About:

• Born on this day in 1883 near Nasik in Maharashtra, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was popularly called Veer Savarkar.
• Veer Savarkar was a freedom fighter. He called 1857 revolt as the first war of independence.
• He founded the following Organizations: Abhinav Bharat Society and Free India Society.
• He was also a member of India House. He was not the founder of Hindu Mahasabha, but he did served as its president.
• He opposed the Quit India struggle in 1942, calling it a "Quit India but keep your army" movement.
• Savarkar endorsed the ideal of India as a Hindu Rashtra and is credited with developing the Hindu nationalist political ideology Hindutva.
• Publications:
  • He wrote the book ”Joseph Mazzini- Biography and Politics”.
  • He published “The Indian War of Independence” about the Indian rebellion of 1857.
• The airport at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar's capital has been named Veer Savarkar International Airport.

 

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Q1) What is the history of free India?

The Indian Independence movement began during World War I and was led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. On August 15, 1947, India got its freedom, ending an almost 200-year British rule.

Source: PM Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker & various ministers pay floral tribute to Savarkar on his 140th birth anniversary

About:

• Sagar Parikrama is an initiative taken by Government of India.
• The aim is to resolve the issues of the fishers, other stakeholders and facilitate their economic upliftment through various fisheries schemes and programs being implemented by the Government of India such as Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and Kisan Credit Card (KCC).
• Sagar Parikrama is a program reflecting the far-reaching policy strategy of the government leading to the direct interaction with fishers and fish farmers to understand the issues of coastal areas and problems related to fishermen.
• Phases I, II & III, IV have brought massive changes in the development strategy for fishermen.

 

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Q1) What is kisan credit card scheme?

The Kisan Credit Card scheme is a Government of India scheme which provides farmers with timely access to credit. The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme was launched in 1998 with the aim of providing short-term formal credit to farmers and was created by NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development).

Source: Shri Parshottam Rupala launches VI Phase of Sagar Parikarma Yatra in Anadaman tomorrow

About:

• The Solar Decathlon India is conducted every year by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) and the Alliance for an Energy-Efficient Economy (AEEE).
• It is under the aegis of the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), an autonomous bilateral organisation jointly funded by both the Governments (The Department of Science & Technology, Government of India and the U.S. Department of State are the respective nodal departments on the two sides).
• The Council of Architecture (CoA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding as a knowledge partner with AEEE, who co-organises SDI, to expand outreach and the impact of Solar Decathlon India aimed at building the next generation of leaders to combat climate change in India.

 

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Q1) What is causing India climate change?

Increasing agricultural activities, changes in land-use patterns, and other sources lead to rising levels of methane and nitrous oxide.

Source: Winners of Solar Decathlon India Design Challenge for Net-Zero Future Proof Building 2022-2023 announced

About:

• REWARD is a World Bank assisted Watershed development program which is being implemented from 2021 to 2026.
• The Development Objectives of REWARD program is to “Strengthen capacities of National and State institutions to adopt improved watershed management for increasing farmers resilience and support value chains in selected watersheds of participating States”.
• The program is being implemented to introduce modern watershed practices in the Department of Land Resources in the Ministry of Rural Development and in the States of Karnataka and Odisha. 
• The total budget outlay of REWARD program is USD 167.71 million over a program period of 4.5 years. 
• At the central level, the scope of the REWARD program covers management, monitoring, communication and knowledge sharing functions by DoLR.
• At the State level, the REWARD program will be contiguous in scope to the WDC-PMKSY 2.0, and support implementation of key science-based activities and demonstrations which eventually aims at synergising broader perspective of WDC-PMKSY 2.0 in other States in India.

 

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Q1) What is watershed management?

Watershed management is a term used to describe the process of implementing land use practices and water management practices to protect and improve the quality of the water and other natural resources within a watershed by managing the use of those land and water resources in a comprehensive manner.

Source: Ajay Tirkey, Secretary, DoLR reviewed REWARD Program with World Bank Team

About:

• This time, the sixth DIVYA KALA SHAKTI program was organized in the divine city of Varanasi, where approximately 100 artists from six states, namely West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, performed in the program.
• It is organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment through CRC-Lucknow, an organization under the department.
• The Department is taking Divya Kala Shakti to regional levels under the direction of former President Shri. Ram Nath Kovind.
• As per this direction, five regional “Divya Kala Shakti” programs have already been held in various places, including the Western Region, North Eastern and Southern Region in Mumbai, Arunachal, Chennai, New Delhi, and Gauhati.

 

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Q1) Why is Varanasi called Kashi?

In the Mahabharata the city is referred to as Kāśī (काशी: Kashi) from the Sanskrit verbal root kaś- "to shine", making Varanasi known as "City of Light", the "luminous city as an eminent seat of learning". The name was also used by pilgrims dating from Buddha's days.

