Correct Answer :   Madhya Pradesh

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With the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections just around the corner, the demand and price of Kadaknath chicken have increased in Jhabua.


About Kadaknath Chicken :

* Kadaknath, a native of Madhya Pradesh (MP), is prominently found in the Jhabua district of the state.

* It has black flesh, and, as such, this chicken is also called black chicken or Kali Masi.

* It’s not just the meat, but even the organs and bones of this chicken are black. The eggs of this chicken are black as well.

* This chicken from the Jhabua district also received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2018.

* It is known for its high iron content and much lower cholesterol than other breeds.

* It has a high protein content and is considered ideal for muscle repair and building.

* It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals and is considered nutritional because of its lean meat.

* In certain traditional systems of medicine, Kadaknath chicken is believed to have therapeutic properties. It is often claimed to be beneficial for individuals with certain health conditions, such as asthma and respiratory issues..

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Both 1 and 2

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Kali Tiger Reserve officials recently arrested five habitual wildlife offenders and recovered a huge cache of poached animal parts from them.

About Kali Tiger Reserve :

* Location: Kali Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve is located in the central portion of the Uttara Kannada (North Canara) district of Karnataka state.

* It comprises two important protected areas of the region, viz., Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi National Park.

* Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary (475.018 sq km) and Anshi National Park (339.866 sq km) are contiguous to each other and form a single tract of protected area located in the biologically sensitive Western Ghats.

* River: The Kali River, which forms the major source of water for Uttara Kannada, flows through the tiger reserve, and hence the name.

* Vegetation: Forests are primarily moist deciduous and semi-evergreen, with excellent patches of evergreen forests in the westernmost parts as well as in deep valleys.

* Flora: The complex floral tapestry comprises hardwood trees like teak, silver oak, Malabar tamrind, jamba, lantana, bamboo, shrubbery, and dense vegetative undergrowth on the floor.

* Fauna: Prominent species are the Asiatic elephant, tiger, leopard, gaur, chevrotain, spotted deer, barking deer, sloth bear, dhole, jungle and leopard cat, Malabar civet, and giant civet..

Source : Deccan Herald

Correct Answer :   Ayurveda for One Health

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The National Ayurveda Day (Dhanwantari Jayanti) – 2023 was observed on 08th November, 2023 at ESIC Headquarters.

The function was chaired by Dr. Rajendra Kumar, Director General, ESIC.  Dr. Vijay Singh Chauhan, Member, ESI Corporation also graced the function as Chief Guest.

During the event, five Ayush specialist doctors from various ESIC hospitals and dispensaries were felicitated by the Director General for their outstanding contribution and service in the field of Ayurveda.


National Ayurveda Day Theme 2023 : The theme for Ayurveda day-2023 is ‘Ayurveda for One Health’ with Tag line ‘Ayurveda for everyone on every day’ i.e., ‘Har din har kisi ke liye Ayurveda’ focusing on human-animal-plant-environment interface.” The initiative was started in 2016 with an aim to further promote Ayurveda into mainstream.

Ayurveda is considered as one of the identities of rich Indian culture and tradition. The term 'Ayurveda' means 'the knowledge of life' comprises of two Sanskrit words viz 'Ayu' meaning 'Life' and 'Veda' meaning 'Knowledge' or 'Science'. Ayurveda with endless potential is a traditional medicinal system that is based on natural elements and works on removing the disease from its root. Therefore, Government marks the Ayurveda’s significance on Dhanteras in order to spread awareness to new generation and promote Ayurvedic principles of healing in society.

Government of India has been relentlessly promoting and supporting the unique medicine system, considering the significance of Ayurveda. So that, the researchers, practitioners and experts can unfold many avenues that are still to be explored in this field. In this order, Govt granted crores of rupees to the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) and All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi to proceed ahead the researches in this field.

Apart from this, several schemes including Ayurgyan Scheme, Ayurswasthya Yojana, and Champion Services sector scheme under Ministry of Ayush are being led to preserve the traditional indigenous medicine system.

India has a rich history of traditional system of medicine based upon six systems, out of which Ayurveda stands to be the most ancient and is most widely accepted, practiced and flourished system. Government focused on strengthening Ayurveda and its unique treatment principles. So that the excess burden of disease and related morbidity and mortality can be reduced by utilizing the potential of Ayurveda. It has great potential to contribute in National health policy and national health programmes.

