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2021-09-30 05:25:56+00:00
20 - 30 Sep 2021 Weekly Current Affairs Notes @militarychoiceblog
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1 PM Narendra Modi has launched Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission to provide a digital health ID to people that will contain their health records.
2 The Ministry of Tourism launched NIDHI 2.0 (National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry) and ‘India Tourism Statistics – At a Glance, 2021’ on World Tourism Day (27 September 2021).
3 Sweet Cucumber from Nagaland has been certified by India’s Registrar of Geographical Indications (GI). It is the 3rd agricultural products (Other two are Tree tomato (tamarillo) and Naga king chilli) & 4th overall to be granted GI tag from Nagaland.
4 CAG of India, G C Murmu has been appointed as the external auditor of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). His tenure will be valid for six years from 2022 to 2027.
5 Home-made rice wine from Assam, Judima and Sojat Mehndi (Henna) from Rajasthan has been awarded geographical indication (GI) tag.
6 The first Pan-India toll-free helpline number 14567, Elder Line, for senior citizens in the country has been launched.
7 The Government has declared that the Midday Meal Scheme in the government and aided schools will now be known as PM-POSHAN Scheme.
8 Well-known theoretical physicist and cosmologist Professor (Padma Shri) Thanu Padmanabhan passed away. Stanford University named him among the top scientists in the world, with a rank of 24.
9 The Sikkim has declared 'Copper Mahseer' locally named 'Katley' (Neolissochilus hexagonolepis) as the State fish. The fish is recognised as endangered by IUCN.
10 India has been ranked at 46th place in World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021. India was ranked 48th in GII 2020. Under the Lower middle-income category group, India has been ranked 2nd after Vietnam.
11 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) agreed to change the membership of the Iran from an observer state to a full member state. After this, Iran becomes the 9th main member of SCO.
12 Kovalam in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry beaches have been globally recognized and coveted International eco-label ‘Blue Flag Certification’.
13 A crater on the moon’s South Pole has been named after Matthew Henson by the International Astronomical Association. Matthew’s footsteps were found to be the first at the North Pole. In 1909, he stood at the very top of the world.
14 Bangladesh’s Fairooz Faizah Beether has been chosen for the 2021 Changemaker Award for her work promoting good health and well-being.
15 United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Kailash Satyarthi among 4 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates.
16 The oldest human footprints have been discovered in North America, as per the new scientific research which has been conducted in New Mexico. The found footprints were between 21,000 and 23,000 years old.
17 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been conferred with SDG Progress award for steady progress of Bangladesh in achieving SDGs by the UN sponsored Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
18 Atal Community Innovation Center was inaugurated at Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur. It will be the first center in the whole of India which will be set up by GoI, Atal Innovation Mission and NITI Aayog.
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2021-09-29 17:23:58+00:00
INSPIRE & CubeSat
INSPIRE is a consortium of universities with active space programs, formed to advance space science and engineering.
A constellation of earth and space-weather observation satellites is envisaged under the INSPIRE program which includes a series of INSPIRESats i:e INSPIRESat-1 to INSPIRESat-7.
Cubesat
A cube satellite (cubesat) is a standardized, low cost, small satellite design typically used for technological demonstration and research.
It is a Nanosatellite and other Nanosatellites include PocketQubes, TubeSats, Sun Cubes, ThinSats etc.
Nanosatellites are any satellite weighing less than 10 kilograms. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-29 07:36:14+00:00
Indus Valley Civilisation
Time Period:
◦ The Indus Valley Civilization was established around 3300 BC. It flourished between 2600 BC and 1900 BC. It started declining around 1900 BC and disappeared around 1400 BC.
▪ This is also called Harappan Civilization after the first city to be excavated, Harappa (Punjab, Pakistan).
Geographical Extent:
◦ Geographically, this civilization covered Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Western Uttar Pradesh.
• It extended from Sutkagengor (in Baluchistan) in the West to Alamgirpur (Western UP) in the East; and from Mandu (Jammu) in the North to Daimabad (Ahmednagar, Maharashtra) in the South. Some Indus Valley sites have also been found in as far away as Afghanistan.
Important Sites:
◦ Kalibangan (Rajasthan), Lothal, Dholavira, Rangpur, Surkotda (Gujarat), Banawali (Haryana), Ropar (Punjab).
◦ In Pakistan: Harappa (on river Ravi), Mohenjodaro (on Indus River in Sindh), Chanhudaro (in Sindh).
Some important Features:
◦ The Indus Valley cities show a level of sophistication and advancement not seen in other contemporary civilizations.
Urban Features:
• Most cities had similar patterns. There were two parts: a citadel and the lower town showing presence of hierarchy in society.
• Most cities had a Great Bath.
• There were also granaries, 2-storied houses made of burnt bricks, closed drainage lines, excellent stormwater, and wastewater management system, weights for measurements, toys, pots, etc.
• A large number of seals have been discovered.
Agriculture:
• The first civilization to cultivate cotton.
• Animals were domesticated like sheep, goats, and pigs.
• Crops were wheat, barley, cotton, ragi, dates, and peas.
◦ Trade was conducted with the Sumerians (Mesopotamia).
Metal Products :
• These were produced including those with copper, bronze, tin, and lead. Gold and silver were also known.
• Iron was not known to them.
Religious Beliefs:
• No structures like temples or palaces have been found.
• The people worshipped male and female deities.
• A seal which was named ‘Pashupati Seal’ has been excavated and it shows an image of a three-eyed figure.
Pottery:
• Excellent pieces of red pottery designed in black have been excavated.
• Faience was used to make beads, bangles, earrings, and vessels.
Art Forms:
• A statuette named ‘Dancing Girl’ has been found from Mohenjodaro and is believed to be 4000 years old.
• A figure of a bearded Priest-King has also been found from Mohenjodaro.
◦ Lothal was a dockyard.
◦ Disposal of the dead was by burial in wooden coffins.
◦ The Indus Valley script has not yet been deciphered. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-29 07:30:46+00:00
Important Sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation @militarychoiceblog
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2021-09-29 07:13:02+00:00
Akash Prime Missile
A new version of the Akash Missile - ‘Akash Prime’ has been successfully flight tested from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha. #CAbyMilitaryChoice
• Akash Prime is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
• It can be fired from a tank or a wheeled truck to attack an aerial target.
