Why in news?

• Recently, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami unveiled the Milk Price Incentive Scheme, which will benefit around 53,000 people.

About ‘Milk Price Incentive Scheme’

• The milk price incentive scheme will benefit around 53,000 individuals because the money will be directly put into the beneficiaries’ accounts via Direct Bank Transfer (DBT).
• The state government would invest Rs.444.62 crore in Uttarakhand to create 500 milk vending stations.

Current Milk Production Scenario in Uttarakhand:

• In the Dehradun district, milk production and consumption are completely contradictory. On one hand, the government is making many attempts to enhance milk production, all government claims of promoting production are proving to be fictitious. Despite thousands of hours of labor, milk is not produced in accordance with demand.

Why in news?

• Six years after being jointly launched by India and France, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) has got an ‘Observer’ status in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) which will help this treaty- based international organisation usher in a new era of green diplomacy for increasing solar power roots as a part of larger goal to face the challenges of climate change.

About International Solar Alliance (ISA)

• The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was launched by Prime Minister of India Narender Modi and former French president Francois Hollande in November 2015 at the 21st session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-21) in Paris.
• The ISA primarily consists of an Assembly, Secretariat and different committees. The Assembly of the alliance is the apex decision-making body and the Secretariat is responsible for its operations and functioning.
• The body is funded by voluntary contributions by its members, partner countries, the UN and the private sector, while revenue is generated from specific activities approved by the Assembly.
• The body aims to scale up solar energy applications, take coordinated action through programmes and activities launched on a voluntary basis and facilitate collaborative research and development activities in solar energy technologies.
• The ISA is a coalition of solar resource-rich countries that lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
• The alliance was formed with the aim to promote solar energy in 121 member countries and to mobilise over $1 trillion of investment for the deployment of solar energy at affordable costs. It is the first inter-government organisation headquartered in India, in Gurugram.

Why in news?

• Annual skills survey India Skills Report 2022 was released by Wheebox, a talent assessment platform, with AICTE, Association of Indian Universities, Confederation of Indian Industries, and other agencies.

About India Skills Report 2022

• The theme of this edition is Rebuilding and Reengineering the Future of Work.
• According to it, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala have the highest pool of employable talent in the country.
• The study revealed that 46.2% of the youth were considered highly employable resources.
• The study also found out that Pune is the city with the most highly employable resources with 78% of the test takers scoring above 60%. This is followed by Lucknow.
• On the demand side Software, Pharma, Internet Business and BFSI emerged as the highest pool of talent demand.
• A higher percentage of women than men have been found to be employable in India yet again, according to the India Skills Report 2022.
• It also says that the sectors in which the most hiring will take place are IT, pharmaceutical, e-commerce, and banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI). These sectors are expected to hire 20 per cent more fresh graduates in 2022 than in 2021.
• This year’s report is based on responses gathered from an assessment of 3 lakh candidates across India who took part in the Wheebox National Eligibility Test (WNET), and a report from the India Hiring Intent Survey that covered 150 corporations spanning more than 15 industries and sectors.
• It says the pool of employable women is steadily increasing. This stands at 51.44 per cent for 2022, compared to 41.25 per cent in 2021. The 2022 figure for men is 45.97 per cent, against 34.26 per cent in 2021.
• According to the 2022 report, 46.2 per cent of skilled youth overall were found to be highly employable, compared to 45.97 per cent in 2021.
• In a new trend that has emerged this year, 88.6 per cent of graduates were found to be seeking internship positions within organisations.

Why in news?

• For the top-podium finish at Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021, the Indian lifted the weight of 113kg. With this lift, Sanket Mahadev Sargar also created the new snatch national record.

About lifting by Sanket Mahadev Sargar

• Sanket Mahadev Sargar recently won the gold medal in the Men’s 55kg snatch category at the ongoing Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021 in Tashkent.
• For the top-podium finish, the Indian lifted the weight of 113kg. With this lift, Sargar also created the new snatch national record.
• The Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021 is currently being held concurrently in Tashkent along with World Weightlifting Championships 2021 from December 7 to 17. India, being a Commonwealth nation is competing in both.
• Indian team for World Weightlifting Championships 2021 and Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021 is:
• Men: Sanket Sargar (55kg), Guru Raja (61kg), Jeremy Lalrinnunga (67kg), Achinta Sheuli (73kg), Ajay Singh (81kg), Vikas Thakur (96kg), Jagdish Vishwakarma (96kg), Lovepreet Singh (109kg), and Gurdeep Singh (109kg).

Why in news?

• Microsoft will conduct cybersecurity skilling programme along with its strategic consortium of partners including Cloudthat, Koenig, RPS, and Synergetics Learning.

About cybersecurity skilling programme

• To address the skills gap and empower India’s workforce for a career in cybersecurity, Microsoft recently launched a cybersecurity skilling program that aims to skill over 1 lakh learners by 2022.
• The program is designed to give learners hands-on experience in the fundamentals of security, compliance, and identity.
• Microsoft will conduct these courses along with its strategic consortium of partners including Cloudthat, Koenig, RPS, and Synergetics Learning.
• The course modules are designed to support all levels of learners, regardless of where they are in their cybersecurity journey.
• Microsoft has introduced four new security, compliance, and identity certifications, of which the accredited certification for Fundamentals will be offered at zero cost for any individual who attends the associated training through this initiative.
• Additionally, in collaboration with its partners, Microsoft, offers learners discounted offers on the rest of the advanced role-based certifications to drive deep skills for addressing cybersecurity challenges.

