Why in news?

• Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev nominated Alikhan Smailov for prime minister recently, and the lower house of parliament swiftly voted him in during a session broadcast live on state television.

About Alikhan Smailov

• Alikhan Smailov, 49, served as first deputy prime minister in the previous cabinet which Tokayev dismissed last week amid violent unrest in the oil-rich Central Asian nation.
• Kazakh security forces have detained 9,900 people over the unrest, Kazakhstan’s interior ministry said.

Why in news?

• Cultural festivities and sports competitions will not be part of the Snow Festival at Lahaul due to the resurgence of Covid.
• The festival will start with rituals at Trilokinath Temple.
• The fair, which started last year and lasted for 75 days, will be celebrated in a subdued way this time due to Covid.
• The ‘festival of festivals’ was celebrated by linking various rituals, fairs and events of the valley to showcase the distinctive culture of the tribal region.
• Traditional festivals like Halda, Udang, Fagli, Losar, Kuns, Zukaru, Gochi, Poona, Yor, Yeti, Buchhang, Dala and Teshu will be celebrated by the local masses in their houses.

Why in news?

• The mela is held annually at Gangasagar in West Bengal and it kicked off this year recently.
  Considered as the biggest fair in the eastern part of India, the mela sees lakhs of devotees and sadhus every year.

Why in news?

• In the spirit of the TRP Committee Report and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI’s) recommendation dated 28.04.2020, M/s Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has undertaken revision in its processes, protocols, oversight mechanism and initiated changes in governance structure etc. The reconstitution of the Board and the Technical Committee to allow for the induction of Independent Members have also been initiated by BARC. A permanent Oversight Committee has also been formed. The access protocols for data have been revamped and tightened.

About Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) 

• Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India is a Joint Industry Body founded by stakeholder bodies that represent Broadcasters, Advertisers, and Advertising and Media Agencies.
• Built upon a robust and future-ready technology backbone, BARC India owns and manages a transparent, accurate, and inclusive TV audience measurement system.
• Apart from the currency products to the TV industry, BARC India also provides a suite of Insight products designed for Broadcasters, Advertisers and Agencies.
• The Big Data and Insights generated by BARC India powers efficient media spends and content decisions in a highly dynamic and growing television sector.

Why in news?

• The Department of Fisheries, Government of India in association with Startup India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry inaugurated the “Fisheries Startup Grand Challenge”.

About the challenge

• The challenge has been launched with an objective to provide a platform to start-ups within the country to showcase their innovative solutions within the Fisheries and Aquaculture sector.
• The event was graced by the presence of Shri Parshottam Rupala, Hon’ble Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Dr. L. Murugan, Minister of State, Hon’ble Minister of State of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Why in news?

• Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav released the ‘India State of Forest Report 2021’ prepared by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) which has been mandated to assess the forest and tree resources of the country.

About the ‘India State of Forest Report 2021’

MAJOR FINDINGS

• The total forest and tree cover of the country is 80.9 million hectare which is 24.62 percent of the geographical area of the country. As compared to the assessment of 2019, there is an increase of 2,261 sq km in the total forest and tree cover of the country. Out of this, the increase in the forest cover has been observed as 1,540 sq km and that in tree cover is 721 sq km.
• Increase in forest cover has been observed in open forest followed by very dense forest. Top three states showing increase in forest cover are Andhra Pradesh (647 sq km) followed by Telangana (632 sq km) and Odisha (537 sq km).
• Area-wise Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra. In terms of forest cover as percentage of total geographical area, the top five States are Mizoram (84.53%), Arunachal Pradesh (79.33%), Meghalaya (76.00%), Manipur (74.34%) and Nagaland (73.90%).
• 17 States/UT’s have above 33 percent of the geographical area under forest cover. Out of these states and UT’s, five states/UTs namely Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have more than 75 percent forest cover while 12 states/UTs namely Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Goa, Kerala, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Assam, Odisha, have forest cover between 33 percent to 75 percent.
• Total mangrove cover in the country is 4,992 sq km. An increase of 17 sq Km in mangrove cover has been observed as compared to the previous assessment of 2019. Top three states showing mangrove cover increase are Odisha (8 sq km) followed by Maharashtra (4 sq km) and Karnataka (3 sq km).
• Total carbon stock in country’s forest is estimated to be 7,204 million tonnes and there an increase of 79.4 million tonnes in the carbon stock of country as compared to the last assessment of 2019. The annual increase in the carbon stock is 39.7 million tonnes.

Why in news?

• The Government of India has launched a 75-week long campaign Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav; to celebrate the achievements of the country and its people.
• The University Grants Commission (UGC) as part of this campaign is conducting a series of activities beginning with a sensitisation webinar on “Cyber security Empowerment of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)”an effort towards making cyber security more accessible, available, and adaptable for HEIs.

About the webinar

• The webinar discussed pertinent issues of cyber security with prioritizing its impact on HEIs and the necessary. The Webinar was the first step towards Cyber security empowerment of HEIs and provided an opportunity for sensitization and awareness on cyber security.

Why in news?

• S Somanath was recently appointed the tenth chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

About S Somanath

• He will assume the charge as the Secretary of the Department of Space and the Chairman, Space Commission, upon the superannuation of K Sivan.
• Somanath, whose appointment will be for three years, is a seasoned scientist in system engineering of space launch vehicles.

Why in news?

• The five-day National Kabaddi Invitation Championship tournament concluded at Indira Maidan.
• Deswal Kabaddi Academy- Delhi men’s team and the women’s team from Himachal Pradesh have emerged as the winners of the tournament.
• The final match between the women’s Kabaddi teams between Sahasra Seema Bal (SSB) and Himachal Pradesh’s (HP) team ended with the latter comfortably managing a 16 point lead against the former (40-24).

Why in news?

• Agribusiness management expert Vijay Paul Sharma of Una has been reappointed the chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• He is an alumnus of Palampur Agriculture University and has served as the CACP Chairman from June 2016 to May 2021.
• The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), set up in 1965, is a decentralized agency of the Government of India (GoI).
• The CACP is an expert body that recommends the MSPs of the Kharif and Rabi crops to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).