• It was developed to replace the Russian 2K12 Kub (SA-6 Gainful) missile.
• Advantages - Akash Prime is equipped with an indigenous active Radio Frequency seeker for improved accuracy.
• Other improvements also ensure more reliable performance under low temperature environments at higher altitudes.
• Modified ground system of the existing Akash weapon system has been used for the current flight test.
• Akash Prime system will further boost the confidence of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force as the Akash system is already inducted and now getting improved with more lethal missiles. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-27 15:02:34+00:00
Arjun Mark-1A
Ministry of Defence has placed an order to Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF), Chennai for 118 units of the Main Battle Tank Arjun’s Mark-1A variant for the Army. #CAbyMilitaryChoice
• Origin - The development of Arjun was started by the DRDO in 1980s, primarily to augment the predominantly Russian-made armoured fleet until then. Work on the variant Mark-1A, or Mk-1A, began in 2010.
• Advantages - Mark-1A variant adds 72 new features to the previous variant Mark-1. These additions have resulted in
1 Better all-terrain mobility and manoeuvrability in different modes of operation,
2 Better target acquisition, and precision firing during both day and night with a 360° view,
3 Suitability for the 4-member crew, who operate in tough conditions when deployed,
4 Suitability for effective use of IT and computer networking in the battlefield, and
5 Multi-layered robust protective armour named ‘Kanchan’.
• These additions, along with its 120 mm rifled gun, have contributed to its categorisation as the ‘hunter killer’.
• Arjun Mark-1A is ideally suited for desert terrain, and even more effective and lethal compared to earlier variant due to the new additions.
• Limitation - Weight of the tank puts a limitation on its deployability in high-altitude terrains. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-27 14:58:56+00:00
Mangalyaan Mission
India's Mars Orbiter spacecraft has completed seven years in its orbit, well beyond its designed mission life of six months.
• Also known as Mangalyaan, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) is the maiden interplanetary mission of the Indian Space Research Oranisation (ISRO).
• Launched in 2013, the probe was successfully inserted into Martian orbit on September 24, 2014 in its first attempt.
• The spacecraft has already covered 3 Martian years (1 Martian year = 2 Earth years or 687 days).
• Purpose - MOM is primarily a technology demonstration venture and all the mission objectives were successfully met.
• MOM will explore and observe Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy and the Martian atmosphere.
• Further, a specific search for methane in the Martian atmosphere will provide information about the possibility or the past existence of life on the planet.
• Launch - PSLV-C25, the 25th flight of PSLV launched MOM Spacecraft.
• PSLV was used to launch MOM as GSLV was not in operational condition then. So, ISRO could apportion only about 15 kg for scientific instruments.
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2021-09-27 14:57:56+00:00
India's Mars Orbiter spacecraft has completed seven years in its orbit, well beyond its designed mission life of six months. #CAbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-24 04:20:09+00:00
Foodgrain Production
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare released the first advance estimates of production of major kharif crops for 2021-22.
• During the summer kharif season, the total food grain production estimated to reach an all time high of 150.50 million tonnes.
• Rice production is estimated to be 10.7 crore tonnes this year, slightly higher than the 10.4 crore tonnes produced last year.
• The acreage sown with paddy also increased by almost 1 lakh hectares.
• Oilseeds - Both major oilseed crops (groundnut and soyabean) in the kharif season saw slight dips in production.
1 Groundnut acreage dropped almost 4%, resulting in an estimated production of 82.5 lakh tonnes.
2 Soyabean production (affected by patchy rainfall in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) may amount to 1.27 crore tonnes, slightly lower than last year, and short of the 1.47 crore tonnes targeted.
• Pulses - Main kharif pulse crop, toor dal, may surpass both last year’s production and this year’s targets, with a harvest of 44.3 lakh tonnes.
• Coarse cereals’ production is pegged to drop to 3.4 crore tonnes in comparison to 3.6 crore last year.
• Cash crops are likely to see record production, with an estimate of 41.9 crore tonnes in the case of sugarcane and 3.6 crore bales of cotton. #CAbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-24 04:02:56+00:00
LiFi Network
Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), India's highest altitude educational organisation, has become the 1st institute in the Union Territory to have an internet connection using LiFi technology.
• Light Fidelity (LiFi) is a wireless communication technology that transmits data with a light beam spectrum through open space in outdoor and indoor environments.
• It is a Visible Light Communications (VLC) system has,
1 Solid-state lighting (SSL) such as LED bulbs,
2 Photo-detector (photodiode) to receive light signals and
3 Signal processing element to convert the data (embedded in the light beam) into ‘stream-able’ content.
• Data is fed into an LED light bulb (with signal processing technology). Then the LED bulb sends data at rapid speeds to the photo-detector.
• Uses - LiFi systems provide ultra-fast, safe and cheap data connections.
• They are chiefly useful in urban areas where radio spectra are congested.
• They are also very useful in rural areas wherein Fiber Optic Cables or networks are not reachable.
• Specialty - LiFi can be up to 100 times faster than Wi-Fi. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-23 16:14:14+00:00
Blue Flag Beaches
The ‘Blue Flag’ beach is an ‘eco-tourism model’ and marks out beaches as providing tourists and beachgoers clean and hygienic bathing water, facilities/amenities, a safe and healthy environment, and sustainable development of the area.
The certification is accorded by the Denmark-based Foundation for Environment Education.
It started in France in 1985 and has been implemented in Europe since 1987, and in areas outside Europe since 2001 when South Africa joined.
It has 33 stringent criteria under four major heads for the beaches, that is, (i) Environmental Education and Information (ii) Bathing Water Quality (iii) Environment Management and Conservation and (iv) Safety and Services. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-23 02:24:52+00:00
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2021-09-22 11:55:47+00:00
06 - 19 September 2021 - Weekly Current Affairs Notes
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1 A Gujarat-based nurse Bhanumati Gheewala has been selected for Florence Nightingale Award.
2 CAG G C Murmu has been elected as the Chairman of Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) for the period from 2024 to 2027. India will host 16th Assembly of ASOSAI in 2024.
