WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, India in partnership with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) celebrated Asadha Poornima Dhamma Chakra Day 2021.

• The day is also observed as Guru Poornima by both Buddhists and Hindus as a day to mark reverence to their Gurus.

About:

• It commemorates Buddha’s first sermon to his first five ascetic disciples. He gave his first knowledge to the world after attaining enlightenment.
• The day marks the establishment of the Sangha, on a full-moon day of the month of Asadha, in the Indian Sun calendar at the ‘Deer Park’, Ṛṣipatana in the current day Sarnath, near Varanasi, India.
  • It is also known as Esala Poya in Sri Lanka and Asanha Bucha in Thailand.
  • It is the second most sacred day for Buddhists after the Buddha Poornima or Vesak.
• This teaching of Dhamma Chakka- PavattanaSutta (Pali) or Dharma chakra Pravartana Sutra (Sanskrit) is also known as the First Turning of Wheels of Dharma and comprises the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path.
  • Four Noble Truths:
    • Suffering (dukkha) is the essence of the world.
    • Every suffering has a cause – Samudya.
    • Suffering could be extinguished – Nirodha.
    • It can be achieved by following the Atthanga Magga (Eightfold Path)

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, the Assam Cabinet announced that Gaon Buras, village-level functionaries of the district administration, will be called ‘Gaon Pradhans’.

• The government has reasoned that a number of young men (and women) become Gaon Buras, and thus, the word ‘Bura’ (meaning old in Assamese) is no longer appropriate.

About:

• Gaon Buras are the village headmen. They are the eyes, nose, and ear of the district administration at the village level.
• There are about 6,000 Gaon Buras in Assam. Women ‘Gaon Buras’ are not very common and they take over if their husbands die.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Chief Hydrographer of India Vice Admiral Vinay Badhwar. Was conferred with the prestigious Alexander Dalrymple award by the British Government. The award recognizes Badhwar’s work in the areas of hydrography and nautical cartography.

Vice Admiral Vinay Badhwar received the award from British High Commissioner Alex Ellis at a brief ceremony.

About Alexander Dalrymple Award:

The prestigious Alexander Dalrymple Award has been named after the first hydrographer of the Admiralty.

The award was instituted in 2006

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Sunseap Group’s floating solar farm will be located on the Duriangkang Reservoir in Batam Island, Indonesia spanning around 1,600 hectares. It will be the largest solar floating farm in the world.

About:

Sunseap Group in Singapore has announced that it plans to spend $2 billion to build the world’s largest floating solar farm and the energy storage system in Batam, a neighbouring Indonesian city, which will double its renewable power generation capacity.

Sunseap in a statement mentioned that the floating photovoltaic system is expected to have a capacity of 2.2 gigawatt-peak (GWp).

The Co-founder and Chief Executive of Sunseap, Frank Phuan said that this single project will double the group’s entire portfolio. More importantly, it will build Sunseap’s capability towards hyper-scale solar and energy storage projects.

A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed for the project between Singapore’s Sunseap Group and Batam Indonesia Free Zone Authority, Badan Pengusahaan Batam (BP Batam).

Floating solar systems: Significance

Sunseap’s Frank Phuan said that the floating solar systems will go a long way to address the land constraints that the urbanized parts of Southeast Asia Face in tapping renewable energy.

Phuan further added that the hyper-scale project can also pave the way for similar green energy projects in south-east Asia.

The expansion of the floating solar projects will present an interesting new front in a race to meet the demand for zero-emissions electricity supply for Singapore.

Location of the world’s largest floating solar farm:

The floating solar farm will be located on the Duriangkang Reservoir in Batam Island, Indonesia spanning around 1,600 hectares. It will be the largest solar floating farm in the world.

The reservoir serves as a source of freshwater to Batam Island, which sits just 20 km from Singapore.

The placement of the farm on the reservoir will also have an additional benefit of reducing evaporation. At the same time, the proximity of water will also allow the solar farm to operate at lower temperatures as well as improve overall efficiency

WHY IN THE NEWS?

 Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu bagged a silver medal in the women’s 49-kg category at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 on July 24, 2021.

In four successful attempts, 26-year-old Chanu lifted a total of 202-kg, 115-kg in clean and jerk and 87-kg in snatch. With this win, Chanu has now become the second Indian weightlifter to win an Olympic medal. Karnam Malleswari had won the bronze medal in the 69-kg category at the 2000 Sydney Games when the weightlifting sport was first opened to women.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The Public Health England (PHE) on July 16, 2021, showed that England is witnessing an increase in the number of cases of the vomiting bug Norovirus from the end of May to July.

In routine surveillance, it was revealed that the outbreak of the virus has mostly been in nursery and childcare facilities. Around 154 outbreaks of Norovirus have been reported in the past 5 weeks

What is Norovirus?

• Norovirus is known as the winter vomiting bug. Norovirus is described as a very contagious virus that causes sudden onset of vomiting and diarrhoea.

People of any age group can contract the virus. The virus is easily transmitted through direct contact with infected individuals or surfaces. However, the infection passes in few days.

What are the symptoms of Norovirus?

• The symptoms of Norovirus emerge within 24-48 hours of getting infected.
• Sudden nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• High temperature,
• Abdominal pain
• Sore limbs

How does Norovirus spread?

