• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted first successful flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicle ( MIRV) technology.
• The flight test named Mission Divyastra was carried out from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha.
• The project was led by a woman scientist from the country’s missile complex in Hyderabad, Sheena Rani, who has been working on the Agni missile systems since 1999.

ABOUT MIRV TECHNOLOGY

• The first country to develop MIRV technology was USA which deployed a MIRVed Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in 1970.
• MIRV technology ensures that a single missile can deploy multiple war heads and hit targets at different locations simultaneously.
• It can help evade enemy anti-ballistic missile system capabilities.
• The warheads on MIRVs can be launched at different speeds and in different directions.
• India has become sixth country to have MIRV-capable missiles after US, UK, Russia, France and China.

• Shri Kishor Makwana assumed the charge of Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)
• Shri Luv Kush Kumar also assumed the charge of Member of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC).

ABOUT NCSC

• The National Commission for Scheduled Castes is a constitutional body established with a view to provide safeguards against the exploitation of Scheduled Castes and Anglo Indian communities to promote and protect their social, educational, economic and cultural interests, special provisions were made in the Constitution.
• Article 338 of the Indian constitution deals with National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
  • Under this, a Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was appointed as the special officer.
• The 65th Amendment to the constitution replaced the one-member system with a multi-member National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
• The 89th Amendment in 2003 replaced this Commission, with effect from 2004, with the separate-
  • National Commission for Scheduled Castes (Under Article 338)
  • National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (Under Article 338A)
• The NCSC consists of a Chairman, a Vice Chairman and three additional members.

• The Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2023 report has been released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Major Findings

• The volume of international transfers of major arms in 2019–23 was 3.3 per cent lower than in 2014–18 and 3.3 per cent higher than in 2009–13.
• The five largest exporters were the United States, France, Russia, China and Germany.
  • Arms exports by the USA went up by 17 per cent between 2014–18 and 2019–23, while those by Russia went down by 53 per cent.
  • France’s exports rose by 47 per cent and it moved just ahead of Russia to become the world’s second largest arms exporter.
• The five largest arms importers in 2019–23 were India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Ukraine and Pakistan.
  • India’s arms imports increased by 4.7 per cent between 2014–18 and 2019–23, making it the world’s biggest arms importer in 2019–23 with a 9.8 per cent share of all arms imports.
  • Russia remained India’s main supplier.
• The largest importer in Europe was Ukraine, which received 23 per cent of the region’s total arms imports in 2019–23.

About SIPRI

• SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.
• Established in 1966 and based in Stockholm (Sweden), SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public.

• The Ministry of Defence has signed a ₹200 crore contract for anti-drone systems for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) with Big Bang Boom Solutions Private Limited (BBBS).
• BBBS’s Vajra Sentinel System is a state-of-the-art solution designed to detect, track and neutralise drones at extraordinary ranges.
• It utilises passive RF sensor technology to eliminate false alarms, and its sensor and jammer combination meets stringent military standard specifications for durability and reliability.
• It offers soft kill by jamming, and hard kill by interceptor drones.
• The range of operation can be up to 10 km, with the option of hard kill getting activated at a distance of 5 to 6 km.
• The anti-drone technology has the potential to neutralise swarm UAVs as well.
• The system’s core sensor, built around Artificial Intelligence and computer vision algorithms, enables precise identification, classification and location identification of drones.
• Its sophisticated decision-making matrix enables autonomous decision-making for countermeasures, including signal jamming.

• The Union Minister for Jal Shakti launched the fifth edition of “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain-2024” campaign.
• The campaign, themed “Nari Shakti se Jal Shakti,” emphasises the integral role of women in water conservation and management.
• The campaign comes under the National Water Mission, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation in collaboration with Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation.
  • National Water Mission is one of eight National Missions under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
• Focused interventions of the campaign includes-
  • water conservation and rainwater harvesting,
  • enumerating, geo-tagging & making inventory of all water bodies; preparation of scientific plans for water conservation,
  • Setting up of Jal Shakti Kendras in all districts,
  • intensive afforestation and
  • awareness generation.
• Brief History
  • Ministry of Jal Shakti launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan in 2019 as a “Jan Andolan” to initiate water conservation at the grass-root level through citizen participation to accelerate water conservation across the country.
  • JSA could not be implemented in 2020 due to restrictions imposed by Covid 19 pandemic and Ministry of Jal Shakti implemented ‘Catch the Rain’ (CTR) campaign.

