Education
IIT Bombay offers free online tutorial on Android app development via SWAYAM portal
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about SWAYAM portal) + Mains ( GS II Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
What's the NEWS

• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay will provide a free online course on Android app development on the SWAYAM platform.
• The institute has started the application process for the course
• The course will be free of cost for all students.
• The Android app development course will be taught using the programming language Kotlin, an open-source programming language for developing Android apps.
• The course is best suited for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• It includes 10 audio-video spoken tutorials and is outlined for eight weeks.
• Upon registering for IIT Bombay Android app development course, students can access 10 audio-video spoken tutorials.
• The course has been approved by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE).

Know! about SWAYAM

• SWAYAM is a programme initiated by Government of India and designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy viz., access, equity and quality.
• The objective of this effort is to take the best teaching learning resources to all, including the most disadvantaged.
• SWAYAM seeks to bridge the digital divide for students who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy.
• This is done through a platform that facilitates hosting of all the courses, taught in classrooms from Class 9 till post-graduation to be accessed by anyone, anywhere at any time.
• All the courses are interactive, prepared by the best teachers in the country and are available, free of cost to any learner.
• More than 1,000 specially chosen faculty and teachers from across the country have participated in preparing these courses.
• The courses hosted on SWAYAM are in 4 quadrants - (1) video lecture, (2) specially prepared reading material that can be downloaded/printed (3) self-assessment tests through tests and quizzes and (4) an online discussion forum for clearing the doubts.
• Steps have been taken to enrich the learning experience by using audio-video and multi-media and state of the art pedagogy / technology.

In order to ensure that best quality content is produced and delivered, nine National Coordinators have been appointed.

1. AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) for self-paced and international courses
2. NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning) for Engineering
3. UGC (University Grants Commission) for non technical post-graduation education
4. CEC (Consortium for Educational Communication) for under-graduate education
5. NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) for school education
6. NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) for school education
7. IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) for out-of-school students
8. IIMB (Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore) for management studies
9. NITTTR (National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research) for Teacher Training programme

• Courses delivered through SWAYAM are available free of cost to the learners, however learners wanting a SWAYAM certificate should register for the final proctored exams that come at a fee and attend in-person at designated centres on specified dates.
• Eligibility for the certificate will be announced on the course page and learners will get certificates only if this criteria is matched.
• Universities/colleges approving credit transfer for these courses can use the marks/certificate obtained in these courses for the same.

Environment
National Endangered Species Day 2021: Five Critically Endangered Species on IUCN Red List
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about National Endangered Species Day + IUCN and IUCN red list) + Mains ( GS III Environment conservation)
What's the NEWS

• National Endangered Species Day is observed every year on the third Friday of May. This year it falls on May 21.
• Poaching, climate change, habitat destruction, fragmentation, have been major causes in the endangerment of several species, globally.
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List which is the most thorough inventory comprising the conservation status of the plant and animal species, worldwide; has reported that around 37,400 species are under the "threatened with extinction" category.

The 5 critically endangered species on IUCN Red list, that are threatened with global extinction:
Red vented cockatoo:

• It is a 12-inch white bird with reddish undertail that can be mostly spotted in Phillipines. Due to illegal trapping, now this bird's population has come down to 180 and hence tagged critically endangered.

Ganges shark:

• Found in the Ganges, Brahmaputra rivers of India and Bangladesh, this species of shark is very rare and has decreased considerably in number. As a result it features among the 20 sharks on the IUCN red list of critically endangered shark species.

Hawksbill turtle:

• This is a critically endangered sea turtle inhabiting the tropical reefs of Atlantic, Indian and Pacific ocean. The IUCN list reports that there has been 80% decline in the Hawksbill turtle's population in 100 years.

Amur Leopard:

• One of the rarest cats on the planet, Amur Leopard is listed under the critically endangered category. Inhabitants of far east Russia, this leopard can be sighted in the north-eastern China, north-west Korea as well. It's population was found to have reduced to 90 as per 2019 statistical data.

