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Table of Contents
Economy
1. Competitiveness Roadmap for India@100
Report……………………….………………….…………….6
2. Bhang, ganja, and criminality in the NDPS
Act………………………………………………………………6
3. India becomes the world’s 5th largest
economy…………….…………….…………….…….……7
4. Nano Urea…………….…………….………..……….……7
5. Kurki…………….…………….…………….……….……….8
6. Coarse Cereals…………….…………….………….…….8
7. Kirit Parikh Committee…………….………………….9
8. US Start-up SETU…………….…………….…….………9
9. Human Development Report 2021-22………….9
10. Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Scheme…10
11. Shell Company…………….…………………………….10
12. AT-1 Bonds…………….…………….……………..…….11
13. Financial Intermediary Fund……………………...11
14. World’s first fleet of fully hydrogen-powered
trains…………….…………….………………….…………12
15. Natural Rubber (NR) Plantation…………..…….12
16. Windfall tax…………….…………….………………….13
17. i-Banks…………….…………….…………….……………13
18. Apricot…………….………………………….…………….14
19. Traffic Separation Scheme………………..….……14
20. Board of Trade…………….…………….………………14
21. Financial Stability and Development
Council………………………………………………….…..15
22. Green Fins Hub…………….…………….…………..…16
23. M Damodaran committee………………………….16
24. Shallow Water Mining…………….……..………….17
25. India’s First Lithium Cell Plant……………..…….17
26. Small Company…………….……………..….…………18
27. National Logistics Policy 2022……………..…….18
28. Technical Textiles…………….…….………….………19
29. PRANAM Scheme…………….……….……….………19
30. Hedge Fund…………….…………….……….………….20
31. Current Account Deficit…………….……………….21
32. Ethereum Merger…………….………….…….………21
33. SCALE App…………….…………….…………………….22
34. Amendments in IBBI Regulations……………….22
35. Shrinkflation…………….…………….……..………….23
36. National programme on High Efficiency Solar
PV Modules…………….…………….…………….…….23
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37. Draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022..24
38. Moonlighting…………….…………….…….………….25
39. Settlement of Accounts…………….……………….25
40. Special Assistance to States for Capital
Investment 2022-23…………….…………………….25
41. Banking System Liquidity…………….…………….26
42. Dibang Hydel Project…………………..…………….26
43. CANTILLON EFFECT…………….……………….…….27
44. WORK FROM HOME (WFH) NORMS………..…27
45. MARINE PRODUCTS EXPORT DEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY (MPEDA) …………….……..………….27
46. INTEREST SUBVENTION FOR AGRICULTURE
LOAN…………….…………….…………….…….……….28
Environment
1. Whale…………….…………….…………….…………….30
2. National Clean Air Programme……………….….30
3. Climate reparations…………….…………………….31
4. Flue Gas Desulphurisation…………………………31
5. Red-Eared Slider Turtles…………….………..……32
6. Cyborg cockroaches…………….…………….………32
7. Swachh Amrit Mahotsav………………...…………33
8. Global Alliance for Industry
Decarbonization………………………………………..33
9. Miyawaki Technique…………….……….………….34
10. Trees Outside Forests in India Initiative……..34
11. Asiatic Caracal…………………………….…………….35
12. World Ozone Day…………….…………………….….35
13. Project Cheetah…………………………..…………….36
14. Legacy Waste…………….…………….…….………….37
15. Global Registry of Fossil Fuels………………..….37
16. Dugong Conservation Reserve………….……….37
17. Typhloesus…………….…………..……….…………….38
18. Tomistoma…………….…………………...…………….38
19. Fridays for Future…………….…………………….….39
20. Broad-billed sandpiper………………..….…………39
21. Rotterdam Convention…………….………..………40
22. Madhav National Park…………….…………….….40
23. Silphion…………….…………….…………….………….41
24. Neelakurinji Flower…………….…………………….41

Science and Technology
1.
2.
NASA’s Artemis Programme………………..…….42
Hand, foot, and mouth disease………………….42
3. Anti-radiation pills……………..……………………..43
4. Cervavac…………….…………….……………………….44
5. MOXIE…………….……………….………….…………….44
6. Dark Sky Reserve………….………………….……….44
7. Women in Engineering, Science, and
Technology Initiative…………….………….……….45
8. Legionnaires Disease…………………..…………….45
9. Floppy Disks…………………………….….…………….46
10. QIMINGXING 50…………….………………………….46
11. Einstein Ring…………………….…………….…………47
12. Inouye Solar Telescope………….……….…………47
13. Quantum Computing…………………..…………….48
14. Rabies Disease…………………………….…………….48
15. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T Cell T
Therapy…………….…………………….….…………….49
16. CRISPR Technology…………….………….….………49
17. Extended reality…………….………………….………50
18. SOVA virus attack…………….……………….……….50
19. e-SIM Technology……………………….…………….50
20. Ebola Virus Disease…………….……………….…….51
21. Double Asteroid Redirection Test……………...51
22. BrahMos Missiles…………….……….……….………52
23. RH-200…………….…………….………………………….52
24. NavIC…………….…………….………………..………….53
25. SMALL MODULAR REACTORS…………………….54
26. QUANTUM KEY DISTRIBUTION (QKD)……..…54
27. DRAFT GUIDELINES ON ANONYMISATION OF
DATA (AOD) …………….……………………………….55
28. ROSHINI…………….…………….……………………….55
29. BETELGEUSE…………….……………………………….56
30. VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS/KALAAZAR……….56
Geography
1. Atal Bridge…………….………………………………….57
2. Super Typhoon Hinnamnor………………..………57
3. Sentosa Island…………….…………….……..……….57
4. Vembanad Lake…………….…………….…………….58
5. Dvorak Technique…………….…………….…………58
6. Machilipatnam Seaport……………….…………….59
7. Loktak Lake…………….…………………..…………….59
8. Thamirabarani River…………….…………..……….60
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9. Ram Setu…………….…………………..….…………….60
Polity
1. Landmark Mary Roy case in SC……………….….62
2. Can Civil Servants express their personal
views…………….…………….…………………………….62
3. Grievance Redressal Index 2022…………………62
4. Preventive Detention………………….…………….63
5. Wikipedia…………….…………….……………….…….63
6. Article 341…………….…………….…………………….64
7. Registered Unrecognized Political
Parties(RUPPs) …………….…………….………..……65
8. ECI Seeks Limit on Cash Donations…….………65
9. Article 192 (2) of the Constitution………………66
10. Attorney General of India………………….………66
International Relations
1. UN High Seas Treaty…………….…………..……….68
2. International Monetary Fund…………………….68
3. OPEC+…………….…………….…………….……….……68
4. Agreement for Kushiyara River………………….69
5. Eastern Economic Forum…………….……….……69
6. India Ideas Summit…………….…………….…….…70
7. Nuclear Proliferation Treaty………………..…….70
8. Gulf Cooperation Council……………….….………70
9. Indo-Pacific Economic Forum…………………….71
10. G-20…………….…………….……………….…………….71
11. SCO Summit 2022…………….…………….….………72
12. International Treaty on Plant Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture…….…….73
13. Asian Development Bank (ADB) …………….….73
14. International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD) …………….…………….…….74
15. Asia-pacific Institute of Broadcasting
Development…………….………………..…………….74
16. UNSC…………….…………….…………….………………75
17. International conference on Consciousness.75
18. Group of Four(G4) …………….………………...……75
19. Asian Palm Oil Alliance…………………………..….76
20. Caribbean Community Nations………………….77
21. International Solar Alliance……………………….77
22. COMMON SECURITY…………….…………..……….78
23. INDIA-MAURITIUS CECPA…………………………..78
24. RULES OF ORIGIN (ROO) ………………..….………79
 25. NEW STRATEGIC ARMS REDUCTION TREATY
(NEW START) TREATY…………….…………….……79 History and Culture
1. Uighur…………….………….….…………….……………94

Society 2.
3.
Nuakhai festival…………….…………….……………94
V. O. Chidambaram…………….……….…………….94
1. Special Marriage Act,1954…………………..…….80 4. UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities..95
2. PARAKH…………….………………………..…………….80 5. Shumang Leela…………….…………………..……….95
3. SPARK Program…………….……………………………81 6. Liberation of Hyderabad…………….…….……….96
4. Clustering of colleges…………………..…………….81 7. Mohenjo-daro…………………………….…………….96
5. PM SHRI Schools………………………….…………….82 8. Martand Temple in Kashmir…………………..….97
6. BPaL…………….………………………….….…………….82 9. Basilica of Bom Jesus…………….………….……….97
7. Conversion or reparative therapy………………83 10. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose………..……...……98
8. The Gender Snapshot 2022………………………..83 11. Dara Shikoh…………….…………….………………….98
9. Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana..84 12. Ajanta Caves…………….……………..….…………….99
10. National List of Essential Medicines…..………84 13. Hoysala Temples…………….……………………….100
11. Cognitive Dissonance…………………..…………….84 14. Geographical Indication (GI) Tag…….……….100
12. Ramakrishna Mission’s Awakening 15. Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker…………….100
Programme…………….…………………..……….……85 16. National Maritime Heritage Complex………101
13. INSPIRE Awards………………………………..……….86 17. Annabhau Sathe…………….…………….……….…101
14. National Assessment and Accreditation 18. List of Scheduled Tribes…………….…….………102
Council…………….………………………….…………….86 19. Qutb Shahi Tombs…………………….…………….103
15. Child Welfare Committee Norms……………….87 20. Kedarnath Temple…………….…………………….103
16. India Hypertension Control Initiative……..….88 21. Kurmi community…………….………….………….103
17. Operation Megh-Chakra…………….……………..88 22. Ambedkar Circuit…………….………..………….…104
18. PROGRESS ON WASH IN HEALTHCARE 23. Nizam’s Sword…………….………………..…………104
FACILITIES, 2000–2021 REPORT………………….88 24. 12000-year-old artifacts…………………..………105
25. Carbon dating…………….…………..……….………105
26. Bhagat Singh…………….………………..……………106
Security 27. Dada Saheb Phalke Award……………………….106
28. Bathukamma Festival…………….……….……….106
1. Exercise Synergy…………….…………….……………89 29. Mahakaleshwar Temple……………….….………107
2. Chinook Helicopters…………….…………………….89 30. ASI at Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve…….……107
3. Crime Multi Agency Centre Portal……………..89 31. ADICHANALLUR…………….……………….………..108
4. Exercise Vostok…………….………………….……….90
5. Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator….………90
6. Virtual Cyber Exercise on Ransomware Miscellaneous
Resilience…………….……………………..…………….91
7. Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile 1. Make forensic probe mandatory………….….109
(QRSAM) System…………….……………..….………91 2. Greening Initiatives of India’s Coal Sector..109
8. Taragiri…………….…………….………………..……….91 3. Methamphetamine………………………………….109
9. Exercise JIMEX…………….…………….………………92 4. Animal Birth Control Rules, 2022.…………….110
10. Exercise Kakadu…………….…………….……….……92 5. Indian Navy Ensign…………….……………..…….110
11. Very Short Range Air Defense 6. Stockholm Junior Water Prize………………….111
System(VSHORADS) …………….……………………93 7. Seat belts…………….…………….………………..….111
12. Carl-Gustaf M4…………….……………..…………….93 8. Rule Curve…………….………………….…………….112
9. iNCOVACC…………….…………….………….……….112
10. Kartavya Path…………….…………….…….……….112

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 11. US CHIPS Act…………….……………….…………….113 23. Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited.117
12. Operation London Bridge………….…….………113 24. Hybrid Propulsion System………………….…….118
13. Diamond League…………….………………….……113 25. Popular Front of India…………….……………….118
14. Vande Bharat Express…………….……………….114 26. Tourist Tax…………….…………….………………….118
15. Operation Gear Box…………….………………….114 27. AVGAS 100 LL…………………………….…………….119
16. National Metallurgist Award 2022…….……115 28. AgriAdapt…………….………………………………….119
17. Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme…….……115 29. White Fly…………….…………………….…………….119
18. Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav………………...……116 30. JALDOOT App…………….…………………..……….120
19. Colour revolutions…………….…………….………116 31. IMEI number…………….…………………….………120
20. KRITAGYA 3.0…………….……………..…………….116
21. UNSC resolution 1267…………….……………….117
22. Numaligarh Refinery………………………...…….117

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Economy
1. Competitiveness Roadmap for India@100 Report

Why in News?
Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister(EAC-PM) has released the ‘Competitiveness Roadmap for India@100’
Report.
About

• Prepared by➔ EAC-PM in collaboration with the Institute for Competitiveness and Michael E. Porter and Dr.
Christian Ketels from Harvard Business School.
• Purpose ➔ To guide the path of India to become a higher-income economy by 2047, when the country will mark
its 100th year of Independence.

👉 Key suggestions given by the report?

• Productivity ➔ The report puts forth the idea of productivity as a driver of sustained prosperity. It emphasizes that
a nation is able to provide firms to be more productive and for individuals to be able to participate in the value
generated through their productivity.
• 4S Principles ➔ The report shows the way for India to become a high-income country through sector-specific and
region-specific policies based on the ‘4S’ principles.
• In the 4S principles, the first one talks about prosperity to be matched by ‘social’ progress. The second states that
growth needs to be ‘shared‘ across all regions. The third is to be environmentally ‘sustainable‘ and the fourth is to
be ‘solid‘ in the face of external shocks.

2. Bhang, ganja, and criminality in the NDPS Act

Why in News?
Recently, Karnataka High Court said that Bhang is nowhere referred to as a prohibited drink or prohibited drug as per
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
About

• Bhang is the edible preparation made from the leaves of the cannabis plant, often incorporated into drinks such as
thandai and lassi, along with various foods.
• Bhang has been consumed in the Indian subcontinent for centuries and is frequently consumed during the festivals
of Holi and Mahashivratri.

👉 NDPS Act

• NDPS Act was enacted in 1985. It is the main legislation that deals with drugs and their trafficking.
• Various provisions of the Act punish the production, manufacture, sale, possession, consumption, purchase,
transport, and use of banned drugs except for medical and scientific purposes.

👉 Cannabis under the NDPS act

• The NDPS Act defines cannabis (hemp) as a narcotic drug based on the parts of the plant that come under its
purview.
• The Act lists these parts as 1) Charas, 2) Ganja, and c) any mixture with or without any neutral material, of any of
the above forms of cannabis or any drink prepared therefrom.
• Note ➔ Bhang which is made with the leaves of the plant, is not mentioned in the NDPS Act.
• Exemptions ➔ The Act states that the government may allow cultivation of any cannabis plant for industrial
purposes only of obtaining fibre or seed or for horticultural purposes.
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• Cannabis and Penalty ➔ Section 20 of the NDPS Act lays out the punishment for the production, manufacture, sale,
purchase, import and interstate export of cannabis, as defined in the Act. The prescribed punishment is based on
the number of drugs seized.

👉 Initiatives to Tackle Drug Addiction

• The Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) was constituted in 2016 and the scheme of “Financial Assistance to States
for Narcotics Control” was revived.
• Seizure Information Management System will create a complete online database of drug offences and offenders.
• National Drug Abuse Survey to measure trends of drug abuse in India through the Ministry of Social Justice &
Empowerment with the help of National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of AIIMS.

3. India becomes the world’s 5th largest economy

Why in News?
According to Bloomberg Report, India outpaced England during the preceding three months of 2021.
About

• India has become the fifth biggest economy during the last three months of 2021 pushing the United Kingdom to
the sixth spot.
• This is the second time India has beaten the UK in terms of economy with the first one being in 2019.
• The size of the Indian economy in “nominal” cash terms in the quarter through March was $854.7 billion. On the
same basis, the UK was $816 billion.
• Hence, now India trails behind the United States, China, Japan and Germany in terms of economy.
• A decade ago, India’s rank was 11th among the world’s largest economies, while the UK used to stand firm at
Number five.
• Moreover, the UK is currently seeing its inflation grow at the fastest pace in four decades, and also faces a threat of
a recession that may last well into 2024. On the contrary, the Indian economy is forecast to grow more than 7% this
year.

4. Nano Urea
Why in News?
Nano Urea (a fertilizer) has been approved by the government for commercial use because of its potential to substantially
reduce the import bill, but several experts have questioned the science underlying its efficacy.

About

• It is essentially urea in the form of a nanoparticle.

• Urea is chemical nitrogen fertilizer, white in colour which artificially provides nitrogen, a major nutrient required by
plants.
• Purpose ➔ It has been developed to reduce the burden of urea subsidy, reduce the unbalanced and indiscriminate
use of conventional urea, increase crop productivity and reduce soil, water, and air pollution.
• Developed by ➔ Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO)’s Nano Biotechnology Research Center(NBRC) at
Kalol.

👉 Advantages

• Higher Efficiency ➔ While conventional urea has an efficiency of about 25%, the efficiency of liquid nano urea can
be as high as 85-90%.

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• Gets Directly absorbed by plant ➔ Conventional urea fails to have the desired impact on crops as it is often applied
incorrectly and the nitrogen in it is vaporized or lost as a gas. On the other hand, liquid nano urea is sprayed directly
on the leaves and gets absorbed by the plant.
• Higher Shelf Life ➔ Liquid nano urea has a shelf life of a year and farmers need not be worried about “caking” when
it comes in contact with moisture.
• No Burden of Urea Subsidy ➔ Liquid nano urea produced by IFFCO comes in a half-litre bottle priced at Rs 240, and
carries no burden of subsidy currently. By contrast, a farmer pays around Rs 300 for a 50-kg bag of heavily subsidized
urea.

5. Kurki
Why in News?
A farmer, who had been sitting on a dharna against kurki orders for his land based on a court case filed against him by
the local moneylender for defaulting on loan payment, had died by suicide.
About

• Kurki means attachment of a farmer’s land, already pledged to the money lending institution or individual, in case
of a loan default.
• Apart from banks, private moneylenders, commission agents also get these decrees against farmers from time to
time.
o Execution of kurki - Kurki orders are executed under Section 60 of Civil Procedure Code, 1908.
o The land which is pledged by the farmer to the bank or money lender gets registered in their name.
o In some cases, the land is auctioned as well.
o The process begins after the moneylender moves court to get kurki orders in case the farmer is unable to
pay back his loan.
o In kurki, attachment of farmer’s land as well as his tractor can be done as per the Section 60.
• Attempts to ban Kurki ➔ In 2017, Punjab abolished the Section 67-A of Punjab Cooperative Societies Act that
enabled cooperatives to recover unpaid loans through auctioning of mortgaged land of farmers.
o However, Section 63-B, 63-C of the Act weren’t dropped to prevent attachment of land. This was the reason
that farmers keep getting kurki orders.
o A plea filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2018 sought complete ban on kurki.
• Reality ➔ Farmers point out that they are made to give post-dated cheques for loan, which are then used to get
arrest orders issued in cheque bounce cases.
o Moneylenders also use promissory notes (pronotes) signed by the farmers in order to get kurki orders.

6. Coarse Cereals
Why in News?
The Government of India is considering pushing toward coarse cereals as climate change is affecting wheat and paddy
cultivation.

About

• Coarse cereals are a broad sub-group of several short-duration warm weather (Kharif) crops such as Jowar
(Sorghum), Bajra (Pearl Millet), Maize, Ragi (Finger Millet) etc.
• They are used in food, fodder, fuel; value added products and also fast food products.
• In India, coarse cereals are mainly grown in poor agro-climatic regions, particularly rainfed areas of the country.
• These crops are grown in areas with high temperatures and are called dryland crops because they can be grown in
areas with 50-100 cm rainfall.
• These crops are also less sensitive to soil deficiencies and can be grown in an inferior alluvial or loamy soil.

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👉 Coarse Cereals Production in India

• Coarse cereals have been sown in 17.63 million hectares in 2022 as against 16.93 million hectares in 2021.
• About 50 million tonnes of coarse cereals are produced in the country at present. Maize and millets are grown the
most.
• The major coarse cereals growing states in India are Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh and Gujarat.

7. Kirit Parikh Committee

Why in News?
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has set up a Committee under noted energy expert Kirit Parikh to review the
current gas pricing formula.
About

• Composition ➔ The committee, headed by energy expert Kirit Parikh, will include members from the fertiliser
ministry, gas producers and buyers.
• Objective ➔ The panel has been asked to recommend a fair price to end-consumers and also suggest a "market-
oriented, transparent and reliable pricing regime for India's long-term vision for ensuring a gas-based economy,
• It is aimed at lowering inflation and boosting use of cleaner fuel.

8. US Start-up SETU
Why in News?
The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry recently launched the US Startup SETU - Supporting Entrepreneurs in
Transformation and Upskilling programme in the Bay Area of San Francisco, United States of America.
About

• SETU or Supporting Entrepreneurs in Transformation and Upskilling is an Indian government initiative under
Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
• The initiative would connect start-ups in India to US-based investors and start-up ecosystem leaders with
mentorship and assistance in various areas including funding, market access and commercialization.
• Significance ➔
o To break the geographical barriers between US mentors willing to invest in entrepreneurship and sunrise
startups in India.
o The interaction will be supported through the mentorship portal under the Startup India initiative MAARG,
or the Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance, Resilience, and Growth program, which is a single-stop solution
finder for startups in India.

9. Human Development Report 2021-22

Why in News?
Recently, the Human Development Report 2021-22 was released by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
About

• Background ➔ In 1990, Pakistani economist Mahbub -ul-Haq developed the Human Development Index (HDI).
• Released by: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• It measures average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development,
o A long and healthy life,
o Access to education and

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 o A decent standard of living.
• It is calculated using the following four indicators
o Life expectancy at birth,
o Mean years of schooling,
o Expected years of schooling, and
o Per capita Gross National Income.

👉 Findings –

• Switzerland, Norway and Iceland topped the HDI 2021.

• India ranked 132nd among 191 countries and territories on the HDI 2021-2022. Last year, the country ranked 131.

10. Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Scheme

Why in News?
The Rajasthan Government has launched the Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Scheme.
About

• Aim ➔ To provide economic support to the poor and needy families living in the cities through work to be provided
on demand for 100 days in a year.
• Eligibility ➔ Those in the age group of 18 to 60 years residing within the limits of urban local bodies are eligible to
demand and get employment in the identified segments.
o There is no income limit, though the poor and destitute people, especially those who lost their livelihood
during the pandemic, will be given preference.
• Categories of works under the scheme ➔ The tasks to be carried out under the scheme have been clubbed mainly
under eight heads. These include environment protection, water conservation, heritage conservation, removal of
encroachments and illegal boards, hoardings and banners, stopping defacement of property and service-related
works.
• Registration ➔ To register for the scheme, a Janaadhar card or its registration slip is required. Registrations can be
done at e-Mitra centres.

11. Shell Company

Why in News?
The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has arrested a man who had masterminded the incorporation of a large
number of shell companies linked to China.
About Shell Company

• It is a corporate entity without active business operations or significant assets & they are not illegal.
• They are deliberate financial arrangements created to either avoid taxes or even promote startups. Earlier,
generally, Shell companies were registered in tax havens, where there is nil or low tax.
• The Companies Act, 2013 does not define the term Shell Company. However, the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) defines a Shell Company as a company which is formally registered or
otherwise legally organized in an economy but which does not conduct any operation in that economy other than in
a pass through capacity.

👉 Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO)

• As per the Companies Act, 2013, Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has been established through the
Government of India.
• SFIO also has powers to arrest people for the violation of the Company law.

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• It is a multi-disciplinary organization under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, consisting of experts in the field of
accountancy, forensic auditing, banking, law, information technology, investigation, company law, capital market
and taxation, etc. for detecting and prosecuting or recommending for prosecution white-collar crimes/frauds.
• SFIO is headed by a Director as Head of Department in the rank of Joint Secretary to the Government of India.
• Section 211 of the Companies Act, 2013, has accorded statutory status to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office
(SFIO). SFIO also has powers to arrest people for the violation of the Company law.

12. AT-1 Bonds

Why in News?
Two years after the YES Bank fiasco, Additional tier-1 (AT1) bonds are once again gaining popularity.
About

• Additional Tier-1 bonds (AT-1 bonds) are a type of unsecured perpetual debt instrument.
• They are used by the banks to augment their core equity base and thus comply with Basel III norms.
• AT-1 includes perpetual non-cumulative preference shares and perpetual bonds.
• Features of the AT1 bonds ➔ AT-1 bonds are perpetual in nature - they do not carry any maturity date.
o They offer higher returns to investors but compared with other vanilla debt products, these instruments
carry a higher risk as well.
o If the capital ratios of the issuer fall below a certain percentage or in the event of an institutional failure,
the rules of the RBI allow the issuer to stop paying interest or even write down these bonds.
o These bonds are subordinate to all other debt and senior only to equity.
• Quasi-equity feature ➔ To lend more, banks need to shore up their equity capital. However, issuing additional
equity would dilute the bank’s return on equity.
• Instead, the banks issue AT1 bonds, which they can treat as equity for calculating their tier 1 capital.

👉 Risks involved with AT1 Bonds

• Key risk of AT1 bonds arises from its ‘loss absorption’ feature.
o When a bank is being restructured or liquidated, the order of repayment is as follows: FD holders, secured
debt, unsecured or subordinate debt, and perpetual debt (AT1 bond) holders.
o The AT1 bonds rank last in repayment - just before equity - that makes them the riskiest among fixed-
income securities.
o This risk reduces in the case of banks having stronger fundamentals.
o Another risk arises from ‘coupon discretion’.
o In the case of AT1 bonds, the payment of the coupon depends on whether the bank has profits. It can also
dip into its reserves to pay coupons.
• In normal bonds and debentures, payment of coupon is not contingent on whether the issuer is in profit or loss.
o Non-payment of coupon has not happened to date in AT1 bonds, but the risk exists.

13. Financial Intermediary Fund

Why in News?
A new fund named Financial Intermediary Fund(FIF) has been established for pandemic prevention, preparedness and
response(PPR).
About

• Purpose ➔ To provide additional, long-term financing to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and
response(PPR) capabilities in low- and middle-income countries and address critical gaps at the national, regional
and global levels.

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• Trustee and Host ➔ World Bank will serve as a trustee and host the secretariat of the fund with technical support
from the World Health Organization(WHO).
• Funding ➔ The fund was developed with broad support from members of the G20 and beyond. For instance, over
$1.4 billion in financial commitments have already been announced by countries like Australia, Canada, China, the
European Commission, the United States, India among others.
• Areas ➔ Finances from the fund will go towards strengthening and sustaining PPR capacity in areas such as zoonotic
disease surveillance, laboratories, emergency communication, coordination and management, critical health
workforce capacities and community engagement.

14. World’s first fleet of fully hydrogen-powered trains

Why in News?
Germany has launched the world’s first fleet of fully hydrogen-powered trains.
About

• Launched by ➔ It is launched by Germany.

• Developed by ➔ Alstom, a French multinational that also has operations in India (it supplied coaches for Delhi
Metro).
• Working ➔ The trains are powered by what are called ‘fuel cells’ — a special kind of battery that produces
electricity when hydrogen (stored in tanks above the coaches) and oxygen (taken from the air) combine. These are
then used to power electric motors at the bottom of the train coach.
• Significance ➔ These trains are claimed as ‘emissions-free’ trains that can reach speeds of 140 kilometers per hour
and can run about 1,000 km before the tank runs dry.

👉 Hydrogen Fuel Cell

• Hydrogen fuel cells are a clean, reliable, quiet, and efficient source of high-quality electric power.
• They use hydrogen as a fuel to drive an electrochemical process that produces electricity, with water and heat as
the only by-products.
• Hydrogen is one of the most abundant elements on earth for a cleaner alternative fuel option.
• Types of Hydrogen ➔
o Green hydrogen is produced by electrolysis of water using renewable energy (like Solar, Wind) and has a
lower carbon footprint.
o Electricity splits water into hydrogen and oxygen.
o By Products: Water, Water Vapor.
o Brown hydrogen is produced using coal where the emissions are released into the air.
o Grey hydrogen is produced from natural gas where the associated emissions are released into the air.
o Blue hydrogen is produced from natural gas, where the emissions are captured using carbon capture and
storage.

15. Natural Rubber (NR) Plantation

Why in News?
The price of natural rubber (NR) has crashed to a 16-month low of ?150 per kg (RSS grade 4) in the Indian market.
About

• What is it? ➔ It is a commercial plantation crop from the tree species, Hevea brasiliensis .
• Climate ➔ It is grown in tropical humid climatic conditions. Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, China and India
are the major NR producers globally.

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• The Indian rubber industry is characterised by the co-existence of a well-established rubber production sector and
a fast-growing rubber products manufacturing and consuming sector.
• India is currently the world’s fifth largest producer of natural rubber while it also remains the second biggest
consumer of the material globally. (About 40% of India’s total natural rubber consumption is currently met through
imports).
• A latest report by the Rubber Board has projected the natural rubber production and consumption in India during
2022-23 as 8,50,000 tonnes and 12,90,000 tonnes respectively.

16. Windfall tax

Why in News?
Ministry of Finance defended the windfall tax imposed by the Centre on domestic crude oil producers, saying that it was
not an ad hoc move but was done after full consultation with the industry.
About

• Background ➔ It was introduced in 2022.

• Windfall taxes are designed to tax the profits a company derives from an external, sometimes unprecedented
event— for instance, the energy price-rise as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
• These are profits that cannot be attributed to something the firm actively did, like an investment strategy or an
expansion of business.
• The United States Congressional Research Service (CRS) defines a windfall as an “unearned, unanticipated gain in
income through no additional effort or expense”.
• Objectives ➔ The introduction of the windfall tax as a way to rein in the “phenomenal profits” made by some oil
refiners who chose to export fuel to reap the benefits of skyrocketing global prices while affecting domestic supplies.
• Global Scenario ➔ Besides India, a wave of countries including the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany have either
already imposed a windfall profit tax on super normal profits of energy companies or are contemplating doing so.

17. i-Banks
Why in News?
Large i-banks are getting picky about initial public offerings (IPOs). So, smaller i-banks join the big-fat IPO party.
About

• Investment bank (i-bank) is a financial services company that acts as an intermediary in large and complex financial
transactions.
• This bank is usually involved,
o When a startup company prepares for its launch of an IPO and
o When a corporation merges with a competitor.
• It offers storefront community banking and also caters to the investment needs of high-net-worth individuals.
• Global investment banks include JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Bank of America,
Credit Suisse, and Deutsche Bank.
• Working ➔ Advisory division of an i-bank is paid a fee for its services.
o Trading division earns commissions based on its market performance.
o Retail banking divisions make money by loaning money to consumers and businesses.
o Professionals who work for investment banks may have careers as financial advisors, traders, or
salespeople.
o Investment banks are best known for their work as intermediaries between a corporation and the financial
markets.
o That is, they help corporations issue shares of stock in an IPO or an additional stock offering.

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 o They also arrange debt financing for corporations by finding large-scale investors for corporate bonds.
o A 'Chinese wall' is supposed to separate investment banking activities from the company's trading division
to prevent conflicts of interest.

18. Apricot
Why in News?
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry through its export promotion body APEDA is in process of hand-holding of
Apricot value chain stakeholders to enhance export from Ladakh under the brand ‘Ladakh Apricot’.
About

• Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) belongs to the Prunus genus and is widely consumed throughout the world.
• It is cultivated throughout the temperate regions of the world, especially in the Mediterranean.
• Apricots are a good source of vitamin A and are high in natural sugar. Dried apricots are an excellent source of iron.

👉 Apricot cultivation in Ladakh

• Apricot is one of the important fruit crops of Ladakh and is locally known as ‘Chuli’.
• Ladakh is the biggest apricot producer in the country with a production that constitutes nearly 62 percent share in
total.
• Ladakh Apricots have a unique soothing taste and texture with high sugar contents and total soluble solids.

19. Traffic Separation Scheme

Why in News?
The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) - world’s largest container carrier - has taken the lead by re-routing its ships
to keep away from colliding the blue whales.
About

• Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) is a routeing measure

aimed at the separation of opposing streams of traffic by
appropriate means and by the establishment of traffic lanes.
• A TSS area is an area in the sea where navigation of ships is
highly regulated.
• Each TSS is designed to create lanes in the water with ships
in a specific lane all travelling in (roughly) the same
direction.
• A TSS is typically created in locations with large numbers of
ship movements and vessels travelling in different
directions and where there might otherwise be a high risk
of collisions.
• TSSs are indicated on an admiralty chart in purple, one that has been touched upon even by those starting out their
career at sea in all probability.
• These are imaginary lines that don’t have actual representation through borders on location.
• But they are complied with by all vessels out at sea as conformity to it is mandatory as per Rule 10 of the Convention
on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREGs).
• The first Traffic Separation Scheme was established in the Dover Strait in 1967.

20. Board of Trade

Why in News?

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The Union Minister of Commerce & Industry chairs the first meeting of the newly reconstituted Board of Trade.
About

• The Board of Trade (BOT) been reconstituted by merging Council for Trade Development and Promotion with Board
of Trade in 2019.
• This Board advises the Government on policy measures connected with the Foreign Trade Policy in order to achieve
the objectives of boosting India’s trade.
• It provides a platform to state governments and UTs for articulating state-oriented perspectives on Trade Policy to
boost tmanufacturing and exports.
• It also acts as a platform to Government of India for appraising State Governments and UTs about international
developments affecting India’s trade.
• It is an important mechanism for deliberations on trade related issues with industry bodies, associations, export
promotion councils, and state and UT governments.

👉 Recent Meeting

• The Board of Trade meeting was focused on

o Export target setting,
o The New Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) (2022-27), and
o The strategies and measures to be taken in order to take forward domestic manufacturing and exports.

