BIHAR
Bihar announces 16-day lockdown
There will be a total lockdown in Bihar from July 16-31 to contain the spread of Covid-19
The move comes close on the heels of recent spike in positive cases which had necessitated lockdowns, imposed by the local administrations, in several districts.
International
Chabahar rail project
- Four years after India and Iran signed an agreement to construct a rail line from Chabahar port to Zahedan, along the border with Afghanistan, the Iranian government has decided to proceed with the construction on its own, citing delays from the Indian side in funding and starting the project.
- Iran dropped India from the Chabahar rail project because of “absence of active Indian engagement,”
- It was expected that in addition to the investment in Chabahar Port, India could also play a more crucial role in funding and constructing this strategic transit route from Chabahar to Zahedan and from Zahedan to Sarakhs at the border with Turkmenistan which in the absence of an active Indian engagement and partnership, currently is under construction by Iranian funding and engineering capacities
- The delay has also indicated at possible impact of U.S. sanctions on India’s projects with Iran. Though India secured exemption for the Chabahar port from U.S. sanctions
- Iran has a very crucial place in China’s Belt and Road Initiative. China always wanted to bring Iran on board. As the Americans pursued the policy of ‘maximum pressure’ against Iran and left Iran under extraordinary privation and deprivation, it is now open to the Chinese initiative.
- Under their partnership agreement, China is likely to play a role in Chabahar’s duty-free zone and in the port.
National
PRAGYATA Guidelines on Digital Education released
- Union HRD Minister virtually releases PRAGYATA Guidelines on Digital Education
- Guidelines on Digital/ Online Education provide a roadmap for carrying forward online education with enhanced quality
- Guidelines recommend a cap on duration and number of online sessions in a day for students from Class I to XII
- The PRAGYATA guidelines include eight steps of online/ digital learning that is, Plan- Review- Arrange- Guide- Yak(talk)- Assign- Track- Appreciate.
- These steps guide the planning and implementation of digital education step by step with examples.
- New economic corridor worth about Rs 20 thousand crore in Haryana
- The projects inaugurated include the 35.45 km 4-lane Rohna/Hasangarh to Jhajjar section of NH 334B costing Rs 1183 crore, the 70 km 4-laning of Punjab-Haryana Border to Jind section of NH 71 costing Rs 857 crore, and the 85.36 km 2-lane with paved shoulders Jind-Karnal Highway on NH 709 costing Rs 200 crore.
- these projects will have positive impact on both the industry and the business in the State.
India will have a satellite-based lightning detection system
- Like US, India will have a satellite-based lightning detection system, will help check human casualties
- India will have a geo satellite in space with a lightning detector within a year that will give us a lot of real-time information, and our monitoring skills will improve further.
- a software has already been installed in two satellites INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR to assess the lightning potential area on an experimental basis. It’s not a detection system but it’s a software, which is used to assess such thunderstorm events.
Number of undernourished people declines in India; obesity in adults on the rise
- The number of undernourished people in India has declined by 60 million in over a decade, according to a UN report which said that there were less stunted children but more obese adults in the country.
- The number of adults (18 years and older) who are obese grew from 25.2 million in 2012 to 34.3 million in 2016, growing from 3.1 % to 3.9 %.
- The number of women of reproductive age (15-49) affected by anaemia grew from 165.6 million in 2012 to 175.6 million in 2016.
- The number of infants 0-5 months of age exclusively breastfed grew from 11.2 million in 2012 to 13.9 million in 2019.
‘One State One Sport’ policy
- Strengthening of grassroot level is crucial to realise the dream of making India one of the Top 10 countries at the Olympic podium in 2028, and we must start that process now.
- establishment of 1000 Khelo India centres at the district level to scout and train the best potential talent in the country in 14 Olympic disciplines.
- The government of India and the sports ministry have identified 14 sports disciplines to be developed as the medal prospect for the 2024 and 2028 Olympics. The government has launched the ‘one state, one game’ initiative in consultation with the State governments. This is to make one state proficient in a single sport in which it possesses a special aptitude to win medals in the Olympics.
Tamil classic ‘Tirukkural’
- Tirukkural is a revered classic work in Tamil and the ancient treatise deals with several subjects.
- The Tirukkural or the Kural, is a classic Tamil language text consisting of 1,330 short couplets of seven words each, or Kurals.
- The text is divided into three books, each with aphoristic teachings on virtue (aram, dharma), wealth (porul, artha) and love (inbam, kama).
- Considered one of the greatest works on ethics and morality, it is known for its universality and secular nature.
- Its authorship is traditionally attributed to Valluvar, also known in full as Thiruvalluvar.
- The text has been dated variously from 300 BCE to 5th century CE.
- The traditional accounts describe it as the last work of the third Sangam, but linguistic analysis suggests a later date of 450 to 500 CE and that it was composed after the Sangam period.