• The Parsi New Year is also known as Navroz or Nowroz and the word means a ‘new day’.
• While in various places the event is celebrated in March, in India, the Parsi community celebrates it in August. This time, the Parsi New Year falls on August 16.
• In India, the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat have a sizeable Parsi population and the celebrations are typically seen here.

History:

• According to many scholars, the origin of the Parsi New Year lies between 3,500 and 3,000 BCE. During this period, Prophet Zarathustra established Zoroastrianism in what is present-day Iran.
• For followers of Zoroastrian philosophy, this day represents the time when everything in the universe is renewed.
• Jamshed, a monarch of the ancient Sasanian empire, is credited with introducing the Parsi calendar. Jamshed-i-Nouroz is another name for the holiday.

Significance:

• Parsi New Year is celebrated on the first day of the first month of Farvardin in the Zoroastrian calendar.
• Spring Equinox, which occurs annually on March 21, symbolises the beginning of the season.
• The Parsis in India celebrate this day in July or August because they follow the Zoroastrian calendar for religious occasions.
• The holiday, which has its roots in Persia (now Iran, post-Islamic conquest), is celebrated with zest and vigour in India.

• Kuwait has appointed an ambassador to Iran. It comes after more than six years after Kuwait recalled its top envoy to Tehran in solidarity with Saudi Arabia after it severed ties with the Islamic Republic in 2016.
• Ambassador Bader Abdullah Al-Munaikh handed his credentials to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Tehran.
• Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Munaikh was appointed envoy to Iran.
• Iran already has an ambassador in Kuwait. The move comes as Saudi Arabia works to improve its ties with Iran.
• Riyadh broke off ties with Tehran in January 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Iran after Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shi’ite cleric.

• Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh today unveiled India’s first Saline Water Lantern which uses the sea water to power the specially designed LED lamps.
• The Minister visited the SAGAR ANVESHIKA, a Coastal Research Vessel, operated and used by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai to review the progress of the implementation of the Deep Ocean Mission of India.
• The saline Water Lantern will bring “Ease of Living” to the fishing community living along the 7500 Kilometres long coastal line of India. Saline water-powered Roshini LED lamps will also boost and supplement Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s UJALA scheme.

• India has added 11 more wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites to make total 75 Ramsar sites covering an area of 13 lakh 26 thousand 677 Hectare in the country in the 75th year of Independence.
• Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change said, the 11 new sites include, four in Tamil Nadu, three in Odisha, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one each in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Designation of these sites would help in conservation and management of wetlands and wise use of their resources.
• India is one of the Contracting Parties to Ramsar Convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971. India signed it on 1st February 1982. During 1982 to 2013, a total of 26 sites were added to the list of Ramsar sites, however, during 2014 to 2022, the country has added 49 new wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites.
• During this year itself, a total of 28 sites have been declared as Ramsar sites. Based on the date of designation mentioned on Ramsar Certificate, the number is 19 for 2022 and 14 for 2021.
• Tamil Nadu has maximum number of Ramsar sites which is 14, followed by Uttar Pradesh which has 10 numbers of Ramsar sites.

• In Jammu and Kashmir, the world’s highest rail bridge over the Chenab River in the Kouri area of Reasi district achieved another milestone when the overarch deck of the bridge was completed with a golden joint.
• The golden joint shall now pave the way for engineers to lay tracks on the bridge. With tracks over it, Kashmir will be linked with the rest of India via rail network for the first time since Independence.
• According to the chief administrative officer of the USBRL Konkan Railways said, to achieve this feat, we had sought technical expertise from IIT-Roorkee, IIT-Delhi, Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore, DRDO, national remote sensing agency, GSI and other agencies.
• This is the highest railway arch in the world. The bridge is 35 meters higher than Eiffel Tower.
• Afcons is building 16 additional railway bridges for Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) in the dangerous terrain of Jammu and Kashmir in addition to the Chenab Bridge.
• The bridge comprises 93 deck segments, each weighing around 85 tonnes, launched simultaneously from both ends of the valley over the massive steel arch and work on joining five segments in full progress on the single line linking Katra (Jammu) with Qazigund (Kashmir), some 75 km away.
• The project is part of the ambitious 272-km long railway line from Udhampur to Baramulla joining Jammu with the Kashmir valley as an all-weather highspeed alternative, named the ‘Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project'(USBRL).