Indian vulture:

• This medium-sized bulky ‘Old World vulture' weighing 6.3 kg is native to Pakistan, Nepal and India. Owing to the rapid dip (97%) in its population, it features under the ‘critically endangered' section on the IUCN Red List.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature

• It is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
• It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, and education.
• IUCN's mission is to "influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable".
• IUCN has widened its focus beyond conservation ecology and now incorporates issues related to sustainable development in its projects.
• IUCN does not itself aim to mobilize the public in support of nature conservation. It tries to influence the actions of governments, business and other stakeholders by providing information and advice, and through building partnerships.
• The organization is best known to the wider public for compiling and publishing the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which assesses the conservation status of species worldwide.
• IUCN has a membership of over 1,400 governmental and non-governmental organizations. Some 16,000 scientists and experts participate in the work of IUCN commissions on a voluntary basis.
• It employs approximately 1,000 full-time staff in more than 50 countries. Its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland.
• IUCN has observer and consultative status at the United Nations and plays a role in the implementation of several international conventions on nature conservation and biodiversity.
• It was involved in establishing the World Wide Fund for Nature and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book), founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species.
• It uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies.
• These criteria are relevant to all species and all regions of the world.
• With its strong scientific base, the IUCN Red List is recognized as the most authoritative guide to the status of biological diversity.
• A series of Regional Red Lists are produced by countries or organizations, which assess the risk of extinction to species within a political management unit.

Species are classified by the IUCN Red List into nine groups, specified through criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation.

1. Extinct (EX) - beyond reasonable doubt that the species is no longer extant.
2. Extinct in the wild (EW) - survives only in captivity, cultivation and/or outside native range, as presumed after exhaustive surveys.
3. Critically endangered (CR) - in a particularly and extremely critical state.
4. Endangered (EN) - very high risk of extinction in the wild, meets any of criteria A to E for Endangered.
5. Vulnerable (VU) - meets one of the 5 red list criteria and thus considered to be at high risk of unnatural (human-caused) extinction without further human intervention.
6. Near threatened (NT) - close to being at high risk of extinction in the near future.
7. Least concern (LC) - unlikely to become extinct in the near future.
8. Data deficient (DD)
9. Not evaluated (NE)

• In the IUCN Red List, "threatened" embraces the categories of Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable.

Defence
DG NCC Mobile Training App 2.0

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Directorate General National Cadet Corps (NCC) Mobile Training App Version)
What's the NEWS

• Defence Secretary launched Directorate General National Cadet Corps (NCC) Mobile Training App Version 2.0 in New Delhi
• The app will assist in conducting countrywide online training to NCC cadets during the COVID-19 pandemic conditions.
• It is aimed at providing NCC-related basic information and entire training material (Syllabus, Précis, Training Videos, Frequently Asked Questions) on one platform.
• It provides the NCC cadets easy access to training material and assists in carrying out training during the pandemic.
• The NCC Training App Version 2.0 will be useful to the cadets in digital learning, overcoming the difficulties posed by COVID-19 restrictions on physical contact.
• Using this app, the cadets will be able to attend online training, appear in certificate exams and prevent loss of academic year.
• DG NCC Mobile App Version 1.0 for training was launched by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on August 27, 2020 in order to assist online cadet training.

Defence
DRDO develops Critical Near Isothermal Forging Technology for aeroengines

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about high-pressure compressors (HPC) discs) + Mains ( GS III Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

What's the NEWS

• In a crucial technology development in aircraft engine components, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has established a forging technology to produce various stages of high pressure compressor discs from titanium alloy.
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has established the near isothermal forging technology to produce all the five stages of high-pressure compressors (HPC) discs out of difficult-to-deform titanium alloy using its unique 2000 MT isothermal forge press.
• The technology has been developed by Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), a premier metallurgical laboratory of DRDO at Hyderabad.
• This is a crucial technology for establishing self-reliance in aeroengine technology.
• With this development, India has joined the league of limited global engine developers to have the manufacturing capabilities of such critical aero engine components.
• Using the isothermal forge press facility available at DMRL, Hyderabad, bulk quantity (200 numbers) of HPC disc forgings pertaining to various compressor stages have been jointly (DMRL & MIDHANI) produced and successfully supplied to HAL (E), Bengaluru for fitment in to Adour Engine that powers the Jaguar/Hawk Aircrafts.

