SHIROMANI GURDWARA PARBANDHAK COMMITTEE (OR SGPC)
Bibi Jagir Kaur, the first woman to be elected SGPC president more than 20 years ago, has made a comeback and has been elected as the new SGPC president.
About:
- The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (or SGPC) is an organization in India responsible for the management of gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in three states of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh and union territory of Chandigarh.
- SGPC also administers Darbar Sahib in Amritsar.
- The SGPC is governed by the chief minister of Punjab.
- The SGPC manages the security, financial, facility maintenance and religious aspects of Gurdwaras as well as keeping archaeologically rare and sacred artifacts, including weapons, clothes, books and writings of the Sikh Gurus.
- It was formed in 1920.
- The first and the only woman and also incumbent President of SGPC is Jagir Kaur .
GURU NANAK
Guru Nanak Jayanti or Gurpurab is being celebrated with religious fervour across India and the world today. It marks the birth of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak, who laid the foundation of Sikhism. This year marks the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
About:
- Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539), also referred to as Baba Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.
- His birth is celebrated worldwide as Guru Nanak Gurpurab on Katak Pooranmashi ('full-moon of the Katak')
- Journeys (Udasis): During first quarter of the 16th century, Nanak went on long udasiya ('journeys') for spiritual pursuits. He visited several places in "nau-khand" ('the nine regions of the earth'), presumably the major Hindu and Muslim pilgrimage centres.
- He preached the message of ik onkar ('one God'), who dwells in every one of his creations and constitutes the eternal Truth. With this concept, he would set up a unique spiritual, social, and political platform based on equality, fraternal love, goodness, and virtue.
- Nanak's words are registered in the form of 974 poetic hymns, or shabda, in the holy text of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib, with some of the major prayers being the Japji Sahib; the Asa di Var; and the Sidh Gohst.
TARGET OLYMPIC PODIUM SCHEME (TOPS)
8 Track and Field Athletes were included in the core group of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme at the 50th MOC meeting held on November 26.
About:
- The Target Olympic Podium Scheme is a flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports which is an attempt to provide assistance to India’s top athletes.
- The Scheme looks to add a premium to the preparations of these athletes so that they can win Olympic medals in 2020 and 2024 Olympics.
- Under the Scheme, the Department of Sports shall identify athletes who are potential medal winners in 2020 / 2024 Olympics.
- The idea of the Scheme is to also keep an eye in the future and fund a Developmental Group of Athletes who are medal prospects for the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles Games in 2028.
- The Mission Olympic Cell is a dedicated body created to assist the athletes who are selected under the TOP Scheme. The MOC is under the Chairmanship of the Director General, Sports Authority (DG, SAI).
MISSION COVID SURAKSHA
The Government of India (GOI) has announced the third stimulus package of Rs. 900 Crore for the Mission COVID Suraksha- The Indian COVID-19 Vaccine Development Mission.
About:
- This grant will be provided to the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) for Research & Development of Indian COVID-19 vaccines.
- The COVID-19 Vaccine development Mission with end-to-end focus from preclinical development through clinical development and manufacturing and regulatory facilitation for deployment, would consolidate all available and funded resources towards an accelerated product development.
- Led by Department of Biotechnology and implemented by a dedicated Mission Implementation Unit at Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC),the existing activities under National Bio Pharma Mission (NBM) and Ind-CEPI Mission will provide complementary strengths to this Mission
KAAVAN
Following years of public outcry and campaigning by American pop star Cher, the "world's loneliest elephant" embarked on a mammoth move from Pakistan to retirement in a Cambodian sanctuary.
About:
- Kaavan is dubbed the "world's loneliest elephant" after languishing alone for years in a Pakistani zoo.
- The plight of the male Asian elephant, who's been alone since the death of his partner Saheli in 2012, has captured worldwide attention.
- The loss of his mate Saheli in 2012 took a toll on Kaavan's mental health. Elephants are social animals that thrive on the company of other elephants.
MARCOS
MARCOS are being deployed in the Eastern Ladakh alongside the Indian Army against the Chinese military. MARCOS are present in the vicinity of the Pangong Tso lake where they will soon be conducting missions using boats.
About:
- The Marine Commandos, abbreviated to MARCOS and officially called the Marine Commando Force (MCF), is the special forces unit of the Indian Navy that is responsible for conducting special operations.
- MARCOS was founded in February 1987. MARCOS are capable of operating in all types of environments; at sea, in air and on land.
- The force has gradually acquired experience and an international reputation for professionalism. The MARCOS regularly undertake specialised maritime operations in Jammu and Kashmir through the Jhelum River and Wular Lake.
INDIA TARGETS TO FULLY COVERT ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR, LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS TO GREEN ENERGY
India’s power and renewable energy minister R K Singh said the government is aiming at meeting the complete power demand of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands through renewable energy sources.
About:
- Government is aiming for 100 per cent renewable energy in Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep and India is ready to share expertise among other small island nations.
- India has installed about 1,36,000 megawatts (MW) of Renewable Energy capacity with capacity addition of another 57,000 MW under implementation. The target is now to achieve 450 gigawatts of Renewable Energy capacity by 2030.
JONAS MASETTI ‘VISHVANATH’
Addressing the nation in his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the work and accomplishments of Jonas Masetti, a Brazilian man who has been giving lessons on Vedanta and the Bhagavad Gita near Rio de Janeiro.
About:
- Masetti, a mechanical engineer, is the founder of an organisation called ‘Vishva Vidya’, located in the hills of Petrópolis, about an hour away from Rio de Janeiro.
- It is here that he teaches hundreds of his students about ancient Indian sacred texts, including the Bhagavad Gita and Vedanta. He also teaches Sanskrit, mantras and Vedic culture.
ASTEROID (153201) 2000 WO107
An asteroid named (153201) 2000 WO107, that is more than 800 metre high and over 500 metre wide - bigger than skyscraper Burj Khalifa - flew past earth on November 29.
About:
- Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building with a height of 829.8 metre and asteroid 2000 WO107, which was discovered in 2000, has a diameter is 820 metre.
- The massive asteroid has been classified as a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA). NEA is a group of comets and asteroids pulled into the orbit due to the gravitational forces of nearby planets, which allows them to enter the Earth’s neighbourhood.
- Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has classified it as a ‘Potentially Hazardous Asteroid’ due to its predicted close pass with Earth.
CHINA’S SUPER DAM ON YARLUNG ZANGBO RIVER
China will build a “super” dam on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo river close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Tibet, in a move that could have a far-reaching impact on northeast India’s water security.
About:
- Originating in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), the trans-border Yarlung Zangbo flows into Arunachal Pradesh where it is called Siang and then to Assam as Brahmaputra before flowing into Bangladesh.
- The dam could come up in the Medog county of TAR, which is close to Arunachal Pradesh.
- China has already built several smaller dams on the Yarlung Zangbo river.
- The new dam’s ability to generate hydropower could be three times that of central China’s Three Gorges Dam, which has the largest installed hydropower capacity in the world.
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