ANSWER: A

• Over one lakh villages have declared themselves as open defecation-free (ODF) Plus. Jal Shakti Ministry said, these villages are sustaining their ODF status and have systems in place for managing solid and liquid waste. They are also working towards making their villages cleaner, greener and healthier.
• The top five performing states are Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh where maximum number of villages have been declared as ODF Plus.
• Prime Minister started the Swachh Bharat Mission in October 2014 with the goal of eliminating garbage and open defecation in the country through behavioural change.
• Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin Phase-II was launched in February 2020 with the aim to ensure that all villages in the country can declare themselves as ODF Plus by the end of 2024.
• The mission towards becoming ODF Plus has several components including biodegradable waste management including the GOBARdhan Scheme, Grey water management, Plastic waste management and faecal sludge management.

About open defecation-free (ODF) plus villages

• ‘Open defecation free’ (ODF) is a term used to describe communities that have shifted to using toilets instead of open defecation.
• ODF plus village is defined as “a village which sustains its Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, ensures solid and liquid waste management and is visually clean.”
• This includes ensuring that all households in a village, as well as the Primary School, Panchayat Ghar and Anganwadi Centre, have access to a toilet and that all public places and at least 80% of households effectively manage their solid and liquid waste and have a minimal litter and minimal stagnant water.
• ODF Plus villages have been divided into three categories; Aspiring, Rising, Model.

ANSWER: D

• The 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas 2023 will be held at Indore in January next year.

About

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9th January every year since 2003 to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa, led India’s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever.
• Since 2015, its format has been revised to celebrate the PBD once every two years and to hold theme-based PBD Conferences during the intervening period with participation from overseas diaspora experts, policy makers and stakeholders.
• These conventions provide a platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with the government and people of the land of their ancestors for mutually beneficial activities.
• These conventions are also very useful in networking among the overseas Indian community residing in various parts of the world and enable them to share their experiences in various fields.

ANSWER: C

• In Manipur, the 15th State Level Manipur Pineapple Festival and Celebration of 75 Years of Pineapple Cultivation kicked off today at Dr. Kalam Ground of Bunglon Village in Churachandpur.
• The inaugural function of the festival was attended by three State cabinet ministers and three MLAs with other state officials.
• The two days festival is organised by Manipur Pineapple Festival Committee and the pineapple cultivators of Bunglon Village and nearby villages.
• India celebrated its First ever Pineapple Festival on 21st July 2008 at Andro in Imphal East district where above one lakh of the spiky but juicy fruit had been reportedly produced.
• The First Manipur Pineapple Fair cum Youth Festival was organised with the effort of Andro Kendra Development Committee was held at Thambalnu Market of Andro region.
• This festival has acted as a new chapter in the annals of pineapple cultivation in Manipur.

 World

• Pineapple Festival was started in 1988 in the Bahamas and in the year 2008 they celebrated their 20th annual festival.
• The purpose for establishing the Pineapple Festival was to honor the many pineapple farmers for their outstanding contributions to the community.
• Secondly, to bring together farmers and visitors from all walks of life to enjoy and participate in pineapple events such as a pineapple eating contest, pineapple cooking contest, old-time pineapple crazy sports, 40-mile pineapple cycling classic, plaiting of the pineapple pole, Little Miss Pineapple Pageant, a Junkanoo parade, craft displays, dancing, and a non-stop pineapple party time.
• Pineapple Festivals are celebrated in all the major Pineapple producing countries around the globe.

ANSWER: B

• An Indian Air Force contingent has reached Australia to participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2022. The exercise is being held in Darwin till 8th of next month.
• This is a biennial, multi-national exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force. Defence Ministry said that the exercise will see the participation of over 100 aircrafts and 2500 military personnel from various air forces.
• The Indian Air Force contingent comprises of over 100 air warriors, deployed with four Su-30 MKI fighter and two C-17 aircraft.
• They will undertake multi-domain air combat missions in a complex environment and will exchange best practices with the participating air forces.

ANSWER: C

• World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is being observed on 19th August.
• The day aims to spread awareness about the need for humanitarian assistance worldwide.
• WHD is a campaign by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and humanitarian partners.
• On 19 August 2003, a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 22 humanitarian aid workers, including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
• Five years later, the General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 19th August as World Humanitarian Day.
• Each year, WHD focuses on a theme, bringing together partners from across the humanitarian system to advocate for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises, and for the safety and security of aid workers.
• This year, WHD Organisation is highlighting the immediate human cost of the climate crisis by pressuring world leaders to take meaningful climate action for the world’s most vulnerable people.
• As per data projected by the United Nations, 274 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2022. The number has witnessed a significant rise from 2021 when the figures were 235 million, the highest figure in decades.
• The United Nations and partner organizations aim to assist 183 million people most in need across 63 countries, which will require 41 billion dollars.