• Norovirus is highly contagious. One can get infected with Norovirus:
• Direct contact with someone infected or sick with Norovirus
• Touching surfaces or objects contaminated with the virus then touching your mouth
• Consuming contaminated water or food

How to prevent the spread of Norovirus?

• Washing hands thoroughly and frequently with soap and water.
• Wash all contaminated clothes or beddings with soap or detergent.
• If infected, avoid cooking meals until 48 hours after recovering from infection.
• Disinfect the exposed areas with bleach-based cleaner and hot water. Also wipe clean objects such as telephones, toilets, door handles, taps, and other exposed areas.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The International Energy Agency (IEA) in association with NITI Aayog has released a report titled “Renewables Integration in India 2021”.

About Renewables Integration in India 2021 Report:

India’s Demand for Energy:                        

• India is the third-largest energy-consuming country in the world.
• Also, India has made significant progress towards its universal electrification target for residential users.  100 million people gained electricity access in 2018 alone.
• Per capita, electricity consumption across the 28 Indian states and eight union territories is still around a third of the world average and is expected to continue increasing.

Renewable Energy Penetration in India:

• Renewable energy penetration is highly variable by the state in India.
• The share of solar and wind in India’s ten renewables-rich states (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, and Kerala) is significantly higher than the national average of 8.2%.
• Solar and wind account for around 29% of annual electricity generation in Karnataka, 20% in Rajasthan, 18% in Tamil Nadu, and 14% in Gujarat.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The Green Sohra Afforestation Campaign at Sohra (Cherrapunji) was launched by Home Minister Amit Shah. “Evergreen Northeast”, was the slogan given for this campaign highlighting the importance of tree plantation and afforestation. This campaign will be run by the Assam Rifles and the Meghalaya.

• At Cherrapunji, Amit Shah launched two important development projects before arriving in Guwahati.
• Green Sohra Afforestation Campaign and also inaugurated Greater Sohra Water Supply Scheme was launched by the minister.
• ‘Evergreen Northeast’ was used to highlight the importance of afforestation and tree plantation in the state.
• Cherrapunji (locally it is known as Sohra) used to receive rainfalls throughout the year, but this has gone down due to the indiscriminate harvesting that has been done in the area under the name of development.
• The Greater Sohra Water Supply Scheme was also inaugurated by the minister.

About Green Sohra Afforestation Campaign

For the plantation drive, Assam Rifles will adopt the entire locality of Cherrapunji. 80% and above of the total land areas of this region has been prepared for the plantation of long lifespan trees and the remaining areas would be used for nurseries, ornamental plants and animal feed. Eco-tourism would also benefit the locals of the state.

About Greater Sohra Water Supply Scheme

Under the Jal Jeevan Mission initiative, the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region and the state government have decided to provide pure drinking water to every household through taps. Providing clean drinking water to the families, some living in the remote areas of the state is a challenge that will be fulfilled.

Rudreswara Temple which is located at Palampet, Mulugu district, in the state of Telangana has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. On 25^th July 2021 this decision was taken at the 44^th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee. Ramappa temple was proposed by the government of India as its sole nomination for UNESCO World Heritage.

About Rudreswara temple

• In 1213 AD, during the rule of the Kakatiya Empire, the Rudreswara temple was constructed.
• This temple was constructed by Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva’s general Recharla Rudra.
• Ramalingeswara Swamy is the presiding deity of this temple.
• This temple is also known as Ramappa temple, named so after the sculptor who, for 40 years, executed the work in the temple.
• The temple complexes built during the reign of Kakatiyas have a distinct style, decoration and technology.
• The Ramappa Temple is an exhibition of this unique style and hence, it stands as a testimonial to the creative genius of the Kakatiyans.
• On 6 feet high star-shaped platform stands the Ramappa Temple with pillars, ceilings and walls decorated with complex carvings that attest to the unique skill of the Kakatiyan sculptors.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the year 2020s World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting of the UNESCO could not be conducted and hence, the nominations for 2020 and 2021 were discussed via online meetings. These meetings are currently underway. There are 21 Members of the World Heritage Committee with the current Chair of the Committee being China.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Four new sports have been introduced in the Tokyo Olympics. They are karate, skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing.

Karate                              

Martial art, since the 1970s, has been a candidate for Olympic inclusion but the organizers never agreed to accept this sport until the Tokyo Games presented the perfect opportunity to showcase this sport from its homeland.

The three days of competition will be held at Nippon Budokan and will feature talented Kumite competitors in three weight divisions. Due to its resurgent popularity in televisions and movies, viewers are hoping to enjoy this sport.

Skateboarding

Skateboard’s debut was done by the organizers to attract young audiences. The audience will be able to see high-flying stunts and tricks. The competitors are between 12 to 47 years.

Surfing

There will be at least three days of competition spread over an eight-day period. The events will mostly be determined on the day based on surf conditions. Since the year 1995, the International Surfing Association has been lobbying for the inclusion of this sport, and it makes a debut in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Sport climbing

In recent years climbing has reached new heights and hence it makes its debut in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In the lead discipline, Climbers scale a 15-meter wall which is filled with a variety of holds. Bouldering involves dynamic movements and in the Speed category, a race to the top is held between the participants.