Why in news?

• Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the 7^th consecutive edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS) 2022, the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey. It coincides with the celebrations of the 75^th year of India’s independence thus SS 2022 will focus on the theme of Azaadi@75 spirit.
• It is designed with ‘People First’ as its driving philosophy.

About Swachh Survekshan (SS) 2022:

• The survey has been initiated with around 3,000 assessors of Ipsos Research Pvt. Ltd., an Assessment Agency headquartered in Paris, France. In India, it is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Its scope has been expanded to cover 100% wards for sampling, as compared to 40% in previous years.
• It will look into the initiatives of cities for the overall welfare and well-being of frontline sanitation workers.
• SS2022 will also give priority to the feedback from senior citizens as a part of paying tribute to the wisdom of the elderly.
• Cities have been regularly filling in their data, updating their progress in the Swachhata Portal MIS (Management Information System) along with running several citizen centric campaigns in preparation of SS 2022.

New indicators added in SS2022:

• To commemorate the 75 years of progressive India, ULB’s (Urban Local Bodies) joined hands with citizens to identify at least one Chauraha /Roundabout in their respective cities that can be thematically decorated to showcase the spirit of the glorious 75 years of India’s independence.
• Another new indicator ‘Swachh Technology Challenge’, launched by MoHUA on December 6, 2021, has been added in SS 2022.
• As part of this challenge, individuals/organizations and start-ups submitted innovative solutions under four thematic categories, viz. social inclusion; zero dump (solid waste management); plastic waste management; and transparency through digital enablement, across all ULBs.
• For smaller cities, it introduces two population categories under 15K and between 15-25K.
• District rankings have also been introduced for the first time.

About Swachh Survekshan:

• Launched in 2016 by MoHUA as a competitive framework, it encourages cities to improve the status of urban sanitation with large scale citizen participation. It creates healthy competition among cities and towns of India.
• The survey was initiated with 73 cities which has grown to 4,320 cities in SS 2021, including 62 Cantonment Boards.

Why in news?

• The National Safety Day (NSD)is celebrated every year on the 4th of March to commemorate the foundation of the National Safety Council (NSC) of India.
• The day aims to raise public awareness of all safety principles, including road safety, workplace safety, human health safety, and environmental safety. The year 2022 marks 51st National Safety Day.
• This year, the National Safety Council of India announced the theme to be ‘Nurture young minds – Develop safety culture’.
• The first National Safety Day was observed in The National Safety Council was set up on 4th March 1966 by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, to develop and implement a voluntary routine in the areas of safety, health, and the environment.

Why in news?

• Investments in the Indian capital market through Participatory notes (P-notes) dropped to Rs. 87,989 crore at the end of January and experts believe that foreign investors will continue with their negative stance amid the Ukraine crisis.

About Participatory notes (P-notes)

• P-Notes are financial instruments required by investors or hedge funds to invest in Indian securities without having to register with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
• Investors save time, money and scrutiny associated with direct registration.
• P-Notes are among the group of investments considered to be Offshore Derivative Investments (ODIs). 
• The P-Notes include investments in equity, derivatives, debt and other hybrid instruments.
• Majority of the investments is in the equity space.
• P-notes are issued by registered Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) to overseas investors who wish to be a part of the Indian stock market without registering themselves directly
• They, however, need to go through a due diligence process.
• These investments are also beneficial to India as they provide access to quick money to the Indian capital marke

Why in news?

• Odisha government has planned to run the Sun Temple completely on solar energy
• Konark is going to be the first model town in Odisha to shift from grid dependency to green energy.

About  Konark Sun Temple

• Konark is situated at a comfortable distance from the famous religious and tourist centre of Puri (35 K.M.) and the capital city of Bhubaneswar (65 K.M.)
• “Konarka”, the place bears a name composed of two World elements: Kona meaning corner and ARKA meaning the Sun.
• The Sun god worshipped in Ark Kshetra is also called Konark.
• In ‘Brahma Purana’ the Sun Godin Ark-kshetra has been described as Konaditya.
• So it is evident that the place where the Kona aditya (or Kona-arka, the Sun god) was worshipped was also popularly called Konark.
• The main Temple was called by European sailors “The Black Pagoda”as it formed an important landmark for them in their coastal voyage.
• It forms part of the golden triangle of Odisha, along with Puri and Bhubaneswar, and attracts tourists, pilgrims, and history and art lovers.
• Built by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty from 1238-1250 CE.
• Features: The Sun Temple built in the thirteenth century was conceived as a gigantic chariot of Sun God, with twelve pairs of exquisitely ornamented wheels pulled by seven pairs of horses. 
• Its fine traceries and scroll work, the beautiful and natural cut of animal and human figures, all give it a superiority over other temples.
• The Sun temple belongs to the Kalinga School of Indian Temples with characteristic curvilinear towers mounted by Cupolas.
• The main sanctum which (229 ft. high) was constructed along with the  audience hall (128 ft. high) having elaborate external projections.
• The main sanctum which enshrined the presiding deity has fallen off.
• The Audience Hall survives  in its entirety but of the other two viz the Dancing Hall (nata Mandir) and the Dining Hall (Bhoga-Mandap), only small portions have survived the vagaries of time.
• The alignment of the Sun Temple is in the east-west direction.
• The temple is a World Heritage Site is situated in the eastern state of Odisha and  is  a massive temple dedicated to the Sun God temple
• Great poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote of Konark: “Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man.”
• Protection :
• The Sun Temple, Konârak is protected under the National Framework of India by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act (1958) and its Rules (1959).
• Other relevant protective legislation includes the Forest Act, Konârak Development Act and notified Council Area Act.

