• The death anniversary of Kalpana Chawla was observed recently on February 1^st.
• She was an Indian-American astronaut who made history as the first Indian-origin woman to go to space.

ABOUT KALPANA CHAWLA

• Kalpana Chawla was born on 17 March 1962, in Karnal, Haryana.
• After completing her undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh in 1982, she moved to the United States to pursue her Master’s degree.
• In 1988, Chawla joined NASA’s Ames Research Center, where she worked on various projects related to space exploration.
• Chawla’s first journey into space came in 1997 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-87.
• During this historic mission, she served as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator.
  • Her second and final space mission, STS-107, took place in 2003 and was dedicated to science and research.
• On 1^st February 2003, Chawla and six fellow astronauts were just 16 minutes away from landing on Earth after 15 days in space.
  • Then, at an altitude of 200,000 feet, Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated into little bits, killing all on board.
• She was honoured with numerous awards and recognitions including the NASA Space Flight Medal, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

• The Centre has notified the appointment of four full-time members for the panel of 16^th Finance Commission.
• It is chaired by the first NITI Aayog vice-chairman and Columbia University professor Arvind Panagariya.
• October 2025 is the deadline set for the commission to submit its recommendations, so that they can be incorporated in the Budget exercise for 2026-27.
• The new panel has been tasked with recommending the tax-revenue sharing formula between the Centre and the States for the five-year period beginning April 2026.
• The Sixteenth Finance Commission’s terms of reference include a review of the present arrangements for financing disaster management initiatives and mooting measures to augment States’ consolidated funds to supplement resources available with panchayats and municipalities.
• Now the following members are appointed to the Commission with the approval of the President of India-
  • Ajay Narayan Jha, former member, 15th Finance Commission and former Secretary, Expenditure
  • Annie George Mathew, former Special Secretary, Expenditure
  • Niranjan Rajadhyaksha, Executive Director, Artha Global
  • Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Advisor, State Bank of India (Part time member)

BRIEF ABOUT FINANCE COMMISSION

• The Finance Commission is constituted under Article 280 of the Constitution, mainly to give its recommendations on distribution of tax revenues between the Union and the states and among the states themselves.
• The President of India constitutes a Finance Commission every fifth year or at such a time that is considered necessary.
• Composition – Chairman + 4 members

• World Wetlands Day (WWD) is celebrated across the globe on February 2^nd.
• It is observed to commemorate the adoption of Ramsar Treaty on wetlands on 2^nd February 1971.
• The theme of WWD-2024 is ‘Wetlands and Human Wellbeing’ which underscores the critical role wetlands play in enhancing our lives.
• It highlights how wetlands contribute to flood protection, clean water, biodiversity and recreational opportunities, all of which are essential for human health and prosperity.
• This year, the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC), in collaboration with the Government of Madhya Pradesh, is organizing the national World Wetlands Day event at Sirpur Lake, Indore, a Ramsar site designated in 2022.

• Havildar Preeti Rajak, who is a champion trap shooter, has become the first woman to hold the rank of Subedar in the Indian Army after she was promoted on Sunday.
• Subedar Preeti Rajak joined the Army in the Corps of Military Police on December 22, 2022.

She was the first meritorious sportswomen in the shooting discipline enrolled in the Army as a Havildar.

• Malaysia’s Sultan Ibrahim from the southern state of Johor was installed as the country’s 17th king recently
• He took the oath of office in a ceremony at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur.
• The monarchy plays a mostly ceremonial role in
• Under a unique system of monarchy, the heads of Malaysia’s nine royal families take turns to be the King, known as the “Yang di-Pertuan Agong” every five years.

• In a groundbreaking development in the field of neurotechnology, Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind companies like Tesla and SpaceX, announced that the first human recipient has received an implant from his brain-computer interface (BCI) venture, Neuralink.
  • The US Food and Drug Administration had granted Neuralink an “investigational device exemption,” permitting the company to commence clinical studies.
• Neuralink’s device is about the size of a large coin and is designed to be implanted in the skull, with ultra-thin wires going directly into the brain.
• The initial goal of the so-called brain computer interface is to give people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone.
• The company aims to target the brain region controlling movement intention, initially enabling individuals to control computers using their thoughts alone.