3 The GST Council decided to extend compensation cess till March 2026 for repaying loans. Compensation cess is given to the states to compensate for the revenue losses due to GST implementation for a period of 5 years from 2017.
4 Shivani Meena, an IIT Jodhpur alumna, has become the first woman excavation engineer to work in an open cast mine at Coal India arm CCL.
5 Cuba has become the first country in the world to vaccinate toddlers with the COVID-19 vaccine. The kids from the age of 2 in Cuba are being vaccinated with two homegrown vaccines- Soberana and Abdala.
6 National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has bagged King Sejong Literacy Prize, a global recognition from UNESCO for its innovative approach towards education.
7 The Indian Government has signed a ceasefire agreement with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (K) faction led by Nikki Sumi. The agreement is for a period of one year. The NSCN (K) group led by Nikki Sumi was formed by him after the death of S.S. Khaplang.
8 Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has announced one of its largest recruitment drives for hiring women, titled as 'Rebegin project’.
9 The President of the United States Joe Biden will host the first-ever in-person Quad summit in the US. The Quad is the strategic grouping of four powerful nations- India, Japan, the US, and Australia formed in 2007.
10 English author Susanna Clarke has won 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction for her second novel ‘Piranesi’.
11 Rebecca Grynspan from Costa Rica has become the first woman secretary-general of UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development).
12 Tata Steel has commissioned India’s first carbon capture plant that extracts CO2 directly from the blast furnace gas, at its Jamshedpur Centre. It can capture 5 tonnes of CO2 per day (5-tonne per day (TPD)).
13 The Tamil Nadu govt has declared 500 sq.km of the biodiversity-rich waters in the Palk Bay as India’s 1st dugong conservation reserve. Dugongs are found in the Palk Bay, Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu, Gulf of Kutch and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
14 Quality Council of India (QCI) has launched ”Prof. S.K. Joshi Laboratory Excellence Award”. Award has been instituted to promote Laboratory Quality and performance improvement in India.
15 Indian biologist Shailendra Singh has been awarded the Behler Turtle Conservation Award. The Behler Turtle Conservation Award was established in 2006.
16 Union Cabinet has increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Telecom sector under the automatic route from 49% to 100%.
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2021-09-21 16:11:19+00:00
Types of Clouds #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-15 10:03:46+00:00
Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya & Engineer’s Day
September 15 is observed as Engineer’s Day in India to mark the birth anniversary of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (1861-1962), a civil engineer and statesman.
Who is Sir Visvesvaraya?
• Born in 1861 Sir MV, also known as Sir Visvesvaraya, made contributions to several technical projects in his career in Hyderabad, Mysore, Maharashtra and Orissa.
• He completed his engineering from the Poona College of Science.
• Soon after this, he accepted an offer to work as an Assistant Engineer in the Public Works Department of the Government of Bombay.
• He was 22 at that time and one of his first projects was to construct a pipe syphon across one of Panjra river’s (in Maharashtra) channels.
• In November 1909, he joined the Mysore service as Chief Engineer, ultimately assuming the position of the 19th Dewan of Mysore.
• He took voluntary retirement in 1918 because he did not agree with the proposal to set aside state jobs for “non-brahmin” community.
• After his retirement, he presided as chairman or became a member of various committees.
• While outside India, he fully intended to observe how the industrialised countries of America and Europe worked.
• In 1955, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna.
What were his key contributions?
• Institute - He established the Sir Jayachamarajendra Occupational Institute in Bangalore in 1943.
• It was later renamed to Sir Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic.
• It was meant to impart special training to technicians keeping in mind the impending industrial development of India.
• Books - His works, “Reconstructing India” and “Planned Economy of India” were published in 1920 and 1934, respectively.
• Education - His “Memoirs of Working Life” was published in 1951.
• In that, he noted that while in Japan there were some 1.5 million girls in school, there were only over 400,000 of them in Indian schools.
• This was despite the vastly greater population in India than in Japan.
• During his three-month visit to Japan in 1898, Visvesvaraya realised that education largely determines the health of an economy.
• Visvesvaraya was instrumental in the setting up of the University of Mysore in July 1916, as he was the Dewan of Mysore at the time.
• He believed that the aim of an educational institution should be in line with the “state of the country’s civilisation and of its material prosperity.”
• He also asserted that the conditions inside a university should not be very different from the ones a student has to encounter in real life.
• Technical - Some of his significant works include the introduction of the block system of irrigation in the Deccan canals in 1899.
• This solved the problem of the “muddy and discoloured” water in the city of Sukkur located on the banks of the Indus river.
• He also invented automatic gates meant to regulate the flow of water in reservoirs, which is patented.
• The Krishnaraja Sagar Dam in Karnataka was the first to install these gates in the 1920s.
• He was called upon to deal with an “engineering problem” in the wake of the destructive floods that struck Hyderabad in September 1908.
• He spent some time in examining engineering developments in water-supply, dams, drainage, irrigation.
• In Italy, he studied for two months the soil erosion problem and their irrigation and drainage works. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-15 05:11:19+00:00
India-US Climate & Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership
• It is a joint climate and clean energy initiative by India with the US.
The objectives of the initiative are,
1 To mobilise investments and speed clean energy deployment,
2 To demonstrate & scale clean technologies needed to decarbonize sectors including industry, transportation, power, and buildings,
3 Build capacity to measure, manage, and adapt to the risks of climate-related impacts,
4 Enabling green collaborations in India in order to create templates of sustainable development for other developing countries.
The Partnership will proceed along two main tracks:
1 Strategic Clean Energy Partnership and
2 Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-15 05:06:20+00:00
Minimum Support Price
• MSP is an integral component of Agriculture Price Policy and it targets to ensure support price to farmers and affordable prices to the consumer.
• The Government of India declares MSP for agricultural crops such as Cereal, Pulses, Oilseeds and commercial crops every year at the beginning of the sowing season based on the,
1 Views of State Governments and Central Ministries/ Departments concerned,
2 Recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
CACP is an attached office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
It is an advisory body that came into existence in 1965 whose recommendations are not binding on the Government.
Aside from fixing MSP, CACP also fixes Fair Remunerative Prices (FRP) for Sugarcane.
