ANSWER: C

• India has emerged as the world’s largest producer and second largest exporter of sugar.
• In Sugar Season 2021-22, a record of more than five thousand lakh metric tons of sugarcane was produced in the country. Out of this, 35 lakh metric ton sugar was diverted to ethanol production and 359 lakh metric ton of sugar was produced by sugar mills.
• Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution Ministry said, the season has proven to be a watershed season for the Indian Sugar Sector. Records highest sugar exports of over 109 lakh metric tons have been registered.
• The Ministry said, supportive international prices and Central government Policy led to this feat of the Indian Sugar Industry. These exports earned foreign currency of about 40 thousand crore rupees.

ANSWER: C

• The Ministerial dialogue of US-India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (USISCEP) will be held on 7th Oct 2022.
• Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will lead business delegation to Washington DC and Houston, USA.
• Mr Puri will also interact with World Bank Officials on Climate Resilient Urban Infrastructure.
• The revamped USISCEP was launched in accordance with U.S -India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden in April last year.
• The partnership continues to advance energy security and innovation and deploying technical solutions through five pillars.
• These are Responsible Oil and Gas Pillar, Power and Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Growth and Emerging Fuels and technologies.

ANSWER: B

• In Maharashtra,  the 66th Dhammachakra Pravartan Day is being celebrated with full zeal and fervor at DeekshaBhoomi in Nagpur.
• Architect of the Indian Constitution Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar embraced Buddhism on the day of Viajaydashmi on 14th October 1956 with lakhs of his followers at Dikshabhoomi in Nagpur.
• From that date, the day is celebrated as DhammaChakra pravartan day. To pay their respects to the Central memorial of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, on the occasion of DhammaChakra pravartan day, millions of followers have reached Deekshabhoomi from all corners of the country and state.

ANSWER: D

• Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its Russia-led allies have agreed to cut oil production by two million barrels a day at a Vienna meeting. It is the deepest cuts to oil production since the 2020 COVID pandemic.
• The cut could spur a recovery in oil prices that have dropped to about 90 dollars from 120 dollars three months ago on fears of a global economic recession, rising US interest rates, and a stronger dollar.
• However, the cut in real terms might be less than the headline figure, with multiple OPEC members currently producing less than their assigned quota.
• US President Joe Biden has expressed disappointment over the OPEC cartel’s decision to slash oil production output. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and top economic advisor Brian Deese said the president is disappointed by the shortsighted decision.
• They said the supply cut will hit countries already reeling from high prices while the global economy is dealing with the continued negative impact of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
• They said President Biden is ordering another dip into the country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, with 10 million barrels set to be put on the market next month in an attempt to dampen price rises.

ANSWER: C

• The United Nations peacekeeping chief is undertaking a visit to India, among the largest troop contributing countries for its operations.
• Under Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix will visit India, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Japan. The multi-nation trip starts on Thursday and will continue until October 15.
• Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters on Wednesday that in New Delhi, Lacroix will participate in a two-day meeting organised by the Challenges Forum, which brings together leading policymakers, practitioners and academics on key issues linked to peace operations.
• The head of the UN peacekeeping will then travel to Abu Dhabi, Islamabad and Tokyo.
• Dujarric said the purpose of Lacroix’s visit is to thank the countries for their contributions and support to UN peacekeeping as well as to update on progress enhancing the effectiveness of peacekeeping.
• According to information on the website of Challenges Forum, the event Challenges Annual Forum (CAF22) will “gather partners and key stakeholders” on October 6-7 to “discuss how future peace operations can remain relevant in a world of growing geopolitical friction”.
• The CAF22 will be co-hosted by the organisation’s Indian partner the United Service Institution of India (USI).
• Under the overarching theme “Future of Peace Operations”, the three sub-themes for the forum are “Place for Preventive Deployment in Diplomacy”, “Protection of Civilians in Peace Operation” and “Protecting the Protectors”.
• India is one of the largest troop and police contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions and more than 5,700 Indian peacekeepers are deployed in nine out of 12 UN peacekeeping missions at present.
• Since 1950s, India has cumulatively deployed more than 260,000 troops to the missions. Through the years, 177 Indian peacekeepers have made the supreme sacrifice, the highest from any troop-contributing country.

ANSWER: D

• After busting two call centres in Pune and Ahmedabad, which targeted unsuspecting American citizens, the CBI has launched ‘Operation Chakra’ in coordination with Interpol, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Australian Federal Police. It has raided 115 locations across the country with local police forces in multiple states, officials said.
• A senior CBI official said, “During the searches so far, cash amounting to Rs 1.8 crore (approx) and 1.5 kg gold (approx) were seized. Bank accounts with an amount of around Rs 1.89 crore have been frozen in Karnataka.”
• He went on to add that digital proofs including mobile phones, laptops and hard disks were seized.
• The official said the searches were conducted at 115 locations. Of these, 87 in 16 states were raided by the CBI in connection with 11 cases. The local police of states and Union Territories covered 28 places. He said the searches were part of an ongoing crackdown against
• “Among the states and UTs, Assam Police raided two places, Andaman and Nicobar Islands police at four places, Chandigarh Police searched three places in the city, Delhi Police covered five locations, Karnataka Police raided 12 locations and Punjab Police covered two locations,” the official said.

