Current Context : The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated 11 new biosphere reserves, recognizing their importance for conserving biodiversity and cultural heritage.

• The new designations are in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Gambia, Italy, Mongolia, Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Spain.

ABOUT BIOSPHERE RESERVE :

• Biosphere reserves are nominated by national governments and remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the States where they are located.
• They are designated by UNESCO following an intergovernmental designation process the under the Man and Biodiversity (MAB) Programme.
• The new reserves bring the World Network of Biosphere Reserves up to 759 sites in 136 countries and cover a total of 7,442,000 square kilometres (about 2,870,000 square miles), almost the size of Australia.
• There are about 275 million people living in biosphere reserves worldwide.
• There are 18 biosphere reserves in India.

ABOUT MAN AND BIODIVERSITY (MAB) PROGRAMME.

• It is an intergovernmental scientific programme.
• Objective : to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environments.

Current Context : NABARD will launch an Integrated Tribal Development Programme (ITDP) in the Kulathupuzha Gram Panchayat in Kerala.

• Aim : to transform livelihoods of 413 tribal families through diverse agricultural and non-agricultural activities.
• Programme focuses on promoting diverse agricultural crops such as pepper, arecanut, coconut, ginger, Thai ginger, turmeric, and plantain, as well as initiatives in goat rearing, poultry, beekeeping, fish farming, and fodder production.

ABOUT ITDP

• It is a flagship project of NABARD that has been implemented since 2005-06.
• It is centred around ‘wadi’, which is a small orchard based programme.
• ‘Wadi’ model is holistic in approach, based on tribals’ affinity to trees and forests.
• Objective : To create replicable models of integrated development of tribal families on participatory basis, through adoption of sustainable income generating activities based on potential of the area and the tribal needs.

Projects are funded through Tribal Development Fund (TDF).

Current Context : India Participated in the 33rd Partnership for Maternal, Newborn &Child Health (PMNCH) Board Meeting.

• It was held in Geneva (Switzerland).

ABOUT PARTNERSHIP FOR MATERNAL, NEWBORN &CHILD HEALTH (PMNCH)

• It is the world’s largest alliance committed to protecting and promoting the health, well-being and rights of women, children and adolescents.
• Aim: To have world in which every woman, child and adolescent realizes their right to health and well-being, leaving no one behind.
• Funded by inter-governmental organizations, and UN agencies etc.
• Governed by a Board and administered by a Secretariat hosted by World Health Organization (WHO).
• Established in September 2005.

Current Context : China witnessed a historic moment with the completion and operation of the world’s first fully high-temperature superconducting tokamak device, named HH70, in its eastern Municipality of Shanghai.

ABOUT TOKAMAK

• Tokamak devices, often called “artificial suns,” are traditionally large and expensive.
• Tokamak is a machine for controlled thermonuclear fusion with a toroidal shape, similar to a doughnut.
• Designed and built by a commercial company, Energy Singularity.

SIMILAR INITIATIVE

Previously, the EU and Japan inaugurated JT-60SA, the world’s largest and most advanced Tokamak fusion reactor in Japan and pledged support to advance fusion research for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL THERMONUCLEAR EXPERIMENTAL REACTOR (ITER).

• ITER is a global scientific partnership between China, Europe, Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the US.
• It’s currently under construction in
• Objective: To prove the viability of fusion as an energy source.
• It will be the largest Tokamak device to test magnetic confinement to produce fusion energy.

India formally joined the ITER Project in 2005.

Current Context :  Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram (VIST) is all set to receive the first mothership.

ABOUT

• It is India’s first deepwater container transshipment port.
• Location: Vizhinjam, a coastal town in Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala.
• Developed in a landlord model with a public-private partnership component on a design, build, finance, operate, and transfer (“DBFOT”) basis.
• Built by Adani Ports Private Ltd., India’s largest private sector port operator.
• Construction of the port began in December 2015.
• Strategically located just 10 nautical miles from the busy international shipping route connecting Europe, the Persian Gulf and the Far East.
• It is positioned to compete with global transshipment hubs like Colombo, Singapore, and Dubai, reducing the cost of container movement to and from foreign destinations.
• It has a natural draft of 18-20 meters, which means that some of the largest container vessels in the world will be able to dock here.
• There would be about 30 berths, most of which would be capable of handling mother vessels.