• Factors considered by CACP for fixing MSP include
1 Cost of production,
2 Domestic and international prices,
3 Demand-supply conditions,
4 Inter-crop price parity,
5 Terms of trade between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors.
• Crops - MSP is announced for Kharif crops - Paddy, Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Maize, Tur,/Arhar, Moong, Urad, Cotton, Groundnut, Sunflower Seed, Soyabean (yellow), Sesamum, nigerseed and cotton.
• MSP is announced for Rabi crops - Wheat, Barley, Gram, Masur, Rapeseeds & Mustard, Safflower and Toria.
• MSP is also announced for 2 other commercial crops - Copra and De-husked Coconut, and Jute.
◦ MSPs of toria and de-husked coconut are fixed on the basis of the MSPs of rapeseed/mustard and copra, respectively. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-14 18:01:35+00:00
The Madras Native Association (1852):
◦ After the establishment of Deccan Association, Madras acted next by establishing, the Madras branch of the British Indian Association in February 1852.
◦ Within a few months, its name was changed to the Madras Native Association as it decided to act independently of the parent body.
◦ The possibility of joint Indian petition to Parliament was wrecked by the split between Calcutta and Madras associations.
◦ However, the Madras Native Association right from its inception possessed very little vitality, had hardly any hold upon the public mind and languished into obscurity after 1857. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-13 15:41:23+00:00
Dengue and chikungunya are caused by the bite of Aedes agypti mosquito, which breeds in clear water.
Malaria is caused by The Anopheles mosquito, which, can breed in both fresh and muddy water. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-13 15:37:19+00:00
Solar Storm & Solar Cycle
• Also known as Coronal Mass Ejection, solar storm is an ejection of highly magnetised particles from the sun into space.
• These particles can take about 13 hours to 5 days to reach Earth.
• Earth’s atmosphere protects humans from these particles.
• But the particles can interact with our Earth’s magnetic field, induce strong electric currents on the surface and affect man-made structures like earth’s radio communication, GPS, Power grids and satellite.
• The 1st recorded solar storm occurred in 1859. It affected the telegraph network and many operators experienced electric shocks.
Solar Cycle
• It is the cycle that the Sun’s magnetic field goes through every 11 years - cycles of high and low activity. It also has a longer 100-year cycle.
• During the last 3 decades, when the internet infrastructure was booming, it was a low activity period of the Sun.
• Either in this cycle or the next cycle, we are going towards the peaks of the 100-year cycle. So, more studies should be done in order to protect our current infrastructure from powerful solar storms.
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2021-09-13 15:34:56+00:00
Battle of Saragarhi
September 12, 2021 marks the 124th anniversary of the Battle of Saragarhi that has inspired a host of armies, books and films, both at home and abroad.
• Saragarhi was the communication tower between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
• Two forts, now in Pakistan, were built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh but renamed by the British.
• Battle of Saragarhi was a last-stand battle fought between the British Raj and Afghan tribesmen (Afridi and Orakzai) in 1897.
• During the Battle, 21 soldiers of 36th Sikhs (now 4 Sikh), led by Havildar Ishar Singh, along with a non-combatant called Daad were pitted against over 8,000 tribals but they managed to hold the fort for 7 hours.
• Queen Victoria awarded to these 21 soldiers the Indian Order of Merit posthumously along with 2 ‘marabas’ (50 acres) and Rs 500 each.
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2021-09-13 15:30:16+00:00
Thamirabarani River
• Thamirabarani River is the only major perennial river in Tamil Nadu.
• It is the state’s shortest river that originates from the Agastyarkoodam peak of Pothigai hills of the Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu.
• It empties into the sea at the Gulf of Mannar after passing through Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts.
• Naming - Thamirabarani River was historically called Porunai, Than Porunai, Porunal and Poruntham in Tamil literature - from the Sangam era to Nayakar era (6th century BCE to 17th century CE).
Amaravathi River flowing in Chera region has been called Aan Porunai and Than Aan Porunai.
• Both Than Porunai and Aan Porunai find a place in Tholkappiam, an ancient treatise on Tamil grammar.
• The word ‘Than Porunai’ evolved into ‘Tamira Porunai’ before becoming ‘Thamirabarani’.
• Porunai is a non-Sanskritised word and the right pure Tamil word, which should replace the word ‘Thamirabarani’.
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2021-09-12 17:25:19+00:00
State of Uttar Pradesh vs Raj Narain
Case
A citizen sought disclosure from government officials of the "blue book" relating to the rules and instructions for the protection of the Prime Minister while traveling.
The petitioner claimed that the documents would reveal how the government had engaged in corrupt practices and violated limits on amount of money that may be used in election campaigns.
Section 23 of the Indian Evidence Act prevented anyone from giving evidence in court that was derived from certain unpublished official documents without first obtaining permission from a relevant government official.
Decision
The Court ruled that a court may order government documents to be disclosed in court proceeding, even if official permission has not been obtained as required by the Evidence Act, if the public interest served by disclosure clearly outweighs that of secrecy.
This was the first time the Supreme Court established that the citizen’s right to know arises from the fundamental right of freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.
In ruling that the government had to disclose documents regarding security arrangements for the Prime Minister's travels within the country, so long as disclosure did not endanger his or her security or public order, the Court reasoned that people have the right to know everything that is done by public officials in their official capacity.
This right is derived from the concept of freedom of speech, but it is not absolute and may be subject to restrictions for reasons of public security. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-12 17:07:54+00:00
Legislative Council’s Election
◦ Under Article 171 of the Constitution, the Legislative Council of a state shall not have more than one-third of the total strength of the State Assembly, and not less than 40 members.
◦ Like the Rajya Sabha, the legislative council is a continuing chamber, that is, it is a permanent body and is not subject to dissolution. The tenure of a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) is six years, with one-third of the members retiring every two years.
Manner of Election:
◦ One-third of the MLCs are elected by the state’s MLAs,
◦ Another 1/3rd by a special electorate comprising sitting members of local governments such as municipalities and district boards,
◦ 1/12th by an electorate of teachers and another 1/12th by registered graduates.
