme international committee which functions under the authority of General
Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM).
About the ‘General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM)’ -
• CGPM is a highest intergovernmental international organisation created as diplomatic treaty

called Meter Convention signed on 20th May 1875 in Paris.
• It is responsible for development and implementation of International Systems of Unites,

universally abbreviated as SI, its wide dissemination; make necessary modi cations time to time
for the advancement of science and technology.
• Advancement of Industry in the country is directly dependent on the state of its metrology
capabilities.
• This year CGPM has adopted 7 important resolutions including new SI pre xes ronna (10²⁷),
quetta (10³⁰), ronto (10-²⁷) and quecto (10-³⁰).
• With this nomenclature, mass of the electron (1 quectogram) and weight of earth (1 ronnagram)
can be expressed easily in SI units.
• Members — At present, CGPM is represented by 64 member countries and meets every 4th
year at International Bureau of Weight and Measure (BIPM), France.
Functions -
• The CIPM advises and recommends the amendments, changes, alterations to the SI to the
CGPM for formal adoption.
• It can also pass resolutions and recommendations about the basic units of measurements, if
needed, at its own authority.
• The primary objective of the CIPM, comprised of 18 members from 18 member states
(nations), is to promote international harmonisation of SI, meets annually, deliberate reports sent
by its 18 Consultative Committees (CCs), among other matters brought to its notice as per
mandate.
• Each member of the CIPM takes the responsibility of Chairmanship of one CC.
About India!s Standards of Weights and Measures Act -
• The Government of India enacted the $Standards of Weights and Measures Act” for the rst
time in 1956 to ensure that every citizen has access to uniform standards of weights and
measures those are traceable to the SI units.
• During the year 1957, India became member of the CGPM.
Network Readiness Index 2022

India climbs up six slots and now placed at 61st rank as per Network Readiness Index 2022.
About the report -
• The report has been prepared by the Portulans Institute, an independent non-pro t,
nonpartisan research and educational institute based in Washington DC.
• In its latest version of 2022, the NRI Report maps the network-based readiness landscape of
131 economies based on their performances in four di erent pillars: Technology, People,
Governance, and Impact covering a total of 58 variables.
India!s status -
• India has not only improved its ranking, but also improved its score from 49.74 in 2021 to
51.19 in 2022.
• It is noteworthy that India leads in several indicators —
• India secured 1st rank in $AI talent concentration”
• 2nd rank in $Mobile broadband internet tra c within the country” and $International Internet
bandwidth”
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• 3rd rank in $Annual investment in telecommunication services” and $Domestic market size”
• 4th rank in $ICT Services exports”.
• NRI-2022 report states that India has a greater network readiness than would be expected
given its income level.
• India is ranked 3rd out of 36 in the group of lower-middle-income countries after Ukraine
(50) and Indonesia (59). India has a score higher than the income group average in all pillars and
sub-pillars.
Digital Rupee
The Reserve Bank of India has announced the launch of the rst pilot for the retail digital Rupee
on 1st December 2022.
Details -
• Eight banks have been identi ed for phase-wise participation in this pilot.
• The rst phase will begin with four banks including State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank
and IDFC First Bank in four cities across the country.
• Four more banks, including Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, HDFC Bank and Kotak
Mahindra Bank will join this pilot subsequently.
• The pilot would initially cover four cities, including Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and
Bhubaneswar and later extend to Ahmedabad, Gangtok, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Kochi,
Lucknow, Patna and Shimla.
• The scope of the pilot may be expanded gradually to include more banks, users and locations
as needed.
• The pilot would cover select locations in a closed user group - CUG comprising participating
customers and merchants.
• The digital Rupee would be in the form of a digital token that represents legal tender.
• Users will be able to transact with digital Rupee through a digital wallet o ered by the
participating banks and stored on mobile phones.
How the transactions would be carried out?

• Transactions can be both Person to Person and Person Merchant.
• Payments to merchants can be made using QR codes displayed at merchant locations.
• The digital Rupee would o er features of physical cash like trust, safety and settlement
nality.
• As in the case of cash, it will not earn any interest and can be converted to other forms of
money, like deposits with banks.
• The pilot will test the robustness of the entire process of digital rupee creation, distribution
and retail usage in real time.
• Di erent features and applications of the digital Rupee token and architecture will be tested in
future pilots, based on the learnings from this pilot.
National Milk Day

Department of Animal Husbandry has celebrated National Milk Day to commemorate 101st birth
anniversary of the $Father of the White Revolution in India — Dr. Verghese Kurien” on 26th
November, 2022.
About the ‘National Milk Day’ -
• National Milk Day is celebrated in India on November 26th to honour the memory of Dr
Verghese Kurien, who is fondly known as the father of the White Revolution.
• Kurien was also called the Milkman of India as his ideas and e orts to build a system of farmer
cooperatives helped transform the country from an importer of dairy products to the world!s
largest milk producer.
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• For his relentless service to the dairy and farming communities, Kurien was awarded the Ramon
Magsaysay Award (1963), Padma Shri (1965), Padma Bhushan (1966), World Food Prize
(1989) and Padma Vibhushan (1999).
Signi cance -
• National Milk Day raises awareness about the need for milk in human lives.
• India is the world!s largest milk producer, with 22 percent of global production, followed by
the United States of America, China, Pakistan and Brazil.
• According to the data available on the NDDB website, milk production in India has increased
from 84.4 million tonnes in 2001-02 to 121.8 million tonnes in 2010-11 and 198.4 million
tonnes in 2019-20.
• Since the 1970s, most of the expansion in milk production has been in South Asia, which is the
main driver of milk production growth in the developing world.
Manthan Platform
The Manthan platform won NSEIT the Best Tech Initiative of the Year at the Dun & Bradstreet
Business Excellence Awards 2022.
About the award -
• The award was presented for building the technology infrastructure to support Manthan.
• Manthan is a platform that promotes collaboration at scale between industry and the
scienti c research and development ecosystem.
• The development of the platform was conceptualised and implemented by the O ce of the
Principal Scienti c Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India.
• It is aimed at promoting collaboration between industry and the scienti c research and
development ecosystem.
• It was launched on India!s 76th Independence Day.
• Manthan empowers multiple stakeholders to collaborate for co-creating solutions aligned with
the United Nations!"Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and our national scienti c missions.
About NSEIT -
• NSEIT Limited is a global technology enterprise focused on delivering excellence in a

complex digital environment, primarily in the banking, insurance, and capital market ecosystem.
• It is a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India.
• Their key service pillars are Application Modernisation, Business Transformation, Data Analytics,
Infrastructure & Cloud Services, Cybersecurity, EdTech, and online examinations solutions.
SOCIAL ISSUES
Mother Tongue Survey of India
Union Ministry of Home A airs (MHA) has completed the Mother Tongue Survey of India
(MTSI) with eld videography of the country!s 576 languages.
Details -
• According to the report, the Mother Tongue Survey of India is a project that $surveys the
mother tongues, which are returned consistently across two and more Census decades”.
• It also documents the linguistic features of the selected languages.
• The report states that the NIC and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) will
be documenting and preserving the linguistic data of the surveyed mother tongues in audio-
video les.
• Video-graphed speech data of Mother Tongues will also be uploaded on the NIC survey for
archiving purposes.
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• Linguistic Survey of India (LSI) is a regular research activity in the country since the 6th Five
Year Plan.
How many $mother tongues” does India have, and what is spoken the most?
• As per an analysis of 2011 linguistic census data in 2018, more than 19,500 languages or
dialects are spoken in India as mother tongues.
• The category $mother tongue” is a designation provided by the respondent, but it need not be
identical with the actual linguistic medium.
• After subjecting the 19,569 returns to linguistic scrutiny, edit and rationalisation, they were
grouped into 121 mother tongues.
• According to the 2011 linguistic census, Hindi is the most widely spoken mother tongue, with
52.8 crore people or 43.6 per cent of the population declaring it as the mother tongue.
• The next highest is Bengali, mother tongue for 9.7 crore individuals, and accounting for 8 per
cent of the population.
Mother tongue in the education of children -
• The new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for the foundational stages of education,
has recommended that mother tongue should be the primary medium of instruction in
schools for children up to eight years of age.
• The focus on mother tongue as the medium of instruction, especially for primary schooling, has
been a feature of education policies for years.
• The new NCF, which deals with pre-school and classes I-II, emphasises the virtues of the
mother tongue as the primary medium of instruction, saying that by the time children join pre-
school, they acquire signi cant competence in the $home language”.
• According to the NCF, evidence from research con rms the importance of teaching children in
their mother tongue during the foundational years and beyond.
• NCF also states that since children learn concepts most rapidly and deeply in their home
language, the primary medium of instruction would optimally be the child!s home language/
mother tongue/ familiar language in the Foundational Stage.
Child Welfare Police O cers

The Ministry of Home A airs has recently asked the States/Union Territories to appoint a Child
Welfare Police O cer (CWPO) in every police station to exclusively deal with children, either as
victims or perpetrators.
Details -
• According to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, there should
be at least one o cer, not below the rank of an Assistant Sub-Inspector, as CWPO in every
station.
• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had requested that a Special Juvenile
Police Unit in each district and city, which is headed by an o cer not below the rank of a
Deputy Superintendent of Police, be established.
• The unit would comprise CWPOs and two social workers having experience of working in the
eld of child welfare, of whom one shall be a woman, to co-ordinate all functions of police in
relation to children.
• The contact particulars of the CWPOs should be displayed in all police stations for the public
to contact.
National SC-ST Hub Scheme

Recently, the 5th meeting of High Powered Monitoring Committee (HPMC) under National SC-ST
Hub scheme was chaired by Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
About the ‘National SC-ST Hub’ scheme -
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• Objective of National SC-ST Hub — Develop a supportive ecosystem for SC/ST
entrepreneurs to achieve the mandated 4% procurement by the CPSEs from the SC/ST
entrepreneurs as laid down in Central Government Public Procurement Policy for Micro and
Small Enterprises.
• Scheme applicable for — Existing and Aspiring SC/ST Entrepreneurs.
• Key Bene ts —
• To achieve 4% Public Procurement target from SC-ST entrepreneurs.
• Facilitating SC/ST Entrepreneurs to be part of vendor development programs and mentoring

support.
• Collection, collation and dissemination of information regarding SC/ST enterprises and

entrepreneurs.
• Distribution of trade speci c tool kits to trained candidates.
• The key action areas — Vendor development, participation in public procurement, building
reliable database, credit facilitation, technology upgradation, marketing support, and special
subsidies under various schemes etc.
Eat Right Station

Indian Railways!" Bhopal Railway Station has been awarded a 4- star 'Eat Right Station'
certi cation for providing high-quality, nutritious food to passengers.
What is this certi cation?

• This certi cation is granted by FSSAI to railway stations adhering to standard food storage
and hygiene practices.
• The 'Eat Right Station' certi cation is awarded by FSSAI to railway stations that set
benchmarks in providing safe and wholesome food to passengers.
• The station is awarded a certi cate upon a conclusion of an FSSAI-empanelled third-party

audit agency with ratings from 1 to 5. The 4-star rating indicates full compliance by the
station to ensure safe and hygienic food is available to passengers.
• The other railway stations with this certi cation include Anand Vihar Terminal Railway
Station; (Delhi), Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus; (Mumbai), Mumbai Central Railway Station;
(Mumbai), Vadodara Railway Station, Chandigarh Railway Station.
‘Eat Right India’ Movement -
• The certi cation is part of the 'Eat Right India' movement- a large-scale e ort by FSSAI to
transform the country's food system to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food for all
Indians.
• Eat Right India adopts a judicious mix of regulatory, capacity building, collaborative, and
empowerment approaches to ensure that our food is suitable both for the people and the
planet.
About FSSAI -
• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is an autonomous body
established under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• It was set up in 2008 for the proper monitoring of food hygiene and quality in India. It was
functional from 2011 and ever since has been responsible for managing food safety in our
country.
• The organisation has been set up as per the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, until which
di erent acts and laws were being administered under the various ministries of Government.
• It is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and
supervision of food safety.
• It is headed by a non-executive Chairperson, appointed by the Central Government, either

holding or has held the position of not below the rank of Secretary to the Government of India.
Digital Shakti 4.0

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The National Commission for Women (NCW) has recently launched the fourth phase of Digital
Shakti Campaign.
What is it?
• Digital Shakti started in June 2018 to help women across the nation to raise the awareness
level on the digital front, to build resilience, and ght cyber-crime in the most e ective
ways.
• The Digital Shakti 4.0 is focused on making women digitally skilled and aware to stand-up
against any illegal/inappropriate activity online.
• NCW launched the campaign in collaboration with CyberPeace Foundation and Meta.
• Through this project, over 3 Lakh women across India have been made aware of cyber safety
tips and tricks.
• It is helping women in reporting & redressal mechanisms, data privacy and usage of technology
for their bene ts.
GHAR - Go Home and Re-Unite

On World Children!s Day (November 20), the National Commission for Protection of Child
Rights (NCPCR) launched a web portal - $GHAR - Go Home and Re-Unite.”
Details -
• The portal will be a platform for digital tracking and monitoring of children from every district
to smoothen the process of their repatriation and restoration.
• NCPCR also launched the —
• Training Modules for the Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) for implementing the
amendments brought in the Juvenile Justice Act.
• Protocols for Restoration and Repatriation of Children.
Need of the portal -
• The portal will enable digital transfer of cases of children to the authorities concerned.
• It will ensure that the rights of children related to restoration and repatriation are realised,
which was a challenge due to lack of convergence and information-sharing between authorities.
• Many children who were taken before JJBs and the CWCs were discovered to be from another
place, but it was di cult to repatriate them due to a lack of information on their native place.
• A step to signi cantly reduce the number of children languishing in child care Institutions
(CCIs).
About NCPCR -
• The NCPCR is a statutory body formed under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights
Act, 2005. It works towards achieving a child rights-centric approach in all the laws,
programmes, policies and administrative mechanisms in India.
• It functions under the Ministry of Women & Child Development of the central government.
• It strives to ensure that all laws and policies in the country are in consonance with the
rights of children as emphasised by the Indian Constitution as well as with the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• A child is de ned as any person between the ages of 0 and 18 years.
• The Commission acknowledges the universality and inviolability of child rights.
• It focuses on children that form a part of the most vulnerable sections of society.
• The Commission sees every right of the child as equally important and hence, does not
grade the rights according to importance.
• The Commission is also mandated with responsibilities under two other acts, namely -
Protection of Children from Sexual O ences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and Right to Education
Act, 2009.
• The NCPCR has been constituted by the Government as an act of Parliament as mentioned
above. Hence, it is a statutory organisation. It consists of the following members:
• Chairperson — Person of eminence and who has an exemplary record of work in child
welfare.
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• Six members — A minimum of two women members, Should have experience in the
following elds - Education, Child health, care, welfare or child development, Juvenile justice
or care of neglected or marginalised children or children with disabilities, Elimination of child
labour or children in distress, Child psychology or sociology, and Laws relating to children.
Economic Advisory Council to PM

The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) has recently issued a working
paper that says that the decline in India’s rankings on a number of global opinion-based indices
are due to the “serious problems" with the methodology used in these perception-based indices.
Details -
• The Paper has analysed three perception-based indices — Freedom in the World Index, V-
DEM indices, and EIU Democracy Index.
• The paper says that these indices are primarily based on the opinions of a tiny group of
unknown experts.
• It also says, the questions that are used are subjective and are worded in a way that is
impossible to answer objectively.
• The Working paper also said that certain questions used by these indices are not an
appropriate measure of democracy across all countries.
• It noted that since these indices are inputs into the World Governance Indicators, the World
Bank should ensure greater transparency and accountability from these institutions.
About Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM) -
• PMEAC is a non-constitutional and non-statutory, non-permanent and independent body.
• It is constituted with the prime and sole aim to analyse all critical issues, economic or
otherwise, referred to it by the Prime Minister and advising him thereon.
• It is mandated to give advice to the Prime Minister on economic matters such as in ation, GDP
changes, export-import changes, creating supporting environment for increased trade and
commerce.
• Functions -
• Submit periodic reports to PM related to macroeconomic developments and issues which

will have implications of the economic policy.
• Analyse any topics, issues assigned by the PM and provide advice to them.
• Analyse macroeconomic issues having high importance and present the views to PM and
any other task which is assigned by Prime Minister.
National Suicide Prevention Strategy

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recently announced a National Suicide
Prevention Strategy.
What is the strategy?

• It is the rst of its kind in the country, with time-bound action plans and multi-sectoral
collaborations to achieve reduction in suicide mortality by 10% by 2030.
• The strategy broadly seeks to establish e ective surveillance mechanisms for suicide within the
next three years.
• It aims to establish psychiatric outpatient departments that will provide suicide prevention
services through the District Mental Health Programme in all districts within the next ve
years.
• It also seeks to integrate a mental well-being curriculum in all educational institutions within
the next eight years.
• It envisages developing guidelines for responsible media reporting of suicides, and restricting
access to means of suicide.
• The stress is on developing community resilience and societal support for suicide prevention.
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• While the strategy is in line with the WHO!s South East-Asia Region Strategy for suicide
prevention, it says it will remain true to India!s cultural and social milieu.
Suicides in India -
• In India, more than one lakh lives are lost every year to suicide, and it is the top killer in the
15-29 years category.
• In the past three years, the suicide rate has increased from 10.2 to 11.3 per 1,00,000
population.
• The most common reasons for suicide include family problems and illnesses, which account
for 34% and 18% of all suicide-related deaths.
Ima Keithel
External A airs minister S Jaishankar recently tweeted pictures of his visit to Manipur’s Ima
market, calling it a “great example of nari shakti (women’s power) powering economic growth”.
What is Imphal’s Ima Market?

