• Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has decided to adopt Tikkar block of Rohru subdivision in Shimla district by becoming Nikshay Mitra under the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
• He has taken the responsibility of looking after all the identified 49 tuberculosis patients of this block.
• The government has set a target to make Himachal Pradesh a tuberculosis-free state by the end of the year 2023.
• He appealed to the people to come forward to be a part of this campaign and cooperate in making Himachal TB-free and adopting the patients as Nikshay Mitra so that they could be given better health care.

• Using a remote-controlled submarine, researchers at Smithsonian Institution, Washington, discovered five new species of black corals living as deep as 2,500 feet (760 metres) below the surface in the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea off the coast of Australia.
• Black corals can be found growing both in shallow waters and down to depths of over 26,000 feet (8,000 metres), and some individual corals can live for over 4,000 years.
• Many of these corals are branched and look like feathers, fans or bushes, while others are straight like a whip. Unlike their colourful, shallow-water cousins that rely on the sun and photosynthesis for energy, black corals are filter feeders and eat tiny zooplankton that are abundant in deep waters.
• In the past, corals from the deep parts of this region were collected using dredging and trawling methods that would often destroy the corals.
• The researchers first sent a robot down to these particular deep-water ecosystems, allowing the team to actually see and safely collect deep sea corals in their natural habitats. Over the course of 31 dives, the researchers collected 60 black coral specimens.
• They then removed the corals from the sandy floor or coral wall using the rover’s robotic claws, placed the corals in a pressurised, temperature-controlled storage box and then brought them up to the surface.
• The researchers then examined the physical features of the corals and sequenced their DNA.
• Among the many interesting specimens were five new species – including one that was found growing on the shell of a nautilus more than 2,500 feet (760 metres) below the ocean’s surface.
• Similarly to shallow-water corals that build colourful reefs full of fish, black corals act as important habitats where fish and invertebrates feed and hide from predators in what is otherwise a mostly barren sea floor.
• For example, a single black coral colony researchers collected in 2005 off the coast of California, United States, was home to 2,554 individual invertebrates.

• Quad members Australia and India did not participate in a conference on the Indian Ocean organised by China last week. Maldives, a close security partner of India’, also did not participate though the organisers of the “China-Indian Ocean Forum on Development Cooperation”.
• Analysts see the move as an attempt to challenge India’s traditional presence in the region as also a move to politicise the Indian Ocean region. It is also being seen as a move to counter New Delhi-led Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and Indian Ocean Navies Symposium (IONS) under the “Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)” policy.
• The event saw participation from about 18 countries from the region and was held in hybrid format in Kunming along with several parallel events such as the 6th China-South Asia expo, and the China-Indian Ocean region thinktank forum. Sources said a few of the participants were individuals or groups whom China claimed represented their countries.
• Australian High Commissioner Barry O’Farrell specifically denied that Canberra had sent a representative to Kunming and said the IORA is the “only ministerial-level forum for Indian Ocean”. Its Ministerial Council meeting last week here was attended by Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts who has been elected its Vice Chair.
• Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denied participating in the Forum and said it had communicated to Beijing on November 15. A joint press statement released by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) said Maldives had participated in the “China-Indian Ocean Forum on Development Cooperation”.
• CIDCA is headed by former Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui which claimed that there was representation from 19 countries, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Indonesia, Myanmar, Maldives, Iran, Oman, South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, Djibouti and Australia.

• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) was recently conferred with the ‘Award of Excellence’ at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation-2022.

