Kerala Affairs
Manickal bags second place at National Water Awards
Manickal panchayat wins second place in the best panchayat category at the fourth edition of National Water Awards instituted by the Jal Shakti ministry. On behalf of the panchayat, president Kuthirakulam Jayan received the trophy, a cash prize and a citation during an event held at Vigyan Bhavan.
The panchayat was awarded the honour for the water conservation practices taken up by it under the Puzhayozhukum Manickal project since 2022. This was an integrated project which brought together related schemes of different departments like HarithaKeralaMission, central ground water board, <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture, ministry of rural EMPLOYMENT, and department of drinking water and sanitation and Irrigation department. Under the guidance of department officials, the panchayat cleaned four ponds, took up various water conservation methods such as groundwater rejuvenation, explored ways to increase the income of farmers through methods like paddy and lotus cultivation, fish farming conducted sensitisation programmes in all wards and even made drinking water accessible to places like Thampuran Para.
While Jagannadhapuram panchayat inTelanganawon first place, Manickal shared the second position with Kadavur panchayat in Tamil Nadu. The first edition ofthe NationalWater Awards was introduced by the department of <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/water-Resources“>Water Resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation in 2018. For the fourth edition, a total of 868 applications were received by 31 October 2022. Among them, 41 applicants emerged to be winners under the 11 categories of the event.
National and International Affairs
India lifted the Intercontinental Cup
India beat Lebanon 2-0 in the Intercontinental Cup final at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar to win the title.
The Intercontinental Cup is a four-nation football tournament organized by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in India, from 2018 to present. The tournament is held in the month of June, and is used as a preparation tournament for the India national team for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup qualification matches.
The Personnel Ministryannounced that the central government has launched a new collection of courses calledDakshta(Development of Attitude, Knowledge, Skill for Holistic Transformation in Administration) on theiGOT Karmayogi Platform.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has established Karmayogi Bharat, a government-owned not-for-profit special purpose vehicle, to steer the missions fundamental goals.
Mission Karmayogi (National programme for civil Services capacity building), in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of building a Viksit Bharat, plays an important role in nurturing a smart, citizen-friendly, and future-ready public workforce.
This platform is a comprehensive guide for government officials seeking to develop their capacity-building skills.
The Dakshta collection contains 18 courses designed to equip learners with the necessary knowledge and skills required to perform their duties effectively.
Indi 2nd Indian lime variety to earn GI tag
Indi lime, belonging to the Kagzi variety, has earned a geographical indication (GI) tag for eight years from the Union Government. This is the second lime after theAssamlime to be accorded this recognition.
TheKarnatakaState Lime Development Board (KSLDB), University of Horticultural Sciences Bagalkot (UHSB) and the Department Vijayapura had worked relentlessly for the last five years to get this tag, with which growers can now expect exports of lime to about 25 countries.
Vijayapura district accounts for 58% of all lime produced in Karnataka, which ranks fourth among the states in lime cultivation.
Estonias parliament passed a law legalising same-sex marriage, making it the first central European nation to do so. While much of western Europe has already legalised same-sex marriage, it remains prohibited in many former communist central European countries that were once part of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.
The bill was passed with 55 votes in the 101-seat parliament, with support from the coalition of liberal and social democratic parties led by Prime Minister Kallas, who won the 2023 election.
The new law will become effective in 2024. A recent poll by the Centre for Human Rights found that 53% of Estonians support same-sex marriage, compared to 34% a decade ago.