Correct Answer :   November 9th

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Annually on November 9, India observes National Legal Services Day to mark the adoption of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987, which was officially enacted on the same date in 1995. Since then, Legal Services Day has been consistently celebrated across the various states of India with the primary objective of promoting legal awareness among its citizens.

The establishment of National Legal Services Day serves to raise awareness about the availability of free legal aid for all citizens, regardless of their background or identity. This nationwide celebration takes place on November 9 every year.

LEGAL SERVICES DAY 2023 HISTORY :

* In 1995, the Supreme Court of India enacted the Legal Services Authorities Act with the primary objective of extending legal support to marginalized sections of society. This significant legislation was officially passed on November 9, 1995, and since then, it has been commemorated as National Legal Services Day.

* On this occasion, a concerted effort is made to disseminate information about available legal services to ensure that those in need are well-informed.

* Another crucial rationale behind the establishment of Legal Services Day was to introduce Alternative Dispute Resolution methods to the populace. Following the enactment of the Act, the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) was established on December 5, 1995.

NATIONAL LEGAL SERVICES DAY 2023 SIGNIFICANCE :

Individuals belonging to underprivileged communities, women, and minorities in India face limited access to legal services. In response, the Supreme Court of India enacted the Legal Services Authorities Act, which assures legal safeguards and mechanisms for these disadvantaged groups, facilitating conflict resolution.

Legal Services Day is observed in honour of the Act's passage, aiming to promote legal awareness among the general populace..


Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   REC Limited

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In a move to bolster India's railway communication and information technology infrastructure, state-owned REC Ltd. has agreed to provide ₹30,000 crore in funding to RailTel Corp. of India.

The agreement, formalized through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on Thursday (9th Nov 2023), will support various projects over the next five years, including telecom, IT services, and railway signaling systems, and the KAVACH train collision prevention system.

“Additionally, the MoU extends to the possibility of financing overseas ventures related to high-speed rail, metro, IT network, and the upgradation of railway network, as part of bilateral country discussions and infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia and Eastern Africa where RailTel is currently focusing," said the statement.

RailTel, a central public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Railways and a leading provider of telecom infrastructure and ICT services, operates an extensive optic fiber network across India.

The MoU was inked by T.S.C Bosh, REC's executive director for Infrastructure and Logistics, and RailTel's company secretary, Jasmeet Singh Marwah. Following the signing, the officials explored further collaborative ventures in areas such as renewable energy and smart metering.

REC, which attained Maharatna status in September 2022, has expanded its purview beyond the power sector, recently partnering with Punjab National Bank to co-finance up to ₹55,000 crore in power and infrastructure projects. Additionally, REC has committed to funding various thermal and green hydrogen projects in Odisha totaling ₹40,358 crore.

The company reported a 38.71% year-on-year rise in its September quarter consolidated net profit to ₹3,789.90 crore. Revenue from operations rose 17.39% during the quarter to ₹11,688.24 crore, according to filing with the stock exchanges..

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   Gwalior

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The city of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh has been added to UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN) for its strong commitment to harnessing culture and creativity.

* Kozhikode from Kerala was also among the 55 new cities to join the network.

* Gwalior’s Musical Part (Background, Famous Musical Personalities, etc)


Gwalior’s Musical Past :

* All the music gharanas of the country have their origins in the Gwalior gharana.
* Gharana in Hindustani music is a community of performers who share a distinctive musical style that traces to a particular instructor or region.
* Before Hindustani classical music was divided into various gharanas, Gwalior emerged as the first proper gharana of music.
* Hence, the Gwalior gharana is considered the most ancient and ‘Gangotri’ (meaning origin) of Khyal raga.
* Khayal singing, as we know it today, emerged from dhrupad under the aegis of Gwalior gharana while incorporating the elements of qawwali.


Famous Musicians Associated with Gwalior Gharana :

* Gwalior gharana music has thrived under the patronage of the erstwhile royal families of Gwalior such as Raja Mansingh and Scindias.

Raja Dungarendra Singh Tomar :

* Raja Man Singh’s great grandfather Dungarendra Singh Tomar, a musician himself, attempted a revival of Indian classical music through academic interest and patronage.
* He is known to have gifted two music treatises in Sanskrit – Sangeet Shiromani and Sangeet Choodamani – to his friend and Sultan of Kashmir Zain-ul-Abdin.
* The treatises comprised detailed discussions on music and musical instruments.