What is the term ‘golden joint’?

• The term ‘golden joint’ was coined by civil engineers.  This joint is aptly named the Golden Joint. Launching of the 785 m deck over the Chenab arch bridge was carried out by joining prefabricated portions and then launching them from both ends.
• The golden joint is the last joint of the bridge deck, which connects both sides of the deck at the arch, to make it into a continuous structure. After aligning the two sections of the bridge in place, it will be fastened by means of HSFG (High Strength Friction Grip) bolts.

• DD Sharma, Vice Chancellor of Sardar Patel University, Mandi, said that around 450 bigha land has been identified at Basadhar, 17 km away from Mandi, for setting up newly created Sardar Patel University.
• According to VC, Temporary arrangements of the campus will be made at Sundernagar, Mandi and other nearby places until the university has its own permanent campus.
• To ensure quality education, this university will sign MoUs with higher institutions like the Indian Institute of Technology, the National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Kullu.

• Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur tabled the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill 2022 in the Vidhan Sabha to enhance punishment and add a specific mention of “mass conversion” to the existing law.
• The law was enacted with a view to providing freedom of religion by prohibiting religious conversions by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, inducement or by any fraudulent means or marriage.
• Himachal was among the first states in the country to enact the anti-conversion law during the government of Virbhadra Singh in 2006.
• However, the BJP government repealed the Act and enacted the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 20l9 citing rise in cases of forced conversion in Rampur and Kinnaur areas.
• There was no provision in the Act to curb mass conversions. Therefore, a provision to this effect is being made.
• The jail for mass conversions shall be between five and 10 years and a fine of Rs 1.50 lakh.
• The imprisonment for concealing religion at the time of marriage has been enhanced from three years to 10 years. Besides, the fine in such cases has been increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs one lakh.
• In case of a repeat offence, the imprisonment shall be between seven and 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 2 lakh.
• Following the amendment, a police officer not below the rank of Sub-Inspector will investigate complaints of the offence.
• A sessions court will try offences punishable under the Act.

• Himachal Pradesh was hit by 29 cloudburst incidents in the last three years.
• This was informed in a written reply by Revenue and Jal Shakti Minister Mahender Singh Thakur in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly in reply to a stared question sought by MLA Ramesh Dhawala (Jawalamukhi) during the question hour.
• As many as 19 lives were lost and property worth crores of rupees was reportedly destroyed in the last three years till 20 July this year as a result of flash floods due to cloudbursts.
• While the districts of Bilaspur, Chamba, Kinnaur, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Shimla were hit by cloud burst in the three years, no cloudburst has been reported from Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi , Sirmaur, Solan and Una.
• A loss of crop Rs 1, 85,813 and government property of Rs 19, 98, 00,000 was estimated in Kinnaur district.
• It was also informed that the state government will seek cooperation from the France Development Institute for early warning, research and study for the increasing cloudburst in Himachal.
• Financial assistance will also be sought from other institutes including Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, GB Pant of Himalayan Studies, Defense Geo Informatics Research Establishment (DGRE), Wadia Institute of Himalayan Studies and Department of Science and Technology.
• It was also informed that the Disaster Management Department with the help of DGRE is in the process of setting up of Automatic Weather System at 61 places.

• The Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry launched the ‘SMILE-75’ initiative for comprehensive rehabilitation of persons engaged in begging in 75 identified municipalities as a part of the celebrations of 75 years of Independence.
• The initiative is part of the Ministry’s ongoing SMILE project (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) for which ₹100 crore has been allocated till 2025-2026.
• Under the SMILE-75 initiative, 75 municipal corporations in collaboration with NGOs and other stakeholders will cover several comprehensive welfare measures for persons who are engaged in the act of begging with focus extensively on rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, awareness, education, skill development, economic linkages and convergence with other government welfare programmes etc.
• Among the aims of the initiative, was to make the 75 municipalities “begging-free”.

• The four-day bilateral drill between Indian Air Force (IAF) and Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) will take place at the RMAF base of Kuantan, Malaysia.
• The name of the bilateral exercise is ‘Udarashakti’.
• The Indian contingent comprise Su-30 MKI frontline fighter jets and C-17 transport aircraft
• The Malaysian air force will deploy its SU-30 MKM.