Arts and Culture...In Hindi it is known as padam, pajja, or padmakashtha. Mannathu Padmanabhan Ji: Mannathu Padmanabhan (1878 – 1970) was an Indian social reformer and freedom fighter

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Arts and Culture

Ladakh:

Ladakh (meaning "land of high mountain

passes") is a mountainous region in North

India. It is a region administered by India

as a union territory, and constituting a part

of the larger Kashmir region, which has

been the subject of dispute between India,

Pakistan, and China since 1947. Ladakh is

known for remote mountain beauty,

studded with monasteries and stupas.

Ladakh is often referred as "Little Tibet"

due to its geographical proximity and

strong links to Tibetan culture.

Recently, Centre has decided to form a

committee to protect the language, culture

and land of Ladakh and ensuring citizen's

participation in the Union Territory's

development.

The announcement was made on 6 January

2021 by the Ministry of Home Affairs

announced that a panel has been set up

under the chairmanship of Kishan Reddy to

find solutions on the issues related to

language, culture and conservation of land

in the union territory of Ladakh due to

developmental activities.

The decision to form the Committee came

after Union Home Minister Amit Shah met

a 10-member delegation from Ladakh who

expressed their views about the need to

protect Ladakh's unique cultural identity.

The Committee will be headed by the

Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy

and will include elected representatives

from Ladakh, Ladakh Autonomous Hill

Development Council, central government,

and the Ladakh administration.

26th KIFF:

It refers to the 26th Kolkata International

Film Festival. The festival was virtually

inaugurated by the West Bengal Chief

Minister Mamata Banerjee on January 8,

2021.

The inaugural ceremony was also virtually

attended by Bollywood superstar and West

Bengal's brand ambassador Shah Rukh

Khan from Mumbai.

The festival will screen 131 movies from 45

countries till January 13. Legendary

filmmaker Satyajit Ray's classic 'Apur

Sansar' will be the inaugural film of the

festival.

The Chief Minister has also raised the

occupancy limit of theatres from 50

percent to 100 percent in the state with

adherence to COVID safety protocols.

Cherry Blossom Mao Festival:

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The fesival was recently held on the 9th

January 2021 at Senapati district of Manipur

marking the beginning of pink season in

the district.

The Mao area of Senapati district in

Manipur is known for Cherry Blossom, a

plant which is popularly known as Sakura

in Japan.

The festival is being organized by the

Manipur government every year since 2017

onward.

The festival features the picturesque

landscape of Mao town adorned with

beautiful Cherry Blossom flowers.

Note: cherry blossom is a flower of many

trees of genus Prunus. Prunus cerasoides is

called wild Himalayan cherry or the Indian

wild cherry, and sour cherry. In Hindi it is

known as padam, pajja, or padmakashtha.

Mannathu Padmanabhan Ji:

Mannathu Padmanabhan (1878 – 1970) was

an Indian social reformer and freedom

fighter from Kerala. He is recognized as the

founder of the Nair Service Society (NSS).

He created an organization for the welfare

of the Nair community that is found

primarily in Kerala. He revived and

reshaped the old concept of village

societies, the Karayogams, which

practically set the tenor of family and

village life.

He took part in the Vaikom (1924) and

Guruvayoor(1931) temple-entry

Satyagrahas.

In 1959, he along with Christian Churches

led a united opposition against the State

Communist Ministry, which became

known as the Vimochana Samaram

(liberation struggle).

He was honoured with the title Bharata

Kesari by the President of India. He also

received Padma Bhushan in 1966.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi

paid tribute to Sri Mannathu

Padmanabhan Ji on his jayanti and

remembered him for his pioneering

contribution towards community service,

social justice and cultural regeneration.

World Hindi Day:

The World Hindi day is celebrated every

year on January 10 in order to promote the

language world-wide.

World Hindi Day (Diwas) was first

celebrated on 10 January, 2006. It was

chosen to mark the anniversary of first

World Hindi Conference organized in 1975

which was inaugurated by the then Prime

Minister of India, Indira Gandhi in Nagpur.

The first conference was attended by 122

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Defence

National

50 New Kendriya

Vidyalaya to be setup

through the country

The Union Cabinet,

chaired by the Prime

Minister Narendra Modi

has approved the setting

up of 50 new

delegates from 30 countries where then

Mauritius Prime Minister Seewoosagur

Ramgoolam was the chief guest.

Hindi is the fourth most spoken language

of the world. It is mother tongue of around

258 million people across the world. It is

spoken in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, UK,

USA, New Zealand, Germany, Uganda,

UAE, Guyana, Trinidad, Suriname, South

Africa and Mauritius. The language is

spoken by more than 43 core people in the

world.

The Pacific island country, Fiji also has

adopted Hindi as an official language.

However, World Hindi Day and National

Hindi Diwas are completely different.

National Hindi Diwas is celebrated every

year on September 14. On that day in 1949,

the constituent assembly adopted Hindi,

written in Devanagari script, as the official

language of the Union.

Origin of Hindi: The word was transferred

from the Sanskrit language “Sindhu”. The

word “Sindhu” became “Hindu” after

Iranians entered India.

Indian Navy:

The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the

Indian Armed Forces. The President of

India is the Supreme Commander of the

Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a

four-star admiral, commands the navy.

Indian Navy was founded on 26 January

1950. The current Chief of Navy Staff (CNS)

is Karambir singh.

Recently, in a major push to Make-in-India

initiative, the Indian Navy signed a

contract with the Bharat Electronics

Limited (BEL), to procure Light

Amplification by Stimulated Emission of

Radiation Dazzlers (Laser Dazzlers). The

initial agreement has been signed for 20

Laser Dazlers.

The Laser dazzler technology has been

developed by DRDO (Defence Research

and Development Organisation) and would

be manufactured by BEL, Pune plant.

It is the first time that this unique product

is indigenously designed and developed for

the Armed Forces.

Laser Dazzler:

It is a non-lethal weapon for warning and

stopping suspicious

vehicles/boats/aircraft/UAVs/pirates etc.

from approaching secured areas during

both night and day.