• Ima Keithel, or Mothers!" Market, is an all-women market, said to be the largest such
shopping complex in Asia.
• It is a unique all women!s market, having 3,000 $Imas” or mothers who run the stalls, it is split
[into] two sections on either side of road.
• Vegetables, fruits, sh and household groceries are sold on one side and exquisite handlooms
and household tools on the other. Not far away is a street where beautiful wicker works and
basketry are sold.
• Male vendors and shopkeepers are barred here.
• In 2018, the state government announced that legal action would be taken under the Manipur
Municipalities Act, 2004 if any male vendor was found selling goods at the market.
History -
• The Ima Market is centuries-old, and has its origins in Lallup Kaba, an ancient bonded labour
system.
• Under the system, Meitei men had to compulsorily serve some time working in the military
and on other civil projects, keeping them away from home.
• The women, thus, were left to manage on their own, and they developed a market system
which is today the Ima Keithel.
• While the system is centuries-old, it had continued till the time of the British.
• Policies of the British government had interfered with the functioning of the Ima market too, but
were met with sti resistance from the women.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
G-20 Presidency
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled the logo, theme and website of India!s G-20
Presidency. The G20 Leaders!"Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to
be held on September 9 and 10, 2023 in New Delhi.
Key highlights -
• The logo — Earth juxtaposed with the lotus,
• Theme — “Vasudhaiva Kutumba-kam” or $One Earth One Family One Future”
• The logo re ects India!s idea of VasudhaivaKutumbakam (the whole earth is a family), because
of which India has always believed in global harmony.
What is G20?
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• G-20, a group of nance ministers and central bank governors from 19 individual countries
and European Union, was established in 1999.
• G20 was elevated to a forum of Heads of State/Government in 2008 to e ectively respond to

the global nancial crisis of 2008.
• G-20 is a forum, not a legislative body, its agreements and decisions have no legal impact,
but they do in uence countries' policies and global cooperation.
Signi cance of G20 -
• Carries signi cant weight —
• G20 members represent around 85% of global GDP, over 75% of global trade, and two-
thirds of the world!s population.
• G20 members contribute 79% of the world carbon emissions and hence this platform
assumes signi cance in shaping the discussion on climate change.
• Promotes Multilateralism —
• Since 2011, the G20 summit has been held annually, under a rotating presidency.
• The practice of rotating the chair gives all the members a chance to shape the global
agenda.
• A number of overarching themes —
• Initially, the G20 focused on broad macroeconomic policy, but has since expanded its
ambit to include trade, climate change, sustainable development, energy, environment,
climate change, anti-corruption etc.
• Eg., 2021 summit decided to stop funding coal- red power plants in poor countries by
the end of 2021.
• It also committed to seek carbon neutrality"$by or around mid-century”.
• 2021 summit endorsed the Two-Pillar Solution to Address the Tax Challenges Arising
from the Digitalisation of the Economy.
• United Fight against COVID-19 Pandemic —
• In March 2020, G20 leaders pledged to inject $5 trillion into the global economy to reduce
the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
• In addition to this, they also agreed to contribute to WHO!s COVID-19 Solidarity

Response Fund on voluntary basis.
East Asia Summit

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar participated in the 17th East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh,
Cambodia.
What is ASEAN?
• ASEAN was founded in 1967 (by ASEAN Declaration at Bangkok, Thailand) by Singapore,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines with the aim of containing communism in
their region.
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• ASEAN Member nations - A total of 10-nations - Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR,
Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines.
• The Secretariat of ASEAN is located at Jakarta, Indonesia.
• India, a leader of the NAM, which also leaned towards the Soviet Union, wasn!t enthusiastic
about what it saw as a pro-US bloc in Asia. The year 2017 marked the 50 years of ASEAN.
• East Asia Summit (EAS) - A total of 18-nations - ASEAN (10 nations) + (China, Japan, South
Korea) + (India, Australia, New Zealand) + (Russia, US)
• ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) - ARF is a formal, o cial, multilateral, dialogue in the Asia
Paci c region. Participants: All EAS members (18 nations) + Papua New Guinea, East Timor,
Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, North Korea, Mongolia, Canada and EU. Objectives - To
foster dialogue and consultation, and to promote CBMs and preventive diplomacy in the region.
The ARF met for the rst time in 1994.
About the ‘East Asia Summit’ -
• EAS is a meeting of 18 regional leaders for strategic dialogue and cooperation on the key
political, security, and economic challenges facing the Indo-Paci c region.
• It is the Indo-Paci c's premier forum for strategic dialogue.
• It comprises —
• Ten-member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Brunei,

Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and
Vietnam; and
• Eight dialogue partners of ASEAN - Australia, China, Japan, India, New Zealand, Republic
of Korea, Russia and United States.
• The United States and the Russian Federation joined at the 6th East Asia Summit in
2011.
• The EAS membership represents around 54% of the world!s population and accounts for
58% of global GDP.
• Six priority areas of regional cooperation within the framework of the EAS —
• Environment and Energy,
• Education,
• Finance,
• Global Health Issues and Pandemic Diseases,
• Natural Disaster Management, and
• ASEAN Connectivity
EAS!s links with India -
• ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership stands on a strong foundation of shared geographical,

historical and civilisational ties.
• ASEAN is central to India!s Act East Policy and our wider vision of the Indo-Paci c.
• This year marks the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations and is being celebrated as the
ASEAN-India Friendship Year.
• Recently, Vice-President Dhankhar announced an additional contribution of USD 5 million to

the ASEAN-India science and technology fund to enhance cooperation in sectors of public
health, renewable energy and smart agriculture.
ASEAN-India relationship -
• ASEAN and India became Summit-level partners in 2002, and Strategic partners in 2012.
• There is ample closeness between India's "Indo Paci c Oceans Initiative" and ASEAN's
"Outlook on Indo Paci c”.
• India rmly believes that a "Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN" is essential for "Security and
Growth for All in the Region”.
• The year 2022 marks 30 years of ASEAN-India relations and it has been designated as
ASEAN-India Friendship Year by the leaders in October 2021.
India-ASEAN trade relations -
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• In general, ASEAN is India!s 4th largest trading partner and India is ASEAN!s 7th largest
trading partner accounting for 10.2% of India!s total trade.
• India!s total trade with ASEAN from April 2021 to March 2022 was $78.90 billion. Balance of
trade is highly favourable to ASEAN.
• On the other hand, ASEAN became China!s largest trading partner in 2020 and remains so.
• ASEAN!s total trade with China in for the period January to April 2022 amounted to $274.50
billion.
• ASEAN and India have set a trade target of 200 billion USD by 2022.
• Investment — Between 2000-2021 cumulative FDIs from ASEAN to India was $117.88 billion.
These were mainly accounted for by Singaporean investments in India ($115 billion).
• Indian investment into ASEAN since April 2019 till March 2022 is US$ 55.5 billion out of which
US$ 51.5 billion investment is in Singapore.
• On trade and investment, the review of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) has
been long pending. India has called for an early review of the Agreement.
• AITIGA has been in place since 2010.
AI-ECTA
Recently, an Australian parliamentary committee on treaties has recommended to its government
to ratify the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA).
Details -
• AI-ECTA needs rati cation by the Australian parliament before its implementation. In India, such
pacts are approved by the Union Cabinet.
• The agreement, once implemented, will provide duty-free access to the Australian market for
over 6,000 broad sectors of India, including textiles, leather, furniture, jewellery and machinery.
• Under the pact, Australia is o ering zero-duty access to India for about 96.4% of exports
(by value) from day one. This covers many products that currently attract 4-5% customs duty
in Australia.
• India!s goods exports stood at USD 8.3 billion and imports aggregated to USD 16.75 billion in
2021-22. The agreement would help in taking bilateral trade from USD 27.5 billion at present to
USD 45-50 billion in the next ve years.
• The Agreement inter-alia covers areas like Trade in Goods, Rules of Origin, Trade in Services,
Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures.
Rules of origin -
• Rules of origin are the criteria needed to determine the national source of a product. Their
importance is derived from the fact that duties and restrictions in several cases depend upon
the source of imports.
• The General Agreement on Tari s and Trade (GATT) has no speci c rules governing the
determination of the country of origin of goods in international commerce. Each contracting
party was free to determine its own origin rules, and could even maintain several di erent rules
of origin depending on the purpose of the particular regulation.
Indira Gandhi Prize 2021

Recently, the former Vice-President Hamid Ansari presented the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,
Disarmament and Development of 2021 to Pratham, an NGO functioning in the eld of education.
Details -
• The award is in recognition of Pratham!s work in ensuring quality education for children of
the country, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Pratham also used digital technology to deliver education so that the children could learn
during the school closure amid the pandemic.
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• The foundation!s Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), serves as a model to assess
education outcomes and learning de ciencies across 14 countries in three continents
• The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, is given to people whose
work have exempli ed Indira!s ideals and causes. It consists of a monetary award of ₹25
lakh along with a citation.
India-Egypt relations
As per the Ministry of External A airs, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi will be the chief
guest at the Republic Day in January 2023. This is the rst time that the President of the Arab
Republic of Egypt will be the Chief Guest at our Republic Day.
Sisi will be the rst such guest since 2020, as plans for guests in 2021 and 2022 were cancelled
due to COVID-19.
Background -
• India and Egypt, two of the world!s oldest civilisations, have enjoyed a history of close
contact from ancient times.
• Ashoka!s edicts refer to his relations with Egypt under Ptolemy-II.
• In modern times, the relationship between the countries ourished under President Nasser and
Prime Minister Nehru, which were close friends.
• Both countries had signed a Friendship Treaty in 1955.
Political Relations -
• Both countries have cooperated closely in multilateral fora and were the founding members of
Non-Aligned Movement.
• The year 2022 marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relation between India and Egypt.
• Egypt has been invited as a 'Guest Country' during India's Presidency of G20 in 2022-23.
Economic Relations -
• Bilateral trade —
• Egypt has traditionally been one of India!s most important trading partners in the African
continent.
• The India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and
is based on the Most Favoured Nation clause.
• Bilateral trade has expanded rapidly in 2021-22, amounting to 7.26 billion registering a 75%
increase compared to FY 2020-21.
• India!s exports to Egypt during this period amounted to US$ 3.74 billion, registering a
65% increase over the same period in FY 2020-21.
• At the same time, Egypt!s exports to India reached US$ 3.52 billion registering an 86%
increase.
• During this period, India was 3rd largest export market for Egypt, 6th largest trading
partner and 7th largest exporter to Egypt.
• Investment —
• Around 50 Indian companies have invested in various sectors in Egypt with a combined
investment exceeding US$ 3.15 billion.
• In July 2022, Egypt signed a MoU with India!s ReNew Power for $8 billion to build a
clean hydrogen facility in the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
• The Indian entity, backed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Goldman Sachs,
is expected to produce 2,20,000 tonnes of clean fuel annually at the Egyptian facility.
• Egyptian investments in India are to the tune of US$ 37 million.
• Grant-in-aid projects include —
• Pan Africa Tele-medicine and Tele-education project in Alexandria University,
• Solar electri cation project in Agaween village,
• Vocational Training Centre for textile technology in Shoubra, Cairo.
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Wheat export from India -
• Russia-Ukraine con ict has threatened Egypt with a shortage for wheat, 80% of which is
imported from Russia and Ukraine.
• In April 2022, Egypt announced inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries which can
supply wheat to Egypt, thus ending a long pending Non-Tari Barrier.
• Though the ban on wheat exports in India posed a di culty in concluding the shipment, an
initial shipment of 61,500 metric tons of wheat was cleared by India for Egypt in May 2022.
Defence Relations -
• Courses — Both sides o er courses on a regular basis, in which Egyptian o cers are given
training in India and Indian defence o cers are trained in Egypt.
• Exercises —
• Egypt participated in the Multinational Training Exercise for friendly African countries held at
Pune in March 2019.
• The rst ever IAF-EAF Joint Tactical Air Exercise, Dessert Warrior, was held in October 2021.
• The rst ever Special Forces exercise $Cyclone 1” between India and Egypt planned in
Jodhpur in January 2022 stands postponed.
• Egypt has shown interest in acquiring arms produced by India, including the Akash missile
systems capable of intercepting hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones and subsonic cruise
missiles at a range of 25-km.
Indian Community -
• At present, the Indian community in Egypt numbers at around 3200, most of whom are
concentrated in Cairo.
• There are also a small number of families in Alexandria, Port Said and Ismailia.
• About 400 Indian students are studying in Egypt, mainly in Al Azhar University with around 275
students, and the rest in Ain Shams Medical University (around 80 students) and Cairo
University.
Global Technology Summit

The seventh edition of the Global Technology Summit is being held in New Delhi in a hybrid
format.
Details -
• The Summit is India!s annual agship event on Geotechnology and is co-hosted by the
Ministry of External A airs and Carnegie India.
• The theme for this year!s Summit is #Geopolitics of Technology!.
• During the summit, the world!s leading minds in technology, government, security, space,
startups, data, law, public health, climate change, academics, economy gather and debate the
vital questions related to technology and its future.
• They discuss the advantages and challenges of technologies, sustainability, emerging

geopolitics in the technology sector, and data for development and ideas for India's G20
Presidency.
International Electrotechnical Commission

India wins the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Vice Presidency and Strategic
Management Board (SMB) Chair for the 2023-25 term.
About the IEC -
• IEC is an international standard setting body that publishes international Standards for all
electrical, electronic and related technologies. These are known collectively as
$electrotechnology”.
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• It is a global, not-for-pro t membership organisation that brings together 173 countries and
coordinates the work of 20 000 experts globally. It was founded in London and held its rst
meeting on 26 and 27 June 1906.
• IEC Standards provide instructions, guidelines, rules or de nitions that are then used to design,
manufacture, install, test and certify, maintain and repair electrical and electronic devices and
systems.
• Standardisation Management Board (SMB) is an apex governance body of IEC responsible

for technical policy matters.
ENVIRONMENT
Sovereign Green Bonds
The Central government released the Sovereign Green Bonds Framework. The revenue
generated from the issuance of sovereign green bonds will be deployed in public sector
projects that help in reducing the carbon intensity of the economy.
Background -
• In Union Budget 2022-23, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced that
sovereign green bonds will be issued for mobilising resources for #green projects!.
• Prior to that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP26 in November 2021 had announced India!s
commitments under #Panchamrit!"to reduce carbon emissions.
• Panchamrit is a set of ve commitments that the Prime Minister made at the Conference of
Parties (COP26) held at Glasgow, UK.
• These ve commitments are –
• To raise the non-fossil fuel based energy capacity of the country to 500 GW by 2030.
• By 2030, 50% of the country!s energy requirements would be met using renewable
energy sources.
• The country will reduce the total projected carbon emission by one billion tonnes
between now and the year 2030.
• The carbon intensity of the economy would be reduced to less than 45% by 2030.
• India would become carbon neutral and achieve net zero emissions by the year 2070.
What are Green Bonds?

• Green bonds are issued by companies, countries and multilateral organisations to
exclusively fund projects that have positive environmental or climate bene ts and provide
investors with xed income payments.
• The projects can include renewable energy, clean transportation and green buildings,
among others.
Real-world example of Green Bonds -
• The World Bank is a major issuer of green bonds and issued $14.4 billion of green bonds
between 2008 and 2020.
• These funds have been used to support 111 projects around the world, largely in renewable
energy and e ciency (33%), clean transportation (27%), and agriculture and land use (15%).
• By the end of 2020, 24 national governments had issued Sovereign Green, Social and
Sustainability bonds totalling a cumulative $111 billion, according to the London-based Climate
Bonds Initiative.
India!s Sovereign Green Bonds Framework -
• First announced in the Union Budget 2022-23, the proceeds of these green bonds will be issued
for mobilising resources for green infrastructure.
• Aim – To mobilise Rs 16,000 crore through the issuance of green bonds in the current scal
ending March 2023.
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• Under the framework, the Finance Ministry will, every year, inform the RBI about spending on
green projects for which the funds raised through these bonds will be used.
Eligible Projects -
• All eligible green expenditures will include public expenditure undertaken by the government
in the form of investment, subsidies, grants-in-aid, or tax foregone (or a combination of all or
some of these) or select operational expenditures.
• R&D expenditures in public sector projects that help in reducing the carbon intensity of the
economy and enable country to meet its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are also
included in the framework.
• The eligible expenditures will be limited to government expenditures that occurred

maximum 12 months prior to issuance of the green bonds.
• Sectors not included – Nuclear power generation, land ll projects, alcohol/weapons/tobacco/

gaming/palm oil industries and hydropower plants larger than 25 MW have been excluded from
the framework.
Where will the proceeds go?

• The framework sets forth the obligations of the Government of India as a green bond issuer.
• The proceeds from the green bonds issuance will be deposited in the Consolidated Fund of
India (CFI) in line with the regular treasury policy, and then funds from the CFI will be made
available for the eligible green projects.
Implementing Agency -
• The Ministry of Finance has constituted a Green Finance Working Committee (GFWC)
including members from relevant line ministries and chaired by the Chief Economic Advisor.
• The GFWC will meet at least twice a year to support the Ministry of Finance with selection and
evaluation of projects and other work related to the Framework.
• Initial evaluation of the project will be the responsibility of the concerned Ministry/
Department in consultation with experts.
• The allocation of the proceeds will be reviewed in a time-bound manner by the GFWC to
ensure that the allocation of proceeds is completed within 24 months from the date of issuance.
Groundwater
According to the Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment Report for the entire country
for the year 2022, groundwater extraction in India saw an 18-year decline.
Details -
• The assessment was carried out jointly by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), States and
Union Territories.
• Such joint exercises between the CGWB and States/Union Territories were carried out earlier in
1980, 1995, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2020.
Highlights of the report -
• The total annual groundwater recharge for the entire country is 437.6 billion cubic metres
(bcm) and annual groundwater extraction for the entire country is 239.16 bcm.
• By comparison, an assessment in 2020 found that the annual groundwater recharge was 436
bcm and extraction 245 bcm. In 2017, recharge was 432 bcm and extraction 249 bcm. The
2022 assessment suggests that groundwater extraction is the lowest since 2004, when it was
231 bcm.
• Out of the total 7,089 assessment units in the country, 1,006 units have been categorised as
$over-exploited” in the report.
What does it mean?

