These current affairs are written in a easy to remember format and are useful for competitive exams like - UPSC Civil Services, UPPSC, BPSC, MPPPSC, State PSCs and other competitive examinations.
Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR)
India has finally registered the logos of the iconic "Toy Train" internationally as its intellectual property.
The use of these logos anywhere in the world will now require written permission from India and the payment of a fee.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) has two logos, both of which have been patented.
A fortnight-long Ghum Festival is being planned to boost the people connect and tourism prospects of the iconic Toy Train of Darjeeling.
There are four fully functional and operational railways networks in mountains and hilly terrains in India:
1) The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway located in the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal.
2) The Nilgiris Mountain Railways located in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu.
3) The Kalka Shimla Railway located in the Himalayan foothills of Himachal Pradesh
4) The Matheran Railway located in Maharashtra.
Built in the British era between 1879 and 1881, the Darjeeling toy train was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
Other Mountain Railways Declared as World Heritage Sites are - Nilgiri Mountain Railways (Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu - 2005) and Kalka Shimla Railway (Himachal Pradesh -2008).
Social Issues
33 lakh children in India are malnourished
According to Women and Child Development ministry - Over 33 lakh children in India are malnourished and more than half of them fall in the severely malnourished category with Maharashtra, Bihar and Gujarat topping the list.
Services like ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) and mid-day meals in schools have become irregular during the prolonged closure of schools during Covid pandemic.
India has slipped to 101st position in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2021 of 116 countries, from its 2020 position of 94th and is behind its neighbours Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
To tackle high persistence of malnutrition in the country, the Centre launched the Poshan Abhiyan programme in 2018 to reduce low birth weight, stunting and undernutrition and anaemia among children, adolescent girls and women.
According to Census 2011, there are over 46 crore children in the country.
Social Issues
Indo-China Border Roads(ICBR)
ITBP, has taken up the "challenge" to construct four out of the 32 roads under phase-II of the Indo-China Border Roads(ICBR) project and two out of the total 18 foot tracks sanctioned to it.
The roads are in the Ladakh region's 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China while the foot tracks, which are used by troops during patrols, are in the Arunachal Pradesh.
Traditionally, road construction projects along these areas are carried out by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
The first phase of ICBR was launched in 2005 under the overall supervision of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and work on a number of roads, helipads and troop bases of this period is underway.
The about 90,000 personnel-strong ITBP was raised in the aftermath of the 1962 Chinese aggression.
Defence
NSAs to discuss developments in Afghanistan
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will host a meeting of NSAs to discuss how to deal with threats to security emanating from developments in Afghanistan.
Invitations went out to Mr. Doval's counterparts in China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
In the past, many discussion formats on Afghanistan have not included India, ostensibly at Pakistan's behest, like the "Troika Plus" talks of China-Russia-U.S.-Pakistan.
The meeting in Delhi will seek to project India as a necessary part of these dialogues.
India has been involved in projects of connectivity to Afghanistan and Central Asia, including the Chabahar port project in Iran and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.
Earlier this year, India sent a three-member team to the SCO-Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) meeting in Pakistan.
Defence
Food Price Index (FPI)
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FOA) released data showing its world Food Price Index (FPI) averaging 133.2 points in October, the highest since July 2011.
It was introduced in 1996 as a public good to help in monitoring developments in the global agricultural commodity markets.
The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) is a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities.
It measures changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar.
Base Period: 2014-16.
Economy
What is a 'mass extinction' and are we in one now ?
Mass extinction refers to a substantial increase in degree of extinction or when Earth loses more than three-quarters (75%) of its species ...
Read More: What is a 'mass extinction' and are we in one now ?
Environment