Veteran Odia actress, Jharana Das has been passed away(1st Dec 2022) at the age of 77 due to old age-related aliment.

* She was awarded the state government’s prestigious Jaydev Puraskar for her lifetime contribution to Odia film industry.

* Her films - Shree Jagannath, Nari, Adinamegha, Hisabnikas, Pujafula, and Heera Nella.

* She had also worked as a child artist with AIR, Cuttack.

* She was also honoured with Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award for lifetime achievement in 2016..

Source : India Today

Nifty Bharat Bond Index, April 2033, has been launched within the Nifty Bharat Bond Index series, according to a statement by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) released earlier this week.

 

The Bharat Bond Index series follows a target maturity date structure wherein each index in the series measures the performance of a portfolio of 'AAA' rated bonds issued by government owned entities maturing in a specific year.

 

In December 2019, NSE Indices launched the first two indices in the Bharat Bond Index with maturities in April 2023 and April 2030, and in July 2020, further two indices with maturities in April 2025 and April 2031 were launched.

 

"The upcoming Bharat Bond ETF which is sixth in the Bharat Bond ETF series will track the newly launched Nifty BHARAT Bond Index maturing in 2033.

The first Bharat Bond ETFs tracking the Nifty Bharat Bond indices were launched in December 2019 with initial assets under management of around ₹12,000 crore," Mukesh Agarwal, CEO, NSE Indices, said.

 

The Nifty Bharat Bond Index – April 2033 has a base date of November 30, 2022 and a base value of 1,000. The index will be rebalanced/reconstituted at the end of every calendar quarter..

Source : Mint

Veteran documentarian Julia Reichert, who won an Oscar in 2020 for her feature film 'American Factory,' passed away (1st Dec 2022) at the age of 76 due to cancer.

 

* In a career spanning over 50 years,  Reichert received four Academy Award nominations and one win, two Primetime Emmys, a Director's Guild Award, and two Peabody Awards nods.

 

* Her documentaries, including the Oscar-nominated "Union Maids," "Seeing Red: Stories of American Communists," and "The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant," addressed issues of gender, class, race, and the world economy. 

 

Born : 16 June 1946, Bordentown, New Jersey, United States

Died : 1 December 2022, Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States

Source : AIR

Navy Day in India is observed on December 4th every year to recognise the role and achievements of the Indian Navy.

* The day was chosen to commemorate the launch of Operation Trident against Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan War in 1971.

* Several events take place on this day and each year, a different theme is proposed to celebrate Navy Day.

 

History : In 1971, during the India-Pakistan war, Pakistan launched an offensive on Indian airbases on the evening of December 3. India, in response to their attack, dispatched 3 missile boats towards Karachi at maximum speed, Nirghat, Veer and Nipat.

During Operation Trident, the Indian Navy sank 4 Pakistani vessels including PNS Khaibar, killing hundreds of Pakistani Navy personnel. Those killed during the Indo-Pakistan War are also remembered.

 

The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces led by the President of India as Commander-in-Chief. The Maratha Emperor, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is considered the Father of the Indian Navy.

 

Significance : The Navy plans to celebrate 2021 as ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ as a part of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the victory in the 1971 war. The Indian Navy was established by the East India Company in 1612. Later it was named as Royal India Navy and post-Independence, it was reconstituted as the Indian Navy in 1950.

 

Post the devastating war against Pakistan, the whole country celebrated the success of the Indian Navy. It is also important to educate children and the citizens of India about the significance and the victory of India. Several events like Marathons, Interschool Quiz Competition, Air displays and tattoo ceremonies take place on this day. Netizens also take it to social media to share quotes on Navy Day..

Source : News18

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal will be the Chief Guest at the ‘Millets-Smart Nutritive Food’ Conclave to be held in New Delhi on 05 December 2022.

 

 

* The Conclave is being organized by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry through its apex agricultural export promotion body, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

Objective : Promoting the export of millets.

* The Conclave is to be a pre-launch event of the ‘International Year of Millets – 2023’ (IYoM-2023).