Ever since it was launched as “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain” Campaign in 2021, it has become an annual feature covering all the blocks of all districts (rural as well as urban areas) across the country.

• The She Research Network India has been launched by the University Grants Commission’s Information and Library Network Centre.
• This initiative is designed to achieve equal representation of women scientists across various research areas.
• The SheRNI website is set to connect 81,818 profiles of Indian women involved in science and research fields.
• Furthermore, it encompasses an extensive collection of 675,313 publications and 11,543 patents, underscoring the crucial role women play in advancing scientific progress and encouraging innovation.
• This platform empowers female scientists and faculty members to establish strong professional networks, fostering collaboration, mentorship, and opportunities for career advancement.

• Gorsam Kora festival was celebrated recently in Tawang district Arunachal Pradesh.
• The four-day annual event featured chanting of sacred mantras and carrying out of traditional Buddhist rituals at the Gorsam chorten by monks.
  • Gorsam Chorten, a 93 feet tall Stupa, was built during 13th century AD by a local monk- Lama Pradhar.
• Organised by the local Zemithang community, in collaboration with civil authorities and the Indian Army, the festival began with an invocation led by Thengtse Rinpoche, which was followed by prayers at the Khinzemane holy tree, which is believed to have been planted by the 14th Dalai Lama.
  • Zemithang Valley holds historical significance as 14th Dalai Lama found refuge upon his escape from Tibet in 1959.
• The festival attracts pilgrims and lamas from Bhutan, Tawang, and neighbouring regions.
• This year the festival was celebrated with the theme ‘Zero waste festival’.

• Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty claimed their first title of the year at the French Open after defeating Chinese Taipei, Lee Jhe Huei-Yang Po Hsuan, in just 36 minutes in the French Open 2024.
• The Indian pair won by a 21-11, 21-17 scoreline in the men’s doubles final.
• This is the first title the Indians have won in 2024 and their seventh world tour title.
• The Indian pair had also won the French Open title in 2022.

• The comprehensive maritime security exercise ‘Sea Defenders-2024’ between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) & United States Coast Guard (USCG) culminated at Port Blair
• The exercise was aimed at enhancing maritime cooperation and interoperability between the two forces.
• The Exercise included a variety of scenarios including a Pollution Response Demonstration, in which Indian Coast Guard ships and aircraft showcased their expertise in responding to oil spills and other environmental hazards at sea. It also simulated Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) Operations for inspecting vessels suspected of illegal activity.

• The winners of the 96th annual Academy Awards (Oscars) were unveiled at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles.
• Jimmy Kimmel hosted the event for fourth time.
• Winners
  • Best picture: “Oppenheimer”
  • Best director: Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
  • Best actress: Emma Stone, “Poor Things.”
  • Best actor: Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
  • Best supporting actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
  • Best supporting actor: Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”
  • Best original screenplay: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, “Anatomy of a Fall”
  • Best adapted screenplay: Cord Jefferson, “American Fiction”
  • Best animated feature: “The Boy and the Heron”
  • Best animated short: “War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John Lennon and Yoko Ono”
  • Best international feature: “The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom)
  • Best documentary feature: “20 Days in Mariupol”
  • Best documentary short: “The Last Repair Shop”
  • Best live action short: “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”
  • Best score: Ludwig Göransson, “Oppenheimer”
  • Best original song: Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”
  • Best sound: Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn, “The Zone of Interest”
  • Best production design: James Price, Shona Heath and Zsuzsa Mihalek, “Poor Things”
  • Best cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema, “Oppenheimer”
  • Best makeup and hairstyling: Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston, “Poor Things”
  • Best costume design: Holly Waddington, “Poor Things”
  • Best editing: Jennifer Lame, “Oppenheimer”
  • Best visual effects: Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima, “Godzilla Minus One”