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• The analysis indicates increase in ground water recharge which may mainly be attributed to
increase in recharge from canal seepage, return ow of irrigation water and recharges from water
bodies/tanks & water conservation structures.
• The improvement in ground water conditions in 909 assessment units in the country when
compared with 2017 assessment data.
• In addition, overall decrease in number of over-exploited units and decrease in stage of

groundwater extraction level have also been observed.
Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India

The rst-ever recording of the snow leopard from the Baltal-Zojila region has renewed the
hope for the elusive predator in the higher altitudes of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
What is it?
• Snow leopard surveys have often focused in neighbouring areas of Ladakh, Himachal
Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The survey was expanded to the Baltal-Zojila region of Kashmir
• Camera trapping exercises also raised hopes for other important and rare species such as the
Asiatic ibex, brown bear and Kashmir musk deer in the upper reaches of the northernmost part
of India.
• Snow Leopard population estimation is part of the Snow Leopard Population Assessment of
India (SPAI).
• The Department of Wildlife Protection has been conducting surveys with partner NGOs to
understand presence and abundance of snow leopards under the SPAI project funded by the
Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change.
• The Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI) has been concluded so far in
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The estimated population of the great cat is 50 and 100
in these two States respectively.
About the ‘Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI)’ -
• It was launched on International Snow Leopard Day on 23rd October 2019.
• It has evolved from international e ort to develop a global protocol for PAWS under the aegis
of GSELP.
• Objective – To help the snow leopard double its population.
• Under SPAI, a two-step process is undertaken to estimate the snow leopard population.
• First step – An occupation-based assessment of snow leopard distribution, which involves

identifying the area where the study will be conducted based on conducting preliminary
surveys and using interview or sign-based methods.
• Second step – Population sampling for regional density estimation by carrying out a
thorough review of already sampled areas.
• Online tools including a data-sharing portal, training app for identifying individual leopards
through photographs and threat mapping tool would be utilised.
About the ‘Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP)’ -
• The GSLEP is a world rst joint initiative that aims to conserve the endangered snow
leopard within the broader context of also conserving valuable high mountain ecosystems.
• It unites all 12 range country governments, nongovernmental and inter-governmental

organisations, local communities, and the private sector around this aim.
National Bio Energy Programme

Recently, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) said it will continue National Bio
Energy Programme till 2025-26.
Details -
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) noti ed the National Bioenergy
Programme on November 2, 2022.
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• The Programme has been recommended for implementation in two Phases. The Phase-I of
the Programme has been approved with a budget outlay of Rs. 858 crore.
• The programme will aid the use of huge surplus biomass, cattle dung, and industrial and
urban bio-waste available in the country for energy recovery.
• The National Bioenergy Programme will include the three Sub-schemes —
• Waste to Energy Programme (Programme on Energy from Urban, Industrial and Agricultural
Wastes /Residues) to support setting up of large Biogas, BioCNG and Power plants
(excluding MSW to Power projects).
• Biomass Programme (Scheme to Support Manufacturing of Briquettes & Pellets and

Promotion of Biomass (non-bagasse) based cogeneration in Industries) to support setting
up of pellets and briquettes for use in power generation and non-bagasse based power
generation projects.
• Biogas Programme to support setting up of family and medium size Biogas in rural areas.
Middle East Green Initiative

Union Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change attended the Middle East Green
Initiative Summit 2022 at COP 27 Egypt.
What is it?
• The Middle East Green Initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions from regional hydrocarbon
production by more than 60%.
• It also plans to plant 50 billion trees across the Middle East and restore an area equivalent to
200 million hectares of degraded land. The initiative will help reduce global carbon levels by
2.5%.
• The rst Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) Summit was hosted by HRH Mohammed bin
Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister in Riyadh on 25th October 2021.
• It facilitated a rst-of-its-kind regional dialogue on climate, with leaders in attendance from

28 countries agreeing to work together to tackle climate change.
• Saudi Arabia plans to rely on renewables for 50% of its electricity generation by 2030, ,
removing 44 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2035.
Aerosol Pollution
A recent study by scientists from the Bose Institute in Kolkata has revealed that aerosol
pollution in West Bengal is anticipated to rise by 8% and continue to remain in the $highly
vulnerable” red zone in 2023. This is the second highest forecasted aerosol pollution level in
the country after Bihar.
What are ‘aerosols’?

• Aerosols are ne particulates that oat in the atmosphere.
• Aerosol pollution refers to particles in the air emitted by vehicles and factories that burn
fossil fuels.
• High aerosol amounts include particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) among other pollutants as
well as sea salt, dust, black and organic carbon.
• Primary aerosols like dust, soot, or sea salt, come directly from the planet!s surface. They get
lifted into the atmosphere by gusty winds, shot high into the air by exploding volcanoes, or they
waft away from smokestacks or ames.
• Secondary aerosols form when di erent things oating in the atmosphere—like organic
compounds released by plants, liquid acid droplets, or other materials—crash together,
culminating in a chemical or physical reaction.
• Impact -
• If inhaled they can be harmful.
• This pollution contributes to asthma, bronchitis, and long-term irritation of the respiratory
tract, which can lead to cancer.
• Aerosols in uence climate in two primary ways —
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• by changing the amount of heat that gets in or out of the atmosphere, or
• by a ecting the way clouds form.
About ‘Aerosol optical depth (AOD)’ -
• Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is the quantitative estimate of the aerosol present in the
atmosphere and can be used as a proxy measurement of PM2.5.
• AOD is measured on the basis of how much light is getting attenuated due to the presence of
particulate matter.
• More particulates present means more light will be absorbed and hence more will be the AOD.
It is measured with the help of remote sensing using satellites.
• The values of AOD range from 0 to 1.0.
• While 0 indicates a crystal-clear sky with maximum visibility, a value of 1 indicates very hazy
conditions.
• AOD values less than 0.3 fall under the green zone (safe),
• 3-0.4 is blue zone (less vulnerable),
• 4-0.5 is orange (vulnerable), and
• Over 0.5 is the red zone (highly vulnerable).
Tokhu Emong Bird Count

Nagaland is hosting the rst edition of the Tokhü Emong Bird Count (TEBC), a four-day
documentation event to list birds in the state.
Details -
• It is the rst avian documentation exercise taken by Nagaland to go beyond Amur falcons.
• The event is being held during the Tokhü Emong post-harvest festival of the Lotha Nagas to
spread awareness about Nagaland!s bird diversity.
• This event is being organised in collaboration with the Wokha Forest Division and the
Divisional Management Unit, Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP), Wokha, and Bird
Count India.
• The TEBC falls within the Salim Ali Bird Count, a nationwide event conducted by the Bombay
Natural History Society.
Action plan at COP27

Countries, including India, have jointly launched a package of 25 new collaborative actions at the
ongoing Conference of Parties (COP27). These proposed actions are aimed at decarbonisation of
ve key sectors – power, road transport, steel, hydrogen, agriculture.
Details -
• Countries, including India, have jointly launched a package of 25 new collaborative actions at
the ongoing Conference of Parties (COP27).
• These proposed actions are aimed at decarbonisation of ve key sectors – power, road
transport, steel, hydrogen, agriculture.
• These actions are designed to reduce energy costs and enhance food security, with
buildings and cement sectors to be added to the Breakthrough Agenda next year.
• These measures are designed to cut energy costs, rapidly reduce emissions and boost food
security for billions of people worldwide.
• The actions under each sector will be delivered through coalitions of committed countries – from
the G7, European Commission, India, Egypt, Morocco and others, supported by leading
organisations and initiatives.
• These e orts will be reinforced with private nance and leading industry initiatives.
What is the action plan?

• Countries, including India, have jointly launched a package of 25 new collaborative actions at
the ongoing COP27, to be delivered by the next meeting i.e. COP28.
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• These proposed actions are aimed at decarbonisation of ve key sectors –
• Power, Road Transport, Steel, Hydrogen, Agriculture.
• These ve sectors account for more than 50% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• The countries have taken the decision to decarbonise these sectors under the #Breakthrough
Agenda!"which was launched by a collation of 45 world leaders, at the COP26 in Glasgow, UK
last year.
• It is an international clean technology plan to help keep the 1.5-degree Celsius

temperature goal within reach.
• The priority actions include agreements to —
• Develop common de nitions for low-emission and near-zero emission steel, hydrogen and
sustainable batteries to help direct billions of pounds in investment, procurement and trade
to ensure credibility and transparency.
• Ramp up the deployment of essential infrastructure projects.
• These include at least 50 large scale net-zero emission industrial plants, at least 100
hydrogen valleys and a package of major cross-border power grid infrastructure projects
• Set a common target date to phase out polluting cars and vehicles, consistent with the
Paris Agreement.
• Signi cant backing for the dates of 2040 globally and 2035 in leading markets will be
announced by countries, businesses and cities.
• Use billions of pounds of private and public procurement and infrastructure spend to
stimulate global demand for green industrial goods.
• Systematically strengthen nancial and technological assistance to developing countries

and emerging markets.
• To support their transitions backed up by a range of new nancial measures, including the
world's rst major dedicated industry transition programme under the Climate Investment
Funds.
• Drive investment in agriculture research, development & demonstration (RD&D) to

generate solutions to address the challenges of food insecurity, climate change and
environmental degradation.
India’s stance at COP27 -
• Amid growing demand to end use of coal, India made a strong point saying making any one
fuel the villain is not right as natural gas and oil also lead to emissions.
• India also suggested certain points to be included in the decision text, saying the long-term
goal of the Paris Agreement requires phasing down of all fossil fuels.
• Expressing deep regret that countries continue to live in an unequal world with enormous
disparities in energy use, incomes and emissions, India drew attention of the negotiators
towards recognising that the global carbon budget is shrinking rapidly.
• India suggested that the basic principles of common but di erentiated responsibilities,
equity, and nationally determined nature of climate commitments under the Paris
Agreement need to be strongly emphasised in the cover decision text of the COP27.
Low Emissions Development Strategy

Recently, India announced its long-term strategy to transition to a $low emissions” pathway at
the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) ongoing in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
About the ‘Long Term-Low Emissions Development Strategy’ of India -
• At the ongoing COP27, India announced its long-term strategy to transition to a $low
emissions” pathway i.e. LT-LEDS.
• The LT-LEDS is a commitment document which every signatory to the Paris Agreement
(2015) is obliged to make by 2022. So far, only 57 countries (including India) have submitted
their document.
• India!s strategy is mainly based on expanding India!s nuclear power capacity by at least
three-fold in the next decade, apart from becoming an international hub for producing green
hydrogen and increasing the proportion of ethanol in petrol.
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• This strategy is in line with India!s goal of being carbon neutral by 2070 — a commitment made
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Glasgow, UK where the 26th COP was held last year.
• India!s LT-LEDS includes —
• Mode of Transportation —
• India $aspires” to maximise the use of electric vehicles, with ethanol blending to reach
20% by 2025 (it is currently 10%).
• India also aims for a $strong shift” to public transport for passenger and freight tra c.
• Carbon Sequestration —
• India will also focus on improving energy e ciency by the Perform, Achieve and Trade
(PAT) scheme, the National Hydrogen Mission, increasing electri cation, enhancing
material e ciency, and recycling and ways to reduce emissions.
• India!s forest and tree cover are a net carbon sink absorbing 15% of CO2 emissions in
2016.
• The country is on track to ful lling its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)
commitment of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of additional carbon sequestration in forest and
tree cover by 2030.
• On Climate Finance —
• The document underlined that this transition entailed costs ranging in $trillion dollars”
that the developed countries, responsible for the existing carbon accumulation, ought to
be making good.
• The document says that provision of climate nance by developed countries will play a
very signi cant role and needs to be considerably enhanced, in the form of grants and
concessional loans.
Climate Finance
At the ongoing UN climate summit COP27, India has stressed that developing countries require
substantive enhancement in climate nance to meet their ambitious goals and developed
countries need to lead the mobilisation of resources.
Details -
• The 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is currently being held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
• The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention.
• The climate change process revolves around the annual sessions of the COP.
• It meets every year, unless the parties decide otherwise.
Highlights -
• At a high-level ministerial dialogue on NCQG at COP27, India highlighted that climate

actions to meet the NDC targets require nancial, technological, and capacity-building
support from developed countries.
• Developing countries, including India, are pushing rich countries to agree to a new global
climate nance target—also known as the new collective quanti ed goal on climate
nance (NCQG).
• The developing countries say that the new nance target should be in trillions as the costs of
addressing and adapting to climate change have grown.
• India said that a more structured and targeted approach needs to be adopted to enable the
successful ful lment of the mandate ahead of 2024.
• India also seeks clarity on the de nition of climate nance—the absence of which allows
developed countries to greenwash their nances and pass o loans as climate-related aid.
Background -
• In 2009, the Conference of Parties (COP15) was held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
• At the conference, developed countries had committed to jointly mobilise $100 billion per
year by 2020 to help developing countries tackle the e ects of climate change.
• Rich countries, however, have repeatedly failed in delivering this nance.
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• According to data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD), developed countries mobilised $52.5 billion in 2013.
• After dropping to $44.6 billion in 2015, the nance ow has steadily increased.
• In 2020, the developed countries raised $83.3 billion, a jump from $80.4 billion in 2019.
About ‘Climate Finance’ -
• The standing committee on Finance of the OECD has estimated that resources in the range of
$6 trillion to $11 trillion are required till 2030 to meet the targets set by developing countries
in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
• NDCs are national plans to limit global temperature rise to well below two degrees Celsius,
preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• At this year's COP being held in the Egypt, developed countries are expected to push
developing nations to further intensify their climate plans.
• On the other hand, the developing countries would seek commitment to nance and
technology needed to address climate change and resulting disasters.
Mangrove Alliance for Climate Action

At the ongoing 27th Session of Conference of Parties (COP27) at Sharm El-Sheikh, the Mangrove
Alliance for Climate (MAC) was launched with India as a partner.
What is it?
• MAC is an initiative spearheaded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in partnership with
Indonesia to strengthen e orts on conserving and restoring mangrove forests.
• It aims to raise awareness about the role of mangroves as a $nature-based” solution to

climate change.
• India is among the rst countries to join the alliance; the others include Australia, Japan,
Spain, and Sri Lanka.
• As part of this alliance, an international mangrove research centre will be established in

Indonesia.
• This centre will conduct studies on mangrove ecosystem services such as carbon
sequestration and ecotourism.
• Working —
• The intergovernmental alliance will work on a voluntary basis and countries will set their
deadlines for mangrove conservation.
• The parties will decide their own commitments and deadlines regarding planting and
restoring mangroves.
• It will be di cult to hold members accountable. However, the member nations will share
expertise and back each other in the endeavour to protect coastal areas.
• India!s association would strengthen MAC —
• As part of its Nationally determined contributions (NDCs), India has committed to create
an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional
forest and tree cover by 2030.
• Hence, India is keen on growing the mangrove plantation.
• India has demonstrated expertise in mangrove restoration activities for nearly ve

decades and restored di erent types of mangrove ecosystems both on its east and west
coasts.
Lavender
Union minister Jitendra Singh has recently said that Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district would
be recognised as a role model in lavender farming owing to farmers cultivating the plant on a
commercial scale there.
About ‘Lavender’ -
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• Lavandula (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of owering plants in
the mint family, Lamiaceae.
• The owers may be blue, violet or lilac in the wild species, occasionally blackish purple or
yellowish.
• Lavender has been used over centuries in traditional medicine and cosmetics.
• These owers grow in temperate areas and are drought-resistant crops.
• A single Lavender plant bears owers for 15 years, needs low maintenance and can be
used from the second year of plantation.
About the AROMA Mission -
• CSIR-AROMA Mission, under the Ministry of Science & Technology aims to develop and
disseminate the aroma-related science and technology to reach the end user/clients of CSIR:
Farmers, industry and society.
• Under the Centre’s ‘One District, One Product’ scheme, Lavender has been designated as the
Doda brand product.
Bhaderwah -
• Bhaderwah, which is also known as ‘Chhota Kashmir’, has a mild cold climate during
summers that is ideal for Lavender.
• Bhaderwah is the birthplace of India's Purple Revolution.
• India’s rst National Institute of High Altitude Medicine is also being built in Bhaderwah.
• Bhaderwah (also Bhadarwah Valley) is a town, tehsil and sub-division in the district Doda of
Jammu.
Shisham
India got rules for export of timber-based products made of Shisham or North India Rosewood
eased under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and ora
(CITES). The 19th meeting of the Conference of Parties to CITES is being held in Panama from
14th to 25th of November 2022.
Background -
• Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) is included in Appendix II of the convention, thereby requiring to

follow CITES regulations for the trade of the species.
• As of now every consignment of weight above 10 kg requires CITES permit.
• Due to this restriction exports of furniture and handicrafts made of Dalbergia sissoo from
India has been continuously falling from an estimated Rs 1000 crore per annum before the
listing, to Rs 500-600 crore per annum after the listing.
• The decrease in exports of Dalbergia sissoo products has a ected the livelihoods of around
50,000 artisans who work with the species.
Approved changes -
• On India!s initiative a proposal to clarify the quantity of Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) items
such as furniture and artefacts was considered in the current meeting.
• After sustained deliberations by Indian representatives, it was agreed upon that any number of
Dalbergia sissoo timber-based items can be exported as a single consignment in a
shipment without CITES permits if the weight of each individual item of this consignment is
less than 10 kg.
• Further, it was agreed that for net weight of each item only timber will be considered and any
other item used in the product like metal etc. will be ignored.
• This is a great relief for the Indian artisans and furniture industry.
What is CITES?
• The CITES is part of a multilateral treaty that includes plant, animals and birds under varying
categories of threat of extinction and which will be jointly protected by members of the
International Union for Conservation of Nature. India is a signatory to this.
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• CITES was conceptualised in 1963 at a meeting of the (IUCN) International Union For
Conservation Of Nature. It came into force in 1975 and consists of 183 member-countries till
date that abide by CITES regulations by implementing legislation within their own borders to
enforce those regulations.
• Located in Geneva, Switzerland, the CITES is administered by the United Nations under the
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme).
• Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties, it does not take the place of national laws.
Rather, it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own
domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level.
• The protected species are grouped into three categories with di erent levels of protection –
• Appendix I –
• Includes the world's most endangered plants and animals, such as tigers and gorillas.
• International commercial trade in these species, or even parts of them, is completely

banned, except in rare cases such as scienti c research.
• Appendix II –
• Contains species like corals that are not yet threatened with extinction, but which could
become threatened if unlimited trade were allowed.
• Also included are "look-alike" species that closely resemble those already on the list for
conservation reasons.
• Plants and animals in this category can be traded internationally, but there are strict
rules.
• Appendix III – Species whose trade is only regulated within a speci c country can be
placed on Appendix III if that country requires cooperation from other nations to help
prevent exploitation.
Great Nicobar Plan

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change gave environmental clearance for the
ambitious Rs 72,000 crore development project on the strategically important Great Nicobar
Island. The project is to be implemented in three phases over the next 30 years.
What is the proposal?