◦ The remaining members are appointed by the Governor for distinguished services in various fields namely, literature, science, art, cooperative movement and social service. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-12 16:59:45+00:00
Saddler University Commission 1917 - 19
In 1917, the Government of India appointed a Commission to study and report on the problems of the Calcutta University following the enactment of The Universities Act of 1904. The commission was appointed under the chairmanship of M.E. Saddler who was the vice Chancellor of the university of Leeds. The Saddler University Commission also included two Indian Members, namely Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee and Zia-ud-din Ahmed. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-12 11:41:42+00:00
Data from Chandrayaan-2
ISRO released the information gathered by the scientific payloads on board the Orbiter of Chandrayaan-2, India’s 2nd mission to the Moon.
The Chandrayaan-2 had an orbiter, lander and rover.
Lander and rover malfunctioned in the final moments and crash-landed, getting destroyed in the process.
But, the Orbiter part of the mission has been functioning normally.
Through different methods, the 8 instruments of the Orbiter carried out broad tasks.
• Water - The presence of water on the Moon had already been confirmed by Chandrayaan-1 (2008).
• Previously, water was known to be present mainly in the polar regions of the Moon.
• Chandrayaan-2 has found signatures of water at all latitudes, although its abundance varies from place to place.
• Imaging Infra-Red Spectrometer (IIRS) on board Chandrayaan-2 has distinguished between hydroxyl and water molecules, and found unique signatures of both.
• Water ice - Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar, a microwave imaging instrument, studied the subsurface features of the Moon.
• It has detected signatures of the sub-surface water-ice and potential water ice at the poles.
• Minor Elements - By measuring the Moon’s X-ray spectrum, Large Area Soft X-Ray Spectrometer (CLASS) has detected the minor elements for the first time through remote sensing.
• CLASS has detected sodium, chromium and manganese on the Moon.
• Studying the Sun - Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM) payload studied the Moon through the radiation coming in from the Sun.
• XSM has also collected information about micro solar flares outside the active region for the first time.
• CHACE-2 - Mass spectrometer CHandra's Atmospheric Compositional Explorer 2 (CHACE 2) conducted first-ever in-situ study of the composition of the lunar neutral exosphere from a polar orbital platform.
• It detected and studied the variability of the Argon-40 at the middle and higher latitudes of the Moon, depicting the radiogenic activities in the mid and higher latitudes of the Lunar interior.
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2021-09-12 11:19:33+00:00
Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA)
PMGDISHA drive has been launched by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MietY) under the PMGDISHA scheme.
• Launched in 2017, the PMGDISHA scheme is the Government’s flagship Digital Literacy scheme for rural areas.
• It envisages to make 6 crore persons in rural areas, across States/UTs, digitally literate.
• This will reach to around 40% of rural households by covering one member from every household where there is no digitally literate person.
• Entry criteria - Beneficiary should be Digitally Illiterate, who is only from rural areas of the country.
• All such households where none of the family member is digitally literate will be considered as eligible household under the Scheme.
• Only one person per eligible household would be considered for training
• Age Group - 14 to 60 years
Priority would be given to
◦ Non-smartphone users, Antyodaya households, college drop-outs, Participants of the adult literacy mission.
◦ Digitally illiterate school students from class 9th to 12th, provided facility of Computer/ICT Training is not available in their schools.
• Preference would be given to SC, ST, BPL, women, differently-abled persons and minorities.
• Identification of beneficiaries would be carried out by CSC-SPV in collaboration with Gram Panchayats, District e-Governance Society (DeGS), and Block Development Officers.
• Implementation of the Scheme would be carried out under the supervision of MietY in active collaboration with States/UTs through their designated State Implementing Agencies, DeGS, etc.
• Training will be given in the nearest Training Centre or CSCs for 20 hours which has to be completed in a minimum of 10 days and maximum of 30 days. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-12 07:09:09+00:00
Inventions and Discoveries
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2021-09-11 11:33:52+00:00
Gulf of Mexico
• It is a partially landlocked body of water on the south-eastern periphery of the North American continent.
• It is the world's largest gulf connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Straits of Florida, and to the Caribbean Sea by the Yucatán Channel.
Straits of Florida runs between the peninsula of Florida and Cuba.
Yucatán Channel runs between the Yucatán Peninsula and Cuba.
• It was formed as a result of plate tectonics around 300 million years ago.
• The climate of the gulf region varies from tropical to subtropical.
• The shallow continental shelf regions of the Gulf of Mexico contain large deposits of petroleum and natural gas.
• This region is known for commercial fishing, as the gulf waters contain huge populations of fish, particularly along the continental shelf.
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2021-09-11 11:33:46+00:00
Gulf of Mexico Map @militarychoiceblog
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2021-09-11 04:07:44+00:00
Mediterranean Climate
• Entirely confined to the western portion of continental masses, between 30° and 45° north and south of the equator.
• The basic cause of this type of climate is the shifting of the wind belts.
• Mediterranean Sea has the greatest extent of this type of ‘winter rain climate’, and gives rise to the name Mediterranean Climate.
• The best developed form of this climatic type is found in central Chile.
• Other Mediterranean regions include
1 California (around San Francisco),
2 the south-western tip of Africa (around Cape Town),
3 southern Australia, and south-west Australia (Swanland).
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2021-09-10 15:26:17+00:00
Chambal River
▪ Chambal River originates at the Singar Chouri peak in the northern slopes of the Vindhya mountains (Indore, Madhya Pradesh). From there, it flows in the North direction in Madhya Pradesh and then follows a north-easterly direction through Rajasthan.
▪ It enters Uttar Pradesh and joins the Yamuna River in Etawah District.
▪ It is a rainfed river and its basin is bounded by the Vindhyan mountain ranges and the Aravallis. The Chambal and its tributaries drain the Malwa region of northwestern Madhya Pradesh.
