- Indian Army Day: Indian Army Day is celebrated every year on January 15.On the special occasion of Army Day, the officials will perform a parade in the presence of higher dignitaries, and its salute is taken by the Indian Army Chief. On January 15, 1949, Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa became the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, and took over authority from the British Commander-in-Chief General Francis Butcher, and became the first Indian to command the Army in its long, rich history. From 1949 until 2022, the Army Day parade was organised at the Cariappa Parade Ground in the Delhi Cantonment. In 2023, the Southern Command was responsible for the parade in Bengaluru. It was the first time the Army Day parade was held outside the country’s capital. This year marks the 76th Army Day. This year, the parade will be held under the command of Army’s Central Command, which is headquartered in Lucknow. The theme of Indian Army Day 2024 is “In Service of the Nation”. This year’s theme also resembles the motto of the Indian Army, “Service Before Self.”
- Astra Missile: Astra is a beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile designed to be mounted on fighter aircraft. It is indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Ltd. (BDL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF).The missile is designed to engage and destroy highly manoeuvring supersonic aircraft. It is the best in its class of weapon systems in the world in the category of air-to-air missiles. The missile is being developed in multiple variants to meet specific requirements. The ASTRA Mk-I Weapon System, integrated with SU-30 Mk-I aircraft, is being inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF).
- Makar Sankranti: It marks the Sun changing directions and shifting its trajectory towards the north, therefore, entering the Makara or Capricorn zodiac sign. The day is a marker for a change of season – warmer months are close and we are moving away from winter, which is seen as a period of inactivity in many ways. It is said that the northward journey of the sun (Uttarayan) begins on this day. Unlike most festivals that follow the lunar cycle, Makar Sankranti follows the solar cycle and thus, is celebrated almost on the same day every year. Astronomically, the Earth revolves around the Sun in an elliptical orbit that requires about 365 1/4 days to complete, as it continues to rotate on its own axis. The earth’s spin axis is tilted with respect to its orbital plane. This, along with its distance from the Sun, determines the change in seasons for life on Earth. For the Northern Hemisphere, the axis points most toward the sun in June (specifically around June 21), and away from the sun around December 21. This corresponds to the Winter and Summer Solstice (solstice is Latin for “the sun stands”). For the Southern Hemisphere, this is reversed.”It is also called as – Paush Parbon in Bengal, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Uttarayan in Gujarat, Bhogali Bihu in Assam, Lohri in Punjab and Jammu, Makar Sankramana in Karnataka, Saen-kraat in Kashmir. Khichdi Parwa in parts of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
- Food Corporation of India (FCI): The FCI is a statutory body formed by the enactment of the Food Corporation Act, 1964 by the Parliament.
Objectives: Effective price support operations for safeguarding the interests of the farmers, Distribution of food grains throughout the country for Public Distribution System (PDS), Maintaining satisfactory level of operational and buffer stocks of food grains to ensure National Food Security. Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