Current Context : Recently, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued the norms that all credit card bill payments via third-party applications must now be routed through the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS).

ABOUT BHARAT BILL PAYMENT SYSTEM (BBPS):

• It is a payment channel system conceptualized by the RBI and managed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
• It is an integrated ecosystem connecting banks and non-banks in bills aggregation business, Billers, payment service providers and retail Bill outlets.
• The system will provide multiple payment modes and instant confirmation of receipt of payment.
• It offers bill collection categories like electricity, telecom, Mobile Post paid, DTH, gas, water bills etc. through a single window.

Current Context : Digital Bharat Nidhi would replace the erstwhile Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

ABOUT USOF

• It is a financial mechanism to support the expansion of telecommunication services, especially in rural and remote areas.
• It was created in 2003 to improve telecom services in parts of the country that don’t make a lot of money.
• It is funded by a 5% tax on telecom operators’ adjusted gross revenue (AGR).

ABOUT DIGITAL BHARAT NIDHI (DBN) :

• It is an initiative by Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
• It would replace the erstwhile Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to ensure better allocation of resources.
• Aim : improve internet connectivity, particularly in rural, remote, and economically disadvantaged areas, foster technology innovation, promote innovation and to support startups in the telecom sector.
• This money would be used to fund the expansion of telecom networks in remote and rural areas.
• It will focus on research, development, and overall connectivity improvement.
• Funding : Payments received for DBN will first be credited to the Consolidated Fund of India. They will then be credited to the DBN by the central government (on parliamentary approval through a law).

Current Context : NCPCR declared Jharkhand mica mines ‘child labour free,’ ensures all local children head to school.

• He emphasized that all child labourers have been withdrawn from the mica mines and are now enrolled in schools.

NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR PROTECTION OF CHILD RIGHTS (NCPCR)

• It is a statutory body established under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005.
• The NCPCR came into existence in March 2007.
• It comes under the administrative control of the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• Aim : to safeguard children’s rights as provided in the Constitution and other laws of the land.
• The Chairperson and Members of the Commission are appointed by the Central government.
• Various Initiatives for Child Rights : MASI App, GHAR – GO, Samvardhan, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) e-Box

ABOUT MICA

• Mica is a non -metallic mineral based on a collection of
• Formed in igneous and metamorphic rocks.
• Uses : electrical and electronic industries.
• China is the largest producer of Mica in the world.
• India is the eighth-largest producer of Mica in the world.
• India is the largest exporter of Mica in the world, followed by China.
• Andhra Pradesh is the largest mica producer in India, followed by Rajasthan.

Current Context : Ministry of Culture initiates Project PARI (Public Art of India) for the upcoming 46th World Heritage Committee Meeting in New Delhi.

Aim : to stimulate dialogue, reflection, and inspiration, contributing to the dynamic cultural fabric of the nation.

ABOUT PROJECT PARI (PUBLIC ART OF INDIA)

• Initiative of Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
• Executed by Lalit Kala Akademi and National Gallery of Modern Art.
• Over 150 visual artists from all over the country working on various sites for beautification of public spaces for the upcoming event in the national capital New Delhi.
• The proposed sculptures for Project PARI explore a wide range of themes, including tributes to nature, ideas inspired by the Natyashastra, Gandhi ji, traditional Indian toys, hospitality, ancient knowledge, Naad or Primeval Sound, Harmony of Life, and Kalpataru (the divine tree).
• Women artists have been an integral part of Project PARI and their participation in large numbers is a testimony of Bharat’s NARI SHAKTI.

Celebrated every year on 10th July.

• Aim : to promote awareness for alternative forms of energy.
• The day also offers opportunities to learn more about renewable forms of energy, such as solar, wind, and geothermal.