• The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has stumbled upon a historically-rich treasure trove in Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh. The ASI team has found 26 caves, mostly Buddhist, ranging from the 2nd century to 5th century, of the Mahayana sect and remains of Buddhist structures and mural inscriptions bearing names of cities like Mathura and Kaushambi in old scripts.
• During the exercise held from May 20-June 27 in an area sprawling around 170 sq km at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, the ASI’s Jabalpur circle found many ancient sculptures, including large monolithic sculptures of various avatars of Vishnu like “Varaha” and “Matsya”, and “board games made in natural caves.”
• “This is for the first time since the 1938 exploration by archaeologist NP Chakravarti that ASI has explored Bandhavgah. Many structures of the area had already been documented, we reported and documented many more structures now, including ancient caves, temples, Buddhist remains, maths, sculptures, water bodies, mural inscriptions in old scripts like Brahmi and Nagari etc,” said SK Bakpai, the  ASI’s Jabalpur Superintending Archaeologist.
• One of the many historical finds is a large Varaha sculpture measuring 6.4 x 5.03 x 2.77 meters datable to (9th – 13th century CE). It appears to be the world’s largest sculpture, the official said, adding that in the old inscriptions, names of the kings — Maharaja Shri Bhimsena, Maharaja Pothasiri and Maharaja Bhattadeva —have been engraved. Nineteen water bodies of different periods (2nd-15thCE) were part of the exploration findings.
• A votive stupa and a Buddhist pillar fragment containing miniature stups carving, which roughly date back to 2nd-3rd century AD have been documented as part of this exploration.
• Coins belonging to the Mughal-era and Sharqi dynasty of Jaunpur Sultanate have also been found.
• ASI officials said a total of 35 temples have been documented,  nine found in the earlier and 26 temples or its remains of Kalachuri period in the latest exploration.
• 26 of the discovered caves- mostly Budhist in nature- are the newly documented ones, dating back to 2nd century BC – 5th century; whereas 50 of them were reported earlier, he added.  Two new Shaiva maths of Kalachuri period (9th-11th century AD) and two new stupas have also been documented, officials said.  Also, remains of Mahayana sect of Buddhism like chaitya-shaped doors and cells containing stone beds have also come to light, they said.
• Besides 46 new sculptures  also documented, 10 were already reported earlier prior to this exploration. Twenty-four Brahmi inscriptions (dated 2nd-5th century AD) have been documented, the ASI said.  Mathura’s name was mentioned in Brahmi script, Bajpai said, adding, inscriptions are also in Nagari and Shankhalipi.  Besides, names of Mathura and Kaushambi, Pavata (Parvata), Vejabharada and Sepatanaairikaa are also mentioned in various inscriptions.

• Giorgia Meloni looks set to become Italy’s first woman prime minister at the head of its most right-wing government since World War Two after leading a conservative alliance to triumph at the election.
• Meloni will take over from Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank, who pushed Rome to the centre of EU policy-making during his 18-month stint in office, forging close ties with Paris and Berlin.
• The Italian far-right leader Meloni party came top in general elections. Leading the next government, she will work for the betterment of all Italians.

Who is Giorgia Meloni?

• Giorgia Meloni is an Italian politician and journalist who was born on 15 January 1977. Her father came from Sardinia and her mother belonged to Sicily.
• In 1992 at the age of 15, Meloni joined the Youth Front, the youth wing of the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI). Next to this in 1996, she earned a diploma from the Amerigo Vespucci Institute.
• She has also served as a youth minister in Berlusconi’s 2008-2011 government before founding the Brothers of Italy in 2012.
• Three prominent political leaders Meloni, La Russa, and Crosetto founded a new political movement Brothers of Italy in 2012.

• Swedish weapon-maker Saab announced it would set up a manufacturing facility for its well-known shoulder launched weapon system Carl-Gustaf in India.
• It will be the company’s first manufacturing facility for the Carl-Gustaf M4 outside Sweden. The Indian Army has been a long-time user of the previous version of weapon and has also ordered the latest version.
• The production at the new facility will start in 2024. “A new company Saab FFV India, currently under registration, will make the weapon in India. Saab is looking at the 100 per cent FDI route,” said Görgen Johansson, senior vice-president, head of business area dynamics, Saab.
• He said the details of location of the plant and the investment would be revealed once things were finalised. The long-term plan of localisation of parts had been drawn up.

