ANSWER: C

WHY IN NEWS?

• The Centre has approved the setting up of seven new mega textile parks, or PM MITRA parks across the country in an effort to help furthering the growth of the textile sector in the economy and position India strongly on the Global textiles map.
• The Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks (PM MITRA) will be based on the 5F vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister. The ‘5F’ Formula consists of Farm to fibre; fibre to factory; factory to fashion; fashion to foreign.
• These parks will be set up at Greenfield and Brownfield sites in different States by a Special Purpose Vehicle which will be owned by the State Government and Government of India in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Mode. The total outlay for the project has been set at Rs 4,445 crore for five years

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

• Assam Minister for Fisheries, Environment and Forest and Excise, Parimal Suklabaidya launched an App Fishwaale, India’s first e-fish market. Table size fish such as bhangon, mrigal and rohu and freshwater and seawater frozen fish (icebox) will be available coupled with dry fish packets, dry fish raw, fish pickles and processed fish products.
• Developed by Aqua Blue Global Aquaculture Solutions Pvt. Ltd. in collaboration with the fisheries department at a function held at Sri Madhabdev Bhawan auditorium, the minister called the app “a one-stop solution for aquaculture” that will help both the buyers and sellers.
• This platform will help the fish farming community get a reasonable price for their produce and lead to the elimination of middlemen.

ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS?

• A variety of rice widely grown in Wada in the Palghar district of Maharashtra has been given a ‘Geographical Indication’ tag, which will give it a unique identity as well as wider markets.
• Wada Kolam, also known as Zini or Jhini rice, is a traditional variety grown in the Wada tehsil of Palghar, with the grain being off white in colour.
• Wada Kolam rice commands a price of Rs 60-70 per kg in domestic markets and has a sizeable demand overseas as well. Wada Kolam has been grown in Palghar for years. It is known for its small grain, aroma, taste and for being light for digestion. It is gluten-free. However, it is a low yielding crop

ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS?

• P L Haranadh, an Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer of the 1994 batch, has been appointed as the new Chairman of Paradip Port Trust (PPT).
• Haranadh has worked in various capacities, during his 27 years of service, which includes 22 years in the Indian Railways and 5 years in the Ministry of Shipping. Paradip Port Trust (PPT) is the lone major port in Odisha.

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

• R. Sheikh has assumed charge as first Director-General of the Ordnance Directorate (Co-ordination and Services). It is the successor organization of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).
• He has contributed to the establishment of the modern production line system for the manufacture of small arms ammunition at the Ordnance Factory Varangaon. He led the successful development of the Bi-Modular Charge System for artillery ammunition

ANSWER: D

WHY IN NEWS?

• India’s rank has slipped by six places from last year to 90 on the Henley Passport Index 2021, which lists the world’s most travel-friendly passports Japan and Singapore hold the first rank on the passport index.
• The index covers 227 destinations and 199 passports. The index comes at a time when countries are easing travel restrictions for international visitors after almost two years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The rankings are based on the survey of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) data.

Top 5 countries in the Index:

• Rank 1: Japan, Singapore
• Rank 2: Germany, South Korea
• Rank 3: Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain
• Rank 4: Austria, Denmark
• Rank 5: France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden

World’s 5 least powerful passports:

• Afghanistan
• Iraq
• Syria
• Pakistan
• Yemen

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

• The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has launched the global FinTech Hackathon Series ‘I-Sprint’21’.
• The first Sprint of the series is “Sprint01: BankTech”, which focuses on FinTechs for the Banking sector. Sprint01: BankTech is organised jointly by IFSCA and GIFT city in collaboration with NITI Aayog.
• IFSCA was established by the Ministry of Finance on April 27 2020, as a unified regulator of all financial products, financial services, and financial institutions in the International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) in India. It has its headquarter at GIFT city in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.