It is capable of dazzle and thereby suppress

the person’s/optical sensor’s action with

disability glare in case of non-compliance

to orders.

This technology can not only disorient/

confuse/ blind a person temporarily but it

can also dazzle and distract aircraft/UAVs.

It is a portable, shoulder operated and

ruggedized for military use in adverse

environmental conditions and it is for the

first time that this product has been

designed and developed indigenously for

the Indian Armed Force.

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Economics

ironment

BEL: It refers to the Bharat Electronics

Limited. BEL was founded in 1954 and is

headquartered in Bengaluru. Its current

Chairman & Managing Director is M V

Gowtama.

GRSE:

It refers to the Garden Reach Shipbuilders

and Engineers which is based in Kolkata,

West Bengal. The current GRSE Chairman

& Managing Director is Rear Admiral V K

Saxena

Recently, GRSE delivered the Landing Craft

Utility (LCU) MK IV class vessel ‘IN LCU L-

58’ (Yard 2099) to the Indian Navy.

The amphibious ships are to be based in

the strategic location of Andaman and

Nicobar Islands, which are close to various

routes leading to the South China Sea.

LCU L-58 is the final ship in the series of 8

LCUs being manufactured by GRSE for the

Indian Navy.

LCU Ship: The LCU ships are equipped

with state-of-the-art technology. They were

developed in-house with 90% of its parts

indigenously manufactured.

These ships are very unique in their design

and class in the world. Apart from troops,

each ship can accommodate main battle

tanks, personnel carriers and other Army

vehicles, which can be launched on the

beaches.

The ships are designed to have two

indigenous CRN 91 guns to provide artillery

fire support during landing operations.

Subodh Kumar Jaiswal:

He was recently appointed as new chief of

the Central Industrial Security Force

(CISF). He took over as the new Director

General of the force on January 8, 2021.

Prior to CISF, Jaiswal was serving as

Director General of Police of Maharashtra.

CISF: It stands for Central Industrial

security force. CISF, an armed force of the

Union established in its present form on 15

June 1983 is a Central Armed Police Force

in India. It was set up under an Act of the

Parliament of India on 10 March 1969 with

a strength of 2,800. CISF was subsequently

made an armed force of India by another

Act of Parliament passed on 15 June 1983.

CISF is mandated to provide security to the

premises staff along with the security of

property and establishments. It is governed

by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and

is headquartered in New Delhi. It is the

only force with a customized and dedicated

fire wing.

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Freight Business Development Portal:

It is the first-of- its-kind Indian Railways

dedicated Freight portal. The portal is one

stop solution for all the needs of freight

customers. It was launched recently by the

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.

The portal will replace physical processes

with online ones to minimize the need of

human-to-human interaction. It will also

bring more transparency and provide

professional support.

The personalized dashboard of freight

business portal provides customers a view

with their business in railways, outstanding

indents, on-run consignments, status of

various interactions and facility to apply for

various services and raising concerns.

Customers also get to know about discount

schemes, demurrage, diversion, rebooking

and wharfage waivers, stacking

permissions.

Toycathon-2021:

The Union Education Minister Ramesh

Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Union Minister

Women and Child Development and

Textiles Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani jointly

launched Toycathon-2021 and the

Toycathon Portal.

Toycathon is being organized with an

objective to develop India as the global Toy

manufacturing hub.

Toycathon aims to provide a platform to

conceptualize innovative toys based on the

Indian value system which will inculcate

the positive behavior and good value

among the children. Here the students and

teachers from schools and colleges, design

experts, toy experts and startups will get

together to crowd source ideas for

developing toys and games that are based

on Indian culture & ethos and local folklore

& heroes.

These will not only help India develop into

a global hub for toys and games, but it will

also help the children to understand the

ethos and values of Indian culture as

envisaged in the National Education Policy

2020.

The Toycathon is based on nine themes:

1. Indian Culture

2. History

3. Knowledge of India and Ethos

4. Learning, Education and Schooling

5. Occupations & specific fields

6. Social and human values

7. Environment

8. Divyang

9. Fitness and sport

LEI:

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It refers to the Legal Entity Identifier: The

RBI (Reserve Bank of India) has recently

introduced LEI for for payment

transactions above Rs 50 crore including

Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and

National Electronic Funds Transfer

(NEFT).

This will come into effect from April 01,

2021.

The Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a 20-

digit number used to uniquely identify

parties to financial transactions worldwide.

RBI: It refers to the Reserve Bank of India.

The RBI is India's central bank, which

controls the issue and supply of the Indian

rupee. It carries out India's monetary policy

and exercises supervision and control over

banks and non-banking finance companies

in India. RBI was set up in 1935 under the

Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. It is

headquartered in Mumbai. RBI plays an

important part in the Development

Strategy of the Government of India. The

current Governor of RBI is Shaktikanta

Das.

Bird Flu:

The bird flu or the Avian Influenza is a

contagious viral disease caused by

Influenza Type A virus. It usually affects

poultry birds such as chickens and turkeys.

There are several types of Influenza Type A

virus. Some of the virus may cause low egg

production and others result in early

cracking of egg shells, while others are

severe and lethal.

Wild aquatic birds such as geese and ducks

are the natural reservoir of Influenza A

viruses and the central players in the

ecology of these viruses.

Recently, thousands of ducks have died

due to birt flu in Kerala (mostly poultry),

wild Geese (migratory birds) in Himachal

Pradesh, and crows in Rajasthan and

Madhya Pradesh. In Haryana, around one

lakh poultry birds have died mysteriously

in the last few days.

Authorities have issued advisories to

contain the spread of avian influenza. or

bird flu, They have asked all states to keep

a close vigil to detect any unusual bird

death as the Centre confirmed the

outbreak has been reported from at least

four states.

History of bird flu infecting humans: The

humans were first known to have

contracted with bird flu in 1997. The H5N1

strain was the first Influenza virus to infect

humans. It occurred following an outbreak

in a live bird market in Hong Kong.

Subsequently, several other strains of the

Environment

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virus such as H5N2 and H9N2 spread from

animals to humans, thus becoming a global

public health concern.

