NATIONAL:
1. Mobile Tower in Siachen
Why in news – The first-ever mobile tower has been installed at the Siachen Glacier.
Key Points –
• Established by - Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).
• Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas.
• It is known as the highest battleground on Earth.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. India-Nepal Border Dispute
Why in news - PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Gunji near Kalapani, Uttarakhand has irked Nepal.
Key Points –
• Nepal’s Opposition parties claimed Modi “came to our territory” without informing authorities.
• Kalapani, Limpiadhura, and Lipulekh on the India-Nepal border are under India’s administration but claimed by Nepal.
Value Addition -
• The Lipulekh Pass links Uttarakhand with China’s Tibetan Autonomous Region. The pass is near the tri-junction of India, Nepal and China.
• Mahakali River originates from Limpiyadhura.
• The Kali River is formed by the union of two headwaters e.g., Kalapani river (origin – Lipulekh Pass) and the Kuthi Yankit river (origin - Limpiyadhura range).
RANKS & INDICES:
1. Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2023
Why in news - The report was released by Concern Worldwide (Irish NGO) and Welt Hunger Hilfe (German NGO).
Key Points –
• India’s Rank - 111th (score - 28.7)
• India’s Position (Serious Category) –
Value Addition -
• India’s neighbours - Pakistan (102nd), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th) and Sri Lanka (60th).
• GHI 2023 score for the world - 18.3%.
• It is calculated on the basis of four indicators – Undernourishment, Child Wasting, Child Stunting and Child Mortality.
ENVIRONMENT:
1. Ozone-depleted Area
Why in news – Satellite measurements over Antarctica have detected a giant hole in the ozone layer.
Key Points –
• Size - 26 million square kilometers (3 times the size of Brazil).
• It was recorded by the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite (European Space Agency).
• It was caused naturally due to the volcanic eruptions at Hunga Tonga (Submarine volcano in Tonga).
• The ozone layer is a trace gas in the stratosphere, one of the four layers of the Earth’s atmosphere.
• Ozone hole opens up because of the rotation of the Earth causing specials winds over the closed landmass of Antarctica.
SECURITY:
1. “Steadfast Noon” Exercise
Why in news – NATO will hold major nuclear exercise “Steadfast Noon”.
Key Points –
• It involves fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
• Location - Italy, Croatia and the Mediterranean Sea.
BIHAR:
1. Mental Health of School Teachers
Why in news – The Bihar government announced a mental health survey for government school teachers.
Key Points –
• Reasons – Rise in absenteeism, inability to complete syllabus on time, and reprimanding students, engagement in non-teaching assignments (election duty, caste based surveys)
• To be conducted by - State Council of Educational Research and Training.
• Coverage - Over 4 lakh teachers in over 75,000 government schools.
• There is a set of 16 questions to be answered by the teachers in the survey.
• It will be limited to government school teachers from Class 1 to Class 12.
2. Bihar Investors Summit 2023
Why in news – Bihar Industries Department organized Investors meet in Dubai and Bengaluru.
Key Points –
• It was organized in Dubai for the first time.
• The next meeting will be held in Mumbai on 16th October.
• The priority sectors are IT, food processing, biofuels, textiles and leather etc.
• It served as a platform to showcase the immense investment opportunities in Bihar.
• Makhana, Mangoes, Litchi, and Katarni rice are some of the best produce of Bihar.
3. Seed Hubs
Why in news – Bihar to create seed hubs, encourage seeds production through public-private-partnership mode.
Key Points –
• It was announced at seed hub creation, seed production and rabi crop orientation.
• It will start at 10 (states) seed multiplication areas in PPP mode.
• Seed production hubs or clusters will be of 50 hectares each.
• Assistance will be provided by two state agriculture universities i.e., Borlaug Institute of South Asia, and International Crops Research Institute for the
Semi-Arid Tropics-
• A centre for excellence of coarse grains will be established in the Gaya district.
• It will help increase the production of seeds and their replacement rate.
• Better varieties of crops will help raise the income of farmers through better productivity.
4. Panchayat Sarkar Bhawan
Why in news – Hon CM Nitish Kumar laid foundation stones for the construction of 2,000 new Panchayat Sarkar Bhawans.
Key Points –
• It would be built at an estimated total cost of Rs 4,171 crores.
POINTERS:
• What is the name of the 2nd Edition of the National Cyber Security Exercise 2023 conducted with the aim to train senior management and technical personnel of Government/Critical Sector organizations and Public and Private agencies - Bharat NCX 2023.
• Cabinet approved establishment of which autonomous body to focus on Youth led development - Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat).
• Which Indian batter broke Chris Gayle's record of most sixes in international cricket - Rohit Sharma.
• Who has created a national record in men's 100 meters race on the first day of the National Open Athletics Championships in Bengaluru - Manikanta Hoblidhar.
• Has institutionalised a novel transformative initiative of '360 Degree Appraisal Mechanism' for various promotion boards - Indian Navy.
• Who will deploy Bima Vahaks in each gram panchayat before December 31, 2024 - Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
• Who has become the most expensive player of Pro Kabaddi League - Pawan Sehrawat (Telugu Titans).
• Cabinet approved royalty rates for mining of how many critical and strategic minerals – 3 (Lithium, Niobium and Rare Earth Elements).
• Who has launched the trailer of KTB- Bharat Hain Hum, an animated series consisting of two seasons, produced by Central Bureau of Communication - Anurag Thakur.
• What code name has Israel given to its ongoing war against Hamas - Operation Iron Sword.
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