• India stressed the need to check tax evasion while addressing the meeting of the Asia Initiative of Global Forum.

About Asia Initiative (Bali Declaration)

• The Asia Initiative is focused on developing tailored solutions to ensure the implementation of tax transparency standards across Asia.
• Members: 17 countries including India.

• Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has informed Delhi High Court that an expert committee has been formed for conservation and preservation of the Jantar Mantar observatory.

About Jantar Mantar

• Jantar Mantar was built by Maharaja Jai Singh of Jaipur in 1724.
• He also built Jantar Mantar at Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi.
• The one in Jaipur is the largest sundial in the world.
• It consists of multiple buildings of unique form, each with a specialized function for astronomical measurement.
• It was built to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of sun, moon and planets.

• A tigress that had been captured after it killed two persons and injured another in Chhattisgarh’s Surajpur district was released into Achanakmar Tiger Reserve.

About Achanakmar Tiger Reserve

• It is located in the Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh.
• It was declared a tiger reserve in 2009.
• It is a part of the huge Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve.
• Maniyari River flows right from the centre of this reserve, which is the forest’s lifeline.
• It has a corridor connecting to Kanha and Bandhavgarh Tiger reserves and plays a critical role in the dispersal of tigers among these reserves.
• It is close to Amarkantak, the source of the Son River and Narmada River.
• Flora: Sal, bija, saja, haldu, teak, tinsa, dhawara, lendia, khamar and bamboo bloom here along with over 600 species of medicinal plants.
• Fauna- It is home to the Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, gaur, chital, striped hyena, Indian jackal, sloth bear, Ussuri dhole, sambar, nilgai, four-horned antelope, chinkara, blackbuck, Indian muntjac and wild boar, four variety of monkeys among other species.

• Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways recently said that under the National Hydrogen Mission of the country, Green Hydrogen/Ammonia bunkers and refuelling facilities will be established in all major ports by 2035.

About National Green Hydrogen Mission:

• It was approved by the Union Cabinet in January 2022.
• Aim: To make India a Global Hub for the production, utilization and export of Green Hydrogen and its derivatives.
• The mission outcomes projected by 2030 are:
  • Development of green hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonnes) per annum with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW in the country;
  • Over Eight lakh crore in total investments;
  • Creation of over six lakh jobs;
  • Cumulative reduction in fossil fuel imports over Rs. One lakh crore;
  • Abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions;

Types of Hydrogen based on Extraction Methods:

• Green Hydrogen: It is produced using electrolysis of water with electricity generated by renewable energy. The carbon intensity ultimately depends on the carbon neutrality of the source of electricity (i.e., the more renewable energy there is in the electricity fuel mix, the “greener” the hydrogen produced).
• Grey Hydrogen: It is produced via coal or lignite gasification (black or brown), or via a process called steam methane reformation (SMR) of natural gas or methane (grey). These tend to be mostly carbon-intensive processes.
• Blue Hydrogen: It is produced via natural gas or coal gasification combined with carbon capture storage (CCS) or carbon capture use (CCU) technologies to reduce carbon emissions.

• 19 nations including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Algeria, Egypt, Bahrain, and Iran have expressed interest in joining the emerging-markets bloc of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa).
• BRICS will hold its annual summit in Cape Town during the first week of June.

Other developments

• BRICS is planning to launch its own “new currency” system, a major step towards de-dollarization.
  • De-dollarization refers to the process wherein countries tend to reduce their reliance on US dollar (USD) as a reserve currency, medium of exchange, and also a unit of account.
  • It entails a mix of macroeconomic and microeconomic policies to enhance the attractiveness of the local currency in economic transactions.
• As per estimates, by 2028, BRICS is expected to make up 35 percent of global economy.

About BRICS

• The group was formalised in 2006 during the 1st meeting of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) Foreign Ministers on margins of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
  • South Africa joined it in 2010.
• HQ- Shanghai, China
• It deliberates on important issues under three pillars of political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people to people exchanges.
• Objective: Promote peace, security, development and cooperation; establish a more equitable and fair world.
• It comprises 41% of world population, having 24% of world GDP and over 16% share in world trade.
• It also established New Development Bank.

• Imphal, Indian Navy’s third indigenous stealth destroyer of Project 15B class, undertook maiden sea trial.

