Correct Answer :   August 9th

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Annually, on August 9th, the world observes World Tribal Day, dedicated to advocating for and safeguarding the rights of indigenous populations.

* It's a day to recognize their valuable contributions and accomplishments that have enhanced global living conditions.

* Also referred to as World Indigenous Day or International Day of World's Indigenous People, this occasion offers a prime opportunity to actively work towards safeguarding the fundamental rights of tribal communities worldwide.



Tribal Day 2023 Theme : 

The theme chosen for World Tribal Day 2023 centers around “Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self-determination."



Tribal Day 2023 History :

* The origins of observing this day stem from a worldwide movement aimed at acknowledging the rights and valuable contributions of indigenous peoples. Despite constituting around 6% of the global population, indigenous communities are frequently marginalized, even though they possess rich cultural diversity.

* The concept of designating a day to honor indigenous people's started within the United Nations. The primary goal was to safeguard the rights of these populations and ensure their voices received global recognition.

* In December 1994, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to officially recognize and commemorate the International Day of the World's Indigenous People.

Tribal Day 2023 Significance :

* The significance of the International Day of the World's Indigenous People in 2023 lies in its capacity to spotlight the difficulties encountered by numerous indigenous communities.

* These challenges encompass issues such as poverty, prejudice, and limited availability of education and healthcare services.

* This occasion functions as a prompt to uphold and rejoice in the abundant cultural legacy, customs, languages, and insights that indigenous individuals contribute to the global tapestry. It's intended to cultivate unity among indigenous communities and to increase consciousness within the wider populace.

* Grasping and valuing indigenous cultures facilitate heightened empathy and regard, thus aiding in establishing a society that is more comprehensive and caring.

Correct Answer :   Sanjay Kumar Agarwal

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IRS officer Sanjay Kumar Agarwal has taken charge as the Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

“Sh. Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, IRS (C&IT:1988) takes over as Chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) w.E.F August 05, 2023,” the CBIC tweeted.

Agarwal succeeds Vivek Johri who superannuated as CBIC chief on May 31.

In an order issued on 5 August 2023, the finance ministry had appointed Agarwal, who was holding charge of CBIC member compliance management, looking into investigations.

The CBIC, which deals with policy making in indirect taxes — GST, customs, excise — is headed by a chairman and has six members in the board.

The board is assisted by principal chief commissioners/chief commissioners and principal director generals/ director generals..

Source : Daily Excelsior

Correct Answer :   Kerala

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The Kerala assembly unanimously passed a resolution against the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in the country by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government

On Tuesday (8th August 2023), Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan moved the resolution in the Assembly against the UCC implementation and called it a "unilateral and hasty" step taken by the Centre.

Further Vijayan claimed that the UCC was based upon the Hindu text of Manusmriti rather than the Indian Constitution and was a visualisation by the Sangh Parivar.

Vijayan reportedly said, "That has been made clear by Sangh Parivar long back. They are not trying to implement something that is there in the Constitution. There is no need to misunderstand it like that."

The opposition in the Kerala Assembly United Democratic Front welcomed the move by the ruling Left in the House and suggested several amendments and modifications as well. The Chief Minister took the suggestions into consideration and read out the finalised resolution which said that the state assembly was concerned and dismayed with the Centre's move to impose UCC as it was a unilateral and hasty decision that would take away the secular character of the country, reported PTI.

Further, Vijayan explained that in the Indian Constitution, the idea of general civil law is given as a directive principle and not told to be mandatory. He also mentioned that Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion which includes the right to follow and practice religious personal rules and implementing UCC would prohibit people from exercising this constitutional right.

Vijayan pointed out that establishing a common civil code in Article 44 of the Constitution is merely stated but a move like UCC should be implemented after debates and discussions with the people. He said that not taking the feedback of the citizens is "concerning".

He called the imposition of UCC a "non-secular move" to attack the unity of the people and the nation as a whole and said that the Kerala assembly too shares this concern.

He said that, although there were divergent views on the UCC and B R Ambedkar's stance in this respect during the Constituent Assembly debates, Parliament was free to pursue a civil law as long as it did not insist upon its enforcement. "He only indicated a possibility," the Chief Minister contended.

The decision by the CPIM led the government to put a resolution forward made in response to an ongoing campaign against the UCC, which was being fought by both the State's governing Left and opposition UDF as well as other religious organisations within the country. The two fronts have held separate seminars against the UCC recently in Kozhikode, where representatives of various religious organisations took part.

The chief minister has claimed that the issue of UCC was being raised by the BJP's "electoral agenda" and appealed to the Centre not to push for its imposition. Vijayan accused BJP of implementing a "majority communal agenda of 'one nation, one culture' by wiping out the cultural diversity of the country". "The Central government and the Law Commission should withdraw from the move to impose the Uniform Civil Code," he has said.

