Currennt Context : Paul Kagame was sworn for another five-year term as Rwanda’s president after winning a landslide election victory.

• He is a former commander of the rebel armed force Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which ended Rwanda’s genocide in 1994, won over 99% of votes in the election.

ABOUT RWANDA

• Rwanda is a landlocked country Located in East-Central Africa
• Bordered by Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.
• It is known as the “Land of a Thousand Hills,
• Rivers : Nyabarongo and the Akagera.
• Lake Kivu is one of the Great Lakes of Africa and is shared with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Currency : Rwandan Franc (RWF)

Current Context : The Union Government will include an AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) package under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).

ABOUT AYUSHMAN BHARAT PRADHAN MANTRI JAN AROGYA YOJANA (AB PM-JAY). 

Launched: September 23, 2018

Aim : to provide health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to approximately 55 crore beneficiaries corresponding to 12.34 crore families constituting the bottom 40% of the population

Current Context : The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out the maiden flight test of the long-range glide bomb (LRGB) Gaurav from a Su-30 MK-I fighter jet of the Indian Air Force.

ABOUT GAURAV

• It is an air-launched 1,000 kg class glide bomb capable of hitting targets at long distances.
• The glide bomb steer towards the target using a highly accurate hybrid navigation scheme after launched.
• Designed and Developed by Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad.
• Development cum Production Partners : Adani Defence and Bharat Forge

Current Context : The sixth India-Australia Maritime Security Dialogue was held in Canberra.

• Significance : to sustain a safe and secure maritime environment conducive to inclusive growth and global well-being.
• Both nation discussed ways and means of further strengthening their bilateral cooperation.
• Way ahead : collaboration in the maritime ecology pillar of the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative (IPOI).

Current Context : India and Israel have joined hands for the establishment of a new water technology centre at IIT Madras. 

• This tripartite agreement, signed by the Embassy of Israel, IIT Madras, and the AMRUT mission of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
• Objective : to address the critical challenges of water management in India.
• The Center of Water Technology aims to become a hub for innovation, research, and capacity-building in water technologies, particularly focusing on sustainable solutions for urban water supply.

Current Context : Revenue and Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi laid the foundation stone of the world’s first controlled atmosphere (CA) store based on geothermal technology at Tapri in Kinnaur district.

• It would provide cost-effective storage facilities to the district’s horticulturists.
• It will be set up with the help of Iceland nation.
• Iceland scientists would provide geothermal technology training to horticulture experts of Himachal for the benefit of horticulturists

ABOUT CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE (CA) STORE

• It is a type of storage facility designed to regulate and maintain specific atmospheric conditions to preserve the quality and extend the shelf life of perishable products, particularly fruits and vegetables.

Current Context : Recently, Lok Sabha passed Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill 2024, to replace 90-year-old Aircraft Act.

• Aim : to replace it and eliminate redundancies at a time when India’s civil aviation business is among the fastest-growing globally.
• Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu moved the bill in Lok Sabha.
• Bill introduces regulations for aircraft design and manufacture, thus supporting the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
• It seeks to develop technological advancements and domestic production capacities while fostering self-reliance within the aviation industry.

Current Context : Recently, Amrit Gyan Kosh portal and Faculty Development portal were launched under Mission Karmayogi.

• Amrit Gyan Kosh portal provides a shared knowledge bank with India-centric case studies.
• The Faculty Development portal focuses on training practitioners and faculty to improve knowledge delivery to civil servants.

ABOUT MISSION KARMAYOGI

• It is an initiative by the Government of India aimed at reforming and modernizing the civil services in India.
• Launched :September 2, 2020
• Objective : To improve the performance and effectiveness of civil servants through a comprehensive and continuous capacity-building framework.
• Government approved the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB) with six key pillars including :
  • Policy Framework, Institutional Framework, Competency Framework, Digital Learning Framework (iGOT-Karmayogi), the electronic Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS) and the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.

Managed by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), with oversight from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Current Context : Recently, Ministry of Education released the 9th edition of National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024.

• IIT Madras, IISc Bengaluru, and IIT Bombay topped the rankings in their respective categories.
• The NIRF covered 13 categories, including universities, colleges, engineering, and medical fields till 2023.
• In 2024,three new categories,namely Open Universities,State Public Universities and Skill Universities are being introduced, thereby expanding the portfolio of Indian Rankings from 13 in 2023 to 16 in 2024.

UNIVERSITY RANKINGS :

ABOUT NATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL RANKING FRAMEWORK (NIRF)

• It is an initiative by the Government of India designed to assess and rank higher education institutions across various parameters.
• Launched : 2015
• Ministry : Ministry of Education, Government of India
• Objective : To rank higher education institutions in India based on various parameters to promote excellence and transparency in the higher education sector.
• Key Parameters of Evaluation:
  • Teaching, Learning, and Resources (TLR) (30%)
  • Research and Professional Practices (RPC) (30%)
  • Graduation Outcomes (GO) (20%)
  • Outreach and Inclusivity (OI) (10%)
  • Perception (PR) (10%)

HIMACHAL UNIVERSITIES RANKING IN OVERALL

• Indian Institute of Technology Mandi ranked 72 out of 100
• Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences in Solan ranked 89 out of 100

Current Context : Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are on high alert for potential flooding after a crest gate of the 71-year-old Tungabhadra dam.

ABOUT TUNGABHADRA DAM

• It is formed at the confluence near Shimoga of two streams, Tunga and Bhadra, that rise in the Western Ghats.
• River: Tungabhadra River (a tributary of the Krishna River).
• Built In:
• It include Tungabhadra reservoir which sprawls over an area of 378 sq km primarily in Karnataka’s Vijayanagar district.
• It is one of the major reservoirs in South India
• It supplies water for irrigation and industrial use, as well as drinking water to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Storage capacity : 133TMCFT (thousand million cubic feet).