About:

• The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation is supported by a partnership between UNESCO and Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation since 2021.
• UNESCO introduced the new category, ‘Special Recognition for Sustainable Development’, in 2020, together with an updated set of Awards Criteria to acknowledge the role and contribution of cultural heritage to sustainable development within the broader framework of the UN 2030 Agenda.
• Since 2000, the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation programme has been recognizing the efforts of private individuals and organizations in restoring, conserving, and transforming structures and buildings of heritage value in the region.
• The complete list of 2022 awarded projects comprises: 
• Award of Excellence
  • Chhtrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum, Mumbai, India
• Award of Distinction 
  • Stepwells of Golconda, Hyderabad, India
  • Zarch Qanat, Yazd, Iran
  • Neilson Hays Library, Bangkok, Thailand
• Award of Merit
  • Topdara Stupa, Charikar, Afghanistan
  • Nantian Buddhist Temple, Fujian, China
  • Domakonda Fort, Telangana, India
  • Byculla Station, Mumbai, India
  • Sadoughi House, Yazd, Iran
  • 25 Chivas in Kathmandu, Nepal
• Special Recognition for Sustainable Development
  • West Guizhou Lilong Neighborhood, Shanghai, China
• Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts
  • M30 Integrated Infrastructure for Power Supply and Waste Collection, Macao SAR, China
  • Xiaoxihu Block, Nanjing, China.

• The Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has approved the Himalayan Yak as a ‘food animal’.
• The move is expected to help check decline in the population of the high-altitude bovine animal by making it a part of the conventional milk and meat industry, an official at the National Research Centre (NRC) on Yak at Dirang in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh
• Food Animals are those that are raised and used for food production or consumption by humans.
• The NRC-Yak had in 2021 submitted a proposal to the FSSAI, for considering the yak as a food animal. However, The FSSAI responded with an official approval recently after a recommendation from the department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, NRC-Yak Director Dr Mihir Sarkar informed.
• The animal play multi-dimensional socio-cultural-economic role for the pastoral nomads who rear yaks mainly for earning their nutritional and livelihood security due to virtual inexistence of other agricultural activity in the high reaches of Himalayan region.
• Traditionally, yaks are reared under transhumance system which is primitive, unorganized and full of hardship.
• “FSSAI’s recognition of Yak as food producing animal will help farmers benefit economically for rearing the animal and it will open up several vistas of economic benefits for both farmers and food processors,” Dr Sarkar said.
• He said the Centre has developed a semi-intensive model of yak rearing in which yaks are maintained in open area as well as in paddock round the year. It is widely believed that declaration of yak as a food animal by FSSAI will pave the way for its commercial rearing and consumption by adopting the yak rearing model developed by NRC-Yak.
• Dr Sarkar said that the Yak population in the country is decreasing at an alarming rate over the years.
• As per the latest census carried out in 2019, India has 58,000 yaks which is around 25 per cent drop from last livestock census carried out in 2012.
• “This drastic decline in yak population in India has become a cause of concern to the local users, government officials and those who promote conservation for animal genetic diversity,” Dr Sarkar said.
• Yak milk is highly nutritious, rich in fat, contain essential minerals and have medicinal value.
• Yak farmers produce various traditional meat products. These products are confined to local community level, produced and sold locally, the director said, adding that Yak meat is known to be very lean and it is better than beef.
• “The decline in yak population could be attributed to less remuneration from yak and so the younger generations are reluctant to continue with nomadic yak rearing. It is mainly because yak milk and meat are not a part of the conventional dairy and meat industry; their sale is limited to local consumers,” he said.
• However, commercialization of these milk and meat products will lead to entrepreneurship development. But for that it has to enter into conventional meat industry, Dr Sarkar said.

About

• The ship, named ‘Ikshak’ which means ‘Guide’, is being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and Larson and Toubro (L&T).
• The ship’s name honours the role that Survey ships have played in ensuring the safety of mariners when at sea.
• The first of class ship ‘Sandhayak’was launched on December 5, 2021 at GRSE, Kolkata. SVL ships will replace the existing Sandhayak Class survey ships with new generation hydrographic equipment to collect oceanographic data.
• Despite challenges due to COVID-19 pandemic, L&T and GRSE have made substantial progress and aim to deliver ‘Ikshak’ by Oct 2023. Launch of the third Survey Vessel reinforces our resolve for indigenous shipbuilding as part of our Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Make in India’, and thrust to the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
• The Survey Vessels Large will have over 80% indigenous content by cost. This will also ensure that large scale defence production are executed by Indian manufacturing units thereby generating employment and capability build up within the country

About the ship

• The Survey Vessel (Large) ships are 110 m long, and 16 m wide with a deep displacement of 3400 tons and a complement of 231 personnel.
• The ship’s propulsion system consists of two main engines with twin shafts, each capable of a maximum speed of 18 knots and a cruise speed of 14 knots.

• Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched the Har Ghar Gangajal project in Rajgir.
• It is a unique and ambitious initiative to provide Ganga water on tap in the parched areas of the state.
• The scheme will help to harvest the excess water of the Ganga during the monsoon season.
• The water will be stored in reservoirs in Rajgir and Gaya before being channelled to three treatment-and-purification plants, from where it will be supplied to the public.
• Har Ghar Gangajal is part of the Bihar government’s Jal, Jeevan, Hariyali scheme.

• Ministry of Textiles will give away Shilp Guru and National Awards to master craftspersons for 2017, 2018 and 2019 in New Delhi on 28th November 2022.
• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will be the Chief Guest of the award ceremony. Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal will preside over the function.
• The Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) has been implementing the scheme of National Awards for master craftspersons since 1965.
• The Shilp Guru Awards was introduced in 2002.
• These Awards are being conferred every year to legendary master craftspersons of handicrafts whose work have contributed to the preservation of rich and diverse craft heritage of the country.
• The main objective is to give recognition to outstanding craftspersons in the handicrafts sector.
• The awardees represent almost all states and UTs of the country, as well as different craft styles of different locations. Due to the pandemic, the awards for the last three years are being conferred together.

• The bilateral training exercise “AUSTRA HIND 22” between contingents of the Indian Army and the Australian Army is scheduled to take place at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges (Rajasthan) from November 28 to 11th December 2022.
• This is the first exercise in the series of AUSTRA HIND with the participation of all arms and services contingent from both armies.
• The Australian Army contingent comprising soldiers from the 13th Brigade of the 2nd Division has arrived at the exercise location.
• The Indian Army is represented by troops from the DOGRA Regiment.
• Exercise “AUSTRA HIND” will be a yearly event that will be conducted alternatively in India and Australia.
• The aim of the exercise is to build positive military relations, imbibe each other’s best practices and promote the ability to operate together while undertaking multi-domain operations in Semi deserts terrain under a UN peace enforcement mandate.

Who was Taklung Setrung Rinpoche?

• Taklung Setrung Rinpoche was a famous scholar known for his expertise in Tibetan Tantric School.
• He was the Supreme Head of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism.
• He was born in 1926 in central Tibet near Yamdrok Lake. He was believed to be the reincarnation of the great master Ngok Chöku Dorje.
• He was the head of the Dorje Drak affiliated Taklung Tse monastic center – a Tibetan Buddhist monastery and one of the Nyingma school’s “Six Mother Monasteries” in Tibet.
• Rinpoche received the highest Dzogchen teachings from Polu Khenpo Dorje – the direct disciple of Khenpo Ngakchung.
• He lived in exile in Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), and Ladakh (Jammu and Kashmir) and passed away on December 23, 2015.

About Nyingma Sect of Buddhism

• The term “Nyingma” literally means old school. It is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, with others being Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug.
• The Nyingma was founded in the 8th century following the translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan during the reign of King Trisong Detsen.
• Its teachings can be traced back to the first Buddha Samantabhadra and Indian mahasiddhas.
• Its traditions were founded at Samye – Tibet’s first monastery. They are practiced under the Vajrayana School of Buddhism.
• The followers of Nyingma Sect are currently spread across Tibet, Bhutan, Ladakh, Sikkim and other Himalayan regions.

Vajrayana School of Buddhism

• Vajrayana School of Buddhism was developed in India and its neighboring countries, especially in Tibet. It is prominent mainly in Himalayan nations of Bhutan, Nepal Tibet and Mongolia.  This school of tantric Buddhism is part of Mahayana Buddhism. Its name is derived from the Sanskrit term Vajra, which translates to diamond or the thunderbolt.
• Followers of Vajrayana Buddhism believe that it is possible to reach enlightenment in a single lifetime instead of practicing ethics, morality, compassion and meditation through many lives.