International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is celebrated annually on 3rd December.

• It was proclaimed by a UN General Assembly resolution 47/3 in 1992.
• Theme for 2024 is “Amplifying the leadership of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) for an inclusive and sustainable future”.

About PwDs

• Term, Persons with Disabilities is defined in the Right of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwDA).
• About 16% (1 in 6 people) of the global population and 2.21% (2.68 crore) of the Indian population are PwDs. (Census 2011)

Initiatives in India:

• Accessible India Campaign, 
• Deendayal Divyangjan Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS),
• Schemes For Implementation Of RPwDA 2016 (SIPDA),
• PM-DAKSH (Pradhan Mantri Dakshta Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi) Yojana

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has unveiled an Air Quality Dashboard. 

About Air Quality Dashboard: 

• It combines ground sensor data with satellite imagery to provide a comprehensive view of air pollution across local, sub-regional and regional scales. 
• It is powered by the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem).  
• This model reveals the alarming spread of PM2.5 plumes across the region, including hotspots like Lahore, New Delhi and Kolkata. 

About PM 2.5 & 10 

• PM10: Particles that are 10 microns or less in diameter. 
• PM2.5 : Particles that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter. 

India- Malaysia Joint Military Exercise ‘Harimau Shakti’ commenced in Malaysia. 

About Harimau Shakti 2024

• It is annual training event conducted alternatively in India and Malaysia. 
  • In 2023 it was conducted at Umroi Cantonment in Meghalaya, India.
• Aim: To enhance joint military capability of both sides to undertake counter insurgency operations in jungle terrain.

Government abolishes windfall tax on crude oil, ATF, petrol, and diesel exports. 

About Windfall Tax 

• A windfall tax is a tax imposed by governments on certain industries that experience significantly above-average profits due to favorable economic conditions. 
  • E.g., India imposed windfall tax on domestic crude oil production in July 2022, following a sharp rise in global crude oil prices. 
• These taxes are designed to capture a portion of these unexpected gains to fund public projects, reduce deficits, or redistribute wealth. 

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) approves Madhav National Park as the newest Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh. 

• NTCA is a statutory body constituted under WPA, 1972, as amended in 2006 to administer Project Tiger. 

About Madhav National Park  

• Location:  Situated in northern part of Madhya Pradesh in Shivpuri District (Upper Vindhyan Hills). 
• Background: Park was hunting ground of Mughal emperors and Maharaja of Gwaliora and got the status of a National Park in 1958. 
• Fauna: Antelopess (Nilgai, Chinkara), Deer (Chital, Sambar and Barking Deer), Leopard, Wolf, Jackal, Fox, Wild Dog, Wild Pig etc 
• Flora: Represents Northern Tropical dry deciduous mixed forest as well as Dry thorn forest. 
• Other Feature : Sakhya Sagar and Madhav Sagar are the two lakes in the park. 
  • Madikhera dam is situated in the North Western part of the Park. 

Russia is set to deploy the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, known as 'Satan 2'.

About Satan 2

• It is a next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) considered one of the most powerful nuclear weapons globally.
• Equipped with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicles (MIRVs), allowing it to strike multiple targets simultaneously.
• The missile also has a range of 10000- 18,000 km and can carry a 10 ton payload. 

Centre has advised states to adopt a ‘camp-mode approach’ to facilitate inclusive, efficient, and rapid farmer registration.

About Kisan Pehchan Patra

• It is an Aadhaar-linked unique digital identity that is linked dynamically to state’s land records, besides having information e.g. demographic, crops sown and ownership details.
• ID will form the core of the ‘Farmers Registry’, one of the three registries under the ‘Agri Stack’.
  • Agri Stack   is one of the components of the Digital Agriculture Mission, Other being Krishi Decision Support System 
  • Agri Stack Consists of 3 databases: Farmers’ Registry, Geo-referenced Village Maps, and Crop Sown Registry.

India has contributed nearly $2 billion to the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) as per Ministry of Finance. 

About NDB

• Establishment: NDB was officially launched in 2014 during 6th BRICS summit in Fortaleza, Brazil by Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa (BRICS).
  • Its membership is open to members of United Nations.
• Purpose: Mobilizing resources for infrastructure & sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs).
• Capital: Initial authorized capital is $100 billion.
  • The initial subscribed capital is $50 billion, with equal contributions from founding members.