• Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) inaugurated the first edition of Upnext India 2023 in presence of international buyers and exhibitors.

About

• This initiative is in the form of a series of Reverse Buyer Seller meet under the name of “UPNEXT INDIA”.
  • Reverse Buyer Seller Meet is to provide an opportunity for prospective importers (Buyers) to interact with their Indian counterparts (sellers) about the requirements, instead of sellers going to buyers to sell their products.
• Upnext India is organized by AEPC and supported by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry under the Market Access Initiative (MAI) Scheme.

Market Access Initiative (MAI)

• It is an Export Promotion Scheme. The scheme aims to act as a catalyst to promote India’s exports on a sustained basis.
• The scheme is formulated on the basis of the product and country focus approach. It will evolve specific markets and specific products through market studies/surveys.

Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC)

• Incorporated in 1978, AEPC is the official body of apparel exporters in India that provides invaluable assistance to Indian exporters as well as importers/international buyers who choose India as their preferred sourcing destination for garments.
• It is under the aegis of Ministry of Textiles.

• An Oxford University-led study has found alarming levels of toxic PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals” in the ice around Svalbard, Norway which pose a risk to the region’s wildlife.
• The Norwegian Arctic ice consists of 26 types of PFAS compounds which once the ice melts can be passed to ecosystems like Arctic fjords and tundra.

What are Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS)?

• The PFAs refer to a class of around 12,000 chemicals which are often found in consumer products which resist water, heat or stains and are also called “forever chemicals” since they do not naturally break down over time.
• Additionally, these chemicals are linked to a number of diseases including cancer, liver disease, etc.
• Therefore, these contaminants, once passed on, can affect the entire food web from small organisms like plankton or fish to apex predators in the region like polar bears.

Uses

• Cosmetics, electronics, textile (waterproof outdoor clothing),paper and cardboard food packaging, in non-stick cookware.

• Recently, Prime Minister paid tribute to Dayanand Saraswati on his 200th birth Anniversary.

About Dayanand Saraswati

• Born on February 12, 1824 in Tankara (Gujarat)and named Mul Shankar Tiwari.
• Swami Dayananda was a social reformer, hailing his contributions towards the fight against social discrimination and untouchability.
• He stressed the importance of education for all children and preached respect and equal rights for women.
• He spent 25 years as a wandering ascetic and travelled to the Himalayas, he also started practising Yoga during this time.
• He also preached against the giving of donations to priests. He also challenged established scholars and won debates against them through the strength of the Vedas.
• He was staunchly against rituals and superstitions.
• Literary Works: He wrote many books. His major contribution is Satyartha Prakash. Other books include Sanskarvidhi, Rigved Bhashyam, etc.
• He was first to give call for Swaraj as “India for Indian” in 1876.
• He started Shuddhi Movement wherein purification was imparted to those who sought their way back to Hinduism.

Arya Samaj

• He founded Arya Samaj in 1875 to counter social inequities.
• Arya Samaj led a prolonged movement against untouchability and advocated the dilution of caste distinctions.
• He issued the slogan, “Back to the Vedas.”
• He was unconcerned with the Puranas.
• Swami learned Vedanta from a blind instructor named Swami Virajananda in Mathura. His viewpoints were similar to Ram Mohan Roy’s.
• Intercaste marriages and widow remarriages were also promoted.
• Disbelief in polytheism and image worship, hostility to caste-based limitations, child marriage, opposition to the ban of sea journeys, and advocacy for female education and widow remarriage were all key programs shared by Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj members.
• He stressed on One God and rejected idol worship. He also advocated against the extolled position of priests in Hinduism. He opposed the multiplicity of castes.
• Dayanand anglovedic trust and Management society in Lahore in 1886 , was an attempt to unite the samaj and its activities.

• Scientists have discovered a new type of quasicrystal, one with 12-fold symmetry, in the Sand Hills of north central Nebraska, USA.
  • The dodecagonal quasicrystal is an example of a quasicrystal of any kind formed by electrical discharge.
• Quasicrystal is essentially a crystal-like substance. However, unlike a crystal, in which atoms are arranged in a repeating pattern, a quasicrystal consists of atoms that are arranged in a pattern that doesn’t repeat itself regularly.
• Quasicrystals can be easily produced in labs.
• It’s the first time that researchers have found a quasicrystal somewhere other than meteorites or the debris from nuclear blasts.
• It’s quite rare to discover naturally occurring quasicrystals.
  • The first one was identified in a meteorite, found in 2009 near the Khatyrka River in Chukhotka, Russia.
  • The second one was discovered in 2021 during the study of debris from the site of the world’s first nuclear explosion, which took place in 1945 in New Mexico.

Uses

• Since their discovery, quasicrystals have been widely created in labs and known to “possess novel electrical, photonic, and mechanical properties that aren’t found in other materials”.
• They are used in manufacturing non-stick frying pans, needles for acupuncture and surgery, dental instruments and razor blades.