• A green eld city has been proposed, including an International Container Trans-shipment
Terminal (ICTT), a green eld international airport, a power plant.
• The port will be controlled by the Indian Navy, while the airport will have dual military-civilian
functions and will cater to tourism as well.
• A total 166.1 sq km along the southeastern and southern coasts of the island have been
identi ed for project along a coastal strip of width between 2 km and 4 km.
• Some 130 sq km of forests have been sanctioned for diversion, and 9.64 lakh trees are likely to
be felled.
Concerns -
• The proposed massive infrastructure development in an ecologically important and fragile

region has alarmed many environmentalists.
• The loss of tree cover will not only a ect the ora and fauna on the island, it will also lead to
increased runo and sediment deposits in the ocean, impacting the coral reefs in the area.
• Environmentalists have also agged the loss of mangroves on the island as a result of the
development project.
Steps taken by the government to address these concerns -
• The Zoological Survey of India is currently in the process of assessing how much of the reef
will have to be relocated for the project.
• India has successfully translocated a coral reef from the Gulf of Mannar to the Gulf of
Kutch earlier.
• A conservation plan for the leatherback turtle is also being put in place.
• As per the government, the project site is outside the eco-sensitive zones of Campbell Bay and
Galathea National Park.
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About ‘Great Nicobar Islands’ -
• Great Nicobar, is the southernmost island of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a cluster of about 836 islands in the eastern Bay of
Bengal.
• The two groups of which are separated by the 150-km wide Ten Degree Channel.
• The Andaman Islands lie to the north of the channel, and the Nicobar Islands to the
south.
• Indira Point on the southern tip of Great Nicobar Island is India!s southernmost point, less
than 150 km from the northernmost island of the Indonesian archipelago.
• Ecosystem —
• The Great Nicobar Island has tropical wet evergreen forests, mountain ranges reaching
almost 650 m above sea level, and coastal plains.
• The Island has two national parks (Campbell Bay National Park & Galathea National Park)
and a biosphere reserve.
• Many endangered species are found at the Island. The leatherback sea turtle is the
island!s agship species.
• Tribes of Nicobar —
• Great Nicobar is home to the Shompen and Nicobarese tribal peoples.
• The Shompen are hunter-gatherers who depend on forest and marine resources for
sustenance.
• The Nicobarese, who lived along the west coast of the island were mostly relocated after
the 2004 tsunami.
• An estimated 237 Shompen and 1,094 Nicobarese individuals now live in a 751 sq km tribal
reserve, some 84 sq km of which is proposed to be de-noti ed.
About ‘Leatherback Sea Turtle’ -
• It is the largest of the seven species of sea turtles.
• Other species are: Olive Ridley turtle, Green turtle, Hawksbill turtle, Loggerhead turtle,
Leatherback turtle
• Except the Loggerhead, the remaining four species nest along the Indian coast.
• It is found in all oceans except the Arctic and the Antarctic.
• Within the Indian Ocean, they nest only in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands.
• IUCN Status - Vulnerable
• It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys and family Dermochelyidae.
• It can easily be di erentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell.
• They are listed in Schedule I of India!s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
About 'Galathea Bay’ -
• The Galathea Bay is adjacent to Galathea National Park in Great Nicobar Island.
• It was earlier proposed as a wildlife sanctuary in 1997 for the protection of turtles and was also
the site of a long-term monitoring programme.
• The monitoring was stopped after the tsunami devastation of 2004, but it provided the rst
systematic evidence of numbers and importance of these beaches.
Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture

India recently communicated strong objections to discussions under a special UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change e ort known as the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture,
which has sought to expand e orts to reduce emissions of greenhouses gases to the
agriculture sector.
What is it?
• It aims to recognise the unique potential of agriculture in tackling climate change.
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• It was established at the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP) in Fiji in 2017 as a new
process to advance discussions on agriculture in the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• The joint work will address six topics related to soils, nutrient use, water, livestock, methods for
assessing adaptation, and the socio-economic and food security dimensions of climate change
across the agricultural sectors.
Decarbonising of industrial emissions

According to a NITI Aayog!s report on the policy framework of the Carbon Capture Utilisation and
Storage (CCUS), CCUS has a critical role to play for the country to halve CO2 emissions by 2050.
CCUS is a technology for decarbonising carbon dioxide (CO2) from high polluting sectors.
What is ‘Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage’?

• About CCUS — It is the process of capturing CO2 emissions and either using them to make
things such as building materials (utilisation) or permanently storing them thousands of feet
below the surface (storage).
• Need — The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its Global Warming of 1.5 °C
report highlights that achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is not possible without ambitious
mitigation actions like CCUS.
• Signi cance of CCUS —
• Capturing CO2 helps reduce carbon emission intensity of industrial operations, while
retaining the carbon neutrality (CO2 emissions = CO2 capture) of the production processes.
• It is a critical component of meeting the global net-zero ambitions of the Paris Agreement.
• Advantages of CCUS —
• Safe transportation — CO2 is an inert gas that is not ammable. Smaller amounts of
compressed CO2 can be transported on trucks, while larger amounts are often transported by
pipes.
• Safe storage — The CO2 is stored within rock formations over half a mile underground in
depleted oil or gas elds or saline formations.
• Safe reuse — Captured carbon can be put to many uses, from the manufacture of industrial
materials (concrete, chemicals, biofuels, plastic and foam) to using CO2 for oil extraction or
waste clean-up in alkaline industries.
• Disadvantages of CCUS —
• High cost of mechanisms used to implement CCUS — For example, carbon capture
necessitates the creation of compounds capable of binding to CO2 in exhaust gas or the
atmosphere, which is costly.
• Less demand for recycled CO2 — Converting CO2 for commercial use would provide
economic value to this greenhouse gas. However, demand for CO2 is less than the vast
amount of CO2 that must be removed from the atmosphere.
What is India doing?

• Department of Science and Technology (DST) aims to nurture the area of Carbon Capture,
Utilisation, and Storage through emphasis on research and development and capacity building
of both human resource as well as infrastructure.
• Mission Innovation Challenge on CCUS (IC3) — DST-Department of Biotechnology (DBT) had

jointly launched the mission in 2018, to enable near-zero CO2 emissions from power plants
and carbon-intensive industries.
• Accelerating CCS Technologies (ACT) — This initiative aims to facilitate R&D and innovation
that can lead to development of safe and cost-e ective CO2 capture, utilisation and storage
(CCUS) technologies. India has joined forces with France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, The
Netherlands, the UK, and the US, etc., to achieve these objectives.
Highlights of the NITI Aayog Report -
• Importance of CCUS for India —
• India!s per capita CO2 emissions were about 1.9 tonnes per annum, which was less than
40% of the global average and about one-fourth of that of China.
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• Industries such as steel, cement, oil, gas, petrochemicals, chemicals and fertilisers, have a
critical role to play for the country to halve CO2 emissions by 2050.
• Therefore, a sustainable solution for the decarbonisation of sectors that contribute to 70% of
emission is needed.
• CCUS has an important and critical role to play in it, especially for India to accomplish net-
zero by 2070.
• Impact on economy —
• The CCUS technology would help in promoting the low carbon-hydrogen economy and in
removal of the CO2 stock from the atmosphere.
• CCUS could enable the production of clean products while utilising rich endowments of
coal, reducing imports and thus leading to a self-reliant India economy.
• There will be an impact on the economy if value-added products such as green methanol,
green ammonia can be produced from this captured CO2.
• CCUS also has an important role to play in enabling sunrise sectors such as coal
gasi cation and the nascent hydrogen economy in India.
• Way forward —
• The key challenge would be to reduce the cost of the mechanisms to implement the
technology.
• To address this challenge, the focus should be on R&D, particularly on cutting edge
technologies.
• The key to a successful CCUS implementation in India was to enact a policy framework that
supported the creation of sustainable and viable markets for CCUS projects. The policy
should —
• Establish early-stage nancing and funding mechanisms for CCUS projects.
• Promote the private sector through su cient incentives.
• Be carbon credits or incentives based, to promote the CCUS sector in India through tax
and cash credits.
• Over time (probably beyond 2050), the policy should transition to carbon taxes, to enable
reaching India!s net zero goals by 2070.
Batagur Kachuga
India!s proposal for induction of fresh water turtle Batagur kachuga (Red Crowned Roofed
Turtle) earned wide support at CoP 19 to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) being held at Panama City.
About the turtle -
• It is a freshwater turtle species, and found in deep owing rivers with terrestrial nesting sites.
• Distribution —
• It is native to India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Historically, the species was widespread in the
Ganga River, both in India and Bangladesh.
• It also occurs in the Brahmaputra basin. Currently in India, the National Chambal River
Gharial Sanctuary is the only area with substantial population of the species.
• Conservation Status —
• IUCN : Critically Endangered
• IWPA : Schedule I
• CITES : Appendix II
• Characteristics — In comparison to their female counterparts, the males are shorter and reach
only half their length.
• Major Threats —
• Loss or degradation of habitat due to pollution and large scale development activities like
water extraction for human consumption and irrigation and irregular ow from the upstream
dams and reservoirs.
• Sand mining and growing of seasonal crops along Ganga River are majorly a ecting the
sandbars along the river that are used by the species for nesting.
• Drowning by illegal shing nets.
• Poaching and illegal trade.
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Leith’s Soft-Shelled Turtle

India!s proposal for transferring Leith!s Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia leithi) from Appendix II to
Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and ora
(CITES) has been adopted by the Conference of Parties (CoP) to CITES in its 19th Meeting at
Panama.
About the turtle -
• Leith!s Softshell Turtle is a large fresh water soft-shelled turtle which is endemic to
peninsular India and it inhabits rivers and reservoirs.
• Distribution — Restricted to southern peninsular India (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala,

Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, and Tamil Nadu) in the Cauvery, Thungabhadra,
Ghataprabha, Bhavani, Godavari, and Moyar drainages.
• Threats —
• The species has been subject to intensive exploitation over the past 30 years. It has been
poached and illegally consumed within India. It has also been illegally traded abroad for meat
and for its calipee.
• The population of this turtle species is estimated to have declined by 90% over the past 30
years such that the species is now di cult to nd.
• Conservation Status —
• It is classi ed as #Critically Endangered!"by the IUCN.
• It is listed on Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Bene ts of listing in The CITES Appendix I —
• The CITES Appendix I listing of this Turtle species would ensure that legal international
trade in the species does not take place for commercial purposes.
• It would also ensure that international trade in captive-bred specimens only takes place
from registered facilities and further that higher and more proportionate penalties are
provided for illegal trade of the species.
Hornbill Festival
In Nagaland, the 10-day long Hornbill Festival 2022 has begun on December 1, at Naga heritage
village Kisama.
About the ‘Hornbill festival’ -
• The 23rd edition of the annual event started on December 1, 2022.
• Also called the $festival of festivals”, the 10-day annual programme brings all the 17 tribes of
the Nagaland on a platform and facilitates the promotion of their culture to the rest of the
world.
• The rst edition of the festival – which is named after the Indian hornbill, the large and colourful
forest bird which is displayed in the folklore of most of the state!s tribes – was held in 2000.
• Organised by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments, the Hornbill Festival is held
at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, about 12 km from Kohima.
• Festival highlights include the traditional Naga Morungs exhibition and the sale of arts and
crafts, food stalls, herbal medicine stalls, ower shows and sales, cultural medley – songs and
dances, fashion shows etc.
About the ‘Great Indian Hornbill’ -
• The great hornbill also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or great
pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family.
• Scienti c name: Buceros Bicornis
• Appearance and description —
• It can grow to a length of 4.5 feet (1.4m).
• The body is covered with black feathers and the wing tips have a ban of white feathers.
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• The tail, sometimes reaching up to 3 feet (7.6cm), is white with bans of black feathers
across.
• One distinct mark of the hornbills is their bright yellow and black casque on top of its
massive bill, a helmet like head and is solid ivory.
• Male hornbills have been known to indulge in aerial casque butting ights. Females are
smaller than males and have blue instead of red eyes.
• They usually have short legs, but have broad feet.
• Distribution in the world - They are found in the forests of the North eastern region of India,
Bhutan, Nepal, Mainland Southeast Asia, Indonesian Island of Sumatra.
• Distribution in India - They are also found in a few forest areas in the Western Ghats and in
the forests along the Himalayas.
• It is long-lived, living for nearly 50 years in captivity.
• They are known as the #farmers of the forest!"due to the role they play in dispersing the seeds
of numerous fruit trees. The carry the seeds of the fruit they eat in their droppings, thereby
transporting the seeds elsewhere and helping the forest regenerate
• It will prey on small mammals, reptiles and birds.
• IUCN status– Vulnerable
• It is listed on Appendix I of CITES
• State bird - The great hornbill is the state bird of Chin State in Myanmar, and of Kerala and
Arunachal Pradesh in India. Blyth!s tragopan is the state bird of Nagaland.
Sangai Festival
Prime Minister of India has recently addressed the Manipur Sangai Festival.
About the ‘Sangai Festival’ -
• Every year the State of Manipur celebrates the $Manipur Sangai Festival” from 21st to 30th
November.
• The objective is to showcase Manipur as a world class tourism destination.
• The #Festival!" is named after the State animal, Sangai, the brow-antlered deer found only in
Manipur.
• It started in the year 2010.
• The theme of this year!s Sangai festival is $Festival of oneness”.
• Every edition of the festival showcases the tourism potential of the state in the eld of Arts &
Culture, Handloom, Handicrafts, Indigenous Sports, Cuisine and Music of the state etc.
Sangai Deer -
• Scienti c Name — Rucervus eldii.
• Common Name — Sangai, Brow antlered deer, Dancing Deer.
• Population — About 260 (according to a joint census conducted by the Forest Department in
2016).
• Habitat and Distribution — It is found only in Keibul Lamjao National Park – the largest single
mass of phumdi is in the Loktak Lake – in Manipur!s Bishnupur district.
Characteristics -
• Sangai is a medium-sized deer, with uniquely distinctive antlers, with extremely long brow
tine, which form the main beam.
• The forward protruding beam appears to come out from the eyebrow, hence called the brow-
antlered deer.
• It has a dark reddish-brown winter coat, which turns paler in summer.
• The deer walks on the hind surface of its pasterns with mincing hops over oating foliage, and is
hence also called the Dancing Deer.
Status -
• State animal of Manipur.
• Schedule-1 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
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• Endangered on IUCN Red List.
Conservation Issues -
• Sangai faces threat from steadily degenerating habitat of phumdi as a result of continuous
inundation and ooding caused due to arti cial reservoir.
• There is also invasion of non-native plants like Paragrass.
• It also faces threats of diseases from the livestock, inbreeding depression and poaching.
International Jaguar Day

The National Zoological Park, New Delhi (Delhi Zoo) recently celebrated the International Jaguar
Day.
About the jaguars -
• International Jaguar Day is observed annually on November 29.
• International Jaguar Day was created to raise awareness about the increasing threats facing
the jaguar and the critical conservation e orts ensuring its survival.
• It celebrates the Americas!" largest wild cat as an umbrella species for biodiversity
conservation and an icon for sustainable development and the centuries-old cultural heritage of
Central and South America.
• This is the third largest Cat Predator of the World and an important species of Amazon
Rainforest.
• International Jaguar Day also represent the collective voice of jaguar range countries, in
collaboration with national and international partners, to draw attention to the need to conserve
jaguar corridors and their habitats as part of broader e orts to achieve the United Nation!s
Sustainable Development Goals.
Jaguars (Panthera onca) -
• Jaguars (Panthera onca) are often mistaken for leopards, but can be di erentiated due to the
spots within the rosettes on their coats.
• While many cats avoid water, jaguars are great swimmers, and have even been known to
swim the Panama Canal.
Range and habitat -
• Jaguars once roamed broadly from central Argentina all the way up to the southwestern
United States.
• Since the 1880s, they have lost more than half their territory.
• Their main stronghold today is the Amazon Basin, though they still exist in smaller numbers
through Central America as well.
• They are typically found in tropical rainforests but also live in savannas and grasslands.
Conservation -
• Jaguars are classi ed as Near-threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of
Nature.
• The species has national protections in almost every country it is found, and trade in its parts is
banned by CITES.
Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program

Indian scientists recently received international award on behalf of snow leopard conservation
alliance.
Details -
Indian snow leopard experts received the Madrid-based BBVA Foundation!s Worldwide
Biodiversity Conservation Award on behalf of a 12-nation intergovernmental alliance -The
Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP).
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What is ‘The Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP)’?

• The GSLEP is a rst-of-its-kind intergovernmental alliance for the conservation of the snow
leopard and its unique ecosystem.
• It is led by the environment ministers of 12 countries in Asia that form the home range of the
snow leopard. These are Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia,
Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The total range spans two million square
kilometres.
• The GSLEP Program!s secretariat is based in Bishkek, and is hosted by the Ministry of Natural
Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic.
• GSLEP was created in 2013 when o cials, politicians and conservationists arrived at a
common conservation strategy enshrined in the Bishkek Declaration (2013) to cooperate in the
conservation of this species and its habitat.
Re-Hab Project
KVIC Chairman recently inaugurated the ambitious Re-Hab Project in Nainital.
About the Re-Hab Project -
• It is an initiative under Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
• It is running this project in 7 states of the country, namely in Karnataka, Maharashtra, West
Bengal, Assam and Orissa.
• Under this project fencing of bee boxes is installed in such areas from where elephants move
towards the human settlements and farmers' agriculture.
• Fencing of Bee-boxes on the routes of movement of elephants blocks the path of wild
elephants.
• In this way, through honey-bees, elephants can be prevented from attacking humans and
destroying farmers' crops.
About the National Honey Mission -
• Project RE-HAB is a sub-mission of KVIC!s National Honey Mission.
• The Honey Mission is a programme to increase the bee population, honey production and
beekeepers!"income by setting up apiaries.
About KVIC -
• The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body established by an Act
of Parliament (Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956). In April 1957, it took over
the work of former All India Khadi and Village Industries Board.
• It is an apex organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with
regard to khadi and village industries within India, which seeks to – “plan, promote, facilitate,
organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in the
rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever
necessary.”
• Recognising its potential to generate exports and its eco-friendly importance, the Ministry of
Commerce had accorded deemed Export Promotional Council Status (EPCS) to KVIC in
2006, to boost the export of Khadi products.
Jeypore Ground Gecko

Jeypore Ground Gecko (Cyrtodactylus jeyporensis), has been recently included in Appendix II of
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Details -
The proposal to include the gecko in Appendix II was made by India at the recently-concluded
19th Conference of Parties (COP19) to CITES in Panama City. The proposal was adopted by
the members of the Working Group.
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CITES Appendix II -
The animals listed under Appendix II may not necessarily be threatened with extinction, but trade
in such species should be controlled to ensure it does not threaten their existence.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) -
In 2019, the Jeypore Ground Gecko was assessed for the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN)!s Red List of Threatened Species and was listed as"#endangered!.
Distribution -
• This reptile is endemic to India.
• The wild reptile species is found in the Eastern Ghats and is known to be present in four
locations including southern Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh.
• Its occurrence is estimated in less than 5,000 square kilometres of fragmented geographical
area.
• The species resides below rock boulders in high forested hills at an altitude of 1,100-1,400
metres.
• Habitat loss and degradation, forest res, tourism, quarrying and mining activity among the
reasons for the species!"decline.
Himalayan Yak
The Himalayan yak has recently earned the food animal tag from the Food Safety and
Standard Authority of India (FSSAI). The categorisation is expected to help check the decline
in the population of the high-altitude bovine by making it a part of the conventional milk and
meat industry.
About the ‘Himalayan Yak’ -
• Yaks belong to the genus Bos and are therefore related to cattle (Bos primigenius species).
• Domestic Yak (Bos Grunniens) descended from the wild yak (Bos mutus).
• Distribution —
• Yak is found throughout the Himalayan region — Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, North Bengal,
Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir — while wild Yak is
found in Tibet.
• It is also found as far north as Mongolia and Russia.
• National Research Centre on Yak — The Government of India established the ICAR-National
Research Centre on Yak, in 1989 at Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh as a dedicated centre for
research into yak husbandry.
• Yak Census 2019 —
• According to a census carried out in 2019, India has some 58,000 yaks – a drop of about 25%
from the livestock census of 2012.
• The drastic decline could be attributed to less remuneration from the bovid and
discouraging the younger generations from continuing with nomadic yak rearing.
• The sale of yak milk and meat is limited to local consumers.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

RISAT-2 Satellite
ISRO!s radar-imaging satellite RISAT-2 has nally landed on Earth after completing its #job!"for over
13 years and lands near Jakarta.
Details -
• It was launched on 20th April 2009 by a PSLV C-12 rocket following the 2008 Mumbai terror
attacks.
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• It was India!s rst $eye in the sky” to keep surveillance on the country!s borders as part of
anti-in ltration and anti-terrorist operations.
• It was also used to track enemy ships at sea.
• The main sensor of RISAT-2, which was able to observe in all weather conditions day and
night, was Israel Aerospace Industries' X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar.
• It carried 30 kg of fuel for an initial designed life of four years.
• Due to proper maintenance of orbit and mission planning by the spacecraft operations team in
ISRO and by economical usage of fuel, RISAT-2 provided very useful payload data for 13
years.
Early Warning System

The National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) of the Council of Scienti c and Industrial
Research has begun eld studies to install early warning system against oods, rockslides,
and avalanches in Himalayan States.
Details -
• The scientists in the institute have identi ed a few locations in the higher reaches of
Uttarakhand for $densi cation” of seismometers and river gauges to take the total number to
100 from 60.
• The objective is to closely monitor the river ows in speci c areas along the catchment to
detect any sudden rise in water levels or ooding threshold that can lead to a hazard.
• Scientists have decided to take cognisance of the vibrations or $noise” recorded by the
seismometers, which need not be due to earthquakes but can also be because of vehicular
tra c, animal movement, rain, river ows and so on.
• These instruments are crucial for the safety of large infrastructure projects and
hydroelectric power plants in this region.
• Currently, scientists are able to detect and assess a sudden ow 30-40 km away since the
seismic wave is faster than the ow, and hence, the advance warning comes at least half an
hour before.
• The NGRI has started utilising Machine Learning to detect these observations faster than the
normal approach.
Initiative by Geological Survey of India (GSI) -
• Scientists at the Geological Survey of India (GSI), a scienti c agency established under the
Ministry of Mines to conduct geological surveys and studies of India, in collaboration with the
British Geological Survey, have been evaluating a prototype to predict landslides in the
Darjeeling district of West Bengal and the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu.
• If the model proves successful, it is likely to be deployed in some parts of India as early as
2025.
What are ‘Early warning systems’?