Know! about high-pressure compressors (HPC) discs

• In India, the Adour engine is overhauled by HAL (E), Bengaluru under a licensed manufacturing agreement with OEM.
• Like in any aeroengine, the HPC Drum assembly has to be replaced after a specified number of operations or in case of damage.
• The annual requirements of these high value HPC discs are quite large, warranting indigenisation.
• HPC drum is a highly stressed sub-assembly and is also subjected to low cycle fatigue and creep at elevated temperature.
• The raw materials and forgings for HPC drum are required to be of the highest quality which can meet the specified combination of static and dynamic mechanical properties.
• DMRL developed this forging technology by integrating various science and knowledge-based tools.
• The methodology adopted by DMRL is generic in nature and can be tuned to develop other similar aeroengine components.

The Adour engine

• In India, the Adour engine is overhauled by the HAL under a licensed manufacturing agreement with the Original Equipment Manufacturer.
• Stating that in any aero engine, the HPC drum assembly has to be replaced after a specified number of operations or in case of damage, the DRDO added that the annual requirement of these HPC discs is quite large, warranting indigenisation.

Science & Technology
Innovative Patient-Friendly Saline Gargle RT-PCR Testing Method
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Saline Gargle RT-PCR Method)
What's the NEWS

• Scientists of Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) under Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have achieved another milestone in this journey, with the development of a 'Saline Gargle RT-PCR Method' for testing COVID-19 samples.

'Saline Gargle RT-PCR Method'

• The Saline Gargle method offers a bunch of attractive benefits, all rolled into one. It is simple, fast, cost-effective, patient-friendly and comfortable; it also offers instant results and is well-suited for rural and tribal areas, given minimal infrastructure requirements.
• The Saline Gargle RT-PCR method is instant, comfortable and patient-friendly.
• Sampling is done instantly and results will be generated within 3 hours.
• The method is non-invasive and so simple that the patient herself can collect the sample
• Collection methods like nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab collection require technical expertise; they are also time-consuming.
• In contrast, the Saline Gargle RT-PCR method uses a simple collection tube filled with saline solution.
• The patient gargles the solution and rinses it inside the tube.
• This sample in the collection tube is taken to the laboratory where it is kept at room temperature, in a special buffer solution prepared by NEERI.
• An RNA template is produced when this solution is heated, which is further processed for Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR).
• This particular method of collecting and processing the sample enables us to save on the otherwise costly infrastructural requirement of RNA extraction.
• People can also test themselves, since this method allows self-sampling." The method is environment-friendly as well, since waste generation is minimized.

Science & Technology
National AI Portal (INDIAai) celebrates its first anniversary
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about National AI Portal + Mains ( GS III Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology
What's the NEWS

• The ‘National AI Portal (https://indiaai.gov.in)', celebrated its first anniversary on May 28, 2021, in a virtual event attended by nearly 400 participants and dignitaries.

National AI Portal

• The National AI Portal is a joint initiative by Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and NASSCOM and serves as a central hub for AI related news, learning, articles, events and activities etc., in India and beyond.
• The portal was launched by the Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Law and Justice and Communications, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad on May 30, 2020.
• The anniversary event covered Launches, Fireside Chat Session, and ‘AI PeCharcha', wherein key leaders from MeitY, NeGD, NASSCOM and knowledge partner Infosys conducted discussion on how India can become a global AI leader and explored ideas around implementing trustworthy AI solutions.

Know! about INDIAai

• INDIAai is the National AI Portal of India - a central hub for everything AI in India and beyond.
• A joint initiative of MeitY, NeGD and NASSCOM, the website aims to be the trusted content powerhouse in the backdrop of India's journey to global prominence in Artificial Intelligence.
• Artificial Intelligence technologies are on course to become the most powerful agents of transformation in human history.
• AI will reshape the global economic and technological landscape, as well as every aspect of our daily lives. For India, the fourth-largest economy in the world and a young nation, it is imperative to be prepared to answer the challenges of AI and to leverage it to solve social problems, in building towards greater economic prosperity.
• INDIAai (The National AI Portal of India), a joint venture by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), has been set up to prepare the nation for an AI future.
• It is the single central knowledge hub on artificial intelligence and allied fields for aspiring entrepreneurs, students, professionals, academics, and everyone else.
• The portal focuses on creating and nurturing a unified AI ecosystem for driving excellence and leadership in India's AI journey, to foster economic growth and improve lives through it.

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