UPSC QUIZ 27.09.2023

Explanation:

• American investment bank JPMorgan Chase & Co. has taken a big decision to include Indian government bonds in its emerging markets debt index.This move is expected to widen the investor base and potentially lead to the appreciation of the Rupee.

JPMorgan Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets (GBI-EM) index

• The JP Morgan GBI-EM is a widely followed and influential benchmark index that tracks the performance of local-currency-denominated Sovereign Bonds issued by emerging market countries.
• It is designed to provide investors with a representative measure of the fixed income market within emerging market economies.
• It Includes government bonds issued by various emerging market countries.
• The composition may change over time based on eligibility criteria.

Explanation:

• Madhya Pradesh (M.P) unveiled the 108 feet high 'Statue of Oneness' of Adi Shankaracharya on Mandhata mountain at Omkareshwar in Khandwa district, M.P and laid the foundation stone of Advaita Lok.
• The Mandhata island, nestled on the Narmada River, is home to two of the 12 Jyotirlingas – Omkareshwara (located on the south side of the island) and Amareshwara.
• The island is dotted with Shaivite, Vaisnavite, and Jain temples dating back to the 14th and 18th centuries.
• The name ‘Omkareshwar’ is derived from the shape of the island, which resembles the sacred syllable ‘Om’, and its name means ‘the Lord of Omkara’.

Adi Shankaracharya

• Known as Adi Shankara(788–820 CE), born at Kaladi near Kochi, Kerala.
• Took Samadhi at the age of 33, at Kedar tirth.
• He was a devotee of Shiva.
• He is said to have arrived at Omkareshwar as a young monk, where he encountered his Guru Govind Bhagwadpad.
• Resided in the sacred city for four years, and received his education .
• He departed Omkareshwar at the age of 12 and embarked on a journey across the nation, disseminating the teachings of Advaita Vedanta philosophy and elucidating its principles to the people.

Explanation:

• Indian agriculture scientist Dr. Swati Nayak, affectionately known as "Bihana Didi" or "Seed Lady" by local communities in Odisha, has been honored with the Norman E. Borlaug Award for 2023.
• She became the third Indian to receive this prestigious award after Aditi Mukherji (2012) and Mahalingam Govindaraj (2022), recognizing her remarkable contributions to agriculture, particularly in the realm of drought-tolerant rice varieties.

Norman E. Borlaug Award

• The award is endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, the award is presented every October in Des Moines, Iowa, US by the World Food Prize Foundation to honor individuals under the age of 40 who have achieved remarkable, science-based accomplishments in international agriculture and food production.

Explanation:

Social activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar has urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to agree on sharing of Teesta river waters with Bangladesh.

• Sharing of waters of the Teesta river, which originates in the Himalayas and flows through Sikkim and West Bengal to join the Brahmaputra, is the most contentious issue between India and Bangladesh.

Importance of Teesta River for Bangladesh

• This river covers almost the entire floodplain of Sikkim, while 2,800 square kilometer area of Bangladesh remains unaffected (dry) by the waters of this river, thereby controlling the lives of thousands of people.

Importance of Teesta River for West Bengal

• Teesta River is very important for West Bengal, it is considered the lifeline of about half a dozen districts of North Bengal.

Explanation:

• Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has included two frontier districts of Uttarakhand, Champawat, and Pithoragarh, in the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme.
• The objective of the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme is to promote tourism activities and develop these areas from a tourism point of view, providing basic facilities to visitors.
• As part of the Swadesh Darshan scheme, Gunji, a place in Pithoragarh district, is set to take up development work in the tourism sector, with an allocated budget of Rs 75 crore.

Swadesh Darshan Scheme

• Swadesh Darshan Scheme is a central sector scheme launched by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
• It aims to develop theme-based tourism circuits while enhancing the potential of India's tourism sector.
• The scheme is aligned with other national programs such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Skill India, and Make in India to harness the potential of tourism for employment generation and economic growth.