Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 14th June 2023

Nutri Garden Project : Lakshadweep

The Nutri Garden project of Lakshadweep has turned out to be a big success.

• Nutri Garden project is a method of planting and harvesting nutrient-rich crops in residential houses or in their vicinity to meet the requirements of the family all year round.
• It is a cost-effective model to grow nutrient-rich crops for personal or community consumption to promote good health and well-being.
• It is under Ministry of Women and Child Development
• In urban areas Nutri kitchen gardening can be promoted in the form of rooftop gardening, terrace gardening, vertical gardening and container gardening.
• In rural areas Nutri kitchen gardens can be promoted in the backyard of the houses.
• Nutri Garden increases the availability of food and nutrient sources.
• It can act as a source of supplementary income.
• The crops harvested are Fresh and Safe (chemical-free).
• It helps tackle both under-nutrition and over-nutrition by adopting a sustainable life cycle approach.

Urban Co-operative Banks : Key Measures Taken By RBI

To strengthen 1,514 urban co-operative banks, the Reserve Bank India has notified four key measures, including giving them two years more to meet the priority sector lending targets.

Four Key Measures are:

• Allowing UCBs to open new branches without prior approval from RBI, up to 10% (maximum 5 branches) of the number of branches in the previous financial year. Allowing UCBs to do One-Time Settlement at par with commercial banks.
• Extending the timeline for UCBs to achieve Priority Sector Lending (PSL) targets by two years, up to March 31, 2026.
• The excess deposits, if any, after clearing the shortfall of PSL during FY 2022-23 will also be refunded to the UCB.
• Notifying a nodal officer for closer coordination and focused interaction between RBI and the cooperative sector.

Effects:

• These initiatives will further strengthen the UCBs, which work in urban areas and were facing hardships in achieving PSL targets.
• The Ministry of Cooperation is committed to strengthening cooperatives and treating them at par with other forms of economic entities.

Urban Cooperative banks (UCB):

• The term Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) is not formally defined but refers to primary cooperative banks located in urban and semi-urban areas.
• The Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs), the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), and Local Area Banks (LABs) could be considered as differentiated banks as they operate in localized areas.

Paris Diamond League 2023:

Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar secured third place in Paris Diamond League

• Murali Sreeshankar registered an impressive 8.09m attempt to finish third in the men’s long jump event at the Paris Diamond League 2023 athletics in France on Saturday.
• The Diamond League started in 2010; organized by the World Athletics body is a prestigious annual international athletics series consisting of various track and field events held across different cities around the world.
• It features the world’s top athletes competing in disciplines such as sprints, jumps, throws, and middle-distance races. Neeraj Chopra was the first Indian to win a Diamond League meet.

World Test Championship Final 2023:

Australia defeated India by 209 runs in the World Test Championship final held at The Oval

• Australia became the second team, after New Zealand, to win the prestigious Mace.
• This marks India’s second consecutive loss in the WTC final.
• The World Test Championship is a two-year cricket tournament where nine teams compete to become the undisputed World Test champion.
• Each team plays six series, three at home and three away.
• The points system has been revamped (for just completed 2nd edition), with each Test match now offering 12 points for a win, four points for a draw, and six points for a tie.
• The standings will be determined by the percentage of available points collected, allowing for comparisons between teams regardless of the number of matches played.

Taurine : A Nutrient Found In Meat And Fish

Study has shown that Taurine – a nutrient found in meat, and fish and sold as a supplement – extends life and boosts health in a range of animal species.

• Experiments on middle-aged animals showed boosting taurine to youthful levels extended life by over 10% and improved physical and brain health.
• Taurine is an amino acid that has a few important roles in your body, including supporting immune health and nervous system function.
• The scientific report suggests taurine plays a role in reducing cellular senescence – where cells in the body stop dividing – a hallmark of ageing.
• The nutrient also appeared to keep mitochondria – the power stations in the body’s cells – functioning.
• Taurine is virtually non-existent in plants. So the nutrient either comes from the animal protein in the diet or is manufactured by the body.

Exercise Ekuverin:

The joint military exercise “Ekuverin” between the Indian Army & the Maldives National Defence Force has commenced at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand from 11 to 24 June 2023.

• Exercise Ekuverin is the 12th edition of a joint military exercise between India and Maldives.
• Ekuverin meaning ‘Friends’ is a bilateral annual exercise conducted alternatively in India and Maldives.
• The exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability in Counter Insurgency/ Counter Terrorism Operations under the UN mandate and carrying out joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations.
• The focus is to share best practices and enhance coordination and cooperation between both the forces at tactical level.
• The defence cooperation between the two countries extends from joint exercises to assisting the Maldives with defence training and equipment requirements.
• Both nations have very close and friendly relations in economic, cultural and military cooperation.
• ‘Ex Ekuverin’ will assist in further bolstering these ties between the two nations

Mayon Volcano:

Around 13,000 people have been evacuated from the northeast Philippines as the country’s most famous volcano, Mayon, continued to burst lava.

• Mayon Volcano is an active volcano in southeastern Luzon, Philippines.
• Its name is derived from the local word for beautiful lady, daragang Mayon.
• It is called the world’s most perfect volcanic cone because of the symmetry of its shape.
• It lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire region, a major area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

Pacific Ring of Fire:

• It also known as the Circum-Pacific Beltis a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
• Its length is approximately 40,000 kilometres.
• It traces boundaries between several tectonic plates—including the Pacific, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Indian-Australian, Nazca, North American, and Philippine Plates.

Palkhi Festival :

Delegates from several countries, who are in the city for the G20 Digital Economy Working Group Conference, got a glimpse of the 800-year-old Warkari community’s palkhi festival.

• Palkhi festival is a 1000 year old tradition which was started by some saints of Maharashtra (India) and is still continued by their followers called varkaris i.e people who follow a vari, a fundamental ritual.
• It is an annual pilgrimage (yatra) to Pandharpur – the seat of the Hindu god Vithoba in Maharashtra, in honour of the deity.
• They walk with palkhis (chariots) carrying paduka (sandals) of various saints – most notably Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram.
• Dnyaneshwar’s palakhi leaves from Alandi, while Tukaram’s begins at Dehu, both in Pune district of Maharashtra.
• The Palkhi starts in the month of Jyeshth (June), and the whole process lasts a total of 22 days.
• Every year on the eleventh day of the first half of the month of Ashadh, the Palkhi reaches Pandharpur.
• Upon reaching Pandharpur on Ashadi Ekadashi, these devotees take a holy dip in the sacred Chandrabhaga River/Bhima River before proceeding to visit the Vitthal temple.

United Nations Office On Drugs And Crime:

Dubai Customs recently celebrated the graduation of participants from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) programme.

• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime, in addition to being responsible for implementing the United Nations lead programme on terrorism.
• It was established in 1997 through a merger between the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Centre for International Crime Prevention.
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria
• UNODC works to educate people throughout the world about the dangers of drug abuse.
• Strengthen international action against illicit drug production and trafficking and drug-related crime.
• It also works to improve crime prevention and assist with criminal justice reform in order to strengthen the rule of law, promote stable and viable criminal justice systems and combat the growing threats of transnational organized crime and corruption.
• In 2002, the UN General Assembly approved an expanded programme of activities for the Terrorism Prevention Branch of UNODC.
• The activities focus on providing assistance to States, on request, in ratifying and implementing the eighteen universal legal instruments against terrorism.