Why in news?

• The Minister for Sports, Youth Affairs and Forests, Rakesh Pathania, unveiled the new sports policy of the state.
• Quota for sportspersons in government jobs increased from 2% to 3%
• Winners of gold medal in Olympics, Paralympics to get Rs3 cr, silver Rs2 cr
• Those qualifying, participating in Olympics, Paralympics to get Rs15 lakh
• Super specialised sports academies with residential facilities at district level

Why in news?

• Traditional Halda festival was celebrated with great fervour in Lahaul-Spiti in which residents of the Gahar valley, Chandra valley and Pattan valley took part. The residents sang songs and danced together. These days entire region of Lahaul and Spiti is covered under thick blanket of snow.
• Halda festival started on January 13 at Gahar valley, which ended at Patan valley on January 17. In the rest of the villages in the district, the Halda festival will continue till the end of January.
• The residents said as Diwali was celebrated all over India, this festival was celebrated in Pattan, Chandra and Gahar valleys around the second and third week of January.
• “To celebrate the event, pencil cedar branches are cut into strips and tied together into bundles to make a torch called Halda. Halda is lit in a house where villagers gather to perform the rituals,” they said. The residents enjoy by celebrating the festival collectively in which each family of the village ensures active participation.

Why in news?

• Lakshya Sen beat Singaporean world champion Loh Kean Yew in a thrilling final 24-22, 21-17 to become the first Indian to win the men’s singles title on tournament debut.

About Lakshya Sen

• Lakshya Sen became the first Indian to win an Indian Open men’s singles title on debut in the tournament as he beat reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew 24-22, 21-17 in a thrilling final in New Delhi. Lakshya beat the Singaporean, who had defeated Kidambi Srikanth in December to win a surprise World Championship title, in a match that lasted 54 minutes.
• This is Lakshya’s first Super 500 title on the BWF tour. He had earlier won bronze in the 2021 World Championships after losing to Srikanth in the semi-final.
• Lakshya had raced to a 16-10 lead in the first game before Loh managed to fight back and even level proceedings at 19-19. The pair then exchanged match points before Lakshya ran out 24-22 victory.
• The second game was close fought until but Lakshya won two consecutive points after leading 19-17 to win the match and the championship.

Why in news?

• On the occasion of 74th Army Day, the world’s largest Khadi national flag was displayed on the highest hill near Jaisalmer military station.

About the largest flag

• The Indian Army recently unveiled a national flag of the size 225 ft by 150 ft near the Jaisalmer military station in Rajasthan.
• A whopping 4,500 metres of hand-spun and hand-woven Khadi cotton bunting was used to make the flag which covers a total area of 33,750 square feet.
• The flag weighs approximately 1,400 kg.
• The flag, which was made entirely of Khadi material, was hoisted on the occasion of Army Day.

Why in news?

• A 555.55-carat black diamond, which is believed to have emerged from an asteroid colliding with Earth has been put up for sale by auction house Sotheby’s Dubai.

About Enigma

• Dubbed as a treasure from interstellar space, the diamond is named “The Enigma” for which bidding will start from February 3 till February 9.
• This black diamond was listed in the 2006 Guinness Book of World Records as the largest cut diamond in the world.

Why in news?

• Madhya Pradesh’s Pench tiger reserve loses its ‘Supermom’ tigress. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests PCCF said prima facie, it seemed that the tigress died due to old age.

About Pench tiger reserve

• In the heart of India, Madhya Pradesh, Pench National Park is located in the districts of Seoni and Chhindwara. Named after the pristine River Pence which flows through the park, Pench National Park is one of the most popular wildlife reserves in India.
• The park also has its mention in the famous story of 1894, ‘The Jungle Book’, penned down by the renowned English Author Rudyard Kipling.
• The story was worldwide applauded, and hence, the national park became one of the popular national parks in the world in the 1970s and also a prominent tourist attraction in India.
• Sprawls over a massive area of 758 sq km, including the core area, Pench National Park has a rich wildlife which proffers visitors an opportunity to indulge into one of the finest wildlife experiences in India.

Why in news?

• Telangana to launch ‘Mana Ooru-Mana Badi’ to strengthen government schools.

About ‘Mana Ooru-Mana Badi

• With focus on improving the existing infrastructure and the quality of education in government schools, the State government is all set to launch ‘Mana Ooru-Mana Badi’ programme soon across the State.
• The State Cabinet recently approved a budgetary allocation of Rs 7,289 crore to strengthen government schools in the State as part of the programme.

Why in news?

• M. N. Pandey dedicated BHEL’s indigenously-developed, India’s first Coal to Methanol Pilot Plant to the Nation as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

About India’s first Coal to Methanol plant

• Union Minister for Heavy Industries Mahendra Nath Pandey recently dedicated India’s first BHEL-built ‘coal to methanol’ (CTM) pilot plant to the nation, as part of the ongoing ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations.
• Pandey also inaugurated an exhibition on Products Developed under Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ organised at Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited’s (BHEL) Hyderabad unit.
• Pandey further said the capital goods industry is the backbone of the manufacturing sector as it provides critical inputs such as machinery and equipment to a broad set of user-industries.
• The 0.25 TPD (tonnes per day) capacity CTM pilot plant that has been indigenously designed, developed and installed by BHEL is currently producing methanol with purity of more than 99 per cent from high-ash Indian coal.

Why in news?

• Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) have identified phytochemicals in the petals of a Himalayan plant that could potentially be used to treat COVID-19
• The research found that phytochemical-rich petals of Rhododendron arboreumfound in the Himalayan region, locally called “Buransh” show antiviral activity and fight against the virus.
• The findings of the research team have been recently published in the journal  Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics. 

Why in news?

• Two road alignment proposals for the construction of a road bridge over the Gobind Sagar lake between Lathiani and Bihru in Una district and the spots for the two ends of the 840-metre bridge have been finalised.
• The bridge will reduce the distance between Una and Hamirpur districts by about 20 km and also allow road access to people living in villages around the reservoir, who now use boats as means of transport..
• According to the highways authorities, the bridge will be built in two parts, the first 440-metre part to be supported by cables and the remaining carried on pillars.
• Meanwhile, the government, through the Kutlehar Tourism Development Society, has proposed to set up a tourism hub near Bihru on the banks of the reservoir. The facilities like adventure water sports, angling, bird watching and nature trekking are also proposed.