Why in news?

• Cash-strapped Egypt has increased transit fees for ships passing through the Suez Canal with hikes of up to 10%.

About

• The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway running north to south across the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt, to connect the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
• The canal separates the African continent from Asia.
• The Suez Canal Company built it between 1859 and 1869, and it opened on November 17, 1869.
• It provides the shortest maritime route between Europe and the lands lying around the Indian and western Pacific oceans.
• It is one of the world’s most heavily used shipping lanes, carrying over 12% of world trade by volume.

Why in news?

• Herath or the ‘Night of Hara(Shiva)’, generally known as Maha Shivratri, is the main festival celebrated by the Kashmiri Pandits across Jammu and Kashmir(J&K).
• The festival marks the marriage anniversary of Lord Shiva and Goddess Uma(Parvathi). 2022 Herath Festival was celebrated on 28th February 2022.
• Herath Festival is celebrated on “Trayodashi” or the 13th day of the dark half of the month of Phalguna (Hindu calendar), between February and March. The rest of the nation celebrates the Maha Shivratri on Chaturdashi or the 14th of Phalguna.
• The Kashmiri Pandits celebrate the festival by distributing walnuts as a mark of respect to the Hindu deities.

Why in news?

• Telangana became the top performing state in India with a population over one crore in terms of growth rate of Per Capita Net State Domestic Product at Current Prices by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• It succeeded other states like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• The Gross State Domestic Price (GSDP) of Telangana increased from Rs 359434 crores in 2011-12 to Rs 1,154,860 crores in 2021-22.
• It recorded GSDP growth by 31.12 per cent from 2011-12. It is one of the highest growth rates for any state in the country.
• In terms of the percentage growth in GSDP, Telangana has shown the most rapid increase in its growth rate by around 17% from 2020 to the present.
• Telangana provided more impetus to policies to transform the agricultural sector and simultaneously boost the growth for the IT (Information Technology) and the pharma sectors.
• Major projects including Rythu Bandhu scheme for farmers, world’s largest lift irrigation Kaleshwaram project to provide water to the fields and Arogya Laxmi scheme for pregnant and lactating women.

Why in news?

• India’s first ambulance for street animals has been launched in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It has been started by the Blue Cross of India in collaboration with the international animal welfare organization “Four Paw”.
• The Stray Animal Care programme will be a “hospital on wheels” with an onboard veterinarian to provide on-site treatment to injured and sick street animals.
• Apart from the veterinarian, the animal ambulance will also include a para veterinary-worker-cum-driver.
• The ambulance will include a treatment table, two fans, an inverter, a fridge, and drawers for sterile products and bandages. It will also come with a washbasin, an anti-skid shock-absorbing mat, a stretcher trolley, a retractable doctor’s seat, a retractable tarpaulin, dog-catching equipment, two movable cages to hold dogs, and overhead cupboards.
• There will also be a provision to administer intravenous fluids and oxygen on board.

Why in news?

• The World Wildlife Day is observed every year on March 3 to raise awareness about the world’s wild fauna and flora.
• The day also reminds us of the need to fight against wildlife crime and human-induced reduction of species causing various wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts.
• Theme of the day: World Wildlife Day will be celebrated in 2022 under the theme “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration”, as a way to draw attention to the conservation status of some of the most critically endangered species of wild fauna and flora, and to drive discussions towards imagining and implementing solutions to conserve them.
• The day was proposed by Thailand and recognised in 2013by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
• March 3 has been chosen as it is the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973.

Why in news?

• On February 27, 2022, India’s indigenous INS Visakhapatnam was dedicated to the City of Destiny, Visakhapatnam, formally.
• The destroyer was dedicated by Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Jagan Mohan Reddy, in a formal ceremony at the Naval Dockyard.
• It has been designed, developed and built indigenously in India.
• It is on her first visit to the City of Destiny for Ex MILAN-22 and Presidential Fleet Review.

About INS Visakhapatnam

• INS Visakhapatnam was commissioned in 2021. It will help the Indian Navy in dealing with emerging threats in Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• This destroyer is made in India and has onboard state of the art weapons and sensors as well as modern surveillance radars. The destroyer will also augment the mobility, flexibility and reach of Indian Navy.

Project 15B

• INS Visakhapatnam is India’s first among four stealth guided missile destroyers under Project 15B. It has 75 percent indigenous content.
• It has been constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.

Features of the destroyer

• This destroyer is the most technologically advanced guided destroyer worldwide. It has a displacement of 7, 400 tonnes.
• It is the most potent warship to be constructed in India.
• It measures 163m in length while 17m in breadth.
• It has the capability of speed in excess of 30 knots. It has anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
• It is propelled by four powerful Gas Turbines, in a Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) configuration.
• It has stealth features. It comprised of reduced Radar Cross Section (RCS), full beam superstructure design, plated masts, and efficient shaping of hull.
• It is also equipped to be deployed to fight in Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.