However, according to WHO (World

Health Organization) the H5N1 does not

spread from person to person and there are

no evidences that the virus can spread

through properly cooked poultry. The virus

is highly sensitive to heat and dies in

cooking temperature.

NCAVES:

It refers to the Natural Capital Accounting

and Valuation of the Ecosystem Services.

The NCAVES India Forum-2021 is being

organized by the Ministry of Statistics and

Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

The NCAVES Project is funded by EU. It

has been jointly implemented by the

United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD),

the United Nations Environment

Programme (UNEP) and the Secretariat of

the Convention of Biological Diversity

(CBD).

India along with Brazil, China, South Africa

and Mexico is taking part in this project.

In India, the NCAVES project is being

implemented by the MoSPI in close

collaboration with the Ministry of

Environment, Forest and Climate Change

(MoEF&CC) and the National Remote

Sensing Centre (NRSC).

The participation in the project has helped

MOSPI commence the compilation of the

Environment Accounts as per the UN-

SEEA framework.

MOSPI has also released environmental

accounts in its publication “EnviStats

India” on an annual basis since 2018.

Under the NCAVES project the India-EVL

Tool has been developed which is

essentially a look-up tool giving a snapshot

of the values of various ecosystem services

in the different States of the country. It will

be based on about 80 studies conducted

across the country.

An additional benefit of this tool is that it

provides a critical view on the literature

that is available and the applicability of

estimates spatially across India according

to bio-geographical areas.

NCAVES Project: Natural Capital

Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem

Services (NCAVES) is a European Union

funded project. The project has been

launched by the United Nations Statistics

Division (UNSD), the United Nations

Environment Programme (UNEP), the

Secretariat of the Convention on Biological

Diversity (CBD) and the European Union

(EU).

Its aim is to assist the f5 participating

partner countries, namely India, Brazil,

China, Mexico and South Africa, to

advance the knowledge agenda on

environmental-economic accounting, in

particular ecosystem accounting.

SC-NBWL:

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It refers to the Standing Committee of

National Board of Wildlife. The SC-NBWL

has recently approved the advisory for

management of Human-Wildlife Conflict

(HWC) in the country.

The approval was given in its 60th meeting.

The key measures approved by the advisory

are as follows:

❖ Empowering gram panchayats in

dealing with the problematic wild

animals as per the section 11 (1) (b)

of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

❖ Utilizing add-on coverage under

the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima

Yojna for crop compensation

against crop damage due to HWC.

❖ Augmenting fodder and water

sources within the forest areas.

❖ Payment of a portion of ex-gratia as

interim relief within 24 hours of the

incident to the victim/family.

❖ Prescribing inter-departmental

committees at local/state level.

❖ Adoption of early warning systems

❖ Creation of barriers

❖ Dedicated circle wise Control

Rooms with toll free hotline num-

bers which could be operated on

24X7 basis.

❖ Identification of hotspots and for-

mulation and implementation of

special plans for improved stall-fed

farm animals etc.

❖ Inclusion of Caracal, a medium size

wild cat found in some parts of Ra-

jasthan and Gujarat, into the list of

critically endangered species

Now, there are 22 wildlife species under

recovery programme for critically

endangered species.

Caracal: It is a medium-sized wild cat

native to India, Africa, the Middle East and

Central Asia. It is typically nocturnal and is

highly secretive and difficult to observe. It

is a carnivore and mainly lives alone or in

pairs. It is characterized by a robust build,

long legs, a short face, long tufted ears and

long canine teeth.

The Caracals were tamed and used for

hunting in ancient Egypt. In India, the

caracal occurs in Sariska Tiger Reserve and

Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve.

NBWL: It refers to the National Board for

Wildlife. NBWL is a “Statutory

Organization” constituted under the

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It was

constituted in 2003. The board is advisory

in nature and advises the Central

Government on framing policies and

measures for conservation of wildlife in the

country. It is a very important body

because it serves as apex body to review all

wildlife-related matters and approve

projects in and around national parks and

sanctuaries. No alternation of boundaries

in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries

can be done without approval of the

NBWL. The NBWL is chaired by the Prime

Minister and is responsible for promotion

of conservation and development of

wildlife and forests. The standing

committee of NBWL is chaired by the

Minister of Environment Forest and

Climate Change.

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India-France:

The annual India-France strategic dialogue

was held on the 7th of January 2021.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will

lead the Indian delegation while the French

delegation was led by Mr. Emmanuel

Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to the French

President.

The two sides held discussions on wide-

ranging bilateral and global issues.

The main focus of discussions were

COVID-19 vaccine, nuclear, space, Indo-

Pacific area, maritime safety, environment,

digital economy, cybersecurity, counter-

terrorism and defence sectors.

Note: The India-France strategic dialogue

is held annually with the two countries

alternating as hosts. The last edition of the

annual Strategic Dialogue was held in Paris

in February 2020.

India and Japan:

India and Japan have had a long and

fruitful history of bilateral development

cooperation since 1958. In the last few

years, the economic cooperation between

both the countries has strengthened and

grown into a strategic partnership. The

people of India and Japan are guided by

common cultural traditions including the

heritage of Buddhism and share a strong

commitment to the ideals of democracy,

tolerance, pluralism and open societies.

Recently, the Union Cabinet chaired by

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently

approved the signing of an agreement to

institutionalize a mechanism for

cooperation between India and Japan in

sending and accepting skilled Indian

workers, who have qualified the skill and

Japanese language test.

Under the MoC (Memorandum of

Cooperation):

Skilled labour will be sent to Japan by

India. These Indian workers would be

granted a new status of residence of

'Specified Skilled Worker' by the

Government of Japan.

These skilled Indian workers can work in

fourteen specified sectors in Japan.

The 14 sectors are:

1. Industrial machinery

2. Building cleaning

3. Nursing care

4. Material processing industry

5. Electric and electronic information

related industry Industrial machin-

ery manufacturing industry

6. Shipbuilding and ship-related in-

dustry

7. Construction

8. Automobile maintenance

National

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9. Aviation

10. Lodging

11. Fisheries

12. Agriculture

13. Food and beverages manufacturing

industries,

14. Food service industry

A joint working group will be set up under

the memorandum of cooperation to follow

up its implementation.

