Why in news?

• Launched in 2015, Sagarmala programme is the flagship programme of Ministry of Shipping to promote port-led development through harnessing India’s 7,500 km long coastline, 14500 km of potentially navigable waterways and strategic location on key international maritime trade routes.
• Its core vision is to reduce the logistics cost for exports, imports and domestic trade with minimal infrastructure investment.

Achievements and initiatives:

• Quality service delivery has reduced Turnaround Time (containers) at Ports to 26.58 hours from 44.70 hours in 2013-14.
• Current cargo handling capacity of Indian ports improved to 1,500 Million Tonnes Per Year (MMTPA) from 1,052 MMTPA in FY2014-15.
• Improved ports’ efficiency and Ease of Doing Business through Creating Smart Ports (Logistics Data Bank Service; RFID Solutions etc); Digitization in Services; Smooth Data Flow etc.
• Port-led industrialization to boost industrial and export growth along the coastline to be realized through 14 Coastal Economic Zones (CEZs).
• Skilling of Coastal population: Under Deen Dayal Upadhyay- Grameen Kaushalya Yojna Sagarmala Convergence Programme, more than 1900 candidates trained.
• More than one crore employment opportunities to be created.

Why in news?

• UNEP ‘Frontiers’ report 2022: Noise, Blazes and Mismatches’ looks at three concerns: Urban soundscapes, wildfires and phonological shifts.
• Noise pollution is defined as regular exposure to elevated sound levels that may lead to adverse effects in humans or other living organisms.
• CPCB has laid down the permissible noise pollution levels in India for different areas.

Key findings

• 13 noise polluted cities are in south Asia. Five of these are in India, namely Moradabad, Kolkata, Asansol, Jaipur and Delhi.
• Long-term exposure to noise pollution from road traffic, railways, or leisure activities causes premature deaths, heart disease, metabolic disorders, and people suffer from irritability.
• Highest noise pollution has been recorded in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Steps taken to deal with noise pollution

• Earlier, it was covered under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 but later, Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 replaced it. However, under Air Act, 1981, noise emanating from industry is regulated by State Pollution Control Boards / Pollution Control Committees (SPCBs / PCCs) for states/UTs.
• Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) proposed fines between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1 lakh for those who violate norms.
• Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 prescribed noise standards for motor vehicles, air-conditioners, refrigerators etc.
• Solution- vegetation in urban environments, Noise barriers along highways or railways, conducting awareness campaigns etc.

Why in news?

• The first Dharamsala Literature Festival being hosted by the Kangra district administration began.
• The Dalai Lama’s message carrying his blessings was read out by his spokesperson during the inaugural session of the festival.
• Tenzin Tsundue and Nyen Tsering Tashi along with Tenzin Cheoying engaged in a conversion over the evolution of Tibetan literature. The session touched the Tibetan literature, as it evolved in exile and how it highlighted the plight of Tibetans.
• Deputy Commissioner of kangra said that the Dharamsala Literature Festival would be made a regular affair.

About Dharmshala

• Dharamshala is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India.
• It serves as administrative headquarters of the Kangra district after being relocated from Kangra, a city located 18 kilometres away from Dharamshala, in 1855.
• The city has been selected as one of a hundred in India to be developed as a smart city under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship “Smart Cities Mission”.
• On 19 January 2017, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Virbhadra Singh, declared Dharamshala as the second capital of Himachal Pradesh, making it the third national administrative division of India to have two capitals after the state of Maharashtra and the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Why in news?

• A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT), Palampur, and Dev Surya Himalayan Organic Pvt Ltd, Palampur, to promote the cultivation of lemongrass and aromatic marigold among farmers of local villages.
• The CSIR-IHBT will provide 10 lakh lemongrass slips and 75 kg of seeds of aromatic marigold under the CSIR Aroma Mission.
• CSIR-IHBT Director Sanjay Kumar said that the Aroma Mission was started in 2017 to promote the cultivation of high-value aromatic crops for the socio-economic uplift of farmers and employment generation in rural areas.

Why in news?

• The United Nations (UN)’s International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is annually observed across the globe on 25th March to commemorate the memory of the victims of Transatlantic Slave Trade.
• The day also offers the opportunity to honour and remember the people who have suffered and died because of the slavery system.
• The theme of 2022 International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is “Stories of Courage: Resistance to Slavery and Unity against Racism”.
• The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution 62/122 on 17th December 2007 and declared 25th March of every year as International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
• The first-ever International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade was observed on 25th March 2008.
• The resolution also called for the establishment of an outreach programme to mobilize educational institutions, civil society and other organizations to inculcate in future generations the “causes, consequences and lessons of the transatlantic slave trade, and t communicate the dangers of racism and prejudice”.