▪ Tributaries: Banas, Kali Sindh, Parbati
▪ It is one of the most pollution-free rivers of India. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-10 03:59:23+00:00
🏆 INDIA AT TOKYO PARALYMPICS MEDAL WINNERS :
🥇 GOLD :-
🏛 Avani Lehkara [Shooting] :-Women 10m Air Rifle Standing SH-1
🏛 Sumit Antil [Para athletic] :- Men's javelin F-64
🏛 Manish Narwal [Shooting]:-Mixed 50m Pistol SH-1
🏛 Pramod Bhagat [Badminton]:- Men's singles SL-3
🏛 Krishna Nagar [Badminton]:- Men's Single SH-6
🥈 SILVER MEDAL:
🏛 Bhavina Patel [Table Tennis] :- Women's Singles Class-4
🏛 Nishad Kumar [ Para-Athletic] :- Men's High Jump T-47
🏛 Yogesh kathuniya [ Para-Athletic] :- Men's Discus Throw F-56
🏛 Devendra Jhajharia [Para-Athletic] :- Men's Javelin throw F-46
🏛 Mariappan thangavelu [Para-Athletic] :- Men's High Jump F-63
🏛 Praveen Kumar [Para-Athletic] Men's High Jump F64
🏛 Singhraj [Shooting] :- Mixed 50m Pistol SH-1
🏛 Suhas Yathiraj [Badminton] :- Men's Single SH-4
🥉 BRONZE MEDAL :
🏛 Sundar Singh Gurjar [Para-Athletic] :- Men's Javelin throw F-46
🏛 Singhraj [Shooting] :- Men's 10m Air Pistol SH-1
🏛 Sharad Kumar [Para-Athletic] :- Men's High Jump F-63
🏛 Avani Lehkara [Shooting] :- 50m Rifle 3 position SH-1
🏛 Harvinder [Archery] :- Men's Individual Recurve Open
🏛 Manoj Sarkar [Badminton] :- Men's Singles SL-3
END of stunning Indian campaign at Tokyo Paralympics campaign with 19 medals (5 Gold, 8 Silver, 6 Bronze).
Prior to Tokyo, India had 12 medals overall in all earlier editions combined (4 Gold, 4 Silver, 4 Bronze).
India ends at 24th position in the Paraolympics.
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2021-09-08 06:12:24+00:00
Wood Wide Web
• It is the term used to describe the underground network of microbes that connects the trees.
• Through this system, the trees exchange carbon dioxide gases between each other (for photosynthesis).
• This system may extend through the whole forest, and help young trees that are struggling on a dry patch for carbon transfer from the luckier trees. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-08 06:12:24+00:00
Karbi Anglong Agreement
The Karbi Anglong Agreement ensuring Assam’s territorial integrity was signed to end the decades old crisis. #CAbyMilitaryChoice
• This Agreement will ensure greater devolution of autonomy to the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC).
• [KAAC is an autonomous district council in Assam for development and protection of tribals of Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong district.]
• It proposed to notify Karbi as the official language of KAAC. But English, Hindi & Assamese will continue to be used for official purposes.
• A Special Development Package of Rs. 1000 crores over 5 years will be given by the Union Government and Assam Government to undertake specific projects for the focussed development of KAAC areas.
• The Agreement provides for rehabilitation of cadres of the Karbi armed groups, who have agreed to renounce violence and join the peaceful democratic process as established by law of the land.
• Assam Government shall set up a Karbi Welfare Council for focussed development of Karbi people living outside KAAC area.
• The Consolidated Fund of the State will be augmented to supplement the resources of KAAC. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-06 16:51:15+00:00
What is Operation Green?
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▪ It is a price fixation scheme that aims to ensure farmers are given the right price for their produce.
▪ It aims to promote Farmer Producers Organizations (FPO), Agri-logistics, processing facilities and professional management of agri-produce.
▪ It focuses on organized marketing of Tomatoes, Onions and Potatoes (TOP vegetables) by connecting farmers with consumers.
▪ State Agriculture and other Marketing Federations, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO), cooperatives, companies, Self-help groups, food processors etc. can avail the financial assistance under it.
▪ To help in the structural and infrastructure part of the scheme, agriculture market committee (APMCs) promoted markets will be connected to the e-NAM platform.
▪ The government will also help in development of 22,000 agricultural markets.
E-NAM (e-National Agriculture Market) is an important initiative of GoI to use pan-India electronic trading portal for bidding and network the existing APMC mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.
Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) is a statutory market committee constituted by a State Government in respect of trade in certain notified agricultural or horticultural or livestock products, under the Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act issued by that state government.
▪ The scheme is launched on the lines of Operation Flood and seeks to replicate the success of milk in fruits and vegetables.
Operation Flood
▪ Operation Flood was started by National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in 1970s.
▪ It was also known as white revolution.
▪ Objective of the program was to create a nationwide milk grid and raise milk production in the country.
▪ It led to India becoming the largest producer of milk in 2016-17. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-06 09:23:35+00:00
Shore temple in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu @militarychoiceblog
▪ Shore Temple is one among a number of Hindu monuments at Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), on the Coromandel Coast of Tamil Nadu.
▪ It is considered the finest early example of medieval southern Indian temple architecture.
▪ It was built probably in the reign of Narasimhavarman II, also known as Rajasimha (Pallava ruler) who reigned from 700 to 728 CE.
▪ Unlike most of its neighbours at the site, it is built of cut stones rather than carved out of caves.
▪ It has two shrines, one dedicated to Shiva and the other to Vishnu.
▪ It has been built in Dravidian style. Its style is characterized by a pyramidal kutina-type tower that consists of stepped stories topped by a cupola and finial, a form quite different from the northern Indian sikhara.
▪ The Mamallapuram monuments and temples, including the Shore Temple complex, were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-06 08:55:41+00:00
Appointment of Supreme Court Judges @militarychoiceblog
• Articles 124(2) and 217 of the Constitution govern the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court (SC) and High Courts (HC) respectively.
• Under this, the President has the power to make the appointment after “consultation” with such judges of SC and HC as the president may deem necessary.
• Its interpretation of the word “consultation” began in 1973 following the Indira Gandhi-led government’s move to supersede 3 senior judges and appoint Justice A N Ray as the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
• First Judges Case (1981) - In “S P Gupta v Union of India”, the SC ruled that the President does not require the “concurrence” of the CJI in appointment of judges.
• It however affirmed the pre-eminence of the executive in making appointments.
• Second Judges Case (1993) - In Advocates-on-Record Association v Union of India, a 9-judge constitution bench evolved the ‘collegium system’ for appointment and transfer of judges in the higher judiciary.
