NATIONAL:
1. Gyanvapi Complex
Why in news – The Varanasi District Court allowed prayers in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi complex.
Key Points –
• Cellar is an underground room that is used for storing things.
• The designated place is called ‘Vyasji ka tehkhana’.
• Vyasji ka tehkahana faces the Nandi statue placed inside the Kashi Vishwanath complex near the sanctum sanctorum.
• The tehkhana was given to the Vyas family for worship and other religious rituals by the British in 1809.
2. Maratha Military Landscapes
Why in news – 'Maratha Military Landscapes' to be India's nomination for UNESCO World Heritage List for 2024-25.
Key Points –
• Maratha Military landscapes (developed between 17th and 19th centuries) are nominated in cultural category.
• They represent an extraordinary fortification and military system envisioned by Maratha rulers.
• Twelve components of this nomination are from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu (Gingee Fort).
About Major Forts –
(a) Raigad - Coronation (Shivrajyaabhishek) of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj conducted. He made it his capital in 1674 AD.
(b) Shivneri - Birthplace of Shivaji but never ruled the fort.
(c) Sindhudurg - Built on an island in Konkan region during Shivaji’s reign.
(d) Pratapgarh - Encounter between Shivaji and Afzal Khan.
ECONOMY:
1. Paytm Payments Bank
Why in news – The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) barred it from offering all its core services—including accounts and wallets after February 29, 2024.
Key Points –
• Action was taken in the wake of “persistent non-compliance and material supervisory concerns”.
• China-based entities like Antfin were indirect shareholders through their stake in the parent company One97 Communications.
• The action was taken under Section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
SCIENCE – TECH:
1. Atal Tinkering Laboratory (ATL)
Why in news – NITI Aayog and Oppo India celebrated the first anniversary of the Atal Tinkering Laboratory (ATL) in Thrissur.
Key Points –
• The first ATL was established under a public-private partnership at St Paul’s CE Higher Secondary School in Kuriachira, Thrissur.
• NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has established more than 10,000 ATLs across as many schools in 35 states and union territories.
• ATL aims to develop skills like design philosophy, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing, and more.
ENVIRONMENT:
1. Carbon Markets in Agriculture
Why in news – Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare launched framework to promote voluntary carbon markets in agriculture.
Key Points –
• Full name of the initiative is ‘Framework for Voluntary Carbon Market in Agriculture Sector and Accreditation Protocol of Agroforestry Nurseries’.
Benefits –
(a) encourage small and medium farmers to avail benefits of carbon credits.
(b) accelerate the adoption of environment-friendly agricultural practices.
(c) create economic incentives for emission reduction, also known as ‘carbon credits’.
Need for Framework –
(a) Indian Agriculture accounts for nearly 15% of India’s greenhouse gas emission (GHG).
(b) About 50% of cultivated area is rainfed.
(c) More than 80% of Indian farmers are small and marginal thus vulnerable to climate change.
Value Addition –
• National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (2010) promotes adaptation measures like agroforestry, micro irrigation, soil health management etc that reduce emission and do carbon sequestration.
• Around 54.6% of the country’s workforce is engaged in agriculture and allied sectors’ activities.
• The share of the agriculture sector in the gross domestic product is only 18.6%.
• The sown area is 139.3 million hectares, out of the total geographical area of the country.
AWARDS & HONOURS:
1. Industrially-Produced Trans-Fatty Acids (iTFA)
Why in news – World Health Organization (WHO) has awarded its first-ever certificates validating progress in eliminating iTFA to five countries.
Key Points –
• Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand were awarded.
• WHO also released results from the first five years of its REPLACE initiative to eliminate iTFA.
• The ambitious target set by WHO in 2018—to fully eliminate iTFA from the global food supply by the end of 2023—was not met.
• WHO proposes a revised new target for virtual elimination of iTFA globally by 2025.
Value Addition –
• Trans-fatty acids (TFA) are semisolid to solid fats that occur in two forms: industrially produced and naturally occurring.
• Intake of TFA is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks.
• TFA has no known health benefits, and foods high in iTFA (e.g. fried foods, cakes and ready meals) are often high in sugar, fat and salt.
REPORTS:
1. “The Indian Economy: A Review” Report
Why in news – A report titled ‘The Indian Economy: A Review’ released by the Department of Economic Affairs (Ministry of Finance).
Key Points –
• No Economic Survey was presented ahead of the interim Budget 2024.
• Instead, the Centre has released a report on India’s journey from the past 10 years titled ‘Indian Economy–A Review’.
• The report was prepared by the office of CEA V Anantha Nageswaran.
Highlights of the Report -
• India will become a $5 trillion economy in the next three years and can aspire for $7 trillion by 2030.
• India is the 3rd largest fintech economy after the USA and the UK.
• Women bank account holders have increased from 53% in 2015-16 to 78.6% in 2019-21.
• The female labour force participation rate (LFPR) hiked from 23.3% in 2017-18 to 37% in 2022–23.
• The female Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education has quadrupled from 6.7% in FY01 to 27.9% in FY21.
• The GER has more than doubled from 24.5% to 58.2% between FY05 and FY22.
• The adoption of GST, unification of domestic markets, and increased incentives for production has enhanced economic efficiency and subsequently reduced logistics costs.
Value Addition –
• The country's first Economic Survey was presented in 1950–51.
• Until 1964, the Economic Survey and the Union Budget were presented together.
BIHAR:
1. Deputy CM
Why in news – BJP president Samrat Choudhary and erstwhile Leader of Opposition Vijay Sinha were sworn in as two deputy CMs.
Key Points –
• The appointment of a deputy CM represents a political compromise that often follows the formation of a coalition government.
• The post, not mentioned in the Constitution, is nevertheless a long-standing feature of Indian politics.
• The Deputy CM enjoys the same pay and perks as a Cabinet Minister (in the state).
Value Addition -
• The first Deputy CM in India was Anugrah Narayan Sinha. He was the most important leader of the Congress in Bihar after the first CM of the state, Dr Srikrishna Singh.
• Karpoori Thakur became the second Deputy CM of Bihar in 1967, in the state’s first non-Congress government led by Mahamaya Prasad Sinha.
• Subsequently, Jagdeo Prasad and Ram Jaipal Singh Yadav were appointed Deputy CMs.
At National Level –
• K M Sharma vs Devi Lal and Ors (1990) –
(a) Devi Lal’s appointment as Deputy PM in VP Singh’s government in 1989 was challenged in court.
(b) Supreme Court upheld Devi Lal’s appointment saying the description of him as Deputy Prime Minister does not confer on him any powers of the Prime Minister.
2. EBC Commission
Why in news – The Patna high court upheld the government's decision to form EBC commission.
Key Points –
• The Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) Commission was established to ascertain the political backwardness of EBCs population in Bihar to determine their political reservation in urban local bodies (ULBs) polls.
• The reservation for EBC candidates in ULB polls of Bihar was given in 2022.
2. State Emergency Operation Centre
Why in news – CM Nitish Kumar inaugurated modern State Emergency Operation Centre.
Key Points –
• With this modernized system, instant information can be exchanged simultaneously from all the district emergency operation centers.
• He has also launched a device named Novel and Intense Technological Intervention for Saving Human Lives (NITISH).
• NITISH device can alert people 30 minutes before impending disaster (e.g., thunderbolt, flood, loo and cold waves).
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