On a basic framework for partnership

pertaining to "Specified Skilled Worker"

between India and Japan will enhance

people-to-people contacts, foster mobility

of workers and skilled professionals.

SAGE:

It is a high-level group, named the South

Asia Group for Energy (SAGE). SAGE was

recently constituted by the Government of

India (GoI) to build a South Asia-focused

energy security architecture.

The high level group will be headed by

former Union Power Secretary Ram Vinay

Shahi.

SAGE has been set up under the Ministry

of External Affairs (MEA)-run think tank

Research and Information System for

Developing Countries (RIS).

The main objective of setting of Sage is to

achieve a balanced and optimal

development of energy infrastructure

through mutual understanding and

cooperation, by promoting, initiating and

facilitating effective policy dialogue and

capacity building on a bilateral, sub-

regional and regional basis for energy and

related issues, among South Asian

countries.

The other members of SAGE are:

• Amar Sinha, former economic rela-

tions secretary in the MEA and In-

dia’s former ambassador to Afghan-

istan

• Preeti Saran, former secretary east

in MEA

• Chandan Kumar Mondol, director

commercial at NTPC Ltd, India’s

largest power generation utility

• Rakesh Nath, former Chairman of

Central Electricity Authority, the

apex power sector planning body

• Anil Sardana, Managing Director,

Adani Power

• Deepak Amitabh, Chairman and

managing director, PTC India Ltd,

the country’s largest electricity

trader.

International Akhand Conference

‘EDUCON-2020’:

The Union Education Minister Ramesh

Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ recently inaugurated

the two-day Virtual International Akhand

Conference ‘EDUCON 2020’ through video

conferencing.

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The two-day International Conference was

organized by the Central University of

Punjab, Bathinda (CUPB) in collaboration

with the Global Educational Research

Association (GERA).

The focal theme of EDUCON-2020 is

Envisioning Education for Transforming

Youth to Restore Global Peace.

This 31-long marthon International

Conference was the first of its kind in India

where scholars across the world would be

continuously explored the possibilities of

the use of ICT (Information and

communications technology) in the higher

education to promote the equitable quality

education in India.

In addition, the conference acted as a

platform for discussions on emerging

trends in education viz., likely scenario of

higher education and school education by

2050, developing disruptive technologies

for STEAM (Science, Technology,

Engineering, Arts and Mathematics)

Education, training youth for strategic

future jobs in Universities, the skill training

programme for future graduates and

relevance of ancient education system in

21st century.

The deliberations made during

EDUCON2020 by internationally-

acclaimed speakers & young researchers

seeks to prove to be significant in

preparing a roadmap for effective

implementation of NEP-2020 and

developing necessary skill-set among

youngsters to enable them to contribute

towards building an AtmaNirbhar Bharat.

National Metrology Conclave 2021:

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi

recently addressed the National Metrology

Conclave, via video conferencing. It was

organized on January 04, 2021 by the

Council of Scientific and Industrial

Research-National Physical Laboratory

(CSIR-NPL), New Delhi, to mark its 75th

year of inception.

The theme for 2021 was ‘Metrology for the

Inclusive Growth of the Nation’.

PM Modi, as a part of this conclave, also

dedicated ‘National Atomic Timescale’, and

‘Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya’ to the nation,

and laid the foundation stone of the

‘National Environmental Standards

Laboratory’.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas:

The day is also called NRI Day. It is

celebrated every year on January 9th to

mark the contribution of the overseas

Indian community in the development of

India.

The main aim of celebrating the day is to

provide a platform for NRI to express their

perceptions about India and thereby

involve them in Indian developmental

activities.

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International

The theme of 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Convention 2021 is “Contributing to

Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.

History of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: The

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on the

9th of January as Mahatma Gandhi

returned from South Africa on this day in

1915. In 2015, the day was declared biennial.

In 2018, the day was widely celebrated in

Singapore. In 2019, the event was

celebrated in Varanasi.

Gibraltar:

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory

which means it is under the jurisdiction of

the United Kingdom but is not technically

a part of it. (There are 14 British Overseas

Territories in the world including Bermuda

and the Falkland Islands.) It is a heavily

fortified British air and naval base that

guards the Strait of Gibraltar, which is the

only entrance to the Mediterranean Sea

from the Atlantic Ocean. Since the 18th

century, Gibraltar has been a symbol of

British naval strength, and it is commonly

known in that context as “the Rock.”

Recently, hours before the Brexit transition

period ended on New Year’s Eve, Spain

announced it had struck a deal with the UK

to maintain free movement to and from

Gibraltar.

Spain and the U.K. struck a last-minute

deal over Gibraltar that eases access to the

territory and removes the threat of fresh

restrictions at the border with the

European Union once Britain leaves the

bloc on 1st January.

Madrid and London were engaged for

months in diplomatic negotiations over the

post-Brexit future of Gibraltar. Now this

deal ensures that Gibraltar is not separated

from Europe from a hard border.

Brexit left Gibraltar with a hard border

situation with the EU. With the UK-Spain

Deal, officially remaining a British

Overseas Territory, Gibraltar will now be

part of the Schengen zone and follow EU

rules, thus ensuring that a hard border

does not separate it from the rest of

Europe.

Note: The name Gibraltar is derived from

Arabic word Jabal Tariq translated as

Mount of Tariq. Gibraltar is most famous

for The Rock of Gibraltar, a 426 meter high

limestone rock rising out of the sea. The

rock can be seen for many miles. It is home

to the Barbary Apes, a type of tail-less

macaque which are the only wild monkeys

in Europe.

Central African Republic:

The Central African Republic is a

landlocked country in Central Africa. It is

bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to

the northeast, South Sudan to the

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southeast, the Democratic Republic of the

Congo to the south, the Republic of the

Congo to the southwest and Cameroon to

the west. The Central African Republic is a

landlocked country in Central Africa. It is

bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to

the northeast, South Sudan to the

southeast, the Democratic Republic of the

Congo to the south, the Republic of the

Congo to the southwest and Cameroon to

the west.

