December 20th, 2020, PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Gurudwara Rakabganj
2. 8th Producing Basin of India
3. India International Science Festival
4. Indigenous games & sports

1. Gurudwara Rakabganj

Context:

PM visits Gurudwara Rakabganj to pay tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur.

Gurudwara Rakabganj Sahib:

• The mortal remains of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, were cremated at Gurudwara Rakabganj.
• The Gurudwara was constructed in 1783 after Sikh military leader Baghel Singh Dhaliwal (1730–1802) captured Delhi.
• The Gurdwara marks the site where Lakhi Shah Banjara and his son Bhai Naghaiya burnt their own house to cremate the headless body of the Guru who in November 1675 was martyred by beheading at Chandni Chowk on the orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

Read more on Guru Tegh Bahadur in This Day in History dated Nov 24.

2. 8th Producing Basin of India

Context:

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas dedicates the 8^th producing Basin of India, Bengal Basin, to the nation.

Details:

• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited has begun crude oil production from the Asokenagar-1 well, Bengal Basin in 24 Parganas district.
• This has made the Bengal basin India’s eighth producing basin.

Sedimentary basins:

• Sedimentary basins are the primary locations on the continents where sufficient subsidence exists for long-term preservation of continental sediments.
• As the sediments are buried, they are subject to increasing pressure and begin the processes of compaction and lithification that transform them into sedimentary rock.
• Sedimentary basins are of great economic importance. Almost all the world’s natural gas and petroleum and all of its coal are found in sedimentary rock.

Sedimentary basins in India:

• India has 26 sedimentary basins covering an area of 3.14 million square kilometres. These include 16 on-land basins, 7 part on-land and part offshore and 3 completely offshore basins.
• These basins are divided into three categories based on the maturity of hydrocarbon resources as under:
  • Category-I: Basins which have reserves and already producing.
  • Category-II: Basins which have contingent resources pending commercial production
  • Category-III: Basins which have prospective resources awaiting discovery
• There are 7 Category-I Basins (to which now, the 8^th one, Bengal Basin, has been added).
• The 7 basins with commercial production are:
  • Cambay
  • Assam Shelf
  • Mumbai offshore
  • Krishna – Godavari
  • Cauvery
  • Assam Arakan Fold Belt
  • Rajasthan

3. India International Science Festival

Context:

India International Science Festival (IISF) to be held from 22 – 25 December 2020.

Details:

• IISF is an annual event organised jointly by science & technology-related Ministries and Departments of the Government of India and Vijnana Bharati (Vibha).
• IISF is a festival to celebrate the achievements of India’s scientific and technological advancements with students, innovators, craftsmen, farmers, scientists and technocrats from India and abroad.
• The aim is to engage the public with science and celebrate the joy of science and show the ways how science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) provide us with the solutions to improve our lives.
• The first IISF was held in 2015.
• Theme for IISF 2020: Science for Self-Reliant India and Global Welfare

4. Indigenous games & sports

Context:

Sports Ministry includes Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta and Mallakhamba in Khelo India Youth Games 2021.

Details:

Khelo India Programme is a national yojana/scheme for the development of sports in India launched in 2018.

Know more about Khelo India Programme in the linked article.

The Khelo India Games 2021 are scheduled to be held in Haryana.

Gatka:

• Gatka originates from the state of Punjab.
• It is a traditional fighting style of the Nihang Sikh Warriors and is used in self-defence as well as sport.

Kalaripayattu:

• Kalaripayattu is a traditional martial art form originating from Kerala.
• It is believed to be the oldest surviving martial art in India and is also among the oldest martial arts in existence worldwide.
• Its origins date back to at least the 3^rd century BCE.

Thang-Ta:

• Thang-Ta is a martial art form from Manipur.
• It is a part of the martial art Huyen langlon. Thang-Ta means armed combat. The other aspect of Huyen langlon is sarit sarak (unarmed fighting).
• ‘Thang’ means sword and ‘Ta’ means spear – both of which are the primary weapons of Huyen langlon.

Mallakhamba:

• Mallakhamba or Mallakhamb is a traditional sport, originating from the Indian subcontinent, in which a gymnast performs aerial yoga or gymnastic postures and wrestling grips in concert with a vertical stationary or hanging wooden pole, cane, or rope.
• Three popular versions of Mallakhamb are practised using a Sheesham pole, cane, or rope.
• In 2013, it was declared the state sport of Madhya Pradesh.

Read previous PIB here.

December 20th, 2020, PIB:- Download PDF Here