Source: Varanasi event welcomes dignitaries and disabled artists for Divya Kala Shakti Program

About:

• The Sengol sceptre, measuring an impressive five feet in length, is a remarkable creation made from silver and gold.
• It carries a rich history as it was originally handed over to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru by Lord Mountbatten on August 14, 1947, symbolizing the momentous transfer of power during India's Independence.
• Subsequently, the sceptre was put on display at The Allahabad Museum, allowing visitors to appreciate its historical significance.
• The golden scepter has its origins in the Chola empire, where it was used as a symbol of power transfer from one king to another.
• It had a carving of the Nandi atop it, which is said to be a symbol of justice.

 

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Q1) What does Allahabad Museum have a major collection of?

The Allahabad Museum has a rich and diversified collection of art, antiquities, paintings ,sculptures, coins, ceramics, archaeological objects, illustrated manuscripts, farmans, decorative art objects, arm & armours, textiles, natural history specimen, photographs , prints.

Source: PM Modi meets Adheenams at his residence, receives Sengol from them

About:

• PIL has not been defined in any Indian statute. However, Courts have interpreted and defined PIL.
• The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has, in the case of Janata Dal v. H.S.Chaudhary, [(AIR 1993 SC 892) held that lexically, the expression ‘PIL’  means a legal action started in a court of law for the enforcement of public/general interest where the public or a particular class of the public some interest (including pecuniary interest) that affects their legal rights or liabilities.
• Any individual or organisation can file a PIL either in his/her/their own standing i.e. to protect or enforce a right owed to him/her/them by the government or on behalf of a section of society who is disadvantaged or oppressed and is not able to enforce their own rights.
• The concept of “Locus Standi” has been relaxed in the case of PILs so as to enable the Hon’ble Court to look into grievances that are filed on behalf of those who are poor, illiterate, deprived or disabled and are unable to approach the courts themselves.
• Suo moto cognizance may also be taken by the Court.
• PILs are extensions of Writ Jurisdiction. Therefore, PILs may be filed either before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India under Article 32 of the Indian Constitution or any High Court under Article 226 of the Indian Constitution.

 

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Q1) What is writ jurisdiction in India?

What is a writ jurisdiction. The Supreme Court acts as a custodian of the fundamental rights of citizens. It is considered the “guarantor” and “defender” of the fundamental rights of the citizens of India. It has the power to issue five types of writs; habeas corpus, mandamus, quo warranto, certiorari, and prohibition.

Source: SC refuses to entertain PIL seeking direction to Lok Sabha Secretariat for inauguration of new Parliament building by President

About:

• Two-day national review conference organised by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment will be conducted in New Delhi recently.
• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said, the focus of this conference is to discuss the issue pertaining to the welfare schemes being implemented by the department for the marginalized section of the society including Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes, Senior Citizens and others.
• The National Review Conference will have deliberation on an overview of the schemes, highlighting best practice and innovations from States and Union Territories to establish better synergy between the States and Centre.

 

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Q1) What is National Commission for Review?

The National Commission to review the working of the Constitution (NCRWC) also known as Justice Manepalli Narayana Rao Venkatachaliah Commission was set up by a resolution of the NDA Government of India led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 22 February 2000 for suggesting possible amendments to the Constitution of India.

Source: National review conference of Department of Social Justice, Empowerment to be conducted in New Delhi today

About: Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN

• UDAN (UdeDeshkaAamNaagrik) is a regional airport development and "Regional Connectivity Scheme" (RCS) of the Union Government.
• The scheme UDAN envisages providing connectivity to un-served and under-served airports of the country through revival of existing air-strips and airports.
• Implementing Ministry: Ministry of Civil Aviation
• This is first-of-its-kind scheme globally to create economically viable flights on regional routes so that flying becomes affordable to the common man even in small towns.
• It is a key component of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) which was released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India) in 2016.
• The scheme is jointly funded by the central government and state governments.

Two components of UDAN:

• Airports:The first component is to develop new airports and enhance the existing regional airports to increase the number of operational airports for scheduled civilian flights.
• Flight routes:The second component is to add several hundred financially-viable, capped-airfare, new regional flight routes to connect more than 100 under-served and un-served airports in smaller towns by using "Viability Gap Funding" (VGF) where needed.

 

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Q1) What are the main functions of Union Government?

As in other parliamentary democracies, the Parliament in India has the cardinal functions of legislation, overseeing of administration, passing of the Budget, ventilation of public grievances and discussing various subjects like development plans, national policies and international relations.

Source: Ministry of Civil Aviation launches 5.1 version of RCS- UDAN to enhance connectivity to remote areas of India

About:

• Its primary goal is to prepare "comprehensive recommendations for consideration by leaders on how the G20 could continue to make practical and valuable contributions to international efforts to combat corruption".
• The ACWG has led the G20 anti-corruption efforts coordinating the collective and national actions taken by its members.
• The ACWG actively works with the World Bank Group, the OECD, the UNODC, the IMF, the FATF, as well as with the Business 20 (B20) and the Civil Society 20 (C20).

 

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Q1) What is FATF and its purpose?

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) leads global action to tackle money laundering, terrorist and proliferation financing. The FATF researches how money is laundered and terrorism is funded.

Source: Three day Anti-Corruption Working Group meeting under G20 India Presidency concludes at Tehri