ANSWER: C

ANSWER: A

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: C

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is set to initiate conservation works at Zafar Mahal in south Delhi’s Mehrauli.

About Zafar Mahal

• This is the last structure built by the Mughals and served as a summer palace for the Mughal family.
• It is located in Mehrauli village, which is in the Southern part of Delhi.
• It consists of the Mahal (built by Akbar Shah II) & Hathi Gate (built by Bahadur Shah Zafar).
  • Hathi Gate got its name because of the fact that an elephant can pass through it with the ‘houdah’ (seat, where people sit on elephant) mounted over it.
• It was built in memory of the Hazrat Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakthiar Kaki, the renowned Sufi saint to whom almost all the Mughal Emperors were disciples.
• Zafar Mahal stands next to the Dargah of Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki.
• The complex contains the beautiful white marble Moti Masjid and several royal graves.
  • There’s even an empty grave for Bahadur Shah Zafar.
• The palace was used during the Phool Walon ki Sair (procession of florists) festival held after every monsoon.

ANSWER: B

• Kesavananda Bharati case , in which the Supreme Court laid down the “basic structure” doctrine on the limits of Parliament’s power to amend the Constitution, completed 50 years recently .
• Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) was involved several key legal issues, including:
  • Constitutional Validity of Kerala Land Reforms Act which placed a limit on amount of land that a person could hold.
  • Whether Parliament’s power to amend Constitution was unlimited.
  • Doctrine of basic structure of Constitution.
• SC, in its judgment, established doctrine of basic structure, which holds that certain fundamental features of Constitution cannot be amended or abrogated by Parliament through a constitutional amendment.
• Features included -supremacy of Constitution, Judicial review, Parliamentary system, Rule of equality, rule of law, independence of judiciary etc.
• Since then, SC has tested constitutional amendments against doctrine of basic structure in several cases including:
  • Quota for OBC and Economically Weaker Section (EWS), reservations in promotions, where SC upheld constitutional amendments challenged on grounds of violation of basic structure doctrine.
  • SC struck down The Constitution (Ninety-ninth Amendment) Act, 2014, which established National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) on grounds that it threatened “judicial independence”, which the court ruled was a basic feature of the Constitution.
  • Other important cases include: Kihoto Hollohan vs Zachillhu And Others (1992) (Tenth Schedule), Minerva Mills Case (1980), L Chandra Kumar v Union of India (1997) (regarding administrative tribunals) etc.

ANSWER: B

• PM recently paid tributes to Basaveshwara on his birth anniversary.

About Basaveshwara

• He was a 12th century poet and was born in Karnataka.
• Known for Socio-Religious Reforms, Anubhava Mantapa (facilitated gathering for philosophy and experience), Vachana Literature and Lingayat Movement in south India.
• Basava Purana, written by Palkuriki Somanatha in 13th-century, holds full account to Basavanna’s life and ideas.
• Basaveshwara is well-known for his teachings of gender equality, social reforms, eradication of social discrimination, clarification of superstitions, and unnecessary rituals.
• His philosophy was based on principles of Arivu (true knowledge), achara (right conduct), and Anubhava (divine experience).
• He developed and inspired a new devotional movement named Virashaivas, or ardent, heroic worshippers of Shiva.
• Basaveshwara introduced the practice of wearing the Ishtalinga necklace, which symbolizes Lord Shiva and is worn by all Lingayats.

ANSWER: C

• Pushkaralu festival has returned to the Ganga after a gap of 12 years.
• The 12-day Pushkaralu festival of Telugu-speaking people has commenced in Varanasi.
• Pushkaralu refers to the worship of the 12 sacred rivers in which the god Pushkar appears every 12 years.
  • Rivers are: Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Bhima, Tapti, Narmada, Saraswati, Tungbhadra, Sindhu, and Pranhita.
• The celebration happens annually, once in 12 years along each river which are associated with a zodiac sign.

ANSWER: A

• World Creativity and Innovation Day is celebrated annually on April 21^st to raise awareness about the crucial role that innovation and creativity play in human development.
• World Creativity and Innovation Day is a part of the World Creativity and Innovation Week that begins on April 15, celebrated as World Art Day in honor of Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday and ends on April 21.

ANSWER: B

• World Book and Copyright Day is observed on April 23^rd every year to promote reading books, particularly among the younger generation.
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) initiated this event with the aim of combating the reduced importance given to reading due to the excessive availability of information from various sources.
• The theme for World Book Day 2023 is ‘Indigenous Languages.’

ANSWER: D

• Wing Commander Deepika Misra has made history as the first female Air Force officer to receive a gallantry medal.
• She was awarded the Vayu Seva Medal for gallantry by the President of India on Independence Day in the previous year, and recently received the award from the Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force at an investiture ceremony in New Delhi.
• She was awarded for exhibiting exemplary courage while carrying out Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations following flash floods in northern Madhya Pradesh.

ANSWER: B

• Among the migrants who availed the benefits of the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ (ONORC) in the state in April so far, a massive 93.9 per cent are residing in Solan district.
• With the district housing the maximum number of migrants in its industrial belts of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) as well as Parwanoo, the maximum number of migrant users of this scheme are from there.
• The scheme was introduced in the state in May 2020.