Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day: Who is Guru Tegh Bahadur?

• Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621 – 1675) was the ninth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion.
• Name: He was born as Tyaga Mal. He came to be known by the name Teg Bahadur (Mighty of The Sword), given to him by Guru Hargobind after he shown his valour in a battle against the Mughals.
• Family: His father was the Sixth guru, Guru Hargobind. His son Guru Gobind Singh, became the tenth Sikh guru.
• Life and works:
  • He built the city of Anandpur Sahib (in Rupnagar/Ropar district, on the edge of Shivalik Hills, near the Sutlej River, in Punjab). Here the last two Sikh Gurus lived and where Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699.
  • He contributed more than 100 poetic hymns to Granth Sahib which cover various topics, such as the nature of God, human attachments, body, mind, dignity service etc.
  • He resisted the forced conversions of Kashmiri Pandits and non-Muslims to Islam.
• Martyrdom:
  • He was publicly beheaded in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for himself refusing to convert to Islam. He is remembered for giving up his life for freedom of religion.
  • His martyrdom is remembered as the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur every year on 24 November, according to the Nanakshahi calendar released by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in 2003.
• Memorials in Delhi:
  • Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib mark the place of his execution.
  • Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib mark the places of cremation of his body.

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards 2021 Announced by GoI

• Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards are given every year.
• It aims to recognize the achievements of persons in the fields of adventure, to encourage young people to develop the spirit of endurance, risk–taking, cooperative teamwork and quick, ready and effective reflexes in challenging situations and to provide incentive to the young people for getting exposed to the adventure activities.
• Awardees will receive statuettes, certificates and award money of Rs. 15 lakh each.
• The award will be given in four categories namely, Land Adventure, Water Adventure, Air Adventure and Life Time Achievement.

Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying announces National Gopal Ratna Awards 2022

• It is one of the highest National Awards in the field of livestock and dairy sector.
• Its objective is to recognize and encourage all individuals like Farmers rearing indigenous animals, AI Technicians and Dairy cooperative societies / Milk Producer Company / Dairy farmers Producers Organizations working in this sector.
• The Award is conferred in three categories, namely,
  • Best Dairy Farmer Rearing Indigenous Cattle/buffalo Breeds,
  • Best Artificial Insemination Technician (AIT) and
  • Best Dairy Cooperative/ Milk Producer Company/ Dairy Farmer Producer Organization).

Rashtriya Gokul Mission:

• It is a project under National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development.
• **Objective:**Developing and conserving indigenous breeds through selective breeding and genetically upgrading ‘nondescript’ bovine population.
• Launched in:
• Agencies involved:
  • It is managed by Department of Animal Health and Husbandry (DAHD).
  • It is being implemented through “State Implementing Agencies (SIA) viz Livestock Development Boards.

India successfully tests intermediate-range ballistic missile Agni-3

• The successful test was part of routine user training launches carried out under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command.
• The launch was carried out for a predetermined range and validated all operational parameters of the system

Agni-3:

• Agni-3 is the third entrant in the Agni missile series and was first tested on July 9, 2006.
• But it developed a technical snag and had fell into the sea off Odisha coast without hitting the target.
• The Agni-3 missile was test fired successfully in its second flight in 2007 and then at its third consecutive launch in 2008.
• It has a range of 3,500 km and has the capability of carrying warhead weighing as much as 1.5 tonnes.
• Due to its high range of circular error probable (CEP), Agni-3 missile is known as world''s most accurate strategic ballistic missile of its range class.
• The accuracy of the nuclear warhead also provides an opportunity of deploying larger number of nuclear force using less fusion material.
• The low weight of the payload has increased the target range of the missile to 3,500 kilometre.

Agni series:

• Agni series of missiles constitute the backbone of India’s nuclear weapons delivery which also includes the Prithvi short range ballistic missiles and fighter aircraft.
• India has also completed its nuclear triad and operationalised its second strike capability, with nuclear ballistic missile submarine INS Arihant undertaking deterrence patrols.
• Recently, India also successfully test fired the new generation advanced version of Agni missile series, Agni Prime.
  • Also known as Agni-P, the nuclear-capable new-gen advanced variant has a maximum range of 2,000 kilometre.

Climate change to strengthen El Niño by 2030

• The combination of El Niño, La Niña, and the neutral state between the two opposite effects is called the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
• Southern oscillations are large-scale changes in sea level pressure in the tropical Pacific region.

El Niño phenomenon:

• El Niño is the warming of sea water in the central-east Equatorial Pacific that occurs every few years.
• During El Niño, surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific rise, and trade winds — east-west winds that blow near the Equator — weaken.
• Normally, easterly trade winds blow from the Americas towards Asia.
• Due to El Niño, they falter and change direction to turn into westerlies, bringing warm water from the western Pacific towards the Americas.
• The phenomena of upwelling, where nutrient-rich waters rise towards the surface, is reduced under El Niño.
• This in turn reduces phytoplankton. Thus, fish that eat phytoplankton are affected, followed by other organisms higher up the food chain.
• Warm waters also carry tropical species towards colder areas, disrupting multiple ecosystems.
• Since the Pacific covers almost one-third of the earth, changes in its temperature and subsequent alteration of wind patterns disrupt global weather patterns.
• Impacts:
  • El Niño causes dry, warm winter in Northern U.S. and Canada and increases the risk of flooding in the U.S. gulf coast and south-eastern U.S. It also brings drought to Indonesia and Australia.

