Art and Culture (GS-I)

Testing methods in Pashmina flags presence of ‘Shahtoosh’

• Traders of Pashmina shawls are complaining that “obsolete testing methods” have resulted in many of their export consignments being flagged for presence of ‘Shahtoosh’ guard hair, obtained from endangered Tibetan antelopes.
• Pashmina is obtained from breeds of mountain goats (capra hircus) found in the Changthang Plateau in Tibet and parts of Ladakh, in the Himalayan region of India.
• India contributes only about 1% of the world’s Pashmina, but the Pashmina produced in India is considered the best of the lot and occupies a unique position.
• ‘Shahtoosh’ is the fine undercoat fibre obtained from the Tibetan Antelope, known locally as ‘Chiru’, a species living mainly in the northern parts of the Changthang Plateau in Tibet.
• As they offer high levels of smoothness and warmth, Shahtoosh shawls became a highly expensive commodity.

History (GS-I)

Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani (Acharya Kripalani)

• Kripalani (1888-1982) was well-known as a Gandhian and a socialist.
• Born in Hyderabad, Sindh, in 1888, he became the Congress president in 1946 and resigned from his position in 1947, soon after Independence.
• He was also the first to rebel against Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and moved a no-confidence motion against the government in the wake of the disastrous 1962 Sino-Indian War.
• He courted arrested on numerous occasions for his role in the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930), he was one of the main organizers of the Salt Satyagraha and later of Gandhi`s last big national protest, the Quit India Movement.

International Relations (GS-II)

India hosted the 2nd BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministers

• BIMSTEC was established in the year 1997.
• It includes five countries of South Asia :– Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and two countries of South-East Asia – Myanmar and Thailand.
• The 2nd BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministerial Meeting adopted the Action Plan for Strengthening BIMSTEC Agricultural Cooperation (2023-2027). 

Polity & Governance

SC issues notice to HCs over 'Gram Nyayalayas'

• The Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008, provided for “Gram Nyayalayas” at the grassroots level.
• They were established to-
  • provide access to speedy and affordable justice to citizens at the doorstep
  • ensure that opportunities for securing justice were not denied to anyone on account of social, economic or other disabilities
• Sections 5 and 6 of the Act says States, in consultation with the HCs, will appoint a ‘Nyayadhikari’ for each ‘Gram Nyayalaya’

Environment

Metal-munching microbes help the rare, toxic element tellurium circulate in the environment

• In a recent study, metal-munching microbes have been found to help this tellurium through the environment.
• Tellurium is a semimetallic, lustrous, crystalline, brittle, silver-white element.
• It has the properties both of the metals and the non-metals.
• Tellurium is as rare as gold in Earth’s crust. It is present in the Earth’s crust only in about 0.001 parts per million.
• Tellurium minerals include calaverite, sylvanite and tellurite.
• It is very toxic and teratogenic (disturbs the development of an embryo or foetus).
• It is an element found in an increasing number of solar panels.
• The silvery substance was discovered only in 1783.

Environment

 "In our LiFEtime" Campaign launched by India 

• National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), jointly launched “In Our LiFEtime” campaign.
• Aim: to encourage youth between the ages of 18 to 23 years to become message bearers of sustainable lifestyles.
• The campaign gives a global call for ideas from youth across the world who are passionate about living environment conscious lives. 

Environment (GS-III)

Nine new Countries Join GOWA

• Nine new countries (Belgium, Colombia, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the US) have joined the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) at the UN-COP27 climate summit.
• GOWA was initiated in September 2022 by the;
  • International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
  • Denmark
  • Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)
• It aims to drive installed global offshore wind capacity up by 670 per cent — from 57 GW in 2021 to 380 GW in 2030.
• Offshore wind energy is the clean and renewable energy obtained by taking advantage of the force of the wind that is produced on the high seas, where it reaches a higher and more constant speed than on land due to the absence of barriers.

Economy (GS-III)

NFRA brings out norms for inspecting audit firms

• Audit regulator, the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), brought out a set of guidelines for monitoring the audit firms’ quality and compliance standards.
• NFRA is a body constituted under the provisions of Section 132 of the Companies Act, 2013.
• The constitution of this authority is effective from 1st October 2018.
• Objective: To continuously improve the quality of all corporate financial reporting in India.

Economy

IFSCA signs MoU with RBI in the field of regulation, supervision of regulated entities

• MoU: To collaborate in the field of regulation and supervision of regulated entities in their respective jurisdictions.
• The RBI is the central bank and monetary authority of India carrying on, inter-alia,
  • the regulation and supervision of banks and non-banking financial institutions
  • undertaking other functions and exercising powers in accordance with various statutes
• IFSCA is a statutory authority established under the IFSCA Act 2019.
• It is headquartered at GIFT City, Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
• The IFSCA is a unified authority for the development and regulation of financial products, financial services and financial institutions in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in India.
• The GIFT IFSC is currently the maiden international financial services centre in India.

Environment

Climate Change Performance Index 2023

• Climbing two spots on the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2023, India has bagged the eighth position out of the 63 countries that were assessed.
• The CCPI evaluates 59 countries and the European Union that contribute to the generation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• Rankings for the CCPI are decided as per a standardised criterion, with 14 indicators across four primary categories:
  • Renewable Energy
  • Greenhouse Gas Emissions
  • Climate Policy
  • Energy Use
• The ranking is done by Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network.

Environment

2022 Summit of LeadIT

• India and Sweden hosted the LeadIT Summit on the side-lines of COP27.
• The LeadIT (Leadership for Industry Transition) initiative focuses on low carbon transition of the hard to abate industrial sector. 
• LeadIT gathers countries and companies that are committed to action to achieve the Paris Agreement.
• It was launched by the governments of Sweden and India at the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019.
• It is supported by the World Economic Forum.
• LeadIT members subscribe to the notion that energy-intensive industry can and must progress on low-carbon pathways, aiming to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.