ANSWER: A

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: B

• Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023 – Statistics and Trends report was recently launched by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.

MAJOR FINDINGS

• Southern Asia had the most people (1.4 billion) who could not afford the cost of a healthy diet in 2021.
• About half of the world’s undernourished and food insecure people live in the Asia-Pacific region, with more food-insecure individuals in Southern Asia than any other subregion.
• Women fared worse in food insecurity than men across the subregions, except for Eastern Asia.
  • Almost one-tenth of women face severe food insecurity, while nearly one-fourth have moderate food insecurity.
• The report said during the COVID-19 pandemic and the “5Fs” crisis – Food, Feed, Fuel, Fertilisers, and Finance – the region witnessed harrowing statistics.

INDIA SPECIFIC FINDINGS

• 1% of Indians were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2021 as compared to 76.2% in 2020.
• 6% of the country’s population is undernourished.
• 7% of children of the country under five years of age suffered with stunted growth.
• For wasting (low weight for height), India recorded the highest rate in the region with 18.7% children suffering.
• 8% of the children below five years were overweight, another health risk.
• 53% of the country’s women aged between 15 to 49 had

ANSWER: A

• The death anniversary of Pa Togan Sangma was observed on December 12^th.

ABOUT PA TOGAN SANGMA

• Also known as Pa Togan Nengminza Sangma, he was a freedom fighter from Meghalaya.
• He belonged to the Garo tribe, and is known for his role in the anti-colonial resistance movement in north eastern India.
• He is considered to be one of the first freedom fighters from Garo hills, Meghalaya.
• Event
  • Pa Togan carried out a bold night raid into Matcha Rongkrek in Meghalaya on December 12, 1872.
  • He assembled a Garo army to face a formidable British army with ingeniously crafted shields made from plantain stems.
  • He was a tactically proficient Garo warrior, but his forces were defeated by the overwhelming British firepower that eventually resulted in his own death.
• The State Government of Meghalaya honours him on December 12 every year.
• The day is observed as a regional public holiday in the remembrance of his courageous stand against British oppression in 1872.

ANSWER: B

• Six new countries- France, the United States of America, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Pakistan and the UN Environment Programme, including its World Conservation Monitoring Centre are joining the ENACT Partnership.

ABOUT ENACT

• Germany and Egypt along with the International Union for Conservation of Nature launched ENACT (Enhancing Nature-based Solutions for an Accelerated Climate Transformation) at COP27 at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in December 2022.
• Canada, the European Union, Spain, Malawi, Norway, South Korea, Japan and Slovenia were also founding members of the partnership.
• It is an ambitious global initiative that seeks to coordinate global efforts to address climate change, land and ecosystem degradation, and biodiversity loss through Nature-based Solutions.
  • Nature-based Solutions involve working with and for, rather than against nature, which is critical to deliver the climate, biodiversity, and land restoration action necessary to steward human well-being for all.
  • These include wastewater management, sustainable agriculture, forestry and fishing, pollution abatement etc.
• ENACT Partnership aims to
  • enhance the protection from and resilience to climate impacts of at least 1 billion vulnerable people,
  • secure up to 2.4 billion hectares of healthy natural and sustainable ecosystems, and
  • significantly increase global mitigation efforts through protecting and restoring carbon-rich ecosystems.

ANSWER: B

• Noted Hindi writer Pushpa Bharati’s 2016 memoir, “Yaadein, Yaadein aur Yaadein”, has been selected for the 33rd Vyas Samman, 2023.
• The award is bestowed by the KK Birla Foundation.
• Instituted in 1991, the award is given to an outstanding Hindi literary work by an Indian citizen published during the last 10 years.
• It carries a cash prize of ₹4 lakh, a citation and a plaque.
• Besides the Vyas Samman, the KK Birla Foundation has also instituted Saraswati Samman and Bihari Puraskar.
  • The Saraswati Samman, which carries a cash prize of ₹15 lakh, is given to an outstanding literary work by an Indian citizen in any of the languages included in Schedule VIII to the Constitution of India and published during a period of 10 years.
  • The Bihari Puraskar carries a cash prize of ₹2.5 lakh and is meant for Hindi/Rajasthani writers of Rajasthan.

ANSWER: D

• Israel’s offensive in Gaza has shifted to the south, with its forces pushing into Khan Younis, a major southern city that had provided refuge for Palestinians displaced from the north.
• Khan Younis, north of the Rafah border crossing, is the largest city in southern Gaza.
• It was home to about 400,000 people before the war.
• It houses civilian infrastructure, such as Nasser Hospital, and is also the site of one of eight U.N. camps for Palestinian refugees who had to leave their homes in the 1948 war.

ABOUT THE CITY

• The city dates to the Mamluk empire in the 14th century, when Emir Yunus al-Nuruzi constructed a caravan serai, or a “khan” in Arabic, which was a roadside inn where travellers could rest from their day’s journey.
  • Hence, the name of the future city became known as Khan Younis.
• In 1387, Mamuk Sultan Barqouq ordered the emir to build a castle in his name.
  • The castle not only protected residents of the city but served as a linking point between Cairo and Damascus, as it ensured a space for merchants and travellers to trade.
  • Barqouq Castle stands today as one of the most important historical monuments in Palestine.

ANSWER: C

• National Energy Conservation Day is observed in India every year on December 14^th, to raise public awareness about the value of energy efficiency and conservation.
• Every year, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the Ministry of Power spearheads the celebrations.
• On December 14, 1991, the National Energy Conservation Awards were given to the winners for the first time.
• Since then, the day has been marked as the National Energy Conservation Day.