• Union Cabinet has decided to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) scheme for a further period of three months from October to December this year.
• The decision will benefit 80 crore people.
• 122 lakh metric tonnes foodgrains will be distributed in the next three months with a total expenditure of more than 44 thousand crore rupees under the 7th phase of the scheme.
• Three lakh 45 thousand crore rupees have been spent on this scheme so far. The Minister said, this decision will bring joy on the face of people in the upcoming festive season.
• Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, five-kilogram foodgrain is being provided to eligible beneficiary per month free of cost. The scheme was started in March 2020 to provide the food security to poor people during the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav has said that India is the first country with a cooling action plan based on energy efficiency and thermal comfort, and has launched important initiatives including UJALA Yojana and schemes for industrial energy efficiency.
• Addressing the Ministerial Roundtable for Green Economy at the World Green Economy Summit at the World Trade Center in Dubai.
• Bhupender Yadav said that accelerating low carbon transition across different economic sectors is the need of the hour. He also stressed the importance of addressing environmental and climate objectives alongside economic development.
• After the Roundtable, the Minister also had a bilateral meeting with United Arab Emirates, UAE, Minister of State for Foreign Trade Dr ­Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.
• In the meeting, both the leaders discussed issues relating to upcoming Conference of Parties, COP 27, COP 28, MoU on Climate Actions between India and UAE, and global initiatives spearheaded by these countries for combating climate change.

• The Government has appointed Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Lieutenant General Chauhan will also function as Secretary, Department of Military Affairs with effect from the date of his assumption of charge.
• In a career spanning over nearly 40 years, Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and North-East India.
• The post of Chief of Defence Staff has been lying vacant since death of General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash on 8th December last year.
• Born on 18th May 1961, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
• In the rank of Major General, the officer had commanded an Infantry Division in the critical Baramula sector in the Northern Command. Later as Lt General, he commanded a corps in the North East and subsequently went to become the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command from September 2019 and held the charge until his retirement from the service in May 2021.
• In addition to these command appointments, Lt Gen Chauhan also tenanted important staff appointments including the charge of Director General of Military Operations.
• Earlier, he had also served as a United Nations mission to Angola. Even after his retirement from the Army, he continued to contribute to national security and strategic matters.
• For his distinguished and illustrious service in the Army, Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

About CDS:

• He will be the single-point military adviser to the government as suggested by the Kargil Review Committee in 1999.
• He will be a Four-star General.
• CDS acts asthe permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee which will also have three service chiefs as members.
• His core function will be to foster greater operational synergy between the three service branches of the Indian military and keep inter-service frictions to a minimum.

Conditions:

• Not eligible to hold any Government office after demitting the office of CDS.
• No private employment without prior approval for a period of five years after demitting the office of CDS.

Roles and functions:

1. CDS will provide “single-point military advice”to the government, inject synergy in planning, procurements and logistics in the armed forces.
2. It will ensure integration of land-air-sea operations through the eventual setting up of theatre commands.
3. The CDS will also function as the military advisor to the PM-led Nuclear Command Authority,as also have direct command of tri-Service organizations to handle the new warfare domains of space and cyberspace.
4. He will function as the Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister and also as the Permanent Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC).
5. The CDS will be member of Defence Acquisition Council and Defence Planning Committee.

• Senior advocate R Venkataramani has been appointed as the new Attorney General of India. The Ministry of Law and Justice in a notification said, the President has appointed Mr Venkataramani as the new Attorney General for a period of three years from 1st of October. He will succeed Mr K K Venugopal, whose term will be ending tomorrow.

