UPSC QUIZ 20.05.2024

Explanation:

• Supreme Court has stopped the issuance of new mining licenses and renewals for existing ones in the Aravalli ranges and hills based on a report by the Forest Survey of India (FSI).
• Haryana's revenue from legal mining has significantly increased in the past decade (Rs 5.15 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 363.5 crore in 2023-24).

Key Facts About the Aravalli Range

• The Aravallis are one of the oldest fold residual mountains of the world comprised primarily of folded rock strata. This formation resulted from the convergence of tectonic plates during the Proterozoic Era (2500-541 million years ago)
• The Forest Survey of India (FSI) report, defined the Aravallis to include the hills and a uniform 100-meter-wide buffer zone around the downsides of the hills.
• They have an elevation of 300m to 900m. The mountains are divided into two main ranges – the Sambhar Sirohi Range and the Sambhar Khetri Range in Rajasthan.

Explanation:

• India and Iran signed a 10-year contract for the operation of Iran's Chabahar port.
• This long-term agreement is between Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL) and Iran's Port and Maritime Organization (PMO) for the operation of Shahid-Beheshti Terminal.
• The signing of the long-term agreement with Iran is part of India's strategic and economic vision for Central Asia.

Chabahar port is important for India

• Chabahar is the only sea port of Iran. It is located on the Makran coast in the Gulf of Oman in Sistan and Baluchistan province.
• Chabahar has two main ports, Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti ports.
• Iran proposed the construction of Shahid Beheshti port to India and India accepted the proposal.

Explanation:

• Eloor Municipality has started work on strengthening the banks of ponds and rivers using eco-friendly coir 'geotextile' ahead of monsoon.

Geotextile

• Geotextiles are woven, stitched or non-woven textile materials made from synthetic or natural polymers.
• It has applications in geotechnical and civil engineering, such as infrastructure works, roads, railways, coastal protection, landfills, erosion control.
• When used together with soil, it has the ability to separate, filter, strengthen, preserve and dry the soil layer.

Explanation:

• Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane released a commemorative Rs 250 coin on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the foundation of Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).
• The defence secretary was the chief guest of the function, which was organised by the MDL in New Delhi on 14 May 2024 to mark the 250th anniversary of the MDL.

MDL

• The Mazagon Dock Limited started its journey as a dry dock in 1774, constructed in Mazagon, Mumbai. In 1934, the company was incorporated as a private limited company. It was nationalised and taken over by the government of India in 1960.
• It is a premier naval shipyard under the Union Ministry of Defence.
• It was accorded Mini-Ratna 1 status by the government of India in 2006.
• The MDL has become the premier yard for building warships, submarines for the Indian Navy, and other vessels for the Coast Guard.
• It has also built the Sagar Samrat offshore oil platform in Bombay High (Arabian Sea) for the ONGC to drill out petroleum oil.

Explanation:

• prestigious Sahitya Akademi Fellowship awarded to eminent English author Ruskin Bond.
• In September 2021, Bond was named the recipient of the academy's highest honor.
• His notable works include “Vagrants in the Valley”, “Once Upon a Monsoon Time”, “Angry River”, “Strangers in the Night”, “All Roads Lead to Ganga”, “Tales of Fosterganj”, and “Leopard on the Mountain”.
• His many other works include over 300 short stories, essays and novellas and over 30 books for children.
• Among other prestigious awards, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992, the Sahitya Akademi's Children's Literature Award in 2012, the Padma Shri in 1999, and the Padma Bhushan in 2019.

Sahitya Akademi Fellowship

• The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, awards a literary honour, the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, .
• It is the highest honor given by the Academy to a living writer.
• In 1968, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan became the first writer selected for the fellowship.