• INS Sunayna has reached Seychelles, an island off the coast of East Africa, to participate in the annual training exercise “Operation Southern Readiness” of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).
• According to the Ministry of Defence, “This not only reinforces Indian Navy’s commitment to maritime security in the Indian Ocean region, but also marks the maiden participation of an Indian Navy ship in the CMF exercise.”
• The US, Italy, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Spain and India are among the participants.
• The Seychelles People’s Defence Force, European Union Naval Force and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime are part of the exercise. Forces of multiple nations will conduct training on boarding a ship, search and seizure techniques, search and rescue operations, maritime law and information-sharing.

Commissioned in 2013

• INS Sunayna, the second of the NOPV (Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel) class of ship was commissioned at Kochi on October 15 in 2013 by Vice Admiral Satish Soni, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Southern Naval Command.

• The United Nations observes 26th September every year as the International Day for the Total Elimination of nuclear weapons.
• The aim of the day is to enhance public awareness about the threat posed to humanity by nuclear weapons and the necessity for their total elimination.
• It provides an opportunity to educate the public and their leaders about the real benefits of eliminating such weapons, and the social and economic costs of perpetuating them.
• In 1946, the General Assembly’s first resolution established that the Atomic Energy Commission has the mandate to make specific proposals for the control of nuclear energy and the elimination of not only atomic weapons but also all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction.
• The General Assembly endorsed the objective of general and complete disarmament in 1959. The first Special Session of the General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament, held in 1978, further recognized that nuclear disarmament should be the priority objective in the field of disarmament.
• The international arms-control framework contributed to international security since the Cold War. It also acted as a brake on the use of nuclear weapons.
• On July 7, 2017, the Treaty on the Prohibition of nuclear weapons was adopted. This Treaty is so important since it is the first multilateral legally-binding instrument for nuclear disarmament to have been negotiated in 20 years.
• On August 2, 2019, the United States’ withdrawal spelt the end of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, though the United States and the Russian Federation had previously committed to eliminating an entire class of nuclear missiles.

• IGIA energy management: The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, managed by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), has received the prestigious National Award for Excellence in Energy Management by CII-Green Business Centre (GBC) along with National Energy Leader Award for the year 2021 for its consistent performance at the highest level in the last four years (from 2018 to 2021).
• CII-GBC made the announcement during the Energy Efficiency Summit-2022.
• The event was attended by R K Rai, Secretary, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Government of India, Freddy Svane, Ambassador at the Royal Danish Embassy in New Delhi, and Ravi Chandran Purushothaman, Chairman, Energy Efficiency Council, CII-GBC and President Danfoss India.
• The award recognizes “Excellence” in Energy Management in industries and aims to instill a sense of competition to motivate Indian industries to achieve energy excellence and promote sustainable development.
• DIAL, a GMR Airports Infrastructure Limited-led consortium, presented the “Net Zero Carbon Emission Airport by 2030” roadmap and its progress update, along with the key energy saving and emission reduction initiatives, innovative projects, and other environmental aspects such as waste management, water management, climate change adaptation strategies etc.

• SymphoNE is the start of a series of dialogues on North Eastern Region’s Development Conference comprised of a broad range of Policy Thinkers, Stakeholders & Influencers with the aim to boost Tourism Sector in North Eastern Region.
• The Virtual Conference ‘SymphoNE’ being organized on 24th & 27th September 2022 by Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region on the occasion of World Tourism Day.
• This two-day conference will aim to create a roadmap to showcase the unexplored beauty of North East India & boost the tourism Sector in North Eastern Region.
• SymphoNE aims to develop one-stop solution to eliminate all obstacles that are being faced by the tourists, and the tour operators while carrying out the operations for the visitors.