21. Financial Stability and Development Council

Why in News?
Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs chaired the 26th Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development
Council (FSDC).
About

• What is it? ➔ It is a non-statutory apex council under the Ministry of Finance constituted by the Executive Order in
2010.
• History ➔ The Raghuram Rajan committee (2008) on financial sector reforms first proposed the creation of FSDC.
• Composition ➔
o It is chaired by the Finance Minister and its members include the heads of all Financial Sector Regulators
(RBI, SEBI, PFRDA & IRDA), Finance Secretary, Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary
of Department of Financial Services (DFS), and Chief Economic Adviser.
o In 2018, the government reconstituted FSDC to include the Minister of State responsible for the Department
of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary of Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Chairperson
of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) and the Revenue Secretary.
o FSDC sub-committee is headed by the Governor of RBI.
o The Council can invite experts to its meeting if required.
• Functions ➔
o To strengthen and institutionalize the mechanism for maintaining financial stability, enhancing inter-
regulatory coordination and promoting financial sector development.
o To monitor macro-prudential supervision of the economy. It assesses the functioning of large financial
conglomerates.

👉 Major Outcomes

• The Council, inter alia, deliberated on the Early Warning Indicators for the economy and our preparedness to deal
with them,

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• Improving the efficiency of the existing Financial/Credit Information Systems, issues of governance and
management in Systemically Important Financial Institutions including Financial Market Infrastructures.

22. Green Fins Hub

Why in News?
The UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), along with the Reef-World Foundation, launched the Green Fins Hub.
About

• The Green Fins Hub is the first-ever global marine tourism industry platform for diving and snorkelling operators
worldwide.
• It was developed by The Reef-World Foundation in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP).
• This industry-backed platform would give a ‘major boost’ to sustainable marine tourism.
• Purpose ➔ The platform will help diving and snorkelling operators to make simple, cost-efficient changes to their
daily practices by utilising tried and tested solutions.
o It would also help them keep track of their annual improvements and communicate with their communities
and customers.
• Membership ➔ The Green Fins Hub hosts two types of membership - Digital membership and Green Fins Certified
Members.
o Digital membership that will be available to dive, snorkel and liveaboard operations globally.
• Throughout every year of membership, operators will receive environmental scores based on a detailed online self-
evaluation and progress made on their action plans.
• Green Fins Certified Members will continue to be assessed annually and trained in person at their operation.
• The assessment process will continue to be based on set criteria using a scoring system (0-330 point system, with a
low score implying low impact of a business on coral reefs).
• There will be a minimum threshold (>200 of a maximum environmental impact score) for becoming a Green Fins
Certified Member.
• A ranking of bronze, silver or gold certified members will be given according to performance.
• Other features ➔ The Green Fins Community Forum will be for operators around the world to
o Raise industry needs,
o Discuss environmental issues and
o Share lessons and ideas with like-minded industry leaders, non-profits and governments.
• The Green Fins Solutions Library will give access to over 100 proven environmental solutions to common daily
operational challenges.
• The Action Plan Tracker will enable members to receive an annual sustainability action plan with set goals.

23. M Damodaran committee

Why in News?
The government has constituted an expert committee to examine and suggest appropriate measures to address
regulatory and other issues to enable scaling up investments by venture capital and private equity investment.
About

• Finance Ministry said the six-member panel will be headed by former SEBI chairman M Damodaran.
• The committee will suggest measures to further accelerates investment into start-ups and sunrise sectors.
• In her Budget speech 2022-23, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to set up an expert committee to
examine and suggest appropriate measures to scale venture capital and private equity investments in India.

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 24. Shallow Water Mining
Why in News?
Recently, a group of researchers has suggested that Shallow Water Mining is in direct conflict with Biodiversity
Conservation and Sustainability Goals, as the activity poses severe environmental risks.
About

• In ‘shallow-water mining’, metals such as gold, cobalt and copper are mined from depths of 200 m below the sea.
• In ‘deep-sea mining’, valuable minerals are mined from ocean depths greater than 200 m.
• Deep-sea mining has not been implemented yet due to concerns over the environmental impacts of mining
activities.
• Generally, shallow-water mining is considered a relatively low-risk and low-cost option to satisfy the demand for
metals and minerals.
• But, a new study has highlighted that the shallow-water mining also could trigger local extinctions of marine species.
• This is because extracting minerals from the shallow-water ocean floor requires dredging large amounts of
sediment.
• Removing this sediment, which takes thousands of years to accumulate, means removing the organisms that call it
home.

👉 Shallow-water Mining Projects

• Namibia has been mining diamonds off its coast in depths of upto 130 m.
• Indonesia has been extracting placer deposits - sediments containing gold, silver, tin, and platinum.
• Mexico is considering mining marine phosphorites, phosphate-rich nodules used in fertiliser and industrial
chemicals, in water depths of 50-100 m.
• Sweden is considering mining the shallow waters (60-150 m) of the Bothnian Sea for polymetallic nodules, mineral
deposits containing nickel, cobalt, copper, titanium and rare earth elements.
• However, New Zealand dropped the project due to environmental concerns.

25. India’s First Lithium Cell Plant

Why in News?
The Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)will inaugurate India’s first lithium cell
manufacturing facility at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.

About

• The state-of-the-art facility has been set up by the Chennai based Munoth Industries Limited with an outlay of Rs.
165 crores.
• The facility is located in one of the two Electronics Manufacturing Clusters set up in the temple town, by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in 2015.
• The installed capacity of the plant at present is 270 Mwh and can produce 20,000 cells of 10Ah capacity daily.
• These cells are used in power banks and this capacity is around 60 percent of India’s present requirement.
o Currently India imports complete requirements of lithium-ion cells primarily from China, South Korea,
Vietnam and Hong Kong.
• Cells for other consumer electronics like Mobile Phones, hearable and wearable devices will also be produced.
• Significance ➔ This plant will be a step in the direction of realising Prime Minister Modi’s vision of making India the
global hub of electronic manufacturing.

👉 Lithium

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• Discovered in 1817 by Swedish chemist Johan August Arfwedson in the mineral petalite, lithium is also found in
brine deposits.
• Lithium is also found in pegmatite ores, such as spodumene (LiAlSi2O6) and lepidolite (of varying structure), or in
amblygonite (LiAlFPO4) ores.

26. Small Company

Why in News?
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has revised the threshold for paid up capital of “small companies”.

About

• Small businesses are corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have fewer employees and/or less
annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation.
• The Companies Act 2021 defines the rules and provisions regarding a Small Company.

👉 Which companies can be classified as Small Company?

• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has notified an amendment in the Companies (Specification of Definitions Details)
Rules, 2014 that came into force on 1st April 2021.
• According to it, the definition of “Small Companies” under the Companies Act,2013 was revised by increasing their
thresholds for paid-up capital from “not exceeding Rs 50 lakh” to “not exceeding Rs 2 crore” and turnover from “not
exceeding Rs 2 crore” to “not exceeding Rs 20 crore”.
• Now the definition has been revised again.
• According to the latest revision, the definition of ‘Small Companies’ has further been revised by increasing the
thresholds for paid-up Capital from “not exceeding Rs 2 crore” to “not exceeding Rs 4 crore”. Furthermore, the
turnover has increased from “not exceeding Rs 20 crore” to “not exceeding Rs 40 crore”.

👉 Benefits of small companies in terms of compliance

• The small companies have the following advantages in terms of compliance: 1) No need to prepare a cash flow
statement as part of a financial statement, 2) Mandatory rotation of the auditor is not required, 3) Holding only
two board meetings in a year unlike other companies which are required to hold four such meetings in the same
period, 4) Annual Return of the company can be signed by the company secretary and 5) Lesser penalties for small
companies.

27. National Logistics Policy 2022

Why in News?
The Prime Minister of India has launched the National Logistics Policy (NLP) 2022 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

About

• What is it? ➔ Logistics encompasses planning, coordinating, storing, and moving resources —people, raw materials,
inventory, equipment, etc from one location to another, from the production points to consumption, distribution,
or other production points.

👉 National Logistics Policy

• Aim ➔
o Reduce the cost of logistics from 14-18% of GDP to global best practices of 8% by 2030. Countries like the
US, South Korea, Singapore, and certain European nations have such a low logistics cost-to-GDP ratio.
o Improve the country’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) ranking to be among top 25 countries by 2030.
o Create data-driven decision support systems (DSS) to enable an efficient logistics ecosystem.
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• Key Building Blocks of the policy
o Unified Logistics Interface Platform(ULIP) → It aims to collapse all logistics and transport sector digital
services into a single portal, thereby freeing manufacturers and exporters from the present tyranny of long
and cumbersome processes.
o Ease of Logistics Services (E-Logs) → It aims to allow the industry to directly take up operational issues with
government agencies for speedy resolution.
o Comprehensive Logistics Action Plan → It comprises integrated digital logistics systems, standardization of
physical assets, benchmarking service standards, human resource development, capacity building,
development of logistics parks etc.

28. Technical Textiles

Why in News?
The Ministry of Textiles recently cleared 23 strategic research projects that fall under the flagship programme 'National
Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM).

About Technical Textiles

• The Technical Textiles segment is a new age textile, whose application is in several sectors of the economy.
• A technical textile is a textile product manufactured for non-aesthetic purposes, where function is the primary
criterion.
• Technical textiles include textiles for automotive applications, medical textiles, geotextiles, agrotextiles, and
protective clothing.
• They improve the efficiencies in those sectors of the economy.
• The government has also launched a National Technical Textiles Mission for promoting R&D efforts in technical
textiles and their applications.

👉 National Technical Textiles Mission

• It was launched by the Ministry of Textiles.

o Period: 4 years (2020-21 to 2023-24)
o Outlay: Rs. 1480 crores.
• The aim of the mission is to position India as a global leader in Technical Textiles.
• The Mission has a target to take the domestic market size of the technical textile sector to $ 40-50 Bn by the year
2024 with an average growth rate of 15-20% per annum.
• It also supports the ‘Make in India’ initiative promoting domestic manufacturing of related machinery and
equipment.
• The mission will comprise of the following four components ➔
o Research, Innovation and Development
o Promotion and Market Development
o Export Promotion
o Education, Training, Skill Development
• Focus ➔
o Developing the usage of technical textiles in various flagship missions, programmes of the country including
strategic sectors.
o This will reduce India’s import dependence and promote the domestic manufacturing of capital goods in
the sector.

29. PRANAM Scheme

Why in News?

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To reduce the use of chemical fertilisers the Government is Planning to Launch the PM PRANAM (Promotion of Alternate
Nutrients for Agriculture Management Yojana) Scheme.
About

• Full form ➔ PM PRANAM stands for PM Promotion of Alternate Nutrients for Agriculture Management Yojana.
• Aim ➔ To reduce the use of chemical fertilizers by incentivising states.
• Features of the scheme ➔ The scheme will have no separate budget and will be financed through the savings of
existing fertilizer subsidies.
o Around 50% of subsidy savings will be passed on as a grant to the state that saves the money.
o Under this grant, 70% of the grant provided under the scheme can be used for asset creation related to the
technological adoption of alternate fertilizers and alternate fertilizer production units at village, block and
district levels.
o The remaining 30% of grant money can be used for rewarding and encouraging farmers, panchayats,
farmer producer organizations and self-help groups that are involved in the reduction of fertilizer use and
awareness generation.
o The government will compare the state’s increase or decrease in the use of chemical fertilizer in a year to
its average consumption in the last three years.

30. Hedge Fund

Why in News?
Recently, The term has been in the news.

About

• What is it? ➔ A hedge fund is a limited partnership of private investors whose money is managed by professional
fund managers who use a wide range of strategies, including leveraging or trading of non-traditional assets, to earn
above-average investment returns.
• Hedge fund investment is often considered a risky alternative investment choice and usually requires a high
minimum investment or net worth, often targeting wealthy clients.
• Regulatory requirements ➔ Hedge funds in India do not need to be necessarily registered with the Securities and
Exchange Board of India.
• Different types of hedge funds in the market ➔
o Domestic hedge funds: Domestic hedge funds are open to only those investors that are subject to the origin
country’s taxation.
o Offshore hedge funds: An offshore hedge fund is established outside of your own country, preferably in a
low taxation country.
o Fund of funds: Fund of funds is basically mutual funds that invest in other hedge mutual funds rather than
the individual underlying securities.

👉 Hedge Fund vs. Mutual Fund

• Hedge funds differ from mutual funds and hedge funds are not as strictly regulated by the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) as mutual funds are.
• Mutual funds are a practical cost-efficient way to build a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, or short-term
investments and are available to the general public and average investor.
o Hedge funds can only accept money from accredited investors which includes individuals with an annual
income that exceeds $200,000 or a net worth exceeding $1 million, excluding their primary residence.
• A hedge fund can invest in land, real estate, stocks, derivatives, and currencies while mutual funds use stocks or
bonds as their instruments for long-term investment strategies.

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• Unlike mutual funds where an investor can elect to sell shares at any time, hedge funds typically limit opportunities
to redeem shares and often impose a locked period of one year before shares can be cashed in.

31. Current Account Deficit

Why in News?
Recently, the current account deficit has hit a 36-quarter high of 3.4 percent of GDP or USD 28.4 billion against a 0.9
percent surplus a year ago.

About

• It is the shortfall between the money flowing in on exports, and the money flowing out on imports.
• It measures the gap between the money received into and sent out of the country on the trade of goods and
services and also the transfer of money from domestically-owned factors of production abroad.
• It is slightly different from the Balance of Trade, which measures only the gap in earnings and expenditure on exports
and imports of goods and services.
o Whereas, the current account also factors in the payments from domestic capital deployed overseas.
o For example, rental income from an Indian owning a house in the UK would be computed in the Current
Account, but not in the Balance of Trade.
• Causes ➔
o Existing exchange rate, consumer spending level, capital inflow, inflation level, and prevailing interest
rate.
o For the Current Account Deficit in India, crude oil and gold imports are the primary reasons behind high
CAD.
• Implications ➔
o Current Account Deficit may be a positive or negative indicator for an economy depending upon why it is
running a deficit.
o It may help a debtor nation in the short term, but it may worry in the long term as investors begin raising
concerns over adequate return on their investments.

32. Ethereum Merger

Why in News?
Ethereum, the world’s second most valuable cryptocurrency, has completed a significant software overhaul recently.

About

• It is known as ‘The Merge’.

• It will cast aside the need for crypto miners and gigantic mining farms, who had previously driven the blockchain
under a mechanism called ‘proof-of-work’ (PoW).
• Instead, it has now shifted to a ‘proof-of-stake’ (PoS) mechanism that assigns ‘validators’ randomly to approve
transactions and earn a small reward.
• How it worked till now ➔
o Ethereum is a decentralised cryptocurrency, meaning that it does not have institutions like banks approving
the transactions that happen on its network.
o The approvals were earlier happening under the PoW consensus mechanism which was essentially done by
miners.
o Miners would compete to solve complex mathematical puzzles using a massive infrastructure of cutting
edge computer hardware, and the first one to solve the puzzle would be chosen as the validator.
o This method was almost entirely dependent on crypto farms, which are massive warehouses lined with
rows of computers which would solve the puzzles.

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 o Problem: These mining farms were energy guzzlers, leading to one of the biggest criticisms of the crypto
industry that they sometimes consumed more electricity than entire countries, and were therefore a big
concern in terms of environmental sustainability.
• New Change ➔
o ‘The Merge’ and the shift to the PoS consensus mechanism.
o Ethereum is still a decentralised platform, but under the new concept, it would not need miners and mining
farms to authenticate transactions anymore.
o Instead, a validator will be randomly assigned using an algorithm from a pool of people who ‘stake’ their
coins, which essentially means pledging at least 32 Ethereum tokens on the network.
o This would entirely eliminate the need for miners on the Ethereum network.
o Cryptocurrencies that use proof of stake include Cardano, Binance Coin, and Solana.

👉 Ethereum

• Ether (ETH), the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network, is the second most popular digital token after bitcoin
(BTC).
• It is open access to digital money and data-friendly services for everyone.
• Ethereum is programmable which can be useful for lots of different digital assets – even Bitcoin.

33. SCALE App

Why in News?
The SCALE (Skill Certification Assessment for Leather Employees) app was launched recently.

About

• Developed by the Leather Sector Skill Council.

• The App will provide a one-stop solution for the skilling, learning, assessment, and employment needs of the
leather industry.
• It will allow people from all age groups interested in leather craft to access online live streamed classes from the
state-of-the-art studio at its office.
• Significance ➔ This will boost the efforts to strengthen the leather skilling ecosystem.

👉 Leather Sector Skill Council

• The Leather Sector Skill Council (LSSC) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to meet the demand for skilled
workforce in the leather industry in India.
• LSSC was set up in 2012 as one of the key sector skill councils approved by National Skill Development Corporation
(NSDC).

34. Amendments in IBBI Regulations

Why in News?
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) amended its regulations to boost the value of stressed companies.

About

• The Committee of Creditors (CoC) can now examine whether a compromise or an arrangement can be explored
for a Corporate Debtor (CD) during the liquidation period.
• As many as 1,703 Corporate Insolvency Resolution Processes (CIRPs) ended up in liquidation till June 2022.
• The regulator has permitted a resolution professional and the CoC to look for sale of one or more assets of the CD
concerned in cases where there are no resolution plans for the whole business.

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• A resolution plan to include sale of one or more assets of CD will be enabled to one or more successful resolution
applicants providing for appropriate treatment of the remaining assets.
• A Resolution Professional (RP) will have to actively seek claims from known (based on the books of accounts)
creditors of the company concerned that will help in making available a clearer picture of the debt.
o RPs will be required to provide an opinion on whether the company has been subject to avoidance
transactions within 75 days of the start of CIRP.
o RPs will now be required to assess and report whether the company has completed any transactions to
siphon off funds prior to insolvency proceedings.
o The regulations mandate that any appointments made by RPs should follow a transparent process.
• Details of any applications filed for avoidance of transactions will be made available to resolution applicants before
submission of resolutions plans and can be addressed by the applicants in their plans.
• The information memorandum is required to contain material information which will help in assessing its position
as a going concern, and not only information about its assets, thereby addressing a critical need of the market.

35. Shrinkflation
Why in News?
Companies employ ‘shrinkflation’ as Inflation continues to impact the buying power of consumers.

About

• Shrink inflation is when a product downsizes its quantity while keeping the price the same.
• For example, reducing the scoops of ice cream in a container or reducing the number of chips in a packet would
count as shrinkflation.
• Cause ➔
o Shrinkflation occurs when materials or ingredients used to make products become more expensive and
when there is intense competition in the market.
o As a result, instead of raising prices, they might just give less of the product so as to maintain their profit
margins.
o Shrinkflation can also occur in different ways. For instance, if consumers are aware that the quantity is
constantly declining, they would switch or change brands.
o To prevent this, a product can reformulate or remove ingredients while maintaining its price. For example,
Cadbury Dairy Milk stopped using foil which it used to prevent chocolate from losing its quality and flavour
in order to save expense.
• Impacts ➔ Shrinkflation deceives consumers into believing that the brands they buy are not affected by inflation,
since container and vessel sizes are reduced by very small amounts, saving manufacturers more money in the long
run.
• Measures ➔
o India needs a mix of macroeconomic policies to manage demand and supply, as well as address structural
rigidities in the economy.
o In India, the Right to Information has been recognised as a consumer right under the Consumer Protection
Act, 2019. This means that the consumer has the right to know the quality, quantity, potency, purity,
standard, and price of goods.
o Therefore, the Central Consumer Protection Authority needs to bring some guidelines to inform consumers
when the weight of a product is reduced, instead of letting consumers be fooled by companies.

36. National programme on High Efficiency Solar PV Modules

Why in News?

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Cabinet has approved the implementation of the Production Linked Incentive Scheme on ‘National programme on High
Efficiency Solar PV Modules’.

About

• Nodal Ministry ➔ Ministry of New & Renewable Energy.

• Aim ➔ To build an ecosystem for manufacturing of high efficiency solar PV modules in India and thus reduce import
dependence in the area of Renewable Energy.
• Under the scheme, Solar PV manufacturers will be selected through a transparent selection process. The PLI will be
disbursed for five years post commissioning of solar PV manufacturing plants on sales of high efficiency solar PV
modules from the domestic market will be incentivised.
• Expected Benefits of the scheme ➔
o 1) It is estimated that about 65,000 MW per annum manufacturing capacity of fully and partially integrated,
solar PV modules would be installed,
o 2) Generate employment and direct investment,
o 3) Import substitution of approximately Rs.1.37 lakh crore and
o 4) Provide impetus to Research and Development to achieve higher efficiencies in Solar PV Modules.

What are Solar PV Modules?

• Solar PV modules are created by joining together solar cells with photovoltaic (PV) cells. They are produced using
semiconductors like crystalline silicon. Solar modules transform solar energy into electric energy.

37. Draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022

Why in News?
The Department of Telecommunications(DoT) has issued the draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022.

About

• Consolidates ➔ The Bill consolidates three separate acts that govern the telecommunications sector — Indian
Telegraph Act 1885, Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933, and The Telegraph Wires, (Unlawful Protection) Act 1950.

👉 Key provisions

• Inclusion of OTTs in the definition of Telecommunications services ➔ The Bill proposes to bring over-the-top (or
OTT) communications services such as WhatsApp, Telegram, satellite-based communication services and the
internet into the definition of telecommunication services.
o So, OTT communication services have to take a license now and be subjected to the same conditions
governing telecom players in India, like the quality of service and security rules, etc.
• Assigning of Spectrum ➔ The Bill laid down a clear statutory framework and regulations on assigning spectrum. It
says spectrum should primarily be given through auction.
o For specific functions related to the government and public interest like defence, transportation and
research, the Bill proposes assignment through the administrative process.
• Trading of Spectrum ➔ The Bill enables sharing, trading, leasing, surrender of spectrum assigned and a process to
return unutilised spectrum.
o The government will also have the power to terminate spectrum allocations partly or in full if it determines
that the assigned spectrum has remained unutilised for insufficient reasons over a period of time.
o Moreover, the bill says that if a telecom entity in possession of spectrum goes through bankruptcy or
insolvency, the assigned spectrum will revert to the control of the Center.
• Right of Way(ROW) ➔ The Bill tries to achieve through law a ‘right of way’ (ROW) enforceable at the state- and at
the municipal-corporation level.

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 o It lays down a framework in which a public entity that owns the land has to grant ‘right of way’ permission
expeditiously unless it gives a substantive ground for refusal.
• Cyber Security- ➔ To prevent cyber fraud, the Bill provides that the identity of the person sending a message
through telecom services shall be available to a user receiving it.
• Telecommunication Development Fund(TDF) ➔ The Bill proposes to replace the Universal Service Obligation
Fund(USOF) with the Telecommunication Development Fund(TDF).
o USOF is the pool of funds generated by the 5% Universal Service Levy that is charged upon all telecom fund
operators on their Adjusted Gross Revenue.
o The USOF has largely been used to aid rural connectivity. However, with the TDF, the objective is also to
boost connectivity in underserved urban areas, R&D, skill development etc.

38. Moonlighting
Why in News?
After Wipro sacked its 300 employees who were moonlighting, the Nasscom said that its time for companies to reimagine
employee engagement models.

About

• Moonlighting means taking up a second job or multiple jobs apart from one’s full-time job, without informing their
current employer about it.
• As the other job would usually be at night, hence the "moon" reference.
• People with low salaries would usually take it up for additional income as a means of sustenance.
• Remote working and projects across time-zones have now made it possible for high-salaried techies to do this too.
• Moonlighting arise from a lack of transparency to the employers from employees, as it breaks down the trust with
their employer.
• Food delivery platform Swiggy has an "industry-first" Moonlighting Policy, under which staff can take up external
projects based on internal approvals.

39. Settlement of Accounts

Why in News?
From October 1, 2022, the new account settlement system for the stock broking industry will kick in under the new
guidelines issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

About

• The SEBI mandates stockbrokers to settle i.e., transfer the available credit balance from trading account to bank
account, at least once in a quarter (90 days) or 30 days.
• The process of transferring the unutilised funds back into the bank account is called ‘Running Account Settlement’
or ‘Quarterly Settlement of Funds’.

👉 SEBI’s new settlement guidelines

• SEBI has issued new guidelines on running accounts of client funds and securities lying with the broker.
• As per the guidelines, the settlement of running accounts of clients funds will be done by the trading members after
considering the end of the day (EOD) obligation of funds.
• In cases where the client has opted for a monthly settlement process, then the running account shall be settled on
the first Friday of every month.

40. Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2022-23

Why in News?
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The government of India has launched a Scheme Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment for 2022-23.

About

• Under the Scheme, financial assistance will be provided to the State Governments in the form of a 50-year interest-
free loan for capital investment projects.
• The loan provided under the Scheme will be over and above the normal borrowing ceiling allowed to the States for
the financial year 2022-23.
• The scheme has seven parts ➔
o Part-l: The amount has been allocated amongst States in proportion to their share of central taxes & duties
as per the award of the 15″ Finance Commission.
o Part-ll (PM Gati Shakti related Expenditure): It is aimed at facilitating PM Gati Shakti related investment-in
the States
o Part-lll (PMGSY): This amount is meant for supplemental funding for priority segments of PM Gram Sadak
Yojana (PMGSY) including support for the States share.
o Part-IV: Incentivisation for digitization
o Part-V: The amount will be available to states for capital projects on laying optical fiber networks.
o Part-VI (Urban Reforms): The amount will be available to States as incentive for undertaking reforms related
to Building Byelaws, Town Planning Schemes, Transit Oriented Development, and Transferable
Development Rights.
o Part-VIl (Disinvestment and Monetization): It is aimed at providing incentives to State Governments for
privatization/disinvestment of the State Public Sector Enterprises (SPSEs) and monetization/recycling of
assets.

41. Banking System Liquidity

Why in News?
For the first time Liquidity in the banking system has moved into deficit mode after remaining in surplus mode for almost
40 months for the first time since May 2019.

About

• Liquidity in the banking system refers to readily available cash that banks need to meet short-term business and
financial needs.
• On a given day, if the banking system is a net borrower from the RBI under Liquidity Adjustment Facility(LAF), the
system liquidity can be said to be in deficit and if the banking system is a net lender to the RBI, the system liquidity
can be said to be in surplus.
• The LAF refers to the RBI’s operations through which it injects or absorbs liquidity into or from the banking system.
• What has triggered this deficit?
o There are two main reasons for this deficit: recent advance tax outflow and continuous intervention of the
RBI to stem the fall in the rupee against the US dollar.
• What will be the impact of this deficit on consumers?
o A tight liquidity condition could lead to a rise in the government securities yields and subsequently lead to
a rise in interest rates for consumers too.

42. Dibang Hydel Project

Why in News?
National Green Tribunal (NGT) has dismissed the case it took up suo motu on the grant of forest clearance for the 3000-
MW Dibang hydel project without meeting the precondition of declaring a National Park.

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About

• What is it? ➔ It is a flood control cum hydroelectric power project planned to be developed on the Dibang River, a
tributary of Brahmaputra River, in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The Dam site is located about 1.5 km upstream of the confluence of Ashu Pani and Dibang rivers and about 43 km
from Roing, District Headquarter.
• The project would moderate flooding in the areas downstream of the Dibang Dam during the entire monsoon
period to the extent of 3000 cumecs.
• It will be developed with an estimated investment of USD 4 billion.
• The Dibang hydropower project is expected to generate up to 11,222 million units (MU) of electricity a year.

👉 National Green Tribunal (NGT)

• It is a specialized body set up under the National Green Tribunal Act (2010) for effective and expeditious disposal
of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.
• With the establishment of the NGT, India became the third country in the world to set up a specialised
environmental tribunal, only after Australia and New Zealand, and the first developing country to do so.
• NGT is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.
• The NGT has five places of sitting, New Delhi is the principal place of sitting and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai
are the other four.

43. CANTILLON EFFECT

Why in News?
It refers to the idea that changes in money supply in an economy causes redistribution of purchasing power among
people, disturbs relative prices of goods and services, and leads to misallocation of scarce resources.

About

• Although, money has largely been considered to be neutral by economists today, in the sense that changes in its
supply have no real effect on the economy.
• It is named after 18th century French economist Richard Cantillon who published his ideas in 1755 book Essay on
Nature of Trade in General.

44. WORK FROM HOME (WFH) NORMS

Why in News?
The Department of Commerce has notified new rule 43A for WFH in the SEZ Rules, 2006 which provides WFH for a certain
category of employees including employees of IT/ITeS SEZ units, temporarily incapacitated, who are working offsite.

About

• Under the new norms a company whose 50% or less employees opt for WFH can flexibly use this facility without
submitting the attendance records with the SEZ development commissioner.
• New provision of deemed approval for WFH proposals within 15 days of submission in case of no communication by
the commissioner.

45. MARINE PRODUCTS EXPORT DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (MPEDA)

Why in News?
Recently the MPEDA celebrated its 50th years.

About

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• During the celebration the Union Commerce Minister made four proposals for the comprehensive development of
the country’s marine resources.
• Identify 20 markets for items that contribute to 90% of the exports.
• Prepare state-wise export development plans in consultation with state administrations.
• Aim at exports worth $20 billion in the next five years, and
• Raise the livelihood of fishermen by reducing their risk, creating awareness among them, increasing their income
and shielding them against middlemen.

About MPEDA

• It was launched in 1972 as a statutory body of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as the nodal agency to
promote the export of marine products.
• The erstwhile Marine Products Export Promotion Council established in 1961 was converged in to MPEDA.
• It is empowered to regulate exports of marine products and take all measures required for ensuring sustained,
quality seafood exports from the country.
• Its key functions include:
o Identifying bottlenecks in seafood trade and taking corrective action.
o Registering seafood processing units, fishing vessels, pre-processing centres, etc.
o Marketing activities such as buyer-seller meets, delegation visits to potential markets, etc.
o Promotes research and development for commercial aquaculture activities through the Rajiv Gandhi Centre
for Aquaculture (RGCA).
o Undertaking capacity building through societies such as National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture - It
empowers the marginalised and poor rural aquaculture farmers through capacity-building at the grass-roots
level.
o Network for Fish Quality Management and Sustainable Fishing – It imparts training to fishermen on marine
conservation, post-harvest handling and other Since 2004, it is implementing the National Residue Control
Plan (NRCP), for monitoring the residues of substances like Antibacterial/Veterinary Medicinal Products, etc.
for exports of marine products to the European Union.

India’s marine industry:

• India is the second largest fish producer in the world.

• Currently India is exporting to more than 120 countries.
• Marine products exports have reached USD 7.74 Billion in 2022.

46. INTEREST SUBVENTION FOR AGRICULTURE LOAN

Why in News?
To compensate Banks with RBI increased repo rate, Cabinet has restored interest subvention on short term agriculture
loans to 1.5% to all financial institutions for FY 2022-23 to 2024-25 for lending short term agri-loans up to ₹3 lakh to
farmers.

About

• Previously, Centre’s support to banks for Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS) was stopped in 2020 as banks were able
to provide short term agriculture loan at 7% by themselves.
• Centre introduced ISS now renamed as Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) to provide short term credit to
farmers at subsidized interest rates.
• Under this scheme, short term agriculture loan upto Rs. 3.00 lakh is available to farmers engaged in Agriculture and
other allied activities at rate of 7% per annum.

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• An additional 3% subvention (Prompt Repayment Incentive) is also given to farmers for prompt and timely
repayment of loans.
• Therefore, on timely repayment of loan, farmer gets credit at the rate of 4% per annum.
• This support to farmers is 100% funded by Centre.
• ISS is being implemented by NABARD and RBI.

Steps taken to provide agriculture credit

• Kisan Credit Card provides timely credit support to farmers for their cultivation.
• Agri Market Infrastructure Fund provide subsidised loans to states and UTs for agricultural produce market
committee mandis and gramin agricultural markets.
• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) provides financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage.

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Environment
1. Whale

Why in News?
Delhi-based non-profit, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) launched ‘Save the Whale Shark Campaign’ along Karnataka, Kerala
and Lakshadweep in Mangaluru.
About Save the Whale Shark Campaign

• The campaign will run along coastal Karnataka, Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands in collaboration with the Forest
and Fisheries Departments of Karnataka, Kerala and the Lakshadweep administration.
• Further, the campaign aims to reduce accidental entanglements in fishing nets with fishermen releasing whale
shark.
• A mobile application has been developed to record whale shark spotting and rescues for further conservation action.

👉 Whale Shark

• The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish on Earth and a keystone species in marine ecosystems.
o It can grow to a length of approximately 18 metres and weigh as much as 21 tonnes.
• They are ovoviviparous – meaning they give birth to live young rather than lay eggs – and can reach sexual maturity
at around 10 years old.
• Habitat ➔
o Whale sharks are tropical ocean dwellers that feed on fish, squid and other small creatures.
o India: The whale shark is distributed all along the Indian coast.
o However, the largest whale shark aggregation is along the Gujarat coast.
• Status ➔
o The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
o International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List: Endangered.
o IUCN Green Status Assessment: Largely Depleted.
• Note ➔ August 30, 2022 is International Whale Shark Day, this year’s theme is “The Future of Sharks: Guardians of
Our Seas.”

2. National Clean Air Programme

Why in News?
An analysis by the Center for Science and Environment(CSE) has found that there is barely any difference in trends in
particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) between the group of cities under the National Clean Air Programme(NCAP) and
those outside its ambit.
About

• Launched in ➔ 2019 by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change(MoEFCC).

• Aim ➔ To bring a 20%-30% reduction in pollution levels from PM2.5 and PM10 particles by 2024, using 2017 pollution
levels as a base year.
• Cities covered ➔ The program covers 132 of India’s most polluted or so-called non-attainment cities. This is defined
as a city whose air quality did not meet the national ambient air quality standards from 2011 to 2015.
• Funding ➔ Under the programme, cities are required to quantify improvement starting 2020-21, which requires a
15% and more reduction in the annual average PM10 concentration and a concurrent increase in “good air” days to
at least 200. Anything fewer will be considered ‘low’ and the funding consequently reduced.