Earlier in February, the Mizoram assembly had unanimously adopted an official resolution opposing any move to implement the UCC in the country.

The Law Commission of India had last month received submissions from the public regarding suggestions for the implementation of the UCC..

Source : Outlook India

Correct Answer :   Justice Subhasis Talapatra

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Justice Subhasis Talapatra, Judge of the Orissa High Court, on Tuesday (8th Aug 2023), took oath as the 33rd Chief Justice of the High Court consequent upon the superannuation of its former Chief Justice Dr. S. Muralidhar. He was administered oath by Prof. Ganeshi Lal, Governor of Odisha.

The name of Justice Talapatra, as the Chief Justice, was recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium last month which was later approved by the Central Government.

Justice Talapatra was born on October 4, 1961 at Udaipur, Tripura. He did his graduation in Arts and Law from University of Calcutta and was enrolled with the Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh on September 12, 1990.

He practiced mainly at Agartala Bench of the Gauhati High Court and appeared in various constitutional, civil and criminal matters. Later, he was designated as a Senior Advocate on December 21, 2004.

He took oath as an Additional Judge of the Gauhati High Court on November 15, 2011 and was appointed as a Permanent Judge of the Tripura High Court on September 13, 2013. He served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Court twice, i.e. from 02.11.2018 to 13.11.2018 and again from 11.11.2019 to 15.11.2019.

He was transferred to the Orissa High Court on June 1, 2022 and took oath of office on June 10, 2022.

He will have a very brief tenure of less than two months as the Chief Justice before he retires on October 3, 2023..

Source : Livelaw

Correct Answer :   Narendra Modi

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During the National Handloom Day celebration held at Bharat Mandapan in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the e-portal 'Bhartiya Vastra evam Shilp Kosh - A Repository of Textiles and Crafts.'

The portal has been developed by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles. It aims to create a comprehensive catalogue of India's diverse clothing on a single platform.

Speaking at the event, the Prime Minister highlighted how the rich tapestry of Indian clothing and textiles is a mirror of the country's vibrant cultural heritage.

He also emphasised the importance of preserving and celebrating this diversity.

"I had previously envisioned the idea of cataloguing and consolidating the diversity in our clothing into a single platform. Today (7th Aug 2023), I am delighted to witness that it has been achieved through the launch of this portal," he said.

The e-portal promises to be a valuable resource for those interested in exploring and understanding the clothing traditions in India. It has a craft atlas, a cultural artefact display, and a visual museum, among other things.

During the event, the PM also informed that the turnover of the khadi and village industries has reached more than Rs 1.3 lakh crore, as compared to around Rs 30,000 crore 9 years ago.

“With the spirit of Vocal for Local, the citizens are buying indigenous products wholeheartedly and it has become a mass movement,” he said.

In his address, he discussed various government initiatives designed to promote cottage industries and handlooms, such as the 'One District One Product' scheme, the Government e-Marketplace, the Mudra Yojana, skill training programmes, and so on.

The celebration of National Handloom Day was initiated by the government 8 years ago, with the first one taking place on August 7, 2015.

Explaining the significance of this date, the PM said, "There was a reason for the government to select this specific date. On this day (in 1905), the Swadeshi Andolan was launched. It went beyond just boycotting foreign goods; it symbolised a path towards the economic independence of our nation."..

Source : Your Story

Correct Answer :   18th Rank

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According to the World Trade Statistical Review 2023, the annual flagship publication of the World Trade Organization (WTO), India is ranked 18th among the Leading exporters in world merchandise trade (2022).

It gives data on merchandise and services trade broken down by geographical origin, main product groups and sectors, along with related data on key economic developments such as gross domestic product (GDP) growth, commodity prices, and exchange rate fluctuations, mostly for 2022.

On a global scale, India holds the 9th spot in merchandise importing and ranks 7th in merchandise exporting (2022).

The leading exporters in world merchandise trade for the year 2022 are China, the USA, and Germany, occupying the top three positions..

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   8 Indian Institute of Technology (IITs)

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The Central government has approved the setting up of research parks at 8 Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore to augment the research ecosystem in the country, according to the Union Education Ministry.

To strengthen the country’s research ecosystem, the government will build research parks at IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Guwahati, and IIT Kanpur as well as IISc Bangalore.

The move is intended to reinforce academic-industry ties while also expanding the research environment, Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar informed the Lok Sabha on 7 August 2023 in a written reply to a question. He further mentioned that the research parks at IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi, and IIT Madras are already operational, and others are nearing completion.

“The main objectives of these Research Park are to have research collaboration with top-rated industries, to enable entrepreneurship and incubation of students and building strong academic linkages for the same, to increase outreach of academic content to industry and enabling industry to add value to academic programme through close collaborations etc.” the minister said.

On the other hand, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill, which established a national organisation to finance research at all of the nation’s universities, was approved by the Lok Sabha on August 7, 2023. On August 4, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh introduced the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill 2023 in Lok Sabha..