Why in news?

• Hwasong-17: Intercontinental ballistic missile was test fired by North Korea has test fired its biggest-yet Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), Hwasong- 17 as per the orders of their Supreme leader Kim Jong Un.
• The Hwasong-17 was launched directly from a Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) vehicle, with 11 axles.
• The missile flew 1,090 km (681 miles) at a maximum altitude of 6,248.5 km (3,905 miles) and hit a target in the Sea of Japan after travelling 67.5 minutes in air.
• Its predecessor, the Hwasong-15, which was tested in November 2017 reached an altitude of about 4,475 km and covered 950 km over 53 minutes.
• About Hwasong-17:
• Diameter — 2.5 metres.
• Mass — when fully fuelled, is between 80,000 to 110,000 kg.
• Fuel type — Two-stage, liquid fuelled.

Why in news?

• The annual Mangaluru Kambala’s fifth edition will be held on the grounds of Goldfinch City in Bangra Kulur on 26^thand 27^th March 2022.
• Around 150 pairs of buffalo bulls will be taking part in this event.
• This event generally takes place in November, but due to the COVID-19 restrictions, for the second year running, this event is being held in March.
• The season’s last two Kambalas will be organized in April in Uppinangady and Venur.

What is Kambala?

• It is a buffalo race held annually in Karnataka. This event is sponsored by the local Tuluva landlords in the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
• Kambala samithis organize these events. Annually, more than 45 races are held in the coastal region of coastal Karnataka.

Format of this race

• The race track where this event takes place is a paddy field that is slushy. Whip-lashing farmers drive the buffaloes. The winners earn silver and gold coins.
• Some of the organizing committees award a gold coin which is of eight-grams to the winner whereas in some places cash prizes are given.
• The buffaloes taking part in this event are decorated with head-pieces made of silver and brass, bridle made of ropes, and coloured jhuls. Paavade is the name of the towel that is used to cover the neck of the buffalo.

Why in news?

• Asia’s largest Tulip Garden is located in Srinagar. This garden houses more than a million tulips. This garden has been a major global tourist attraction in Kashmir. On 23^rdMarch, it has been reopened to the public after being shut for the past nine months.

About the Srinagar Tulip Festival

• Annually in the month of April, the Jammu and Kashmir government organizes the tulip festival which kicks off the tourism season of the union territory. This festival includes multiple musical events, cultural programmes, conferences, and food fests. The blend of colours from the different varieties of tulips attracts hundreds of tourists to Kashmir from various parts of India.

About the Tulip garden

• On the foothills of the Zabarwan range, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden is located. It overlooks Srinagar’s Dal lake.
• In 2008 it was initially opened by then Chief Minister Ghulam Mabi Azad. Since then it has been attracting lakhs of visitors from several parts of the country to Srinagar.
• More than 50 gardeners worked tirelessly for the past nine months to get this garden ready for the festival. The garden will remain open till April end, as this is the duration of the tulips blooming. Apart from tulips, flowers like daffodils, hyacinths, and ranunculus have also been added to this garden.

Why in news?

• The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IBRD)has issued the Wildlife Conservation Bond (WCB) to support of South Africa’s efforts to conserve endangered species of Black Rhino.
• Wildlife Conservation Bond (WCB) is also known as “Rhino Bond”. It is a five-year $150 million Sustainable Development Bond. It includes a potential performance payment from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
• The bond will contribute to protecting and increasing black rhino populations in two protected areas in South Africa namely the Addo Elephant National Park (AENP) and the Great Fish River Nature Reserve (GFRNR).

Why in news?

• A picture book edition co-authored by Nobel Peace Prizewinners 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) & Archbishop Desmond Tutu, titled “The Little Book of Joy” will be released in September 2022.
• The illustrations provided by artist Rafael López and Rachel Neumann & Douglas Abrams collaborated on the text. This book focuses on the meaning of true happiness, which is not in the materialistic world but lies in the nature of human beings.
• In 2016, they also co-authored the book titled “The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World”, which became a bestseller & sold more than 1 million copies and translated into more than 40 languages.