Recently, Faustin-Archange Touadera was

re-elected as the president of the Central

African Republic with more than 53%

votes.

The 63-year-old president has been in

power since 2016 but has struggled to seize

control of vast parts of the nation from

armed militias.

Note: The Central African Republic, a

producer of gold and diamonds, has a

population of 4.7 million.

World Braille Day:

World Braille Day is observed on 4th

January across the world since 2019. The

day is celebrated to raise awareness of the

importance of Braille as a means of

communication in the full realization of

the human rights for blind and partially

sighted people.

The Braille language was first meant to be

used for military purposes, and was

developed by Charles Barbier. However, it

had two significant drawbacks, which were

identified by Louis Braille. Instead of using

the 12-dot symbol, Braille advised using 6-

dot symbol code. After a few modifications

and additions, the expanded English

system, named Grade-2 Braille, was

completed in 1905.

In 1918, the United Nations (UN)

conceptualized the idea of observing

January 4 as World Braille Day and marks

the birthday of Louis Braille, the inventor

of Braille – for people with visual

disabilities. Hence, the first observance of

World Braille Day took place in 2019.

Louis Braille: Louis Braille was born on 4th

January 1809 in the town of Coupvray in

northern France. At the age of just 3, he

lost his both eyes in an accident. This

resulted into the invention of the of 6 dots-

which is popularly known as braille.

Braille: Braille is a tactile representation of

alphabetic and numerical symbols using six

dots to represent each letter and number,

and even musical, mathematical and

scientific symbols. Braille (named after its

inventor in 19th century France, Louis

Braille) is used by blind and partially

sighted people to read the same books and

periodicals as those printed in a visual font.

Braille is essential in the context of

education, freedom of expression and

opinion, as well as social inclusion, as

reflected in article 2 of the Convention on

the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

UN Security Council:

14


The Permanent Representative of India to

the UN, T S Tirumurti recently announced

that India has been asked to chair 3

important committees of the UN Security

Council (UNSC), during its tenure as a

non-permanent member of the powerful

15-nation UN body.

The 3 committees are:

1. Taliban Sanctions Committee

2. Counter-Terrorism Committee

3. Libyan Sanctions Committee

Among these, India will chair the Counter-

Terrorism Committee of UNSC in 2022,

which coincides with the 75th anniversary

of India’s independence.

India began its two-year term at UNSC

from January 01, 2021. It is the eighth time

that the country has joined UNSC as the

non-permanent member.

In 2021, along with India, Norway, Kenya,

Ireland and Mexico joined as non-

permanent members in the Council.

Bagasara Prant:

The Chief Minister Of Gujarat Vijay Rupani

has decided to create a new Bagasara Prant

in Amreli district. This will take the state’s

revenue services nearer to the people and

provide services faster.

The newly created Bagasara Prant would

come into effect on 26th January, which

includes Bagasara and Vadiya talukas in it.

Since the districts with larger geographical

areas cause inconvenience to the people,

the state government has been

reorganizing smaller districts and talukas

for administrative convenience, faster

development, reducing workload as well as

saving the people's time.

Now, the state government has taken up

the reorganization of Prants.

Prants: Prants are traditional names for

parts of historical regions, such as the

original ten regions of Kathiawad on

Saurashtra peninsula in Gujarat.

Gujarat: Gujarat is a state on the western

coast of India most of which lies on the

Kathiawar peninsula. The state is bordered

by Rajasthan to the northeast, Dadra and

Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to the

south, Maharashtra to the southeast,

Madhya Pradesh to the east, and the

Arabian Sea and the Pakistani province of

Sindh to the west. Its capital city is

Gandhinagar. The Governor and Chief

Minister of Gujarat are Acharya Devvrat

and Vijay Rupani respectively.

Justice Vineet Kothari:

India Polity

15


Justice Vineet Kothari recently took oath

as a Judge in Gujarat High Court. He was

previously an Acting Chief Justice in

Madras High Court.

He was transferred to Gujarat High Court

on recommendation of a five Judge

collegium led by the Chief Justice of India.

He was elevated as a judge of the Rajasthan

High Court in 2005 and was transferred to

Karnataka in 2016.

He had assumed charge as the senior-most

judge of the Madras High Court on 23rd

November, 2018 and had served as its

Additional Chief Justice immediately after

former Chief Justice Vijaya Kamlesh

Tahilramani resigned in September 2019

and once again after the retirement of

Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi.

US President-elect Joe Biden:

US President-elect Joe Biden recently

appointed two Indian-Americans to the

National Security Council of the White

House.

He named Indian-American Sumona Guha

as senior director for South Asia and Tarun

Chhabra as senior director for Technology

and National Security.

Sumona Guha: She is a graduate of Johns

Hopkins and Georgetown University. She is

currently serving as senior vice president at

Albright Stonebridge Group. She was co-

chair of the South Asia foreign policy

working group during the Biden-Harris

campaign. During the Obama-Biden

administration, she was special advisor for

national security affairs to the then Vice

President Biden.

Tarun Chhabra: He is an alumnus of

Stanford University, Oxford University and

Harvard Law School. He is a senior fellow

at the Centre for Security and Emerging

Technology at Georgetown University. He

had also served on the National Security

Council staff as director for Strategic

Planning and director for Human Rights

and National Security Issues during the

Obama-Biden Administration.

Zoya Aggarwal:

She is the captain of the all-women flight

crew who created a historic moment for

aviation and historic moment for India.

The first non-stop flight from San

Francisco to Bengaluru landed at

Kempegowda International airport in

Bengaluru at 3.07 am on 11th January 2021.

The inaugural flight AI176 flew over the

North Pole and covering a distance of

Persons in News

16


about 16,000 kilometers which was the

longest aerial distance between San

Francisco and Bengaluru.

