• Indian lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar is to be honored with the Padmapani Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Ajanta-Ellora Film Festival.
• The honour comprises Padmapani memento, citation and monetary award of Rs 2 lakhs.
• The award honors his contribution to the Indian Film Industry.
• Akhtar has been a co-writer in movies like ‘Zanjeer’ ‘Deewar’ ‘Don’ and more.
• The Ajanta-Ellora Film Festival, which was earlier called Aurangabad International Film Festival (AIFF), is organised annually by Nath Group, Yashwantrao Chavan Centre, Mumbai, with the support of the governments of Maharashtra and India.

• The total enrolment under the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) has crossed 6 crore, with over 79 lakh enrolments in the current Financial Year.

ABOUT ATAL PENSION YOJANA

• APY, launched in 2015, is a flagship social security scheme of the Government of India.
• It aims to provide old age income security to Indian citizens, with a particular focus on the poor, underprivileged, and workers in the unorganised sectors.
• The minimum age of joining the APY is 18 years and the maximum age is 40 years.
• Under APY, the subscriber is eligible to get triple benefits-
  • Lifelong monthly pension of Rs1000 to ₹5000 from the age of 60 years, depending on their contributions, which itself would vary based on the age of joining the APY.
    • Accordingly, the per month subscription amount presently varies from Rs 42 to Rs 1,454 based on the chosen option.
  • The same pension would be paid to the spouse of the subscriber after the demise of the subscriber.
  • On the demise of both the subscriber and spouse, the pension wealth as accumulated till age 60 of the subscriber would be returned to the nominee.

• Quality of Living Index 2023 was recently released by Mercer, a global consultant for businesses.
• Vienna (Austria), Zurich (Switzerland) and Vancouver (Canada) are the top three cities in that order, according to the 2023 index.
• It evaluates the quality of life for employees working abroad, especially with families, and relies on data from over 500 cities all over the world.
• The ranking is based on factors like climate, schools and education, disease and sanitation standards, violence and crime, physical remoteness and ease of communications and socio-political environment.
• Hyderabad with a rank of 153, Pune at 154 and Bengaluru in the 156th position are the three highest placed among Indian cities.
  • Chennai is the fourth Indian city in the list at the 161 spot followed by Mumbai at 164.

• Toys made in Channapatna near Bengaluru have now become part of children’s academic activities in Afghanistan.
• The famed wooden toys are made by artisans in and around Channapatna town of Ramanagara district.
• There are over 250 cottage units and around 50 factories that make toys in Channapatna.
• Channapatna is also known as Gombegala Ooru (toy-town).
• This traditional craft of Karnataka has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2005.
• Toys in Channapatna are made from a particular type of wood known as “Aale mara” or ivory wood sourced from nearby forests.
• These toys are distinguished by their lacquered finish, achieved through natural dyes derived from vegetable extracts.
• The vibrant colors and glossy finish of Channapatna toys set them apart from other wooden crafts.
• Channapatna toys are ideal for children as the chemical dye is not used in them and they come without sharp edges.

• The birth anniversary of Baba Raghav Das was observed recently.

ABOUT BABA RAGHAV DAS

• Baba Raghav Das, popularly known as ‘Gandhi of Poorvanchal’, was born in a rich Brahman family on 12 December 1896 at Pune, Maharastra.
• He played a great role in the political, social, economic, and the cultural activities of the nation.
• After his education he left Mumbai in 1913 in search of a siddh guru and reached Kashi and later Ghazipur, where he met ‘Mauni baba’ and learned Hindi.
  • After that, he met ‘Yogiraj Anant Mahaprabhu’ and accepted him as his guru.
• In 1921, Mahatma Gandhi visited Gorakhpur and met him.
  • Since then he continuously worked for independence and served the oppressed people.
• He was imprisoned for the first time in 1921.
• He accompanied Gandhiji during Dandi March.
• Post independence, he contested in the elections and was elected MLA in 1948.
• He also took an active part in the ‘Bhu-dan’ movement started by Binoba Bhave.
• The noble saint and philosopher left for his heavenly abode on January 15, 1958.

• INS Tarmugli, a Fast Attack Craft has been commissioned into the Navy.
• The vessel was originally designed and constructed by Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers and was commissioned into the Indian Navy on March 17, 2001.
• The Trinkat Class FAC which was gifted to the Maldivian Naval Defence Forces (MNDF) in 2006 by India.
• The ship was returned in May 2023 and post extensive restoration work by the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam, was reincarnated in its present avatar.
• The warship is fitted with advanced MTU engines, water jet propulsion, latest communication equipment, a 30 mm gun and an advanced Radar system
• It will be extensively used for coastal surveillance and protection of our ODAs in the KG Basin area and along the East Coast of India.
• INS Tarmugli would operate under the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Andhra Pradesh).
• It is named after a picturesque island in the Andaman group.
• The 320-tonne INS Tarmugli, measuring 48 meters in length, can achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots.

