- Indian Heritage
Bharat Ratna
- Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the country.
- It is awarded in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour.
- It is treated on a different footing from Padma Award.
- The recommendations for Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the President of India.
- The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year.
Recently Government of India has announced that Late former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur will be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna.
Parakram Diwas
On the occasion of Parakram Diwas 2024, a multifaceted celebration is set to unfold, seamlessly weaving together historical reflections and vibrant cultural expressions at Red Fort, Delhi. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the event on the evening of 23rd January and the celebration will be continued till 31st January.
The comprehensive celebration is being organized by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with its allied institutions such as the Archaeological Survey of India, National School of Drama, Sahitya Akademi, and the National Archives of India. As part of the program, the event will host a rich array of activities that delve into the profound legacy of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and the Azad Hind Fauj.
The Red Fort played a crucial role in the saga of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and the Azad Hind Fauj. A museum within the Red Fort is dedicated to preserving and honoring the legacy of Bose and INA, which was also inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi in 2019 on Netaji’s birthday.The names of Colonel Prem Sahgal, Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon and Colonel Shahnawaz Khan, are etched in history as key figures in the Red Fort Trials. Their commitment to the cause of India’s freedom led to the infamous Red Fort barracks case, a landmark trial that showcased the unwavering resolve of the Azad Hind Fauj.
- Culture
- Modern Indian history
- The Freedom Struggle
- Post-independence
- Indian Society
A. population and associated issues
B. poverty and developmental issues
C.urbanization
7. Geographical features
8.Indian Constitution
9. Polity
10. Governance
A. institutions
B. regulatory
C. Government policies
D. role of NGOs
E. measures
11. Social Justice
A. Welfare schemes
Ministry of WCD to celebrate National Girl Child Day
Every year on January 24th, National Girl Child Day (NGCD) is being celebrated nationwide with an aim to engage the public at large in creating a positive environment that values the girl child. To create wider awareness and for encouraging a participative spirit, the Ministry of Women and Child has requested all States/UTs to conduct a 5-day special campaign especially designed for public engagement upto the grass root level.
National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) is also partnering in this campaign by organizing a national level event in its premise. This event brings out the creative imagination of children from Child Care Institutions (CCIs) in Delhi through a painting competition on the theme “Mere Viksit Bharat Ka Sapna/मेरे विकसित भारत का सपना”. The children from CCIs will also be contributing through a cultural program aligned with the campaign theme. It also features a unicycle performance, acclaimed at national and international level, by children from Shishu Mandir, Bangalore (curated by Boeing India), The event will conclude with an oath-taking ceremony to pledge against all gender biased discrimination.
This event will be attended by Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister of WCD and Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai, Minister of State, Ministry of WCD who will felicitate and encourage the participants with their address. The estimated participation in these activities is around 250-300 individuals.
Further, the Ministry has encouraged the States and UTs to use the “My Bharat” Portal which offers a digital platform for sharing and information dissemination of various activities being undertaken for NGCD’ 2024.
The 5-day special campaign incorporates novel ideas such as special Gram Sabha/ Mahila Sabha on CSR, oath-taking ceremonies/signature ceremonies, affixing BBBP stickers with messages on every visited house/public building/Panchayat office during door-to-door programs. Community sensitization programs such as workshops on menstrual hygiene are being held with the distribution of hygiene kits. Special emphasis is being placed on Plantation drives which denotes the importance of a Girl child.
B Health
C. Education
D. Human Resources
Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar-2024
The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu conferred the “Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar” instituted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India to 19 children yesterday. On this occasion, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, dignitaries, senior officials, Anganwadi workers, and young children from various institutions were also present in a special function held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 22nd January 2024.
This year’s awardees include one child each in the categories of Bravery, Science & Technology and Innovation, four in the category of Social Service, five in the category of Sports, and seven in the category of Art & Culture. The award ceremony began with the National Anthem and was a heartwarming spectacle of national integrity as each child received the award dressed in traditional attire, symbolizing the rich cultural tapestry of the country.
Congratulating the awardees, the President of India stated that these children are multi-talented and with their hard work they have the capability to shape their identity. She stated that the children must be shown the right direction so that they can make the best use of their skills and enthusiasm.