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• Note ➔ For disbursing funds, the Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB) only considers levels of PM10, the relatively
larger, coarser particles. However, PM2.5, the smaller, more dangerous particles, aren’t monitored as robustly in all
cities mostly due to the lack of equipment.

👉 Analysis of CSE on the NCAP programme

• Performance of NCAP cities on PM2.5 levels (2019-21) ➔ Only 43 NCAP cities have adequate PM 2.5 data for the
period 2019-2021.Out of this, only 14 of 43 (NCAP) cities registered a 10% or more reduction in their PM2.5 levels.
• In 2019, only 51 out 132 NCAP cities had real-time monitoring stations. The number grew to 63 in 2021; six more
NCAP cities have installed real-time monitors in 2022 so far.

3. Climate reparations
Why in News?
Pakistan has been facing the worst flooding disaster in its history. Due to this, Pakistan has been demanding Climate
Reparations or compensation from the rich countries that are mainly responsible for causing climate change.
About

• Climate reparations are about rectifying climate injustice.

• It is a framework where those most responsible for climate change must provide support to those who have been
wronged.
• This demand for climate reparations is an extension of the universally acknowledged “Polluter Pays” principle. This
principle makes the polluter liable for paying not just for the cost of remedial action, but also for compensating the
victims of environmental damage caused by their actions.

👉 Global Norms

• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (1994) ➔ It lays down the broad principles of the global
effort to fight climate change. It explicitly acknowledges this differentiated responsibility of nations.
o It makes it very clear that rich countries must provide both finance and technology to developing nations
to help them tackle climate change.
o It is this mandate that later evolved into the $100 billion amount that the rich countries agreed to provide
every year to the developing world.
o While this promise is yet to be met, this $100 billion per year amount is not meant for loss and damage.
• Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) ➔ The WIM for Loss and Damages, was set up in 2013. It was the first
formal acknowledgement of the need to compensate developing countries struck by climate disasters.
o However, the progress on this front has been painfully slow. No funding mechanism, or even a promise to
provide funds, has come about.

4. Flue Gas Desulphurisation

Why in News?
The Union Environment Ministry has for the third time extended the deadline by which coal plants must install pollution-
control technologies to reduce emissions, drawing criticism from environment and clean-energy activists.

About

• Flue-gas desulfurization(FGD) is a set of technologies used to remove sulfur dioxide (SO2) from exhaust flue gases
of fossil-fuel power plants and from the emissions of other sulfur dioxide-emitting processes such as waste
incineration.

👉 Important to install FGD plants in India?

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• India continues to occupy the top spot among SO2 emitters. In 2019, India emitted 21% of global anthropogenic
(human-made) SO2 emissions nearly double that of the second-ranked global emitter, Russia.
• Thermal utilities which produce 75% of the country’s power, account for some 80% of industrial emissions of sulphur
and nitrous oxides, which cause lung diseases, acid rain and smog.
• Every single day delay in implementation of prescribed norms and not installing the FGD system is causing huge
health and economic damage to society.
• The high levels of damaging SO2 pollution in India are avoidable much sooner as FGD systems have proved
successful in reducing emission levels in China, the country responsible for the highest level in 2005.

5. Red-Eared Slider Turtles

Why in News?
Experts have expressed the concern that the presence of invasive and non-native south Red-Eared Slider Turtles would
lead to the extinction of native species of their own kind.
About

• Scientific Name ➔ Trachemys scripta elegans.

• The red-eared slider is primarily aquatic and will emerge from the water for basking on rocks and logs.
• Red-eared slider turtles are classified as controlled pest animals under the Victorian Catchment and Land Protection
Act 1994.
• Habitat ➔ They can tolerate a wide range of habitats and are sometimes found in estuaries and coastal wetlands
with brackish water.
o They can also tolerate a range of water quality and accept high levels of organic pollutants such as effluent
and inorganic pollutants.
• Geography ➔ The red-eared slider is native to South-Eastern USA and Mexico.
• Protection Status ➔ IUCN Red List: Least Concern.
• They have a broad red or orange stripe behind each eye with narrow yellow stripes marking the rest of the black
body, neck, legs and tail.
• They have distinctive long claws on their front and hind legs where claws are longer and more prominent in males
than females.

👉 Some International Programmes on Invasive Species

• Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (2000) ➔ The Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks
posed by Living Modified Organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.
• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) ➔ It was one of the key agreements adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in
Rio de Janeiro.
o Article 8 (h) of the Convention calls on Parties to prevent the introduction of, control or eradicate those
alien species which threaten ecosystems, habitats or species.
• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) or Bonn Convention (1979) ➔ It is an
intergovernmental treaty that aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their
range.
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) ➔ It also considers the
problems of invasive species when they are involved in trade and threatens the survival of living animals or plants.
• Ramsar Convention (1971) ➔ The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance also addresses the
environmental, economic and social impact of invasive species on wetlands within their jurisdictions and to take
account of the methods of control and solutions for combating invasive species.

6. Cyborg cockroaches

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Why in News?
An international team of researchers have devised a system that can create cyborg cockroaches, that are part insect and
part machine.
About

• Cyborg cockroaches' movements are controlled by tiny integrated circuits.

• They will be able to conduct surveillance in procedures like urban search and rescue, environmental monitoring and
inspection of areas dangerous to humans.
• By equipping the cockroaches with small wireless control modules, handlers will be able to control the insect’s legs
remotely for long periods of time.
• Methodology ➔ The team used Madagascar cockroaches, which are not only the largest species of cockroaches,
reaching an estimated 6 cm, but are also known for making hissing sounds when disturbed, which they make by
expelling air from the openings on their back.
• The researchers also designed the system to be rechargeable, by powering it with a super thin 0.004 mm solar cell
module that is installed on the dorsal side of the cockroach’s abdomen.

7. Swachh Amrit Mahotsav

Why in News?
The Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs has announced the commencement of ‘Swachh Amrit Mahotsav’ and
the first ever Indian Swachhata League(ISL).
About

• It is a fortnight of activities to galvanize action around swachhata from 17th Sept. 2022(Seva Diwas) till 2nd Oct.
2022 (Swachhata Diwas).
• The fortnight will focus on mobilizing citizen action and commitment towards the vision of building ‘Garbage Free
Cities’.
• The official logo for the fortnight is ‘Swachh Amrit Mahotsav: Ek Aur Kadam Swachhata Ki Ore’ signifying the resolve
to intensify and reinvigorate the Jan Andolan in the world’s largest sanitation programme.

👉 Indian Swachhata League(ISL)

• It is an inter-city competition to take place between the youth of the cities on the 17th of Sept. 2022.
• For the maiden edition of ISL, more than 1,850 city teams from across the country have officially registered to
compete.
• Each team will compete in the League by creating their own unique sanitation initiatives to focus on creating
garbage-free beaches, hills and tourist places.

8. Global Alliance for Industry Decarbonization

Why in News?
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)and 13 companies across all industry sectors have launched the
Global Alliance for Industry Decarbonization.
About

• Formation ➔ It was formed under the Bali Declaration adopted during IRENA’s Investment Forum on Energy
Transitions held in Bali, Indonesia.
• Aim ➔ To accelerate net-zero ambitions and decarbonisation of industrial value chains in pursuit of the 2015 Paris
Agreement climate goals.

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• Working ➔ The alliance is intended to provide a platform for the industry to exchange and collaborate to
contribute towards the achievement of countries’ net zero goals. It will strengthen dialogue and coordinate action
by industrial stakeholders from across the public and private sectors.
• Founding members ➔ It includes Siemens Energy Enel Green Power, TAQA Arabia, JSW (India), Tata Steel (India),
Sable Chemicals, Repsol, Equinor among others.
• First meeting ➔ It is planned to take place at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022.
• Significance of the alliance ➔ Around 25% of global GDP is produced by the industrial sector, but it also emits
around 28% of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.
• The industrial sector is also the second-largest emitter. Hence, this alliance was launched as it will help the Industrial
Sector in rapid decarbonisation.

9. Miyawaki Technique
Why in News?
The Japanese “Miyawaki method” used in Kuharianwali village of Punjab in one acre of unused land has grown into a
“forest” in less than a year.
About

• Miyawaki is a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, that helps build dense, native forests in a
short time.
• In the Miyawaki technique, various native species of plants are planted close to each other so that the greens
receive sunlight only from the top and grow upwards rather than sideways.
• As a result, the plantation becomes approximately 30 times denser, grows 10 times faster and becomes
maintenance-free after a span of 3 years.
• Process ➔
o The native trees of the region are identified and divided into four layers — shrub, sub-tree, tree, and canopy.
o The quality of soil is analyzed and biomass which would help enhance the perforation capacity, water
retention capacity, and nutrients in it, is mixed with it.
o A mound is built with the soil and the seeds are planted at a very high density — three to five sapling per
square meter.
o The ground is covered with a thick layer of mulch.
• Benefits of the Miyawaki method ➔
o They help lower temperatures in concrete heat islands, reduce air and noise pollution, attract local birds
and insects, and create carbon sinks.
o The Miyawaki afforestation method requires quite a small space, at least 20 square feet.
o It has revolutionised the concept of urban afforestation by turning backyards into mini-forests.

10. Trees Outside Forests in India Initiative

Why in News?
The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, the Government of India and the US Agency for International
Development (USAID) has announced the launch of the “Trees Outside Forests in India” Initiative.
About

• Aim ➔ To increase tree coverage outside of forest lands in India in a bid to support global climate change mitigation
and adaptation goals.
• Features ➔ The programme will bring together farmers, companies and private institutions in India to rapidly
expand tree coverage outside of traditional forests by 28 lakh hectares.

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• It will use innovative financing models and leverage India’s private sector to promote tree-based enterprises,
helping to create sustainable markets and improve rural economies and livelihoods.
• Implementation ➔ The program will be implemented by a consortium led by the Center for International Forestry
Research(CIFOR) and World Agroforestry.
• Coverage ➔ The program will be implemented in seven states including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Odisha,
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Significance ➔ The program will enhance carbon sequestration, support local communities and strengthen the
climate resilience of agriculture.

11. Asiatic Caracal

Why in News?
Caracal, which was used by India’s nobility in the sport of coursing like the cheetah, is struggling to survive, although
both species had a similar distribution in the past.
About

• The Asiatic caracal is a medium-sized and locally threatened cat species, which has been widely reported to be on
the brink of extinction in India.
• It is also known by its persian name Siyahgosh or ‘black ears’.
• Scientific Name ➔ Caracal Caracal Schmitzi.
• Distribution ➔
o They are found mostly in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and are located in Kutch, the Malwa
Plateau, the Aravalli hill range.
o Besides India, the caracal is found in several dozen countries across Africa, the Middle East, Central and
South Asia.
• Habitats ➔
o It occurs in semi-deserts, steppes, savannah, scrubland, dry forest and moist woodland or evergreen
forest.
o It prefers open terrain and drier, scrubby, arid habitats and needs cover.
• Protection Status ➔
o IUCN Red List: Least Concern
o Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
o CITES: Appendix I
• Conservation Initiatives ➔ In 2021, the National Board for Wildlife and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change included Caracal in the list of Critically Endangered species under critically endangered species
recovery programme.

12. World Ozone Day

Why in News?
Recently, India organised a programme to observe the 28th World Ozone Day.
About

• World Ozone Day is celebrated on 16th September each year to commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol
that came into force on this day in 1987.
• The theme of World Ozone Day 2022 is “Montreal Protocol@35: global cooperation protecting life on earth”.

👉 Ozone

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• It is a special form of oxygen with the chemical formula O3. The oxygen we breathe and that is so vital to life on
earth is O2.
• Most ozone resides high up in the atmosphere, between 10 and 40km above Earth's surface. This region is called
the stratosphere and it contains about 90% of all the ozone in the atmosphere.
• Good Ozone ➔
o Ozone occurs naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere (Stratosphere) where it forms a protective layer
that shields us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.
o This “good” ozone is gradually being destroyed by man-made chemicals referred to as Ozone-Depleting
Substances (ODS), including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), halons, methyl
bromide, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform.
• Bad Ozone ➔
o In the Earth's lower atmosphere (troposphere) near ground level, ozone is formed when pollutants emitted
by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources react chemically in
the presence of sunlight.
o Surface level ozone is a harmful air pollutant.

13. Project Cheetah

Why in News?
The Prime Minister has released wild Cheetahs – which had become extinct from India – in Kuno National Park as part of
Project Cheetah.
About

• The introduction of cheetahs in India is being done under Project Cheetah. It is the world’s first intercontinental
large wild carnivore translocation project.
• Under this project, eight Cheetahs (five female and three male Cheetahs) have been brought from Namibia and
released in Kuno National Park (Madhya Pradesh).
•
• Significance ➔ Cheetahs will help restore open forest and grassland ecosystems in India. This will help conserve
biodiversity and enhance the ecosystem services like water security, carbon sequestration and soil moisture
conservation, benefiting society at large.

👉 Cheetah

• The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is • African Cheetah • Asiatic Cheetah

a large cat native to Africa and
central Iran.
• It is the fastest land animal,
estimated to be capable of running
at 80 to 128 km/h.
• There are four recorded
subspecies of Cheetahs.
• Asiatic Vs African Cheetahs ➔
Research found that Asiatic
cheetahs split from the African
cheetah between 32,000 and 67,000 years ago.
• IUCN status: They are vulnerable under
the IUCN Red List.
• Distribution: Around 6,500-7,000
African cheetahs present in the wild.
• Characteristics: They are bigger in size
as compared to Asiatic Cheetah.
• IUCN status: The Asiatic cheetah is
classified as a “critically endangered”
species by the IUCN Red List.
• Status in India: The Asiatic Cheetah was
declared extinct in India in 1952.
• Distribution: They are only 40-50 and
found only in Iran.
• Characteristics: Smaller and paler than
the African cheetah.

👉 Kuno National Park

• Kuno National Park is a national park in Madhya Pradesh, India, established in 1981 as a wildlife sanctuary.
• State government changed the status of the wildlife sanctuary to Kuno National Park in 2018
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• It is part of the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
• Flora ➔ The vegetation of the protected area includes dry savanna forest and grassland and tropical riverine forest.
• Fauna ➔ The main predators occurring in the protected area are Indian leopard, jungle cat, sloth bear, dhole, Indian
wolf, golden jackal, striped hyena and Bengal fox.
•
14. Legacy Waste
Why in News?
The Centre for Science and Environment(CSE) has released a roadmap for legacy waste management in a bid to support
India’s garbage-free cities agenda.
About

• Term ➔ The term ‘legacy waste’ has not been defined in any official government document in India.
• But it typically refers to wastes that are collected and kept for years at some barren land or a place dedicated to a
Landfill (an area to dump solid waste).
• Significance ➔ The term ‘legacy waste’ has received close attention in the wake of Swachh Bharat Mission(SBM)
2.0 which mandates that cities in India should clear legacy waste sites, reclaim the land and prevent more waste
from reaching dumpsites.
• Note: The operational guidelines of the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 had made it mandatory for cities with a
population of less than a million to clear legacy waste sites by March 31, 2023. Cities with a population of more
than a million are to remediate their dumpsites by March 31, 2024.

👉 What is the roadmap of CSE on legacy waste?

• The CSE has prepared a seven-point roadmap which includes:

• 1) developing a sustainable solid waste management plan, 2) ensuring maximum utilization of recovered fractions,
3) reusing the reclaimed land sustainably on the basis of a comprehensive policy and protocol, 4) developing
standards for gainful use of recovered fractions, 5) incentivising management of recovered materials 6) building
capacity of urban departments and 7) ensuring sustainable operation of sanitary landfills.

15. Global Registry of Fossil Fuels

Why in News?
The World’s first Global Registry of Fossil Fuels has been launched.
About

• Launched by ➔ Carbon Tracker and the Global Energy Monitor.

• Purpose ➔ It is the first-of-its-kind database for tracking the world’s fossil fuel production, reserves and emissions.
• It includes data from over 50,000 oil, gas and coal fields in 89 countries. That covers 75% of global reserves,
production and emissions. This registry is available for public use.
• Key analysis that can be made from this data? ➔
o Firstly, the United States and Russia have enough fossil fuel still underground untapped to exhaust the
world’s remaining carbon budget. That’s the remaining carbon the world can afford to emit before a certain
amount of warming occurs, in this case, 1.5 degrees Celsius.
o These reserves would generate 3.5 trillion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions which is more than all of
the emissions produced since the Industrial Revolution.
o Secondly, of the 50,000 fields included, the most potent source of emissions is the Ghawar oil field in Saudi
Arabia, which churns out some 525 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

16. Dugong Conservation Reserve

Why in News?
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Tamil Nadu government has notified India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve.
About

• The Dugong Conservation Reserve has been notified in Palk Bay.

• The reserve was covering the coastal waters of Thanjavur and Pudukottai districts.
• The move was aimed at conserving the Dugongs - endangered species.
• Conservation of these Dugongs would improve the seagrass beds that are the breeding and feeding grounds for
many fishes and marine fauna.

👉 Dugong

• Dugong (Dugong dugon) is a sirenian herbivorous mammal species native to parts of the Indian littoral.
• Dugongs are cousins of manatees. But, unlike manatees, which use freshwater areas, the dugong is strictly a marine
mammal.
• Commonly known as “sea cows,” dugongs graze peacefully on sea grasses in shallow coastal waters of the Indian
and western Pacific Oceans.
• Conservation Status ➔
o IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Vulnerable
o CITES: Appendix I
o Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I (Highest Protection).

17. Typhloesus
Why in News?
The mystery of a bizarre creature Typhloesus dubbed the “alien goldfish”, which has baffled fossil experts for decades,
may have been solved.
About

• Typhloesus wellsi lived about 330m years ago and was discovered in the Bear Gulch Limestone fossil site in Montana
in the late 1960s.
• Typhloesus is an ancient sea animal so strange that paleontologists have referred to it as an alien goldfish.
• This bloblike animal has defied taxonomic placement for nearly 50 years.
• Now, the scientists say that this animal is some sort of mollusc.
• A new structure is identified in the animal called radula - a tonguelike structure covered in teeth that snails and
other mollusks use to scrape food into their mouths.
• The tooth-studded structure in Typhloesus was most likely attached to a retractable trunk.

👉 Montana

• When those fossilized creatures were living in the Bear Gulch Limestone in Montana, this area was,
o Blanketed by a balmy bay and
o Home to sharks that sported swordlike spines, coelacanths and the oldest known ancestor to vampire
squids.
• Local monsoons washed nutrients into the bay, sparking algal blooms that sapped oxygen from the water and kept
scavengers at bay.
• Those conditions allowed myriad soft-bodied invertebrates to be preserved in incredible detail.
• Because many of these ancient sea creatures are delicately imprinted onto the limestone, most of their identities
are easy to deduce.

18. Tomistoma

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Why in News?
Recently, a study suggests that attacks on humans in Indonesia by Tomistoma may be increasing due to increasing
intrusion in their habitat.
About

• The tomistoma is a large, slender-snouted crocodilian species native to Southeast Asia.

• Distribution ➔ Across part of Borneo (divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei), peninsular Malaysia and
Sumatra.
• Tomistoma shares its habitat with two other types of crocodilians; The saltwater crocodile and the Siamese
crocodile.
• Characteristics ➔
o They are noted for their long narrow snouts used to catch fish, similar to the gharial.
o It is a freshwater species and is frequently associated with peat swamp forest.
o It was long believed to be primarily piscivorous (fish eating) due to its slender snout, in recent decades it
has been found that the species has a much broader diet and is likely more of an opportunistic predator.
• IUCN Status ➔ It is currently listed as Endangered.

19. Fridays for Future

Why in News?
MANAGEMENT (LCCM)
Thousands of young activists took to the streets across the world for the Fridays for Future, demanding stronger policies
for loss and damage as well as climate reparation from governments in their countries.
About

• The Fridays for Future (FFF) campaign is a youth-led and youth-organised global climate justice movement that
started in 2018, when 15-year-old Greta Thunberg began a school strike for climate.
• These are Global Climate Strikes that focuses on providing a platform for the most affected people and areas (MAPA)
to voice their demands.
• The four major demands that were raised during the strike included
o Strengthening of environmental laws,
o Providing and safeguarding the rights of the communities at the forefront of environmental conservation,
o Implementation of democratic decisions for climate justice and
o Empowerment of healthy public commons for everyone in the city.
• The global team of FFF members and volunteers used social media to inform and mobilise the youth in every corner
of the world.

20. Broad-billed sandpiper

Why in News?
Broad-billed sandpiper (Calidris falcinellus) has been spotted for the first time at
Nanjarayan tank bird sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
About

• Broad-billed sandpiper is a migratory bird species found in Northern Europe,

particularly in the Nordic Countries such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, and in
Siberia.
• The bird spends its non-breeding season foraging on insects and crustaceans
in the shallow waters and mud flats, mostly in the coastal belt of the eastern
part of Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

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• IUCN Status: Least Concern.

👉 Nanjarayan Tank Bird Sanctuary

• Nanjarayan Tank, a biodiversity hotspot has recently been announced as the 17th bird sanctuary of Tamil Nadu.
• Nanjarayan Tank, also known as Sarkar Periyapalayam Reservoir, is located on the outskirts of Tirupur city near
Koolipalayam about 60 kilometres from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
• The tank was built by the then-local King Nanjarayan as a source for irrigation and is a haven for migratory birds.

21. Rotterdam Convention

Why in News?
International trade of two new hazardous pesticides — Iprodione and Terbufos — has been recommended for “prior
informed consent” (PIC) procedure under Rotterdam convention.
About

• Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent Procedures (PIC) entered into force in 2004.
• It is an international treaty designed to facilitate informed decision-making by countries with regard to trade in
hazardous chemicals.
• It is a legally binding instrument.
• India acceded to the Convention in 2006.
• Objectives ➔ To promote shared responsibility and cooperative efforts among State Parties in the international
trade of certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment from potential harm.
• To contribute to the environmentally sound use of these hazardous chemicals by facilitating information exchange
about their characteristics, providing for a national decision making process on their import and export, and by
disseminating these decisions to the Parties.

👉 Iprodione and Terbufos

• Iprodione, a fungicide used on vines, fruits, trees and vegetables, has been classified as carcinogenic and toxic for
reproduction.
• Terbufos is a soil insecticide used commonly on sorghum, maize, beet and potatoes.
o It has also been found to pose risk to aquatic organisms due to its toxicity.
• Both the pesticides, which are used in agriculture, are known for their harmful impacts on human health and the
environment.
o In India, the use of these chemicals was permitted by the 2015 Anupam Verma committee report. The
country is among the largest exporters of Terbufos.

22. Madhav National Park

Why in News?
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has given the green signal to relocate five tigers from three national
parks of the state to Madhav National Park (MNP).
About

• Location ➔ It is situated near Shivpuri town in Madhya Pradesh and is a part of the upper Vindhyan hills.
• It was the hunting ground of Mughal emperors and Maharaja of Gwalior.
• It got the status of a National Park in 1958.
• Biodiversity ➔ It is gifted with a diverse ecosystem comprising lakes, forests and grasslands. The forest is home to
antelopes like Nilgai, Chinkara and Chowsinga and Deer including Chital, Sambar and Barking Deer. Animals like the
Leopard, Wolf, Jackal, Fox, Wild Dog, Wild Pig, Porcupine, Python etc are also sighted in the park.

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 23. Silphion
Why in News?
Recently, a study claimed that the Mediterranean medicinal plant considered a cure-all that mysteriously vanished 2,000
years ago may still be around.
About

• What is it? ➔ Silphion is a yellow-flowered plant that was thought to have gone extinct some 2,000 years ago.
• Habitat ➔ These plants may need cold and moist conditions for seed germination. This is because the plants related
to Silphion, such as Ferula drudeana and Ferula asafoetida, also need similar environmental conditions for seeds to
germinate.
• Ancient usage of the plant ➔ The resin of the Silphion was extensively used as a spice, perfume, aphrodisiac,
contraceptive and medicine.
• It also occupied an important place in the export economy of ancient Cyrene, an old Greek and later Roman colony
near north-eastern Libya.
• Causes of extinction of Silphion ➔ Overharvesting, Human-induced environmental changes and Widespread
deforestation and desertification.

👉 What has been found now about Silphion?

• A study has claimed that the Silphion plant may still be around and not have gone extinct.
• This is because recently researchers from Istanbul University found a plant species at three locations in Turkey, that
resembled the ancient plant Silphion.

24. Neelakurinji Flower

Why in News?
The Neelakurinji flowers have turned the green patches of Bababudangiri range of the Western Ghats (Chandradrona
Mountains) into purple-blue.
About

• It is a shrub of the Acanthaceae family that famously blooms once every 12 years.
• It is endemic to Western Ghats, covering the slopes of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• Their scientific name is ‘Strobilanthes Kunthiana’,
• Strobilanthes is a genus of about 350 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, mostly native to tropical
Asia and Madagascar.
• The Topli Karvy (Strobilanthes sessilis), the Karvy (Strobilanthes callosa) and the Kurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana),
all belong to the Strobilanthes genus.
• The Topli Karvy is found more in the northern section of the Western Ghats in Maharashtra.
• The Karvy grows on the steepest cliffs where trees can’t grow.
• They are seen mostly on the Nilgiri hills, which even got its name from the flowers — ‘Neela’, meaning blue and
‘Kurinji’, referring to the flowers.

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Science and Technology
1. NASA’s Artemis Programme

Why in News?
Recently, NASA’s Moon mission was named after the ancient lunar goddess Artemis.
About

• Artemis I will send a rocket without a crew on a month-long journey around the Moon.
• Artemis, I mission will carry two mannequins designed to study the effects of radiation on women’s bodies so that
NASA can learn how to protect female astronauts better.
• The spacecraft will launch on SLS, the most powerful rocket in the world.
• It will travel 2, 80,000 miles from the earth for over four to six weeks during the course of the mission.
• Aim ➔
o To land humans on the moon by 2024 and it also plans to land the first woman and first person of colour
on the moon.
o To contribute to scientific discovery and economic benefits and inspire a new generation of explorers.
• Spacecraft ➔
o The Orion spacecraft is going to remain in space without docking to a space station, longer than any ship
for astronauts has ever done before.
o SLS Rocket:
o The SLS rocket has been designed for space missions beyond low-earth orbit.
o It can carry crew or cargo to the moon and beyond.
• Artemis Base Camp ➔
o Base camp will be established on the surface and a gateway in lunar orbit to aid exploration by robots and
astronauts.
o It will give astronauts a place to live and work on the moon.
o It includes a modern lunar cabin, a rover, and a mobile home.
• Gateway ➔
o The gateway is a critical component of NASA’s sustainable lunar operations and will serve as a multi-purpose
outpost orbiting the moon.
o It is a spaceship in lunar orbit where astronauts will transfer between Orion and the lander on regular
Artemis missions.
o Gateway will remain in orbit for more than a decade, providing a place to live and work, and supporting
long-term science and human exploration on and around the Moon.
• Space agencies involved ➔
o The Canadian Space Agency has committed to providing advanced robotics for the gateway,
o The European Space Agency will provide the International Habitat and the ESPRIT module, which will deliver
additional communications capabilities among other things.
o The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to contribute habitation components and logistics resupply.

2. Hand, foot, and mouth disease(HFMD)

Why in News?
There has been a spike in cases of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease(HFMD) in Mumbai. As per data provided by the state’s
public health department, Maharashtra has reported 250 cases of hand-foot-and-mouth disease.
About

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• What is it? ➔ Hand, foot, and mouth disease(HFMD) is a highly contagious infection. It is common in children under
the age of 5, but anyone can get it.
• Caused by ➔ It is most commonly caused by a coxsackievirus, which belongs to a group of viruses called nonpolio
enteroviruses.
• Transmission ➔ These viruses can spread from person to person through direct contact with unwashed hands or
surfaces contaminated with feces. It can also be transmitted through contact with a person’s saliva, stool, or
respiratory secretions.
• Symptoms ➔ Symptoms usually include fever, mouth sores, and skin rash. The rash is commonly found on the
hands and feet.
• Treatment ➔ The illness is usually not serious. Children are mostly treated with anti-allergic medicines and
ointments. The lesions usually disappear in five to six days.
• Prevention ➔ Frequent hand-washing and avoiding close contact with people who have hand-foot-and-mouth
disease may help lower a child’s risk of infection.

3. Anti-radiation pills
Why in News?
Recently, with fears of a nuclear disaster at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia power plant growing, the European Union has decided
to pre-emptively supply 5.5 million anti-radiation pills to be distributed among residents in the vicinity.
About Radiation Emergency

• These are unplanned or accidental events that create radio-nuclear hazard to humans and the environment.
• Such situations involve radiation exposure from a radioactive source and require prompt intervention to mitigate
the threat.
• Dealing with such an emergency also involves the use of anti-radiation tablets.

👉 What are Anti-radiation Pills?

• Potassium iodide (KI) tablets or anti-radiation pills are known to provide some protection in cases of radiation
exposure.
• They contain non-radioactive iodine and can help block absorption and subsequent concentration of radioactive
iodine in the thyroid gland.
• How do these pills work? ➔
o After a radiation leak, radioactive iodine floats through the air and then contaminates food, water and soil.
o While radioactive iodine deposited during external exposure can be removed using warm water and soap,
the bigger risk is inhaling it.
o The thyroid gland which uses iodine to produce hormones to regulate the body’s metabolism has no way
of telling radioactive from non-radioactive iodine.
o Potassium iodide(KI) tablets rely on this to achieve
‘thyroid blocking’. KI pills took a few hours before or
soon after radiation exposure to ensure that non-
radioactive iodine in the medicine is absorbed quickly
to make the thyroid “full”.
o But KI pills are preventive only and cannot reverse
any damage done by radiation to the thyroid gland.

👉 Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

• It is located in south-eastern Ukraine and is the largest

nuclear power plant in Europe and among the 10 largest in
the world.
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• It was built by the Soviet Union near the city of Enerhodar, on the southern shore of the Kakhovka Reservoir on the
Dnieper River.

4. Cervavac
Why in News?
Recently, the Union Minister of Science and Technology announced the scientific completion of Cervavac which is India’s
first indigenously developed quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer.

About

• Cervavac is India’s first quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine(qHPV) vaccine. It is intended to protect women
against cervical cancer.
• Manufacturer ➔ Cervavac is developed by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India in coordination with the
Government of India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
• Based on ➔ The vaccine is based on VLP (virus-like particles), similar to the hepatitis B vaccine and provides
protection by generating antibodies against the HPV virus’s L1 protein.
• Doses ➔ Two vaccine doses are supposed to be administered to teenage girls before they are sexually active. For
older individuals, three doses are recommended.
• Note ➔ This vaccine can prevent an infection, but cannot clear it once it happens.

👉 Cervical Cancer

• Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that occurs in the cells of the cervix — the lower part of the uterus that connects
to the vagina.
• Various strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, play a role in causing most
cervical cancer.
• Globally, Cervical Cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer among women in the world.
• In India, Cervical cancer ranks as the second-most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age.

5. MOXIE
Why in News?
Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment(MOXIE) has produced oxygen on Mars with components from the
planet’s atmosphere.
About

• MOXIE is a small box sent by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT)

with NASA’s Perseverence rover.
• It has produced oxygen on Mars with components from the planet’s
atmosphere.
• MOXIE makes oxygen like a tree does. It inhales carbon dioxide and exhales
oxygen.
• Note ➔ Carbon dioxide makes up ~96% of the gas in Mars’ atmosphere (Oxygen
is only 0.13%).
• Significance ➔ MOXIE will help demonstrate a way that future explorers might
produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere for propellant and for breathing.
• Note ➔ A substantial amount of oxygen supply on Mars is essential for crewed missions that plan to go there– not
just for astronauts to breathe but for rockets to use as fuel while coming back to Earth.

6. Dark Sky Reserve

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Why in News?
Recently, in a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Department of Science & Technology (DST) has announced the setting up of
India’s first Dark Sky Reserve in Hanle, Ladakh.
About

• A Dark Sky Reserve is a designation given to a place that has policies in place to ensure that a tract of land or region
has minimal artificial light interference.
• The International Dark Sky Association is a U.S.-based non-profit that designates places as International Dark Sky
Places, Parks, Sanctuaries and Reserves depending on the criteria they meet. Several such reserves exist around the
world but none so far in India.

👉 India’s First ever Dark Sky Reserve

• Located at ➔ Hanle in Ladakh as a part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary.

• To be Developed by ➔ Ladakh administration will work with Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council(LAHDC)
and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) for developing this reserve.
• Significance ➔ The reserve will boost Astro tourism in India and will be one of the world’s highest-located sites for
optical, infrared, and gamma-ray telescopes.
• Why was Hanle chosen for setting up Dark Sky Reserve? ➔ Hanle is best suited for the project as it is located in
Ladakh’s cold desert region with clear sky and dry weather conditions throughout the year and away from human
disturbance.

7. Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology Initiative

Why in News?
On Teachers Day, the Government of India has launched the Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology (WEST)
Initiative.
About

• What is it? ➔ It is a new I-STEM (Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map) initiative.
• Launched by ➔ Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India.
• Aim ➔ To cater to women with a STEM background and empower them to contribute to the science, technology,
and innovation ecosystem.
• Key Features of the initiative ➔
o Pursue Research → Through the WEST initiative, I-STEM shall provide a separate platform to scientifically
inclined women researchers, scientists, and technologists for pursuing research in basic or applied sciences
in frontier areas of science and engineering.
o Skill Development → The Skill Development programmes under the WEST initiative will provide training for
women with S&T backgrounds to brush up on their abilities and become engaged “in the field” filling crucial
gaps in the R&D infrastructure of the country.
o A digital consortium “Connect Quickly” for an online discussion and immediate support has also been
established through the I-STEM WhatsApp and Telegram platforms.
o Support to women S&T Startups → Under the WEST initiative, the current support being provided to S&T
startups by women entrepreneurs by I-STEM will be enhanced. For instance, access to R&D facilities and
R&D software platforms (COMSOL, MATLAB, LABVIEW, AUTOCAD) will be available through the I-STEM
portal.