• Early warning systems have been recognised as an e ective tool to reduce vulnerabilities and
improve preparedness and response to hazards, according to the United Nations
Development Programme.
• The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030), an international document
adopted by United Nations (UN) member states in 2015, requires countries to set out an early
warning system with a multi-hazard approach by 2030.
Cordy Gold Nanoparticles

Assam!s Bodoland University is part of collaborative research on fungus-powered biosynthesised
nanogold particles that has received an international patent from Germany.
Details -
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• Cordy gold nanoparticles (Cor-AuNPs) is the outcome of a collaborative experiment by
scientists from four Indian institutions, has earned an international patent from Germany.
• These nanoparticles, derived from the synthesis of the extracts of Cordyceps militaris and
gold salts, could make drug delivery in the human body faster and surer.
• Cordyceps militarisis a high value parasitic fungus, lab-grown at the Department of

Biotechnology!s Technology Incubation Centre (TIC) in Bodoland University, one of the
collaborators of the patented research work.
• Gold salts are ionic chemical compounds of gold generally used in medicine.
• Wild Cordyceps mushroom is found in the eastern Himalayan belt.
Penetration -
• Penetration in the cells is more when the drug particles are smaller.
• Cordyceps militaris, called super mushroom because of its tremendous medicinal properties,
adds bioactive components to the synthesis of gold nanoparticles for better penetration.
Indian Biological Data Bank

Union Ministry of Science and Technology has recently dedicated to the nation India's rst
digitised repository for life science data - Indian Biological Data Center (IBDC), at the Regional
Centre of Biotechnology (RCB), Faridabad, Haryana.
This will enable researchers to store biological data from publicly funded research, reducing their
dependency on American and European data banks.
Details -
• The biobank now contains data including 200 human genomes sequenced as part of the
'1,000 Genome Project,' an international endeavour to map genetic variations in people.
• In addition, the database comprises the majority of the 2.6 lakh Sars-Cov-2 genomes
sequenced by the Indian Sars-Cov-2 Genomic Consortium (INSACOG).
• The database will also house the 25,000 mycobacterium TB sequences, helping in
understanding the spread of multi-drug and extremely drug resistant TB in the country and
aiding in the search for targets for new medicines and vaccines.
• Currently, the database contains the genomic sequences of crops such as rice, onion,
tomatoes, and mustard, among others.
• The presence of genomes from humans, animals and bacteria in the same database would
also aid researchers in the study of zoonotic diseases (spread from animals to humans).
• It is probable that the database will later be expanded to store protein sequences (amino
acids) as well as imaging data such as ultrasound and MRI images.
About the ‘Indian Biological Data Bank’ -
• According to the Government of India's BIOTECH-PRIDE guidelines, IBDC is mandated to

archive all life science data (in digitised form) generated from publicly funded research in
India.
• In India there is no speci c guidelines for storage access and sharing of Biological data.
• The Biotech PRIDE Guidelines will facilitate this and enable exchange of information to
promote research and innovation in di erent research groups across the country.
• These guidelines will be implemented through the Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC) at
Regional Centre for Biotechnology supported by the Department of Biotechnology.
• The data centre, which is India’s rst national repository for life science data, is supported
by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in collaboration with the National Informatics
Centre (NIC), India.
• The digitised data will be stored on a four-petabyte (1 petabyte = 10,00,000 gigabytes (gb))
supercomputer called ‘Brahm’.
• The biobank also has a backup data ‘Disaster Recovery’ site at National Informatics Centre
(NIC)-Bhubaneswar.
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• The database o ers open access (can be used by other researchers from across the country)
and controlled access (data will not be openly shared for a number of years) mechanisms for
data submission to researchers.
• Need —
• Currently, most Indian researchers rely on the European Molecular Biology Laboratory
(EMBL) and the National Center for Biotechnology Information to store biological data.
• Other smaller datasets are available at some institutes, but they are not available to all.
• Objectives —
• Provide an IT platform for permanent archiving of biological data in India.
• Development of SOPs for storing and sharing the data as per FAIR ( ndability, accessibility,
interoperability and reusability) principles.
• Perform quality control, data backup and management of data life cycle.
• Development of web-based tools, organisation of training programs on ‘Big’ data analysis

and bene ts of data sharing.
• Signi cance —
• Because of the heterogeneity of life scienti c data, IBDC is being built in a decentralised
manner, with various portions dealing with speci c types of data.
• It would also provide infrastructure and expertise for biological data analysis, aiding in
knowledge discovery of numerous genetic diseases, vaccines and medicines.
• As a result, it will always strive to meet the needs of not just the Indian, but also the global
scienti c community.
CRISPR
According to a research published in the journal Nature, Scientists have, for the rst time, used
the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology to insert
genes that allow immune cells to attack cancer cells, potentially leaving normal cells unharmed
and increasing the e ectiveness of immunotherapy.
Details -
• CRISPR is short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, which is a
reference to the clustered and repetitive sequences of DNA found in bacteria, whose natural
mechanism to ght some viral diseases is replicated in this gene-editing tool.
• Its mechanism is often compared to the #cut-copy-paste!, or # nd-replace!" functionalities in

common computer programmes.
• A bad stretch in the DNA sequence, which is the cause of disease or disorder, is located, cut,
and removed — and then replaced with a #correct!"sequence.
• And the tools used to achieve this are not mechanical, but biochemical — speci c protein and
RNA molecules.
• The technology replicates a natural defence mechanism in some bacteria that uses a similar
method to protect itself from virus attacks.
What is CRISPR Cas-9 technology?

• The clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats, or CRISPR/CRISPR associated
protein 9 (Cas9) (CRISPR-Cas9) system has revolutionised genetic manipulations and made
gene editing simpler, faster and easily accessible to most laboratories.
• CRISPR technology is basically a gene-editing technology that can be used for the purpose of
altering genetic expression or changing the genome of an organism.
• The technology can be used for targeting speci c stretches of an entire genetic code or
editing the DNA at particular locations.
• CRISPR technology allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene
function.
• Its many potential applications include correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing
the spread of diseases and improving crops. However, its promise also raises ethical
concerns.
How it works?
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• CRISPR-Cas9 technology behaves like a cut-and-paste mechanism on DNA strands that
contain genetic information.
• The speci c location of the genetic codes that need to be changed, or NOTES $edited”, is
identi ed on the DNA strand, and then, using the Cas9 protein, which acts like a pair of
scissors, that location is cut o from the strand. A DNA strand, when broken, has a natural
tendency to repair itself.
• Scientists intervene during this auto-repair process, supplying the desired sequence of
genetic codes that binds itself with the broken DNA strand.
Applications -
• Using the tool, researchers can change the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with
extremely high precision.
• The CRISPR-Cas9 tool has already contributed to signi cant gains in crop resilience, altering
their genetic code to better withstand drought and pests.
• The technology has also led to innovative cancer treatments, and many experts hope it could
one day make inherited diseases curable through gene manipulation.
Yotta D1
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has informed that the state has ful lled its goal of establishing 250
MW of storage capacity with an investment of Rs 20,000 crore within a year of initiating its data
center program while o cially opening north India's rst hyperscale data center, "Yotta D1.”
What is the ‘Yotta D1'?

• Yotta D1, the largest data centre in the nation and the rst in Uttar Pradesh, was
constructed at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore.
• It is situated in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, on a 3 lakh square foot plot of land in the future
Data Center Park.
• The data centre will improve the nation's data storage capacity, which up until now only
stood at 2% even though Indians consume 20% of the world's data. It is expected to greatly
boost the Gross State Product (GSDP), open up new investment prospects, and generate a
signi cant amount of job opportunities.
• Yotta D1 is very helpful for worldwide connection because it o ers Internet peering
exchanges and direct bre connectivity to and from international cloud operators.
• Yotta D-1 will serve as the foundation for the 5G revolution in North India.
• By 2025, it is predicted that India's data analytics market will be worth more than $16 billion.
Therefore, it is a step in the right direction to focus particularly on boosting investment in data
center infrastructure.
• Big businesses like Google and Twitter would be able to establish a data center for hosting,
processing, and storing data if a data park was there.
• Customers will have quick access to videos and nancial services with the rollout of 5G and
edge data centres from this center.
Vikram-S
Vikram-S, India's rst privately developed launch vehicle, recently took o on its rst ight from
the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Sriharikota spaceport. The mission, dubbed
Prarambh (the beginning), is the Indian private sector's rst push into the lucrative space launch
market.
India’s space sector -
• Led by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India!s space program has impressively
evolved for the past 50 years.
• In terms of technological capabilities India ranks among the top 5 space faring nations of the
world.
• India is globally recognised for building low-cost satellites and launch vehicles.
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• Despite having world!s most accomplished space program, India!s space sector accounts for
only 2-3% of the global space economy.
• The global space economy is estimated at US $440 billion.
• To increase the share in the global business, Government of India has initiated the space sector
reforms, to promote, handhold, regulate and authorise private enterprises and start-ups to
undertake space activities.
About the ‘Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Center (IN-SPACe)’ -
• IN-SPACe is an independent nodal agency under Department of Space (DoS).
• It was set-up for allowing space activities and usage of DoS owned facilities by non-
governmental private entities as well as to prioritise the launch manifest.
• As a part of space sector reforms in June 2020, the Government of India had set up the IN-
SPACe.
• Objective – To ensure greater private participation in India!s space activities.
• IN-SPACe will act as an interface between ISRO and private parties, and assess how best to
utilise India!s space resources and increase space-based activities.
• It will assess the needs and demands of private players, including educational and research
institutions, and, explore ways to accommodate these requirements in consultation with ISRO.
• Headquarters of IN-SPACe is located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• IN-SPACe is the second space organisation created by the Government in the last two years.
• In 2019 Union Budget, the Central Government had announced the setting up of a New
Space India Limited (NSIL).
• NSIL is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) set up to serve as a marketing arm of ISRO.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Approval in Space Sector -
• Presently, FDI in space is allowed under government route only for satellite establishment
and operations.
• FDI in space is approved by the Government on a case-by-case basis and often this approval
takes time.
• However, witnessing the change in approach of the Indian Government towards private players
involvement, Indian companies will be allowed to invest up to 100% and 70% through FDI
with approval of centre in all the streams Upstream, mid-stream and downstream segment.
About Mission Prarambh and Vikram-S -
• It is a mission in which ISRO launched Vikram-S, India's rst privately manufactured launch
vehicle developed by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace.
• Vikram-S rocket, which is named after Vikram Sarabhai - the founder of India!s space
programme, is a single-stage solid fuel suborbital launch
• In a sub-orbital ight, the vehicle travels slower than the orbital velocity, which means it is
fast enough to reach outer space, but not fast enough to stay in an orbit around the Earth.
• The engine used in the launch vehicle - Kalam-80, is named after former president Dr A P J
Abdul Kalam.
• It will carry 3 customer payloads (2 Indian and 1 foreign), including one by SpaceKidz India
called FunSat, parts of which were developed by school students.
• The Vikram-S is a Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), which will carry between 290 kg and
560 kg payloads into sun-synchronous polar orbits.
Signi cance -
• The performance of the Vikram-S and its engine Kalam-80 will help test and validate
technologies in the Vikram series space launch vehicles.
• The company is designing 3 Vikram rockets that will use various solid and cryogenic fuels
and have their core structure built using carbon composites.
• The thrusters used for spin stability in the vehicle have been 3D printed.
• The entry of private players in the space sector in India with more private sector missions
coming soon.
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• For example, Agnikul Cosmos, whose semi-cryogenic Agnilet engine was test- red recently at
ISRO!s vertical testing facility at Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS),
Thiruvananthapuram.
• ISRO's SSLV is also likely to be manufactured and operated by private players soon.
• Around 100 start-ups have registered with the ISRO and are working closely with it in various
domains of the space sector.
Conference on Anti-microbial resistance

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare has participate in the 'Third Global High-Level
Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance' to be held in Muscat, Oman.
About the conference -
• Theme — 'The AMR Pandemic: From Policy to One Health Action’.
• It will enhance international cooperation to tackle AMR and build on the success of the two
previous high-level ministerial conferences held in the Netherlands in 2014 and 2019.
• The conference is also expected to pave the way for nations to come out with bold and speci c
political commitments in the 2024 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR.
What is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?

• Antimicrobials – including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitic – are medicines
used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants.
• Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change
over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing
the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
• As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ine ective
and infections become increasingly di cult or impossible to treat.
Major initiatives taken by India to combat AMR -
• National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) —
• Government of India launched National Action Plan in 2017, two years after the World Health
Organisation (WHO) launched its Global Action Plan on AMR.
• National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi is the focal point for implementation
and coordination of the NAP-AMR.
• Red Line Campaign —
• Under the Red Line Campaign, the Government of India urges people not to use medicines
marked with a red vertical line, without a doctor!s prescription.
• This campaign is aimed at discouraging unnecessary prescription and over-the-counter

sale of antibiotics causing drug resistance for several critical diseases including TB, malaria,
dengue, etc.
SARAS 3 Telescope
SARAS 3, a radio telescope designed and built at the Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru,
has revealed information about the origins of the Universe's rst stars and galaxies.
Findings -
• Researchers from RRI, the Commonwealth Scienti c and Industrial Research Organisation
(CSIRO) in Australia, etc., used data from SARAS-3 to throw light on the energy output,
luminosity and masses of the rst generation of galaxies.
• Scientists study properties of very early galaxies by observing radiation from hydrogen atoms
in and around galaxies, emitted at a frequency of approximately 1420 MHz.
• The radiation is stretched by the expansion of the universe, as it travels across space and time
and arrives at Earth in lower frequency radio bands 50-200 MHz, also used by FM and TV
transmissions.
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• According to the RRI, in a rst-of-its-kind work, using data from an Indian telescope, scientists
have determined properties of radio luminous galaxies formed just 200 million years after the
Big Bang, a period known as the Cosmic Dawn.
• SARAS 3 has improved the understanding of astrophysics of Cosmic Dawn. It has shown that
less than 3% of the gaseous matter within early galaxies was converted into stars, and
that the earliest galaxies that were bright in radio emission were also strong in X-rays.
• Earlier the SARAS-3 team used the same data to reject claims of the detection of a signal from
Cosmic Dawn made by the EDGES radio telescope developed by researchers from Arizona
State University (ASU) and MIT, USA.
• SARAS-3 has been able to put an upper limit to excess radiation at radio wavelengths,
lowering existing limits set by the ARCADE and Long Wavelength Array (LWA) experiments in
the US.
About ‘Radio Telescope’ -
• Optical telescopes collect visible light, bring it to a focus, amplify it and make it available for
analysis by various instruments.
• Similarly, radio telescopes collect weak radio light waves (usually referred to by its frequency),
bring it to a focus, amplify it and make it available for analysis.
• Radio telescopes are used to study naturally occurring radio light from stars, galaxies, black
holes and other astronomical objects.
• They can also be used to transmit and re ect radio light o of planetary bodies in our solar
system.
• Naturally occurring radio waves are extremely weak by the time they reach earth from space.
• Therefore, detecting the signal even using the most powerful existing radio telescopes, has
remained a challenge for astronomers.
• These specially-designed telescopes observe the longest wavelengths of light, ranging from 1
millimeter to over 10 meters long (visible light waves only a few hundred nanometers long).
About Shaped Antenna measurement of the background Radio Spectrum 3 (SARAS)

telescope -
• Experiment and science —
• SARAS is a niche high-risk high-gain experimental e ort to design, build and deploy in
India a precision radio telescope.
• The CMB Distortion Laboratory at RRI has pioneered the development of state-of-the-art
radio telescopes which are designed to detect signals of high wavelength and low frequency.
• Latest unique deployment over water —
• In 2020, the radio telescope was deployed in lakes in Northern Karnataka, on

Dandiganahalli Lake and Sharavati backwaters by the RRI.
• This intelligent design substantially enhanced telescope performance and had never been
conceived of in the world.
• This helped provide a homogenous medium below the antenna improving sensitivity and
reducing confusing radio waves emitted by the very ground beneath radio telescopes.
• Signi cance of SARAS 3 telescope — It is indeed the rst experiment to reach the required
sensitivity and cross-verify the claim of the signal detection.
Agnikul Launch Vehicle

