• Released by the World Bank. WGI provide a ranking of 215 countries based on six dimensions of governance:

1. ‘Voice and Accountability’.
2. ‘Political Stability and Absence of Violence’.
3. ‘Government Effectiveness’.
4. ‘Regulatory Quality’.
5. ‘Rule of Law’.
6. ‘Control of Corruption.’

Major Incidents Which Hugely Affected India’s WGI Rank:

• Kashmir issue.
• Harassment of Activists.
• Sedition laws.
• Cancellation of NGO licences.

• Mozambique has identified its first case of wild poliovirus  Type 1 this week after a child contracted the disease. It is the country’s first such case since 1992 and the second imported case of wild poliovirus in Southern Africa this year.

When a country is declared polio free ?

• There are three variants of the poliovirus, numbered 1 to 3.For a country to be declared polio-free, the wild transmission of all three kinds has to be stopped. For eradication, cases of both wild and vaccine-derived polio infection have to be reduced to zero.

Efforts by India in this regard:

• India was declared polio-free in January 2014, after three years of zero cases.
• Under  the pulse polio programme, all states and Union Territories have developed Rapid Response Teams (RRT) to respond to any polio outbreak in the country.
• In 2014, the government made the Oral Polio Vaccination (OPV) mandatory for those travelling between India and polio-affected countries, such as Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Syria and Cameroon.

New Development Bank (NDB) is setting up a regional office in Gujarat, India for funding and monitoring infrastructure projects in that country and Bangladesh.

About NDB:

• It is a multilateral development bank operated by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
• It was agreed to by BRICS leaders at the 5th BRICS summit held in Durban, South Africa in 2013.
• It was launched in 2015, at the 6th BRICS Summit at Fortaleza, Brazil.
• The bank is set up to foster greater financial and development cooperation among the five emerging markets.
• Headquartered in Shanghai, China.

India is closely monitoring the construction of a bridge by China on the Pangong Tso (lake) in eastern Ladakh.

What’s the issue?

• On the north bank, there is a PLA garrison at Kurnak fort and on the south bank at Moldo, and the distance between the two is around 200 km.
• The new bridge between the closest points on two banks, which is around 500 m, will bring down the movement time between the two sectors from around 12 hours to three or four hours.
• This will significantly bring down the time for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to move troops and equipment between the two sectors.
• The bridge is located around 25 km ahead of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

• The India Child Protection Forum [ICPF] has opposed the move to raise the marriage age of women.
• ICPF is an umbrella body of child rights organisations launched by Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi.
• It recently appeared before the parliamentary panel studying the Bill on raising the age of marriage for women to 21 from 18 years.

Why ICPF is against raising the age?

• Because, raising the age of marriage for women to 21 will result in criminalising young adults entering into wedlock, especially those who marry against the consent of their parents.
• It will empower the patriarchal violence against women’s autonomy” when they exercise their choice to marry.

According to ASI, the Odisha state government was constructing the Puri Heritage Corridor project without proper licence in protected and controlled areas of the monument. A PIL has been filed in court against the proposal, which has prompted worries about its influence on the structural safety of the Puri temple.

What is the Puri heritage corridor project?

• Conceived in 2016, the Project aims to transform the holy town of Puri into an international place of heritage.
• The project includes redevelopment of Puri lake and Musa river revival plan.
• Puri Jagannath Temple is an important Vaishnavite temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Sri Krishna in Puri in Odisha.
• The temple is believed to have been constructed in the 12th century by King Anatavarman Chodaganga Deva of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty.
• Jagannath Puri temple is called ‘Yamanika Tirtha’ where, according to the Hindu beliefs, the power of ‘Yama’, the god of death has been nullified in Puri due to the presence of Lord Jagannath.
• The Puri temple is famous for its annual Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three principal deities are pulled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars.

A first of its kind Bird Festival is going to be organized in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to promote sustainable ecotourism and give impetus to nature-based alternative sources of livelihood for the local people. The festival is planned to be held in Pahalgam and Dachigam, Jammu and Kashmir. The Tourism Department, Forests and Wildlife Departments with the support of Sanctuary Nature Foundation will conduct the pre-festival bird watching trails for more than a month all across J&K.

Assam Rifles, Axis Bank and National Integrity and Educational Development Organisation (NIEDO) have signed a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a Centre of Excellence and Wellness, to secure a better future for the youth of Nagaland.

• Centre would be named as the ‘Late Capt N Kenguruse, MVC Centre of Excellence and Wellness’ which would be located at Chieswema in the outskirts of Kohima, Nagaland.
• The centre was named after an Indian Army officer Late Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguruse from Nagaland.

Key Takeaways

The programme emanating following the establishment of Centre of Excellence and Wellness in Nagaland, has following significance:

i.The MoU conceptualised Centre of Excellence and Wellness would provide a year-long fully residential coaching and mentoring facility for students from economically weaker and underprivileged sections of Nagaland to prepare them for competitive examinations.

1. It is expected to be fully functional for the first batch of 30 students by the first week of July 2022

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) designed and developed, ‘HANSA-NG’, India’s First Indigenous Trainer Aircraft (new generation two seater flying trainer aircraft) was successfully completed in-flight engine relight test at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) facility of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) at Challakere, Chitradurga district of Karnataka.

The Indian Navy in association with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired the first indigenously developed air launched Naval Anti-ship missile from a Seaking 42B Helicopter at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore, Odisha.

Key Points:

i.The missile is fitted with many new technologies such as an indigenously developed launcher for the helicopter, Missile Guidance System, a State-of-the-art navigation system and integrated avionics.

ii.The firing adds the silver line, in steps towards achieving Self-reliance in niche missile technology and reaffirms the Indian Navy’s commitment to indigenisation.