ANSWER: A

• For the first time, DAC has cleared the procurement of 14 items worth Rs 380 crore from Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) start-ups and MSMEs. These items will be procured by Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.
• The iDEX was launched in 2018 with the objective of incorporating cutting-edge and disruptive technologies in the Armed Forces in a quick time-frame by emphasizing on the startup ecosystem and ensuring self-reliance and indigenization.
• iDEX is funded and managed by a “Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) formed as a “not for profit” company as per Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013 for this purpose.
• To boost ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat; these proposals have been approved under ‘Buy (Indian IDDM- (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured))’ category part of the initial Defence Procurement Procedure-2016. The procedure was further updated in 2020.

About DAC

• It is the highest decision-making body in the Defence Ministry for deciding on new policies and capital acquisitions for the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force) and the Indian Coast Guard.
• Minister of Defence is the Chairman of the Council.

 Other Government initiatives for Arm procurement

• Indigenisation portal- SRIJAN to provide development support to MSMEs/Startups/Industry.
• Defence Industrial Corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
• Defence Investor Cell: To provide information including addressing queries related to investment opportunities, procedures and regulatory requirements.

ANSWER: D

• In a significant achievement, MMR of India has declined by 10 points- from 113 in 2016-18 to 103 in 2017-19- as per Special Bulletin on MMR released by Registrar General of India.
• MMR is defined as number of maternal deaths during a given time period per 100,000 live births during the same time period. Maternal mortality is a measure of reproductive health of women in an area.

Key findings:

• With this steady decline, India is on verge of achieving National Health Policy (NHP) target of 100/lakh live births by 2020 and certainly on track to achieve the SDG target of 70/ lakh live births by 2030.
• Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Jharkhand have already achieved the SDG target, with the number of deaths as low as 30 in some states.
• However, rise in MMR in West Bengal, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh have emerged as a cause of concern.

Major causes for maternal mortality are

• Early pregnancy (15 -19 years of age), severe bleeding, infections, high blood pressure during pregnancy, anaemia, complications from delivery, unsafe abortions, and lack of necessary medical care.

Steps taken:

• Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY).
• Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK).
• Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA).
• ‘LaQshya – Labor room Quality improvement Initiative’.

ANSWER: B

• On World Water Day, Union minister for Jai Shakti launched a ‘Sujalam 2.0’ grey water recycling project.
• A staggering 31,000 million tonne of grey water a day is discharged by rural India alone, which is enough to tide over drought if evenly stored across the country.

About World Water Day:

• Held on 22nd March every year since 1993, it focuses on the importance of freshwater.
• 2022 theme is “Groundwater, making the invisible visible”.
• Grey water is defined as the wastewater that includes water from baths, showers, hand basins, washing machines, dishwashers and kitchen sinks, but excludes streams from toilets.
• More than 70 percent of freshwater across rural households in India gets converted to greywater.

Significance of grey water recycling:

• Can prevent potential harm to the environment.
• Can reduce the demand for freshwater.
• Reliable water resource as unlike rainwater harvesting, grey water is not dependent on unpredictable and variable rainfall.
• High nitrogen and phosphorus content when used in irrigation can make a good nutrient or fertiliser source.

ANSWER: D

• French President suggested Finlandization can be a way to ease tensions over Ukraine.
• It refers to the policy of strict neutrality between Moscow and the West that Finland followed during decades of Cold War.
• Principle of neutrality was rooted in Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance that Finland signed with USSR in 1948.
• 1948 treaty formed the basis of Helsinki-Moscow relations until 1992, when Finland signed a new agreement with post-Soviet Russia.

ANSWER: A

• Parliamentary standing committee has asked the Food Ministry to study scope of extending PMGKAY scheme.

About PMGKAY

• Launched to supply free food grains to migrants and poor who faced hardship on account of economic disruption caused by COVID-19.
• Under PMGKAY, 5 kg free wheat/rice per month is provided to 80 crore beneficiaries registered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
• Its nodal ministry is Ministry of Finance.
• Though initially announced only for a period of three months, later it was extended under different phases.

ANSWER: A

• A datacentre is a physical facility that organisations use to store their critical applications and data, process data and disseminate them to users.
• The temperatures recorded In the hot aisles of a datacentre hover between 80 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
• As a solution to the large carbon footprint of data centres, excess heat generated by data centres can be captured and dean heat from the server cooing process can be transferred to the district heating system.
• It helps to combat climate change.
• For this Microsoft has partnered to begin the first project in Finland.