* At the first-of-its-kind Millets Conclave, the government will release e-catalogue on 30 potential importing countries and 21 millet producing states of India.

 

I* ndia is one of the leading producers of millets in the world with an estimated share of around 41 percent in the global production.

* As per FAO, world production of millets in the year 2020 was 30.464 million metric tonnes (MMT) and India’s share was 12.49 MMT, which accounts to 41 percent of the total millet production.

* India recorded 27 percent growth in millet production in 2021-22 as compared to millet production in the previous year was 15.92 MMT.

* Share of export of millets is nearly 1% of the total millet production.

* Exports of millets from India include mainly whole grain and the export of value-added products of millets from India is negligible.

 

* India’s top five millet producing states are Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Nutri Cereals Export Promotion Forum:

 

* Centre has created the Nutri Cereals Export Promotion Forum to give impetus to the export of potential products, including millets, and to remove the bottlenecks in the supply chain of Nutri cereals.

 

* Millets have superior nutritional values in comparison to highly consumed cereals such as rice and wheat.

* Millets are rich in calcium, iron, and fibers that help in fortifying essential nutrients for the healthy growth in children.

* Also, the usage of millets in infant food and nutrition products is increasing.

 

* There are 16 major varieties of millet, which are produced and exported, including Sorghum (Jowar), Pearl Millet (Bajra), Finger Millet (Ragi) Minor Millets (Kangani), Proso Millet (Cheena), Kodo Millet (Kodo), Barnyard Millet (Sawa/Sanwa/Jhangora), Little Millet (Kutki), Two Pseudo Millets (BuckWheat/Kuttu), Ameranthus (Chaulai) and Brown Top Millet.

A rare, well-preserved ancient human skull found in central China could be a million-year-old Homo erectus.

 

 

* Homo erectus or 'upright man' is an extinct species of the human genus.

* They most likely originated in Africa or Eurasia.

* Fossils connected with this species have been found ranging from Africa all the way to Southeast Asia.

* H. erectus had a similar range of body sizes to modern humans, and it is the first human ancestor to have similar limb and torso proportions to those seen in modern humans.

* Homo erectus' ability to make complex tools was possible because of the strength and dexterity in its hands, which it owes to a certain hand-bone projection called a "styloid process".

* H. erectus appears to have been the first human species to control fire, some 1,000,000 years ago.

* The species seems to have flourished until some 200,000 years ago (200 kya) or perhaps later before giving way to other humans including Homo sapiens..

Source : The Hindu

There is an increase in the number of incidents of Human- Tiger conflicts.

 

 

* Every four years, India carries out a census of the tiger population across India.

* The latest estimate put the tiger population at 2,967.

* Tigers were reportedly increasing at a rate of about 6% per annum and the area that they occupied was roughly stable, at about 89,000 square km since 2014.

* These numbers are estimated using a sophisticated system that involves photographing animals via camera traps as well as mathematical analysis.

* In 2006, India had 1,411 tigers. This rose to 1,706 in 2010 and 2,226 in 2014 on the back of improved conservation measures and new estimation methods.

 

* The consistent implementation of Project Tiger since 1973, whereby dedicated tiger reserves were established in India, as well as anti-poaching measures have played a significant role in tiger conservation.

* India has 53 tiger reserves.

* Uttar Pradesh’s Ranipur Tiger Reserve has become the 53rd tiger reserve of India.

* However, rising tiger numbers have meant that nearly half the tigers are now outside designated protected zones that lead to increasing instances of human-animal conflict.

Source : The Hindu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first phase of the 701-km 'Hindu Hrudayasamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg' on 11 December 2022.

 

 

* The Expressway will reduce the time taken to 839-km distance between Nagpur and Mumbai, to seven hours. This currently takes at least 17 hours.

* The Expressway, also called Samruddhi corridor, built at a project outlay of ₹55,335 crore, runs past 392 villages across 10 districts.

* This six-lane access-controlled road, designed for a top speed of 150 kmph, is the second expressway in the State after the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

* The Expressway will have direct links to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Navi Mumbai, which will facilitate rapid transportation of goods, agricultural products and other resources from Maharashtra to various markets across the country and abroad as well.