Source : News18

Correct Answer :   700,000 USD

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According to a statement from India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, the country will contribute 700,000 USD from the India-UN Development Partnership Fund to the Tuvalu project to store and provide clean water in schools.

Notably, the only public school in Tuvalu is called “Motufoua Secondary School.”

With a 760 metric cube capacity, the proposed concrete water cistern will store and supply clean water to students, teachers, and school staff, fostering good hygiene and lowering the incidence of water-borne illnesses.

“India will provide funding support of 700,000 USD from the India-UN Development Partnership Fund for the project, “Motufoua concrete water cistern” as requested by the Government of Tuvalu,” the statement read.

In May 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the “Sagar Amrut Scholarship” scheme for the Pacific Island countries, at the Summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation.

He had also announced a 12-point action plan focusing on health, wellness and community development sectors as per priorities of the Pacific island countries.

The water cistern project in Tuvalu is in pursuance of these initiatives focused on the importance of high-impact community development projects in areas of choice by the Pacific countries.

According to Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, the Permanent Representative of India, India’s philosophy sees the entire world as one big family and this project is another step in the direction of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals..

Source : The Daily Guardian

Correct Answer :   8th August 2023

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Prominent filmmaker Siddique passed away at a private hospital in Kochi last night (8th August 2023). He was 63. Siddique's journey in the world of Malayalam cinema began with his directorial debut, "Ramji Rao Speaking" along with his friend Lal.

The duo created some of the Malayalam film industry's biggest comedy blockbusters, including "In Harihar Nagar," "Godfather," "Vietnam Colony," "Ramji Rao Speaking," and "Friends," among others. He also directed films in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi.

Siddique carved a niche for himself in the hearts of film lovers with his innovative storytelling and versatile filmmaking style. He wove intricate narratives around relatable characters, skillfully blending humor and emotions.

The mortal remains of Siddique will be placed at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium for the public to pay homage this morning. The burial will take place at the Ernakulam Central Juma Masjid this evening..


Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Meri Mati Mera Desh

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Nation -wide “Meri Mati Mera Desh” Campaign will be launched on 9th August 2023, to pay tribute to the ‘Veers’ who laid down their lives for the country.

From 9th to 30th August , 2023, the 'Meri Maati Mera Desh' campaign will include programs at the village, and block levels , by local urban bodies, as well as state and national level.

The campaign will include various programs across the country to remember the bravehearts (Veers). Shilaphalakams (memorial plaques) commemorating them will be installed in village panchayats. This campaign is the concluding event of the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav,' which began on 12th March , 2021, and has witnessed widespread public participation(Jan Bhagidari) with over 2 lakh programs organized across India.

Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, recently announced this campaign during his Mann Ki Baat broadcast. The campaign aims to honour the brave freedom fighters and bravehearts who sacrificed their lives for the country .

The campaign will feature programs like the establishment of Shilaphalakams dedicated to freedom fighters and security forces, as well as initiatives like Panch Pran Pledge, Vasudha Vandan, Veeron ka Vandan which venerates the gallant sacrifices of our bravehearts. Shilaphalakam or Memorial plaques saluting the spirit of sacrifice of local bravehearts from the village, panchayat, block, town, city, municipality etc. are to be erected across urban and rural areas.

It will have Prime Minister’s message with the names of those who have laid down their lives for the nation belonging to that region.

An 'Amrit Kalash Yatra' will be conducted, carrying soil from all corners of the country in 7500 kalash to create an 'Amrit Vatika' in Delhi. This 'Amrit Vatika' will symbolize the commitment to 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.'

To encourage mass participation (Jan-Bhagidari), a website, https://merimaatimeradesh.gov.in, has also been launched where people can upload selfies holding soil or an earthen lamp. By doing so, they take the pledge of Panch Pran, with focus to make India a developed country, eliminate the mentality of slavery, be proud of our rich heritage, uphold unity and solidarity, fulfil duties as citizens, and respect those who protect the nation. Once the pledge is taken, a digital certificate of participation can be downloaded from the website.

The nationwide campaign will start on 9th August, with scheduled programs until Independence Day on 15th August 2023. Subsequent events will take place from 16th August , 2023 onwards at block, municipality/corporation, and state levels. The closing ceremony is scheduled for 30th August , 2023, on the Kartavya Path, New Delhi in the presence of dignitaries. The portal https:// yuva.gov.in can be accessed for information on various activities under Meri Maati Mera Desh campaign.

Last year, “Har Ghar Tiranga” programme, became a grand success owing to participation of one and all. This year too, Har Ghar Tiranga will be celebrated between 13th -15th August, 2023. Indians everywhere can hoist the national flag, click selfie with the Tiranga and upload on Har Ghar Tiranga website.

Meri Mati Mera Desh website https://merimaatimeradesh.gov.in.

Source : PIB