Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA)

Prime Minister recently launched Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand on 2nd October 2024, on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

• Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan is an initiative that aims to foster holistic development in tribal villages, bringing transformative changes to the socio-economic landscape of the region.
• It aims at saturation of more than 63,000 tribal majority villages in Aspirational Districts.
• It focuses on 25 scheme interventions in the next 5 years, through coordinated efforts of 17 Ministries.
• It envisions saturation of critical gaps in social infrastructure, health, education and livelihood.
• It has been planned based on the learning and success of Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyaan (PM-JANMAN).

International Energy Efficiency Hub

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has recently approved the signing of ‘Letter of Intent’ thus enabling India to join the ‘Energy Efficiency Hub’.

• International Energy Efficiency Hub is a Government-to-Government collaboration on energy efficiency.
• The Hub is a voluntary collaboration among 16 governments seeking to strengthen their effectiveness in deploying energy efficiency.
• The Hub brings together governments, international organizations, and private sector entities to share knowledge, best practices and innovative solutions.
• As of July, 2024, 16 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, European Commission, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United States and United Kingdom) have joined the Hub.
• India is not a member of the International Energy Efficiency Hub. (Statement 3 is incorrect)
• Its Secretariat is hosted at the International Energy Agency (IEA) to foster coordination with the Agency and with other international organisations, the private sector and other stakeholders.
• The Hub facilitates the sharing of policy best practices in an informal workshop forum to enable knowledge-sharing.
• Task Groups – The Hub takes on issues important to its Members through thematic Task Groups.
• India – The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of ‘Letter of Intent’ to enable India to join the ‘Energy Efficiency Hub’.
• By joining the Hub, India will gain access to a vast network of experts and resources, enabling it to enhance its domestic energy efficiency initiatives.
• The country's participation in this global platform will help to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and improve energy security.
• India is a member of the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC).

Linguistics Expert Committee

The Union Cabinet has recently approved classical language status to Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit.

• The criteria for bestowing classical status was revised by the Linguistics Experts Committee.
• According to the Union Culture Ministry, the decision to designate the 5 languages as classical was taken in the meeting conducted by the Linguistics Experts Committee, chaired by the Sahitya Akademi.
• Composition of the committee – It comprises of representatives of the Union Ministries of Home, Culture and four or five linguistic experts at any given time. (Statement 1 is correct)
• It is chaired by the President of the Sahitya Akademi. (Statement 2 is incorrect)
• Classical Languages in India – India has had 6 classical languages as of now which are:
  1. Tamil
  2. Telugu
  3. Malayalam
  4. Kannada
  5. Sanskrit
  6. Odia
• Tamil was the first language to be given classical status in 2004 followed by Sanskrit in 2005.
• The Union Cabinet has recently approved classical language status to Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit.
• Significance of Classical Languages - Once a language is notified as a classical language, the Education Ministry provides certain benefits such as:
  • To promote it which includes two major annual international awards for scholars of eminence in the said languages, a Centre of Excellence for studies in classical languages is set up
  • University Grants Commission is requested to create, to start with at least in the Central Universities, a certain number of professional chairs for the classical languages so declared.
• The inclusion of languages as Classical Language will create significant employment opportunities, particularly in academic and research fields. (Statement 3 is correct)

Barnard b

• Barnard's Star – It is a red dwarf, the smallest type of regular star and much smaller and less luminous than our sun.
• It is at about 6 light years away, it is the closest single star and orbits with other stars in our solar system.
• It is the closest single star to our solar system.
• It has a mass of about 16% of the Sun and with diameter of about 19% of the Sun.
• The age is more than twice as old as the Sun and situated at the Constellation Ophiuchus.
• It is the closest single star to our solar system.
• Barnard b – It has mass which is approximately 40% of the Earth.
• The diameter is approximately about 75% of the Earth.
• It can orbit the earth in 3 Earth days.
• It is 20 times closer than Mercury is to the Sun and the surface temperature is approximately about 275°F.
• Significance – Closest multi-planet system to Earth.
• Potential for future study of nearby, potentially habitable worlds.
• Target for future interstellar missions (Eg : Breakthrough Stars-hot).

Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis)

A honey badger, also known as the Ratel, has been captured on camera for the first time in the Terai East Forest Division (TEFD) of Uttarakhand.

• A honey badger, also known as the Ratel are omnivorous mammals that belong to the weasel family.
• These nocturnal creatures are known for their powerful, curved claws, which they use to dig burrows for shelter.
• Diet – It is diverse, consisting of small animals, fruit and honey.
• The Ratel is a small carnivore with an appetite for honey.
• Protection – It is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.
  • IUCN Status – Least Concern (2015 assessment).
  • CITES Status – Appendix III.
• Habitat – They are terrestrial animals that inhabit a wide variety of habitats, including tropical and subtropical green forests, thorn forests, open woodlands, riparian forests or grasslands, arid steppes, rocky hills and deserts.
• They typically do not live in the driest portions of the Sahara Desert or in the chaparral biomes around the Mediterranean.
• They require habitats with burrows, rock crevices, or other places in which they can shelter.
• Range – Broadly distributed across much of Africa and also live on the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian sub-continent.
• It is believed to be absent from the central Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean coast in North Africa.
• Honey badgers have been recorded in a few other locations in India, such as Bannerghatta National Park (2015) in Karnataka, Chilika Lagoon in Odisha (2019) and Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra (2016).