• Rosh Hashanah or the Jewish New Year has begun, marking the start of the year 5783 in the Hebrew Calendar.
• The day is marked with Simanim – a special feast meant for Rosh Hashanah. Simanim literally means “signs” or “indicators” and is meant to herald better tidings.
• This is followed by the blowing of a traditional horn called ‘shofar’ considered to be one of the most anticipated features in these festivities. While it is typically blown in the morning, it is considered to be as old as the time of Abraham and Isaac.

What is Rosh Hashanah

• Considered to be one of the holiest days in Judaism, Rosh Hashanah literally means ‘start of the year.’ It begins in the seventh month of the Hebrew Calendar; this day mostly falls in either September or October (as per the Gregorian calendar) and starts on the first day of Tishrei month in the Hebrew calendar.
• Legend has Rosh Hashanah’s roots in the Talmud — the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law and Jewish theology — which believes that the world was created on the first day of the Tishrei. While it is not completely clear when Jewish people first celebrated this day, the Book of Leviticus includes a passage (without specifically naming Rosh Hashanah) in which God tells Moses that the first day of the seventh month is a day for rest, marked with the blowing of a horn.
• Jews view this two-day holiday as a time to reflect in anticipation of better tidings in the coming year. Also called the ‘day of judgment,’ this time also gives people an opportunity to reflect and come up with ways to grow and prosper in the coming year.
• The nature of celebrations varies across the globe. While some believe in going to the synagogue and not working, others light candles in their homes. However, the most interesting tradition is celebrating the day with ‘taschlich’ — a customary Jewish atonement ritual performed during the High Holy Days. The ritual is performed at a large, natural body of flowing water — a river, lake, sea or ocean, usually on the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah. The penitent believers recite a Biblical passage and prayers. During the Tashlikh prayer, the worshipers symbolically throw their sins into a source of water. While some throw pieces of bread into the water, many rabbis consider this to be forbidden by halakha — the collective body of Jewish religious laws.
• Food is synonymous with Rosh Hashanah celebrations. The Simanim platter typically includes apples dipped in honey, Challah bread baked in round loaves, ram, leeks, pomegranate, gourds, dates, black-eyed peas or green beans, beets, carrots and Pri Chadash (“New Fruit”).

• The 200-year-old Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute in Maharashtra’s Pune city is hosting an Open Day for the general public to witness its ongoing encyclopedia of Sanskrit dictionary project.
• The Open Day is aimed at introducing the huge and distinct encyclopedia of Sanskrit to the visitors, demonstrating and promoting India’s intellectual heritage hidden in Sanskrit literature.
• Led by researchers from the Department of Sanskrit and Lexicography at the college, the encyclopaedic dictionary of Sanskrit will be the world’s biggest dictionary.
• Thirty-five volumes have been published as part of this project, which began in 1948. This dictionary consists of references from 62 knowledge disciplines restored in Sanskrit language and traces the language’s linguistic developments right from Rigveda to Hasyarnava (1850 AD).
• The Sanskrit scholars have been tracing phonetic changes, semantic development of words since inception of the mighty project.
• Over ten million references have been collected from more than 1,500 Sanskrit books in disciplines like vedas, vedant, darshana, polity, mathematics, agriculture, chemistry, architecture, dramaturgy and others.
• These have been collected and stored in the form of slips safely preserved in the college’s scriptorium, one-of-its-kind in the world.
• Each slip — in either pink or green colours and in different sizes — holds information about exact vocable, grammatical category, citation to attest the vocable.

• Rural Development Ministry has developed JALDOOT App to capture the water level of selected wells in a village across the country.
• The App will be launched in New Delhi.
• The Jaldoot app will enable Gram Rojgar Sahayak to measure the water level of selected wells twice a year (pre-monsoon and post-monsoon).
• The app will facilitate panchayats with robust data, which can be further used for better planning of works.
• The ground water data could be utilised as part of the Gram Panchayat Development Plan and Mahatma Gandhi planning exercises.
• The country has taken several steps for improvement of water management both in the rural and urban areas. This includes watershed development, afforestation, water body development and renovation, and rainwater harvesting.