8. Legionnaires Disease
Why in News?

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Recently, a cluster of pneumonia cases in Tucumán, Argentina was caused by legionella which is the bacteria that causes
Legionnaires' disease.
About

• Background ➔ Legionella was discovered after an outbreak in 1976 among people who went to a Philadelphia
convention of the American Legion.
• Legionnaires disease is a serious type of pneumonia (lung infection) caused by Legionella bacteria.
• People can get sick when they breathe in small droplets of water or accidently swallow water containing Legionella
into the lungs.
• Legionella can cause Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever, collectively known as legionellosis.
• In general, people do not spread Legionnaires’ disease to other people.
• Causes and Common Sources of Infection ➔
o Legionella bacteria are found naturally in freshwater environments, like lakes and streams.
o The bacteria can become a health concern when they grow and spread in human-made building water
systems like: Showerheads and sink faucets, Cooling towers, Hot tubs, Decorative fountains and water
features, Hot water tanks and heaters, Large, complex plumbing systems.
• Signs and Symptoms ➔ Cough, Shortness of breath, Fever, Muscle aches, Headaches,
• Treatment ➔
o There are no vaccines that can prevent Legionnaires’ disease.
o Legionnaires’ disease requires treatment with antibiotics and most cases of this illness can be treated
successfully.

9. Floppy Disks
Why in News?
Decades after the floppy disks became obsolete and were phased out globally, Japan has announced that it will finally
do away with floppy disks and other outdated technology in a bid to modernise its bureaucracy.
About

• A floppy disk is a removable disk storage device used to store electronic data, like computer data and programmes.
• It was first developed by IBM in 1967, as an alternative to buying hard drives, which were extremely expensive at
the time.
• The floppy disk was popularly used between the 1970s and 1990s.
• It is only able to store about 800 KB of data, which is about 0.0008 GB.
• Early computers did not have CD-ROM drives or USB; floppy disks were the only way to install a new program on a
computer or back up your information from a computer.
• The first floppy disks measured about 8 inches and were difficult to store as they got dirty very easily. Later, size
was reduced to 3.5-5.5 inches.

10. QIMINGXING 50
Why in News?
China’s first fully solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle named “QIMINGXING 50” has successfully completed its
maiden test flight with all onboard systems functioning optimally.
About

• QIMINGXING 50 or Morning Star-50 is China’s fully solar-powered, semi-satellite drone.

• Purpose: It is capable of conducting high-altitude reconnaissance, apart from monitoring forest fires, and providing
communication and environment relay.
• Features ➔ This drone is powered entirely by solar panels. It can stay airborne for long durations.
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• It flies above 20-km altitude where there is stable airflow with no clouds. This helps these drones to make maximum
use of solar equipment to stay functional for extended durations.
• Significance of this drone ➔
o Firstly, this drone can operate in near-space – 20 km to 100 km above the Earth’s surface. This makes it
capable of carrying out satellite-like functions.
o Secondly, It is cost-effective to build and is also easy to launch and operate.
o Thirdly, being entirely powered by clean energy from the Sun, it can help boost China’s capabilities to
operate in near-space and over the ocean.
11. Einstein Ring
Why in News?
The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) of the James Webb Space Telescope Telescope has captured an image of an almost
perfect “Einstein ring”.
About

• An Einstein ring is a ring of light created when light from a galaxy, star or other light-emitting cosmic objects passes
near a massive object before it reaches the Earth, or in this case, the Webb telescope.
• When this happens, gravitational lensing causes the light to get diverted and if the source, lens and the observing
element are all in perfect alignment, this light appears as a ring.
• So, the ring itself not a real physical structure in space, but just a play of light and gravity, a result of the gravitational
lensing effect.
• The Einstein ring is also known as the Chwolson ring.

👉 Recent finding

• “Einstein ring” that was captured recently was formed from the light of a distant galaxy SPT-S J041839-4751.8, which
is around 12 billion light-years away from Earth.
• From Webb’s point of view, this galaxy is positioned directly behind another galaxy that is so massive that its
gravitational pull warps space and time.
• As the light from the background galaxy travels to the Webb telescope, it has to cross the warped space-time near
the foreground galaxy.
• This is what makes the light appear like a curved ring.

12. Inouye Solar Telescope

Why in News?
The Inouye Solar Telescope has captured an image of the Sun’s chromosphere a resolution of 18 kilometres.
About

• The Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) is located at the Haleakala Observatory on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
• The DKIST was set up by the US National Science Foundation (NSF).
• According to the NSF, the Inouye Solar Telescope is the most powerful solar telescope in the world.
• Its insights will transform how we predict and prepare for events like solar storms.
• The chromosphere is the second of the three main layers in the Sun’s atmosphere. It is located above the
photosphere and below the solar transition region and corona.

👉 Haleakalā

• Soaring nearly three kilometers, above the Pacific Ocean, Haleakalā is Maui Island’s largest volcanic mountain.
• Haleakalā is a high-elevation, shield volcano surrounded by ocean.
• This unique geography offers a site 10,023 feet above the clouds, with a clear blue sky and a stable atmosphere
that is relatively free of dust.
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• It is a near perfect place for solar astronomy.

13. Quantum Computing

Why in News?
According to a study by IBM, India is witnessing a growing interest in quantum computing, with students, developers,
and academia actively participating. Consequently, the country is emerging as a talent hub for quantum computing.
About

• Quantum computing is a rapidly-emerging technology that harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics to solve
problems too complex for classical computers.
• Quantum mechanics is a subfield of physics that describes the behavior of particles — atoms, electrons, photons,
and almost everything in the molecular and submolecular realm.
• It is an exciting new technology that will shape our world tomorrow by providing us with an edge and a myriad of
possibilities.
• It is a fundamentally different way of processing information compared to today’s classical computing systems.
• Different from Traditional Computers ➔
o While today’s classical computers store information as binary 0 and 1 states, quantum computers draw on
the fundamental laws of nature to carry out calculations using quantum bits.
o Unlike a bit that has to be a 0 or a 1, a qubit can be in a combination of states, which allows for exponentially
larger calculations and gives them the potential to solve complex problems which even the most powerful
classical supercomputers are not capable of.
• Significance ➔ Quantum computers can tap into the quantum mechanical phenomenon to manipulate information
and are expected to shed light on processes of molecular and chemical interactions, address difficult optimization
problems, and boost the power of artificial intelligence.

👉 IBM India’s Initiatives around Quantum Computing?

• Qiskit Challenge ➔ Qiskit is an open-source software development kit built by IBM for the quantum developer
community.
• Qiskit India Week of Quantum ➔ IBM regularly organizes India-focused programmes such as Qiskit India Week of
Quantum, which celebrated women in quantum to kickstart their journeys in quantum, and was attended by almost
300 students.
• The Qiskit Textbook ➔ Qiskit textbook is available in Tamil, Bengali and Hindi and was accessed more than 30,000
times by students in India in 2021 alone.
• IBM Quantum Educators Programme ➔ IBM is collaborating with leading educational institutions in India through
the IBM Quantum Educators Programme.
o The faculty and students of these institutions will be able to access IBM Quantum systems, quantum learning
resources and quantum tools over IBM Cloud for educational purposes.

14. Rabies Disease

Why in News?
Supreme Court observed that those who feed the street dogs could be made responsible for vaccinating them.
About

• What is it? ➔ It is a viral zoonotic disease that causes progressive and fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal
cord.
• It is a fatal but preventable viral disease.
• Clinically, it has two forms ➔

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 o Furious rabies – characterized by hyperactivity and hallucinations.
o Paralytic rabies – characterized by paralysis and coma.
• Spread ➔ It is present on all continents, except Antarctica, with over 95% of human deaths occurring in the Asia
and Africa regions. Rabies is one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) that predominantly affects poor and
vulnerable populations who live in remote rural locations.
• Transmission ➔ It can spread to people and pets if they are bitten or scratched by a rabid animal.
• Impact ➔ The rabies virus infects the central nervous system. If a person does not receive the appropriate medical
care after a potential rabies exposure, the virus can cause disease in the brain, ultimately resulting in death.
• Treatment and Prevention ➔ Rabies can be prevented by vaccinating pets, staying away from wildlife, and seeking
medical care after potential exposures before symptoms start.

15. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T Cell T Therapy

Why in News?
Recently, the researchers have said that India’s first indigenously developed Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T Cell T
therapy for specific types of cancer patients has shown promising results and could be the safest therapy in this category
so far.
About

• CAR-T cells are a patient’s own immune cells that are genetically engineered in the laboratory to fight cancer.
• CAR-T cell is a prospective therapy that has ushered in a new era of curing refractory and stubborn cancers.
• CAR T cell therapy is used as third or second-line treatment for patients of specific types of cancers of blood and
lymph nodes. In India, those willing to undergo this treatment have to travel to other countries, mostly the US.
• T-cell receptor is widely used in developed nations for immunotherapy during cancer treatment.
• However, the technology was not available in India yet.

👉 How does it work?

• The therapy targets leukaemia and lymphoma.

o Leukaemia is cancer of blood-forming tissues, including bone marrow.
o Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the body's germ-fighting network.
• It uses lentiviral technology.
o In gene therapy, this is a method of inserting, modifying, or deleting genes in organisms using lentivirus, a
family of viruses responsible for diseases such as AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
• As part of the treatment, a specific type of white blood cells called T cells are changed in the lab so they can find
and destroy cancer cells.
• It is also sometimes referred to as a type of cell-based gene therapy because it involves altering genes inside T cells
to help them attack cancerous cells.

In What types of cancer can it be used?

• The therapy is mostly effective in blood cancer and lymphoma (cancer beginning in the cells of the lymph system).

16. CRISPR Technology

Why in News?
In the 10 years since the CRISPR technology has been developed, it has begun to deliver on its unlimited potential which
will help in improving the quality of human life.
About

• Full Name ➔ CRISPR is short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.

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• What is it? ➔ It is a powerful gene editing technology which replicates natural defense mechanisms in bacteria to
fight virus attacks using a special protein called Cas9.
• Working ➔ CRISPR-Cas9 technology behaves like a cut-and-paste mechanism on DNA strands that contain genetic
information.
• The specific location of the genetic codes that need to be changed, or edited, is identified on the DNA strand, and
then, using the Cas9 protein, which acts like a pair of scissors, that location is cut off 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 ➔ It has many potential applications, including correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the
spread of diseases, and improving the growth and resilience of crops.

17. Extended reality

Why in News?
MeitY Startup Hub(MSH) in collaboration with Meta will launch a program to support and accelerate Extended reality(XR)
technology startups across India.
About

• Extended reality(XR) is an umbrella term referring to all real-and-virtual combined environments and human-
machine interactions generated by computer technology and wearables.
• It includes representative forms such as augmented reality, mixed reality, and virtual reality and the areas
interpolated among them.

👉 MeitY Startup Hub

• MeitY Startup Hub is an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• Purpose ➔ It is a national platform focused on promoting technology innovation, start-ups, and the creation of
intellectual properties.

18. SOVA virus attack

Why in News?
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued a detailed safety advisory against a new mobile
banking ‘Trojan’ virus, SOVA, prowling in Indian cyberspace, which stealthily encrypts an android phone for ransom.
About

• A new banking malware is targeting bank customers using SOVA android Trojan with the ability to harvest
usernames and passwords. The malware hides itself within fake android applications displaying logos of legitimate
applications like Chrome, Amazon, and NFT (non-fungible token) platforms and deceives users into installing them.
• This malware captures user credentials when users access their bank accounts through net banking applications.
This version of SOVA is targeting over 200 mobile applications and its attacks can result in ‘large-scale’ financial
fraud.

19. e-SIM Technology

Why in News?
The eSIM (or embedded SIM) is quickly becoming mainstream due to fitness-oriented smartwatches and smartphones.
About

• An eSIM is an embedded SIM, essentially the same hardware of a regular SIM card chip, but now a permanently
embedded part of the motherboard of a watch or smartphone.
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• eSIMs were first established a decade ago in 2012, but despite their futuristic use-cases, have not completely made
physical SIMs obsolete yet.
• Advantages of eSIMs ➔
o Convenience: It will also save a trip to a telecom store/ service centre when you visit a different state or
country where you may want to switch to another operator.
o Security: When a phone with a physical SIM card is lost or stolen, the SIM card can be used in illegal activities
.
o An eSIM prevents this, as there is no physical element to pull out and use in another device.
o One less opening on your phone: Having an eSIM also means there is one less opening on the frame of your
phone, in theory, which should reduce the likelihood of elements like dust and water entering the phone
from yet another slot.
• Disadvantages of eSIMs ➔
o Emergencies: Traditional SIMs can be quickly pulled out of the affected/Damaged phone and into another
backup device or secondary phone.
▪ It is not possible with eSIMs.
o Unusable in countries with no eSIM support: It can not be used in a country where the telecom operators
simply don’t support the technology yet.

20. Ebola Virus Disease

Why in News?
Recently, an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has been declared in Uganda following the confirmation of a relatively
rare Sudan strain case.
About

• Formerly known as Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. The first cases were recorded in Guinea in December 2013. Later, the
disease spread to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone.
• Three of its six strains — Bundibugyo, Sudan and Zaire — have historically been responsible for major outbreaks.
• Spread ➔
o It is thought that fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts.
o The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads through human-to-human transmission
(through broken skin or mucous membranes).
• Symptoms ➔
o Symptoms of EVD can be sudden and include: Fever, Fatigue, Muscle pain, Headache, Sore throat
o This is followed by: Vomiting, Diarrhoea, Rash.
• Diagnosis ➔
o It can be difficult to clinically distinguish EVD from other infectious diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever
and meningitis. Many symptoms of pregnancy and Ebola disease are also quite similar. Confirmation that
symptoms are caused by Ebola virus infection are made using the following diagnostic methods:
o antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
o reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay
• Treatment ➔
o The Ervebo vaccine has been shown to be effective in protecting people from the species Zaire ebolavirus.
o Two monoclonal antibodies (Inmazeb and Ebanga) were approved for the treatment of Zaire ebolavirus
(Ebolavirus) infection in adults.
o Remdesivir was also tested as an Ebola treatment.

21. Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)

Why in News?
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On September 26, 2022, NASA’s DART spacecraft will intentionally crash into a small asteroid named Dimorphos,
however, the asteroid poses no threat to earth.
About

• Full Name ➔ DART stands for Double Asteroid Redirection Test.

• Launched by ➔ DART mission is being developed and led for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory.
• Purpose ➔ It is the first-ever mission dedicated to investigating and demonstrating one method of asteroid
deflection by changing an asteroid’s motion in space through kinetic impact.
• Target ➔ DART’s target is the binary asteroid system Didymos, which means “twin” in Greek (and explains the word
“double” in the mission’s name).
• Didymos is the ideal candidate for humankind’s first planetary defense experiment, although it is not on a path to
collide with Earth and therefore poses no actual threat to the planet.
• Significance ➔
o DART is a spacecraft designed to impact an asteroid as a test of the technology. DART’s target asteroid is
NOT a threat to Earth.
o This asteroid system is a perfect testing ground to see if intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid
is an effective way to change its course, should an Earth-threatening asteroid be discovered in the future.

22. BrahMos Missiles

Why in News?
Ministry of Defense has signed a Rs 1700 crore contract with BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd to buy additional dual-role
capable BrahMos missiles for the Indian Navy.
About

• The BrahMos missile, an Indo-Russian joint venture.

• Features ➔ has a range of 290 km and is the fastest cruise missile in the world with a top speed of Mach 2.8 (nearly
three times the speed of sound).
• BrahMos is named for the rivers Brahmaputra and Moskva.
• It is a two-stage (solid propellant engine in the first stage and liquid ramjet in second) missile.
• It is a multiplatform missile i.e., it can be launched from land, air, and sea and multi capability missile with pinpoint
accuracy that works in both day and night irrespective of the weather conditions.
• It operates on the "Fire and Forgets" principle i.e it does not require further guidance after launch.

👉 Recent Development

• In April 2022, an anti-ship version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired jointly by the
Indian Navy and the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
• In January 2022, an extended range sea-to-sea variant of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was test fired from
stealth guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam.

23. RH-200
Why in News?
Recently, The Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) is planning the 200th successful launch of the Rohini RH-200
sounding rocket in a row.
About

• RH-200 is a part of the Rohini-sounding rocket family used by the ISRO for atmospheric studies. It has completed
198 consecutive successful flights so far.
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• Features ➔ It is a two-stage rocket capable of climbing to a height of 70 km bearing scientific payloads. The first
and second stages of RH-200 are powered by solid motors.
• Note: The ‘200’ in the name denotes the diameter of the rocket in mm.

👉 Sounding Rockets

• Sounding rockets are usually one or two-stage solid propellant rockets. They are primarily intended for probing the
upper atmospheric regions using rocket-borne instrumentation.
• They also serve as platforms for testing prototypes of new components or subsystems intended for use in launch
vehicles and satellites.
• History of Sounding Rockets in India ➔ The launch of the first sounding rocket US made ‘Nike Apache’ from Thumba
near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala in 1963 marked the beginning of the Indian Space Programme.
o Later days saw the launching of two-stage rockets imported from Russia (M-100) and France (Centaure).
o In 1967, ISRO started launching a series of its own sounding rockets named Rohini from the Thumba
Equatorial Rocket Launching Station(TERLS).
o RH-75 was the first truly Indian-sounding rocket which was followed by RH-100 and RH-125 rockets.
o Currently, the RH200, RH300 MkII and RH560 Mk-III rockets are operational.

24. NavIC
Why in News?
India is pushing tech giants to make their smartphones compatible with its NavIC system. However, the manufacturers,
including companies like Samsung, Xiaomi and Apple are worried about the elevated costs and disruptions as the move
requires hardware changes.
About

• What is it? ➔ NavIC, or Navigation with Indian Constellation is an independent stand-alone navigation satellite
system developed by the Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO).
• Background ➔ NavIC was originally approved in 2006. It was expected to be completed by late 2011 but only
became operational in 2018.
• NavIC consists of eight satellites and covers the whole of India’s landmass and up to 1,500 km from its boundaries.
• Where is NavIC used currently? ➔
o Currently, NavIC’s use is limited. It is being used in public vehicle tracking in India, for providing emergency
warning alerts to fishermen venturing into the deep sea where there is no terrestrial network connectivity,
and for tracking and providing information related to natural disasters.
• How does NavIC work compared to other satellite navigation systems like GPS? ➔
o The main difference is the serviceable area covered by these systems. GPS caters to users across the globe
and its satellites circle the earth twice a day while NavIC is currently for use in India and adjacent areas.

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 o Moreover, like GPS, there are three more navigation systems that have a global coverage — Galileo from
the European Union, Russia-owned GLONASS and China’s Beidou.
o QZSS operated by Japan is another regional navigation system covering the Asia-Oceania region with a focus
on Japan.

25. SMALL MODULAR REACTORS

Why in News?
Recently, Niti Aayog member and scientist V K Saraswat suggested that the government should focus on setting up small
modular reactors as it would help meet the country’s energy needs and also in replacing aging thermal power plants.
About Small modular reactors

• Small modular reactors (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.
• The SMR is relatively a nascent concept, but they can make nuclear energy more scalable and flexible.
• It is projected that up to 21GW of SMRs could be added globally by 2035, making up approximately 3% of total
installed nuclear capacity.
• According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), more than 70 SMR concepts are currently under
development in 18 countries.
• The global market for SMRs is expected to be $300 billion a year by 2040.

Advantages of SMRs:

• Smaller footprint: SMRs can be sited on locations not suitable for larger nuclear power plants.
• Affordable: Prefabricated units of SMRs can be manufactured and then shipped and installed on site. This makes
them more affordable to build than largepower reactors, which are often designed for a particular location,
sometimes leading to construction delays.
• Savings: SMRs offer savings in cost and construction time, and they can be deployed incrementally to match
increasing energy demand.
• Sustainable Development: It can play a key role in the clean energy transition, while also helping countries address
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Reduced fuel requirements: SMRs have reduced fuel requirements. Power plants based on SMRs may require less
frequent refuelling, every 3 to 7 years, in comparison to between 1 and 2 years for conventional plants.
• Some SMRs are designed to operate for up to 30 years without refuelling.

Microreactors:

• Microreactors are small modular nuclear power plants that have a capacity of fewer than 10 megawatts (MW).
• Although the technology has not been commercially demonstrated yet, several designs are moving through licensing
in North America and Europe, with anticipated demonstrations in the next few years.
• They are expected to operate for years without refueling including the need to generate power on a small scale in
remote locations, at deployed military installations, and in locations recovering from natural disasters.

26. QUANTUM KEY DISTRIBUTION (QKD)

Why in News?
Bengaluru-based start-up QNu labs recently innovated advanced secured communication through quantum key
distribution (QKD) systems.
About

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• QKD system is developed by QNu Labs under aegis of
Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX).
• iDEX is operational framework of Defence Innovation
Organization (DIO), a special purpose vehicle under
Ministry of Defence.
• Objective of iDEX is to create an ecosystem to foster
innovation, entrepreneurship and technology
development, specifically in Defence and Aerospace
sector.
• QKD is a secure communication technology that uses
quantum physics to construct a cryptographic protocol.
• It allows two parties to generate a shared secret key that
can be used to encrypt and decrypt messages.
• In traditional cryptography, security is usually based on the fact that an adversary is unable to solve a certain
mathematical problem while in QKD, security is achieved through laws of quantum physics.
• Two such laws are Superposition and Entanglement.
• Superposition means that each quantum bit (basic unit of information in a quantum computer) can represent both
a 1 and a 0 at the same time.
• In quantum entanglement, subatomic particles become entangled (linked) in such a way that any change in one
disturbs the other even if both are at opposite ends of the universe.

27. DRAFT GUIDELINES ON ANONYMISATION OF DATA (AOD)

Why in News?
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), through e-Governance Standards and Guidelines, has
released drafts on AoD Guidelines and Mobile Security Guidelines (MSG) for public consultation.
About

• These guidelines have been prepared by Standardization Testing Quality Certification (STQC) Directorate and Centre
for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) Pune.
• Data Anonymisation is a processing technique that removes or modifies direct and indirect personally identifiable
attributes to eliminate or significantly reduce identifiability.
• Data which has undergone the process of anonymization is referred to as anonymized data.

Purpose of AoD Guidelines:

• Enhance privacy protection through casedependent data anonymisation while processing, publishing, storing or
sharing data with other entities.
• With integration of multiple services, implementation of anonymisation principles will help design privacy
cognizant systems.
• Provide Standard Operating Procedures to enable data anonymisation concept be implemented by various
organisations and government departments.
• MSG have been proposed to achieve mobile security goals such as confidentiality, integrity, authentication,
accountability, etc.
• MSG categorises mobile security into three sections i.e. mobile device security, mobile communication security,
and mobile services security.
• It defined three categories of mobile security control measures (policy-based measures, technology-based, and user-
oriented measures) to protect privacy, sensitive data, and security of transactions.

28. ROSHINI
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Why in News?
It is India’s first Saline Water Lantern which uses sea water as electrolyte between specially designed electrodes to power
the LED lamps.
About

• Developed by: National Institute of Ocean

• Technology (NIOT), Chennai.
• Technology can also be used in hinterlands, as any saline/normal water mixed with common salt can be used to
power the lantern

Significance:

• Cost-effective and feasible to operate.

• Bring ‘Ease of Living’ to the poor and needy, particularly fishing community.

29. BETELGEUSE
Why in News?
It is the bright red supergiant on the shoulder of Orion. A red giant is a dying star in the final stages of stellar evolution.
About

• In late 2019, Betelgeuse star got fainter than ever before.

• Now the researchers believe that in 2019 Betelgeus likely underwent an enormous surface mass ejection (SME)
where it ejected 400 billion times more mass than a typical event on other stars.
• An SME happens when a star expels large amounts of plasma and magnetic flux into the surrounding space.
• However, the exact cause behind this SME is unclear.

30. VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS/KALAAZAR

Why in News?
The Government has set the target to eliminate Kalaazar by next year from the country.
About

• Out of 633 Kala-azar endemic blocks, 625 blocks have achieved the elimination target last year.
• It is a non-tropical disease caused by a protozoan parasite of genus Leishmania and spread by sandfly bites is the
second deadliest parasitic disease in the world after malaria.
• It affects the spleen, liver and bone marrow.
• In India, it is endemic to Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

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Geography
1. Atal Bridge

Why in News?
The Prime Minister has inaugurated the pedestrian-only ‘Atal Bridge’ on Sabarmati river in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad city.
About

• Atal Bridge is a foot-over bridge (FOB) on the Sabarmati river in

Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• Apart from being used by pedestrians, the bridge can also be used
by cyclists to cross the river.
• The bridge is designed in such a way that it can be used by people
from both the upper and lower levels of the river.

👉 Sabarmati River

• The Sabarmati River is one of the major west-flowing rivers in

India.
• It originates in the Aravalli Range of the Udaipur District of
Rajasthan and meets the Gulf of Khambhat of the Arabian Sea after travelling 371 km in a south-westerly direction
across Rajasthan and Gujarat.

2. Super Typhoon Hinnamnor

Why in News?
The Super Typhoon ‘Hinnamnor’ has been barreling across the western Pacific Ocean and is presently hurtling back
towards the islands of Japan and South Korea, packing wind speeds of upto 241 kmph.
About

• The Super Typhoon ‘Hinnamnor’ is the strongest tropical storm of 2022.

• It is the category 5 typhoon - the highest classification on the scale.
• As it inches towards the Japanese islands, the typhoon is expected to develop further.
• The storm is expected to move towards parts of Southwestern Japan, Eastern China and South Korea over the next
few days.
• While the effects of the typhoon aren’t expected to be felt as intensely in China and Taiwan, heavy rains have been
predicted across South Korea.
• Reason for the typhoon intensifying ➔ One of the factors contributing to the Super Typhoon rapidly intensifying
and expanding is the fact that it has started absorbing other local meteorological systems.
o Warm tropical waters and other pre-existing meteorological disturbances have led to the system’s
escalation.

3. Sentosa Island
Why in News?
Sentosa Island is celebrating golden jubilee year (1972-2022).

About

• Sentosa Island is a tiny island off the coast of Singapore.

• It is best known for its largely man-made beaches, scarce natural beauty and unexpected water sports.

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• Its location between China and India turned the island into a haunt for merchant
sailors and pirates.
• The island was then known as Pulau Blankang Mati, which means "island of death
behind" in Malay because of its bloody reputation.
• During World War II, Sentosa Island was transformed into a Japanese prisoner of
war camp when the British colonial forces surrendered.
• The island was renamed Syonan-to, which means "light of the south."
• The Sentosa Development Corporation has given space to local artisans to
display their craft, which draws a steady flow of visitors during weekends.
• It has a Museum of icecream, where you can learn about the world’s most loved
summer treat, and play in a cheery “sprinkle pool.

4. Vembanad Lake
Why in News?
Vembanad Lake is shrinking and its unique biodiversity is under threat of ecological decay.
About

• Other Names ➔ Vembanad Lake is also known as Punnamada Lake, Kochi

Lake, Vembanad Kayal and Vembanad Kol.
• Location ➔ It is one of the largest lakes in Kerala and the longest lake in
the country.
• It is the second largest wetland system in India after the Sunderbans in
West Bengal.
• Rivers ➔ The lake has its source in four rivers, Meenachil, Achankoil,
Pampa and Manimala.
• The lake lays right by the Arabian Sea, with a narrow reef separating it
from the sea.
• Geographical Features in the Lake ➔ The Pathiramanal island or the
Midnight sands is a small beautiful island in the Lake.
o The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is located on the east coast of
the lake.
o In 2019, Willingdon Island, a seaport located in the city of Kochi, was carved out of Vembanad Lake.
o The 1252 m long saltwater barrier, Thanneermukkom, was built to stop saltwater intrusion into Kuttanad.
o The Nehru Trophy Boat Race (Vallam Kali) is a Snake Boat Race hosted in the lake every year in the month
of August.
• Recognition ➔ The government of India has recognised the wetland under the National Wetlands Conservation
Programme.
o In 2002, it was included in the list of wetlands of international importance, as defined by the Ramsar
Convention.

5. Dvorak Technique
Why in News?
American meteorologist Vernon Dvorak passed away, on whom Dvorak Technique was named to forecast Weather.
About

• What is it? ➔ A statistical method for estimating the intensity of tropical cyclones (TCs) (hurricanes, cyclones and
typhoons) from interpretation of satellite imagery.

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• It uses regular Infrared and Visible imagery. It is based on a “measurement” of the cyclone’s convective cloud
pattern and a set of rules.
• Benefits ➔
o It helps forecasters to do pattern recognition from the observed structure of the storm, locate its eye and
estimate the intensity of the storm,
o It is the Dvorak technique which gives the best estimates of the cyclone intensity — a vital component
while issuing weather warnings.
• Advancements ➔
o The Dvorak technique, said to be one of the greatest meteorological innovations, has undergone several
advancements since its inception.
o The technique has been upgraded multiple times since then, and after a recent software update, it has
been named the Advanced Dvorak Technique (ADT), coined by the National Hurricane Centre of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
o The updated technique would improve the tropical storm forecasts by many folds as they would have
access to sharper and detailed images than ever before.

6. Machilipatnam Seaport
Why in News?
The seaport proposed at Machilipatnam in Krishna district got Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance from the National
Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management recently.
About

• Machilipatnam or Masulipatnam or Bandar is located in Krishna

district, Andhra Pradesh.
• Machilipatnam is a municipal corporation and the administrative
headquarters of Krishna district.
• The ancient port town served as the settlement of European traders
from the 16th century, and it was a major trading port for the
Portuguese, British, Dutch and French in the 17th century.
• The foundation for the Machilipatnam Seaport was laid in 2008.
• It is a proposed deep sea port on the coast of Bay of Bengal.
• It is located 65 km from the trading hub of Vijayawada.
• The Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board (APMB) has planned to build
the Port in two phases.

7. Loktak Lake
Why in News?
Recently, the Central Bureau of Communication under its Integrated Communication & Outreach Programme (ICOP)
organised the first ever floating photo exhibition at the Loktak Lake in Manipur.
About

• Loktak Lake is a freshwater lake in the Manipur state of Northeast India.

• It hosts hundreds of floating islands called Phumdis with multiple plant species and Keibul Lamjao National Park,
the only floating national park in the world.
• The park is the last natural refuge of the endangered Sangai (state animal).
• The lake is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on 23 March 1990.

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• It was also listed under the Montreux Record in 1993, "a record of Ramsar sites where changes in ecological
character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur".
• Loktak Day is observed every year on the 15th of October at the periphery of the Loktak lake.

8. Thamirabarani River
Why in News?
District administration of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu along with Bengaluru-based non-profit ATREE are using a ‘hyper local’
approach to restore one of south Asia’s oldest rivers, the Thamirabarani.
About

• It is a district level initiative, which aims to restore the Social

Ecological Systems of Tamiraparani river riverscape from
head-waters to the estuary to enable conditions for native
biodiversity to thrive and maintain and enhance multiple
ecosystem services to local stakeholders.
• Five social ecological observatories will be set up as part of
the first phase of the project. These will serve as pilots to
scale up from the learnings from these sites.
• The idea is to rejuvenate not just the Thamirabarani but all
the water bodies in the riverscape of Tirunelveli.

👉 Thamirabarani River

• The Thamiraparani is the only perennial (continuous flow of

water) river in Tamil Nadu.
• This is the shortest river in the state, the Thamirabarani starts in Pothigai hills of the Western Ghats in the
Ambasamudram taluk, flows through Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts and empties at Korkai (Tirunelveli district)
into the Gulf of Mannar (Bay of Bengal). It thus originates and ends in the same state.
• The river supports wildlife such as the Nilgiri marten, slender loris, lion-tailed macaque, white spotted bush frog,
galaxy frog, Sri Lankan Atlas moth and the great hornbill.
• Besides the ecosystem services it provides, the river also has historical value for the people of the state. It is
mentioned extensively in Sangam Era literature.

9. Ram Setu
Why in News?
The teaser of Akshay Kumar’s new movie, Ram Setu has once again generated buzz around the Ram Setu or Adam Bridge
which many believe is the bridge to Lanka mentioned in the Ramayana.
About

• It is also known as Adam’s Bridge.

• It is a 48-km chain of limestone shoals between Rameswaram on India’s
southeast coast and Mannar Island near Sri Lanka’s northwest coast.
• The structure has significance in both Hindu and Muslim mythology
o While Hindus believe this is the bridge (setu) built by Lord Ram
and his army to cross to Lanka and fight Ravan.
o As per Islamic legend, Adam used this bridge to reach Adam’s
Peak in Sri Lanka, where he stood on one foot for 1,000 years in
repentance.

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• Scientists believe Ram Setu is a natural structure formed due to tectonic movements and sand getting trapped in
corals.

👉 Sethusamudram Shipping Canal project

• The project aims to create a shipping route between India and Sri Lanka by building an 83-km-long deep water
channel which would also reduce travel time between the eastern and western coasts of India, as ships would no
longer have to circle Sri Lanka to travel between the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
• However, the project has been opposed on religious and environmental grounds.
• Current Status of the project: In 2018, the Government of India told the Supreme Court that the Ram Setu will not
be affected in the execution of the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal project.