The flight operated by an all-women

cockpit crew of Captain Zoya Aggarwal,

Captain Papagari Thanmai, Captain

Akansha Sonaware and Captain Shivani

Manhas flew the longest commercial flight

in the world..

Joyshree Das Verma:

She has recently been appointed by the

Embassy of Israel in India as Honorary

Consul in the North East with jurisdiction

over the States of Assam, Arunachal

Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram,

Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim.

She will be based in Assam. The

appointment was announced by

Ambassador of Israel in India Ron Malka.

Malala Yousafzai:

She is a Pakistani activist for female

education. Malala is also the Youngest

Nobel Prize Laureate and she fought

against the Taliban for women education.

The Taliban had banned girls from

attending schools. She was shot by

Pakistani Taliban Gunman on October by

2012, in retaliation for her activism. She

was hit in the head with bullet and remind

unconscious. She was later transferred to

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in

the United Kingdom.

Recently, The US (United States) Congress

passed the Malala Yousafzai Scholarship

Act for Pakistani Women. The bill was

passed by the United States Senate by a

voice vote on January 1. The bill now heads

to the White House for US President

Donald Trump to sign into law.

Highlights of Act:

▪ The Act requires the US Agency for

International Development to

award at least 50% of scholarship

under a Pakistan-based higher edu-

cation scholarship programme to

Pakistani women between 2020 and

2022, across a range of academic

disciplines and in accordance with

existing eligibility criteria.

▪ The Malala Yousafzai Scholarship

Act makes it mandatory for the

USAID to brief the US Congress

about the number of scholarships

provided under the programme.

This includes percentage of recipi-

ents who are involuntarily pushed

out of the programme for their fail-

ure to meet programme require-

ments as well.

▪ It also requires the USAID (United

States Agency for International De-

velopment) to consult with and lev-

erage investments by Pakistani pri-

vate sector in the United States of

America.

This is being done to improve and expand

access to education programs in entire

Pakistan.

17


Since 2010, the USAID has awarded more

than 6,000 scholarships for young women

to receive higher education in Pakistan.

Note: On October 10, 2014, Malala shared

the Nobel Peace Prize with Indian

children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi

for her "struggle against the suppression of

children and young people and for the

right of all children to education".

Karnataka:

It is a state in the south western region of

India. It was formed on 1 November 1956,

with the passage of the States

Reorganization Act. Originally known as

the State of Mysore, it was renamed

Karnataka in 1973. Its capital city is

Bangalore. The current Chief Minister and

Governor of Karnataka are B. S.

Yediyurappa and Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala

respectively.

Recently, the Chief Minister of Karnataka,

B.S. Yediyurappa flagged off 40 Krishi

Sanjeevani vans in Bengaluru.

These vans have been launched by the state

Agriculture Department with Central

assistance under National Krishi Vikas

Yojana to take up this novel programme.

The main objective of the initiative is to

take labs to the agriculture fields to study

the conditions and address the needs of the

farmers about the fertility of the soil, pest

control, weeds and suitable crops in the

existing conditions so that farmers get

support for their farming techniques.

The Agriculture Department personnel will

also be able to suggest remedies,

depending on the soil, water and pests

inflicting the crops.

Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana: It is a State

Plan Scheme launched by the Government

of India (GoI) in August 2007 as part of the

11th Five Year Plan. The yojana launched

under the aegis of the National

Developmental Council aims at achieving

4% annual growth in agriculture as well as

its allied sectors.

Journalist Day:

The Journalist Day is observed by

Maharashtra state government on 6th

January every year. This day celebrated in

the memory of late journalist Balshastri

Jambhekar.

The first newspaper in the Marathi

language named ‘Darpan’, was published

on January 6, 1832, the date which also

marks the birth anniversary of Balshastri

Jambhekar.

Balshastri Jambhekar: Balshastri

Jambhekar, born on 6 January 1812, is also

known as ‘The Father of Marathi

Journalism’, for his efforts in starting

journalism in Marathi language, in the

Places in news

18


form of first Marathi newspaper and first

Marathi monthly.

Maharashtra: Maharashtra is a state in the

western peninsular region of India

occupying a substantial portion of the

Deccan Plateau. It was formed on 1 May

1960 by merging the western and south-

western parts of the Bombay State, Berar

and Vidarbha, and the north-western parts

of the Hyderabad State and splitting

Saurashtra (in present-day Gujarat) by the

States Reorganisation Act. Its capital is

Mumbai. The Chief Minister and the

Governor of Maharashtra are Uddhav

Thackeray and Bhagat Singh Koshyari

respectively.

Madhya Pradesh:

Madhya Pradesh (MP) is the second

largest Indian state by area. It borders the

states of Uttar Pradesh to the northeast,

Chhattisgarh to the southeast, Maharashtra

to the south, Gujarat to the west, and

Rajasthan to the northwest. Its capital is

Bhopal. The current Chief Minister and

Governor of Madhya Pradesh is Shivraj

Singh Chouhan and Lal Ji Tandon

respectively.

Recently, the MP Government launched a

‘Launch Pad Scheme’ for the boys and girls

coming out of child care institutions and

having completed 18 years of age.

This scheme has been launched by the

Women and Child Development

Department of the state with an aim to

provide a platform to these youth, through

which they will be able to become self-

reliant by continuing their education and

training.

Key Highlights of the scheme:

❖ The District Administration will

provide space to these youths for

the opening of stationery, photo-

copying, computer typing, coffee

shops and DTP work.

❖ All the fifty two districts of the state

have been divided into five clusters

with headquarters at Indore, Sagar,

Bhopal, Gwalior and Jabalpur.

❖ An amount of Rs 6 lakh will be pro-

vided by the Women and Child De-

velopment Department for the in-

stallation of each launch pad.

❖ These launch pads will be operated

through non-governmental organi-

zations.

NIXI:

It refers to the National Internet Exchange

of India. NIXI recently announced its

decision to offer free Internationalized

Domain Name (IDN) in any of the 22

India Policy

19


official Indian languages with every IN

domain booked by the registrant.

The offer will be valid for new in. users who

register up to January 31, 2021. The

applicant will also get a free email in the

local language. This offer is valid for new

.in users who register up to 31st of January.