Agnikul Cosmos has set up India!s rst private space vehicle launchpad at Sriharikota.
Details -
• The facility, which was designed by Agnikul and executed in support with ISRO and IN-SPACe
(Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Center) has two sections to it —
• the Agnikul launchpad (ALP) and
• the Agnikul mission control center (AMCC).
• All critical systems connecting these two sections, which are 4 km away from each other, are
redundant to ensure 100% operationality during countdown.
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• The launchpad is speci cally built keeping in mind the necessity to support liquid stage
controlled launches, while also addressing the need for ISRO!s range operations team to
monitor key ight safety parameters during launches.
• Additionally, it has the ability to, as necessary, share data and other critical information with
ISRO!s Mission Control Center.
• Agnikul!s rst launch, which will be a controlled and guided mission, a vertical launch, using
its patented engine will happen from this launchpad.
• The mission will be a technology demonstrator that will mirror Agnikul!s orbital launch but at a
reduced scale.
• Agnibaan — Agnibaan is Agnikul!s highly customisable, two-stage launch vehicle, capable

of taking up to 100 kg payload to orbits around 700 km high (low Earth orbits) and enables
plug-and-play con guration.
• Agnilet — Agnilet is the world!s rst single-piece 3-D printed engine fully designed and
manufactured in India and was successfully test- red in early 2021, making Agnikul the rst
company in the country to test its engines at ISRO. Agnibaan and Agnilet will be used in the
Agnikul!s rst launch.
About Agnikul —
• It was founded in 2017 by Srinath Ravichandran, Moin SPM and Professor S.R. Chakravarthy
from IIT Madras. Agnikul is an IIT Madras incubated startup.
• It became the first Indian company to sign an agreement with ISRO in December 2020.
• The agreement signed under the IN-SPACe initiative sanctioned Agnikul access to the Indian
space agency!s expertise and facilities to build Agnibaan and its launchpads.
PSLV-C54
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched 9 satellites, including an
Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-06), into multiple orbits using the space agency's Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C54) in one of its longest missions.
About the mission -
• Launch vehicle: PSLV — This is the 56th ight of the PSLV and the 24th ight of the PSLV-XL
version that took o from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), SHAR, Sriharikota.
• The PSLV is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the
ISRO.
• It was developed in 1993 to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites
into sun-synchronous orbits.
• PSLV can also launch small size satellites into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).
• Some notable payloads launched by PSLV include India's rst lunar probe Chandrayaan-1,
India's rst interplanetary mission - Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) and India's rst
space observatory - Astrosat.
• PSLV-XL is the upgraded version of PSLV which uses larger strap-on motors (PSOM-XL or
S12) to achieve higher payload capability up to 1,800 kg (4,000 lb) to Sun-synchronous
orbit.
• Satellites —
• The 8 nano satellites —
• It includes ISRO Nano Satellite-2 for Bhutan (INS-2B), Anand, Astrocast (four satellites)
and two Thybolt satellites.
• EOS-6 —
• It is the Oceansat series!" 3rd-generation satellite envisaged to observe ocean colour

data, sea surface temperature and wind vector data to use in oceanography, climatic and
meteorological applications.
• Separation of the satellites —
• The primary satellite (EOS-06) was separated in Orbit-1 and subsequently, orbit was
changed by using two Orbit Change Thrusters (OCTs) introduced in the Propulsion Bay Ring
of the PSLV-C54.
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• Later, all the 7 commercial satellites from NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) were deployed
successfully.
• Astrocast, a 3U spacecraft from Space ight Inc, US, was separated.
• The Thybolt, a 0.5U spacecraft bus with a communication payload to enable rapid
technology demonstration and constellation development from Dhruva Space, was then
placed in the intended orbit.
• The Anand three axis stabilised nano satellite, a technology demonstrator from Pixxel,
India was also placed in the orbit.
About the India-Bhutan Satellite -
• The INS-2B satellite, a joint mission between India and Bhutan, contains two payloads -
• NanoMx, a multispectral optical imaging payload developed by Space Applications Centre

(SAC), and
• APRS-Digipeater, built collaboratively by DITT-Bhutan and URSC.
• The India-Bhutan satellite achieved a historic milestone in India!s bi-lateral cooperation with
Bhutan.
• Also, the ISRO is working with Bhutan in establishing a ground station in Thimphu, which will be
commissioned shortly.
Future missions ISRO is planning -
• ISRO is planning to have its mission to the sun with its satellite Aditya-L1, a coronagraphy
spacecraft to study the solar atmosphere, with a PSLV rocket next year.
• The space agency will also launch 4 navigation satellites for the country!s NavIC constellation,
with the rst one going up in 2023.
Small Modular Reactors

Union Minister of State of the Ministry of Science and Technology recently said, India is taking
steps for development of Small Modular Reactors (SMR), with up to 300 MW capacity to ful ll its
commitment to Clean Energy transition.
What are Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)?

• SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per
unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors.
SMRs, which can produce a large amount of low-carbon electricity, are:
• Small – physically a fraction of the size of a conventional nuclear power reactor.
• Modular – making it possible for systems and components to be factory-assembled and

transported as a unit to a location for installation.
• Reactors – harnessing nuclear ssion to generate heat to produce energy.
Advantages of SMRs -
• SMR, with up to 300 MW capacity by nature are exible in design and require smaller
footprint. Given their smaller footprint, SMRs can be sited on locations not suitable for larger
nuclear power plants.
• Being mobile and agile technology, SMR can be factory-built unlike the conventional nuclear
reactors that are built on–site. Thus, SMRs o ers signi cant savings in cost and construction
time.
• SMR is a promising technology in industrial de-carbonisation especially where there is a

requirement of reliable and continuous supply of power. It is said that SMR is simpler and safer
as compared to large nuclear plants.
Disadvantages -
• Lack of development — They do not currently exist as reactors for power generation.
• Cost-e ectiveness depends on production — Large-scale production of SMRs is required to

achieve its economic bene ts.
• Licensing issues — Historically, the licensing process was developed for large commercial
reactors and the licensing process for new reactor designs is a lengthy and costly process.
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Gram-negative bacteria
Recently the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has called upon doctors to avoid using
antibiotics for conditions such as low-grade fever and viral bronchitis among others.
Details -
• Recently, a multi-centre survey carried out by the ICMR to spot the trend in antibiotic
resistance across the country showed Acinetobacter baumannii, a gram-negative bacteria
known to cause infection in the blood, urinary tract and lungs among others, was resistant to
high-end antibiotics.
• Antimicrobial Resistance — It occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over
time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the
risk of disease spread.
• The survey found 5% samples of Acinetobacter baumannii tested in 2021 were resistant to
carbapenems, a high-end antibiotic.
What is Gram-negative bacteria?

• Gram-negative bacteria are classi ed by the colour they turn after a chemical process called
Gram staining is used on them.
• Gram-negative bacteria stain red when this process is used.
• Gram-positive bacteria stain blue.
• Gram-negative bacteria are enclosed in a protective capsule. This capsule helps prevent white
blood cells (which ght infection) from ingesting the bacteria. Under the capsule, gram-
negative bacteria have an outer membrane that protects them against certain antibiotics, such
as penicillin.
• When disrupted, this membrane releases toxic substances called endotoxins. Endotoxins
contribute to the severity of symptoms during infections with gram-negative bacteria.
• Gram-negative bacteria cause infections including pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound

or surgical site infections, and meningitis in healthcare settings.
ART AND CULTURE

Mathura-Vrindavan Pilgrimage Centre
According to Uttar Pradesh government, Mathura-Vrindavan, one of India!s largest pilgrimage
centres, aims to become a $net zero carbon emission” tourist destination by 2041.
What is the plan?
• Tourist vehicles will be banned from the entire Braj region, which includes famous pilgrim
centres such as Vrindavan and Krishna Janmabhoomi.
• Instead, only electric vehicles used as public transport will be allowed into the area.
• All 252 waterbodies and 24 forests in the area will also be revived.
• According to the plan, the Braj region!s annual pilgrim-tourist footfall is expected to multiply
from the current level of 2.3 crore to six crore by 2041.
• To attain a net zero carbon emission status, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to as
close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions re-absorbed from the atmosphere, by
oceans and forests for instance.
• To facilitate this in Mathura-Vrindavan, the plan divides the entire region into four clusters,
each containing two of the eight key cities.
• The plan proposes to form small circuits called #Parikrama Paths!" which the pilgrim can
undertake either on foot or using electric vehicles.
About ‘Mathura-Vrindavan’ -
• It is located on the banks of the river Yamuna.
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• It is situated the birthplace of Lord Krishna.
• The entire land is dotted with magni cent temples, dedicated to various aspects of his life.
• Some of the famous temples are:Govind Dev Temple, Rangaji Temple, Dwarikadhish Temple,
Bankey Bihari Temple and the ISKCON Temple.
• Gokul, Barsana and Goverdhan are the other township associated with the legend of Lord
Krishna.
Nankana Sahib
Union Home Ministry has recently facilitated the visit of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Nankana Sahib
on the occasion of Gurupurab.
About ‘Nankana Sahib’ -
• Nankana Sahib is a city in Pakistan!s Punjab province, where Gurdwara Janam Asthan (also
called Nankana Sahib Gurdwara) is located.
• The shrine is built over the site where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was believed to
be born in 1469.
• Besides Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib has several important shrines, including
Gurdwara Patti Sahib, Gurdwara Bal Leela, Gurdwara Mal Ji Sahib, Gurdwara Kiara Sahib,
Gurdwara Tambu Sahib — all dedicated to stages in the life of the rst Guru.
• There is also a Gurdwara in memory of Guru Arjan (5th Guru) and Guru Hargobind (6th Guru).
Guru Hargobind is believed to have paid homage to the town in 1621-22.
• The Janam Asthan shrine was constructed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, after he visited
Nankana Sahib in 1818-19 while returning from the Battle of Multan.
Guru Nanak Jayanti 2022

President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu has greeted fellow-citizens on the occasion of birthday
of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Details -
• The year 2022 has been observed as the 553rd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. It is
observed annually on the full moon date of the Kartik month or Kartik Purnima.
• Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539), also referred to as Baba Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and is
the rst of the ten Sikh Gurus.
• He was born on April 15th, 1469 in Rai Bhoi di Talvandi, now Nankana Sahib, Pakistan.
• Guru Nanak Dev spread the message of ‘Ek Omkar’ which means that God is one and is
present everywhere.
• Guru Nanak Dev Ji believed one can connect to the almighty through sincere prayers. All his
teachings are composed together to form the sacred book called Guru Granth Sahib - the
central holy religious scripture of Sikhism.
Acharya Kripalani
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid tributes to Acharya Kripalani on his Jayanti.
About ‘Acharya Kripalani’ -
• Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani (1888 – 1982), popularly known as Acharya Kripalani, was an
independence activist, Indian politician and an Educationist.
• Educationist - Kripalani was also well-known for his work in the eld of education. From 1912 to
1927, he taught at various places before becoming wholly involved in freedom movement. He
earned the title of #Acharya! around 1922 when he was teaching at the Gujarat Vidyapith,
founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920.
• Independence Activist - He was involved in the organisation of Non-Cooperation Movement and

the Civil Disobedience movements and Quit India Movement. He was the President of Indian
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National Congress (INC) at the time of independence. He served in the Interim government of
India (1946–1947) and the Constituent Assembly of India.
• Post-independence, he left the Congress and became one of the founders of the Kisan
Mazdoor Praja Party (KMPP). This party subsequently merged with the Socialist Party of India
to form the Praja Socialist Party (PSP). He remained in opposition for the rest of his life and
was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1952, 1957, 1963 and 1967 as a member of Praja Socialist
Party. Kripalani moved the rst-ever No con dence motion in Lok Sabha in 1963,
immediately after the India-China War. He remained a critic of Nehru's policies and Indira
Gandhi!s authoritarian rule. He was arrested during Emergency.
• He along with Vinoba Bhave, was involved in in preservation and conservation activities
throughout the 1970s.
• He was married to Sucheta Kripalani, India!s rst woman Chief Minister, who led Uttar
Pradesh from 1963 to 1967. She remained in Congress after Independence.
• His autobiography #My Times!"was released 22 years after his death in 2004.
Nadaprabhu Kempegowda
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled a 108-feet-long bronze statue of Nadaprabhu
Kempegowda, credited to be the founder of Bengaluru, at the premises of the Kempegowda
International Airport (KIA), situated on the outskirts of the city.
Who was Nadaprabhu Kempegowda?

• Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, a 16th century chieftain of the Vijayanagara empire, is credited
as the founder of Bengaluru.
• It is said that he conceived the idea of a new city while hunting with his minister, and later
marked its territory by erecting towers in four corners of the proposed city.
• Kempegowda is also known to have developed around 1,000 lakes in the city to cater to
drinking and agricultural needs.
• He was from the dominant agricultural Vokkaliga community in south Karnataka.
• His name is everywhere in the city – the Kempegowda International Airport, the Kempegowda
Bus Stand, and even the main metro station in the city is called Nadaprabhu Kempegowda
metro station. An arterial road in the old city is called the K G Road or the Kempegowda Road.
Janjatiya Gaurav Divas

Government of India has declared 15th November as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas dedicated to the
memory of brave tribal freedom ghters.
Details -
• India!s freedom struggle was strengthened by several movements by tribal communities

such as Santhals, Tamars, Kols, Bhils, Khasis and Mizos to name a few.
• The date is the birth anniversary of Sri Birsa Munda who is revered as Bhagwan by tribal
communities across the country. Birsa Munda fought bravely against the country against the
exploitative system of the British colonial system and spearheaded movement against British
oppression giving a call for #Ulgulan!"(Revolution).
• The declaration acknowledges the glorious history and cultural heritage of tribal
communities. The day will be celebrated every year and would recognise the e orts of the
tribals for preservation of cultural heritage and promotion of Indian values of valour, hospitality
and national pride.
About Bhagwan Birsa Munda -

• Born in 1875 in the Munda tribe. He is often referred to as"#Dharti Abba! or the Earth Father.
• He led the rebellion that came to be known as Ulgulan (revolt) or the Munda rebellion against
the British government-imposed feudal state system.
• He awakened the masses and sowed the seeds of revolt in them against the landlord as well as
the Britishers. He organised masses to stop paying debts/interest to moneylenders and
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taxes to the British. By this, he led a revolt to bring an end to Victorian rule and the
establishment of Munda Rule in Jharkhand (erstwhile Bengal Presidency region).
• He formed two military units- one for military training and armed struggle, the other for
propaganda. He combined religion with politics and traveled across villages giving discourses
and building a politico-military organisation.
• His struggle against the exploitation and discrimination against tribals led to the passing of the
Chotanagpur Tenancy Act in 1908 which restricted the passing of land from the tribal
people to non-tribals.
Patan Patola Scarf

Recently, PM Narendra Modi gifted 'Patan Patola Dupatta' (scarf) to Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.
About ‘Patan Patola’ -
• The ancient art of double ikat or Patola woven in pure silk dates back to the 11th century. The
Patola fabrics bear an equal intensity of colours and design on both sides.
• This peculiar quality has its origins in an intricate and di cult technique of dyeing or knot
dyeing, known as #bandhani!, on the warp and weft separately before weaving.
• One of the major practitioners of the dwindling art form is the Salvi family from North Gujarat.
• The weaving process — Patola is woven on primitive hand-operated harness looms made out of
rosewood and bamboo strips. The loom lies on a slant. The other commonly worn Patola is the
Rajkot Patola, woven on a at loom.
• Price — The base price of a Patola saree in the Patan weave starts from Rs 1.5 lakh up and can
go up to Rs 6 lakh.
International Film Festival of India

International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is all set for its 53rd edition in 2022 in Goa.
About IFFI -
• The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is among Asia’s most prominent
lm festivals.
• It is held annually, currently in the state of Goa.
• Since 2004, starting from the 35th edition, the International Film Festival of India, became
globally competitive, and moved to its permanent venue Goa, and is being held during the
months of November and December of each year.
• The festival is conducted jointly by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Directorate
of Film Festivals and the Government of Goa.
• The idea of the International Film Festival of India is to celebrate lms, the stories they tell
and the people behind them.
India’s cultural heritage at Bali Summit of G-20
At the G20 summit in Bali, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted world leaders a range of artworks,
representing India’s diversity. During his address, PM Modi also mentioned Baliyatra, one of the
country’s largest open-air fairs that commemorates the 2,000-year-old maritime and cultural
links between ancient Kalinga and Southeast Asia.
Details -
• In his address to the Indian diaspora in Bali on the sidelines of the G20 summit, PM Modi
mentioned the annual Baliyatra on the banks of the Mahanadi in Cuttack.
• This yatra celebrates the ancient trade relations between India and Indonesia.
• This year’s Baliyatra, which concluded recently, also found a place in the Guinness World
Records for achieving an impressive feat of origami, the creation of beautiful paper
sculptures.
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What is ‘Baliyatra’?
• Baliyatra, literally #voyage to Bali!, is one of the country!s largest open-air fairs.
• It is organised every year to commemorate the 2,000-year-old maritime and cultural links
between ancient Kalinga (today!s Odisha) and Bali and other South and Southeast Asian
regions like Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Burma (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
• The festival begins on Kartik Purnima (full moon night in the month of Kartik).
• The festival is organised by the Cuttack district administration and Cuttack Municipal
Corporation in association with several other government agencies.
India’s cultural prowess at the Bali Summit -
• Miniature paintings from Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) —
• The art originated in a small hill state #Guler!" in the rst half of the 18th century when a
family of Kashmiri painters trained in Mughal Style of painting sought shelter at the court of
Raja Dalip Singh of Guler.
• This style reached its zenith during the reign of Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch who was a
great patron of Kangra art.
• The central idea behind Kangra paintings is often the immersive love story of Radha and
Krishna.
• Today, the Kangra art form is a serene celebration of life and its simplicity, using naturalistic
colours.
• Gujarat!s Mata ni Pachedi —
• It is a handmade textile of Gujarat meant to be an o ering in the temple shrines which

house the Mother Goddess.
• Mata Ni Pachedi was crafted by the nomadic community of Waghris as homage to various
incarnations of the Goddess.
• It is said that in this form of art, the goddess forms the central gure in the design, anked
by other elements of her story.
• Patan Patola scarf from Gujarat —
• This ancient art of double ikat or Patola woven in pure silk dates back to the 11th century.
• The Patola fabrics bear an equal intensity of colours and design on both sides.
• This peculiar quality has its origins in an intricate and di cult technique of dyeing or knot
dyeing, known as #bandhani!, on the warp and weft separately before weaving.
• Agate bowl from Gujarat —
• Agate, a semi-precious stone, is found in underground mines of Rajpipla and Ratanpur in

riverbeds, and extracted to produce a variety of ornamental objects.
• The art of turning the stone into a range of products has been passed down through
generation of artisans since the Indus Valley civilisation days and is currently practiced by
Artisans of Khambat.
• The healing powers attributed to agate stones have sustained the use of agate over
centuries.
• Pithora from Chhota Udaipur in Gujarat —
• These paintings are made by the Rathwa artisans from Chhota Udaipur in Gujarat.
• These painting are depiction of the cave art that tribals used to make re ecting the social,
cultural and mythological life and beliefs of those tribals.
• These paintings bear a striking resemblance the Aboriginal dot painting from the
indigenous communities of Australia.
• Kinnauri shawl from Himachal Pradesh —
• These shawls are made using the extra-weft technique of weaving.
• Every element of the design woven uses the knotting method — where the weft is inserted
by hand and to lock the design, producing the lift in the pattern formed.
• Kanal brass set from Himachal Pradesh —
• It is used on ceremonial occasions, such as the processions of village deities.
• It is also used to welcome the leaders of the Himachal Pradesh.
• This traditional musical instrument is now increasingly used as a decor object and is
manufactured in Mandi and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh.
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Lachit Barpukhan
The three day-long celebration of 400th birth anniversary of Ahom General Lachit Barphukan will
begin in New Delhi on November 23, 2022.
Who are the Ahoms?