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Polity
1. Landmark Mary Roy case in SC

Why in News?
Mary Roy, the mother of author-activist Arundhati Roy, has passed away at age 89.
About

• Educator and women’s rights activist Mary Roy was best known for the “Mary Roy” case, the prolonged legal battle
that ensured equal property rights for women from Kerala’s Syrian Christian families.
• Mary Roy mounted a legal challenge to the law after she was asked to leave her father’s Ooty cottage that she had
returned to, along with her two children, after her divorce.
• Denied equal rights to her deceased father’s property, Mary Roy sued her brother, George Isaac, marking the
beginning of a case that is seen as a milestone in ensuring gender justice in India.
• The Supreme Court in its 1986 judgment upheld the supremacy of the Indian Succession Act, 1925. A Bench
comprising Chief Justice of India P N Bhagwati and Justice R S Pathak ruled that in case the deceased parent has not
left a will, the succession will be decided as per the Indian Succession Act, 1925 which will also apply to the Indian
Christian Community in the erstwhile state of Travancore.

2. Can Civil Servants express their personal views

Why in News?
A senior IAS officer from Telangana tweeted from her personal account in support of Ms. Bilkis Bano and questioned the
Gujarat government’s decision of releasing 11 men convicted on charges of gang-raping during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
About

• The citizens of this country have the fundamental right of free speech guaranteed by the Constitution, subject to
reasonable restrictions.
• Hence, civil servants also have the right to tweet but disciplinary rules prevent a government servant from
becoming a member of a political organization or expressing herself freely with regard to anything that has to do
with the governance of the country.
• But in a democracy, the right to criticize the government is a fundamental right and nobody can muzzle that.

👉 Court’s judgements related to this

• Lipika Paul v. The State Of Tripura ➔ The court said that a civil servant (the petitioner) is not devoid of her right to
free speech, a fundamental right which can be curtailed only by a valid law. However, this is subject to the civil
servant not crossing the borders laid down in the Conduct Rules.
• Kerala High Court Judgement ➔ The court said that one cannot be prevented from expressing his views merely
because he is an employee. In a democratic society, every institution is governed by democratic norms.

👉 Rule 9 of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules

• Rule 9 says that “No Government servant shall make any statement of fact or opinion, which has the effect of an
adverse criticism of any current or recent policy or action of the Central Government or a State Government”.
• Does Rule 9 violate Article 19 of the Indian Constitution? ➔
o No, Rule 9 does not violate Article 19. This is because freedom of speech is given in the Constitution, but
these are Conduct Rules and they are imposed because there has to be some discipline in an organization
for that organization to function.

3. Grievance Redressal Index 2022

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Why in News?
The Grievance Redressal Index for the month of August 2022 has been published by the Department of Administrative
Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).
About

• In this report, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has topped amongst all Ministries/ Departments
for resolving Public Grievances.
• The UIDAI has been a top performer in resolution of cases received through the Centralized Public Grievance Redress
and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS).
• The UIDAI has a robust grievance redressal mechanism in place comprising of UIDAI HQ Divisions, Regional Offices,
Technology Centre and engaged Contact Centre partners.

👉 UIDAI

• It is a statutory authority established in 2009.

• Parent body: Works under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• Mandate: The UIDAI is mandated to assign a 12-digit unique identification (UID) number (Aadhaar) to all the
residents of India.

4. Preventive Detention
Why in News?
According to the latest crime statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there is a rise in Preventive
detentions in 2021 of about 23% compared to 2020, with over 1.1 lakh people being placed under preventive detention.
About

• Article 22 ➔ Article 22 of the Indian Constitution grants protection to persons who are arrested or detained.
• Two Types of Detentions ➔ Preventive detention and Punitive detention.
• Preventive detention is when a person is held in police custody only on the basis of a suspicion that they would
conduct a criminal act or cause harm to society.
o The police have the authority to hold anyone they suspect of committing a criminal offence and also to make
arrests without a warrant or a magistrate’s authorization in certain cases.
• Punitive detention, which means detention as a punishment for a criminal offence. It occurs after an offence is
actually committed, or an attempt has been made towards the commission of that crime.

5. Wikipedia
Why in News?
India summoned officials of Wikipedia, in response to cricketer Arshdeep Singh’s Wikipedia page being edited with
misleading information that stated he was a “Khalistani”.
About

• What is it? ➔ It is a multilingual free online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers
through open collaboration and a wiki-based editing system.
• This means that anyone can contribute to its pool of knowledge by making edits to existing pages for updation or
correction and can even add new pages.
• This model has its advantages so far that it allows democratization of knowledge and unhindered access to editing.
But this has also resulted in concerns relating to the reliability of the information that it hosts.

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• What control mechanisms exist for content on Wikipedia? ➔ To increase reliability and also to prevent vandalism
and disruptive edits, restrictions have been placed on edits to the content that Wikipedia hosts. These restrictions
include:
o First, it allows certain “protections” to be accorded to particular pages. A page may have varying degrees
of protection depending on the vulnerability of the page to vandalism, disruption and abuse.
o Second, given that edit rights are widespread there have been instances of “content disputes” and “edit
warring”.In such circumstances also, administrators can provide temporary or permanent protection to a
page to prevent edits.
• How does the Wikimedia Foundation control Wikipedia? ➔ Wikimedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. It
controls Wikipedia through:
o First, the foundation legally controls the servers on which Wikipedia’s content is hosted. This means that
they are in control of the user activity information generated on the servers.
o Second, it also exercises control over who the “system administrators” of Wikipedia are. System
administrators are in a position to exercise considerable power because they can take decisions of blocking
users or reversing edits in some circumstances.
• Can the Wikimedia Foundation be held responsible for the content that Wikipedia hosts? ➔
o There is no settled position on this. Typically, the architecture of Wikipedia is that of an intermediary i.e. it
hosts content generated by its users.
o However, in previous challenges to content on Wikipedia, there have been rulings that the Wikimedia
Foundation does not own the content, and does not have the legal responsibility for it.
• Related Indian laws ➔
o Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000: Must abide by due diligence requirements under the
Act and its Rules.
o Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021: There are
certain categories of information that an intermediary should not allow to be hosted or uploaded on its
platform.
o IT Rules, 2021: Actual knowledge occurs when an intermediary has been notified by either a court order or
through an order of the appropriate agency demanding the removal of the offending content.

6. Article 341
Why in News?
The Allahabad High Court has quashed Uttar Pradesh government orders through which 17 sub-castes from Other
Backward Classes (OBC) were notified as Schedule Castes(SC).

About Issue

• A petition was filed in the High Court challenging UP Government Orders issued in 2016 whereby members of certain
‘Other Backward Castes’ were sought to be declared as Scheduled Castes.
• The petitioner had argued that only the Parliament of the country has the right to include any caste in the SC list as
per the provision under Article 341 of the Constitution.

👉 What did the court ruled?

• The court quashed the orders of the Uttar Pradesh Government recognizing 17 Other Backward Classes sub-castes
as Schedule Caste.
• The court said only the Parliament had the power to add to the Schedule Caste list as per Article 341 of the
Constitution.
• Note: The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 alone can specify which castes, races or tribes or groups
within castes, races or tribes shall be regarded as Scheduled Castes under the Constitution in relation to a particular
State or a Union Territory.
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• This Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order has to be made by the President of India.
• Article 341 says that any change to the list of Scheduled Castes specified in this President’s order can only be made
by Parliament by law.

7. Registered Unrecognized Political Parties(RUPPs)

Why in News?
Election Commission of India has delisted 86 non-existent Registered Unrecognized Political Parties(RUPPs) and declared
additional 253 as ‘Inactive RUPPs’.
About

• If a party satisfies any one of the below-mentioned criteria, then they are called Registered Unrecognized Political
Parties (RUPPS).
• The conditions are ➔
▪ 1) If the political party is newly registered,
▪ 2) If the political party have not secured enough percentage of votes in Assembly or General Elections to
become a State party, and
▪ 3) Political Parties that have never contested in elections since they got registered with the Election
Commission.
• These parties are not entitled to an exclusive allotment of a reserved election symbol. They have to choose from a
list of ‘free symbols’ issued by the Commission.
• They are also not eligible either to get free copies of electoral rolls, free authorisation for broadcast/telecast
facilities over All India Radio / Doordarshan during Assembly and general elections and are not eligible for subsidized
land for party offices.

8. ECI Seeks Limit on Cash Donations

Why in News?
Recently, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has suggested a slew of amendments to RP (Representation of People
Act) Act, 1951 to increase transparency and accountability on the part of candidates.
About

• Donations ➔ All donations above Rs 2,000 should be reported, thereby enhancing transparency in funding.
• As per current rules, political parties have to disclose all donations above Rs 20,000 through their contribution report
that is submitted to the EC.
• Cash Donations ➔ Restrict cash donations at 20% or at a maximum of ₹20 crores out of the total funds received by
a party, whichever is less.
• Digital Transactions ➔ Make digital transactions or account payee cheque transfers mandatory for all expenses
above ₹2,000 to a single entity/person.
• Separate Bank account ➔ Every fielding candidate should open a separate bank account for election purposes and
route all expenses and receipts through this account, and furnish these details in their account of election
expenditure.
• As of now, maintaining a separate bank account for poll expenditure is part of the instructions but EC wants it to
become part of the Conduct of Election Rules.
• Ensure that no foreign donations creep into the funds of the political parties as stipulated under the RP Act and the
Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010.

👉 ECI

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• The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering Union
and State election processes in India.
• The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and State Legislative Assemblies in India, and the
offices of the President and Vice President in the country.
• Originally the commission had only one election commissioner but after the Election Commissioner Amendment
Act 1989, it has been made a multi-member body.
• The commission consists of one Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.

9. Article 192 (2) of the Constitution

Why in News?
Election Commission (EC) has turned down Jharkhand Chief Minister’s request to disclose its opinion shared with the
state Governor in the disqualification matter against him.
About

• Article 192 (2) ➔ Any communication between the EC and a Governor is “privileged” under Article 192 (2) of the
Constitution and revealing it before an order is passed by the Governor would amount to “breach of constitutional
propriety”.
• DD Thaisii Vs Election Commission of India ➔
o It is regarding the EC’s opinion on a complaint seeking disqualification of 12 BJP MLAs from the Manipur
Assembly.
o In this matter, the EC has said, the apex court did not order it to disclose its opinion after the counsel for the
poll panel informed the court that disclosure of privileged communication would be improper.
• RTI Act ➔ The EC also said that any document pertaining to a reference received from the Governor under Article
192(2) is also exempt from disclosure under the RTI Act unless a final order is passed by the Governor.
• Section 9A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 ➔
o Section 9A prohibits elected representatives from entering into any contract with the government for “supply
of goods” or “execution of any works undertaken” by it.
o CM was allegedly misusing his position to allot a stone-mining lease to himself last year.

10. Attorney General of India

Why in News?
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi has declined the government’s offer to be Attorney General (A-G) for India.
About

• The Constitution of India places the post of the A-G on a special footing.
• Status ➔ The A-G is the Government of India’s first law officer, and has the right of audience in all courts of the
country.
• Eligible ➔ Under Article 76(1), the A-G is appointed by the President from among persons who are “qualified to be
appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court”.
• Term ➔ Article 76(4) says “the Attorney-General shall hold office during the pleasure of the President, and shall
receive such remuneration as the President may determine.”
• Power and Functions ➔ Article 76(2) of the Constitution says “it shall be the duty of the Attorney-General to give
advice to the Government of India upon such legal matters, and to perform such other duties of a legal character,
as may from time to time be referred or assigned to him by the President”.
o The A-G is also supposed to “discharge the functions conferred on him by or under this Constitution or any
other law for the time being in force”.

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 o Under Article 88, the “Attorney-General of India shall have the right to speak in, and otherwise to take part
in the proceedings of, either House, any joint sitting of the Houses, and any committee of Parliament of
which he may be named a member”.
o However, he “shall not by virtue of this article be entitled to vote” in the House.

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International Relations
1. UN High Seas Treaty

Why in News?
Negotiations involving 168 countries, including the European Union, to agree on a UN treaty for protecting oceans has
failed.
About

• The UN High Seas Treaty is also referred to as the ‘Paris Agreement for the Ocean’.
• The treaty aims to deal with Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction.
• The proposed treaty concerns the ocean existing beyond the Exclusive Economic Zones that lie from the coast of a
country to about 200 nautical miles into the sea, till where it has special rights for exploration.
• Waters beyond that are known as open seas or high seas.
• The treaty was to be negotiated under the United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982, which
governs the rights of countries regarding marine resources.
• As there is no treaty for conserving the health of vast swathes of the earth’s oceans, a UN resolution (in 2017) had
decided to rectify this while setting 2022 as the deadline.
• Later, a High Ambition Coalition, which now has more than 100 countries including India, the US and the UK, came
about and put the focus on ‘30×30’ goals - protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.
• After the latest deadlock, talks will only resume next year, unless a special session is called.

2. International Monetary Fund

Why in News?
Recently, Sri Lanka has reached a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a loan of about
$2.9 billion.
About

• It was established in 1944 in the aftermath of the Great Depression of the 1930s.
• IMF and the World Bank are also known as the Bretton Woods twins because both were agreed to be set up at a
conference in Bretton Woods in the US.
• It is governed by and accountable to the 190 countries that make up its near-global membership.,
• India became a member in December 1945.
• Aim ➔ To ensure the stability of the international monetary system (the system of exchange rates and international
payments) which enables countries and their citizens) to transact with each other.
o Its mandate was updated in 2012 to include all macroeconomic and financial sector issues that bear on
global stability.
• Financing ➔ The IMF's resources mainly come from the money that countries pay as their capital subscription
(quotas) when they become members.
o Each member of the IMF is assigned a quota, based broadly on its relative position in the world economy.
o Countries can then borrow from this pool when they fall into financial difficulty.
• Publications ➔ World Economic Outlook, Global Financial Stability Report, Fiscal Monitor, Global Policy Agenda.

3. OPEC+
Why in News?
OPEC+ is going to cut crude oil output by 100k barrels per day from October 2022.
About
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• Created in 2016.
• Backdrop ➔ OPEC countries decided to ally with other oil-producing countries outside the group to cut down the
global output of oil.
• Members ➔ OPEC+ refers to a group of 23 oil-producing countries that includes:
o 13 members of OPEC: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon,
Libya, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, and Venezuela
o 10 other oil-producing countries: Russia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico,
Oman, South Sudan and Sudan
• Facts ➔
o Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producer among OPEC members.
o Russia, which produces more oil than even Saudi Arabia, plays a crucial role, along with OPEC, in influencing
global crude oil prices.
o It controls more than 50% of the world’s crude supplies.

4. Agreement for Kushiyara River

Why in News?
India and Bangladesh have signed an interim water sharing agreement for the Kushiyara river.
About

• Signed by ➔ India and Bangladesh.

• Significance ➔ This is the first such pact between them in over 25 years
— the Ganga water treaty was signed in 1996.
• The pact will benefit people in southern Assam and Sylhet in Bangladesh.
Under the pact, the two countries will also share the data on floods.

👉 Kushiyara River

• Kushiyara River is a distributary river in Bangladesh and Assam. It forms

on the India-Bangladesh border as a branch of the Barak River when the
Barak separates into the Kushiyara and Surma.
• The waters of the Kushiyara originate in the state of Nagaland and pick
up tributaries from Manipur, Mizoram and Assam.

5. Eastern Economic Forum

Why in News?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Plenary Session of 7th Eastern Economic Forum being held in Vladivostok
through video conferencing.
About

• Eastern Economic Forum is an international forum held each year in Vladivostok, Russia, for the purpose of
encouraging foreign investment in the Russian Far East.
• It is held each year since 2015 in September, at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia.
• The objective is to support the economic development of Russia’s Far East and to expand international cooperation
in the Asia-Pacific region.

👉 Key highlights

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• India has been emphasizing on the need to adopt the path of diplomacy and dialogue since the beginning of the
Ukraine conflict, and it supports all peaceful efforts to end the conflict.
• India has made significant investments in the Russian Far East in the fields of pharma and diamond.
• India is also keen to strengthen its partnership with Russia on Arctic subjects and there is immense scope for
cooperation in the field of energy as well.
• This month marks 30 years since the establishment of the Consulate of India in Vladivostok (Russia). India was the
first country to open a consulate in this city.

6. India Ideas Summit

Why in News?
The Union Minister of Education has participated in the 47th India Ideas Summit.
About

• Organized by ➔ US-India Business Council and the US Chamber of Commerce, International Affairs, South Asia.
• Purpose ➔ The summit has been a trusted platform for the U.S.-India dialogue on commercial and strategic
cooperation for over 47 years.
• Theme ➔ “Maximizing the Next 75 years of US–India Prosperity”.

👉 US-India Business Council (USIBC)

• USIBC was established in 1975 at the behest of the U.S. and Indian Governments.
• Aim ➔ To create an inclusive bilateral trade environment between India and the United States by serving as the
voice of the industry, linking governments to businesses, and supporting long-term commercial partnerships.

7. Nuclear Proliferation Treaty

Why in News?
Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference which was held in New York ended without adopting a substantive outcome
due to Russia’s objection.
About

• The NPT is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons
technology, to foster the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of disarmament.
• The treaty was signed in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. Presently, it has 191 member states.
• India is not a member.
• It requires countries to give up any present or future plans to build nuclear weapons in return for access to peaceful
uses of nuclear energy.
• It represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-
weapon States.
• Nuclear-weapon states parties under the NPT are defined as those that manufactured and exploded a nuclear
weapon or other nuclear explosive devices before 1st January, 1967.
• India’s Stand ➔
o India is one of the only five countries that either did not sign the NPT or signed but withdrew later, thus
becoming part of a list that includes Pakistan, Israel, North Korea, and South Sudan.
o India always considered the NPT as discriminatory and had refused to sign it.

8. Gulf Cooperation Council

Why in News?

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Secretary General of
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on the mechanism of consultations between India and the GCC.
About

• The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a
regional, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
and the United Arab Emirates.
• The council's main headquarters is located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• The Charter of the GCC was signed on 25 May 1981, formally establishing the institution.

9. Indo-Pacific Economic Forum

Why in News?
The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry attended the first in-person Ministerial meeting of the Indo-Pacific
Economic Forum (IPEF).
About

• IPEF was launched jointly by the US and other partner countries of the Indo-Pacific region in May 2022 in Tokyo,
Japan.
• Aim ➔ To strengthen economic partnership among participating countries with the objective of enhancing
resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, economic growth, fairness and competitiveness in the region.
• Members ➔ The 14 members of the IPEF are — Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia,
New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the US.
• Significance ➔ IPEF would work to ensure that the Indo-Pacific Region would remain secure and open for business.

👉 Outcome of the ministerial:

• India has joined three out of four pillars related to supply chains, tax and anti-corruption and clean energy, but
didn’t join the “Fair and resilient trade” pillar as it was apprehensive of commitments required on the environment,
labour, digital trade and public procurement.

10. G-20
Why in News?
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that India is hosting the G-20 (Group of 20) leaders’ summit in New Delhi
next year 2023.
About

• The G20 was formed in 1999 in the backdrop of the financial crisis of the late 1990s that hit East Asia and Southeast
Asia in particular.
• It aims to secure global financial stability by involving middle-income countries.
• Together, the G20 countries include 60 % of the world’s population, 80 % of global GDP, and 75 % of global trade.
• Members ➔
o Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of
Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the
EU.
o Spain is invited as a permanent guest.
• India’s G20 Presidency ➔
o India will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year from 01 December 2022 to 30 November 2023.
o Under its Presidency, India is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings across the country, beginning in
December 2022.
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 o The G20 Leaders’ Summit at the level of Heads of State / Government is scheduled to be held on 09 and 10
September 2023 in New Delhi.
• G20 Troika ➔
o India is currently part of the G20 Troika which comprises the current, previous and incoming G20
presidencies and includes Indonesia, Italy and India.
o During its presidency, the troika will include India, Indonesia and Brazil. This will be the first time that the
troika will consist of three developing countries and emerging economies providing them with a greater
voice.
• Guest countries invited by India as a G20 Presidency? ➔
o In addition to G20 Members, there has been a tradition of the G20 Presidency inviting some Guest countries
and International Organizations (IOs) to its G20 meetings and summits.
o Accordingly, India will be inviting Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore,
Spain and UAE as Guest countries.
o ISA (International Solar Alliance), CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure) and ADB (Asian
Development Bank) will also be invited as Guest IOs.

11. SCO Summit 2022

Why in News?
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit 2022 was held recently in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
About Key Highlights

• Decision on the Comprehensive Action Plan for 2023-2027 for implementation of provisions of the Treaty on Long-
Term Good Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation among the Member States.
• Inclusion of members and dialogue partners ➔ Iran to become a member State of the SCO. Iran was admitted to
the SCO in 2021 and will become full member in 2023.
o Launched the procedure of admitting Belarus as a member of the SCO.
o Granting Maldives, Bahrain, Myanmar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, the status of SCO dialogue partner.
• Varanasi as SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital ➔ The city of Varanasi has been nominated as the first-ever SCO
Tourism and Cultural Capital during the period 2022-2023.
• This will promote tourism, and cultural and humanitarian exchanges between India and the SCO member Countries.
• Under the framework of this major cultural outreach program, a number of events will be hosted in Varanasi during
2022-23 for which guests will be invited to participate from the SCO Member States.
• Notes: The regulations for the nomination of the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital were adopted at the Dushanbe
SCO Summit in 2021 with the objective of promoting cooperation between the SCO Member States in the field of
culture and tourism.

👉 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

• It is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation. It was created in 2001.

• The SCO Charter was signed in 2002, and entered into force in 2003.
• It’s a Eurasian political, economic and military organisation aiming to maintain peace, security and stability in the
region.
• Since its inception, the SCO has mainly focused on Regional security issues, Its fight against regional terrorism,
Ethnic separatism and Religious extremism.
• Members ➔ Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan
o Before the inception of SCO, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were members of the
Shanghai Five.
o Observer Countries - Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia
o Dialogue Partners - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey.
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• Official Languages ➔ Russian and Chinese.
• Permanent Bodies ➔
o SCO Secretariat in Beijing.
o Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent.
• Chairmanship ➔ It is by rotation for a year by Member States.
• Significance ➔ The SCO has been an observer in the UN General Assembly since 2005.

12. International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Why in News?
India is going to host the 9th session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for
Food and Agriculture(ITPGRFA).
About

• Background ➔ The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) also known
as the Seed treaty was adopted by the 31st session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in November
2001.
• Aim ➔ The Treaty aims at 1) recognising the enormous contribution of farmers to the diversity of crops that feed
the world, 2) establishing a global system to provide farmers, plant breeders and scientists with access to plant
genetic materials, and 3) ensuring that recipients share benefits they derive from the use of these genetic materials
with the countries where they have been originated.
• The treaty came into force in 2004 and has been ratified by 149 countries including India.
• What is the expected outcome of the summit? ➔
o The countries are likely to reach a consensus on benefit-sharing of germ plasm which will provide access to
better quality seeds.
o Note: Germplasm is the term used to describe the seeds, plants, or plant parts useful in crop breeding,
research, and conservation efforts. Plants, seeds, or cultures of germplasm when maintained for the
purposes of studying, managing, or using the genetic information they possess.

13. Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Why in News?
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a USD 96.3-million loan agreement to provide safe
drinking water and improve water supply and sanitation services in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
About

• Formation ➔ Established in 1966 is owned by 68 members-49 from the region.

• It is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific while sustaining
its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty.
• Further, it assists members and partners by providing loans, technical assistance, grants, and equity investments
to promote social and economic development.
• It aims to promote social and economic development in Asia and the Pacific.
• Shareholders ➔ As of 31st December 2019, ADB’s five largest shareholders are Japan and the United States (each
with 15.6% of total shares), the People’s Republic of China (6.4%), India (6.3%), and Australia (5.8%).
• It is headquartered in Manila, Philippines.

👉 About Project

• The project is aligned with the objectives of the Government of India’s Jal Jeevan Mission which aims to provide
piped water to all rural households by 2024.

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• It will upgrade water supply infrastructure and strengthen institutional capacity to ensure safe, sustainable, and
inclusive rural water supply and sanitation services.

14. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Why in News?
Recently ,the work of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)in India was highlighted.
About

• IFAD is an international financial institution and specialized United Nations agency working in the field of poverty
eradication in the rural areas of developing countries providing grants and loans with low interest for allied projects.
• Formation ➔ It was created in 1977, which is the outcome of the World Food Conference of 1974.
• Headquarters ➔ Rome, Italy.
• Members ➔ It has 177 member countries.
o India is also a member country.
• Objectives ➔
o To increase the productive capacity of poor people.
o To increase benefits for them from market participation.
o To strengthen the environmental sustainability & climate resilience of their economic activities.
• Reports ➔ It brings out the Rural Development Report every year.
• India ➔ It has been working in India for more than 30 years. The current country strategic opportunities programme
is fully aligned with the government’s policy framework of doubling farmers' incomes in real terms by 2022.

15. Asia-pacific Institute of Broadcasting Development

Why in News?
Recently, India’s Presidency of the prestigious Asia-pacific Institute of Broadcasting Development (AIBD) has been
extended for one more year.
About AIBD

• Established in 1977 under the auspices of UNESCO.

• It is a unique regional inter-governmental organisation servicing countries of the United Nations Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) in the field of electronic media development.
• Objectives ➔
o The AIBD is mandated to achieve a vibrant and cohesive electronic media environment in the Asia-Pacific
region through policy and resource development.
o Provide a window for regional policy makers to access information to worldwide mass media policy
formulation and regulations and vice versa.
o To establish inter-regional links and cooperation for media and communications development.
• Secretariat ➔ Located in Kuala Lumpur and is hosted by the Government of Malaysia.
• Members ➔ AIBD currently has 26 countries as complete members represented by 43 organizations and 52 affiliate
members.

👉 UN-ESCAP

• UN-ESCAP is one of the five regional committees under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social
Council.
• The organization was formed to enhance the economic activity in Asia and the Far East and to boost economic
relations between the region and other areas of the world.

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 16. UNSC
Why in News?
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN addressed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the topic
‘Promote Common Security Through Dialogue and Cooperation.
About

• Established by the UN Charter in 1945. It is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
• The other 5 organs of the United Nations are—the General Assembly (UNGA), the Trusteeship Council, the Economic
and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, and the Secretariat.
• The UNSC, with a mandate to maintain international peace and security, is the centrepiece of global multilateralism.
• It selects the UN Secretary-General and plays a co-terminus role with the UN General Assembly in electing judges
to the International Court of Justice.
o Its resolutions, adopted under chapter VII of the UN charter, are binding on all countries.
• Composition ➔
o The UNSC is composed of 15 members, 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent.
o Five permanent members: China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United
States.
o Ten non-permanent members: Elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.
o Five from African and Asian States,
o One from Eastern European States,
o Two from Latin American States,
o Two from Western European and other States.
• Voting Powers ➔
o Each member of the Security Council has one vote. Decisions of the Security Council on matters are made
by an affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members.
o A "No" vote from one of the five permanent members blocks the passage of the resolution.

17. International conference on Consciousness

Why in News?
Union Minister of Ayush inaugurated the international conference on Consciousness with the theme, “Exploring
Consciousness- From Non- Locality to Non- Duality: The Man- Machine Debate” at NIMHANS, Bengaluru.
About

• The conference is organized by India Foundation and NIMHANS and supported by Ministry of Ayush.
• The conference will bring together some of the most eminent researchers and inventors in the areas of physics,
biology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, cybernetics, quantum computing and allied fields as well as scholars and
spiritual teachers of the major Indic Spiritual and psychological disciplines and doctrines.

👉 Ayurswasthya Yojana

• The Minister also inaugurated the Centre of Excellence project in the Department of Integrative Medicine,
NIMHANS, Bengaluru as part of “AYURSWASTHYA YOJANA”, a flagship programme under Ministry of Ayush.
• The Centre of Excellence (CoE) will strengthen competencies of Ayush professionals in Education technology,
Research & innovation and others.
• Main objectives of the CoE project at NIMHANS is to conduct clinical trials in four neuro-psychiatric disorders to
establish efficacy, safety and proposed mechanism of Integrated Yoga and Ayurveda treatment approaches.

18. Group of Four(G4)

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Why in News?
On the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, the G-4 countries highlight ‘urgent need’ for reform in
U.N. Security Council (UNSC).
About

• Group of Four(G4) was formed in 2005.

• The group is primarily focused on U.N Security Council (UNSC) reform and permanent membership of the body for
G4 members among others.
• Members of G4 ➔ India, Germany, Brazil and Japan.

👉 Uniting for Consensus(UFC) group

• The Uniting for Consensus(UFC) group nicknamed the Coffee Club is an informal club that developed at the UN in
the 1990s.
• The group developed in opposition to the possible expansion of permanent seats in the United Nations Security
Council.
• Under the leadership of Italy, the group aims to counter the bids for permanent seats proposed by G4 nations and
is calling for a consensus before any decision is reached on the form and size of the Security Council.
• Some of the members of the group include – Italy, Spain, Malta, San Marino, Pakistan, South Korea, Canada,
Mexico, Argentina, Colombia & Turkey.

19. Asian Palm Oil Alliance

Why in News?
The apex edible oil industry associations from five major palm oil importing countries of Asia -- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh and Nepal -- have come together to form the Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA).
About

• The APOA aims is safeguarding the economic and business interests of the palm oil consuming countries and will
work towards increasing the consumption of palm oil in member countries.
• The alliance would work towards ensuring that palm oil is recognised as a high-quality, economical, and healthy
vegetable oil and to change the negative image of palm oil.
• Membership of APOA would be further expanded to include companies or industry bodies associated with
production or refining of palm oil across the continent.

👉 Palm Oil

• Palm oil is currently the world’s most consumed vegetable oil.

• It is used extensively in the production of detergents, plastics, cosmetics, and biofuels.
• Indonesia and Malaysia together account for almost 90% of the global palm oil production, with Indonesia producing
the largest quantity at over 45 million tonnes in 2021.
• Top consumers of the commodity are India, China, and the European Union (EU).
• India’s annual imports of edible oil is around 13-14 million tonne (MT).
• Around 8 MT of palm oil is imported from Indonesia and Malaysia, while other oils, such as soya and sunflower,
come from Argentina, Brazil, Ukraine and Russia.
o Asia accounts for around 40% of the global palm oil consumption while Europe accounts for 12% of palm oil
trade. Indonesia and Malaysia are the biggest palm oil exporters in the world.
• India is the largest importer of palm oil in Asia, accounting for 15% of global imports, followed by China (9%),
Pakistan (4%) and Bangladesh (2%).

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 20. Caribbean Community Nations (CARICOM)
Why in News?
India and CARICOM nations have agreed to work together on global issues such as food and energy security and
combating climate change.
About

• Formation ➔ It came into being on 4 July 1973 with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas
• It is a grouping of twenty countries ➔ fifteen Member States and five Associate Members.
• Stretching from The Bahamas in the north to Suriname and Guyana in South America, CARICOM comprises states
that are considered developing countries, and except for Belize, in Central America and Guyana and Suriname in
South America, all Members and Associate Members are island states.
• It is home to approximately sixteen million citizens, 60% of whom are under the age of 30, and from the main
ethnic groups of Indigenous Peoples, Africans, Indians, Europeans, Chinese, Portuguese and Javanese.
• It promotes and supports a unified Caribbean Community that is inclusive, resilient, competitive; sharing in
economic, social and cultural prosperity.
• Pillars of Integration ➔

21. International Solar Alliance

Why in News?
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International
Solar Alliance (ISA) during the 42nd session of ICAO Assembly in Montreal, Canada.
About ISA

• Formation ➔ Co-founded by India and France during 2015, the ISA is an action-oriented, member-driven,
collaborative platform for increased deployment of solar energy technologies.
• Its basic motive is to facilitate energy access, ensure energy security, and drive energy transition in its member
countries.
• ISA is the nodal agency for implementing One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG), which seeks to transfer solar
power generated in one region to feed the electricity demands of others.
• Headquarters ➔ The Headquarters is in India with its Interim Secretariat being set up in Gurugram.
• Member Nations ➔
o A total of 109 countries have signed the ISA Framework Agreement and 90 have ratified it.
o All member states of the United Nations are eligible to join the ISA.
• Observer Status to International Solar Alliance ➔ The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has granted
Observer Status to the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

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👉 International Civil Aviation Organisation

• ICAO is a United Nations (UN) specialized agency, established in 1944, which laid the foundation for the standards
and procedures for peaceful global air navigation.
o The Convention on International Civil Aviation was signed on 7th December 1944 in Chicago commonly
known as the ‘Chicago Convention’.
o It established the core principles permitting international transport by air, and also led to the creation of
the ICAO.
• India is among its 193 members.
• It is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

22. COMMON SECURITY

Why in News?
Recently, Palme International Center, International Peace Bureau (IPB) and International Trade Union Confederation
(ITUC) released a report on Common Security 2022.
About

• Common security is a notion based on the assumption that no

nation, community or individual can be secure without other
nations, communities and individuals enjoying the same level of
security.
• Any conflict in one part of the world has cascading effects on the
people of another.
• The effect can be seen in the Ukraine or Afghanistan conflict on
other developing countries, particularly, on the supply of food
grains, fertiliser and fuel.
• The common concepts of security go beyond the narrow
traditional and realist approach to security.
• The traditional idea of security was the protection or defence of
states against external threats or attacks.
• The notion of common security is about non-violent approaches
to the universal need to be secure.

23. INDIA-MAURITIUS CECPA

Why in News?
1st session of High-Powered Joint Trade Committee (JTC) under India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation
and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) was recently held.
About

• Trade Agreement signed by India with a country in Africa.

• It covers Trade in Goods, Rules of Origin, Trade in Services, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, Dispute
Settlement, Movement of Natural Persons, Telecom, Financial services etc.