The offer will also stand for the existing in

users who renew their domain in January

2021.

This offer has been created to stimulate the

adoption of भारत IDN domain name and proliferation of local language content.

About: NIXI is a not for profit Organization

established under section 8 of the

Companies Act 2013 in 2003. It was set up

for spreading the internet technology to

the citizens of India through the following

activities:

▪ Internet Exchanges through which

the internet data is exchanged

amongst ISPs and between ISPs and

CDNs.

▪ IN Registry managing and opera-

tion of IN country code domain and

भारत IDN domain for India. ▪ Indian Registry for Internet Names

and Numbers (IRINN).

▪ Managing and operating Internet

protocol IPv4 or IPv6.

Draft Arctic policy:

The Government of India (GoI) recently

released a draft Arctic Policy.

The Draft Arctic Policy document ensures

that the Arctic resources become more

accessible and are explored and used

sustainably. Under its policy, India will

make sure that it abides by rules and

regulations of Arctic Council.

India became the observer of Arctic

Council in 2013 and its membership as an

observer was renewed in 2018 for another

five years.

India also seeks to play a constructive role

in the Arctic by leveraging its vast scientific

pool and expertise in Himalayan and Polar

research.

The draft document outlines five pillars of

India’s Arctic policy. They are as follows:

1. Science and Research

2. Transportation and Connectivity

3. National Capacity building

4. Economic and Human Develop-

ment

5. Governance and International Co-

operation

The National Centre for Polar and Ocean

Research (NCPOR) that operates under the

Ministry of Earth Sciences will serve as the

nodal agency in implementing the Arctic

Policy.

The policy envisages connecting the Arctic

residents, especially the indigenous

communities with those living in the

Himalayan regions.

The main aim of the policy is to create

opportunities where the Indian enterprises

can be involved to become part of the

international commerce businesses and

promote traditional indigenous knowledge.

The Arctic Policy seeks to help India

achieve its SDGs as Policy has been

20


synchronised and adapted to the Goal 11 of

Sustainable Development Goals. The Goal

11 of SDG is “Sustainable cities and

Communities”.

India & Arctic Research: India under

British rule had signed the Svalbard Treaty

in 1920 in Paris. This treaty allowed free

access to the Arctic region along with the

commitment of not militarizing it.

Independent India launched its first

scientific expedition to Arctic in 2007.

In 2008, India established a research base

called Himadri at Ny Alesund, Svalbard,

Norway.

In 2014, India deployed IndArc. It is a

multisensory observatory in Kongsfjorden.

In 2016, India set up Gruvebadet

Atmospheric Laboratry at Ny Alesund,

Svalbard.

Arctic Council: The Arctic Council is a

high-level intergovernmental forum

promoting cooperation, coordination and

interaction among the Arctic States, Arctic

Indigenous peoples and other Arctic

inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in

particular on issues of sustainable

development and environmental

protection in the Arctic.

The first step towards the formation of the

Council occurred in 1991 when the eight

Arctic countries signed the Arctic

Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS).

The council was created in Ottawa in 1996

by the Declaration on the Establishment of

the Arctic Council (the Ottawa

Declaration). The standing Arctic Council

Secretariat formally became operational in

2013 in Tromsø, Norway.

Member states of the council include

Denmark, Canada, Norway, the United

States, Russia, Sweden, Finland, and

Iceland. The council also has a number of

permanent participants drawn from groups

that represent communities and peoples

indigenous to the Arctic. Outside these,

there are some observer states, Indigenous

"permanent participants", and observer

organizations.

The Arctic Council with the involvement of

the Arctic Indigenous communities and

other Arctic inhabitants works as a

consensus-based body to deal with issues

such as the change in biodiversity, melting

sea ice, plastic pollution and black carbon.

As of May 2019, thirteen non-Arctic states

have Observer status.

▪ Germany, 1998

▪ Netherlands, 1998

▪ Poland, 1998

▪ United Kingdom, 1998

▪ France, 2000

▪ Spain, 2006

▪ China, 2013

▪ India, 2013

▪ Italy, 2013

▪ Japan, 2013

▪ South Korea, 2013

▪ Singapore, 2013

▪ Switzerland, 2017

Observer status: This status is open to non-

Arctic states, along with inter-

governmental, inter-parliamentary, global,

regional and non-governmental

organizations that the Council determines

can contribute to its work. It is approved

by the Council at the Ministerial Meetings

that occur once every two years.

School Bag Policy:

21


Science and Technology

Delhi Government recently directed

schools in the national capital to

implement the New School Bag Policy 2020

in Schools.

In line with the School Bag Policy 2020, the

state government has prescribed weight

limits for school bags for students of

different classes.

The Union Human Resource Development

Ministry had formed the guidelines in 2016

to ensure students do not get bogged down

with the burden of carrying heavy bags to

schools.

School Bag Policy that has been designed

by an expert committee, recommends that

the weight of school bags for students

between Class 1 and Class 10 should not be

more than 10 per cent of their body weight.

The guidelines were framed after it was

observed that the load of school bag is

increased by bringing textbooks, guides,

homework and class work notebooks,

rough work notebooks, water bottles,

lunch box, and sometimes heavy school

bags also.

As per the guidelines schools are required

to follow the textbooks prescribed by the

SCERT, NCERT and CBSE.

Considering the serious threat to health

posed by heavy school bags, the Delhi

Government has decided to implement the

policy in the state.

QRNG:

It refers to Quantum Random Number

Generator. The DRDO Young Scientist

Laboratory for Quantum Technologies

(DYSL-QT), a DRDO facility based in

Mumbai, has recently developed a QRNG.

It has the ability to detect random

quantum events and convert those into a

stream of binary digits.

The facility has developed a fiber-optic

branch path based QRNG.

The branch path based QRNG is based on

the principle that if a single photon falls on

a balanced beam splitter, it will take either

of the beam-splitter output paths randomly

As the path chosen by photon is random,

the randomness is translated to sequence

of binary digits, also called bits.

