Current Context :The Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus has been sworn in as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign and flee to neighbouring India.

ABOUT BANGLADESH

• Location: in South Asia, bordered by India to the west, north, and east, Myanmar (Burma) to the southeast, and the Bay of Bengal to the south.
• Governance : parliamentary democracy. The President is the head of state, while the Prime Minister is the head of government.
• Colonial Period: was a part of British India until 1947 when it became East Pakistan following the partition of India.
• Independence : Gained independence from Pakistan after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, becoming a sovereign state.
• Political Parties: Awami League (AL) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
• Religion: Predominantly Muslim, with a minority Hindu population and smaller communities of Buddhists and Christians.

Current Context : India is getting ready to roll out BPaL (bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid) regimen for all multi/extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis patients.

Known as BPal, the new treatment regime involves use of three medicines—Bedaquiline, Pretomanid and Linezolid—with 89 per cent success rate within six months.

• Bedaquiline: An antitubercular drug that is used to treat MDR-TB. It works by inhibiting the bacterial enzyme ATP synthase, which is essential for the energy production in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
• Pretomanid: A newer drug approved specifically for TB treatment. It has a novel mechanism of action that disrupts the bacterial cell wall and inhibits the synthesis of essential components.
• Linezolid: An antibiotic used for various infections, including resistant strains of TB. It works by inhibiting protein synthesis in bacteria.
• It will reduce treatment time from 18 – 24 months  to around six months.

TB BURDEN IN INDIA:

• Currently, India has a 56% treatment success rate for MDR/RR-TB cases, and 48% for XDR-TB cases.
• According to the WHO’s Global TB Report 2023, India has the highest drug-resistant TB burden in the world, with an estimated 110,000 new cases emerging annually.
• Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat and West Bengal are some of the states with a large number of officially recorded drug resistant TB patients,

Current Context : The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) launched the initiative “Million Designers, Billion Dreams.”

Aimed at empowering rural communities in India through design and entrepreneurship.

ABOUT

• “Million Designers, Billion Dreams” is a unique initiative designed to enhance the capacity of individuals through systems design know-how.
• It targets rural leaders, frontline change agents and village entrepreneurs, equipping them with the skills to create impactful, scalable solutions.

Observed annually on August 13.

• Aim : to raising awareness about the importance of organ donation and encouraging people to consider becoming organ donors.
• Theme : Be the Reason for Someone’s Smile Today.

Current Context : Himachal Pradesh government has unveiled a new initiative, the HIM-UNNATI scheme, to promote natural farming across the state.

• The programme will focus on making the agriculture sector economically viable through a cluster-based development model and promoting natural farming.
• Fund allocation : ₹150 crore,
• It will benifit the efforts of approx 92 lakh farmers already practising chemical-free farming on over 32,149 hectares of land.
• HIM-UNNATI scheme includes 100 percent soil test-based nutrient management to enhance soil productivity, the promotion of high-end product cultivation, and support for traditional crops and millet procurement.

Current Context : Nagaland becomes the first state in the country to implement the disaster management insurance.

• Collaboration with : the state government and SBI General Insurance have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Disaster Risk Transfer Parametric Insurance Solution (DRTPS)  for a period of three years.
• Aim : to safeguarding the state against natural calamities.
• Disaster Risk Transfer Parametric Insurance Solution (DRTPS) will aid in protecting the state’s critical infrastructure and reduce economic losses due to a disast

Current Context : Wrestler Aman Sehrawat won the bronze medal, defeating Puerto Rico’s Darian Toi Cruz in the men’s 57kg freestyle category at the Paris Olympics.

ABOUT :

• He was born 16 July 2003 in Birohar, Jhajjar district, Haryana.
• He is an Indian freestyle wrestler who competes in the 57 kg weight category.
• He is the youngest Indian to win an individual Olympic medal, having secured a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

He also won a gold medal at the 2022 U23 World Championships and was the 2023 Asian champion.

Current Context : Neeraj Chopra won silver in the men’s javelin final with a best effort of 89.45m at Paris Olympics.

• Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won gold with an Olympic record of 92.97m at the Games in Paris.

ABOUT NEERAJ CHOPRA  :

• He is an Indian track and field athlete competing in javelin throw.
• Born on 24 December 1997 in Khandra, Haryana, India
• First Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal after he won the gold medal at the 2020 Olympics.
• First Asian to win gold in the javelin throw event after his win at the 2023 World Championship.

Awards : awarded the Arjuna Award in 2018, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2021 Padma Shri in 2022, the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2020.

Current Context : The Indian hockey team has claimed a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics after defeating Spain 2-1.

• India captain Harmanpreet Singh led from the front handing India.
• Team India has claimed a second consecutive Olympic bronze medal after 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF HOCKEY TEAM IN OLYMPICS

Gold Medals:

• 1928 Amsterdam: India won its first Olympic gold medal in hockey.
• 1932 Los Angeles: Secured a second consecutive gold medal.
• 1936 Berlin: Won their third consecutive gold medal, led by the legendary Dhyan Chand.
• 1948 London: Post-independence, India clinched its fourth gold medal.
• 1952 Helsinki: Achieved its fifth gold medal.
• 1956 Melbourne: Won the sixth gold medal, with the final match against Pakistan.

BRONZE MEDALS:

• 1972 Munich: India secured the bronze medal, marking a notable achievement after a period of decline.
• 2020 Tokyo: India won the bronze medal, marking its first Olympic medal in hockey since 1980. The team, coached by Graham Reid, defeated Germany in the bronze medal match.
• 2024 Paris : bronze medal

Current Context : The Indian Army has conducted a strategic military exercise, ‘Parvat Prahaar’, in Ladakh, focusing on high-altitude warfare and operations.

• The ‘Parvat Prahaar’ (Mountain Strike) exercise emphasises mountainous and rugged terrains, such as those found in regions like Eastern Ladakh.
• It is crucial for maintaining the readiness and effectiveness of the Army in the region, which is close to the India-China border.

VARIOUS MULTINATIONAL EXERCISES :

• Exercise Desert Strike : Conducted in desert areas such as Rajasthan to enhance operational readiness in desert warfare.
• Exercise Sudarshan Shakti
• Exercise Trishul
• Exercise Gaganshakti : Between Indian Air Force and Indian Army units.