Daily Current Capsules
30 and 31 January 2023

110th birth anniversary of Amrita Sher-Gil

What's the NEWS

• The National Gallery of Modern Art, Ministry of Culture, Government of India in association with Liszt Institute, Hungarian Cultural Centre, New Delhi is celebrating the 110th birth anniversary of Amrita Sher-Gil
• On the occasion, the Liszt Institute - Hungarian Cultural Centre Delhi has launched the Amrita 110 Project.

 

Know! about Amrita

• Amrita was an Indian-Hungarian painter and one of the avant-garde women artists.
• Her mother Marie Antoinette is a Hungarian and father Umrao Singh Sher-Gil is a Sikh from India.
• Though her art education was from Paris, she has discovered the artistic traditions of India.
• Amrita traveled widely in India during 1939 which has brought a robust impact on style of expression, figuration and composition in her artwork.

 

ACIC-CBIT Research and Entrepreneurship Foundation

What's the NEWS

• Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog inaugurated ACIC-CBIT centre in Hyderabad.
• Along with the inauguration of the centre, ACIC-CBIT hosted the first Startup 20X event in the form of talks from four startup founders working in different areas ranging from infrastructural development, millet manufacturing, mental health and upskilling rural innovators.

First ever Startup 20X event

• Startup Policy Forum called Startup 20X has been conceptualized to democratize the basis of startups and startup ecosystems around the world to have a say in the Global Startup Policy making.
• This forum will provide a platform for startups to voice their story and talk about the work they do on-ground.

Know! about ACIC CBIT

• ACIC-CBIT has been established with an aim to build a community innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem to nurture innovators and startups of unserved and underserved regions.
• ACIC believes and mandates the creation of a strong community innovation ecosystem to include expert mentors; access to infrastructural support such as maker space; funding facilitation; building capacities through training and mentoring.

 

ACIC CBIT Foundation Sectoral Areas and Targeted SDGs:
Sectoral Focus Areas:

• Health-tech
• AI/ML/IoT Based Smart Engineering Products
• Renewable Energy & Environmental Sustainability

Targeted SDGs:

• Good Health & Well-being (Goal 03 in UN SDGs)
• Industry Innovation & Infrastructure (Goal 09 in UN SDGs)
• Sustainable Cities and Communities (Goal 11 in UN SDGs)

Startups and Innovators supported till date by ACIC-CBIT

• 37 innovators supported
• Out of 37 start ups supported, 12 are female led

Know! about Atal Innovation Mission (AIM):

• The Atal Innovation Mission was initiated by the NITI Aayog in 2016 to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across the country.
• AIM is the Government of India's endeavor to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Its objective is to serve as a platform for the promotion of world-class innovation hubs, grand challenges, start-up businesses, and other self-employment activities, particularly in technology-driven areas.

Atal Community Innovation Centers

• ACICs have been launched to encourage a spirit of entrepreneurship in the underserved/unserved regions of India by providing enabling infrastructure and facilitating environment for innovation.

 

Indo-Egypt Joint Training Exercise Cyclone - I

What's the NEWS

• The first ever joint exercise between the special forces of the Indian Army and the Egyptian Army named "Exercise Cyclone-I" is in progress at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan since 14 January 2023.
• Exercise "Cyclone - I"
• It is the first exercise of its kind bringing the special forces of both the nations on a common platform.
• The 14 days long exercise which is being carried out in the deserts of Rajasthan engages both the contingents to advance special forces skills

 

First Movers Coalition (FMC) Leadership Meeting

What's the NEWS

• India participated in the First Movers Coalition (FMC) Leadership Meeting of the World Economic Forum which deliberated on the world need for clean energy technologies to confront climate crisis globally.
• The FMC is a coalition of companies using their purchasing power to create early markets for innovative clean technologies across eight hard to abate sectors.

Hard to Abate Sectors

• Hard-to-abate emissions are emissions that are either prohibitively costly or impossible to reduce with currently available abatement technology.
• These emissions usually occur in one of two categories: heavy industry (e.g. cement, steel, and chemicals manufacture), and heavy-duty transport (e.g. trucking, shipping, and aviation).
• Hard-to-abate sectors contribute to approximately 30% of global emissions, and this share is expected to double under business-as-usual scenarios.

First Movers Coalition

• The First Movers Coalition, announced at COP26, is a partnership between the World Economic Forum and US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.
• It's a platform for companies to commit to buying zero-emission goods and services by 2030, to create demand for low-carbon technologies, make them cost-competitive and build the clean supply chains of the future.
• The aim is for these commitments to be "significant enough" that industrial decarbonization technologies are commercially widespread within the next nine years.

World Economic Forum (WEF)

• It is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland.
• It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab.
• Davos, Switzerland, is where the World Economic Forum holds its annual meeting.
• Delegates from many sectors converge for several days of talks and meetings to address urgent global issues.