• Ahom, tribe that ruled much of Assam from the 13th century until the establishment of British
rule in 1838.
• Their power in Assam reached its peak during the reign of King Rudra Singh (1696–1714). They
originated in the Chinese province of Yunnan and began migrating into Indo-China and
northern Myanmar (Burma) in the rst centuries AD. Their original language is now extinct, and
they speak Assamese.
• Ahoms or or Tai-Ahom is an ethnic group found today in the Indian states of Assam and
Arunachal Pradesh.
• The founders of the Ahom kingdom had their own language and followed their own religion.
Over the centuries, the Ahoms accepted the Hindu religion and the Assamese language.
• The Ahoms embraced the language, religion and rituals of the communities living here — they
did not impose theirs on those living here.
About Lachit Borphukan -
• He was born on November 24, 1622, the day is celebrated by the people of Assam and the
nation as Lachit Diwas.
• He was originally named Lachit Deca and was in the early 17th century at Betioni in the
Golaghat district of modern Assam. Born to Momai Tamuli, who later rose to become the rst
Governor of Upper Assam and Commander-in-Chief of the Ahom army (Borbarua), Borphukan
enjoyed a comfortable upbringing. Momai Tamuli arranged for his education in humanities,
military science, and scriptures.
• Before taking the role of the supreme commander of the army Borphukan held various posts
of eminence such as Superintendent of the Royal Horses or Ghora Barua, Commander of
the Strategic Simulgarh Fort, and Superintendent of the Royal Household Guards or
Dolaksharia Barua. He was also made the scarf bearer aka Soladhara Barua of the Ahom King
which is a position equivalent to a Private Secretaryship. Under the Ahom king Chakradhwaj
he was nally appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ahom Army.
• The Battle of Saraighat for which Borphukan is popularly attributed to was fought on the banks
of Brahmaputra. The Mughal army consisted of 30,000 infantry, 15,000 archers, 18,000 Turkish
cavalries, 5,000 gunners, and over 1,000 canons. Borphukan knew that they would not be able
to defeat these vast armies with regular warfare. Therefore the braveheart used tactics of
guerrilla warfare and wise terrain choices and led the Ahom army to a decisive victory.
• The Ahom hero was also o ered a bribe of one lakh to abandon his army, such was the
valor and power of Borphukan. The Mughals knew that they would not stand a chance against
the Ahom army if it was led by Borphukan and this was also proven in the battle. When
Borphukan was grievously injured and the Ahoms started to withdraw, it was his clarion
call that roused the determination and will of the Ahom army. He said, $If you want to go
back you are free, but I even in spite of my hurt will ght until death. Go back and tell king
Chakradhwaj that I fought with determination till my last breath!”
• Ever since 1999, the National Defence Academy (NDA) has been conferring the best passing
cadet with the $Lachit Borphukan gold medal.”
Rani Lakshmibai
Recently, Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi paid tributes to Rani Lakshmibai, the Jhansi queen
known for her role in the 1857 Mutiny, on her 187th birth anniversary.
About ‘Rani Lakshmibai’ -
• Rani Lakshmibai, one of the warriors of India's struggle for Independence, was born as
Manikarnika Tambe in Varanasi.
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• Lakshmibai got married to Gangadhar Rao Newalkar, the Maharaja of Jhansi and got the name
of Rani Lakshmibai.
• Then Lakshmibai and Gangadhar Rao adopted Rao's cousin's son, Anand Rao, who was
later renamed as Damodar. Soon after they adopted Anand, Maharaja died due to an illness.
• The East India Company took advantage of the Maharaja's death and applied the Doctrine of
Lapse.
What was the Doctrine of Lapse?

• It was an annexation policy followed widely by Lord Dalhousie when he was India's Governor-
General from 1848 to 1856.
• According to this, any princely state under the direct or indirect (as a vassal) control of the
East India Company where the ruler did not have a legal male heir would be annexed by
the company.
• As per this, any adopted son of the Indian ruler could not be proclaimed as heir to the
kingdom. This challenged the Indian ruler's long-held authority to appoint an heir of their
choice.
• So, due to the Doctrine of Lapse, Britishers did not accept Damodar Rao as the legal heir. The
plan of the Britishers was to annex Jhansi. They seized the state jewels, granted her an
annual pension of Rs 60,000 and asked her to leave the fort forever.
Uda Devi
On November 16, events to commemorate the martyrdom of Uda Devi, a freedom ghter from
the Pasi community, were held at various places in Uttar Pradesh.
Who was ‘Uda Devi’?

• She was born in Ujirao, Lucknow.
• She was part of the royal guard of Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh.
• Uda Devi is remembered not only for her stories of valour but also for her skill as a leader who
managed to mobilise people — specially Dalit women — to take up arms against the British.
• On November 16, 1857, Uda Devi was among the soldiers who clashed with the British
regiment stationed near the Gomti River.
• She formed an all-women battalion, today called the Dalit Veeranganas, to take part in armed
uprisings against the British.
• Devi belonged to the Pasi community, which was labelled a #criminal caste!" by the British
administration under the Criminal Tributes Act, 1871.
About Pasis -
Pasis are traditionally pig-herders and toddy tappers and were listed as the second-largest
Dalit group in Uttar Pradesh after the 2001 census.
Shaheedi Diwas
November 24 is commemorated as the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
About ‘Guru Tegh Bahadur’ -
• Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621 – 1675) was the ninth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion.
• Name — He was born as Tyaga Mal. He came to be known by the name Teg Bahadur (Mighty
of The Sword), given to him by Guru Hargobind after he shown his valour in a battle against the
Mughals.
• Family — His father was the Sixth guru, Guru Hargobind. His son Guru Gobind Singh,
became the tenth Sikh guru.
• Life and works —
• He built the city of Anandpur Sahib (in Rupnagar/Ropar district, on the edge of Shivalik Hills,
near the Sutlej River, in Punjab). Here the last two Sikh Gurus lived and where Guru Gobind
Singh Ji founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699.
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• He contributed more than 100 poetic hymns to Granth Sahib which cover various topics,
such as the nature of God, human attachments, body, mind, dignity service etc.
• He resisted the forced conversions of Kashmiri Pandits and non-Muslims to Islam.
• Martyrdom —
• He was publicly beheaded in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for
himself refusing to convert to Islam. He is remembered for giving up his life for freedom of
religion.
• His martyrdom is remembered as the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur every year on
24 November, according to the Nanakshahi calendar released by the Shiromani Gurdwara
Parbandhak Committee in 2003.
• Memorials in Delhi —
• Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib mark the place of his execution.
• Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib mark the places of cremation of his body.
Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar

Sangeet Natak Akademi selects 102 artists of India for the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar
for the years 2019, 2020 & 2021.
About the award -
• The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, given to artists below the age of 40 years, was
introduced with the objective of identifying and encouraging outstanding young talents in
diverse elds of performing arts and giving them national recognition early in their life.
• The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar carries a purse money of Rs. 25,000/-
About ‘Ustad Bismillah Khan’ -
• The legendary shehnai player, Ustad Bismillah Khan was one of India's most celebrated
classical musicians.
• Bismillah Khan has been credited with taking the shehnai from the marriage mandap to the
concert hall. He brought Shehnai to the center stage of Indian classical music with his concert in
the Calcutta All India Music Conference in 1937.
• He was a recipient of many honors and awards. These include: Padma Vibhushan (1980),
Padma Bhushan (1968), Padma Shri (1961), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1956) etc.
• In 2001, Ustad Bismillah Khan became the third classical musician to be awarded the Bharat
Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.
Shilp Guru and National Awards

30 Shilp Guru Awards and 78 National Awards for the year 2017, 2018 and 2019 were presented
to master craftspersons.
About the Shilp Guru Awards -
• The Shilp Guru Awards are given to legendary master craftspersons in recognition of
excellent craftsmanship, product excellence and the role played by them as gurus in the
continuance of crafts to other trainee artisans as a vital part of traditional heritage.
• The Awards were started in 2002, to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the resurgence of
Handicrafts in India.
• The Award consists of a gold coin, 2 lakhs prize money, a Tamrapatra, a shawl and a
certi cate.
About the National Awards -
• The National Awards are being awarded since 1965 for outstanding craftsmanship in di erent
craft categories.
• The main crafts for which the Awards have been given are Metal Engraving, Chikan Hand
Embroidery, Khurja Blue Pottery, Mata Ni Pachedi Kalamkari, Bandhani, Tie & Dye ,Hand Block
Bagh Print, Warli Art, Stone Dust Painting , Sozni Hand Embroidery, Terracotta, Tanjore Painting,
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Sholapith, Kantha Hand Embroidery, Palm leaf Engraving, Brass wire inlay on wood, Wood
Tarkashi, Madhubani Painting, Gold Leaf Painting , straw craft etc.
• The Award consists of 1 lakh prize money, a Tamrapatra, a Shawl and a certi cate.
SECURITY
Seema Darshan Project
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the citizens to visit Nadabet and other border areas as
part of Seema darshan to further tourism.
What is it?
• #Seema Darshan Project!"was initiated with the aim to provide an opportunity to the people so
that they can visualise the life and work of the BSF personnel on our border.
• Under the #Seema Darshan Project!, all kinds of tourist facilities and other special
attractions have been developed at a cost of 1 crore 25 lakhs.
About ‘Nadabet’ -
• It is located in the Rann of Kutch region. It is also known as the #Wagah of Gujarat!.
• The access provided to civilians at Nadabet to view the fenced international border with
Pakistan at #Zero Point!.
• Nadabet played a key role in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. It was in this region that the BSF
not only stalled the enemy trying to invade from the west, but also captured 15 enemy posts.
• During the war, the BSF had captured 1,038 square km of Pakistan territory in Nagarparkar
and Diplo areas. The area was returned to Pakistan after the Shimla Agreement was signed.
Jaislamer -
BSF has set up a unique memorial museum named Seema Darshan to create awareness
about the duties of BSF to the general public and the incidents of bravery at Sam sand dunes in
Jaislamer.
About Border Security Force -

• The BSF is the world's largest border guarding force securing the 6,386.36 kms long
International Borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
• Its mandate is to guard the country!s land border during peacetime and also to prevent
transnational crime.
• BSF was established as a response to the 1965 war with Pakistan when that country tried to
expand its own borders at India!s expense.
• Until that time, the border with Pakistan was guarded by the State Armed Police Battalion. It
proved inadequate when faced with Pakistani aggression and this was when the necessity of a
specialised armed force for manning India!s borders was realised.
• The Committee of Secretaries recommended that the Border Security Force be established
and it came into force on 1 December 1965. The BSF is under the Ministry of Home A airs of
the Government of India.
• Currently there are about 186 battalions and strength of more than 2 lakh personnel. It also has
an air wing, marine wing, commando units and artillery regiments.
Submersible Platform for Acoustic Characterisation and

Evaluation
Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) launched Hull Module of SPACE facility at
Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) Kochi recently.
What is it?
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It is a state-of-the-art testing and evaluation facility for sonar systems developed for use by
the Indian navy onboard various platforms, including ships, submarines and helicopters.
Design and Construction -
• The SPACE facility is based on the concept design and requirements projected by NPOL and
has been constructed by M/s L&T Shipbuilding, Chennai.
• The design and construction of the platform meet all the statutory needs of Indian Register
of Shipping and the vessel classifying authority and strictly adhere to the inspection and
registration criteria as per Kerala Inland Vessel Rules.
Use -
This will be mainly utilised for evaluating Sonar systems, allowing for quick deployment and
easy recovery of scienti c packages such as sensors and transducers.
Feature -
The uniqueness of this facility lies in the specially designed submersible platform, which can be
lowered up to depths of 100 meters using a series of synchronously operated winches.
Garuda-VII Air Exercise

The chiefs of Indian and French Air Forces recently joined the Air Exercise Garuda-VII in
Jodhpur.
Details -
• It is a bilateral exercise between Indian Air Force (IAF) and French Air and Space Force
(FASF).
• It provides a unique opportunity for both Air Forces to learn and imbibe each other!s best
practices during operations while also highlighted the growing interoperability between the two
Air Forces.
• Ex Garuda-VII is also the rst occasion for the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas and the light
combat helicopter (LCH) Prachand to participate in any international exercise.
• It includes four Rafale ghters and one A-330 multi-role tanker transport aircraft from the
French side.
• Apart from the LCA and LCH, the IAF contingent consists of Su-30 MK-I, Rafale and Jaguar
ghter aircraft, as well as Mi-17 helicopters.
History -
• This is the seventh edition of the bilateral exercise.
• The rst, third and fth editions were conducted in India in 2003, 2006 and 2014 at Air Force
Stations Gwalior, Kalaikunda and Jodhpur, respectively.
• The second, fourth and sixth editions were conducted in France in 2005, 2010 and 2019.
No Money for Terror

India will host the Third No Money for Terror (NMFT) Conference. This Conference aims to
progress the discussions on combating terrorist nancing held by the international community in
the previous two Conferences in Paris (2018) and Melbourne (2019).
About the NMFT Conference -
• The NMFT started in 2018 as an initiative of the French government which had, in 1989, laid
the foundation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). FATF is the international body at the
forefront of combating money laundering and terrorist nancing.
• The Conference aims to create platform for international discussions on countering terror
nancing.
• It also includes discussions on technical, legal, regulatory and cooperative aspects of the
terrorism nancing.
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• The continuing activities of the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, despite territorial defeats in Syria-
Iraq and Afghanistan respectively, necessitated the NMFT conference.
Previous conferences -
• The 2018 conference —
• It was organised by France, which was attended by some 70 countries and the leaders of
almost 20 agencies.
• The conference agreed on fully criminalising terrorism nancing, even in the absence of a
link to a speci c terrorist act.
• It also agreed on enhancing the traceability and transparency of nancial ows.
• The conference also discussed traceability and transparency of non-pro t organisations

(NPOs) and charitable funds.
• The 2019 conference —
• Hosted by Australia with participation from 65 delegations and representatives from 15

international bodies.
• The conference identi ed new channels through which terrorism may be nanced. These
included —
• kidnapping for ransom
• emerging technologies such as digital and cryptocurrencies, stored value cards, online
payment systems and crowdfunding platforms.
• It recognised the critical role played by the private sector to detect and prevent misuse of
nancial systems by terrorists and agged the need for monitoring of NPOs.
Agenda for the NMFT 2022 conference -
• The agenda for the NMFT 2022 includes —
• use of virtual assets and crowdfunding platforms by terrorist entities, their use of the dark
web,
• the links between terror nancing and legitimate economic activities, and
• payment intermediaries.
• This conference is largely a build-up on concerns raised during the Interpol Conference and
UN General Assembly!s Counter Terrorism Committee Conference held in Delhi recently.
• India also plans to discuss the misuse of non-pro t organisations and non- nancial
businesses and professions in terror nancing, as well as such nancing through the Money
Transfer Service Scheme and hawala networks.
Yudh Abhyas
18th edition of India-US joint military training exercise Yudh Abhyas will begin on November 16,
2022 in Auli, Uttrakhand.
About ‘Yudh Abhyas’ exercise -
• The 15-day-long exercise will focus on high altitude and extremely cold climate warfare.
• Exercise Yudh Abhyas is conducted annually between India and US with the aim of
exchanging best practices, Tactics, Techniques and Procedures between the Armies of the two
nations.
• The previous edition of the exercise was conducted at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson,
Alaska (USA) in October 2021.
• The schedule will include all operations related to peacekeeping and peace enforcement.
• The troops from both nations will work together to achieve common objectives.
• The joint exercise will also focus on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)
operations.
• US Army soldiers of 2nd Brigade of the 11th Airborne Division and Indian Army soldiers
from the Assam Regiment will be participating in the exercise.
Malabar Exercise
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The 26th edition of the multinational maritime exercise Malabar 22 culminated in the seas o
Japan recently.
Details -
• This edition also marked the 30th anniversary of the exercise and was hosted by the Japan
Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
• The Indian Navy was represented by Eastern Fleet ships Shivalik and Kamorta.
What is Malabar Exercise?

