ANSWER: C

• A MoU has been signed between National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) with an objective to make India the ‘Skill Capital of the world’.
• The MoU was signed between Managing Director (MD), NHIDCL and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), NSDC, which is expected to play a significant role in realizing the aims and objectives of Prime Minister’s skill development program.
• The MoU provides a formal basis of interaction between NHIDCL and NSDC.
• The purpose of this MoU is to establish the basis of collaboration between NHIDCL and NSDC, to take up multiple initiatives contributing towards making India the ‘Skill Capital of the World’.

About NSDC:

• National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is a not-for-profit public limited company incorporated under section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013.
• NSDC was set up by the Ministry of Finance as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
• The Government of India through Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) holds 49% of the share capital of NSDC, while the private sector has the balance 51% of the share capital.

ANSWER: D

• India ranks third in the global Startup ecosystem and also in terms of the number of Unicorns. As per the latest data, there are currently 105 unicorns out of which 44 were born in 2021 and 19 in 2022.
• The 49 per cent of the startups are from tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
• The startups are emerging in the fields like IT, agriculture, aviation, education, energy, health and space sectors.
• India has created a massive jump in its global ranking of Global Innovation Index (GII) from 81st in the year 2015 to 46th in 2021 among 130 economies of the world.
• India ranks 2nd among 34 lower middle-income economies and 1st among 10 Central and Southern Asian economies in terms of GII.
• The consistent improvement in the GII ranking is owing to the immense knowledge capital, the vibrant startup ecosystem, and some outstanding work done by the public and private research organisations.

ANSWER: D

• Researchers have identified genes in Africa’s local food crops that can improve resistance to drought.
• Orphan crops are nutritious local food crops that could play a crucial role in combating hunger.
• These crops are not traded internationally but have adapted themselves to grow in harsh weather conditions.
• Examples of Orphan crops are finger millets, little millet; African yam bean, jojoba and jatropha.

Significance of this Research:

• Incorporating these genes through hybridisation might improve crop yield that is affected by increasing global temperatures and heatwaves.
• According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimation, Countries like India and Pakistan are also likely to be affected by the prolonged heatwave.
• The UN body is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues.

ANSWER: C

• As part of its larger Makerspace initiative, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay opened its first micro-factories ‘Kadayam S. Srinivasan’ and ‘Harivallabh Nagar’ which will expose undergraduate students to state-of-the-art thematic labs and the latest design and manufacturing practices.
• The two micro-factories, which were formally inaugurated on the IIT-B campus, provide advanced facilities on par with those found in real-world industrial setups to enable the students to have hands-on learning and transform their academic experience. In addition to core academic activities, students will also use these micro-factories for a wide range of co-curricular projects.
• The micro-factories are a first-of-its-kind initiative at the undergraduate level by the Institute and form an integral part of IIT Bombay’s overall Makerspace initiative.
• The micro-factories are equipped with 3D printers, laser-cutters, forming machines, advanced mechanical tools, electronics setups and the latest modelling software that students can leverage to enhance their research studies.
• The two new facilities will be accessible to students, as well as faculty across various departments and will be multi-disciplinary.

ANSWER: D

• Twenty-six judges were appointed to six high courts, bringing the total number of HC judges appointed so far this year to a record 127.
• The previous record was achieved in 2016 when 126 high court judges were appointed.
• Of those elevated as additional judges and judges, 20 were judicial officers and six advocates. While two judges each have been appointed to the high courts of Orissa, Himachal Pradesh and Gauhati, five have been appointed to the Karnataka HC. Six judges have been appointed to the Telangana High Court and nine to the Allahabad HC.

How is a High Court Judge Appointed?

• A High Court Judge is appointed by the President of India.
• Article 217 of the Constitution deals with appointment of Judges in High Courts.
• President of India may consult the Governor of the State, the acting Chief Justice of India and Chief Justice of that particular state’s High Court.
• A High Court judge is also liable to get transferred to other High Courts. Transfer of judges is done with an aim to ensure proper and just trial for every case fought in the court of law.
• Both appointment and transfers are done based on the recommendations of Collegium.

Eligibility Criteria for High Court Judge:

• Given below are the set of eligibility criteria mandatory for the appointment of High Court judges:
• Any of the given qualifications must be fulfilled:

1. The person should have been a Barrister for more than five years
2. Has been a civil servant for over 10 years along with serving the Zila court for at least 3 years
3. A person who has been a pleader for over 10 years in any High Court.

• No judge should be of more than 62 years of age.

ANSWER: C

• 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.

ANSWER: D

• 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”.

ANSWER: C

• 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.

ANSWER: C

• 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.

ANSWER: A

• 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.