Why in news?

• For the first time BRO has kept the formidable Zoji mountain pass (altitude 11,649 ft) open beyond 31st December.

About BRO breaking the record

• BRO’s frontline Projects Beacon and Vijayak have been working round the clock in extreme weather conditions to keep the logistic supply line open to the Union Territory of Ladakh.
• BRO Karmyogis have kept their detachments functional with great determination and induction of New Equipment helped BRO in achieving this unparalleled feat.
• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has raised its benchmark of excellence yet again by extending access of the formidable Zojila at an altitude of 11,649 ft, that links the Union Territory of Ladakh with the rest of the country. For the first time Zoji mountain pass remained open beyond 31st December.

Why in news?

• Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, inaugurated the New Integrated Terminal Building of Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport in Agartala.

About the airport

• The airport is a blend of Tripura’s culture, natural beauty and modern facilities. It will play a big role in enhancing air connectivity in the North East.
• This is turning Tripura into a new hub of business and industry as well as a trade corridor.

Why in news?

• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched a 100-day reading campaign ‘Padhe Bharat’ recently.

About ‘Padhe Bharat’

• The launch of the 100 Days Reading Campaign is in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which lays emphasis on the promotion of joyful reading culture for children by ensuring the availability of age-appropriate reading books for children in local/mother tongue/regional/tribal language.
• The Minister while launching the campaign has underlined the importance of reading that children need to develop to ensure continuous and lifelong learning. He also reinforced that the habit of reading, if inculcated at an early age, helps in brain development and enhances imagination and provide a conducive learning environment for children.
• Padhe Bharat campaign will focus on children studying in Balvatika to Grade 8. The reading campaign will be organized for 100 days (14 weeks) starting from January 1, 2022, to April 10, 2022. The reading campaign aims to have the participation of all stakeholders at the national and state level including children, teachers, parents, community, educational administrators etc. One activity per week per group has been designed with the focus on making reading enjoyable and build a lifelong association with the joy of reading. This campaign has also been aligned with the vision and goals of the foundational Literacy and Numeracy mission.
• The 100 days reading campaign will also focus on Indian languages including mother tongue/local/regional languages.
• Hence, 100 days Reading Campaign is envisaged to support and encourage students, along with their schools, teachers, parents, and communities, in every possible way and encourage children to read for a joyful learning experience.

Why in news?

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday inaugurated the Kalpana Chawla Centre for Research in Space Science & Technology at Chandigarh University and said that it is an important step towards strengthening the space sector of the country.

About the centre

• The new research centre at Chandigarh University has been established with the objective of training students in space science.
• He also launched a Scholarship Scheme, worth Rs 10 crore, for the wards of Defence Personnel of the three Services.

Why in news?

• Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla recently released a set of manuals and a newsletter of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) as part of a campaign to check cybercrimes.

About the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre

• The manuals and the newsletter prepared by the Cyber and Information Security Division (CIS) of the Union home ministry are ‘Cyber Hygiene for Cyber Space – Dos and Don’ts – Basic Manual’, ‘Cyber Hygiene for Cyber Space – Dos and Don’ts – Advanced Manual’ and the quarterly newsletter ‘Cyber Pravah’.
• The manuals are part of a focused awareness campaign for prevention of cyber-crimes and to inculcate cyber hygiene in rural areas, industrial bodies, and the general public.
• ‘CyberPravah’ covers introduction to I4C, various activities of I4C in two quarters (from April-June,2021 and July-September, 2021), cybercrime trends and patterns, statistics, facilities created by I4C, platforms for reporting and addressing cyber-crimes to make all stakeholders aware, and to provide assistance in the area of cyber-crime prevention, detection and investigation.
• It also aims to create awareness about recent developments in the field of cyber-crimes and cyber-crime terminology.
• The I4C was set up under the CIS division in 2018 as an agency for coordinating at the central level and to support states and union territories by providing a common framework in their fight against cybercrimes.
• The I4C is spreading mass awareness through various social media handles in the name of ‘CyberDost’ by providing cyber safety tips at frequent intervals for the public.

Why in news?

• The Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, has been placed in the highest band of excellent category in the Atal Rankings of Institutions on Innovations and Achievements.
• The rankings were announced recently by the Union Education Ministry. It evaluates institutions of higher learning annually for their performances with regard to innovations and achievements.
• As many as 36 of 1,200 universities in the country have found a place in this band. Shoolini University is among the top five in the northern region and the only one from Himachal.

Why in news?

• The Odisha Forest and Environment Department has completed its first-ever radio-tagging of the Indian pangolin in an attempt to standardise the rehabilitation protocol for the animal in the State.

About Indian Pangolin

• Indian Pangolin is widely distributed in India, except the arid region, high Himalayas and the North-East. It can be found at elevation up to 2500 m.
• The species also occurs in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Why in news?

• The Assam government is awaiting clearance from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways for a 35-km long elevated road project through the Kaziranga National Park.
• The Rs 6,000-crore road will run over nine animal corridors and an existing national highway. The basic idea behind the project is to ensure the safety of the animals.

About Kaziranga National Park

• Kaziranga National Park lies partly in Golaghat District and partly in Nagaon District of Assam.
• It is the oldest park in assam covers an area of 430 Sq kms along the river Brahmaputra on the North and the Karbi Anglong hills on the South.
• Kaziranga National Park a world heritage site is famous for the Great Indian one horned rhinoceros, the landscape of Kaziranga is of sheer forest, tall elephant grass, rugged reeds, marshes & shallow pools.
• It has been declared as National Park in 1974.
• Kaziranga National Park is one of the last areas in eastern India undisturbed by a human presence. It is inhabited by the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, panthers and bears, and thousands of birds.

Why in news?

• French authorities took down a temporary installation of the European Union flag from the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris recently, after rightwing opponents of President Emmanuel Macron accused him of “erasing” French identity.

About the flag

• The giant blue flag was raised in place of a French flag on New Year’s Eve to mark France’s turn at the rotating presidency of the EU Council.

Why in news?

• Recently, Sri Lanka’s Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila announced that the Indian Oil Subsidiary Lanka IOC would be given 49% stake in the joint development of the Trincomalee Oil Tank farm, with Ceylon Petroleum Corporation keeping 51%.

About the development

• The CPC has formed a special purpose company, Trinco Petroleum Terminals Ltd, and it is expected to get Cabinet approval this week.
• While the two sides will jointly refurbish 61 of the 99 tanks at the farm, 24 will be developed by CPC and 14 by LIOC. This arrangement is for the next 50 years.
• The next step is three formal agreements: two between CPC and LIOC — one for the joint development and the other for the 24 tanks to CPC — and the third between the Sri Lankan government and LIOC.