• Third Judges Case (1998) - President K R Narayanan issued a Presidential Reference to the SC over the meaning of the term “consultation”.
• The ruling on this established a quorum and majority vote in the collegium to make recommendations to the President
• Overall, all these 3 cases shrank the executive say in proposing a candidate for judgeship and also took away the executive’s veto power.
• National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) – In 2014, the government attempted to gain control on judicial appointments through constitutional amendments, but SC struck it down as unconstitutional.
• HC Judges Appointment – It is initiated by the HC collegiums and then moves to the state government, the central government and then to the SC collegiums.
• Number of Judges - In 1950, when it was established, it had 8 judges including the CJI.
• Parliament has the power to increase the number of judges.
• It gradually increased the number by from 8 to 34 in 2019 by amending the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act.
• Retirement - The age of retirement is 65 years for SC judges and 62 for HC judges.
In US, the Supreme Court judges serve for life.
• Representation of Women - In 1989, Justice Fathima Beevi became the first judge to be appointed to the Supreme Court.
• Justice B V Nagarathna is in line to become India’s first woman CJI —80 years after Independence. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-06 04:02:27+00:00
India's paralympians have an epoch-making campaign at the Tokyo Games where an unparalleled 19 medals, including five gold, helped them sign off 24th in the overall tally -- the highest ever. #CAbyMilitaryChoice @militarychoiceblog
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2021-09-04 08:05:04+00:00
Constitutional Provisions Ensuring Separation Of Power
Must Read: Important Articles often Seen in news
▪ Article 50: State shall take steps to separate the judiciary from the executive.
▪ Article 121 and 211: Judicial conduct of a judge of the Supreme Court and the High Courts’ cannot be discussed in the Parliament and the State Legislature.
▪ Article 122 and 212: Validity of proceedings in Parliament and the Legislatures cannot be called into question in any Court.
▪ Article 361: the President or the Governor shall not be answerable to any court for the exercise and performance of the powers and duties of his office. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-04 07:56:37+00:00
Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha
• Article 93 of the constitution provides for the election of both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.
• Deputy Speaker is elected by the Lok Sabha from amongst its members.
• The date of election of the Deputy Speaker is fixed by the Speaker.
For Speaker’s election, the date of election is fixed by the President.
• He/She remains in the office during the life of Lok Sabha.
• He/She assumes the power of speaker when the office is vacant or speaker is absent.
• When he/she appointed as a member of the parliamentary committee, he/she automatically becomes its chairman.
• He/She can vote at the first instance. But when acts as the Speaker, he/she have the privilege of the Casting vote in case of tie.
• Deputy Speaker gives the resignation letter to the Speaker and can be removed in the same manner as Speaker.
• Upon the vacancy of the office, election should be held as soon as possible.
The tradition for the post of the Deputy Speaker going to the Opposition party started during the term of Prime Minister Morarji Desai’s government (1977-79) #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-04 06:10:00+00:00
Singorgarh Fort
This port is situated in Damoh district in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is a hill-fort of Garha Kingdom.
The fort is spread over the hills of a forested area. It is located at a distance of 45 km from Jabalpur city. It was a magnificent fort.
Rajgond rulers of central India were the residence of this fort.
The fort is currently in a ruined condition for which conservation work is launched.
The fort also comprises of a pond at the hilltop that provided water.
Under the rule of Rani Durgavati in the year 1564, the fort was attacked by the last war of the Garha Kingdom dynasty.
Gondwana Kingdom
This was a ruling kingdom in the Gondwana region of India. The region comprises of the core region of eastern part of Vidarbha (Maharashtra), some parts of Madhya Pradesh and parts of west of Chhattisgarh.
It also include some parts of western Odisha, northern Telangana and southern Uttar Pradesh. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-04 03:09:04+00:00
Who was Dara Shikoh?
• Dara Shikoh was born in Ajmer, the land of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, to whom, his father Shah Jahan had prayed for a son.
• Dara Shikoh, who was Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s son and expected heir, was killed on the orders of his brother Aurangzeb in 1659 after losing the war of succession.
• At the age of twenty-five, Dara wrote his first book, Safinat-ul-Awliya, a concise document detailing the lives of the Prophet and his family, the Caliphs and of saints belonging to the five major Sufi orders then popular in India.
• Dara Shikoh is described as a “liberal Muslim” who tried to find commonalities between Hindu and Islamic traditions.
Work of Dara Shikoh
• Dara Shikoh, who had a deep understanding and knowledge of major religions, particularly Islam and Hinduism, is known as a pioneer of the academic movement for interfaith understanding in India.
• He strove to develop cordial relationships between people by finding commonalities between Hinduism and Islam and bringing their cultures into dialogue.
• His most important works, Majma-ul-Bahrain (Mingling of Two Oceans) and Sirr-i-Akbar (Great Mystery), are devoted to the cause of establishing connections between Hinduism and Islam.
• He not only discovered commonalities but even said that the foundation of the two religions is the same, which is the belief, “One Reality and One God”.
• Dara Shikoh acquired proficiency in Sanskrit and Persian, which enabled him to play a key role in popularising Indian culture and Hindu religious thought.
• He translated the Upanishads and other important sources of Hindu religion and spirituality from Sanskrit to Persian.
• He wrote ‘Risala-i-hak Numa’ (The Compass of the Truth), the ‘Shathiyat or Hasanat-ul-Arifin’ and the ‘Iksir-i-Azam’.
• He also commissioned the ‘Jug Bashist’ and the ‘Tarjuma-i-Akwal-i-Wasili’. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-04 03:07:05+00:00
About Pantanal Wetlands
• It is the world’s largest tropical wetlands.
• It sprawls across three South American countries i.e. Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay and supports millions of people there, as well as communities in the lower Rio de la Plata Basin.
• The Pantanal derives its name from the Portuguese word for 'swamp'.
• It has the largest concentration of crocodiles in the world.
• Jaguars, the largest feline in the Americas, hunt caiman in the Pantanal, which has one of the highest density of jaguars anywhere the world.
• The Pantanal is also home to the biggest parrot on the planet, the hyacinth macaw.
• The areas that are protected include parts that fall under an agreement called Ramsar that requires national governments to conserve and wisely use wetlands, and some that are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves.