• Agriculture Minister Virender Kanwar today thanked the Union government for sanctioning Rs 1,036 crore for the Himachal Pradesh Sub Tropical Horticulture Irrigation Value Addition (HP-SHIVA) Project to be implemented in seven districts of the state. He said the state government will spend an amount of Rs 264 crore.
• Kanwar said the project will be implemented on 6,000 hectares of land in 28 development blocks of seven districts — Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Solan, Una, Bilaspur and Sirmaur. As many as 15,000 farmers would be benefitted under the project, he added. The project will be implemented from 2022-23 to 2027-28 and one crore saplings of citrus fruit species, guava, pomegranate, litchi, oriental persimmon and mango will be planted.
• The minister said high density cultivation of orange, guava, litchi and pomegranate has already been done on 200 hectares through 17 farmer clusters in Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi and Bilaspur, which has been highly successful.

• CSK HP Agriculture University has been authorised to conduct testing of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) samples from all over the state.
• Vice-Chancellor HK Chaudhary, said that as per the recent notification from the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, “The Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Dr GC Negi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in the varsity, has been granted the status of authorised laboratory to conduct testing of LSD samples from livestock across the state for rapid screening.”
• He said that the Department of Veterinary Microbiology was fully equipped to carry out screening of the samples in collaboration with the state Department of Animal Husbandry.
• The VC said that the designated LSD laboratory would help in faster management of the disease. The samples would no longer need to be sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal, for testing. He asked the scientists to help the livestock keepers of the state to tide over the situation created by the LSD.
• Dr Mandeep Sharma, Dean, Dr GC Negi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, and Dr Rajesh Chahota, Professor and Head, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, said that for screening of samples, sensitive molecular techniques like conventional PCR and real-time PCR would be used for providing test results quickly to field veterinarians for better disease control and prevention.
• They added that this would enable field veterinarians to timely intervene to control and prevent LSD so that there are minimum financial losses to livestock owners.

• Power sector-focussed non-banking finance company (NBFC) REC Ltd. has been accorded the status of a ‘Maharatna’ Central Public Sector Enterprise, thus providing it with greater operational and financial autonomy. The granting of ‘Maharatna’ status will impart enhanced powers to the company’s board while taking financial decisions. REC Ltd. is the 12th company to be given the Maharatna Status.
• The board of a ‘Maharatna’ CPSE can make equity investments to undertake financial joint ventures and wholly-owned subsidiaries and undertake mergers and acquisitions in India and abroad, subject to a ceiling of 15 per cent of the net worth of the CPSE concerned, limited to ₹5,000 crores in one project. The board can also structure and implement schemes relating to personnel and human resource management and training.
• REC has played a key role in the success of the flagship schemes of the Government of India such as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY)and SAUBHAGYA and has contributed towards achieving village and household electrification in the country. REC is currently playing the role of nodal agency for Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), for revamping the distribution sector to alleviate the financial & operational issues.

What is Maharatna’s Status?

• Introduced in 2010, the Maharatna status is given to the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) by the Central Government to make these enterprises global giants.
• This status is granted to CPSE which recorded more than Rs. 5,000 crores of net profit for three consecutive years, an average annual turnover of Rs.25,000 crore for three years and recording an average net worth of Rs.15,000 crore for three years.
• It should also have a footing in the international market and be listed on an Indian stock exchange.

About the REC Ltd:

• Incorporated in 1969,REC focuses on power sector financing and development across India. It provides financial assistance to state electricity boards, state governments, central/state power utilities, independent power producers, rural electric cooperatives and private sector utilities.
• REC Limited, formerly Rural Electrification Corporation Limited, is a public Infrastructure Finance Company in India’s power sector.
• The company is a Public Sector Undertaking and finances and promotes power projects across India. It was earlier known as Rural Electrification Corporation.