Why in news?

• Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has recently approved a scheme aimed at boosting the agriculture sector, which will be implemented from the current financial year.

About Atma Nirbhar Krishak development scheme

• In a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Cabinet recently gave its nod to implement Atma Nirbhar Krishak Integrated Development Scheme in Uttar Pradesh from 2021-22.
• Under this scheme, 1,475 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) will be formed in the next three years in each development block of the state.
• The state government is likely to bear an expenditure of Rs 1,220.92 crore for implementation of the scheme from financial year 2021-22 to 2031-32.
• The scheme will also help in achieving the target of utilising a budget of Rs 12,000 crore allotted to the state by the Centre under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF).

Why in news?

• A court in military-ruled Myanmar has found elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was removed by the generals when they seized power, guilty of charges widely dismissed as politically motivated and sentenced her to detention at an undisclosed location.

About Location of Myanmar

• Four Northeast Indian states share the border with Myanmar: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Manipur.

Why in news?

• Ministry of Power will be celebrating the Energy Conservation Week from 8th to 14th December 2021 under “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”.

About the Energy Conservation Week

• Celebration by Bureau of Energy Efficiency will include three major activities i.e. National Painting Competition for school children, National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA) for Industries and establishments and National Energy Efficiency Innovation Awards (NEEIA) to recognize innovative energy efficiency technologies.
• The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has been organising National Level Painting Competitions on Energy Conservation for school children studying in 4th to 10th standard. This year, the themes for the competition are “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav: Energy Efficient India” and “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav: Cleaner Planet”.
• State level painting competitions are being organised from 1st to 10th December 2021 in all 36 states and Union Territories of the country and it will culminate in a National Level Painting on December 12, 2021 in New Delhi.
• The winners of the national level competition will be rewarded on the occasion of National Energy Conservation Day, December 14, 2021.
• The National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA) will be given to the energy-intensive units of various sectors of the Indian economy for their exceptional achievements in reducing specific energy consumption. Whereas NEEIA is conceptualised to boost energy efficiency through innovative measures. The objective of institutionalising this award is to instil a sense of competition among industries and sectors to develop innovative energy efficiency measures in their facilities and also to disseminate these technologies to ensure their multiplicity and adaptation in other sectors.
• In addition to award functions, Bureau, this year under “Azadi ka Amrit Mohstav” is organising National Level Events on daily basis during the Iconic Week from 8th to 14th December,2021 involving Stakeholders for Industries, Institutions, Academic, State Govts etc.
• The week-long celebration will take place as daily events as per list below:
• Virtual launch of Certificate Course on Home Energy Audit Program – 8th December
• Webinar on Technology Transfer for Decarbonization of Industry – 9th December
• National Workshop on Energy Efficiency in the Indian Residential Sector – 10th December
• National Workshop on the Role of Energy Efficient Appliances in Market transformation – 10th December
• National Workshop Event on Energy Efficiency Plans for the MSME Sector – 11th December
• Amrit Utsav Celebration for Designated Consumers under PAT Cycle II – Interaction with Dignitaries. – 13th December
• The events scheduled during the week aim at promoting energy conservation among all sectors of the economy and will be followed by an award distribution ceremony for the winners, industrial units and other establishments on National Energy Conservation Day’ i.e 14th December,2021 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Why in news?

• NASA’s new Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) has recently been launched. It is the agency’s first-ever laser communications system. The LCRD will help the agency test optical communication in space.

About Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD)

• LCRD is a technology demonstration that will pave the way for future optical communications missions.
• The LCRD payload is hosted onboard the US Department of Defense’s Space Test Program Satellite 6 (STPSat-6).
• It will be in a geosynchronous orbit, over 35,000km above Earth.
• Optical communications systems are smaller in size, weight, and require less power compared with radio instruments.
• A smaller size means more room for science instruments. Less weight means a less expensive launch. Less power means less drain on the spacecraft’s batteries.
• With optical communications supplementing radio, missions will have unparalleled communications capabilities.

Why in news?

• Recently, a New Species of Bird named Flatbill flycatchers have been discovered in South America.

About Flatbill flycatchers

• Flatbill flycatcher is members of rubric Rhynchocyclusin simply New World family Tyrannidae.
• Four given species in this rubric are distributed across southern Mexico to north-eastern Bolivia, Brazil and eastern Venezuela.
• Olivaceous flatbill (Rhynchocyclus olivaceus),
• Eye- ringed flatbill (Rhynchocyclus brevirostris),
• Pacific flatbill (Rhynchocyclus pacificus) and
• Fulvous-breasted flatbill (Rhynchocyclus fulvipectus).
• The recently discovered species has been named as cryptic flatbill (Rhynchocyclus cryptus) after its remarkable morphological cryptic nature.
• It largely contrasts with its high situations of oral and inheritable isolation.
• The species prefers seasonally swamped lowland timbers (varzea), including degraded patches near to mortal agreements.
• Other region of its preference are Amazon River, banks of Madeira River in Amazonas & Acre in Brazil, west of Maranon River in Peru, and south to north or central Bolivia in the Mamore.