 

Mangalore University campus

What's the NEWS

• A nine-year study on the avifaunal diversity on the Mangalore University campus has revealed that the campus supports three near threatened species mentioned in the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and also five species which are endemic to the Western Ghats.

Know! about Black-Headed Ibis

• It is a large wader bird with a white body and bare black head and neck. Males and females look similar and both have greyish tail feathers.
• These are called wader birds due to their adaptability to a wide variety of aquatic environments.
• They are found primarily around wetlands including agricultural fields and occasionally around coastal areas.
• It is found in South- and Southeast Asia from India to the west and as far east as Japan.

Conservation status

• IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
• The Wildlife Protection Act 1972:Schedule-IV

 

International Financial Architecture Working Group meet

What's the NEWS

• The first International Financial Architecture Working Group meeting of G-20 under the chairmanship of India will be held in Chandigarh on 30-31 January 2023.

Know! about International Financial Architecture Working Group

• This G-20 finance track focuses on strengthening international financial architecture.
• It will also aim to address various challenges faced by vulnerable countries.
• Around 100 delegates from G-20 member nations, invited countries and international organizations will participate in the two-day meeting.
• Discussions during the two-day meeting will be jointly moderated by the Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of India, as well as by the co-chairs of the International Financial Architecture Working Group, - France and South Korea.
• The meeting will also focus on finding ways to maximize aid to poor and vulnerable countries.

 

First-ever albino dhole recorded at Cauvery sanctuary in Karnataka

  

 What's the NEWS

 

• Recently a partial albino dhole (Cuon alpinus) has been photo-documented in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.

Know! about Albinism

• Albinism is a colour aberration disorder with a total lack of melanin in hair, eyes and skin. Albinism is recorded in mammals, birds and reptiles. But this is the first-ever record of albinism in dholes
• Albinism is the result of cells that can't produce melanin, the pigment needed to colour skin, scales, eyes and hair.
• This genetic condition gets passed to offspring when both parents carry the recessive gene.
• When albinism is present, the animal can appear white or pink.
• The production of melanin occurs within melanocytes, specialized cells that are present but not fully functional in albino mammals.

Know! about Dhole

• The dhole or Asiatic Wild Dog is found in three clusters across India namely the Western and Eastern Ghats, the central Indian landscape and North East India.
• The Western and Eastern Ghats is a stronghold regions for dholes.

Conservation status

• IUCN Red List: Endangered
• The Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule II
• CITES: Appendix II

Know! about Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.

• The Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Ramanagar districts of Karnataka, India.
• The sanctuary provides a vital link between Bannerghatta National Park in the north and BRT Tiger Reserve and Male Mahadev Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in the south.
• The area is drained by three rivers, namely, Cauvery, Arkavathi and Shimsha.
• The forest is primarily of dry deciduous and scrub types, but a wide range of forest types including moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, evergreen, shola, riverine, Hardwicke forest, etc.
• Important animals found in the sanctuary are tigers, elephants, leopards, bison, wild dog etc.

 

Soliga ecarinata

What's the NEWS

• Recently, the scientific community has named a new genus of wasp after the Soliga community.

Know! about Soliga ecarinata

• The Soliga ecarinata is a new wasp that belongs to the subfamily Metopiinae of the Darwin wasps family Ichneumonidae.
• These are seen only in the Palaearctic region, Neotropical and Nearctic regions.
• This is the second genus of this subfamily reported from India and the first from South India.
• Scientists have named this wasp after the Soliga community.
• Soligas are an indigenous tribe of Karnataka, inhabiting the peripheral forest areas near Biligiri Rangana Hills and Male Mahadeshwara in the Chamarajnagar district of Karnataka.
• The Soligas were dependent on hunting and shifting agriculture traditionally.
• They are the first tribal community living inside the core area of a tiger reserve in India to get their forest rights officially recognised by a court of law.

Know! about the Biligiri Rangan Hills

• It is located northwest of the Western Ghats and on the westernmost edge of the Eastern Ghats.
• The unique geographical positioning and diversity of habitats make BRT one of the richest areas for biodiversity in India.
• The Kapila and Cauvery Rivers flow through these hills.

 

Black-necked stork

What's the NEWS

• The black-necked stork was recorded for the second consecutive year in Porbandar's Bardasagar reservoir.

Know! about Black-necked stork

• The black-necked stork is a tall long-necked wading bird in the stork family.
• Scientific name: Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus
• It is distributed in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia.
• They inhabits wetlands, such as floodplains of rivers with large shallow swamps and pools, and deeper permanent bodies of water.
• They are large birds, measuring 110 to 140 cm in length and weighing 4,000 grams.
• The male and female birds look alike but female is distinguished by its yellow eye.
• IUCN status: "Near Threatened"

Know! about Bardasagar reservoir

• It is located in the Porbandar district, Gujarat.
• The Bardasagar dam is created to store rain water for agricultural purpose.
• The Bardasagar dam and farms on its periphery are the ideal winter escape for thousands of cranese. Common crane and Demoiselle crane.
• Bardasagar is regular nesting ground for elegant Great crested Grebe like Mokarsagar. The "weed ceremony" and dancing ritual of Great crested Grebe can be seen here

 

Jatar Deul temple

What's the NEWS

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) plans to replace damaged bricks and plant trees as a protective barrier at the Jatar Deul temple in West Bengal to prevent corrosion of the terracotta temple.