India- Mauritius Relations

• Economic: Bilateral trade rose to USD 786.72 million in 2021-22 from USD 690.02 million in 2019-20. Mauritius was
third top source of FDI in India (2020-21).
• Strategic: Mauritius occupies a special place in India’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region),
proximity to important Sea lines of communications.
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• People to people connect: Indian origin people comprise nearly 70% of Mauritius’s population.
• Defence cooperation: including transfer of a Dornier aircraft and an Advanced Light Helicopter, Dhruv Challenges
for India- Mauritius relations: China’s growing presence and influence in the Indian Ocean region, round-trip of
investments in India through Mauritius etc.

24. RULES OF ORIGIN (ROO)

Why in News?
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) stated that in case of conflict between Customs (Administration of
Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) Rules, 2020 (CAROTAR) and ROO (under free-trade agreement (FTA)) FTA or its
ROO shall prevail.
About

• FTAs allow imports of most of the items at nil or concessional basic customs duty rate.
• India has inked FTAs with several countries, including UAE, Mauritius, Japan, Singapore etc.
• CAROTAR are aimed at plugging duty evasion through routing exports to India under FTAs.
• Under CAROTAR rules, importers need to furnish proof of 35% value addition in goods from country of origin to
claim duty concession under FTAs.
• A list of minimum information which importer is required to possess is also provided.

About ROO:

• ROO are the criteria prescribed to determine national origin of an imported product in a country.
• Under this, a country that has inked an FTA with India cannot dump goods from some third country in Indian market
by just putting a label on it.
• It has to undertake a prescribed value addition in that product to export to India.

25. NEW STRATEGIC ARMS REDUCTION TREATY (NEW START) TREATY

Why in News?
Russia halted US inspections of nuclear arsenal under New START treaty.
About

• New START is an agreement (entered into force in 2011) for nuclear arms reduction between US and Russia, and
establishes a limit on deployed strategic warheads.
• New START caps to 1,550 the number of nuclear warheads that can be deployed by US and Russia.

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Society
1. Special Marriage Act,1954

Why in News?
The Supreme Court has dismissed a writ petition challenging provisions of the Special Marriage Act (SMA),1954. The
provision requires couples to give a notice declaring their intent to marry 30 days before their marriage.

About

• Special Marriage Act,1954 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted to validate and register inter-religious and
inter-caste marriages in India.
• No religious formalities are needed to be carried out under the Act.
• This Act applies not only to Indian citizens who belong to different castes and religions, but also to Indian nationals
who live abroad.

👉 Provisions challenged under the Act?

• Section 5 ➔ It requires couples marrying under it to give a notice to the Marriage Officer 30 days before the date
of marriage.
• Section 6 ➔ It requires such a notice to be then entered into the Marriage Notice Book maintained by the Marriage
Officer, which can be inspected by “any person desirous of inspecting the same”.
o These notices have to be also affixed at a “conspicuous place” or place where it is visible to everyone, in the
office of the Marriage Officer so that anyone can raise an objection to the marriage.
• Section 7 ➔ It provides the process and grounds for making an objection.
• Section 8 ➔ It specifies the inquiry procedure to be followed after an objection has been submitted.

👉 Why have these provisions challenged by the petitioner?

• The petitioner has called these provisions violative of the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 21 of the
Constitution. This is because these provisions require couples to give a notice of 30 days before the date of marriage,
inviting objections from the public.
• These provisions are also violative of Article 14 on prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste
and sex as well as Article 15 on right to equality as these requirements are absent in personal law.

2. PARAKH
Why in News?
A new regulator, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) is
being set up to oversee the process and conduct periodic tests like the National Achievement Survey (NAS) and State
Achievement Surveys.
About

• It will seek to put an end to the emphasis on rote learning, as envisaged by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• It will be “setting norms, standards and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation for all recognised school
boards of India, encouraging and helping school boards to shift their assessment patterns towards meeting the skill
requirements of the 21st century”.
• PARAKH team will consist of leading assessment experts with a deep understanding of the education system in India
and internationally.
• It will eventually become the national single-window source for all assessment-related information and expertise,
with a mandate to support learning assessment in all forms, both nationally and where applicable, internationally.

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• Significance ➔ It will help tackle the problem of students of some state boards being at a disadvantage during
college admissions as compared to their peers in CBSE schools.
o It will develop and implement “technical standards for the design, conduct, analysis and reporting” of tests
at all levels of school education.

3. SPARK Program
Why in News?
Recently, the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) has taken a unique initiative to support the
research efforts of bright young minds of the Country by developing the Studentship Program for Ayurveda Research
Ken (SPARK) for Ayurveda students studying in recognised Ayurveda colleges.
About

• Initiative ➔ By Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS).

• Aim ➔ SPARK aims to support the research ideas of young undergraduate students enrolled in Ayurveda Colleges
across India.
• Application process ➔
o The application process for SPARK will be completely online.
o Interested candidates will be required to submit their research proposals through the SPARK Portal.
o The proposals will be evaluated by eminent experts and reviewers.
o The selected fellows will be offered a financial support of Rs.50, 000 under the fellowship.
• Significance ➔ It will support the innovative ideas of young students and promote the culture of evidence based
scientific research in the field of Traditional Medicine.

👉 Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS)

• CCRAS is an autonomous body of the Ministry of AYUSH.

• It is an apex body in India for the formulation, coordination, development and promotion of research on scientific
lines in Ayurveda and Sowa-Rigpa system of medicine.
• CCRAS has developed and implemented a wide range of schemes and programs to serve the citizens.
• The Council has accelerated quality research activity in the domains of Ayurveda and allied sciences.
• The Council has not only developed popular formulations such as Ayush-64, it has as many as 18 formulations and
technologies.
• The Council is currently working on research and development projects in collaboration with leading research
institutions in Romania, Germany, Israel, USA, Canada and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

4. Clustering of colleges
Why in News?
University Grants Commission (UGC) will make public its “Guidelines for Transforming Higher Educational Institutions
into Multidisciplinary Institutions”.
About

• Currently, colleges are connected with universities through an “affiliating system” where universities design the
syllabi, conduct examinations and award degrees, while teaching is done in colleges.
• The guidelines intend to bring affiliated colleges on to the track of progressive autonomy leading to a degree-
awarding institution and finally into a university.
• The guidelines have prescribed three different approaches for this:

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• Clustering of Colleges ➔ UGC has suggested academic collaboration between institutions through “clusters” of
higher education institutions (HEIs) in order to promote multidisciplinary education and research in online and
offline modes.
o The member colleges in a cluster will continue to function as affiliated colleges under the university in the
initial phase during which they will share their resources to offer programmes and guide student research
projects.
o After the initial years, the affiliating university may affiliate the cluster of colleges as a single unit during
which they will pass through graded autonomy before developing into an autonomous degree-granting
cluster of colleges. These can then later evolve into Research or Teaching Universities.
• Restructuring of Higher education ➔ Merger of single-stream institutions with other multidisciplinary institutions
under the same management or different managements as well as expanding the number of departments in a
college or university by adding new subjects such as languages, literature, music, Indology, sports etc.
o This restructuring of higher education will enable academic collaborations and the offering of dual degree
programmes.
o For instance, the students will be able to complete the first degree at the host institution and an additional
second degree at a partnering institution without going through the admission process again.
• Capacity-building for faculty so that they can teach, train and research in multidisciplinary academic programmes
such as through initiatives like Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) as well as investment in learning
assessment tools.

5. PM SHRI Schools
Why in News?
On the occasion of National Teachers’ Day, the Prime Minister has announced a new initiative – PM SHRI Schools.
About

• Full Form ➔ PM ScHools for Rising India(PM SHRI).

• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched by Ministry of Education.
• Aim ➔ To upgrade and develop more than 14500 Schools across the country by strengthening the selected existing
schools from amongst schools managed by Central Government/ State/ UT Government/ local bodies.
• Features ➔ PM-SHRI schools will have a modern, transformational and holistic method of imparting education.
o The focus of these schools will be on modern infrastructure including latest technology, smart classrooms,
sports and more.
o They will also be developed as “green schools” with water conservation, waste recycling, energy-efficient
infrastructure and integration of an organic lifestyle in the curriculum.
• Hence, these schools will showcase all components of the National Education Policy 2020 and act as exemplar
schools and also offer mentorship to other schools in their vicinity.

👉 National Teachers’ Day

• Teachers’ Day is celebrated every year, since 1962, on September 5, to recognise and celebrate the works of
educators including teachers, researchers and professors in India.
• After Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan took charge as the President of India in 1962, some students sought permission
from him to celebrate his birthday. Dr Radhakrishnan, however, did not approve any fancy celebration but rather
requested that the day be observed as Teachers' Day.

6. BPaL
Why in News?

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A short treatment regimen of six months called BPaL has shown favourable outcomes in highly drug-resistant
tuberculosis patients.
About

• Developed by ➔ TB Alliance, a not-for-profit organization

• Purpose ➔ BPaL is a 6-month, all-oral, three-drug regimen that is used to treat people with highly drug-resistant
forms of TB.
• Composition ➔ BPaL is a combination of three newer antibiotics, namely bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid.
• Note ➔ Drug-resistant TB develops when the long, complex, decades-old TB drug regimen is improperly
administered or when people contract TB from others who have drug-resistant disease.
• Significance of BPaL? ➔
o Firstly, BPaL will drastically cut short the treatment duration by half (and more) and reduce the amount of
medication an MDR-TB patient must take during treatment. Hence, from a treatment duration of 18 to 24
months, the BPaL is likely to bring down treatment time to around six months.
o Secondly, the older all-oral drug regimen included nearly 14 different anti-TB drugs for a patient to take
every day. With BPaL, it is likely to take just three daily tablets. Hence, a shorter regimen which is all oral
and requires lesser doses per day makes it easier for a patient to adhere to and complete treatment.

7. Conversion or reparative therapy

Why in News?
The National Medical Commission (NMC), the apex regulatory body of medical professionals in India, has written to all
State Medical Councils, banning conversion therapy and calling it a “professional misconduct”.
About

• The NMC was following a Madras High Court directive to issue an official notification listing conversion therapy as
a wrong, under the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquettes and Ethics) Regulations, 2002.
• Conversion or reparative therapy is an intervention aimed at changing the sexual orientation or gender identity of
an individual with the use of either psychiatric treatment, drugs, exorcism and even violence, with the aim being to
make the individual a heterosexual.
• The conversion therapy umbrella also includes efforts to change the core identity of youth whose gender identity is
incongruent with their sex anatomy.
• Often, the therapy is offered by quacks with little expertise in dealing with the issue.

8. The Gender Snapshot 2022

Why in News?
The Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): The Gender Snapshot 2022 was released recently.
About

• Launched by ➔ The Gender Snapshot 2022 report was launched by UN Women and the UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).
• It displayed that Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG-5), or achieving gender equality, will not be met by 2030 at
the current pace of progress.

👉 Key highlights of report

• 286 years will be needed to achieve full gender equality at current rate of progress.
• By end of 2022, around 383 million women and girls will live in extreme poverty (on less than $1.90 a day) compared
to 368 million men and boys.

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• The longer we take to reverse this trend, the more it will cost us all.
• Over 1.2 billion women and girls of reproductive age (15-49) live in countries and areas with some restrictions on
access to safe abortion.
• Women hold only 2 in every 10 science, engineering and information and communication technology jobs globally.

9. Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

Why in News?
Several states are set to seek an extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) beyond September
30.
About

• It was initially announced for a three-month period (April-June 2020) to alleviate Covid distress.
• It was extended several times, with its sixth phase ending September 2022.
• Comprehensive relief package of Rs 1.70 Lakh Crore.
• Purpose ➔ Announced to reach out to the poorest of the poor, with food and money in hands, so that they do not
face difficulties in buying essential supplies and meeting essential needs.
• Benefits ➔
o Insurance cover of Rs 50 Lakh per health worker fighting COVID-19 provided under Insurance Scheme.
o 80 crore poor people get 5 kg wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred pulses for free every month for the three
months.
o The foodgrains were distributed to all the beneficiaries under the targeted public distribution system
(TPDS) for Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and priority household (PHH) ration cardholders.
o 20 crore women Jan Dhan account holders to get Rs 500 per month for three months.

10. National List of Essential Medicines

Why in News?
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that India is hosting the G-20 (Group of 20) leaders’ summit in New Delhi
next year 2023.
About

• Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs, based on efficacy, safety, quality and total
cost of the treatment.
• The primary purpose of NLEM is to promote the rational use of medicines considering the three important aspects
i.e. cost, safety and efficacy.
• The NLEM was first formulated in 1996 and has been revised in 2003, 2011, and 2015.
• In NLEM, the medicines are categorized based on the level of the healthcare system as P- Primary; S- Secondary
and T- Tertiary.
• Medicines that feature in the NLEM are called scheduled drugs. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing
Authority(NPPA) fixes the prices of these drugs based on the wholesale price index inflation.
• For other drugs, companies are allowed to take a maximum hike of up to 10% annually.
• Currently, scheduled drugs roughly constitute 17-18% of the estimated Rs 1.6-trillion domestic pharma market.
• Significance of NLEM? ➔ NLEM plays an important role in ensuring the accessibility of affordable quality medicines
at all levels of healthcare. This will give a boost to cost-effective, quality medicines and contribute to the reduction
in Out of Pocket Expenditure on healthcare for the citizens.

11. Cognitive Dissonance

Why in News?

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The Term was in the News. It is important for the Paper IV of the General Studies of UPSC.
About

• The cognitive dissonance theory was one of the most influential theories in social psychology first proposed by Leon
Festinger in his book A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance in 1957.
• Cognitive dissonance theory explains how individuals or groups rationalise their support and belief toward
different religions, cults or political parties, partially blinding themselves to reduce the contradictions between
their thoughts and behaviour.
• Theory proposes that inconsistency between one’s thoughts and behaviours would lead to an uncomfortable
psychological or emotional tension (Cognitive Dissonance).
• Example ➔
o You know that smoking (or drinking too much) is harmful to your health, but you do it anyway. You
rationalize this action by pointing to your high stress levels.
o An IPS officer believes in non-violence but takes the decision to opt for Lathi Charge to disperse the crowd
mostly faces Cognitive dissonance.
• Resolving dissonance ➔
o Festinger explained that there were different ways in which individuals or groups resolved cognitive
dissonance to best suit their situations.
o Either by changing one’s thoughts, changing one’s behaviour to match one’s thoughts, adding a thought
to justify the behaviour or trivialise the inconsistency between thoughts and behaviour.
o In most cases, people tend to justify their behaviour by either adding consonant elements or negating
contradictory or inconsistent thoughts. This is because it is easier to change one’s thoughts than to
introspect and question one’s belief system.

12. Ramakrishna Mission’s Awakening Programme

Why in News?
Recently, Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched
Ramakrishna Mission’s ‘Awakening’ Programme for students of classes I to V.
About

• It is an initiative towards ensuring overall personality development of a child in line with the philosophy of National
Education Policy (NEP), 2020.
• It is for the students of classes I to V.
• Background ➔
o Ramakrishna Mission, Delhi branch, from 2014 onwards, has been successfully conducting the Awakened
Citizen Program (ACP) for middle school students to enable them to build “ATMASHRADDHA” (Self-
esteem) and make responsible choices. It helps them to find solutions for all problems of life.
o There has been a demand from educationists for a similar program for Primary school students.
o In response to this, ‘Awakening’ has been designed and piloted across 126 schools.
• Significance ➔
o Social transformation is one of the key goals of education.
o Values and wisdom are more important than material wealth.

👉 Ramakrishna Mission

• Ramakrishna Mission carries out extensive educational and philanthropic work and expounds a modern version of
Advaita Vedanta—a school of Indian philosophy.

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• The society was founded near Kolkata by Vivekananda in 1897 with a twofold purpose: to spread the teachings of
Vedanta as embodied in the life of the saint Ramakrishna (1836–86) and to improve the social conditions of the
Indian people.
• The organizations were brought into existence by Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886), the great 19th-century saint from
Bengal who is regarded as the Prophet of the Modern Age, and Sri Ramakrishna’s chief disciple, Swami Vivekananda
(1863-1902).
• Motto ➔ “ATMANO MOKSHARTHAM JAGAD HITAYA CHA” (“For one’s own salvation and for the welfare of the
world”).

13. INSPIRE Awards

Why in News?
9th National Level Exhibition and Project Competition (NLEPC) for the INSPIRE Awards – MANAK (Million Minds
Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge), has commenced.
About Awards

• It is aligned with the ‘Start-up India’ initiative and is being executed by DST (Department of Science and Technology)
with National Innovation Foundation – India (NIF), an autonomous body of DST.
• Features ➔ Under this, the students are invited from all government or private schools throughout the country,
irrespective of their educational boards (national and state).
• Financial support of Rs 10,000 each would be provided so that they could develop prototypes of the ideas which
they submitted for the scheme.
• As a next step, they competed at respective District Level Exhibition and Project Competition (DLEPC) and State
Level Exhibition and Project Competition (SLEPC) and finally National Level Exhibition and Project Competition
(NLEPC).
• Aim ➔ To motivate students to become future innovators and critical thinkers.

👉 INSPIRE Scheme

• The INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research) scheme is one of the flagship programmes of the
Ministry of Science and Technology.
• Its objective is to communicate to the youth population of the country the creative pursuit of science and attract
talent to the study of science at an early stage and build the required critical human resource pool for strengthening
and expanding the Science & Technology system and Research & Development base.
• The Government of India has successfully implemented the INSPIRE scheme since 2010. The scheme covers students
in the age group of 10-32 years and has five components.
• The INSPIRE Awards- MANAK is one of its components.

14. National Assessment and Accreditation Council

Why in News?
Recently, there was a controversy related to the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) ratings of the
Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda as the institute’s score changed from A to A+ on the back of improvement across
parameters.
About

• NAAC is an autonomous body under the University Grants Commission (UGC).

• Functions ➔ It assesses and certifies Higher Education Institutions(HEIs) with gradings as part of accreditation.
• The ratings of institutions range from A++ to C. If an institution is graded D, it means it is not accredited.

👉 Can all higher educational institutes apply for accreditation?

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• Under the rules, only higher education institutions that are at least six years old, or from where at least two batches
of students have graduated, can apply.
• The accreditation is valid for five years. Aspiring institutes need to be recognised by the UGC and have regular
students enrolled in their full-time teaching and research programmes.

👉 How is the accreditation process carried out?

• The current accreditation approach has been described as “input-based”. In other words, NAAC relies heavily on
self-assessment reports of applicant institutions.
• The first step has an applicant institution submitting a self-study report of information related to quantitative and
qualitative metrics. The data is then validated by NAAC expert teams followed by peer team visits to the institutions.

👉 What are the alternative accreditation approaches being explored by NAAC?

• From the prevailing “input-based” approach, the NAAC plans to adopt an “outcome-based approach”.
• This is because the current system is akin to accepting the claim of a PhD candidate that his thesis is of high quality.
• On the other hand, in the outcome-based approach, NAAC can ask institutions to provide evidence such as samples
of learning materials, continuous assessment tasks and final examinations to show they have outcomes of learning
specified in the syllabus.

15. Child Welfare Committee Norms

Why in News?
Union Government introduces new rules for Child Welfare Committee panel members and Chairpersons. Juvenile Justice
(Care and Protection Amendment) Model Amendment Rules 2022 was implemented recently.
About Norms

• It bars a person associated with an organisation receiving foreign funds to be a Chairperson or member of the Child
Welfare Committees (CWC).
• The rules also says that any person working in the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 in any NGO or
organisation will also be ineligible to be on a CWC.
• It adds that those who have “any family member” or “close relation” working for an NGO will also be disqualified
to be on a CWC.
• A person representing someone running a child care institution or member of the Board or Trust of any NGO can
also not be on a CWC.
• Retired judicial officers have also been omitted from the category of persons who can be considered for
appointment to a CWC.

👉 Child Welfare Committees

• CWCs are constituted by the State government under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.
• It was tasked with giving necessary directions for care and protection of children who are abused, exploited,
abandoned or orphaned.
• It can also order an inquiry to ensure their safety and well-being and give an order for their rehabilitation either in
family-based care such as through restoration to family or guardian, adoption, foster care or send them to child care
institutions.
• According to the JJ Act, 2015, the CWC will function as a Bench.
• It shall have the powers conferred by the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 on a Metropolitan Magistrate or a
Judicial Magistrate of First Class.
• But, experts opined that these rules will reduce the pool of human resource available for appointments to CWC.

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 16. India Hypertension Control Initiative
Why in News?
India has won the ‘2022 UN Interagency Task Force, and WHO Special Programme on Primary Health Care Award’ for its
“India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)”.
About

• Background ➔ Launched in 2017.

• Launched by ➔ It is a collaborative initiative of the Ministry of Health, Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR),
state governments and World Health Organization.
• Aim ➔ To achieve the government’s goal of a 25% relative reduction in raised blood pressure by 2025.
• Nodal Mission ➔ IHCI is a large-scale hypertension intervention under National Health Mission.
• The strategies adopted under the initiative include 1) simple drug-dose-specific standard treatment protocol, 2)
ensuring adequate quantity of protocol medications, 3) decentralization of care with follow-up and refills of
medicines at Health Wellness Centers and 4) task sharing involving all health staff and a powerful real-time
information system which can track every patient for follow-up and blood pressure control.
• Achievements ➔ Nearly half of those who were treated under this initiative had blood pressure under control.

17. Operation Megh-Chakra

Why in News?
Recently, The Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) has conducted an operation code-named “Megh Chakra”.
About

• Operation Megh Chakra is a pan-India drive against the circulation and sharing of Child Sexual Abuse
Material(CSAM).
• The operation is being carried out following the inputs received from Interpol’s Singapore special unit.
• Note: CBI had launched a similar exercise code-named “Operation Carbon in 2021 in which the suspects in 13 States
and one Union Territory were raided.

👉 Other steps taken by CBI against Child Sexual Abuse

• CBI constituted a special unit called Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Prevention/ Investigation (OCSAE)
in 2019.
• Aim ➔ To investigate matters pertaining to online child sexual abuse and exploitation. To collate and investigate
information received from the embassies and overseas federal probe agencies about organised rackets which are
active in online child sexual abuse and exploitation.

18. PROGRESS ON WASH IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES, 2000–2021 REPORT

Why in News?
Report is released by World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
About

• It focuses on WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and infection prevention and control (IPC).

Key Findings:

• Half of world’s healthcare facilities lack basic hygiene services, nearly 4 billion people at risk.
• Lack of potential infection prevention in health facility impacts pregnant mothers, new-borns and children health.
• Unhygienic health care facility influences disease transmission and emergence of antibiotic resistance.

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Security
1. Exercise Synergy
Why in News?
Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) in collaboration with the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore
successfully designed and conducted the Cyber Security Exercise “Synergy” for 13 Countries.
About

• What is it? ➔ It is a Cyber Security Exercise.

• Conducted by ➔ Indian Computer Emergency Response Team(CERT-In) in collaboration with the Cyber Security
Agency of Singapore(CSA) for 13 countries.
• Aim ➔ To exchange best practices among member-states to build network resiliency against ransomware and cyber
extortion attacks.
• The exercise was conducted as part of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative- Resilience Working Group
which is being led by India under the leadership of National Security Council Secretariat(NSCS).
• Theme ➔ “Building Network Resiliency to counter Ransomware Attacks”.
• Scenario ➔ The exercise scenario was derived from real-life cyber incidents, in which a domestic level (limited
impact) ransomware incident escalates to a global cyber security crisis.
• Significance ➔ The exercise was successful in meeting its objectives and provided insights for better coordination
and cooperation among CRI Member States to build network resiliency and counter ransomware attacks.

👉 CERT-IN

• Computer Emergency Response Team - India is an organisation of the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology with the objective of securing Indian cyberspace.
• It is a nodal agency which deals with cybersecurity threats like hacking and phishing.
• It collects, analyses and disseminates information on cyber incidents, and also issues alert on cybersecurity
incidents.
• CERT-IN provides Incident Prevention and Response Services as well as Security Quality Management Services.

2. Chinook Helicopters
Why in News?
The US Army has grounded its fleet of workhorse H-47 Chinook helicopters, after several experienced engine fires as the
"suspect O-rings" used in some of the aircraft that did not meet its specifications.
About

• Originally known as the CH-47, the Chinook helicopters were an icon of US wars from Vietnam to the Middle East.
• They are advanced medium-lift, multi-role helicopters made by Boeing.
• It is in service across the US armed forces as well as in Britain and nearly 20 other countries.
• With two rotors, the helicopters can carry heavy loads and are well-armed for combat situations.
• They are frequently used in disaster relief missions as well.
• The Indian Air Force operates its fleet of 15 Boeing-made Chinook helicopters.

3. Crime Multi Agency Centre (Cri-MAC) Portal

Why in News?
At least seven States and one Union Territory have not uploaded a single alert on the Crime Multi Agency Centre(Cri-
MAC) portal since it was launched in March 2020.

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About

• Launched in ➔ 2020 by the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA).

• Aim ➔ To share information on crime and criminals 24×7 with various law enforcement agencies and ensure a
seamless flow of information among them.
• Implemented by ➔ The application is run by the National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB).
• Benefits of the portal ➔ Cri-MAC facilitates the dissemination of information about significant crimes including
human trafficking across the country on a real-time basis and enables inter-State coordination.
• This can help in locating and identifying the trafficked victims as also in the prevention, detection and investigation
of crime.

4. Exercise Vostok
Why in News?
An Indian Army contingent comprising troops from Gorkha Rifles is participating in the multilateral strategic and
command exercise ‘Vostok-2022’ in Russia.
About

• What is it? ➔ It is a multilateral strategic and command exercise hosted by Russia.

• Aim ➔ To deepen practical and friendly cooperation with the armies of participating countries, enhance the level
of strategic collaboration among the participating parties and strengthen the ability to respond to various security
threats.
• Participating countries ➔ India, China, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and other countries are participating in the
exercise.

👉 India’s Exercises with China & Russia

• China ➔ Exercise Hand-in-Hand.

• Russia ➔
o Exercise Indra → The INDRA series of exercises began in 2003 and was conducted as a bilateral naval
exercise alternately between the two countries.
o Exercise TSENTR → Exercise TSENTR 2019 is part of the annual series of large-scale exercises that form part
of the Russian Armed Forces' annual training cycle.
o Exercise ZAPAD 2021 - It is a multinational exercise in which 17 countries including India, China, Russia and
Pakistan are part of it.

5. Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator

Why in News?
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully tested the Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator
technology on a Rohini-300 (RH300 Mk II) sounding rocket from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station.
About

• The Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD) is a technique used for an atmospheric entry payload. An inflatable
envelope and an inflatant (anything that inflates the envelope, like air or helium) make up the IAD.
• The IAD was designed and developed by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
• This IAD was made of Kevlar fabric coated with polychloroprene.
• Purpose ➔ The IAD serves to decelerate an object plunging down through the atmosphere. It systematically
reduced the velocity of the payload through aerodynamic drag.
• Working ➔ At around 84 km altitude, the IAD was inflated using compressed nitrogen stored in a gas bottle. Then,
it descended through atmosphere with the payload part of sounding rocket.
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 o Once the IAD fell into the sea, it will get deflated by firing a deflation pyro valve.
o The pneumatic system used for inflating the IAD was developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
(LPSC), Valiyamala.
• Significance ➔ The IAD technology could aid cost-effective recovery of spent rocket stages and safely land payloads
on other planets.
o It can also be used in ISRO’s future missions to Venus and Mars.

👉 ISRO

• ISRO is the space agency under the Department of Space of Government of India, headquartered in the city of
Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• Its vision is to harness space technology for national development, while pursuing space science research and
planetary exploration.
• Antrix Corporation Limited (ACL) is a Marketing arm of ISRO for promotion and commercial exploitation of space
products, technical consultancy services and transfer of technologies developed by ISRO.
• Shri S. Somanath is the incumbent chairman of ISRO.

6. Virtual Cyber Exercise on Ransomware Resilience

Why in News?
India’s National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and the UK Government in collaboration with BAE Systems has
successfully conducted the virtual Cyber Exercise on Ransomware Resilience for 26 Countries.
About

• Conducted by ➔ India’s National Security Council Secretariat(NSCS) and the UK Government in collaboration with
BAE Systems
• Part of ➔ The exercise has been conducted as part of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative- Resilience
Working Group which is being led by India under the leadership of the National Cyber Security Coordinator(NCSC).
• Aim of the exercise ➔ To allow participating countries to test their capability to respond to a major ransomware
incident and to demonstrate the benefit of sharing information and collaborating during a major cyber incident.
• Participating countries ➔ Around 26 countries and their respective organizations participated in the exercise.
• Theme of the exercise ➔ It is based on the Energy Sector in which the respective National Cyber Crisis Management
Teams of the participating nations will have to deal with a ransomware attack on multiple electricity distribution
companies.

7. Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) System

Why in News?
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Army have successfully completed six flight-tests
of the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system.
About

• It is a short-range Surface to Air Missile (SAM) system, primarily designed and developed by the DRDO to provide a
protective shield to the moving armoured columns of the Army from aerial attacks.
• It is equipped with state-of-the-art guidance and control algorithms including warhead chains.
• The uniqueness of the QRSAM weapon system is that it can operate on the move with search and track capability
and fire on a short halt.
• Data captured by range instruments like telemetry, radar and Electro Optical Tracking Systems (EOTS) were used
to confirm the system performance.

8. Taragiri
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Why in News?
Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) has launched Taragiri, the third stealth frigate of Project 17A.
About

• What is it? ➔ It is the third stealth frigate of Project 17A.

• Built by ➔ Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL).
• Features ➔ The ship has state-of-the-art weapons, sensors, an advanced action information system, an integrated
platform management system, world-class modular living spaces, a sophisticated power distribution system and a
host of other advanced features.
• The ship’s air defence capability is designed to counter the threat of enemy aircraft and anti-ship cruise missiles will
revolve around the vertical launch and long-range surface-to-air missile system.
• Two 30 mm rapid-fire guns will provide the ship with close-in-defence capability while an SRGM (Super Rapid Gun
Mount) gun will enable her to provide effective naval gunfire support.
• Indigenously developed triple tube lightweight torpedo launchers and rocket launchers will add punch to the ship’s
anti-submarine capability.

👉 Project 17A of the Indian Navy

• Project 17 Alpha frigates (P-17A) were launched by the Indian Navy in 2019.
• The project is aimed to construct a series of stealth guided-missile frigates, which are currently being constructed
by two companies - Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).
• These guided-missile frigates have been constructed with a specific stealth design, which has radar-absorbent
coatings and is low-observable which can make its approach undetectable for the enemies.
• The first stealth ship launched under Project 17A was the Nilgiri, which was launched in 2019 and is expected to be
commissioned in the Indian Navy by the end of this year.
o Udaygiri, the second ship, was launched in May 2022, and will likely be commissioned in 2024.

9. Exercise JIMEX
Why in News?
The sixth edition of Japan India Maritime Exercise 2022 (JIMEX 22) hosted by the Indian Navy commenced in the Bay of
Bengal.
About

• What is it? ➔ It is an annual maritime exercise between India and Japan.

• Aim ➔ To consolidate the high degree of interoperability that exists between maritime forces of the two countries,
through complex exercises in the surface, sub-surface and air domains.
• Phases ➔ JIMEX 22 involves two Phases; exercises at sea and a harbour phase at Visakhapatnam.
• Significance ➔ This edition marks the 10th anniversary of JIMEX, which began in Japan in 2012. It also coincides
with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.

👉 Other exercises between India and Japan

• Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN ➔ It is an annual joint military exercise between India and Japan from 2018.
• SHINYUU Maitri ➔ It is a joint exercise between the Indian Air Force and the Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF).

10. Exercise Kakadu

Why in News?
INS Satpura and a P8 I Maritime Patrol Aircraft of the Indian Navy reached Darwin in Australia, for participation in the
multinational Exercise Kakadu – 2022, hosted by the Royal Australian Navy(RAN).
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About

• Exercise Kakadu is a multinational maritime exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Navy.
• The exercise derives its name from Kakadu National Park, which is a protected area in the Northern Territory of
Australia.
• Aim ➔ To foster and strengthen effective security and humanitarian partnerships across the Indo-Pacific region
through a series of training and engagement activities.
• Participating Countries ➔ Around 14 countries are participating in the exercise including India.
• Note ➔ Indian Air Force(IAF) has recently also participated in Exercise Pitch Black. It is a multinational biennial
exercise hosted by the Australian Air Force.

👉 Other Military Exercises with Australia

• Exercise Pitch Black

• Malabar Exercise.

11. Very Short Range Air Defense System(VSHORADS)

Why in News?
The Defense Research and Development Organization(DRDO) has conducted two successful test flights of the Very Short
Range Air Defense System(VSHORADS).
About

• What is it? ➔ VSHORADS is an indigenously designed and developed Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPAD).
• Developed by ➔ DRDO’s Research Center Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories
and Indian Industry Partners.
• Purpose ➔ To neutralize low-altitude aerial threats at short ranges.
• Features ➔ The missile is propelled by a dual-thrust solid motor. It also incorporates a number of novel
technologies, including a miniaturized Reaction Control System and integrated avionics.
• Significance ➔ VSHORAD is considered extremely vital for the defense of any major city or any strategically
important location. The present stock with the Indian Army like the Air Defence Guns L-70 and the ZU-23 is over
four decades old and hence totally obsolete.

12. Carl-Gustaf M4
Why in News?
Swedish defence firm Saab has announced its plan to set up a manufacturing facility in India for the Carl-Gustaf M4
shoulder-fired weapon system under the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative to bolster indigenous defence
manufacturing.
About

• What is it? ➔ Carl-Gustaf recoilless rifle is a man-portable, multi-role weapon system that allows dismounted
soldiers to effectively deal with multiple challenges on the modern battlefield.
• Key Features ➔
o It is lightweight, robust, reliable, effective and easy to use.
o It can be fitted with a wide range of sights to ensure a maximum effect in any tactical situation and flexibility
for the user.
o The system is attached with a standard clip-on telescopic sight, with additional options, including open
sight, red dot sight and advanced fire control devices available.
• The Indian Army has been using the iconic Carl-Gustaf since 1976 and currently operates the Mk2 and Mk3 versions.