ANSWER: C

• Commerce ministry has put emphasises on state specific agri-products to boost agricultural exports.

About Naga chilli

• The chilli from Nagaland is also referred as Bhoot Jolokia and Ghost pepper, got Geographical Indications (GI) certification in 2008.
• It belongs to genus Capsicum of family Solanaceae.
• It has been considered as one of the world’s hottest chilli and is constantly on top five in the list of the world’s hottest chilies based on the SHUs (Scoville Heat Units).
• SHU measures pungency (spiciness or ‘heat”) of chilli peppers, and number of times capsaicin needs to be diluted by sugar-water.
• It was used as chili grenades to immobilize terrorists and other criminal suspects.

ANSWER: A

• In a UNSC meeting Indian foreign secretary called for greater policy alignment between the U.N. and the LAS (League of Arab States).

About League of Arab States or Arab League

• It is an intergovernmental organization (IGO), a voluntary association of independent African and Middle East countries whose peoples are mainly Arabic speaking.
• Purpose: To strengthen ties among the member states, coordinate their policies, and promote their common interests.
• Founded in 1945.
• Headquarters: Cairo, Egypt

ANSWER: A

• Tamil Nadu government has recently passed a resolution against move to build the dam.

About the Dam

• To be built across the Cauvery River by Karnataka as a reservoir and drinking water project. It will also recharge the aquifers in the region.
• However, Tamil Nadu has been opposing the project as it violates the final award of the Cauvery River Water Tribunal of 2007 and SC judgement of 2018.
• Also, the dam would disrupt the natural flow of water from the upper riparian state and affect its agrarian community.
• The project is now before the Cauvery Water Management Authority.

ANSWER: B

• Abel prize for 2022 goes to American mathematician Dennis P. Sullivan.
• It is an international prize presented by King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians.
• It is named after 19th century Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel.
• It was instituted in 2002, to commemorate his 200^th birth anniversary.
• Prize consists of a citation and a prize money of 7.5 million Norwegian Kroner.
• First Abel Prize was awarded in 2003.
• It helps to raise the status of mathematics in society and to stimulate the interest of young people in mathematics.

ANSWER: A

• BJP candidate Sikander Kumar, former Vice-Chancellor of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), who filed his nomination today, is all set to be elected unopposed for the Rajya Sabha seat from Himachal.
• He is the only candidate in the fray as no other candidate filed nominations on the last day.
• Himachal Pradesh represents four seats in Rajya Sabha.

ANSWER:  A

• It will monitor ambient air quality parameters, like particulate matter (2.5 and 10), nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, ammonia, carbon monoxide, benzene.
• It will be monitored on a real-time basis now with the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) having installed the state’s first continuous ambient air quantity monitoring station at Baddi.
• The station has been set up at a cost of Rs 1.75 crore, of which Rs 96.70 lakh was provided by the National Clean Air Programme

ANSWER: A

• Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur inaugurated the 10-day Kullu carnival .
• He visited the craft market and cuisine stalls at Rath Maidan, Exhibition Ground and Dasehra Ground.
• He also witnessed the fashion show in which, apart from traditional attire of the district, costumes of other parts of the state and country were also displayed.
• A cultural programme was presented in the evening by various artistes at the Atal Sadan.

About KULLU

• Kullu is a municipal council town that serves as the administrative headquarters of the Kullu district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
• It is located on the banks of the Beas River in the Kullu Valley about 10 kilometres north of the airport at Bhuntar. Kullu was ruled by Koli rulers of Badani dynasty

ANSWER: A

• A 10-day Saras Mela, in which self-help groups (SHGs) from across the Kangra district would showcase and sell their products, started at the police ground.
• Himachal’s Kangra paintings and ‘Chamba rumal’ was being appreciated all over the country, along with many other products, and every effort was being made to promote them.
• With Rural Skill Development and Rural Livelihood Mission, financial help was also being provided to the self-help groups by the Government.

ANSWER: A

• The Nurpur Blood Donors Club (NBDC) has received the International Life Saver Award for collecting 353 blood units at a camp on March 23 2021.
• The Club has also been felicitated with the World Book of Records London by the National Forum of Artists and Activists (NIFAA).