Know! about Jatar Deul temple

• It is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
• Located at Kanakan Dighi Village in South 24 Parganas District in West Bengal.
• The Temple stands on a small hill in the landscape of the southern Sundarbans settlements.
• A copper plate found near the temple in 1875 suggests that Raja Joychandra constructed the temple in 975 AD.
• The temple has been classified as a Monument of National Importance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

 

Workshop conducted on ‘Linking Chabahar Port with INSTC'

 

What's the NEWS

 

• Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, GoI, in association with India Ports Global Ltd, conducted a workshop on the ‘Linking Chabahar Port with INSTC' in Mumbai

Know! about INSTC

• The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a multi-modal transportation route linking the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran and onward to northern Europe via St. Petersburg in Russia.
• The INSTC envisages the movement of goods from Mumbai (India) to Shahid Beheshti Port - Chabahar (Iran) by sea, from Chabahar to Bandar-e- Anzali (an Iranian port on the Caspian Sea) by road, and then from Bandar-e- Anzali to Astrakhan (a Caspian port in the Russian Federation) by ship across the Caspian Sea, and after that from Astrakhan to other regions of the Russian Federation and further into Europe by Russian railways were highlighted by the speakers during the workshop.
• The strategic location of Chabahar has a great advantage for developing it as a transhipment hub.
• The Port's deep draft of 16 m is suitable for handling large shipment vessels. The Port lies close to some of the busiest trade routes in the world.
• The region comes under the Asia-Europe, Asia-Asia trade route, which carries large cargo volumes.
• INSTC (International North-South Transport Corridor) is India's vision and initiative to reduce the time taken for EXIM shipments to reach Russia, Europe and enter the central Asian markets.
• Successful activation of the corridor will help connect India to Russia and Central Asian countries.
• The Chabahar Port, located in Iran, is the commercial transit centre for the region, especially Central Asia.

 

INS VAGIR

 

What's the NEWS

 

• The fifth Scorpene class conventional submarine was commissioned into the Indian Navy as INS Vagir
• The sixth and the last of the French ­origin Scorpene ­class submarines, Vagsheer, being built in In­dia under technology transfer is currently under­ going sea trials and will be delivered to the Navy in 2024,
• With this, the Navy now has 16 conventional and one nuclear submarine in service.

Know! about Indian Navy's Project 75 India

• Project 75 (I) succeeds the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarine for the Indian Navy.
• Six Scorpene Class submarines are being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group, France.
• The submarines under Project-75 Scorpene-Class are powered by diesel-electric propulsion systems
• The Scorpene Submarines are extremely potent platforms, they have advanced stealth features and are also equipped with both long range guided torpedoes as well as anti-ship missiles.

 

Submarines under Project 75
Project 75 is a programme by the Indian Navy that envisaged building six Scorpene-Class attack submarines.

1. INS Kalavari - commissioned
2. INS Khanderi - commissioned
3. INS Kharanj - commissioned
4. INS Vela - commissioned
5. INS Vagir - commissioned
6. INS Vagsheer underway.

Glorious Past and Inception

• The erstwhile Vagir was commissioned on 01 Nov 1973 and undertook numerous operational missions including deterrent patrols. The submarine was decommissioned on 07 Jan 2001 after serving the nation for about three decades.

Vagir - Ferocious Fifth

• Vagir will boost the Indian Navy's capability to further India's maritime interests and is capable of undertaking diverse missions including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and surveillance missions.

 

Vigyanika

 

What's the NEWS

• Vigyanika, a Science Literature Festival has been organised recently at the Indian International Science Festival (IISF), MANIT, Bhopal.
• Science Literature Festival is being organised as part of the 8th India International Science Festival (IISF).
• The annual India International Science Festival, which is in its 8th edition this time, showcases and celebrates the fruits of science and technology.
• IISF aims to engage the public with science and demonstrate how science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) provide solutions to improve our lives.
• This year's IISF is being coordinated and organised by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Science & Technology and Vijnana Bharati.
• Since the launch of IISF in 2015, the "Science Literature Festival" has emerged as one of the well-attended events.
• The Vigyanika will showcase India's rich legacy of promoting science & inculcating scientific temper among the public through multilingual scientific literature, science poetry, science drama and folk art.
• The CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR), New Delhi, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt. of India and Vijnana Bharati are coordinating Vigyanika.

Science 20 (S20)

• India is also going through the Presidency phase of the G20 and Indian Institute of Science is the Secretariat for Science 20 (S20).
• S20 will address the scientific aspects such as climate change, food security and health.

 

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