Project 15 B

• Project 15B of Visakhapatnam-class destroyers is a follow on of Project 15A (Kolkata class).
• Project 15B was initiated in 2011 to build four guided indigenous stealth missile destroyers.
  • INS Vishakhapatnam, INS Mormugao, INS Imphal and INS Surat.
• Project 15B ships are 163 meters long and 17 meters wide, displace 7400 tonnes when fully loaded, and have a maximum speed of 30 knots.
• These ships are equipped with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and long-range Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM).
• The overall indigenous content of the project is 75%.
• Ship has several indigenous weapons systems like medium range SAMs, indigenous torpedo tube launchers, anti-submarine indigenous rocket launchers and 76-mm super rapid gun mount.

• Sun halo, a rare celestial event was seen around the Sun in the skies in Northern part of India.

About Sun Halo

• It is an optical phenomenon, which happens when sunlight passes through unique hexagonal ice crystals in the atmosphere.
• This is also called Kaleidoscopic Effect.
• Hexagonal ice crystals are found in cirrus clouds.
  • These are thin and wispy clouds and are formed very high up in the atmosphere, at a height of over 20,000 feet.
• It results in a bright ring or halo encircling the sun, which has a radius of around 22 degrees.
• It is multi-coloured and looked like a rainbow enveloping the sun.
• The halo is the brightest at the inner edge of the circular disk, with no light inside the disk as no light is refracted at smaller angles.
• Red light is refracted less than other colours of light, so the halo’s inner edge is reddish.
  • Other shades typically tend to overlap and wash out.

• NMIS 2021-22 was undertaken by Department of Science and Technology in collaboration with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to evaluate innovation performance of manufacturing firms in India.
• This study is a follow-up of DST’s first National Innovation Survey held in 2011.
• It had two specific components viz.
  • Firm-level survey: It captured data related to process of innovation, access to finance, resources, and information for innovation.
  • Sectorial System of innovation survey: It targeted firm and non-firm actors through 5 selected sectorse., food & beverage, textiles, automotive, pharmaceutical, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
• Firm level survey findings were used to compile India Manufacturing Innovation Index (IMII), covering 28 states and 6 UTs.
• Major findings
  • Indian manufacturing sector has an overall IMII score of 28.17.
  • Karnataka ranked highest on NMIS score followed by Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.
  • Low scoring states are North-eastern states (excluding Assam), followed by Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand.
  • Barriers to innovation – lack of access to 4.0 technologies, no clear national innovation strategy, high cost, restricted finance, etc.

About UNIDO

• UNIDO (established in 1966) is a specialized agency of UN to promote, and accelerate industrial development.
• HQ- Vienna, Austria.
• Members- 171 (India is a founding member).
• UNIDO is custodian for 6 industry-related indicators under SDG 9.

• World’s second-deepest blue hole, around 900 ft deep, was discovered in Chetumal Bay, off the coast of Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
• It has been named Taam Ja’, which means ‘deep water’ in Mayan.
• The world’s deepest known deep hole was discovered in the South China Sea in 2016, and is known as the Dragon Hole or Longdong.
  • As per the records, it’s 987 ft deep.

About Blue holes

• Blue holes are large, undersea vertical caves or sinkholes found in coastal regions.
• Many contain a high diversity of plant and marine life, including corals, sea turtles and sharks.
• Blue Holes are found on coastal karst platforms around the world.
• They are believed to have been formed in the Ice Age around 11,000 years ago, when the sea level was as low as 100–120 m lower than current levels.
• Blue holes typically contain tidally influenced water of fresh, marine, or mixed chemistry.
• Their water circulation is poor, and they are commonly anoxic(oxygen deficient) below a certain depth.

• Raja Ravi Varma’s unfinished works will be unveiled at Kilimanoor Palace in Kerala on 175^th birth anniversary.

About Raja Ravi Varma

• He was born on April 29, 1848, in Kilimanoor.
• He was an Indian painter, born in Kerala, best known for uniting Hindu mythological subject matter with European realist historicist painting style.
• He created over 7000 paintings in his lifetime.
• He was the first Indian artist to use oil paints, which were brought to India by the Britishers.
• His painting ‘Hamsa Damayanti’, which depicts the story of King Nala and Damayanti from Mahabharata won the first prize at Vienna Exhibition in 1873.
  • Other major works include Nair Lady Adorning Her Hair, Shakuntala, woman holding a fruit, Yashoda Krishna
• He was awarded Kaiser-i-Hind Gold Medal in 1904 by British government.
• Raja Ravi Varma was the first Indian artist to have his works exhibited in Europe.
• He was a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, making him the first Indian to receive this honour.
• He was a pioneer in using art as a means of social reform, promoting education for women and advocating against social evils like child marriage.