QRNG system developed by the laboratory

has passed the global randomness testing

standards including NIST and Die-harder

Statistical Test Suites at the speed of ~150

kbps after post-processing.

With this development India has entered

the club of countries who have the

technology to achieve the generation of

random numbers based on the Quantum

phenomenon.

Random Numbers: Random numbers play

an important role in many fields, such as

22


quantum communication, scientific

simulation, cryptography (key generation,

key packaging, identity verification, etc.),

lotteries and fundamental physics

experiments.

The generation of genuine randomness is

generally considered impossible with

classical means. Quantum mechanics has

the inherent potential to provide real

random numbers, so it has become the first

choice for scientific applications that

require randomness.

DYSL-QT: It is one of the five YSLs (Young

Scientist Laboratories) of the DRDO which

are working on five different technologies.

The other four facilities are:

1. Cognitive Technologies (DYSL-CT)

Chennai

2. Artificial Intelligence (DYSL-AI)

Bengaluru

3. Asymmetric Technologies (DYSL-

AT) Kolkata

4. Smart Materials (DYSL-SM) Hyder-

abad.

These 5 facilities were dedicated to the

nation by Prime Minister in January this

year.

Advanced Biodigester MK-II

Technology:

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU0

was recently inked between Defence

Research and Development Organisation

(DRDO) and Maharashtra Metro Rail

Corporation (MAHA –METRO) through

which DRDO will render technical support

for the implementation of its advanced

biodigester Mk-II technology for the

treatment of human waste (night soil) in

the metro rail network.

The DRDO and MAHA –METRO are

working together to conserve water and

protect the environment by installing

DRDO's eco-friendly biodigester units (a

non-sewered sanitation technology) in its

facilities.

This biodigester by DRDO is an

indigenous, green and cost-effective

technology, with a rare distinction of

having one of the largest numbers of

DRDO-licensees (ToT holders).

Around 2.40 lakh biodigesters have already

been installed by Indian Railways in its

fleet of passenger coaches.

As for now, the technology for MAHA-

METRO has been revamped and further

improved in a bid to save the water and

space.

40th Indian Scientific Expedition to

Antarctica:

India recently launched 40th scientific

expedition to Antarctica.

This Indian expedition which marks four

decades of country’s scientific endeavor to

the southern white continent was flagged

23


Sports

off from Goa on January 5, 2021, with 43

members onboard.

The chartered ice-class vessel MV Vasiliy

Golovnin made this journey and will reach

Antarctica in 30 days. After leaving behind

a team of 40 members, it would return to

India in April 2021.

On return, it will also bring back the winter

team of the preceding trip.

Note: The Indian Antarctic expeditions

began in 1981. The first trip comprised of a

team of 21 scientists and support staff led

by Dr SZ Qasim. The Indian Antarctic

programme has built three permanent

research base stations in Antarctica—

named Dakshin Gangotri, Maitri, and

Bharati.

At present, India has two operational

research stations in Antarctica named

Maitri and Bharati.

The entire Indian Antarctic program is

managed by the National Centre for Polar

and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa.

The main aim of planning this expedition is

to provide support to the ongoing scientific

projects on geology, climate change,

electric and magnetic flux measurements,

ocean observations, environmental

monitoring. This mission will also felicitate

the return journey of winter crew by

resupplying the of fuel and food.

The expedition will strictly follow all the

required protocols for the deployment of

materials and men as per COMNAP.

COMNAP is the abbreviation for Council of

Managers of National Antarctic Program.

Assam Rifles Public School:

Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports

Kiren Rijiju recently launched the Assam

Rifles Public School (ARPS) in Shillong as a

Khelo India Sports School on 4th January

2021. It is now recognized as a Khelo India

Sports School and is the first centre in the

northeast under the Khelo India scheme.

This School was designated as a Khelo

India Sports School because of the

following features:

It has a good track record in academics &

sports, adequate boarding & lodging

(hostel) facilities,

It has sufficient space to develop sports

facilities and inclination to develop

Olympic sports under an inter-ministerial

partnership between the Ministry of Youth

Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of

Home Affairs.

The Government proposes to bear the

expenses for Talented Sports Students of

the school in terms of lodging, boarding,

education expenses, competition exposure,

insurance & medical, sports training &

support, salary of coaches & support staff,

sports equipment, and more.

At present, 9 Sports Schools have been

approved across the country, out of which

5 are managed by Defence & Para-military

forces.

24


The objective of a Khelo India Sports

School is to integrate sports with education

and in the process, develop sports in the

country and improve the overall profile

and outlook of athletes. This will also help

in the identification and upliftment of

talent from North-eastern, rural or tribal

areas.

Khelo India Ice Hockey Tournament:

The Khelo India Ice Hockey Tournament

was recently organized at Chiktan in

Kàrgil, Ladakh.

For the first time, alongwith 11 teams from

different villages of Chiktan, two women

team of Chiktan also participated in the

Khelo India Games in Kargil district.

The tournament was inaugurated by SDM

Shakar Chiktan and the Chief Guest of the

event Kacho Asgar Ali khan in the presence

of ZPEO Chiktan Ghulam Rasool along

with in-charge police post-Chiktan.

Claire Polosak:

She is a 32-year-old Australian from New

South Wales who is set to become the first

female match official in a men’s Test match

when she takes up the fourth umpire’s role

in the third Test between India and

Australia.

She has already earned the distinction of

being the first woman on-field umpire in a

men’s ODI match in ICC’s Division 2

league between Namibia and Oman played

at the Windhoek in 2019.

Note: As per ICC rules for Test matches,

the fourth umpire is appointed by the

home cricket board from their nominees to

the International Panel of ICC Umpires and

from the host country.

Fourth Umpire: The duties of a fourth

umpire include bringing on the new ball,

carrying drinks on to the field for the

umpires, checking the batteries in the light

meter, observing the pitch during the

lunch and tea intervals to make sure there

is no interference, and bringing on new

bails.

The fourth umpire can also take over the

third umpire’s position if something

happens to one of the on-field umpires, in

which case the third umpire takes over on-

field duties.

Documents

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