ANSWER: C

• The Baikho festival is celebrated in the state of Assam, which is called as gateway to northeast India. It is celebrated by Rabha tribes of India. 
• The Baikho festival is celebrated annually. It is celebrated to bring in auspicious harvest season and to fill it with abundant crops and good health.
• This is a celebration of good harvest. It is an ancient tradition. It is predominantly observed by Rabha Tribe. However, people from other communities also harmonise in the celebrations.

About Rabhas Tribes: 

• Rabhas are a Tibeto-Burman community. They reside in Lower Assam in Garo hills and Dooar region of West Bengal. They are among the plains tribe in State.
• They are an agriculture-based community. They have distinctive culture and celebrations.

ANSWER: B

• Quacquarelli Symonds (QS),London-based global higher education has released the 19th edition of the world’s most consulted international university ranking.
• The QS World University Rankings 2023ranks the top 900 universities based on 8 key ranking indicators.
• This is the largest ever ranking with 1,418 institutions across one hundred locations up from 1300 in the previous year.

Key points:

• The ranking was topped by the United States(US)’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)followed by the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom(UK) and Stanford University(US).
• Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, Karnataka, ranked 155 gaining 31 places since 2022 ranking and emerged as the fastest rising South Asian university among the top 200 universities.
• 41 Indian varsities have been found place in the rankings.
• Among QS World University Rankings top 200 varsities, The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru (155th) topped among Indian universities, followed by IIT Bombay (172nd) and IIT Delhi (174th).

ANSWER: C

• Music Maestro, AR Rahman has been appointed as ambassador of The Season of Culture, which marks the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.
• It was officially launched, by Britain’s Deputy High Commissioner to India Jan Thomson and Director (India) of the British Council Barbara Wickham.
• The Season of Culture aims to strengthen India-UK collaboration in the areas of arts, English and education.

ANSWER: D

• New York state legislature is a world first, to pass the law for Digital Electronics. The “right to repair” bill enacted by the requiring digital electronics makers to make parts, tools, information, and software available to customers and independent repair businesses.
• To safeguard customers’ rights to repair and refurbish their purchased products, the “Fair Repair Act” was enacted.
• It does not include motor vehicles (these are already handled by a national Right to Repair agreement between the automakers and the aftermarket), home appliances, medical devices, public safety communications equipment like police radios, agricultural equipment, and off-road equipment.
• According to New York Assembly member, the Digital Fair Repair Act puts consumers first, levels the playing field for independent repair shops, and reduces e-waste footprint on the environment,”

ANSWER: B

• The World Health Organisation has awarded the Resource Centre for Tobacco Control (e-RCTC) of the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh with the Regional Director Special Recognition Award.
• The Resource Centre for Tobacco Control provides information related to tobacco control in India, including circulars and orders, policies and legislations, multidisciplinary publications

Key points:

• Besides being a resource hub, the centre has achieved heights in capacity building by organising more than 50 workshops and webinars for around 3,500 program managers and academicians.
• The Resource Center for Tobacco Control, a joint initiative of the PGIMER and the UNION-SEA, was set up in 2018 by 25 organisations working over tobacco control in India with an aim to showcase tobacco control initiatives.
• e-RCTC portal has attracted 4.2 lakh visitors from 100 countries in three years.

ANSWER: D

• Members of the European Parliament have voted to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035.
• The move aims to step up the fight against climate change through the faster development of electric vehicles.
• The voting was held on an amendment that would have allowed some auto emissions from new vehicles after 2035, which was rejected by Members of Parliament.

Key points:

• Lawmakers supported a proposal, made by the European Commission last year, to require a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars by 2035, which would make it impossible to sell fossil fuel-powered vehicles in the EU from that date.
• Attempts by some lawmakers to weaken the target to a 90% CO2 cut by 2035were rejected.

ANSWER: D

• As per government data released, Industrial output growth rose to an eight-month high of 7.1 per cent in April on the back of improved performance by power and mining sectors.
• As per the data on Index of Industrial Production (IIP) released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), manufacturing sector recorded a growth of 6.3 per cent in the first month of the current financial year.
• The previous high for IIP growth was 13 per cent in August 2021.
• According to the NSO, that growth rates over corresponding period of the previous year are to be interpreted considering the unusual circumstances on account of the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020.
• As per the data, power and mining sectors grew by 11.8 per cent and 7.8 per cent, respectively.
• As per use-based classification, the capital goods segment recorded a growth of 14.7 per cent, while the consumer durables sector expanded by 8.5 per cent.
• According to the NSO the primary goods, intermediate goods, infrastructure/ construction goods, and consumer non-durables sectors expanded by 10.1 per cent, 7.6 per cent, 3.8 per cent, and 0.3 per cent, respectively.

ANSWER: C.

• 12 June marks the World Day Against Child Labour .
• On this day, the ILO, together with its constituents and partners has called for increased investment in social protection systems and schemes to establish solid social protection floors and protect children from child labour.
• According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), there are about 152 million children globally who are engaged in child labour, 72 million of whom are in hazardous work.
• The theme of Year 2022 is “Universal Social Protection to End Child Labour”.

ANSWER: C

• A Nature interpretation centre is being constructed at 10,280-feet high Jalori Jot, a beautiful tourist spot on Aut Luhri NH-305.
• Th e centre will introduce tourists to culture, food and lifestyle of Kullu district.
• The data concerning forests, occupation of people and ancient heritage will be made available.
• Tourists will get information about the local culture of the district, living conditions of the people, the forest wealth, animals, natural species, types of forests, food, ancient culture, etc, at this centre.
• “Tourists coming from the all over the country and abroad will get acquainted with the folk culture.”
• The space will be provided to self-help groups. This will boost tourism in the region.
• There are many picturesque places like Serolsar Lake, Mata Budhi Nagin temple, Lambalambari Jot, Raghupurgarh, Tarkasi, Khanag, Chauhani Kamand, Kohila, etc near Jalori Jot.

ANSWER: B

• The annual Piplu Fair began at the Nar Singh temple in Piplu village of the Kutlehar Assembly segment.
• The temple is located on the Solasinghi Dhaar.
• The Piplu Fair is held on the day of ‘Nirjala Ekadashi’.
• Devotees from Una, Hamirpur and Kangra districts visit the temple during the fair to offer a part of their agriculture produce to deity.
• The fair has been given the status of a district-level fair by the Art, Language and Culture Department.