* The Samruddhi corridor is expected to directly impact about 36% of the State’s population, and will be the country’s most extensive ‘greenfield’ route alignment with 23.65 lakh saplings and over 11 lakh trees on both sides.

* 29.6 km through the Katepurna wildlife sanctuary in Akola;

* 29.15 km via the Karanja-Sohol Black Buck sanctuary in Washim; and

* 44.975 km through the Tansa wildlife sanctuary in Thane.

Ladakh is all set to have India's first Dark Night Sky Reserve at Hanle village in Changthang region. In about eighteen locations in Hanley, powerful telescopes will be installed for stargazing.

 

 

* The International Dark Sky Association (IDSA) defines an international dark sky reserve (IDSR) as “a public or private land of substantial size (at least 700 km², or about 173,000 acres) possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and nocturnal environment, and that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage, and/or public enjoyment”.

* A dark sky reserve requires a “core” area that has clear sky without any light pollution, which can enable telescopes to see the sky in its natural darkness.

* To support the core, it should be surrounded by a “peripheral” or “buffer” area that supports dark sky values in the core while receiving the same benefits.

 

According to IDSA, it considers land suitable for dark sky sites only if it is on public or private land, is publicly accessible all or part of the year, protected for scientific, natural, educational, cultural, cultural and/or public purposes.

The central part of the core offers exceptional dark sky resources compared to the communities and cities that surround it, and the core limits the brightness of the night sky to either reserves, parks, or sanctuaries.

The IDSR also needs to have a comprehensive lighting management plan (LMP) “which should be adopted by a sufficient number of communities within the entire IDSR (core and periphery) corresponding to at least 80 percent of population and 80 percent of designated area of protection”.

It also needs a description of current and suspected future threats to dark skies over the core zone, and a plan to address these threats.

This is particularly important as Hanle is particularly close to Chinese territories, which makes it highly sensitive.

The reserve must also submit a detailed annual report to IDA by October 1 each year.

 

* The Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR) will come up within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, situated 4,500 metres above sea level, which makes it a perfect host for telescopes.

* Ladakh is also ideal for long-term observatories and dark-sky sites because of its large arid area, high elevation, and sparse population.

* The Milky Way Galaxy is visible through the night in the Hanle region due to its cloudless skies and lower atmospheric disturbance.

* Hanley is home for the second-highest optical telescope in the world, established in 2001 by Indian Institute of Astrophysics.

* The Department of Science and Technology and Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru are providing support for the facility.

 

* A dark sky reserve is only one of the designations given by the IDSA, others being international dark sky parks, communities, reserves, sanctuaries, and urban night sky places.

* At present, there are 20 dark sky reserves around the world, seven in the United Kingdom; four in France; two each in the USA and Germany; and one each in New Zealand, Canada, Namibia, and Australia.

Source : AIR

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is observed on December 3 every year with an aim to spread awareness about the rights and well-being of people with disabilities. It also aims to raise awareness about the political, social and economic discrepancies faced by persons with disabilities.

 

 

* The observance of International Day of Persons with Disabilities began in 1992 after the United Nations General Assembly passed the Resolution 47/3 proclaiming it as an international day.

 

* Later in 2006, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was also adopted with an aim to work towards creating equal opportunities for persons with disabilities through the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

 

* The day is crucial as it highlights the unequal opportunities, discrimination, and lack of empathy that persons with disabilities have to contend with every other day. Panel discussions and cultural events are held across the world with an aim to promote their rights and perspectives.

 

 

This year the theme of International Day of Persons with Disabilities is ‘Transformative solutions for inclusive development: The role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world.’ This year, the celebration will focus on the need for innovative solutions to help create an inclusive developmental model to aid people with disabilities.

 

On 5 December 2022, a virtual meeting will take place from 9 am to 12 pm, New York Time, where the agenda will keep in mind sustainable development goals. These discussions will raise topics on how knowledge, skills and employment opportunities can be best utilised for inclusive development with the help of assistive technologies for people with disabilities..

Source : CNBCTV18