Motion of Thanks

• The Motion of Thanks on President Murmu’s address was recently discussed in both Houses of Parliament.

Context:

• The President had spoken to the two Houses during their joint session.

About:-

• According to the provisions of the Constitution, the President shall address both Houses of Parliament together at the beginning of the first session following each general election to the House of the People and at the beginning of the first session of each year, and he or she shall inform Parliament of the reasons for its summons.
• The Address outlines the policies, projects, and programs that the current government intends to pursue with reference to significant national and international concerns and provides an overview of the government’s accomplishments and actions from the previous year.
• In essence, the President’s speech outlines the government’s goals and policy priorities for the future year.
• The speech offers a general overview of the goals and policies of the administration.
• Following the speech, the Motion of Thanks is discussed in each House of Parliament, and the Prime Minister speaks.
• The motion is put to a vote at the conclusion of the discussion.

Constitutional Provisions:-

• According to Article 86, the President is entitled to address either House of Parliament or both Houses together, and member attendance is required for this purpose.
• Article 87, which addresses the President’s Special Address, states that the President will inform the Houses of Parliament of the reasons behind their summons at the beginning of the first session of each year and at the beginning of the first session following a general election to the Lok Sabha.

Significance:-

• The House must approve the motion of thanks; else, the administration will be defeated.
• It is also one method by which the Lok Sabha might convey its lack of faith in the administration.

Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat)

• In just three months, the Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) Portal registered more over 1.45 crore youth.

Context:

• This has been made possible by the easy-to-use interface, which makes registration quick and easy.

About Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat):-

• Date of establishment: 2023.
• Ministry: Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs.
• The principal aim of Mera Yuva Bharat, also known as MY Bharat, is to establish it as a comprehensive platform for youth development across the Government.
• MY Bharat, or Mera Yuva Bharat, is an independent organization.
• It will act as a comprehensive, technologically driven enabling mechanism for youth development and youth-led development.

Advantages:-

• improved synchronization between community needs and youth aspirations.
• Serve as a central resource for youth and ministries.
• Establish a youth database in one location. (The initiative “Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Youth” was introduced.)
• establishing a physical habitat to guarantee accessibility.

Significance: –

• It will establish a physical ecosystem, which will assist guarantee accessibility.
• It will support the Department of Youth Affairs’ increased youth outreach initiatives.

Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2023

• The Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2023 nomination deadline was recently extended to February 12, 2024.

Context:

• On January 3, 2024, the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration, 2023 registration and nomination process opened.

About Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2023:-

• Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances launched it.
• The Award Scheme has been restructured to highlight the District Collector’s accomplishments through the use of a saturation strategy in implementation and beneficiary targeting.
• The Award Scheme has been reorganized this year to emphasize the work of District Collectors, with a focus on individual beneficiaries and saturation approach execution.
• Three criteria will be used to evaluate the Awards: quantitative accomplishments, qualitative accomplishments, and good governance.
• The program honors civil servants in two categories for their contributions:
• Category 1: Comprehensive District Development through 12 Priority Sector Initiatives
• This category will see the presentation of ten awards.
• Category 2: Novel Approaches for State and District Central Ministries/Departments
• This category will see the presentation of 6 prizes.
• The Prime Minister’s permission is requested for the award recommendations during the review process, which entails shortlisting by a Screening Committee, evaluation by an Expert Committee, and final approval by an Empowered Committee.

Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI)

• The Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) recently saw a tentative gain of 3.8% in December 2023 over December 2022.

Context:

• December 2023 saw a rise in the output of coal, natural gas, steel, cement, fertilizers, and refinery products.

About Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI):-

• Ministry: Statistics and Program Execution Ministry.
• The eight main industries that are measured by the ICI are: steel, cement, coal, crude oil, electricity, fertilizers, natural gas, and refinery products. The ICI also tracks the performance of each industry separately.
• Forty-seven percent of the weight of the goods included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) are made up of the Eight Core Industries.
• When measuring trends in the behavior of Industrial Production over time with respect to a selected base year, IIP is a leading economic development indicator.
• The eight core sector industries are listed in decreasing weight order as follows: Products from Refineries: Energy; Steel; Coal; Crude Oil; Natural Gas; Cement; Fertilizers.
• In India, the IIP’s current base year is 2011–12.
• The Office of Economic Adviser (OEA), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, compiles and disseminates information about annual and monthly indices.

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR)

• A survey was recently carried out at the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR).

Context:

• The recently concluded synchronous vulture survey recorded over 300 vultures.

About Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR):-

• The first biosphere reserve in India was the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which was created in 1986.
• The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve covers 5,520 square kilometers in total.
• The Western Ghats are where it’s situated.
• Included in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve are portions of Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
• The reserve receives 500 mm to 7000 mm of rain annually.
• The greatest biodiversity is found in the vegetation, which ranges from arid scrub to evergreen forests and marshes.
• Plants: Adenoon, Poeciloneuron, Wagatea, Jarodina, Baeolepis, Frerea, etc.
• Fauna: Some of the creatures found here include the Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri langur, slender loris, blackbuck, tiger, gaur, Indian elephant, and marten.

Nairobi

• Recently, a large fire in Nairobi, Kenya, claimed three lives and injured 300 more.

Context:

• On social media, government spokesman Isaac Maigua Mwaura stated that the fire started last night in the Embakasi neighborhood southeast of the capital.

About Nairobi:-

• Nairobi is Kenya’s capital city.
• It is located in the country’s south-central region at an elevation of roughly 5,500 feet (1,680 meters), in the highlands.
• The city is located 480 kilometers (300 miles) northwest of Mombasa, the main Indian Ocean port of Kenya.
• The primary industrial hub of the nation is Nairobi.
• Light manufacturing sectors create processed foods, beverages, and cigarettes.
• Another major aspect is tourism.

About Kenya:-

• Kenya is an East African nation.
• Official Languages: English and Swahili.
• It is well-known for its beautiful scenery and vast animal preserves.
• Historically significant ports along the Indian Ocean coast have allowed products from Asian and Arabian traders to reach the continent for many ages.
• Kenya’s northern regions are mostly semidesert and desert, with the country’s western provinces, which are characterized by lakes and rivers, being forested.
• The Equator cuts it in half horizontally, and longitude 38° E cuts it in half vertically.
• Kenya’s borders are as follows: Tanzania to the south, South Sudan and Ethiopia to the north, Somalia and the Indian Ocean to the east, Lake Victoria and the Horn of Africa to the west.
• The large-scale pressure systems of the western Indian Ocean and nearby landmasses regulate seasonal variations in climate.
• Three linguistic groupings are recognized among Kenya’s African population, which makes up nearly the whole population: Bantu, Nilo-Saharan, and Afro-Asiatic.
• The largest is by far Bantu.