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History and Culture
1. Uighur

Why in News?
The United Nations (UN) accused China of serious human rights violations that may amount to “crimes against humanity”
in a long-delayed report examining a crackdown on Uyghurs.
About

• They are a predominantly Muslim, Turkic ethnicity who live in China’s North-Western Xinjiang Province.
• They speak their own language, which is similar to Turkish, and see themselves as culturally and ethnically close to
Central Asian nations
• They are mainly a sedentary village-dwelling people who live in the network of oases formed in the valleys and
lower slopes of the Tien Shan, Pamirs, and related mountain systems.

👉 Xinjiang

• Xinjiang is an autonomous region of China, occupying the

northwestern corner of the country.
• It is a vast region of deserts and mountains.
• It's home to many ethnic minority groups, including the Turkic
Uyghurs.
• The ancient Silk Road trade route linking China and the Middle
East passed through Xinjiang, a legacy that can be seen in the
traditional open-air bazaars of its oasis cities, Hotan and
Kashgar.
• Xinjiang was on the front line of their Cold War rivalry and remains important as an assertion of Chinese influence
in Moscow’s back yard.

2. Nuakhai festival
Why in News?
Nuakhai agricultural festival begins in Odisha.
About

• Nuakhai is an annual harvest festival celebrated in Odisha.

• In Nuakhai, Nua means new and Khai means food. The festival of Nuakhai is celebrated by the farmers after the
harvesting of grain.
• On this festival, Odia people, even those living in far-off lands return to their native places to be a part of the
celebration.

3. V. O. Chidambaram
Why in News?
The Prime Minister paid tributes to freedom fighter V. O. Chidambaram Pillai on his birth Anniversary.
About

• Birth ➔ Valliyappan Ulaganathan Chidambaram (V.O.C.) was born in 1872 in Ottapidaram, Tirunelveli district of
Tamil Nadu.
• He is also known as Kappalottiya Tamizhan or 'The Tamil Helmsman'.

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• He was a prominent lawyer, trade union leader, an Indian freedom fighter, and leader in the Indian National
Congress (INC).
• He mobilized the workers of the Coral Mills, thereby expanding the social base of the Swadeshi movement.
• In 1906, he established the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNC), which competed with the monopoly of
the British India Steam Navigation Company.
• He purchased two steamships, S.S. Gallia and S.S. Lawoe for SSNC and commenced first Indian shipping service
between Tuticorin and Colombo against the opposition of the British Government and traders.
• He was charged with sedition by the British colonial government and was sentenced to life imprisonment. His
barrister license was revoked.
• Political Life ➔ Chidambarapillai supported Bal Gangadhar Tilak and the militant wing of the INC.
o He participated in the 1907 Surat Congress with Subramania Bharati.
o He was one of the earliest to start the 'Dharmasangha Nesavuchalai' for hand-loom industry and the
'Swadeshi Stores' for the sale of India made things to the people.
o He played a lead role in many institutions, like the "National Godown," "Madras Agro-Industrial Society
Ltd.," and "The Desabimana Sangam".
o One of India's major ports, Tuticorin Port Trust, is named after him.

4. UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities

Why in News?
Warangal from Telangana and Thrissur and Nilambur from Kerala have joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning
Cities(GNLC).
About

• What is it? ➔ It is an international network consisting of cities that successfully promote lifelong learning across
their communities.
• The network supports the achievement of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in particular SDG 4 (‘Ensure
inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’) and SDG 11 (‘Make
cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’).
• Features of a learning city? ➔
o There are six features that define a learning city.
o These include cities that 1) Effectively mobilize their resources in every sector to advocate inclusive learning,
2) Revitalizes learning in families and communities, 3) Facilitate learning for and at workplaces, 4) Extend
the use of modern learning technologies, 5) Augments quality and excellence in learning and 6) Fosters a
culture of learning throughout life.

👉 About Thrissur, Warangal, Nilambur

• Thrissur ➔ Popularly known as the cultural capital of Kerala. Thrissur is home to academic and research institutions.
It is also known for its jewellery industry, especially gold. The city has been included because of its initiatives focusing
on vulnerable groups.
• Warangal ➔ It has a rich cultural heritage. The city is a major tourism venue. The city has been included for its good
practices such as advocating healthy environments for children and caregivers, free training for the transgender
community and self-help groups.
• Nilambur ➔ It is an ecotourism destination in Kerala. It is a city with various socio-economic patterns marked by an
urban and rural mix. The majority of the population depends on agriculture and allied industries.

5. Shumang Leela
Why in News?

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The 50th All Manipur Shumang Leela Festival 2021-2022 kicked off at Iboyaima Shumang Leela Shanglen at Palace
Compound in Imphal.
About

• What is it? ➔ Shumang Leela is a traditional form of theatre in Manipur. The theatre is arranged in the form of
open-air from four sides.
• In this, the roles of female artists are all played by male actors and male characters are played by female artists.
• The present-day Shumang Leelas address the issues of moral values, unity and integrity. The fostering of bonds of
brotherhood and friendship among various communities in the State is also promoted by the theatre.
• In 2017, Shougrakpam Hemanta was conferred with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in recognition
of his contribution to Shumang Leela. With this, he became the first person to receive the award for this art form.

6. Liberation of Hyderabad
Why in News?
The 50th All Manipur Shumang Leela Festival 2021-2022 has started at Iboyaima Shumang Leela Shanglen at Palace
Compound in Imphal.Manipur.

About

• India had several princely states. When the British left India in 1947, they gave
the princely states the option of joining India or Pakistan or remaining
independent.
• Out of the 565 princely states that existed at the time, 562 decided to join
India. However, neither did Hyderabad, Junagadh, nor Kashmir, three princely
states, integrate into India or demonstrate any interest in doing so.
• The state of Hyderabad was under the Nizam which included the whole of
current-day Telangana, the Marathwada region in Maharashtra and several
regions of Karnataka.
• The Nizam of Hyderabad hoped to retain his sovereignty and opposed the idea
of merging with India after Independence. Osman Ali Khan Asaf Jah VII, the
last Nizam of the princely state of Hyderabad proclaimed Hyderabad as a
sovereign state and this added to the tension and led to communal clashes.
• The Indian government did not want Hyderabad to remain free fearing that it would lead to the country’s
balkanization.
• The then Home Minister Sardar Patel referred to the concept of an independent Hyderabad as “an ulcer in the heart
of India which needed to be removed surgically.”
• Hence, India decided to annex Hyderabad and named the operation “Operation Polo”. On September 13, 1948,
Indian forces attacked Hyderabad. In a five-day battle, the Indian Army took Hyderabad and fully integrated it into
Indian territory by decisively defeating Nizam.

7. Mohenjo-daro
Why in News?
Recently, the Defence minister of India unveiled the statue of Veer Durgadas Rathore in Jodhpur.
About

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• Mohenjo-daro, a group of mounds and ruins, is a 5000-year-old
archaeological site.
• Mohenjo-daro is located on the bank of the Indus river, northern Sindh
province, southern Pakistan.
• Mohenjo-daro, which means ‘mound of the dead’, was one of the oldest
cities of the world.
• Mohenjo-Daro was the largest city of the Indus Valley Civilization.
• Known to be a model planned city of the Indus Valley Civilisation, the
houses here had Great Bath, bathrooms, toilets and drainage system.
• The sheer size of the city, and its provision of public buildings and facilities,
suggests a high level of social organisation.
• The archaeological importance of the site was first recognized when archaeologist RD Banerji visited it in 1922, one
year after the discovery of Harappa.
• Mohenjo-daro was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980. But, it might be removed from the world
heritage list, if urgent attention towards its conservation and restoration is not given.

8. Martand Temple in Kashmir

Why in News?
While details of the tragic circumstances in which former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry lost his life are yet to be
officially stated, it appears passengers in the back seat of the Mercedes were not wearing seatbelts.
About

• Seat belts came into existence in the late 1800s. Invented by George Cayley, an English aviation innovator, the
original purpose behind their creation was to ensure that pilots were kept inside their gliders.
• It was not until February 10, 1885 that the first patented seat belt came into existence.
• Created by Edward J Claghorn, it was meant to keep tourists safe in New York City taxis. Ever since, seat belts have
gradually made their way into our daily lives and have rightfully become our first line of defence while on the move
on roads across the world.

👉 The 3-point seat belt

• The seat belt as we know it now came into existence in 1959 after Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin invented the V-type
three-point seat belt at the behest of Volvo.
• Up until then, seat belts were two-point lap belts — as we now see in aeroplanes.

👉 Required by the law

• Rule 138(3) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, makes it mandatory for the rear passengers too to wear
seat-belts.
• Further, non-wearing of seat-belts by the driver or passengers has been made punishable with a fine of one
thousand rupees according to Section 194B(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (as amended by the Motor Vehicles
(Amendment) Act, 2019.
•
9. Basilica of Bom Jesus
Why in News?
The Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa, a major tourist attraction, would be closed for visitors for a month for restoration.
About

• The Basilica of Bom Jesus is part of the Churches and Convents of Goa listed under UNESCOs World Heritage List.

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• It contains the tomb of St Francis-Xavier, illustrating the evangelization and spread of Manueline, Mannerist and
Baroque art forms in Asia where missions were established.
• It was adapted to suit native conditions through use of local materials and artifacts, also known as Indo-Portuguese
styles.
• It is one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World.

10. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

Why in News?
A grand statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is unveiled by the Prime Minister of India. The jet black granite statue,
measuring a total of 28 ft. will be placed under the Canopy near India Gate.
About

• He was born on January 23, 1897, in Cuttack, Orissa.

• He was strongly influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s teachings and was known for his patriotic zeal as a student.
• He was known in particular for his militant approach to independence and his push for socialist policies.
• Famous Slogans ➔
o “Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom!”
o “Jai Hind.”
o The first person to call Mahatma Gandhi “Father of the Nation”, in his address from Singapore.
• Death ➔ He is said to have died in 1945 when his plane crashed in Taiwan. However, there are still many conspiracy
theories regarding his death.

👉 Major Events linked to him

• 1919 ➔ Went to London to give the Indian Civil Services (ICS) examination and got selected but he was deeply
disturbed by the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre and left his Civil Services apprenticeship midway to return to India in
1921.
• 1938 ➔ After his return, took over as the elected President of the Indian National Congress in Haripur and stood
for unqualified Swaraj (self-governance).
o He recommended the use of force against the British which then combated against Mahatma Gandhi and
his views.
• 1939 ➔ Re-elected as President of INC in Tripuri.
o However, soon resigned from the presidency and formed the All India Forward Bloc, a faction within the
Congress that aimed at consolidating the political left.
• 1942 ➔ Travelled to Japan and took leadership of the Indian Independence Movement in East Asia. With Japanese
aid and influence, he took the leadership of a trained army of about 40,000 troops in Japanese-occupied Southeast
Asia known as the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj).
• 1942 ➔ Earned the title ‘Netaji’, in Germany by the Indian soldiers of the Azad Hind Fauj.

11. Dara Shikoh

Why in News?
The Vice President calls Dara Shikoh a torchbearer of social harmony.
About

• He was the eldest son and heir-apparent of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
• In 1655 his father and Mughal emperor Shah Jahan declared him the Crown Prince; he was assassinated by his
younger brother, Aurangzeb, in a bitter struggle for the throne on August 30, 1659.

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• Dara was designated with the title Padshahzada-i-Buzurg Martaba (Prince of High Rank) and was favored as a
successor by his father and his older sister, Princess Jahanara Begum.
• In the war of succession which ensued after Shah Jahan’s illness in 1657, Dara was defeated by his younger brother
Prince Muhiuddin (Aurangzeb).
• Dara Shikoh is described as a “liberal Muslim” who tried to find commonalities between Hindu and Islamic traditions.
• Works ➔
o He had a deep understanding and knowledge of major religions, particularly Islam and Hinduism is known
as a pioneer of the academic movement for interfaith understanding in India.
o He strove to develop cordial relationships between people by finding commonalities between Hinduism
and Islam and bringing their cultures into dialogue.
o His most important works, Majma-ul-Bahrain (Mingling of Two Oceans) and Sirr-i-Akbar (Great Mystery)
are devoted to the cause of establishing connections between Hinduism and Islam.
o He not only discovered commonalities but even said that the foundation of the two religions is the same,
which is the belief, “One Reality and One God”. He had a pluralistic outlook and understood India’s
syncretic culture.
o Dara Shikoh acquired proficiency in Sanskrit and Persian, which enabled him to play a key role in
popularising Indian culture and Hindu religious thought. He translated the Upanishads and other important
sources of Hindu religion and spirituality from Sanskrit to Persian.
o Dara Shikoh had a keen interest in the fine arts and architecture. An album he dedicated to his wife is a
treasure of Indian art.
o A rare miniature painting showing him with his spiritual masters is preserved in the library of the Aligarh
Muslim University (AMU). As a talented architect, he designed the beautiful Pari Mahal Garden Palace in
Srinagar and many other monuments.
o He wrote ‘Risala-i-hak Numa’ (The Compass of the Truth), the ‘Shathiyat or Hasanat-ul-Arifin’ and the ‘Iksir-
i-Azam’.
o He also commissioned the ‘Jug Bashist’ and the ‘Tarjuma-i-Akwal-i-Wasili’.

12. Ajanta Caves

Why in News?
The famous paintings of Ajanta caves, widely regarded as the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art, are under
serious threat not so much from age but the rush of visitors.
About

• Location ➔ Ajanta is a series of rock-cut caves in the Sahyadri ranges (Western Ghats) on Waghora river near
Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
• The caves are 30 in number including the unfinished ones of which five are Chaitya or prayer halls and the rest are
viharas (monastery).
• Built by ➔ The caves were built in two phases, the first starting around the 2nd century BCE and the second
occurring from 400 to 650 CE.
• Reference to the Ajanta caves can be found in the travel accounts of Chinese Buddhist travellers Fa Hien (during the
reign of Chandragupta II; 380- 415 CE) and Hieun Tsang (during the reign of emperor Harshavardhana; 606 – 647
CE).
• Discovered by ➔ The caves were first discovered in 1819, when John Smith, a British official, accidentally stumbled
upon the horse-shoe-shaped rock while hunting a tiger.
• Paintings ➔ The fresco painting technique was employed to create the figures in these caves. The artworks’ outlines
were painted in red colour. The scarcity of blue in the paintings is one of the most remarkable elements.
• Mostly, the paintings depict Buddhism, including Buddha’s life and Jataka stories.

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• UNESCO Site ➔ The site is a protected monument in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India and since 1983,
the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
•
13. Hoysala Temples
Why in News?
The Union Culture Ministry announced that the Hoysala Temples of Belur, Halebid and Somnathapura in Karnataka are
India’s official nominations for the UNESCO World Heritage List for the year 2022-2023.
About

• The Hoysala Temple is also known as the Hoysaleswara temple or ‘Halebidu’ temple.
• It is said to be the largest monument in Halebidu, a town in Karnataka and erstwhile capital of the Hoysala Empire.
• This 12th-century temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva, was sponsored by King Vishnuvardhana.
• This temple shows a basic Dravidian style, but also show a strong influence of ‘Bhumija’, which is seen in central
India, along with ‘Nagara’ traditions of northern and western India.
• The temple follows the Shaivism tradition, but includes themes from Vaishnavism and Shaktism, too, along with
images from Jainism.
• The sculptures inside the temple depict scenes from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana.
• In the 14th century, Halebidu was plundered by the Delhi Sultanate, which resulted in its ruin and neglect.
• The temples are protected monuments of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which takes care of their
conservation and maintenance.

14. Geographical Indication (GI) Tag

Why in News?
Government of India organized a Virtual Networking Meet for Agri and Food Geographical Indication (GI) products in
association with the Embassy of India, Doha and Indian Business and Professionals Council (IBPC) Qatar.
About

• Geographical Indication (GI) is an indication used to identify goods having special characteristics originating from a
definite geographical territory.
• The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 seeks to provide for the registration
and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
• It is governed and directed by the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
• It was decided and also stated under Articles 1 (2) and 10 of the Paris Convention that the “protection of industrial
Property and Geographical Indication are elements of Intellectual Property”.
• It is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods).
• Validity ➔ This tag is valid for a period of 10 years following which it can be renewed.
• Benefits ➔
o Once a product gets this tag, any person or company cannot sell a similar item under that name.
o GI registration of a product provides it legal protection and prevention against unauthorised use by others.
o GI tag helps in promoting the exports of the product.
o It also provides comfort to customers about the authenticity of that product.

15. Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker

Why in News?
The recently-released Malayalam film Pathonpatham Noottandu (‘Nineteenth Century’), has earned both critical acclaim
and audience approval. It is based on the life of Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker, a social reformer from the Ezhava
community in Kerala.

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About

• He was a social reformer from the Ezhava community in Kerala who lived in the 19th century.
• He was one of the most influential figures in the reformation movement in the state. He challenged the domination
of upper castes or ‘Savarnas’ and brought about changes in the lives of both men and women.
• He was given the title of ‘Panicker’ by the then-king of Travancore in 1869.
• Contributions ➔
o He is credited with building two temples dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, in which members of all castes
and religions were allowed entry.
o In 1858, he led the Achippudava Samaram strike at Kayamkulam in Alappuzha. This strike aimed to earn
women belonging to oppressed groups the right to wear a lower garment that extended beyond the knees.
o In 1860, he led the Mukkuthi Samaram at Pandalam in the Pathanamthitta district for the rights of lower-
caste women to wear ‘mukkuthi’ or nose-ring and other gold ornaments.
o He led the first-ever strike by agricultural labourers in Kerala named Karshaka Thozhilali Samaram.
o He also established the first Kathakali Yogam (area-based schools for the classical dance form Kathakali) for
the Ezhava community in 1861.

16. National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC)

Why in News?
Recently, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways planned to build a National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC)
at the site of the Indus Valley civilization in Lothal, Gujarat.
About

• It is one of the major projects under Sagarmala scheme of MoPSW which has an edutainment approach.
• It is a first of its kind complex in India that will showcase India’s rich and diverse maritime heritage.

👉 Lothal

• Lothal was one of the southernmost sites of the ancient Indus Valley
civilization, located in the Bh?l region of the modern state of Gujarat.
• Construction of the city is believed to have begun around 2200 BCE.
• Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered Lothal in 1954.
• It had the world’s earliest known dock, which connected the city to an
ancient course of the Sabarmati River on the trade route between
Harappan cities in Sindh and the peninsula of Saurashtra.
• It was a vital and thriving trade Centre in ancient times, with its trade of
beads, gems, and valuable ornaments reaching the far corners of West
Asia and Africa.
• The techniques and tools they pioneered for bead-making and in
metallurgy have stood the test of time for over 4000 years.
• The Lothal site has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its application is pending on the tentative
list of UNESCO.

17. Annabhau Sathe

Why in News?
Recently, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnav unveiled a statue of Lok Shahir (balladeer) Annabhau
Sathe at the All-Russia State Library for Foreign Literature in Moscow.

About

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• Tukaram Bhaurao Sathe, popularly known as Anna Bhau Sathe was a social reformer, folk poet, and writer from
Maharashtra.
• Tukaram Bhaurao Sathe who later came to be known as Annabhau Sathe was born in a Dalit family in 1920 in
Maharashtra. In 1930, his family left the village and came to Mumbai.
• During his days at the Matunga Labour Camp, he got to know R B More, an associate of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in
the famous ‘Chavdar Lake’ satyagraha at Mahad, and joined the labour study circle. It was during these study circles
that he learned to read and write.
• Organizations formed by Annabhau Sathe ➔
o He formed Dalit Yuvak Sangh, a cultural group and started writing poems on workers’ protests, and
agitations. The group used to perform in front of the mill gates.
o In 1943, he formed the Lal Bawta Kala Pathak. The group toured across Maharashtra presenting
programmes on caste atrocities, class conflict, and workers’ rights.
• Famous literary works ➔
o The prominent Dalit novel in Marathi Fakira (1959) is among his best-known works and bagged the state
government’s top literary award in 1961.
o Some of the other notable works include Stalingradcha Powada, Majhi Maina Gavavar Rahili, and a
travelogue titled Majha Russiacha Pravas (My Travel to Russia).
o Another notable work Bangalchi Hak (Bengal’s Call) on the Bengal famine was translated into Bengali. It was
later performed at London’s Theatre Royal.
o Sathe also used folk music like ‘powada’ (ballad) and the ‘lavani’ folk dance of Maharashtra to further
popularize his work. In 1939, he wrote his first ballad, Spanish Powada.

18. List of Scheduled Tribes

Why in News?
The Union Cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra has approved the addition of four tribes to the
list of Scheduled Tribes (ST), including those from Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh.

About

• 1) The Hatti tribe in the Trans-Giri area of Sirmour district in Himachal Pradesh, 2) The Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran
hill tribes of Tamil Nadu, 3) Binjhia tribe in Chhattisgarh. The tribe was listed as ST in Jharkhand and Odisha but not
in Chhattisgarh.
• Further, the Cabinet approved a proposal to bring the Gond community residing in 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh,
under the ST list from the Scheduled Caste list.
o This includes the five subcategories of the Gond community (Dhuria, Nayak, Ojha, Pathari, and Rajgond).

👉 List of Scheduled Tribes

• Article 342 provides for the specification of tribal communities or parts of or groups within tribes or tribal
communities which are deemed to be Scheduled Tribes in relation to that State or UT.
• Accordingly, the Scheduled Tribes list is notified for each State or Union Territory. These lists are valid only within
the jurisdiction of that State or UT and not outside.
• What are the criteria for inclusion in ST List? ➔
o The criteria presently followed for the specification of a community as a Scheduled Tribe are: a) Indications
of primitive traits; b) distinctive culture; c) geographical isolation; d) Shyness of contact with the
community at large; and e) backwardness.
o However, these criteria are not mentioned in the Constitution.
• What is the process for inclusion in ST List? ➔

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 o The process begins with a recommendation from the respective State governments. These
recommendations are then sent to the Tribal Affairs Ministry. After review, the Ministry sends them to the
Registrar General of India for approval.
o This is followed by the approval of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes before the list is sent to
the Cabinet for a final decision.

19. Qutb Shahi Tombs

Why in News?
The restored Qutb Shahi tombs complex in Hyderabad would be open to tourists and it will help make a strong case for
Unesco World Heritage City.

About

• Built by the Qutub Shahis, these tombs are considered to be among the oldest historical monuments of Hyderabad.
• Located in the Ibrahim Bagh (garden precinct), close to the famous Golconda Fort. They are located one kilometer
north of Golconda Fort’s called Banjara Darwaza.
• They contain the tombs and mosques built by the various kings of the Qutub Shahi dynasty.

👉 Qutub Shahi Dynasty

• Qutub Shahi dynasty, (1518–1687), rulers of the kingdom of Golconda in the southeastern Deccan of India, one of
the five successor states of the Bahmani kingdom. The founder was Qulī Quṭb Shah.

20. Kedarnath Temple

Why in News?
Recently, A section of priests opposed the gold plating being done on the sanctum sanctorum of Kedarnath temple.

About

• Deity ➔ Kedarnath Temple is a Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord

Shiva.
• Location ➔ It is located in Uttarakhand on the Garhwal
Himalayan range near the Mandakini river and is an integral part
of the famous Char Dham Yatra.
• History ➔ It was built in the 8th century A.D. by Adi
Shankaracharya and is one of the 12 jyotirlingas in India.
• The temple is closed during winter, since during the winter
season the deity is brought down to a village called Ukhimat.
• The deity is carried back to the temple in summer, when the
weather improves, amid much fanfare and rituals.
• Outside the temple door a large statue of the Nandi Bull stands as guard.

👉 Mandakini river

• The Mandakini River is a tributary of the Alaknanda River.

• The river runs between the Rudraprayag and Sonprayag areas and emerges from the Chorabari Glacier.
• The Mandakini River merges with Songanga river at Sonprayag.
• At the end of its course, it drains into the Alaknada, which flows into the Ganges.

21. Kurmi community

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Why in News?
People belonging to the Kurmi community blocked railway tracks in various parts of Eastern India demanding their
inclusion on the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST) and the inclusion of the Kurmali language in the Eighth Schedule of the
Constitution.

About

• Kurmi is traditionally a non-elite tiller caste in the lower Gangetic plain of India.
• They are present in southern regions of Awadh, eastern Uttar Pradesh and parts of Bihar.

👉 Eighth Schedule:

• It lists the official languages of the Republic of India.

• Part XVII of the Indian constitution deals with the official languages in Articles 343 to 351.
• Official Languages: The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution consists of the following 22 languages.
o The Sindhi language was added by the 21st Amendment Act of 1967.
o Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali were included by the 71st Amendment Act of 1992.
o Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali were added by the 92nd Amendment Act of 2003.

22. Ambedkar Circuit

Why in News?
The Union Ministry of Tourism announced a special tourist train to cover the “Ambedkar Circuit”.

About

• Ambedkar Circuit or Panchteerth was first proposed by the government in 2016.

• This tourist circuit is one of the 15 tourist circuits identified under the Swadesh
Darshan Scheme in 2014-15.
• The Panchteerth would include ➔
o Janma Bhoomi - Ambedkar’s birthplace in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow;
o Shiksha Bhoomi - the place in London where he stayed while studying in the
UK;
o Deeksha Bhoomi - the place in Nagpur where he embraced Buddhism;
o Mahaparinirvan Bhoomi - the place of his demise in Delhi; and
o Chaitya Bhoomi - the place of his cremation, in Mumbai.
• The idea behind the circuit is to attract tourists beyond the Dalit community,
who mostly visit these places as a pilgrimage.

23. Nizam’s Sword

Why in News?
Nizam’s Sword is an item being set to return to India from the Glasgow Life museums.

About

• Nizam’s tulwar (sword) is a 14th century ceremonial sword of Indo-Persian design possible from around 1350 CE.
• The sword is shaped like a snake. It has serrated edges and a damascene pattern, with gold etchings of an elephant
and tigers.
• The sword was exhibited by Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, Nizam of Hyderabad (1896-1911) at the 1903 Delhi or
Imperial Durbar.

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• The sword was purchased in 1905 by General Sir Archibald Hunter, Commander-in-Chief, Bombay Command, from
Maharaja Kishen Pershad Bahadur Yamin us-Sultanat (the Prime Minister of Hyderabad).

24. 12000-year-old artifacts

Why in News?
Archeological Survey of India has discovered 12000-year-old artifacts at the Vadakkupattu village in Tamil Nadu.

About

• The ASI discovered signs of four civilizations at the Vadakkupattu village in Tamil Nadu:
• Mesolithic Period ➔ ASI discovered hand axes, scrappers, cleavers, and choppers from the Mesolithic period. They
were recovered 75 cm from beneath the surface.
• Sangam Era ➔ They discovered Sangam era (almost 2,000 years ago) artefacts including rouletted pottery, Roman
amphora sherds, and glass beads suggesting active commerce with Rome.
• Early and Later Pallavas ➔ They discovered sculptures ranging from the early Pallava period (275 CE) to the late
Pallavas on the floor inside the surrounding space (897 CE).
• What is the significance of this discovery? ➔ With these discoveries, Vadakkupattu village site has now become a
culturally and archaeologically important site.

25. Carbon dating

Why in News?
The District Court in Varanasi allowed a petition seeking Carbon Dating of the structure inside the Gyanvapi mosque that
the Hindu side has claimed is a ‘Shivling’.

About

• It is a widely-used method applied to establish the age of organic material, things that were once living.
• Living things have carbon in them in various forms.
• The dating method makes use of the fact that a particular isotope of carbon called C-14, with an atomic mass of 14,
is radioactive, and decays at a rate that is well known.
• The most abundant isotope of carbon in the atmosphere is carbon-12 or a carbon atom whose atomic mass is 12.
• A very small amount of carbon-14 is also present.
• Process ➔ Plants get their carbon through the process of photosynthesis, while animals get it mainly through food.
Because plants and animals get their carbon from the atmosphere, they too acquire carbon-12 and carbon-14
isotopes in roughly the same proportion as is available in the atmosphere.
o when they die, the interactions with the atmosphere stop.
o Now, carbon-12 is stable and does not decay, while carbon-14 is radioactive. Carbon-14 reduces to one-
half of itself in about 5,730 years.
o This is what is known as its ‘half-life’.
o So, after a plant or animal dies, the ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14 in the body, or its remains, begins to
change.
o This change can be measured and can be used to deduce the approximate time when the organism died.
• Application ➔
o Though extremely effective, carbon dating cannot be applied in all circumstances.
o Specifically, it cannot be used to determine the age of non-living things, like rocks, for example. Also, the
age of things that are more than 40,000-50,000 years cannot be arrived at through carbon dating.
o There are other methods to calculate the age of inanimate things, but carbon dating can also be used in an
indirect way in certain circumstances. For example, the age of the ice cores in glaciers and polar regions is
determined using carbon dating by studying the carbon dioxide molecules trapped inside large ice sheets.
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 26. Bhagat Singh
Why in News?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Chandigarh international airport would be named after freedom
fighter Bhagat Singh.

About

• He is regarded as one of the most powerful revolutionaries of the Indian Nationalist Movement.
• Born on September 28, 1907 .
• He attended Dayanand Anglo Vedic High School, which was operated by Arya Samaj and then National College.

Roles during Freedom struggle

• He became involved in a variety of revolutionary organisations and was a key figure in the Indian National
movement.
o He became a member of the Hindustan Republican Association.
o He founded the Naujawan Bharat Sabha in Lahore in 1926,
• ‘Why I am an Atheist’ is an essay written by Bhagat Singh in 1930 while he was imprisoned in the Lahore Central
Jail.
• Along with his fellow nationalist B.K. Dutt, he threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly on 8 April 1929.
The aim was not to kill but, “to make the deaf hear”, to remind the foreign government of its callous exploitation.
• He was arrested and charged in the Saunders murder case, along with Rajguru, Sukhdev and others.
o Bhagat Singh was tried and executed at the age of 23.

27. Dada Saheb Phalke Award

Why in News?
Veteran actress Asha Parekh has been declared the recipient of the 2020 Dadasaheb Phalke award, making her the 52nd
awardee of the honour.

About

• Beginning ➔ The Government of India started it in 1969 to commemorate Dadasaheb Phalke, known as the 'Father
of Indian Cinema'.
• He made India's first full-length feature film Raja Harishchandra in 1913.
• It is the highest honour for an artist in Indian cinema.
• It is presented annually at the National Films Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation
set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• The recipients are honoured for their "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema."
• The award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh.

28. Bathukamma Festival

Why in News?
The Ministry of Culture has organized the celebration of Bathukamma festival being held at Kartavyapath, India Gate,
New Delhi.

About

• Bathukamma is an annual festival in Telangana.

• The festival is celebrated by the women folk of Telangana, heralding the beauty of nature in vibrant colors of
multitudinous flowers.
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• The festival begins a week before the grand ‘Saddula Batukamma’ (the grand finale of the Bathukamma festival)
which falls two days before Dussehra.
• During the nine-day annual festival, women and girls sing and dance around specially arranged flowers. At the end
of the festival, they immerse the specially arranged flowers called Bathukamma in local ponds.
• Since the formation of Telangana state in 2014, Bathukamma has been celebrated as the state festival.

29. Mahakaleshwar Temple

Why in News?
The Prime Minister is to inaugurate the Mahakaleshwar Corridor, constructed in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain.

About

• Location ➔ Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple is located in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

• Mahakaleshwar, which means the ‘Lord of time’, refers to Lord Shiva.
• As per Hindu mythology, the Mahakaleshwar temple was constructed by Lord Brahma and is presently located
alongside the holy river Kshipra.
• The temple in its present form was built by the Maratha general Ranoji Shinde in 1734 CE.
• The shrine is revered as one the 18 Maha Shaktia Peeth in India.
• The temple is three-storeyed, with the lingams of Mahakalesvara, Omkaresvara and Nagachandresvara installed in
the three levels.
• Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 jyotirlingas considered the most sacred abodes of Shiva.
• The collectorate office of Ujjain district manages the administration of the temple.

30. ASI at Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve

Why in News?
Recently, Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) has discovered remarkable archaeological remains in Madhya Pradesh’s
Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve.

About

• 26 caves which are mostly Buddhist in nature. Remains of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism like chaitya-shaped doors
and cells containing stone beds.
• 26 ancient temples/relics of Kalachuri period (9th century CE to 11th Century CE).
• A large Varaha sculpture datable to the 9th – 13th century CE. It appears to be the world’s largest sculpture. 24
Brahmi inscriptions (2nd century CE to 5th century CE)
• Important kings of the era mentioned in the inscriptions include Shri Bhimsena, Maharaja Pothasiri and Bhattadeva.

👉 Bandhavgarh National Park

• Location ➔ Bandhavgarh National Park is located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh.
• History ➔ It was declared as a National Park in 1968 and then became a Tiger Reserve in 1993.
• The park resides on the extreme northeastern border of Madhya Pradesh and the northern edges of the Satpura
mountain ranges.
• Name ➔ The park derived its name from the most prominent hill of the area which is said to have been given by
Lord Rama to his brother Laxman to keep a watch on Lanka The fort was built by Gond Dynasty kings.
• One of the biggest attractions of this national park is the Bengal tiger(Panthera tigris tigris). Bandhavgarh has a very
high density of tigers within its jungles.

👉 Archaeological Survey of India

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• ASI, under the Ministry of Culture, is the premier organization for the archaeological research and protection of the
cultural heritage of the nation.
• It administers more than 3650 ancient monuments, archaeological sites and remains of national importance.
• Its activities include carrying out surveys of antiquarian remains, exploration and excavation of archaeological sites,
conservation and maintenance of protected monuments etc.
• It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham- the first Director-General of ASI. Alexander Cunningham is also
known as the “Father of Indian Archaeology”.