Exercise Malabar is a quadrilateral naval exercise involving the United States, Japan, India and
Australia as permanent partners. Originally begun in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between India
and the United States, Japan became a permanent partner in 2015. Australia joined the exercise
as a permanent member in 2020. Past non-permanent participants are Australia and
Singapore.
Background –
• Malabar Naval exercises between India and the US has been an ongoing a air since 1992.
After a brief interlude due to India’s 1998 nuclear tests and the imposition of sanctions, the
exercise became an annual feature since 2002.
• Initially pitched at a basic level of naval drills between the US and India, Malabar 2005 involved
the participation of the aircraft carriers of both navies for the rst time.
• In Malabar 2006, a complete US expeditionary strike group and Coast Guard ships of both
navies participated in anti-piracy drills, pollution control, search and rescue, visit, board, search
and seizure (VBSS) techniques, all of which were in consonance with the prevailing and
perceived maritime threats.
Objectives of Malabar Exercise –

• The primary aim of the exercise was to increase interoperability amongst the navies of India,
Japan and the US as well as develop a common understanding and procedures for maritime
security operations.
• The exercise is a demonstration of the joint commitment of all four nations to address
common maritime challenges across the spectrum of operations and will go a long way in
enhancing maritime security in the Indo-Paci c region for the bene t of the global maritime
community.
Signi cance –
• The Indo-Paci c region holds immense geo-political and geo-strategic signi cance for
navies around the world.
• The challenges of piracy, maritime terrorism, organised crime like drug tra cking, weapons
smuggling, tra cking of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and related material, all have
forced navies to conduct joint patrols and provide escort duties for shipping assets.
• In conjunction with these non-conventional challenges, the challenge to freedom of navigation

in the South China Sea, unrelenting ring of missiles by North Korea and apprehension of non-
accessibility of crucial choke points have elicited varying responses from the stake holders.
• Such exercises have also resulted in better training, improved readiness, and evolution of
standard operating procedures (SOPs) as well as facilitated joint operations and increased the
trust quotient among participating sides.
• The employment of hi-tech equipment in these exercises not only helps show-case superior
technology, whose e cacy is keenly watched, but also leads to subsequent procurement deals
thereby further boosting inter-operability and integration. The Poseidon Eight India (P8I) long
range maritime patrol aircraft procured by India from the US is a pertinent example in this
regard.
Controversies and subsequent increasing of pace -

• In June 2007, days before the rst-ever o cial-level security consultation between the US,
India, Japan and Australia, China issued demarches to each of the participants seeking to
know the purpose behind their meeting.
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• The Chinese reaction revealed the degree of suspicion with which it had started viewing such
naval exercises. From 2009 onwards, all Malabar exercises have increased in complexity to
include surface and anti-submarine warfare, coordinated gunnery exercises, air defence,
employment of aircraft and submarines, VBSS drills and other high-end manoeuvres for
exigencies likely to be encountered at sea.
• The sea-phase of the exercises has been conducted almost alternately in the Indian and
Paci c Oceans since 2009, and Japan has been participating in these exercises whenever they
were conducted in the waters of the Paci c Ocean in its vicinity.
Sea-Vigil 22
The third edition of the #Pan-India!" Coastal Defence Exercise #Sea Vigil-22! has been conducted
recently.
What is it?
• This National Level Coastal Defence Exercise was conceptualised in 2018 to validate
various measures that have been instituted towards enhancing maritime security since
#26/11!.
• The concept of #Sea Vigil!" is to activate the Coastal Security apparatus across India and
assess the overarching Coastal Defence mechanism.
• The exercise is undertaken along the entire 7516 km coastline and Exclusive Economic
Zone of India and involves all the Coastal States and Union territories along with other
maritime stakeholders, including the shing and coastal communities.
• The exercise is being conducted by the Indian Navy in coordination with the Coast Guard and
other ministries entrusted with the task of maritime activities.
• The exercise is a build up towards the major Theatre Level Readiness Operational Exercise
(TROPEX), which the Indian Navy conducts every two years.
• Sea Vigil and TROPEX together will cover the entire spectrum Maritime Security challenges.
Walong Mela
Indian Army has recently organised Walong Mela in continuation of Diamond Jubilee celebrations
of Battle of Walong.
What is it?
• It aims to commemorate the unsurpassable bravery & sacri ce of the Indian Army while
defending the Indian Territory against the Chinese aggression of 1962.
• The aim of the Mela was to familiarise the public with the Indian Army & to encourage a
sense of belongingness & togetherness.
Battle of Walong -
• Walong is one of India!s easternmost villages in Arunachal Pradesh.
• In the 1962 India-China War, the Indian Army defended against China in all sectors except
one — Arunachal Pradesh!s Walong.
• The Battle of Walong was the only counterattack India could manage in the war.
• Indian Army held back the Chinese troops for 27 days, which forced the Chinese to deploy its
reserve division from Tawang to Walong.
Agni-3 Missile
India has recently carried out a successful launch of Agni-3 Intermediate Range Ballistic
Missile from A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha.
Details -
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• It was launched as part of routine user training launches carried out under the aegis of the
Strategic Forces Command.
• India has also completed its nuclear triad and operationalised its second-strike capability,
with nuclear ballistic missile submarine INS Arihant undertaking deterrence patrols.
• A nuclear triad is a three-pronged military structure that consists of land-launched nuclear

missiles, nuclear-submarines and aircraft with nuclear missiles.
• A second-strike capability assures an ability to respond to a nuclear attack with powerful

nuclear retaliation.
About Agni missiles -
• It was initially conceived in the IGMDP as a technology demonstrator project in the form of a
re-entry vehicle, and was later upgraded to a ballistic missile with di erent ranges.
• A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a
target.
• These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods and most of the ight is
unpowered.
• The Agni missile is a family of medium to intercontinental range ballistic missiles, named
after one of the ve elements of nature.
• Agni missiles are long range, nuclear weapons capable, surface to surface ballistic
missiles.
• The rst missile of the series, Agni-I was developed under the lGMDP and tested in 1989.
• After its success, the Agni missile program was separated from the IGMDP upon realising its
strategic importance.
• The Agni series of missiles constitute the backbone of India!s nuclear weapons delivery
which also includes the Prithvi short range ballistic missiles and ghter aircraft.
About ‘Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme’ (IGMDP) -
• It was conceived by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to enable India attain self-su ciency in eld of
missile technology. It was approved by Government of India in 1983 and completed in March
2012.
• The 5 missiles (P-A-T-N-A) developed under this program are -
• Prithvi: Short range surface to surface ballistic missile.
• Agni: Ballistic missiles with di erent ranges, i.e. Agni (1,2,3,4,5)
• Trishul: Short range low level surface to air missile.
• Nag: 3rd generation anti-tank missile.
• Akash: Medium range surface to air missile.
About ‘Strategic Forces Command’ -
• The SFC is a tri-Service command that forms part of India!s Nuclear Command Authority
(NCA).
• It was created on January 4, 2003 by an executive order of Cabinet Committee on Security

(CCS) headed by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• Function - It is responsible for the management and administration of the country!s tactical and
strategic nuclear weapons stockpile.
• It is headed by a Commander-in-Chief of the rank of Air Marshal.
Dark Net
Union Home Minister Amit Shah while addressing a session on Global Trends in Terrorist
Financing and Terrorism!" at #No Money for Terror!" Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism
Financing in New Delhi, has stressed on the need for coordinated e orts to deal with the
challenges posed by the use of dark net and virtual currencies like cryptocurrency by the
terrorists.
What is ‘dark net’?

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• Dark Net (or Darknet), also known as the dark web, refers to the deep hidden internet
platform that is used for narcotics sale, exchange of pornographic content and other illegal
activities by using the secret alleys of the onion router (ToR) to stay away from the surveillance
of law enforcement agencies.
• Darknet is the part of the Internet below the private deep web that uses custom software and
hidden networks superimposed on the architecture of the Internet.
• Owing to its end-to-end encryption, darknet is considered very tough to crack when it comes
to investigating criminal activities being rendered over it.
How it operates?
• The darkweb operates in secrecy using specialised browsers, that prevent eavesdropping
and tra c analysis attacks.
• It is very tough to penetrate owing to its end-to-end encryption.
• The access to darknet is possible only through specialised browsers like Tor, Freenet, I2P and
Tails to surf the darknet anonymously.
• Tor (The Onion Router) is free and open-source software for enabling anonymous
communication.
• The privacy-centric browser like Tor routes the web page requests through proxy servers thus
making your IP address untraceable.
The dark web v/s the deep web -
• Both the dark and deep web share one thing in common: Neither can be found in search
engine results.
• The di erence between them primarily lies in how their content is accessed.
• Deep web pages can be accessed by anyone with a standard web browser who knows the
URL.
• Dark web pages, in contrast, require special software with the correct decryption key, as
well as access rights and knowledge of where to nd the content.
Battle of Rezang La
November 18, 2022, is the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Rezang La, one of the few bright
spots in the War of 1962 with China.
About the ‘Battle of Rezang La’ -
• The Battle of RezangLa is an epic battle Indian Army ever fought in hostile conditions in
eastern Ladakh region.
• RezangLa showed sheer tenacity and valour of the soldiers of #Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon
Regiment’ of the Indian Army.
• Sixty years ago on the morning of November 18th, erce ght broke when over Five thousand
Chinese with heavy artillery support have attacked Charlie Company, protecting the air eld of
Chushul.
• 120 brave soldiers of Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon Regiment led by commanding o cer
Major Shaitan Singh had delivered the heaviest blow to the Chinese People!s Liberation Army,
by killing over thousand Chinese soldiers in the ght.
• As many as 114 soldiers of C company died ghting.
• The bravery of Indian soldiers in this battle forced China to declared cease re.
Indo-Paci c Regional Dialogue

The fourth edition of the Indo-Paci c Regional Dialogue (IPRD) will start in Delhi on November
23, 2022.
Details -
• IPRD is an apex level international annual conference of the Indian Navy.
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• The idea of an annual IPRD was rst conceptualised and conducted in 2018, as the apex level
conference of the Indian Navy.
• The National Maritime Foundation is Navy!s knowledge partner and chief organiser of each
edition of the event.
• The theme of IPRD-2022 is the 'Operationalising the Indo-Paci c Oceans Initiative'.
• Objective — To provide a platform to focus attention on the Indo-Paci c, as a maritime

geographical-entity, while deliberating aspects of great relevance to regional geopolitics.
• Previous sessions —
• The rst two editions of IPRD were held in 2018 and 2019 respectively in New Delhi,
however, IPRD 2020 was cancelled due to Covid-19.
• The third edition of IPRD was held in 2021 in online mode.
• Permanent theme — Review of India!s opportunities and challenges in the Indo-Paci c region.
• It is focused on seven interconnected spokes or pillars —
• Maritime Security,
• Maritime Ecology,
• Maritime Resources,
• Disaster Risk-reduction and Management,
• Trade-Connectivity and Maritime Transport,
• Capacity-building and Resource sharing, and
• Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation.
• The six sessions of the IPRD-2022 are —
• Weaving the Fabric of Holistic Maritime Security in the Indo-Paci c: Multilateral Options,
• Constructing Holistic-Security Bridges across the Western and Eastern Maritime Expanse
of the Indo-Paci c,
• Building maritime Connectivity: Ports, Trade, and Transport,
• Capacity-building and Capability Enhancement Leveraging the Physical and Social

Sciences,
• Practical approaches to a Regional Blue Economy,
• Disaster Risk-reduction and Management, Solutions for Small Island Developing States
(SIDS) and Vulnerable Littoral States.
Exercise Garuda Shakti

A contingent of Indian Special Forces troops have participated in a bilateral joint training Exercise
GARUDA SHAKTI.
Details -
• It is a joint training exercise between Indian Special Forces and the Indonesian Special
Forces.
• It is held at Sangga Buana Training Area, in Karawang, Indonesia.
• The Exercise is the eighth edition of the series of bilateral exercises under this banner and
this is a part of military-to-military exchange programs.
• It aims at enhancing understanding, cooperation and interoperability between the Special

Forces of both armies.
Cryptology
Recently, The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), organised #National Workshop on
Cryptology (NWC)!.
Details -
• The workshop was conducted as part of the #Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav!" with the theme
#Advancements in Cryptology for enhancing security & privacy in communication networks!.
• NWC 2022 aimed to bring all the relevant stakeholders on a common platform to deliberate
upon various contemporary themes in the eld of Cryptology spanning Cyber Security,
Quantum Computing, Post-Quantum Cryptography.
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• Cryptography, or cryptology is the practice and study of techniques for secure
communication in the presence of adversarial behaviour.
Di erence between Cryptography and Cryptology —
• Cryptography —
• It is the study of conversion of plain text (readable format) to ciphertext (non-readable format)
i.e. encryption. It is also called the study of encryption.
• It takes place on the sender side.
• In Cryptography, sender sends the message to receiver.
• Cryptology is the parent of Cryptography.
• Cryptology —
• It is the study of the conversion of plain text to ciphertext and vice versa. It is also called the
study of encryption and decryption.
• It takes place on the sender and receiver side.
• In Cryptology, both sender and receiver send messages to each other.
About the ‘C-DOT’ -
• Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) was established in August 1984 as an

autonomous Telecom R&D centre of DoT, Govt. of India.
• It is a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• It is a registered #public funded research institution! with the Department of Scienti c and
Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology.
• Hailed as the progenitor of the Indigenous Telecom Revolution in the nation, C-DOT, with
more than 3 decades of its relentless R&D e orts in the indigenous design, development and
production of telecom technologies especially suited to the Indian landscape, have been in the
technology forefront and has signi cantly contributed to the Indian Telecom Network!s
Digitisation.
• C-DOT as a torch bearer of indigenous telecom R&D continues to develop latest technology
products in areas like Optical, Switching, Wireless, Security and Network Management while
also working on futuristic technologies like M2M/IOT, 5G, AI, etc.
• C-DOT reiterates its unequivocal commitment to the betterment of country!s telecom

sector by working towards realising the objectives of various agship programs of the
Government of India that include Digital India, Make in India, BharatNet, Skill India, Startup
India and Smart Cities.
Exercise Naseem al Bahr 2022
The Indian Navy and Royal Oman Navy have participated in the 13th Edition of the bilateral
exercise #Naseem Al Bahr!"(Sea Breeze).
Details -
• Ex-Naseem Al Bahr initiated in 1993, symbolises the long term strategic relationship between
the two countries. This year marks 30 years of IN-RNO bilateral exercises.
• Oman is the rst country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which has been in
conducting bilateral exercises with India jointly.
• Both countries already have Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) including on defence

cooperation, between the Coast Guards to prevent crime at sea, on maritime issues and a
protocol between their respective air forces on Flight Safety Information Exchange.
Ikshak
Recently, Indian Navy launched #Ikshak!, the third of the four survey vessels (Large) project at
Kattupalli in Tamil Nadu.
Details -
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• The ship, named 'Ikshak' which means 'Guide', is being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders
and Engineers (GRSE) and Larson and Toubro (L&T).
• The ship's name honours the role that Survey ships have played in ensuring the safety of
mariners when at sea.
• The rst of class ship 'Sandhayak' was launched on December 5, 2021 at GRSE, Kolkata. SVL
ships will replace the existing Sandhayak Class survey ships with new generation
hydrographic equipment to collect oceanographic data.
About the ship -
• The Survey Vessel (Large) ships are 110 m long, and 16 m wide with a deep displacement of
3400 tons and a complement of 231 personnel.
• The ship's propulsion system consists of two main engines with twin shafts, each capable of a
maximum speed of 18 knots and a cruise speed of 14 knots.
Austra Hind 2022

The bilateral training exercise $AUSTRA HIND 22” between contingents of the Indian Army and
the Australian Army is scheduled to take place at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges (Rajasthan).
About the exercise -
• Aim of the exercise is to build positive military relations, imbibe each other!s best practices and
promote the ability to operate together while undertaking multi-domain operations in Semi
deserts terrain under a UN peace enforcement mandate.
• This is the rst exercise in the series of AUSTRA HIND with participation of all arms and services
contingent from both armies.
• AUSTRA HIND” will be a yearly event that will be conducted alternatively in India and
Australia.
• The joint exercise, besides promoting understanding and interoperability between the two
armies, will further help in strengthening ties between India and Australia.
ALH MkIII Helicopters

In a major boost to further strengthening the Coast Guard Region East, 840 Sqn (CG), an Indian
Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mk-III squadron, was commissioned at ICG Air
Station, Chennai.
About the ALH MkIII Helicopters -
• The ALH MK III helicopters have been indigenously manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited (HAL).
• They feature state-of-the-art equipment including advanced RADAR as well as Electro optical
sensors, Shakti engines, full glass cockpit, high-intensity searchlight, advanced communication
systems, automatic identi cation system as well as search-and-rescue homer.
• The features enable them to undertake maritime reconnaissance as well as carry out SAR at
extended ranges even while operating from ships during both day and night.
• The aircraft has the ability to switch roles from an o ensive platform with a heavy machine
gun to that of a benign one carrying a Medical Intensive Care Unit to facilitate the transfer of
critically ill patients.
• A total of 16 ALH Mk-III aircraft have been inducted into the Indian Coast Guard in a phased
manner and four of these aircraft are positioned in Chennai.
Harimau Shakti 2022

India-Malaysia joint military Exercise $Harimau Shakti-2022” has commenced at Pulai, Kluang,
Malaysia.
Details -
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• Exercise HARIMAU SHAKTI is an annual training event between the Indian and Malaysian
Army which is being conducted since 2012.
• Combat-experienced troops of the GARHWAL RIFLES Regiment of Indian Army and the Royal
Malay Regiment of the Malaysian Army are participating in the exercise this year to share
experiences gained during operations in order to enhance inter-operability in planning &
execution of various operations in jungle terrain.
• The scope of this exercise involves a Command Planning Exercise (CPX) at the Battalion level
and Company level Field Training Exercise (FTX) on sub-conventional operations in jungle
terrain.
Samanvay 2022
Indian Air Force is conducting the Annual Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
(HADR) Exercise $Samanvay 2022” from 28th to 30th November 2022 at Air Force Station in
Agra.
About ‘Samanvay’ -
• The exercise aims to provide a unique platform for the exchange of domain knowledge,
experience and best practices with the participating Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) member countries.
• Various representatives of the ASEAN countries have been participating in the exercise.
• The aim of the exercise includes assessing the e cacy of institutional Disaster Management
structures and contingency measures.
• The exercise will promote a synergistic approach by involving various institutions like the Armed
Forces, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Disaster Response Force
(NDRF), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Border Roads Organisation
(BRO), India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Civil Administration.
• The exercise would aid in the evolution of institutional frameworks for e ective
communication, interoperability, cooperation and their application for the successful conduct of
HADR.
Disaster Management in India -
• In India, NDMA is the apex statutory body for disaster management.
• It was formally constituted on 27th September 2006, in accordance with the Disaster
Management Act, 2005 with Prime Minister as its Chairperson.
• Indian defence forces, under the aegis of Headquarters Integrated Defence Sta (HQ IDS),
have been carrying out HADR operations within the country as well as outside the country.
• The defence forces can deliver during various HADR contingencies because of their
expertise in damage assessment, evacuation, setting up of relief infrastructure, restoring
communication and providing medical facilities, distributing ration supplies, clothing etc.
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What is an ‘electoral bond’?

• A citizen of India or a body incorporated in India is eligible to purchase the bond.

• SBI is the only bank authorised to sell these bonds.

Performance Grading Index

About the ‘Performance Grading Index’ -

• The Performance Grading Index is an annual publication, released by the Ministry of

• Uni ed District Information System for Education Plus,

• National Achievement Survey, and

• Access (e.g., enrolment ratio, transition rate and retention rate);

• Infrastructure & Facilities;

• Learning outcomes (average score in mathematics, science, languages and social

What does the Grading system re ect?

• Level II indicates a score between 901 and 950.

About PGI 2020-21 -

• Initiated in 2012-13 by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of

• Signi cance — Well-functioning and Sustainable Educational Management Information System

• Enrollment in government schools —

• Uttar Pradesh witnessed the highest number of enrolment of students in government

• Overall school infrastructure — It has improved, especially in availability of electricity, drinking

What is a ‘deemed university’?

• According to the Ministry of Education, an Institution of Higher Education (other than

Salient features of the regulations -

• Making multi-disciplinary institutions or a cluster of them, with a minimum of ve

• Such applicants are granted deemed status under #De Novo!

• Government or UGC can conduct enquiry or inspection on complaints in matters of

• In case of violations of the regulations, graded penalties have been introduced.

About the UGC -

• It recommended the formation of a University Grants Committee, which was established in

• It is set up by the Ministry of Education's Department of Higher Education.

Atal New India Challenge

• Indo-German development cooperation project #Economic Empowerment of Women

• Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) —

Urban Mobility India Conference

About the ‘Urban Mobility India Conference’ -

Innovations for You

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) -

• Mission HQ — New Delhi.

• It has two core Functions —

1. Entrepreneurship promotion through Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation wherein

2. Innovation promotion to provide a platform where innovative ideas are generated.

Target Olympic Podium Scheme

About TOPS scheme -

• TOPS Elite Athletes!"Identi cation Committee —

• MYAS is responsible for appointment of TOPS members with emphasis on ensuring

National Sports Awards 2022

Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals

Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals -

Sustainable Development Goals -

Draft Digital Data Protection Bill

Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022 -

National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards 2021

• Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards are given every year.

• It aims to recognise the achievements of persons in the elds of adventure, to encourage

Why is November 26 observed as Constitution Day?

Interesting facts about the Constitution of India -

RAJ MALHOTRA’S IAS ACADEMY, CHANDIGARH 

• It supported around 42.67 million jobs or 8.1% of total employment during that period.