ANSWER: B

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: A

• Prime Minister recently inaugurated the Kashi Tamil Sangamam at Namo Ghat, Varanasi.
  • First held in 2022, the Kashi Tamil Sangamam seeks to celebrate North and South India’s historical and civilisational connections.
  • It aims to further the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat.”
• This year, around 1,400 dignitaries from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will visit Varanasi for the event, participating in a number of cultural exchanges and exhibitions, showcasing art, music, handloom, handicrafts, cuisines and other distinctive products from Tamil Nadu and Varanasi.
• Background
  • Legend has it that King Parakrama Pandya, ruler of the region around Madurai in the 15th century, wanted to build a grand temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
  • He travelled all the way to Kashi to bring back the lingam for his temple.
  • While returning, he stopped to rest under a tree.
  • When he tried to continue his journey, the cow carrying the lingam refused to budge from its spot. Parakrama Pandya understood this to be the Lord’s wish, and installed the lingam there, a place that today is known as Sivakasi.
  • For devotees who could not visit Kashi, the Pandyas also built the Kasi Viswanathar Temple in what is today Tenkasi in southwestern Tamil Nadu.
• Nodal Ministry– Ministry of Education ; with participation from the other ministries such as Ministries of Railways, Textiles, Culture, Tourism etc.

ANSWER: C

• The fourth unit of the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP-4) in Gujarat, with 700 MWe capacity, started controlled fission chain reaction and thus became critical.
  • Kakrapar is situated about 80 km from Surat.

• The reactor’s first criticality was ascertained after it met all the conditions set out by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), India’s nuclear safety watchdog.

• The 700 MWe units are the largest indigenous nuclear power reactors to be built by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
• These reactors are pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs), which use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as coolant and moderator.

ABOUT NPCIL

• It is a public sector undertaking of the Department of Atomic Energy.
• The NPCIL presently operates 23 nuclear electricity reactors with a total capacity of 7,480 MWe.
• It has nine units, including KAPP-4, under construction while 10 more reactors, with a total capacity of 7,000 MWe, are in the pre-project phase.

ANSWER: B

• Cotton prices, represented by “Cotton candy,” saw a decline which is attributed to reports of pink bollworm infestation in the cotton crop, causing a reduction in yields.
• Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIB&RC) — regulatory body for processing of application for grant of registration of insecticides– has granted the registration of 50 insecticide formulations for the control of pink bollworm and bollworm complex.
  • CIBRC works under the purview of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.
• Pink bollworm infestation is seen in all the cotton-growing areas of north, central and south zone across the country.

ABOUT PINK BOLLWORM

• Scientific name- Pectinophora Gossypiella
• Originally native to India, it is now recorded in nearly all the cotton-growing countries of the world.
• It is considered possibly the most destructive pest on cotton
• Females lay eggs on cotton bolls; once hatched, the larvae eat the seeds and damage the fibers of the cotton, reducing the yield and quality.
• In certain parts of India, the pink bollworm is now resistant to first generation transgenic Bt cotton (Bollgard cotton) that expresses a single Bt gene (Cry1Ac).

ANSWER: D

• India’s National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) held two joint meetings with the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (RATS-SCO) recently, focusing on restricting terrorism and extremism through the use of new technologies and the internet.

 ABOUT RATS

• The RATS is a permanent body under the SCO.
• It is headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
• It works on promoting cooperation of member states against terrorism, separatism, and extremism.

ABOUT SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

• SCO originally known as the Shanghai Five, formed in 1996, by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.
• SCO was officially established in 2001 with joining of Uzbekistan as a regional intergovernmental organization.
• Member States- China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran.
• The primary objective of the SCO is to foster regional cooperation on diverse matters, encompassing security, economics, and cultural exchanges.

SCO AND INDIA

• India held the 22^nd summit of the SCO virtually earlier this year.
• It was New Delhi’s first time chairing the forum since joining the organisation in 2005 as an observer state and later becoming a permanent member in 2017.
  • The Chairmanship of SCO is by rotation for a year between member states.
  • India handed over chairmanship to Kazakhstan in September.

ANSWER: B

• India’s fastest solar-electric boat, Barracuda was launched at the yard of Navalt Solar and Electric Boats, located off Aroor in Alappuzha, Kerala.
• Named after the swift, long fish, Barracuda was designed by Navalt and can be deployed even in the rough seas as a workboat to ferry up to 12 passengers and cargo.
• The 14-metre-long, 4.4-metre-wide vessel can attain a top speed of 12.5 knots (23 kmph) and has a range of seven hours on a single charge.
• It has twin 50 kW electric motors, a marine-grade LFP battery, and 6 kW solar power, epitomising efficient and clean energy usage.
• The vessel was built for Mazagon Dock Limited which will introduce the eco-friendly vessel at its Mumbai dock.
• It is engineered to navigate through waves as tall as four metres and operates without noise, vibration and air pollution.

ANSWER: B

• Goa Liberation Dayis celebrated annually on December 19^th.
• It commemorates the liberation of the state from Portuguese colonial rule.
• Goa Liberation Day marks the day- 19-12-1961 when the Indian Army freed the state from 451 years of Portuguese rule.

ANSWER: C

• International Migrants Day is observed on December 18^th to recognise the contributions of migrants and highlight the challenges they face.
• The day sheds light on the socio-economic realities of migrants around the world.
• On 4 December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed December 18 as International Migrants Day.
  • On the same day in 1990, UNGA had adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
• The theme for International Migrants Day 2023 is “Promoting Safe Migration.”