ALSO

• Elon Musk disclosed that the first product from Neuralink is named “Telepathy.”
• According to him, Telepathy will empower users, particularly those who have lost limb functionality, to control phones or computers through mere thoughts.

• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has launched ‘StartupShala’ flagship accelerator program for startups to encourage investments, networking and mentorship.
• ‘StartupShala’ – Startup India’s Accelerator Program, is a 3-month long accelerator program for early-stage startups to provide them access to knowledge, network, funds, and guidance required to scale up.
• Each cohort of the program will be focused on a particular sector, the first one being CleanTech and 20 startups per cohort will be handpicked by experts through an open call for application.
• Interested startups can apply through the Start-Up India Hub.
• Eligibility
  • It should be a DPIIT-recognised startup.
  • It is important for the startup to work in the sustainability sector.
  • The startup should be a growth stage startup which is ready to scale.
  • The startup should be generating revenue with market ready solutions in the form of its products and services.

• Tamil Nadu’s tableau in the Republic Day parade on the Kartavya Path highlighted the historical significance of the Kudavolai electoral system.
• It emerged during the 10^th century Chola era and marked an early stride towards democracy.
• Used to elect representatives to run the village administration, it voiced the collective will of the people to the empire.
• Selection process-
  • People from a specific ward would line up to cast their voting tickets, inscribed the names of their preferred candidates on palm leaves(volai), which were then placed in a mud pot called the ‘kudam.’
  • To announce the elected leader, a small boy would pick a ticket from the pot, and the result would be declared loudly for everyone to hear.
  • The process was considered sacred.
• Village Development Plan
  • Community members gathered at a place like-under a banyan tree, for the preparation of the Village Development Plan, reflecting the communal nature of decision-making.

In this context, a drum played a significant role in conveying crucial information to the villagers.

• POEM-3, the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3, India’s unique inexpensive space platform using the spent PS4 stage of the PSLV-C58 vehicle that launched XPoSat on January 1, 2024, has successfully achieved all its objectives.
• After deploying the satellite into its intended orbit at 650 km, the vehicle was lowered to 350 km circular orbit to minimize the time of orbit decay after completion of the experiment.
• It is a three-axis-attitude controlled platform with power generation and telecommand & telemetry capabilities, for supporting Payloads.
• POEM-3 flew with nine Payloads from VSSC, PRL, Academia, and Space start-ups inducted through IN-SPACe.
  • Payloads included RUDRA, ARKA-200, Green Impulse TrAnsmitter (GITA), Dust Experiment (DEX), etc.
• In missions of POEM-1 to POEM-3, ISRO has flown a total of 21 payloads from various institutes and industries.
• With the orbital decay and reentry of POEM-3 in three months, PSLV-C58 XPoSat mission will be leaving zero debris in space.

• The enduring ethnic violence in Manipur is not only claiming lives but also jeopardizing the vibrant cultural fabric of the state.
• For e.g. the artists of Shumang Leela, are bearing the brunt as they have been compelled to abandon their craft for alternative means of survival.

ABOUT SHUMANG LEELA

• It is the traditional Meitei courtyard theatre.
• The tradition is believed to be descended from Lai Haraoba, a ritual of the Meitei community of Manipur.
• Shumang Leela involves a unique portrayal of male artists in female roles and vice versa.
  • Often, the female roles are taken up by transgender actors.
• It started as a comic genre for royalty and has evolved into a powerful medium for mass education, entertainment, and relaxation.
• Shumang Leela translates to “courtyard performance”.
• It is performed in an open courtyard surrounded by spectators on all four sides.
• The plays serve as a medium to spread awareness among people of social, political and economic issues.
  • Shumang Leelas may also discuss moral values, unity and integrity.
• Shumang Leela is of two types:
  • Nupa Shumang Leela, performed only by men, and
  • Nupi Shumang Leela, performed only by women.