The President further added that the youth represents a precious resource for India, harboring the potential to significantly contribute not only to the nation’s advancement, but also to global development. She said that government is prioritizing new-age skills, futuristic technology, and AI so that our youth is prepared to face future challenges
E. poverty and hunger
12. International relations
A. India and its neighbourhood
B. groupings and agreements
India-Japan Clean Energy Partnership, established by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, has been driving the cooperation between the two countries: Ambassador of Japan to India Hiroshi Suzuki
CME Group, a leading renewable energy company in India, and IHI Corporation, a Japanese integrated heavy industry group, signed an offtake term sheet for supply of green ammonia from Odisha, India to Japan. The term sheet was signed by Founder and Chairman of Acme Group, Shri Manoj Upadhyay and President and CEO of IHI Corporation, Shri Hiroshi Ide, in the presence of Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shri R. K. Singh; New & Renewable Energy Secretary Shri Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, Ambassador of Japan to India Mr. Hiroshi Suzuki and CMD SECI Shri R. P. Gupta. Under this agreement, ACME and IHI plan to compete with the relatively cheaper but less environment-friendly blue ammonia supply with the active support and incentives being offered by the Central Government of India under National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) and State Government of Odisha.
The Green Ammonia will be produced at ACME’s 1.2 MMTPA Green Ammonia project being developed at Gopalpur in the state of Odisha. Total investment for 1.2 MMT per annum plant will be 5 billion USD. The term sheet between IHI and Acme covers the supply of 0.4 MMTPA (million metric tons per annum) of green ammonia from Phase-1 of Odisha project in Gopalpur on a long-term basis. Both companies wish to partner across the value chain, starting from production to logistics, supply to the Japanese customers and to create the market for green ammonia for use in a range of applications in power generation and various industrial uses in Japan to reduce the overall emissions.
C.Indian diaspora
13. Economic Development
A. Government Budgeting
B. industrial
E.issues
14. Technology
GOBARdhan
Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBARdhan) is a major multi-ministerial initiative of GoI, aimed at converting biodegradable/ organic waste, including cattle dung and agricultural residues and other biomass, into valuable resources such as biogas, compressed biogas (CBG), and organic manure and to promote circular economy through a novel “Whole of Government” approach.
The budget announcement 2023 provided a major fillip to this transformative initiative by announcing establishment of “500 new “waste to wealth” plants with an investment of Rs. 10,000 Crore. During FY 2023-24, 198 plants were set up which includes12 Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants and 186 biogas plants. Further, 556 plants are under construction stage which include 129 CBG plants as well as 427 biogas plants.
The Government of India has taken several steps to promote the implementation of GOBARdhan initiative at speed and scale which inter alia includes/ following initiatives taken by the Government during the current year Financial Year :
- CBG included in the list of activities for trading of carbon credits under bilateral/ cooperative approaches, 17th February 2023- This will help CBG plant owners to generate extra revenue through trading of carbon credits.
- Central excise duty exemption has been provided to CNG blended with CBG from 2nd February, 2023 to prevent double taxation
- Fertiliser Control Order (FCO) amendment notification has been issued by DA&FW for;
- granting exemption for requirement of Authorization letter for sale of Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) /Liquid Fermented Organic Manure (LFOM) (organic manure produced from GOBARdhan plants) for a period of three year to boost uptake of LFOM/FOM.
- raising the moisture content norms from 30-40 % to 30-70% in FOM.
- Increase in C/N ratio from “less than 20” to “upto 30” and pH content in LFOM/FOM from “6.5-8.0” to “6.5-8.4”
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has prepared a report on “Utilisation of Bioslurry in various cropping systems” as well as package of practices for application of FOM/ LFOM for various crops to popularize benefits of FOM/LFOM on soil health and farm productivity
- Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme approved and implementation started to incentivize sale and marketing of FOM/LFOM (a by-product from GOBARDhan plants) inter-alia promoting organic farming
- Extension of CBG- CGD synchronization scheme of MoPNG for 10 years i.e. up to 2024 to strengthen production and consumption of CBG
- Notification allowing bulk sale of FOM/ LFOM issued to ease marketing of FOM/LFOM by CBG plant operators and to promote organic farming
- National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) has approved phase wise introduction of mandatory 5 % CBG blending to strengthen production and consumption of CBG
- Unified Registration Portal for GOBARdhan has been developed by Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation and launched on 01st June, 2023 to streamline the registration of CBG and biogas plants nationwide and to monitor status of same. The portal has been expanded upon stakeholder consultations to include various important functionalities such as “Functionality Assessment Module” to evaluate functionality status of plants, “Bank Loan Module” to track loan application status and get response from the banks.
15. Environment
16. Security
17. Disaster Management