La Niña:

• La Niña is the opposite of El Niño.
• La Niña sees cooler than average sea surface temperature (SST) in the equatorial Pacific region.
• Trade winds are stronger than usual, pushing warmer water towards Asia.
• On the American west coast, upwelling increases, bringing nutrient-rich water to the surface.
• Pacific cold waters close to the Americas push jet streams — narrow bands of strong winds in the upper atmosphere — northwards.
• Impacts:
  • This leads to drier conditions in Southern U.S., and heavy rainfall in Canada.
  • La Niña has also been associated with heavy floods in Australia.
  • Two successive La Niña events in the last two years caused intense flooding in Australia, resulting in significant damage.

Impact on India’s monsoons:

• In India, El Niño causes weak rainfall and more heat, while La Niña intensifies rainfall across South Asia, particularly in India’s northwest and Bangladesh during the monsoon.
• At present, India, like the rest of the globe, is witnessing an extended ‘triple dip’ La Niña.

Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare to participate in the Third Global Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance in the Sultanate of Oman

• Theme: ''The AMR Pandemic: From Policy to One Health Action''.
• It will enhance international cooperation to tackle AMR and build on the success of the two previous high-level ministerial conferences held in the Netherlands in 2014 and 2019.
• The conference is also expected to pave the way for nations to come out with bold and specific political commitments in the 2024 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR.

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR):

• Antimicrobials – including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitic – are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants.
• Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
• As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.

Major initiatives taken by India to combat AMR:

• National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR):
  • Government of India launched National Action Plan in 2017, two years after the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched its Global Action Plan on AMR.
  • National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi is the focal point for implementationand coordination of the NAP-AMR.
• Red Line Campaign:
  • Under the Red Line Campaign, the Government of India urges people not to use medicines marked with a red vertical line, without a doctor’s prescription.
  • This campaign is aimed at discouraging unnecessary prescription and over-the-counter sale of antibiotics causing drug resistance for several critical diseases including TB, malaria, dengue, etc.

Startup India launches Startup applications for MAARG Portal

• MAARG portal, (Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance, Resilience and Growth), is a one stop platform to facilitate mentorship for startups across diverse sectors, functions, stages, geographies, and backgrounds.
• The objectives of the MAARG portal are:
  • To provide sector focused guidance, handholding, and support to startups throughout their lifecycle
  • To establish a formalized and structured platform that facilitates intelligent matchmaking between the mentors and their respective mentees
  • To facilitate efficient and expert mentorship for startups and build an outcome-oriented mechanism that allows timely tracking of the mentor-mentee engagements.
• Startups can now effectively connect with academicians, industry experts, successful founders, seasoned investors, and other experts from across the globe, through Artificial Intelligence (AI) based matchmaking, to get personalized guidance on growth and strategy.
• The key features of the portal include customizable mentorship programs for ecosystem enablers, mobile-friendly user interface, recognition for contributing mentors, video and audio call options, etc.
• The MAARG is being operationalized in three phases which include, Mentor Onboarding, Startup Onboarding, and MAARG Portal Launch and Mentor Matchmaking.

Garuda Shakti: Indian, Indonesian troops engage in joint training exercise in Karawang

• It is a joint training exercise between Indian Special Forces and the Indonesian Special Forces.
• It is held at Sangga Buana Training Area,in
• The Exercise is the eighth edition of the series of bilateral exercises under this banner and this is a part of military-to-military exchange programs.
• It aims at enhancing understanding, cooperation and interoperability between the Special Forces of both armies.

Three high-level multi-disciplinary teams deputed to review upsurge in Measles cases in Ranchi, Ahmedabad

• Measles is a highly contagious viral disease.
• Transmission: It is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons.
• Symptoms: Initial symptoms include high fever, a runny nose and bloodshot eyes. Several days later, a rash develops, starting on the face and upper neck and gradually spreading downwards.
• Health Impact: It can cause life-threatening complications including encephalitis (an infection that leads to swelling of the brain), severe diarrhoea and dehydration, pneumonia, ear infections and permanent vision loss.
• Treatment: The disease is preventable through two doses of a safe and effective vaccine.
• Criteria for Measles elimination:
  • Measles elimination is defined as the absence of endemic measles virus transmission in a region or other defined geographical area for more than 12 months.
  • Conversely, a country is no longer considered to be measles free if the virus returns and transmission is sustained continuously for more than a year.
• Measles & Rubella Initiative (M&RI):
  • M&RI is a partnership formed in 2001 of the American Red Cross, CDC, the United Nations Foundation, UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO)
  • It is committed to achieving the Global Vaccine Action Plan goal of measles and rubella elimination in at least five WHO regions by 2020.

More than 25,000 ponds constructed under Mission Amrit Sarovar to overcome water crisis in rural areas

• Under the Mission Amrit Sarovar, a target has been set to build 50,000 Amrit Sarovars by 15th August, 2023.
• Mission Amrit Sarovar was launched on 24th April, 2022 with the resolve to build 75 Amrit Sarovars during the 75th year of independence as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in every district to overcome the water crisis in rural areas of the country.
• This Mission has been launched with a whole of Government Approach which involves 6 Ministries/Department namely:
  • Dept of Rural Development,
  • Department of land resources,
  • Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation,
  • Department of Water resources,
  • Ministry of Panchayati Raj,
  • Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate changes.
• Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Application and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) has been engaged as Technical partner for the Mission.