Solution (a)

Rubber is harvested mainly in the form of the latex from the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis).

Natural rubber is used extensively in many applications and products, either alone or in combination with other materials. In most of its useful forms, it has a large stretch ratio and high resilience, and also is water-proof.

India is the sixth largest producer of natural rubber in the world. Thailand is the largest producer of natural rubber followed by Indonesia.

In India Kerala tops the rubber cultivation followed by Tripura.

The Indian rubber plantation sector is dominated by smallholders who account for 92 per cent of the production and 91 per cent of the planted area in the country. The sector has 1.32 million small rubber growers, and their planted area comes to around 8.2 lakh hectares.

The Rubber Board is a statutory body constituted by the Government of India, under the Rubber Act 1947. It comes under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce. It is responsible for the overall development of the rubber industry in the country.

Article Link: Nationwide census on rubber to prepare comprehensive database begins

Solution (b)

The total installed renewable energy capacity in India, excluding large hydro, has crossed the mile-stone of 100 GW recently. Currently, India stands at 4th position in the world in terms of installed RE capacity, 5th in solar and 4th in wind in terms of installed capacity.

While 100 GW has been installed, 50 GW is under installation and 27 GW is under tendering. India has also enhanced its ambition to install 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.If large hydro is included the installed RE capacity increases to 146 GW.

India has set the target of meeting 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022 and to achieve 450 gigawatts by 2030.

Article Link: India achieves 100 GW Milestone of Installed Renewable Energy Capacity

Solution (c)

SonChiraiya:

• It is a brand and logo for marketing of urban Self-Help Group (SHG) products.
• It is launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• This initiative will be a step towards increased visibility and global access for the products made by urban SHG women.
• Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) under the aegis of MoHUA, focusses on equipping the urban poor women with adequate skills and opportunities, and to enable them to promote sustainable micro enterprises. It mobilises women from urban poor households into SHGs and their federations to create a support system for these women. Over 5.7 lakh SHGs have been formed across various States/ UTs with almost 60 lakh members. Many of these SHGs are engaged in livelihood activities, producing goods such as handicrafts, textiles, toys, eatables and so on.

Article Link: MoHUA launches one brand -‘SonChiraiya’ – for Urban SHG products

Solution (c)

FEMBoSA:

• FEMBoSA was established at the 3rd Conference of Heads of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of SAARC Countries held at New Delhi from April 30 to May 2, 2012 through a unanimously adopted resolution on 1st May, 2012 to establish the Forum.  
• The Conference also unanimously adopted the Charter of the Forum.  
• The annual FEMBoSA meeting is held by rotation among the members.  
• Besides Election Commission of India (ECI), the other 7 members are Election Management Bodies (EMBs) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. 
• The FEMBoSA represents a very large part of the democratic world and is an active regional association of the election management bodies of South Asia. 
• The objectives of the Forum are to promote contact among the EMBs of the SAARC countries; share experiences with a view to learning from each other and cooperate with one another in enhancing the capabilities of the EMBs towards conducting free and fair elections.

Article Link: ECI to Host 10th Annual Meeting of The Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA)

Solution (a)

Operation Blue Freedom is a social impact venture aimed at rehabilitating people with disabilities through adaptive adventure sports.

It was launched by Team CLAW in 2019. (Team CLAW (Conquer Land Air Water) is a team of ex-Indian Special Forces commandos.)

Under the Operation Blue Freedom, the selected people with disabilities from across the country will undertake an expedition till Kumar Post (Siachen Glacier) to create a new World Record for the largest team of people with disabilities to reach the world’s highest battlefield.

This operation seeks to place India on the global stage as a leader in empowering Divyangjanand set a benchmark for other nations to emulate.

Article Link: Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment to Flag-Off ‘Operation Blue Freedom