• India plans to propose a global initiative called “MIIRA” or Millet International Initiative for Research and Awareness for global coordination of millet research programs.
• The millet research programs will coordinate millet research programmes at the international level.
• India’s plan to launch MIIRA is in line with the United Nations declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
• “MIIRA” or Millet International Initiative for Research and Awareness will be aimed at coordinating millet research programmes at the international level.
• For MIIRA to take off, India will contribute the “seed money” while each G20 member will later have to contribute to its budget in the form of a membership fee.
• The Indian Institute of Millet Research in Hyderabad will be supported as the Center of Excellence for sharing best practices, research, and technologies at the international level.
• The Indian Institute of Millet Research in Hyderabad will be supported as the Center of Excellence for sharing best practices, research, and technologies at the international level.
• MIIRA’s secretariat will be in Delhi.

About Millets

• These are small-grained cereals that require less water than rice and wheat and are mainly grown in rainfed areas.
• Major millet crops: sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), foxtail millet (kangni/Italian millet), and finger millet (ragi/mandua).
• According to the Ministry of Agriculture, bajra, jowar, and ragi accounts for nearly 7% of the gross cropped area in India.
• About 41% of global food production of millets takes place in India making India the largest producer of millet in the world.

• 13^th February marks the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu. She was famously known as Bharatiya Kokila (The Nightingale of India).
  • India celebrates Sarojini Naidu’s birth anniversary as National Women’s Day.

About

• Sarojini Naidu, was an Indian independence activist, poet, and politician.
• She was born on February 13, 1879, in Hyderabad, India.
• She joined the Indian national movement in the wake of partition of Bengal in 1905.
• The British government lauded Sarojini Naidu with the ‘Kaisar-i-Hind’ Medal for her service during the plague epidemic in India.

Contribution to Indian Freedom Movement:

• First Indian Woman President of Indian National Congress (INC) in 1925(Kanpur Session).
  • Annie Besant was the first woman President of the INC who presided it in 1917.
• Naidu took part in the Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Gandhi in 1920 and was arrested several times for her involvement in various freedom activities.
• In 1930, Sarojini Naidu led 2,500 marchers on the Dharasana Salt Works, some 150 miles north of Bombay.
• She accompanied Gandhiji to London for the inconclusive second session of the Round Table Conference for Indian–British cooperation (1931).
• In 1942, Sarojini Naidu was arrested during the “Quit India” movement and was jailed for 21 months with Gandhiji.
• She traveled abroad to Raise Awareness about India’s struggle for independence
• She also represented India at various international forums and spoke about the Indian independence movement and women’s rights.
• After India gained independence, Naidu was appointed as the governor of Uttar Pradesh, becoming the first woman to hold a governor’s office in India.
• Literary works–
  • Published in 1912, ‘In the Bazaars of Hyderabad’ remains one of her most popular poems.
  • Other works include “The Golden Threshold (1905)”, “The Bird of Time (1912)”, and “The Broken Wing (1912)”.

• ‘Himachal Niketan’, a five-story building will be constructed in Dwarka, Delhi for Rs 57.72 crore. There are two VIP rooms and 36 general rooms exclusively for the students with all facilities besides 40 other general suites.
• In Himachal Niketan, there will be three dormitories for the staff. It will also have a facility to park around 53 vehicles and 87 two-wheelers in the basement.
• The Himachal Niketan will consist of 81 rooms in total.
• The Chief Minister informed that this would be an additional facility apart from the existing Himachal Bhawan and Himachal Sadan, offering accommodation facilities to the Himachalis, especially students coming for various competitive examinations held in New Delhi.
• The PWD has been directed to ensure quality construction and that the building would be completed by 2025, and the PWD Minister would also review the progress of construction at regular intervals so that timely construction could also be ensured.

• Shiv Pratap Shukla was appointed as the new Governor of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday.
• Shiv Pratap Shukla will be the 29th Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
• Shiv Pratap Shukla is a resident of Rudrapur in the Gorakhpur district of UP.
• He is former MoS for Finance and has been a four-time MLA, three-time Union Minister and a member of the Rajya Sabha. Shukla started his political journey with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.

• Rama Thakur (34) of Shuru village in Manali subdivision in Kullu district has brought laurels to the country by scaling 5,685-m Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
• Rama has become the first woman from the state to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro on February 5.
• Rama is working as a leadership trainer at the Indus School of Leadership, Bengaluru, from where her expedition started.
• She had earlier conquered Mount Dosti, Mount Unam and Mount Deo Tibba. She is also the vice-president of the Himalayan Women’s Adventure Association of Manali.

• The Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Award will be presented to Journalist A.B.K. Prasad for his contributions towards journalism.
  • B.K. Prasad has devoted his 75 years of life to journalism. He has worked as an editor in major journals in AP. Also, he worked as the Chairman of the Official Language Commission between 2004 and 2009.
• The Press Council of India presents awards in the name of the legend every year.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy lived in the 19th century. The reformer founded Brahmo Samaj in 1828 and played a major role in abolishing Sati.