Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 07 January 2023

::NATIONAL::

Sagol Kangjei

• Union Home Minister inaugurated of a 122-foot-tall statue of a polo player astride a Manipur Pony in Imphal, a project that has been in the works for several years now.
• It is believed that SagolKangjei, the modern-day Polo game originated in Manipur. 

About:

• Sagol Kangjei is the name of the game of polo played in Manipur. Sagol means pony / horse, kang means a ball or round object, and jei is a stick used for hitting. 
• Polo has, for time immemorial, been a game patronised by the royalty and the upper crust of society, not only in India but abroad. 
• However, in the state of Manipur, it has always been a game for the common man. It is a seven - a - side game, the players mounted on ponies.
• According to a renowned Sanskrit scholar, Pandit Sharma, Manipuri polo goes back to the year 3100 B.C. Other Manipuri scholars trace the game chronologically to many centuries before Christ (2000 - 1500 B.C.), while some place it around 34 A.D. 
• According to Kangjeiron Purana, which is really the history of hockey in the state, polo was first played in Manipur, and therefore, it got the name SagolKangjei - sagol (horse) and kangjei ( hockey ).
• Manipuri polo symbolises the immense cultural heritage of the state, and great efforts have been put made to raise the standard of this popular game. 
• The prominent patrons of the game were King Kyamba and King Khagemba (1597-1672 A.D.), and King Chandra Kirti (1850 - 1886 A.D.).
• There are no goal posts in this game. Goal lines determine the end of the two boundaries of the rectangular field. The ball (kangdrum) is white in colour. To score a goal the ball must cross the line.
• The traditional attire consists of a chin - strap (khadangchet) and a turban, for protecting the head. Leg - guards (khongyom) are worn below the knee. Since no shoes are worn, the players use khumit - khang. 
• A leash of thick leather is held by the index finger of the left hand. This is a seasonal game, and is played in the Manipuri month of Mera (September / October) and ends in the month of Ingen (June / July ).

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Centre puts on hold tourist activities at Jain religious site in Jharkhand

• The Union government ordered a stay on all ecotourism activities at Sammed Shikhar, a holy site of the Jain community in Jharkhand’s Giridih district, and directed the state government to strictly enforce an existing ban on sale of liquor, other intoxicants and meat in the Parasnath Wildlife Sanctuary area.

About:

• Earlier in 2019, the Parasnath Sanctuary was notified as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ), which allows conditional development workand eco-tourism in the area.
• Sammed Shikhar is the biggest pilgrimage destinations for both sects of Jainism — the Digambaras and the Svetambaras.
• According to Jainism, out of twenty-four Tirthankaras or Spiritual Guru of Jainism, twenty have found their Salvation orNirvana or Moksya here.
• The reference of the temple and the hill is found on the holy textbook Jnatradharmakatha, of Jainism.
• Santhal call the hills as ‘Marang Buru’ i.e., the hill of the deity and celebrate a hunting festival on the full moon day in Baisakh.
• At 1365 m Parasnath is the highest mountain peak in the state of Jharkhand.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite

• It is the world’s first ‘satellite-based two-way capable messaging solution’ for premium smartphones recently announced by the Qualcomm and Iridium.

About:

• It offers truly global coverage from pole to pole and can support two-way messaging– for a variety of purposes such as emergencies or recreation in remote, rural and offshore locations or no internet connectivity areas.
• To send SMS via satellite, you will need a clear sky and time to set up a connection between your phone and the satellite. Once the connection is set up, you can start sending SMS messages.
• According to 9to5Google report, users can send only 160-character messages using the Qualcomm’s satellite connectivity feature. 
• Users can type their own messages and choose the recipient from your phone’s contact book which isn’t possible with iPhone 14. Apple allows you to send limited responses to emergency services.
• Beyond smartphones, Snapdragon Satellite can expand to other devices, including laptops,tablets, vehicles and IoT.

Limitation: 

• High Latency and cost, 
• It is not available in low end phones.

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United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei

• India deploys a women-only platoon of peacekeepers to the UN Mission in Abyei on the border of Sudan and South Sudan as part of the Indian Battalion in the United Nations Interim Security Force, Abyei (UNISFA).

Key highlights:

• The Indian contingent, which consists of two officers and 25 other ranks, will work as a platoon in an engagement and specialise in community outreach in addition to carrying out numerous security-related duties.
• This time India is deploying the largest single unit of female Blue Helmets in a UN mission since 2007.

About UNISFA:

• It was established by the UN Security Council in response to the critical situation in the Abyei area of Sudan by resolution 1990 of 27 June 2011. 
• Resolution 1990 made provision for the deployment of 4,200 Ethiopian troops to provide security and protect civilians under imminent threat of violence in the disputed border region.

What is United Nations Peacekeeping Mission?

• When the UN Security Council approved the deployment of UN military observers to the Middle East in 1948, the UN Peacekeeping Forces were established.
• This Peacekeeping operation is policing and peacebuilding actions carried out by the UN to bring order and stability to war-torn nations.
• The UN Peacekeepers are known as ’Blue Helmets’ or ‘Blue Berets’.
• Peacekeepers are the military personnel of the UN that work alongside the UN Police and civilian colleagues to promote “stability, security, and peace processes”.
• The United Nations Charter authorises the United Nations Security Council to take collective action to maintain international peace and security.
• The UN Peacekeeping force is supplemented by personnel from member nations. They are added to the force on a volunteer basis.

::Economy::

RBI to auction green bonds in 2 tranches

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will auction ₹16,000 crore of sovereign green bonds (SGrBs) in two tranches.
• The RBI will auction 5-year and 10-year green bonds worth ₹4,000 crore each on 25th January and on 9thFebruary, and this would be a uniform price auction.

About Green bonds:

• Green bonds are issued by companies, countries and multilateral organisations to exclusively fund projects that have positive environmental or climate benefits and provide investors with fixed income payments.
• The projects can include renewable energy, clean transportation and green buildings, among others.

Example of Green Bonds:

• The World Bank is a major issuer of green bonds and issued $14.4 billion of green bonds between 2008 and 2020.
• These funds have been used to support 111 projects around the world, largely in renewable energy and efficiency (33%), clean transportation (27%), and agriculture and land use (15%).
• By the end of 2020, 24 national governments had issued Sovereign Green, Social and Sustainability bonds totalling a cumulative $111 billion.

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::SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY::

Astro Tourism

• Minister of State for Cultureinaugurates Astro Tourism – A Sky Gazing event at Delhi’s India Gate.

About:

• National Council of Science Museums in association with Nehru Memorial Museum and Library organised Astro Tourism.
• The programme will continue for few days with various activities. 
• The Astro Tourism event includes various activities like Astro Talks by expert Astronomers, an Exhibition on Astronomy, Storytelling related to celestial objects, an Experience of using the telescope to see the craters of the Moon, Astronomy Activities, a Photographic Panel Exhibition, and Astro-Photography.
• This three-day programme will be a great learning experience for children of all age groups. 

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