ANSWER: C

 ANSWER: A

 ANSWER: C

 ANSWER: B

• SCIENTISTS at National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal have successfully cloned a Gir cow “Ganga”.
• Gir cow belongs to Zebu (Bos indicus) family.
• It is popular because of its docile nature and goodness of milk.
• Main native tract of Gir cattle is Saurashtra region (Gujarat) especially area around Gir forest of Kathiawar including Junagad, Bhavnagar, Rajkot etc.
  • The breed is also in high demand in Brazil, the USA, Mexico and Venezuela.
• Gir cattle are very hardy and well-known for their tolerance to conditions of stress and resistance to various tropical diseases.
• Communities rearing Gir Cattle: Rabari tribe, Aher and Mer community

 ANSWER: B

• Ongoing Climatic variations and rising input costs, has made cultivation of MDBL unviable in Mahoba district of U.P.
• MDBL is one of the few betel leaf varieties in the country that has received Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• The variety, however, is highly susceptible to climatic fluctuations and needs a controlled environment.
• Their size is larger than other betel varieties and they have a unique aroma, lesser fibre with a mild bitterness and sweet taste.
• The betel claims an ancient lineage from the time of the Chandela rulers and is said to have been mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari as a major crop in Mahoba that provided handsome revenue to the Mughal kingdom.

 ANSWER: B

• A Parliamentary panel has asked Ministry of Education (MoE) to ensure speedy disbursal of sanctioned loans by Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA).

About Higher Education Financing Agency

• HEFA is a joint venture between MoE and Canara Bank to finance infrastructure development in premier educational institutions through long-term loans with an agreed equity participation in the ratio of 90.91% and 09.09% respectively.
• HEFA is registered under Section 8 as Not-for-profit under the Companies Act 2013 as a Union Govt company and as Non–deposit taking Systemically Important (NBFC-ND-SI) with RBI.
• Objective– The main aim of HEFA is for the development of India’s top-ranked institutions like IIT’s, IIIT’s, NIT’s, IISCs, AIIMS into globally top ranking institutions through improvement in their academic and infrastructure quality.
• Government had expanded scope of HEFA in 2018 under Revitalizing Infrastructure and Systems in Education or RISE by 2022 initiative, bringing Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, medical institutions etc. under its ambit.

 ANSWER: D

• Recently, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Director has visited the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant .
• Zaporizhzhia is an important town in the Ukraine’s southeast that houses the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
  • It is about 40 km up the Dnieper River from the nuclear plant.
• The Nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia has six reactors, which together produce about 5,700 MW of electricity.
• Ukraine is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapons state.

 International Atomic Energy Agency

• The IAEA is the international centre for cooperation in the nuclear/atomic field. It is a UN agency.
• It works with its member countries and many partners to promote peaceful uses of nuclear technologies.
• It originated as the world’s “Atoms for Peace” organisation in 1957 within the United Nations family
• HQ-Vienna
• It reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council.
• In 2005, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work for a safe and peaceful world.

 ANSWER: D

• Recently, Japan has approved Official Development Assistance (ODA) to India, for a few key projects.
• India and Japan have bilateral development cooperation since 1958.

Key Projects under ODA

1. Patna Metro Rail Construction Project:
   1. 5,521 crores have been approved for Patna Metro Rail Construction Project (I).
   2. It aims to cope with the increase of traffic demand in Patna by constructing the new metro corridor.
2. The Project for Forest and Biodiversity Conservation for Climate Change Response in West Bengal
   1. 520 crores approx. have been approved for the project.
   2. It aims to mitigate and adapt to climate change, conserve and restore ecosystems by ecosystem-based climate change measures, biodiversity conservation and restoration, thereby contributing to sustainable socio-economic development in the State.
3. Rajasthan Water Sector Livelihood Improvement Project:
   55. 1,055.53 crores have been approved for Rajasthan Water Sector Livelihood Improvement Project.
   56. It aims to improve livelihoods of farmers as well as promote gender mainstreaming in agriculture and irrigation sector in the State, by improving water use efficiency and agriculture productivity, through improvement of existing irrigation facilities and agriculture support services.
4. Project for the Construction of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail
   1. 18000 crores have been approved for the project.
   2. This project aims to develop a high-frequency transportation system by constructing a high-speed rail along an approximately 500-km section between Mumbai in Maharashtra and Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
   3. Executing Agency- National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited.

Other ODAs to India from Japan

• Delhi Metro is one of the most successful examples.
• India’s Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project is funded by a soft loan provided by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under Special terms for economic partnership (STEP).
• India Japan Nuclear Deal 2016 will help India build the six nuclear reactors in southern India, increasing nuclear energy capacity ten-fold by 2032.

 ANSWER: C

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is planning to introduce a ‘heat index’ warning system in Delhi and other parts of the country.

Need

• According to “Hot Weather Analysis over India,” IMD revealed that the mechanism by which heat impacts humans is complex; it is a result of the interactions between temperature, radiation, wind, and humidity.
• There is strong experimental evidence that physiologic stress from high temperatures is greater if humidity is higher.

About the Proposed Heat Index

• Heat Index will calculate the temperature along with the humidity levels to provide a more accurate measure of what the temperature actually feels like.
• In the US, the heat index is color-coded to provide warnings based on the impact of the heat index.
  • The IMD is planning to introduce a similar color-coded warning system in India.
• It will factor a day’s- Relative humidity, Wind speed, Maximum temperature, Cloud cover.
• There is direct relationship between the air temperature and relative humidity and the heat index, meaning as the air temperature and relative humidity increase (or decrease), the heat index increases (or decreases).
• Usage of HI
  • It will not only warn against Heat waves hazard but also list precautions people can take.
  • Calculation of HI will help states in formulating better Heat Action Plans (HAPs) for heatwave assessment, forecast, preparedness and mitigation.

 ANSWER: A

• Shakib Al Hasan has surpassed Tim Southee to become the leading wicket-taker in T20I cricket during the second T20I match against Ireland in Chattogram.
• With 136 wickets in T20I at an average of 20.67 and an economy rate of 6.8, Shakib is considered as one of the best all-rounders in T20 cricket.

 ANSWER: C

• Shree Guru Gobind Singh Ji Government College, Paonta Sahib, has become the lone government college in the state to secure an ‘A’ grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
• It scored 2958 grade points out of 3900 points, earning it a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) score of 3.03.
• The college has significantly improved its score since its first cycle of NAAC accreditation in 2017 when it had secured a ‘B++’ grade with 2.79 CGPA.