Key Points

• The Attorney General (AG) of India is apart of the Union Executive. AG is the highest law officer in the country.
• Article 76of the Constitution provides for the office of AG of India.
• Appointment and Eligibility:

• • AG is appointed by the President on the advice of the government.
  • She/he must be a person who is qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court, i.e. s/he must be a citizen of India and must have been a judge of some high court for five years or an advocate of some high court for ten years or an eminent jurist, in the opinion of the President.

• Term of the Office:Not fixed by the Constitution.
• Removal:Procedures and grounds for the removal of AG are not stated in the Constitution. S/he holds office during the pleasure of the President (may be removed by the President at any time).
• Duties and Functions:

• • To give advice to the Government of India (GoI) upon such legal matters, which are referred to her/him by the President.
  • To perform such other duties of a legal character that are assigned to her/him by the President.
    • To appear on behalf of the GoI in all cases in the Supreme Court or in any case in any High Court in which the GoI is concerned.
    • To represent the GoI in any reference made by the President to the Supreme Court under Article 143 (Power of the President to consult the Supreme Court) of the Constitution.
  • To discharge the functions conferred on her/him by the Constitution or any other law.

• Gram sabhas are an appropriate platform for creating awareness among voters and all Deputy Commissioners, who are also the District Election Officers (DEOs), should effectively utilise this platform for propagating SVEEP-related activities, said Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Maneesh Garg.
• He said, “A gram sabha is scheduled to be held on October 2 and this platform should be used to motivate, inform and facilitate all eligible citizens to enroll themselves and participate in the electoral process in a festive spirit.”
• Garg said that special focus should be laid on inclusion of eligible voters, especially those in the 18-21 age group, in the electoral process. He stressed the need for effective and active supervision by the DEOs to make electoral rolls error free.
• Garg said people willing to link their Aadhaar cards with the electoral rolls should be encouraged to fill Form-6B.
• Besides, he urged panchayat members to cooperate in verification of the photo electoral rolls.

About SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) 

• Started in 2009, as the flagship program of the ECI for voter education.
• Primary goal is to build an inclusive & participative democracy by encouraging all eligible citizens to vote and make an informed decision & ethical choice.

• Acting on the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the government has constituted a state-level committee for the assessment of carrying capacity of eco-sensitive zones.
• Presiding over the first meeting of the State-Level Joint Committee, Additional Chief Secretary (Environment, Science and Technology) Prabodh Saxena said the committee had been constituted as per the directions of the NGT. It was also decided to constitute a sub-committee so that the process could be expedited.
• Saxena directed the Forest Department to provide a list of notified eco-sensitive zones. “Besides environmental issues, other important aspects like economic, social, eco-tourism, tribal, wildlife and disaster management will also be taken into consideration while assessing the carrying capacity of the zones and a comprehensive report will be drafted,” he said.
• In the first phase, reports of four or five zones would be prepared on a pilot basis. The services of the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, the National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, the GB Pant Institute, Kullu, the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, and other institutions could be taken for the assessment of the carrying capacity of the zone.
• He said, besides senior officers of the Department of Environment, Science and Technology, Forest, Urban Development, Town and Country Planning, PWD, Rural Development, Transport, Pollution Control Board, representatives of the Himachal Pradesh State Biodiversity Board, the HFRI, Shimla, the State Disaster Management Authority, experts from top institures had also been included.
• Director, Environment, Science and Technology, Lalit said previous studies and reports of the departments could also be included in the assessment reports.

• The reason behind the development is currency volatility and global uncertainty. The ministry said, the geo-political situation is not suitable for long-term foreign trade policy.
• Earlier, the government had extended the due date for the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 to September 30, 2022. Currently, fears of a recession in major economies like the US and Europe have escalated a panic among investors.
• Foreign Trade Policy provides a framework for increasing exports of goods and services as well as generation of employment and increasing value addition in the country. It focuses to support both the manufacturing and services sectors.
• Earlier this month, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal held a meeting that focused on export target setting, the new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) (2022-27), and the strategies and measures to take forward domestic manufacturing and exports.
• Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 was unveiled in 2015.
• The policy provides a framework for increasing exports of goods and services keeping Make in India vision of Prime Minister in focus.
• It also emphasizes on improving the ease of doing business.