Raja Man Singh :

* Dungarendra also composed Vishnupadas (songs in praise of Vishnu) with a unique style of singing that he passed down to Man Singh, who ascended the throne in 1486.
* It’s also believed that Man Singh invented dhrupad, in a classical genre sense.
* Raja Man Singh’s Horis and Dhamars also became quite popular. The king would take advice from Sufi saints, who were often musicians too.
* In an attempt to popularize Indian music, he replaced Sanskrit songs with those in simple Hindi.
* He also wrote Manakutuhala (Quest for Learning), considered the first treatise of music in Hindi, helping a wider audience to understand high art performed in kings’ courts.
* This made dhrupad more accessible, which now comprised Vishnupadas sung in ragas.
* The king also built huge music halls in his palace and held regular music sessions. His music was also popular among Sufis as well as Muslim Sultans.


Tansen :

* Mian Tansen born as Ramatanu to a poet and musician was one of Gwalior’s early proteges.
* At the beginning of the 16th century, he trained under Swami Haridas, who practiced dhrupad but the poetry was dedicated to Krishna instead of Vishnu.
* Tansen understood and honed the Gwalior gharana style under the famed Sufi saint Mohammad Ghous and was the court musician for King Ram Chandra Singh of Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, for many years.
* The story of his musical brilliance and knowledge travelled and Akbar invited Tansen to be a part of his court musicians in the Mughal court.
* A Vaishnava musician, he first refused, but after Ram Chandra insisted, he go, he joined the court at the age of 60.
* Abul Fazl’s Ain-i-Akbari mentions 36 imperial musicians, out of which 15 were from Gwalior.


Baiju Bawra :

* Baiju Bawra was born in Uttar Pradesh.
* He had shifted to Gwalior to work as mentor of music for students in Gwalior and was patronised by Raja Mansingh.

Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan :

* Born in 1888, he was a court musician in Gwalior but in the early 20th century, when music conferences became popular, he was one of the most popular artistes to perform at these baithaks and was known for very fine musicianship.
* He trained many significant musicians, including his son and foremost disciple Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Pt Bhimsen Joshi for a few months, among others.


Other Famous Personalities :

* Haddu Khan’s son Bade Inayat Hussain Khan (1852-1922),
* Vasudeva Buwa Joshi,
* Balakrishnabuwa Ichalkaranjikar (1849–1926) who taught Vishnu Digambar Paluskar who later founded the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya which continues till today,
* Famed educator BR Deodhar and Pakistani singer Farida Khanum among others.


News Summary :

* Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, the birthplace of the famed Indian classical singer Tansen, has been declared as the ‘Creative City of Music’ by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
* Gwalior hosts one of the biggest annual music festivals of India, the Tansen Sangeet Samaroh.
* It is the city of legendary musicians like Tansen and Baiju Bawra, and the birthplace of Dhrupad music form and Gwalior gharana.
* Kozhikode in Kerala is the second city in India to figure in UNESCO's list of 55 ‘Creative Cities’ as ‘Creative City of Literature’.

Correct Answer :   DY Chandrachud

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Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Friday inaugurated the 'Mitti Cafe', wholly managed by differently-abled people, on the Supreme Court premises.

Urging the members of the bar to support the initiative, the CJI announced about the inauguration of the cafe in the court complex, before the start of the day's work.

"I hope the bar will support the initiative," the CJI said, noting that all of them, who are managing the cafe, are persons with disabilities.

#WATCH | Delhi: CJI DY Chandrachud inaugurates Mitti Cafe in the Supreme Court premises.

The cafe is run by specially-abled staff. pic.twitter.com/10T1xvsCtN

— ANI (@ANI) November 10, 2023

Attorney General R Venkataramani said it is a "symbol of great compassion".

The cafe was inaugurated by CJI Chandrachud before the start of the day's work in the presence of other judges.

The CJI said 'Mitti Cafe' has opened 38 outlets in different parts of the country and they have served six million meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The top court already has several canteens and cafeterias on its premises which cater to the need of lawyers and litigants visiting the court every day.


Source : Hindustan Times

Correct Answer :   Russia

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Russia has formally withdrawn from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), citing NATO’s expansion as a barrier to cooperation. The move follows Russia’s recent revocation of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.