ANSWER: D

• The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2022 was awarded jointly to Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless “for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry” at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.
• The three have been awarded for their work in ‘click chemistry’, in which molecules snap together fast and firmly, without the need for a long, complicated process and too many unwanted byproducts.
• Their work has applications in the field of medical science, including the treatment of cancer. Bertozzi is based at Stanford University in California, Sharpless with Scripps Research, California, and Meldal is at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
• What is click chemistry?
• Click chemistry and bioorthogonal reactions have taken chemistry into the era of functionalism. This is bringing the greatest benefit to humankind. Chemists often try to recreate complex chemical molecules found in nature, and this has applications, among other things, in the field of medicine – how to target and block pathogens in cells. However, this process can be complicated and time-consuming.

About the Carolyn R. Bertozzi:

• Carolyn R. Bertozzi, born 1966 in USA. PhD 1993 from UC Berkeley, CA, USA. Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor at Stanford University, CA, USA.

About the Morten Meldal:

• Morten Meldal, born 1954 in Denmark. PhD 1986 from Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark. Professor at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

About the K. Barry Sharpless:

• Barry Sharpless, was born in 1941 in Philadelphia, PA, USA. PhD 1968 from Stanford University, CA, USA. W. M. Keck Professor at Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA.

ANSWER: C

• Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) has commissioned the world’s largest wind-solar power plant of 600 MW capacity in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
• The plant has a power purchase agreement with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) at Rs 2.69/kWh for 25 years.

Key Points:

• The project consists of 600 MW solar-wind plants.
• In May 2022, AGEL operationalized India’s first hybrid power plant with a capacity of 390 MW in Jaisalmer.
• The commencement of the 600 MW plant AGEL has a total operational generation capacity of 6.7 GW.
• This includes an operational hydropower generation capacity of 1 GW, the largest in the world.
• AGEL’s total renewable portfolio goes up to 20.4 GW to reach its vision of 45 GW capacity by 2030.

About Adani Green Energy

• Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) is an Indian renewable energy company headquartered in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It is owned by Indian conglomerate Adani Group. The company operates the Kamuthi Solar Power Project which is one of the largest solar photovoltaic plants in the world.

ANSWER: D

• CSK HP Agriculture University (HPAU) and Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), Hyderabad, have signed an MoU to promote scientific and academic interaction between the institutions.
• The MoU was signed by the Vice-Chancellor of HPAU, HK Chaudhary, and IIMR Director C V Rathnavati. Chaudhary said that under this MoU, work on millet research like its breeding, including germplasm exchange, crop improvement, processing and value addition, would be expedited.
• IIMR is a premier research institute of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

ANSWER: D

• Narendra Modi became the first Prime Minister to witness the historic Rath Yatra during the opening ceremony of the seven-day long International Kullu Dussehra festival.
• The idols of chief deity Lord Raghunath, Sita, Hanuman and other deities were brought to Dhalpur in a palanquin from their sanctum sanctorum in Sultanpur.
• These were then placed in a beautifully decorated wooden chariot called the Rath. Modi went to the Rath and paid obeisance to the chief deity Lord Raghunath before the Rath Yatra.
• Later, the descendants of erstwhile ruler of Rupi (Kullu) valley along with the head of family Maheshwar Singh led the Rath Yatra. The Rath was pulled by thousands of devotees from the northern end of the Dhalpur ground to the camp temple of Lord Raghunath in the middle of the ground.
• The palanquins of Gods and Goddesses with their bands accompanied Lord Raghunath in the Rath Yatra. Thousands of men, women and children in their traditional folk dresses, besides hundreds of foreign and domestic tourists, gathered to watch the spectacular event.
• The PM was served local delicacies Siddu and Patroda. He was also given metal carved idols of Lord Rama Parivaar by the Kullu Dussehra Festival Committee.
• The idols were then placed in the camp temple located in the middle of the Dhalpur ground. Traditional rituals will be carried out at the camp temple during the festivities.
• Kullu Dasehra is being celebrated since mid-seventeenth century and celebrations begin on Vijaya Dashmi, the day when the festivities end in the rest of the country.
• Deities from various parts of Kullu district are participating in the festival this year and the invitation had been sent to 332 deities.
• Unlike the past two years, this year commercial activities will be carried out in the Dhalpur ground and the cultural programmes will be held in the Kala Kendra.