ANSWER: B

• The ambitious project aims to reintroduce the animal to its native place Tasmania to revive the region’s lost ecological balance.
• Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus), the only animal in the Thylacinidae family to survive in modern times, was a marsupial mammal that raises young ones in a pouch.
• Even though the species earned its nickname Tasmanian Tiger because of the stripes along its back, it was a slow-paced carnivorous that usually hunted alone or in pairs at night.
• The sharply clawed animal had a dog-like head and ate kangaroos, other marsupials, small rodents, and birds.
• Once widespread in the grass and woodlands of continental Australia extending north to New Guinea and south to Tasmania, the animal’s fate changed after the European Colonisation of Australia.
• The animals were reported to have eaten poultry of farmers, and were killed following official authorisation.

ANSWER: C

• The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, was apprised of the signing of Contract between the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), France on behalf of the International Transport Forum and the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), India to support the International Transport Forum (ITF) activities on the Indian Transport Sector.
• The Contract was signed on 6^thJuly, 2022.

The activities to be carried out under this Contract will lead to:

• New scientific results
• New policy insights
• Capacity building through increase scientific interaction
• Identification of technology options for decarbonization of transport sector in India.

About

• The International Transport Forum at the OECD is an intergovernmental organisation with 64 member countries.
• It acts as a think tank for transport policy and organises the Annual Summit of transport ministers.
• ITF is the only global body that covers all transport modes. The ITF is administratively integrated with the OECD, yet politically autonomous.

ANSWER: C

• The Union Cabinet has approved the enhancement in the limit of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) by Rs 50,000 crore from Rs. 4.5 Lakh crore to 5 Lakh crore, with the additional amount being earmarked exclusively for enterprises in hospitality and related sectors.
• The increase has been done on account of the severe disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic on hospitality and related enterprises.

Implementation schedule:

• ECLGS is a continuing scheme.  The additional amount of Rs. 50,000 crore would be made applicable to enterprises in hospitality and related sectors till validity of the scheme which is 31.3.2023.

Impact:

• ECLGS is an already operational scheme and on account of the disruptions caused by the COVID 19 pandemic on hospitality and related sectors, Government has specifically earmarked an amount of Rs. 50,000 crore for enterprises in these sectors.
• The enhancement is expected to provide much needed relief to enterprises in these sectors by incentivizing lending institutions to provide additional credit of up to Rs. 50,000 crore at low cost, thereby enabling these business enterprises to meet their operational liabilities and continue their businesses.
• Loans of about Rs. 3.67 Lakh crore have been sanctioned under ECLGS till 5.8.2022.

Background:

• The ongoing pandemic has adversely impacted contact-intensive sectors, especially the hospitality and related sectors more severely.  While other sectors were back faster on the path of recovery, demand continued to be subdued for these sectors for longer period, suggesting the need for suitable interventions for their sustenance and recovery.
• Further, given their high employment intensity and their direct and indirect linkages with other sectors, their revival is also necessary for supporting overall economic recovery.
• Recognising this, in Union Budget 2022-23, it was announced to extend validity of ECLGS upto March, 2023 and increase in the limit of guaranteed cover of ECLGS by Rs. 50,000 crore to total cover of Rs. 5 Lakh core, with the additional amount being earmarked exclusively for the enterprises in hospitality and related sectors.
• With high immunization levels, progressive roll-back of restrictions and overall economic recovery, conditions are in place for sustained growth in demand for these sectors as well.
• This additional guarantee cover is expected to support the recovery of these sectors as well.  This additional guarantee cover is expected to support the recovery of these sectors.

ANSWER: C

• The 800-metre-long railway bridge over the Chakki river on the border of Punjab and Himachal in Kangra district collapsed.
• The flash flood in the Chakki washed away the weakened pillar of the bridge.
• With this, the narrow-gauge train service between Pathankot and Jogindernagar will remain suspended till a new pillar of the bridge is constructed.
• The 90-year-old railway bridge was weakened following illegal mining in the riverbed.
• The railway authorities had repeatedly complained regarding the damage being caused to the bridge due to illegal mining.

History

• The idea for Kangra Valley Railway was conceptualised during 1926 and commissioned in 1929.
• When it was started, this line was used mainly for transporting freight during the Second World War.
• It started carrying people from 1929 onwards. During this war, the rail services were disturbed because of some problem in the rail lines.
• However, renovation work was carried out in the tracks and it was open again to the public after about a dozen years.
• Again during 1973, the service got realigned to a slight extent as the Pong Dam was established and hence, rail lines were again cut off for three years.
• The three sections of this railway line are divided into the stretches of 12 km, 130 km and 22 km respectively.
• The first runs between Pathankot and Chakki Bridge, the second section runs between Chakki Bridge and Baijnath Paprola (pilgrimage route) and the third section runs between Baijnath Paprola and Joginder Nagar station.

ANSWER: C

• The state-level Janmashtami festival was celebrated with religious fervour in the historical Brij Raj Swami temple.
• The Brij Raj Swami temple in the historical Nurpur fort is the only shrine in the world where an idol of Meera is worshipped alongside Lord Krishna’s.
• The first issue of the souvenir ‘Brijraj’ was released.