• The Pantanal is bounded by the Chiquitano dry forests to the west and northwest, by the Arid Chaco dry forests to the southwest and the Humid Chaco to the south.
◦ The Cerrado savannas lie to the north, east and southeast. #GKbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-03 12:06:10+00:00
Sahyadri Range @militarychoiceblog
▪ Western Ghats are locally known by different names such as Sahyadri in Maharashtra, Nilgiri hills in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and Anaimalai hills and Cardamom hills in Kerala.
▪ The Western Ghats are a north-south chain of mountains or hills that mark the western edge of the Deccan plateau region.
▪ Western Ghats are comparatively higher in elevation and more continuous than the Eastern Ghats. Their average elevation is about 1,500 m with the height increasing from north to south.
▪ Anaimudi (2,695 m), the highest peak of Peninsular plateau is located on the Anaimalai hills of the Western Ghats followed by Dodabetta (2,637 m) on the Nilgiri hills.
▪ Most of the Peninsular rivers such as Krishna and Cauvery have their origin in the Western Ghats.
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2021-09-03 12:05:09+00:00
Ellora Caves &militarychoiceblog
▪It is located nearly 100 Kms away from Ajanta caves in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra.
▪It is a group of 34 caves – 17 Brahmanical, 12 Buddhist and 5 Jain.
◦ These set of caves were developed during the period between the 5th and 11th centuries A.D. (newer as compared to Ajanta Caves) by various guilds from Vidarbha, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
◦ That is why the caves reflect a natural diversity in terms of theme and architectural styles.
▪ UNESCO Site: The Ellora complex was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.
▪ The most remarkable of the cave temples is Kailasa (Kailasanatha; cave 16), named for the mountain in the Kailasa Range of the Himalayas where the Hindu god Shiva resides.
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2021-09-03 11:54:15+00:00
Ajanta Caves @militarychoiceblog
▪Ajanta is a series of rock-cut caves in the Sahyadri ranges (Western Ghats) on Waghora river near Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
▪There are a total of 29 caves (all buddhist) of which 25 were used as Viharas or residential caves while 4 were used as Chaitya or prayer halls.
◦ The caves were developed in the period between 200 B.C. to 650 A.D.
◦ The Ajanta caves were inscribed by the Buddhist monks, under the patronage of the Vakataka kings – Harishena being a prominent one.
◦ Reference of the Ajanta caves can be found in the travel accounts of Chinese Buddhist travellers Fa Hien (during the reign of Chandragupta II; 380- 415 CE) and Hieun Tsang (during the reign of emperor Harshavardhana; 606 - 647 CE).
▪ Painting
◦ The figures in these caves were done using fresco painting.
◦ The outlines of the paintings were done in red colour. One of the striking features is the absence of blue colour in the paintings.
◦ The paintings are generally themed around Buddhism – the life of Buddha and Jataka stories.
▪ UNESCO Site: The caves were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.
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2021-09-03 04:53:55+00:00
03 September 2021 Current Affairs Notes @militarychoiceblog
INDIA
– I&B Ministry constitutes Committee headed by Prasar Bharati Board Member Ashok Kumar Tandon to review existing guidelines of Journalist Welfare Scheme
– AYUSH Minister Sarbananda Sonowal distributes medicinal plants and Ayurvedic medicine under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
– Indian Navy hands over two Mobile Oxygen Plants to Bangladesh
– J&K: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launches Rural Enterprises Acceleration Programme titled ‘Saath’ for Self Help Group (SHG) women
– Assam: Rajiv Gandhi National Park renamed as Orang National Park
– J&K: Separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani dies at 92 in Srinagar
– Sidharth Shukla, actor known for TV serial ‘Balika Vadhu’, ‘Bigg Boss 13’ winner, dies at 40
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– 11th India-United Kingdom Economic and Financial Dialogue held virtually; co-chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the UK Treasury Chancellor Rishi Sunak
– Gujarat Govt. to host 12th Defence Expo-2022 in Gandhinagar from March 10 to 13, 2022
– Union Agriculture Minister addresses 16th sustainability summit 2021 of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
WORLD
– EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar holds bilateral meeting with Croatia’s Foreign Minister Dr. Anze Logar in capital Ljubljana
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2021-09-02 08:31:47+00:00
Summary of Indices and Reports (2020-21) @militarychoiceblog
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2021-09-01 14:27:18+00:00
01 September 2021 Current Affairs Notes @militarychoiceblog
INDIA
– Pankaj Kumar Singh takes charge as new DG of BSF
– Sanjay Arora takes charge as new DG of ITBP
– World’s highest motorable road at 18,600 ft inaugurated in Ladakh; connects Leh to the Pangong Lake
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– India’s GDP growth accelerates to 20.1% in Q1FY22 on low base
WORLD
– Goutam Ghose’s ‘Raahgir’ wins Best Film award at Washington DC South Asian Film Festival
– Navies of India and Algeria conduct first naval exercise off the Algerian coast
– First International Day for People of African Descent celebrated by UN on August 31
SPORTS
– Tokyo Paralympics: Mariyappan Thangavelu and Sharad Kumar win silver and bronze respectively in men’s high jump T42 event #CAbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-01 14:18:07+00:00
China-Myanmar New Passage @militarychoiceblog
China opens its 1st sea-road-rail transport link to Indian Ocean, called the China-Myanmar New Passage.
• It is a transport corridor that connects the logistics lines of Singapore, Myanmar and China.
• This route, which is the 1st to link western China with the Indian Ocean, is a sea-road-rail link.
• This passage is currently the most convenient land and sea channel linking the Indian Ocean with southwest China.
• The railway line of the route currently ends in Lincang on the Chinese side opposite the Myanmar border trade town of Chin Shwe Haw. #CAbyMilitaryChoice
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2021-09-01 03:40:28+00:00
Indian boxers dominated the Asian Youth Athletics Championships, notching up six gold medals along with nine silver and five bronze in the event. #CAbyMilitaryChoice
It is a biennial, continental athletics competition held for Asian athletes. It is organised by the Asian Athletics Association. The first championships were held in 2015. It is a youth category event that is held for athletes aged fifteen and seventeen. #CAbyMilitaryChoice @militarychoiceblog