Grievance Redressal Assessment and Index (GRAI) 2023

• Grievance Redressal Assessment and Index (GRAI) was conceptualized and designed by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG)
• Ministry – It is based on the recommendation of Parliamentary Standing Committee of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
• Aim – To present organization-wise comparative picture and provide valuable insights about strengths and areas of improvement regarding grievance redressal mechanism.
• Index is Based on 4 Dimensions and 11 Indicators Assessing Grievance Redressal Mechanism Adopted by the Central Ministries and Departments.
• Dimensions – Efficiency, Feedback, Domain and Organisational Commitment.

Rankings, 2023

• To compute the index, data between January and December 2023 was used from the Centralized Public Grievance Redressal and Management System (CPGRAMS).
• Out Of 89 Ministries And Departments, 85 Demonstrated A Positive Trend in their GRAI Scores In 2023 Over 2022.
• Group A – Department Of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Topped the Ranking Followed By Department Of Posting.
• Group B The Comptroller & Auditor General Of India Topped the Ranking Closely Followed By The Department Of Land Resources.
• Group C – Department Of Investment & Public Asset Management And Ministry Of Development Of North Eastern Region Secured First And Second Positions Respectively.

• The report also presents brief description of technical partners DARPG has engaged to facilitate the Ministries and Departments to optimally utilize CPGRAMS.

Telangana’s EV policy

• The Telangana government recently came out with a new Electric Vehicles (EV) policy as part of its push for cleaner air, environment sustainability, and energy efficiency.
• It aims to promote the use of electric vehicles in Telangana in a bid to control air pollution, especially in and around Hyderabad.
• Key features – The government has announced with immediate effect a 100% exemption from road tax and registration fee on Evs for 2 years, till December 31, 2026.
• A previous limit on tax exemptions for the first 5000 Evs has been lifted and, as per the new policy, there is no limit to the number of Evs that can be registered with the tax exemptions.
• The tax exemptions will apply to two-wheelers, four-wheelers, commercial passenger vehicles like taxis and tourist cabs, three-seater auto-rickshaws, electric tractors, and electric buses.
• With these exemptions, two-wheelers can save up to Rs 15,000 and four-wheelers can save up to Rs 3 lakh in taxes and fees.
• Electric buses operated by companies or firms to ferry their employees are also exempt from the taxes.

Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON)

• President of Niger conferred the national award, "Grand Commander of the Order of Niger” on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for his statesmanship and contribution to fostering India-Nigeria ties.
  • Modi is the 2nd foreign dignitary to receive this prestigious award.
  • Queen Elizabeth was the 1st foreign recipient of the GCON in 1969.
• Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) - The Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) is the second-highest national honor of Nigeria.
• It is awarded for the exemplary service to the nation.
• PM Modi gifted the magnificent Silofar Panchamrit Kalash to Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
• Silofar Panchamrit Kalash – It is a beautifully crafted Panchamrit Kalash, is a handcrafted pot.
• It is an example of Kolhapur's traditional craftsmanship from Maharashtra.
• The decorative item is made from high-quality silver and features intricate engravings, floral patterns and depictions of deities.
• It is often used in religious ceremonies and carries a lid and handle, which is used for serving Panchamrit, a sacred mixture of milk, curd, ghee, honey, and sugar during rituals.

Slender-billed Curlew

• Scientists recently announced that the Slender-billed Curlew could have become extinct. The reasons for the extinction are not clear.
• It is the first known global bird extinction from mainland Europe, North Africa and West Asia.
• The Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) is an extinct species of curlew that was native to Eurasia and North Africa.
• Scientific Name - Numenius tenuirostris.
• It is a bird in the wader family Scolopacidae.
• This species has cryptic (meaning it employs markings and colouration serving to camouflage itself in its natural environment) plumage and a long, down-curved bill.
• It is a migratory shorebird that once bred in western Siberia and wintered around the Mediterranean.
• The breeding adult is mainly greyish brown above, with a whitish rump and lower back. The underparts are whitish, heavily streaked with dark brown.
• The flanks have round or heart-shaped spots. The non-breeding plumage is similar, but with fewer flank spots. 
• It feed by using their bills to probe soft mud for small invertebrates, but will also pick other small items off the surface if the opportunity arises.
• It used to be highly gregarious outside the breeding season, associating with related species, particularly Eurasian curlews.
• Conservation status before extinction
  • IUCN – Critically Endangered.
  • CITES - Appendix I.
  • Convention on migratory species - Appendix I and II.

Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve

• Recently, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified the 56th Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh.
• It is the 56th Tiger Reserve of India located in Chhattisgarh.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had accorded final approval for notifying it in 2021.
• It is nestled in the Chota Nagpur plateau and partly in Baghelkhand plateau thus comprises varied terrains, dense forests, streams and rivers.
• Core/critical tiger habitat comprising the
  • Guru Ghasidas National Park
  • Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary
• Buffer zone spans around 780.15 square kms.
• Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve becomes the 3rd largest tiger reserve in India after Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh and Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam.
• This reserve is in line with landscape approach as envisaged in India’s National Wildlife Plan.
• It is contiguous with the Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh forming a landscape complex of nearly 4500 sq.kms.
• Connection in west - Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh.
• Connection in east – Palamau Tiger Reserve, Jharkhand.
• Biodiversity - A total of 753 species, including 365 invertebrates and 388 vertebrates, have been documented here by the Zoological Survey of India.
• The invertebrate fauna is represented mostly by the class insecta.
• The vertebrate fauna includes 230 species of birds and 55 species of mammals.