31. ADICHANALLUR
Why in News?
Recently, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has unearthed a gold diadem from a huge burial urn while excavating the
museum site at Adichanallur, Tamil Nadu.

About

• Adichanallur is located on the lower valley of the Tamirabarani river in present-day Thoothukudi district in southern
Tamil Nadu.
• Korkai, ancient seaport mentioned in Sangam literature, is about 25 km from Adichanallur.
• Tamil Nadu at around 1000 BC:
• Skeleton found at Adichanallur megalithic burial site are said to be of different ethnic origins.
• Most skeletons were non- Indians. This indicates the presence of global traders.

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Miscellaneous
1. Make forensic probe mandatory

Why in News?
Delhi Police has become the first police force in the country to make collection of forensic evidence mandatory in crimes
punishable by more than six years.
About

• Aim ➔ To boost the conviction rate and integrate the criminal justice system with forensic science investigation.
• How will this work? ➔ According to the guidelines, apart from the Delhi Police’s own mobile crime vans in the
districts, a forensic mobile van shall be allotted to each district. It will provide scientific and forensic assistance on
the spot to the Investigating Officers(IOs) whenever any such need arises.
• Each van shall be fully equipped with scientific tools and a sufficient number of forensic assistants.
• These forensic mobile vans shall not be under the administrative control of the city police. They shall be
independent entities responsible to the court of law.
• Note: The recently released NCRB report showed a 40% increase in crimes against women in Delhi, the highest
among all metropolitan cities in the country.

2. Greening Initiatives of India’s Coal Sector

Why in News?
Ministry of Coal seeks to bring more than 2400 hectare of area in and around coalfields under green cover.
About

• The coal industry is aiming to promote a sustainable model of development. To fulfill this aim, coal production will
be coupled with the protection of the environment, conservation of natural resources, care for society, and
measures to protect our forests and wildlife.

👉 Initiatives taken

• To achieve this, the Ministry of Coal has set an ambitious goal for coal companies to bring more than 2,400 hectares
of the area in and around coalfields under green cover with the planting of more than 50 lakh saplings for the year
2022-23.
• The identified areas include reclaimed mined-out areas of coal companies and areas outside of leasehold –
amenable for plantation and made available by State Government agencies.
• Significance: The above-stated greening initiatives of the coal sector will support India’s NDC commitment to
creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree
cover by 2030.

3. Methamphetamine
Why in News?
Goa Police have said BJP leader Sonali Phogat was given the recreational drug methamphetamine on the eve of her death
on August 23.
About

• Methamphetamine — meth for short — is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous
system, and is used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, a sleep disorder.

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• Crystal methamphetamine or crystal meth is a form of the drug that looks like glass fragments or shiny, bluish-
white rocks. It is chemically similar to amphetamine.
• Methamphetamine can be smoked, swallowed in the form of a pill or tablet, snorted, and injected after dissolving
the powder in water or alcohol.
• Methamphetamine can lead to myocardial infarction (heart attack); it can cause stroke. The drug can affect the
heart, the brain, and the kidneys. It can result in the blood pressure shooting up suddenly. So, it is a very dangerous
drug if there is an overdose.
• Meth raises the amount of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine, a natural chemical, plays a role in body movement,
motivation, and reinforcement of rewarding behaviours.

4. Animal Birth Control Rules, 2022

Why in News?
The Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has released the proposed Animal Birth Control Rules, 2022.

About

• Released by ➔ Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

• Aim ➔ It proposes new rules for animal birth control programmes with the aim to prevent overcrowding of dogs
and cats, especially street dogs.

👉 Key provisions of the rules

• The rules 1) Provide detailed procedures for vaccination, immunization and sterilisation of pets and street/stray
dogs/cats by owners and local civic authorities,
• 2) Allow the euthanasia of “incurably ill and mortally wounded” street dogs,
• 3) Propose setting up a monitoring committee that will decide to control the excess population of street dogs
through animal birth control programmes in a specific area or region,
• 4) Suggests setting up an animal helpline by local authorities to resolve complaints regarding dog bites or rabid dogs,
• 5) Fixes responsibility of resident welfare associations(RWAs) in feeding community animals in their respective
localities seeking to end day-to-day conflicts between such associations and dog feeders.

5. Indian Navy Ensign

Why in News?
The Prime Minister will unveil the new Ensign (flag) of the Indian Navy in Kochi to mark the launch of India's first aircraft
carrier, INS Vikrant.
About

• An Ensign is a national flag which is displayed on ships and aircraft, often

with the special insignia of a branch or unit of the armed forces.
• Present Ensign of Indian Navy ➔ The present ensign carries the Saint
George’s Cross with the Tricolour in the canton (top left corner of flag).
• Origin ➔ The Indian Navy draws its origin to the colonial period. On
October 2, 1934, the naval service was renamed Royal Indian Navy (RIN).
With India becoming a Republic on January 26, 1950, the prefix 'Royal'
was dropped, and it was rechristened as the Indian Navy.

👉 Saint George's cross

• The red cross on a white background is known as the Saint George’s Cross and is named after a Christian Warrior
Saint who is believed to have been a crusader during the third crusade.
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• This cross also serves as the flag of England which is a constituent of the United Kingdom.
o It was adopted by England and the city of London in 1190 to identify English ships entering the
Mediterranean.
o Most Commonwealth countries retained the Red George’s Cross at time of their independence, but several
have done away with it on their respective naval ensigns over the years.
o Prominent among them are Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

6. Stockholm Junior Water Prize

Why in News?
Annabelle M. Rayson, a student from Canada received the prestigious 2022 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for her research
on how to treat and prevent harmful algae blooms.
About

• Stockholm Junior Water is an international competition where students aged 15 to 20 years present solutions to
major water challenges.
• It has been organized every year since 1997 by the Stockholm International Water Institute, with Xylem, an
American water technology provider.
• This prize is a popular part of the World Water Week.

👉 Other Prizes:

• Diploma of Excellence ➔
o It was awarded to Laura Nedel Drebes and Camily Pereira dos Santos from Brazil for their development of
addressing the issue of period poverty — the inaccessibility to sanitary pads.
• People’s Choice Award ➔
o The People’s Choice Award went to Mishal Faraz from the United Arab Emirates for Water Bottle Project
to discourage the use of single-use plastic water bottles and strengthen water security.

7. Seat belts
Why in News?
While details of the tragic circumstances in which former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry lost his life are yet to be
officially stated, it appears passengers in the back seat of the Mercedes were not wearing seatbelts.
About

• Seat belts came into existence in the late 1800s. Invented by George Cayley, an English aviation innovator, the
original purpose behind their creation was to ensure that pilots were kept inside their gliders.
• It was not until February 10, 1885 that the first patented seat belt came into existence.
• Created by Edward J Claghorn, it was meant to keep tourists safe in New York City taxis. Ever since, seat belts have
gradually made their way into our daily lives and have rightfully become our first line of defence while on the move
on roads across the world.

👉 The 3-point seat belt

• The seat belt as we know it now came into existence in 1959 after Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin invented the V-type
three-point seat belt at the behest of Volvo.
• Up until then, seat belts were two-point lap belts — as we now see in aeroplanes.

👉 Required by the law

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• Rule 138(3) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, makes it mandatory for the rear passengers too to wear
seat-belts.
• Further, non-wearing of seat-belts by the driver or passengers has been made punishable with a fine of one
thousand rupees according to Section 194B(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (as amended by the Motor Vehicles
(Amendment) Act, 2019.

8. Rule Curve
Why in News?
The Rule Curve for Mullaperiyar Dam comes into effect between June 10 and November 30, during which the dam gets
maximum inflows from the South West Monsoon.
About

• Rule Curve is a tabulation that specifies quantum of storage of water or empty space to be maintained in a reservoir
during different times of a year, based on the rainfall data for 35 years.
• The rule curve also decides on fluctuating storage levels of the reservoir.
• It is also the deciding factor on the opening of the reservoir gates.
• The rule curve is set by the Central Water Commission and during the monsoon, the number is fixed every 10 days
once, based on the water level present.
• It helps in decision-making for officials in charge of the dam, for smooth operation of shutters, especially for
moderation of flood, during monsoon times without permission from the top hierarchical ladder.
• Rules - Kerala insisted with the Supreme Court to insist that Tamil Nadu, which maintains and operates the dam,
prepare a Rule Curve for flood control and flood management.
o As a result of implementation of the Rule Curve, Tamil Nadu will have to keep the water level below the
permitted maximum level of 142 feet for 150 days in a year, the period when the dam gets heavy inflows.
o Under the Rule Curve method, water is not allowed to be stored to the permissible maximum level at the
time when the reservoir receives huge inflows.
• According to Tamil Nadu Water Resources Organisation, Mullaperiyar is the first reservoir to have Rule Curve
implemented, in India.

9. iNCOVACC
Why in News?
iNCOVACC nasal COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for primary immunisation in those 18 and above by the Central
Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

About

• The iNCOVACC is India’s first nasal COVID-19 vaccine. It has been developed by Bharat Biotech.
• It is a recombinant replication deficient adenovirus vectored vaccine with a pre-fusion stabilised spike protein.
• It is a ChAd36-SARS-CoV-S COVID-19 (Chimpanzee Adenovirus Vectored) recombinant vaccine.
• The iNCOVACC serves as an instrument for primary immunisation against Covid-19 in adults in the 18+ age group
and it is meant for restricted use in emergencies only.
• For the time being, it can be administered only to the unimmunised.
• The vaccine is stable between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius for easy storage and distribution.

10. Kartavya Path

Why in News?

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The Government of India has decided to rename the historic Rajpath and Central Vista lawns in the national capital as
‘Kartavya Path’.
About

• Rajpath and Central Vista lawns in Delhi have been renamed as ‘Kartavya Path’.
• It will include the entire stretch and the area from the Netaji statue under the Grand Canopy to the Rashtrapati
Bhavan.
• Significance: This symbolizes a shift from erstwhile Rajpath being an icon of power to Kartavya (duty) Path being an
example of public ownership and empowerment.

👉 Rajpath

• Rajpath was called Kingsway during British rule. It is a three-km stretch built as a ceremonial boulevard by Edwin
Lutyens and Herbert Baker.
• Following Independence, the road was given its Hindi name, Rajpath, on which the Republic Day parades took place
over the decades that followed.

11. US CHIPS Act

Why in News?
According to experts, the ban on American chipmakers building advanced technology facilities in China if they have
received funding from the US under the CHIPS Act could benefit countries such as India over the years.
About

• The US Government has passed the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science
Act, 2022.
• The Bill provides subsidies and additional tax credits to companies that manufacture chips in the US.
• However, the semiconductor companies that receive financial assistance through this bill are barred from building
high-tech facilities in China for the next 10 years.
• How will this bill benefit India? ➔
o In the short term, the US will benefit from this bill but in the medium term, i.e., three years or more, it could
benefit markets like India.
o This is because incentives from this bill may be utilized by firms to expand globally and India would be a
good choice for them.
•
12. Operation London Bridge
Why in News?
Queen Elizabeth II has died. The queen reigned over Britain for 70 years and her death is known in official circles in the
UK as Operation London Bridge.
About

• Operation London Bridge (also known by its code phrase “London Bridge is down”) is the funeral plan for Queen
Elizabeth II.
• The plan includes the announcement of her death, the period of official mourning and the details of her state
funeral.
• The plan was created as early as the 1960s and revised many times in the years before her death in 2022.
• Several other plans were also created to support the implementation of Operation London Bridge such as Operation
Unicorn, the plan that details what would happen if the Queen were to die in Scotland.

13. Diamond League

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Why in News?
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra has created history by winning the Diamond League Final 2022 in Zurich.
About

• The Diamond League is one of the top athletic championships, formerly known as World Athletics.
• It was founded in the year 2010 and has 32 events associated with it.
• The purpose behind creating this league is to replace the IAAF Golden League, which came into effect after an
agreement was signed with the Wanda Group.
• The Diamond League gives exposure to athletes throughout the world by boosting their spirits. It includes the
members from the Golden league except for Berlin and all the traditional European competitions that consider a
series of events, like China, Qatar, Morocco and the United States.
• Russia was excluded at the beginning of March 2022 due to its involvement in the invasion of Ukraine.
• The 2022 Diamond League is the 13th season of the Diamond League. It is a revision to the top athletics series.

👉 Neeraj Chopra

• He won the prestigious Diamond Trophy with a best attempt of 88.44m. He is the first Indian to win the Diamond
Trophy.
• Neeraj has won the Olympic Gold in 2021, the Asian Games Gold in 2018, the Commonwealth Games Gold in 2018,
the World Athletics Championships silver in 2022.
• The diamond trophy award is worth USD 30,000. Additionally, he gets a wild card entry into the World Athletics
Championship in Budapest, Hungary.

14. Vande Bharat Express

Why in News?
Indian Railways had successfully completed trials of the second generation Vande Bharat train that will come with
enhanced passenger comfort and safety features.
About

• The Vande Bharat Express is a semi-high-speed train designed, developed, and built by the Integral Coach Factory
(ICF).
• Presently there are only two Vande Bharat trains that are running — Delhi to Varanasi and Delhi to Katra.
• Key Features ➔
o The current Vande Bharat trains have seating only in two classes — chair car and executive chair car. But
Railways is planning to upgrade it.
o The trains have fully sealed gangways for a dust-free environment, modular bio-vacuum toilets, rotating
seats in Executive Class, personalized reading lights, automatic entry/exit doors with sliding footsteps,
diffused LED lighting, mini pantry, and sensor-based interconnecting doors in each coach.
o They are self-propelled trains that do not require an engine. This feature is called a distributed traction
power system.
•
15. Operation Gear Box
Why in News?
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) launched operation ‘Gear Box’ to stop heroin smuggling, seizes 39.5 kg of
contraband from Kolkata port.
About

• Operation Gear Box is conducted to detect the hidden drugs in the gear boxes.

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• The gears from old and used gearboxes were removed after opening them and plastic packets containing the
narcotic substance were placed in the created cavity and the gearboxes were refitted to avoid detection.
o The drug syndicate has used this unique modus
operandi to conceal heroin.
• These packets were shipped concealing inside this metal
scrap with other metal scrap so that it would go unnoticed by
the authorities.

👉 Drug Addiction in India

• The menace of drug addiction has spread fast among the

youth of India.
• India is sandwiched between two largest Opium producing
regions of the world that is the Golden triangle on one side
and the Golden crescent on other.
• The golden triangle area comprises Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos.
• The golden crescent area includes Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.

16. National Metallurgist Award 2022

Why in News?
The Ministry of Steel has given approval for the National Metallurgist Award 2022.
About

• National Metallurgists Day Awards was instituted in 1962 by the then Ministry of Steel & Mines.
• Objective ➔ To recognise & honour the outstanding contributions of Metallurgists in the metallurgical field
covering operation, research, design, education, waste management and energy conservation.
• The awards are given on an annual basis. The first award was given in the year 1963 and subsequently every year
thereafter.
• Mode of Nominations ➔ Nominations for the award shall be invited online on the Ministry of Steel’s Portal or the
centralized portal being developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA). Nominations will be through companies/
organizations or from the public through self-nomination.
• Date of Award ➔ 3rd February every year. (It was on 3rd Feb 1959 when the then President Dr Rajendra Parasad
commissioned the first Blast Furnace of the country after independence, at Rourkela).

17. Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme

Why in News?
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has launched the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme for students of Class I to V in government
schools.
About

• Launched by ➔ Tamil Nadu.

• Aim ➔ To encourage more children to continue to come to school and help prevent dropouts at the primary level.
• Features ➔ Under the scheme, children in government schools from Class I to Class V will get nutritious breakfast
provided in their schools every morning.
• The menu of breakfast includes rava upma, semiya upma with sambar, rava khichdi, semiya khichdi and rava Pongal.
The breakfast will be served from Monday to Friday. A dessert will also be served to students on Fridays, which will
be either Rava kesari or semiya kesari.

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• Note ➔ Tamil Nadu has been the pioneer of the midday meal scheme as the first initiative to provide meals to
children had been taken by the erstwhile Madras Municipal Corporation around 1920.
o In post-Independence India, Tamil Nadu was again the pioneer, with Chief Minister K Kamaraj rolling out a
school feeding scheme in 1956.
o This scheme was later emulated by the union government in the shape of what’s today known as the midday
meal scheme.

18. Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav

Why in News?
The Ministry of Health is planning a nationwide mega voluntary blood donation drive called Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav.

About

• What is it? ➔ It is a mega drive for voluntary blood donation from 17th September to 1st October 2022.
• Besides collecting life-saving blood for its blood banks, the drive also hopes to create a database of donors who can
be called upon at times of emergency.
• Registration ➔ The registrations for the blood donations can be done on the E-Raktkosh portal and Aarogya Setu
app.
• Note ➔ 1st October is observed as the National Voluntary Blood Donation Day.

👉 E-Raktkosh portal

• e-Raktkosh portal was launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• It is a Centralized Blood Bank Management System that provides a comprehensive IT solution to standardize and
streamline the standard operating procedures, guidelines and workflow of blood banks across the country.

19. Colour revolutions

Why in News?
Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 16 appealed to Russia, India, and other members of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) to cooperate with each other in order to prevent foreign powers from destabilising their countries by
inciting “colour revolutions”.
About

• Colour revolutions refer to a series of uprisings that first began in former communist nations in Eastern Europe in
the early 2000s but are also used in reference to popular movements in the Middle East and Asia.
• Most have involved large-scale mobilisation on the streets, with demands for free elections or regime change, and
calls for removal of authoritarian leaders.
• Orange Revolution ➔ It refers to a series of protests that occurred in Ukraine between November 2004 and January
2005.
• Tulip Revolution ➔ Also called the First Kyrgyz Revolution, the movement led to the ouster of Kyrgyzstan’s President
Askar Akayev in early 2005.
• Jasmine Revolution ➔ The popular uprising that occurred between December 2010 to January 2011 in Tunisia was
in response to the underlying corruption, unemployment, inflation and lack of political freedoms in the country.

20. KRITAGYA 3.0

Why in News?
Indian Council of Agricultural Research with its National Agricultural Higher Education Project and Crop Science Division
is organizing Hackathon 3.0 ‘’KRITAGYA” on promoting ‘speed breeding for crop improvement’.

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About

• The definition of KRITAGYA is KRI for Krishi meaning Agriculture, TA for Taknik meaning Technology and GYA for
Gyan meaning Knowledge.
• In this competition, students, faculty and innovators/entrepreneurs from any university/technical institutions across
the country can apply and participate in the program as a group.

21. UNSC resolution 1267

Why in News?
Recently, China blocked a joint India-U.S. attempt to put a Pakistan-based terrorist on the UN Security Council’s 1267 list,
placing a hold on the proposal to add Lashkar-e-Taiba ‘commander’ Sajid Mir, who is wanted for the 26/11 Mumbai
terror attacks, as well as attacks in the U.S. and Denmark.
About

• The UNSC resolution 1267 sanctions committee is one of the most important and active UN subsidiary bodies
working on efforts to combat terrorism.
• In 1999, UNSC resolution 1267 decided on preparing a regularly updated list of members of the Taliban and Al
Qaeda that was being sheltered there, chiefly Osama Bin Laden, as well as allied groups. Subsequently the list went
from focusing on Taliban to focusing on Al Qaeda, and then Islamic State ISIL
• Under the resolution, which has been amended several times, especially after the 9/11 attacks in the US, those on
the list
o cannot be allowed to travel out of the jurisdiction they are found in and must be prosecuted effectively
o must not be allowed to access their funds, and all terror-linked funds frozen
o must not be allowed to access weapons.

22. Numaligarh Refinery

Why in News?
The Numaligarh Refinery Limited has planned to invest over 35 thousand crore rupees in the next five years. This amount
will be invested in completing five ongoing projects including India- Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline.
About

• The Numaligarh Refinery is located at Morangi, Golaghat district, Assam.

• Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) is a Category-I Mini Ratna PSU of Government of India.
• It is a group company of Oil India Limited (earlier subsidiary of BPCL) and the present shareholding pattern of NRL
is OIL-80.16%, Govt. of Assam (GoA)-15.47% and Engineers India Ltd (EIL) – 4.37%.
• In 2019, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved plans to increase the refinery's capacity to 9 million
metric tonnes per year.

23. Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited

Why in News?
The 11th Foundation Day Celebration of Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) was held.
About

• Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. (SECI) is a company of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government
of India, established to facilitate the implementation of the National Solar Mission (NSM).
• It is the only Central Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) dedicated to the solar energy sector.
• The company's mandate has been broadened to cover the entire renewable energy domain and the company will
be renamed to Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI).
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• The SECI was registered as Section 25 und\er the Companies Act, 1956 (now Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013)
in 2011.

24. Hybrid Propulsion System

Why in News?
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully tested a hybrid propulsion system.
About

• The 30 kN hybrid motor tested at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu
• The test was supported by ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC).
• It uses a solid fuel and liquid oxidizer.
o The motor used Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) as fuel and liquid oxygen (LOX) as the oxidiser.
• Significance ➔ It is scalable and stackable, potentially paving the way for a new propulsion system for the
forthcoming launch vehicles.
o The use of liquids facilitates throttling, and the control over the flow rate of LOX enables the re-start
capability
o The hybrid system is more efficient, ''greener'' and safer to handle.

25. Popular Front of India

Why in News?
As many as 100 people linked to the Popular Front of India have been arrested following searches by the National
Investigation Agency in connection with anti-terror activities.
About

• Formation ➔ The PFI was created in 2007 through the merger of three Muslim organisations in southern India:
o The National Democratic Front in Kerala
o The Karnataka Forum for Dignity
o The Manitha Neethi Pasarai in Tamil Nadu.
• The formation of the PFI was formally announced at a rally in Bengaluru during what was called the “Empower India
Conference” in 2007.
• It emerged in the aftermath of the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
• It has projected itself as an organisation that fights for the rights of minorities, Dalits, and marginalised
communities.

👉 PFI’s Footprint

• The PFI has had the most visible presence in Kerala, where it has been repeatedly accused of murder, rioting,
intimidation, and having links with terrorist organisations.
• The PFI/SDPI has influence mainly in regions with large Muslim populations.

26. Tourist Tax

Why in News?
Bhutan has reopened its borders to tourists, but with a catch: a $200-per-night tax.
About

• A tourist tax is any revenue-generating measure targeted at tourists.

• It is a means of combating overtourism and a form of tax exporting.

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• It is usually levied indirectly through accommodation providers or holiday companies, and typically aimed at
overnight visitors.
• It is separate from value-added tax and other taxes that tourists may pay, but are also paid by residents.
• Tourist taxes could limit tourist numbers, raise prices or reduce the pressure on public services.

27. AVGAS 100 LL

Why in News?
The Centre launched the indigenously-developed aviation fuel AVGAS 100 LL.
About

• The Aviation Gasoline, AVGAS 100 LL, is a higher-octane Aviation fuel that was developed by Indian Oil Corporation.
• It is a special aviation fuel designed for use in turbo charged reciprocating piston engine aircrafts and Unmanned
Ariel Vehicles.
• It has been certified by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
• It meets the product specifications with superior performance quality standards, as compared to imported grades.
• Currently India is importing this product from European countries.
• Significance ➔ As demand for air transport in India is expected to increase manifolds in the future, there is going to
be a huge demand for trained pilots also.
o For this, the number of Flying Training Organisations and trainee aircraft for pilot training is also expected
to increase significantly.
o So, the launch of AVGAS 100 will serve the needs of a thriving aviation industry.
o AV Gas market is expected to grow from the current $1.92 billion to $2.71 billion by 2029.

28. AgriAdapt
Why in News?
A free online tool named ‘AgriAdapt’ was launched to help farmers plan their activities based on climatic conditions.
About

• Developrd by ➔ AgriAdapt was developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and National Agro Foundation
(NAF).
• Aim ➔ The aim of the tool is to direct farmers towards potential farming activities that change in climate.
• This tool make farmers to understand the conditions that impact their farm, so to make more business.
• It communicates the data’s to farmers through maps in the regional language.
• This maps allow users to visualise datasets with a single click on a specific region and gets information on its climate
and conditions.
• Satellites and International organisations deliver data’s from collecting information on climate and land suitability.
• The tool’s feature is to target three crops ➔
o Rice (Tamil Nadu)
o Cotton (Andhra Pradesh )
o Coffee (Colombia).

29. White Fly

Why in News?
The number of white fly attack on cotton has been increasing in states like Punjab and Rajasthan.
About

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• Whitefly is a serious pest of cotton that lowers yield by feeding on the underside of the leaf and spreading diseases
like Cotton Leaf Curl Virus.
• Whiteflies feed on the sap of the leaves and release fluid onto the leaves on which a black fungus grows.
• This affects photosynthesis, the food-making process of the plant, and so lowers the strength of the plant.
• Origin ➔ Most of the whitefly species are native to the Caribbean islands or Central America. In India, the first
invasive whitefly was reported in Kerala in 1995.
• Spread of Whitefly ➔ Whitefly species are expanding their host range (Species on which they feed) on valuable
plant species like coconut, banana, mango, sapota, guava, cashew, oil palm, and important medicinal plants.
o The host range of all the whiteflies is increasing due to their polyphagous nature (ability to feed on various
kinds of food) and prolific breeding (produces a large number of offspring).

30. JALDOOT App

Why in News?
Ministry of Rural Development has launched the “JALDOOT App and JALDOOT App e-brochure” to capture the Ground
water level in a better way.
About

• Developed by ➔ JALDOOT app has been jointly developed by the Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati
Raj.
• This app will be used across the country to capture the water level of selected 2-3 wells in a village.
• The app will work in both online and offline mode. So, water level can be captured even without internet
connectivity and captured data will be stored in mobile and when mobile comes in the connectivity area, data will
synchronize with the central server.
• The regular data to be input by the Jaldoots would be integrated with the database of National Water Informatics
Centre (NWIC), which can be utilized for analysis and display of various useful reports for the benefit of various
stakeholders.

31. IMEI number

Why in News?
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has made the registration of IMEI number of all mobile phones mandatory
before their sale in India on its anti-counterfeit and lost handset blocking portal from January 1, 2023.
About

• The IMEI is a unique number that is used to identify a device on a mobile network.
• It has 15 digits and is like a phone’s unique identity.
• The number is used to verify the identity of a device when a user uses the Internet or places a call through it.
• Phones with a dual-SIM option have two IMEI numbers, one for each SIM. The IMEI number can help network
providers track down a device in case it gets stolen or is lost.
• Once such loss or theft is reported, the carriers can deny the device access to the cellular network even with a new
SIM card.

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 Quick revision (True/False)
1 Competitiveness Roadmap for India@100 Report -> Released by Niti Aayog.

2 UN High Seas Treaty -> aims to deal with Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction.

3 Hand, foot, and mouth disease(HFMD) -> most commonly caused by a

coxsackievirus.

4 Special Marriage Act,1954 -> No religious formalities are needed to be carried out
under the Act.

5 NASA’s Artemis Programme -> To study solar atmosphere.

6 Crime Multi Agency Centre (Cri-MAC) Portal -> application is run by the National
Crime Records Bureau.

7 CERT-IN -> an organisation of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

8 Atal Bridge -> on the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

9 Animal Birth Control Rules, 2022 -> Allow the euthanasia of “incurably ill and
mortally wounded” street dogs.

10 Bhang -> which is made with the leaves of the plant, is mentioned in the NDPS Act.

11 Whale -> The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule II.

12 Exercise Vostok -> between India and France.

13 Stockholm Junior Water Prize -> where students aged 15 to 20 years present
solutions to major water challenges.

14 International Monetary Fund -> Publications - World Competitiveness Index.

15 SPARK Program -> Initiative of Niti Aayog.

16 Sentosa Island -> is a tiny island off the coast of Singapore.

17 MOXIE -> Makes oxygen like a tree does. It inhales carbon dioxide and exhales
oxygen.

18 Nuakhai festival -> Kerala.

19 UIDAI -> non-statutory authority established in 2009.

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 20 V. O. Chidambaram -> Established the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company
(SSNC).

21 Nano Urea -> sprayed directly on the leaves and gets absorbed by the plant.

22 Dark Sky Reserve -> Nainital, Uttarakhand.

23 Shumang Leela -> Kerala.

24 Operation Polo -> Operation by the Military of India that led to the capture of Goa,
Daman and Diu.

25 PM SHRI Schools -> Central Sector Scheme.

26 Mohenjo-daro -> Located on the bank of the Ravi river.

27 Rule Curve -> graphic representation of the economic relationship between the
rate of unemployment and the rate of change of money wages.

28 BPaL -> Developed by TB Alliance, a not-for-profit organization.

29 Seat belts -> Invented by Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin.

30 Floppy Disks -> able to store about 1TB of data.

31 Kirit Parikh Committee -> To promote financial inclusion.

32 Kushiyara River -> Tributary of Mahanadi river.

33 National Clean Air Programme -> To bring a 20%-30% reduction in pollution levels
from PM2.5 and PM10 particles by 2024.

34 iNCOVACC -> developed by Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd.

35 Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose -> Formed the All-India Forward Bloc.

36 QIMINGXING 50 -> is a Supercomputer.

37 Eastern Economic Forum -> International non-governmental and lobbying

organisation based in Paris, France.

38 Flue Gas Desulphurisation -> Is a set of technologies used to remove sulfur dioxide
(SO2).

39 Human Development Report 2021-22 -> Released by World Economic forum.

40 Red-Eared Slider Turtles -> IUCN Red List: Least Concern.

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 41 UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities -> Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

42 US-India Business Council(USIBC) -> Established in 1975.

43 Quantum Computing -> Store information as binary 0 and 1 states.

44 The Gender Snapshot 2022 -> Released by World Economic forum.

45 Dara Shikoh -> most important works, Majma-ul-Bahrain (Mingling of Two

Oceans) and Sirr-i-Akbar (Great Mystery).

46 Nuclear Proliferation Treaty -> India is a member.

47 Indian Swachhata League(ISL)-> an inter-State competition.

48 Ajanta Caves -> built during the Rashtrakuta dynasty.

49 Vembanad Lake -> Andhra Pradesh.

50 Taragiri -> is the third stealth frigate of Project 17A.

51 Shell Company -> The Companies Act, 2013 does define the term Shell Company.

52 Hoysala Temples -> Nagara style Temple.

53 Rabies Disease -> rabies virus infects the central nervous system.

54 AT-1 Bonds -> Are a type of unsecured perpetual debt instrument.

55 Basel III norms -> is a multilateral environmental agreement.

56 Brown hydrogen -> produced by electrolysis of water using renewable energy (like
Solar, Wind) and has a lower carbon footprint.

57 Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T Cell T Therapy -> Mostly effective in blood
cancer and lymphoma.

58 Article 341 -> Establishes the judicial review of the pre-constitution legislation.

59 G-20 -> India will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year from 01
December 2022 to 30 November 2023.

60 Natural Rubber (NR) Plantation -> Is grown in Temperate climate.

61 SHINYUU Maitri -> Between India and Sri Lanka.

62 Windfall tax -> introduced in 2022.

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 66 CRISPR -> A gene that makes plants pest-resistant.

67 Lothal -> Located in Haryana State.

68 Apricot -> Ladakh is the biggest apricot producer in the country.

69 Annabhau Sathe -> He formed Dalit Yuvak Sangh.

70 Exercise Kakadu -> an exercise involving Indian Army special forces which is Para
Special Force.

71 Financial Stability and Development Council -> It is an organ of NITI Aayog.

72 Green Fins Hub -> developed by IUCN.

73 Ramakrishna Mission -> Founded near Kolkata by Vivekananda in 1897.

74 Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme -> Launched by Punjab.

75 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation -> HQ: Shanghai, China.

76 India’s First Lithium Cell Plant -> GIFT City, Gujarat.

77 Small Company -> Companies Act 2021 defines the rules and provisions regarding
a Small Company.

78 Jasmine Revolution -> Occurred in Ukraine.

79 INSPIRE Scheme -> One of the flagship programmes of the Ministry of Education.

80 Asiatic Cheetah -> Endangered species by the IUCN Red List.

81 PRANAM Scheme -> To reduce the use of chemical fertilizers by incentivising

states.

82 Mandakini river -> is a tributary of the Narmada River.

83 Election Commission of India -> Administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya
Sabha, and State Legislative Assemblies in India Only.

84 India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve -> at coastline of Gujarat.

85 Dugong -> Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I (Highest Protection).

86 Shrinkflation -> a situation where the prices of goods and services rise
uncontrollably over a defined period of time.

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 87 Tomistoma -> IUCN: Critically Endangered.

88 Article 192 (2) of the Constitution -> The executive power of the State shall be
vested in the Governor.

89 Group of Four(G4) -> India, Germany, Brazil and Pakistan.

90 Loktak Lake -> freshwater lake in the Manipur state of Northeast India.

91 Attorney General of India -> He receive such remuneration as the Parliament may
determine.

92 Rotterdam Convention -> is a legally binding instrument.

93 NavIC -> covers the whole of India’s landmass and up to 1,500 km from its
boundaries.

94 Very Short-Range Air Defense System(VSHORADS) -> To neutralize low-altitude

aerial threats at short ranges.

95 Naujawan Bharat Sabha -> founded by Lala Har Dayal.

96 Ram Setu -> Between Rameswaram on India’s southeast coast and Mannar Island
near Sri Lanka’s northwest coast.

97 National Green Tribunal -> Set up under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

98 Mahakaleshwar Temple -> Karnataka.

99 Archaeological Survey of India -> founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham.

100 Neelakurinji Flowers -> endemic to Western Ghats, covering the slopes of Kerala,
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

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