Background: The CFE Treaty :

* Signed in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the CFE aimed to limit conventional arms and prevent a rapid build-up of forces between Cold War rivals.
* Moscow, holding an advantage in conventional weaponry at the time, was initially reluctant to embrace the pact.


Russia’s Perspective on the CFE :

* Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared the CFE as “history,” stating that the treaty did not align with Russia’s interests.
* They argued that NATO countries had been bypassing restrictions as the alliance expanded, rendering the pact irrelevant to Russia’s security concerns.


Source : Aljazeera

NATO’s Claims and Russia’s Actions :

* NATO accused Russia of non-compliance with the CFE for years, pointing to Moscow’s suspension of participation in 2007 and complete withdrawal in 2015.
* Russia, after a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, officially denounced the CFE in May 2023.
* The U.S. and its allies had linked ratification of the adapted 1999 CFE to Russia’s withdrawal of troops from Georgia and Moldova, a linkage Moscow contested.


CFE Treaty: A Relic of the Cold War :

* The Russian Foreign Ministry argued that the CFE Treaty, conceived at the end of the Cold War, no longer served its purpose in the current geopolitical landscape.
* They noted that the U.S. and its allies failed to ratify an updated version of the accord in 1999, further diminishing the treaty’s relevance.


U.S.-Russia Relations in Crisis :

* Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, characterized relations with the U.S. as “below zero,” emphasizing the deepening crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine.
* NATO condemned Russia’s CFE withdrawal, asserting that it undermined Euro-Atlantic security.

Correct Answer :   Australia

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Australia captain Meg Lanning has announced her retirement from international cricket. In a statement made public in the eartly hours of Thursday (9th Nov 2023), Lanning declared it is “the right time” to end her 13-year-long stint as an Aussie cricketer.

Lanning has represented Australia in 241 matches - six Tests, 103 ODIs and 132 T20Is. She walks away from the international stage with 8,352 runs in total which includes 17 international hundreds. She is Australia’s most prolific runscorer in all formats.

The 31-year-old is a seven-time World Cup winner, five of which she has won as captain. She led Australia to a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year.

“The decision to step away from international cricket was a difficult one to make, but I feel now is the right time for me,” Lanning said in a statement.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to enjoy a 13-year international career, but I know now is the right time for me to move on to something new.

Team success is why you play the game, I’m proud of what I have been able to achieve and will cherish the moments shared with teammates along the way,” she added.

Lanning’s decision officially brings an end to a near decade long hold over national team captaincy with the Aussies now needing to find a more permanent replacement for the Singapore-born player with the multi-format tour of India coming up next month.

Lanning made her international debut in December 2010 in a T20I against Trans-Tasman rival New Zealand. She is the youngest Australian to score an international century, when she made an unbeaten 104 against England at the WACA Ground in Perth in 2011 aged 18 years and 288 days.

She held the record for scoring the fastest ODI century by an Aussie, getting to a century against New Zealand in just 45 balls back in 2012. Glenn Maxwell broke this very mark in the ongoing men’s ODI World Cup when he got to a ton off 40 balls against the Netherlands.

With World Cup titles in 2012 (T20) and 2013 (ODI) under her belt, she became the nation’s youngest captain when she stepped in for an injuries Jodie Fields in 2014. She was all but 21 then..

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   N. Srikant

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Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer N. Srikant has been appointed as the additional secretary of the Union Ministry of Power and New and Renewable Energy, as per an official release (7th Nov 2023).

This marks a new chapter in Mr. Srikant’s illustrious career, adding to his already impressive list of accomplishments in the field.


Background and Career Highlights :

Mr. Srikant, a 1998-batch officer of the All India Services, has a rich and diverse career trajectory. Mr. Srikant has consistently demonstrated leadership and innovation throughout his career.

Key Achievements as Energy Secretary :

During his tenure as the Energy Secretary in Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Srikant played a crucial role in implementing cost-effective measures that resulted in substantial economic savings for the state.

Commitment to Renewable Energy :

* Expressing his views on the occasion of his appointment, Mr. Srikant highlighted his commitment to advancing the Ministry of Power’s policies.
* He emphasized that he would prioritize all states in promoting renewables, aiming to enhance the economy and improve living standards across the country.


Anticipating Positive Impact :

* As N. Srikant takes on new responsibilities, there is anticipation of continued positive impact under his leadership in the promotion of renewables and sustainable energy practices for the betterment of the nation.