• Recently, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath stated that ISRO will be independently developing the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) for the Gaganyaan mission.
• The system is being termed pivotal by experts for sustaining human life beyond the Earth’s confines.

ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM (ECLSS)

• The ECLSS, a technological cornerstone, intricately manages air quality and water supply essential for astronaut survival in the challenging environment of space.
• Using mechanisms incorporating activated charcoal beds, catalytic oxidizers, and molecular sieves, this system impeccably regulates cabin air quality, ensuring a breathable atmosphere for the crew.
• The Oxygen Generation System, employing cutting-edge electrolysis, separates water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen gas.
  • This closed-loop process ensures a constant oxygen supply for breathing while efficiently utilizing hydrogen byproducts to generate water.
• Additionally, the Water Recovery System reclaims and purifies water from diverse sources, including crew members’ urine and cabin humidity.
• Air Revitalization System is dedicated to cleaning circulating cabin air.

ABOUT GAGANYAAN

• The Gaganyaan project envisages a demonstration of Indian Space Research Organisation’s human spaceflight capability by launching a 3-member crew to an orbit of 400 km for 3 days and bringing them safely back to earth by landing in Indian sea waters.
• Launch vehicle – LVM3 (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III).
• It consists of solid stage, liquid stage and cryogenic stage.

• The Haemophilia & Health Collective of North (HHCN) in collaboration with National Health Mission (NHM) representatives from 16 states have proposed guidelines for the treatment of Persons with Haemophilia (PwH) in India.
• The guidelines will address the “vaccum” that existed with respect to treatment and management of this rare disorder and consequently help both healthcare professionals and patients.
• HHCN is a registered body of India’s leading healthcare professionals working in the domain of haemophilia care for over two decades.

ABOUT HAEMOPHILIA

• Haemophilia is a rare and usually inherited bleeding disorder in which patients have a fault in a gene that regulates production of proteins called clotting factors.
• This disorder can lead to spontaneous bleeding as well as bleeding following injuries or surgery.
• Since the gene is carried on the X chromosome, hemophilia is almost entirely a male disease.
• Types-
  • The most common type of Haemophilia is called Haemophilia A where the person does not have enough clotting factor 8.
    • Haemophilia A, occurs in about 1 in 5,000 births.
  • In Haemophilia B, person lacks enough factor 9.
    • Haemophilia B is even rarer at about 1 in about 20,000 births.
  • Haemophilia C, also known as Rosenthal syndrome occurs due to the deficiency of factor 11.

• The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit announced the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration.
• India is hosting the summit and will chair the GPAI grouping in 2024.

ABOUT THE DECLARATION

• The declaration affirms the countries’ commitment to “principles for responsible stewardship of trustworthy AI, rooted in democratic values and human rights and promoting trustworthy, responsible, sustainable and human-centred use of AI.”
• The declaration agreed to collaboratively develop AI applications in healthcare and agriculture, as well as including the needs of the Global South in development of AI.
• Participating nations agreed upon using the GPAI platform to create a global framework on AI trust and safety, and make AI solutions and benefits available for all.
• It commits countries to work on mitigating “concerns around misinformation and disinformation, unemployment, lack of transparency and fairness, protection of intellectual property and personal data.”

ABOUT GPAI

• Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) is a multi-stakeholder initiative which aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge research and applied activities on AI-related priorities.
• Launched – 2020
• It strives to work towards “trustworthy development, deployment, and use of AI”.
• GPAI is a grouping of countries in North and South America, Europe, and East Asia and consists of 29 member nations including the European Union.
  • India is a founding member of GPAI.
• GPAI has a Council and a Steering Committee, supported by a Secretariat hosted by the OECD in Paris.
• It has two Centres of Expertise–
  • CEIMIA, the International Centre of Expertise in Montreal for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence in Montreal and
  • INRIA, the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology in Paris.
  • A third ‘expert support centre’ for AI was announced in Japan at the recent GPAI summit.

• In a major boost for the Indian Army, the Defence Ministry has approved a Rs 2,800 crore proposal for buying around 6,400 rockets for Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher systems.
• The Defence Ministry’s Defence Acquisition Council’s cleared the proposal for the acquisition of two types of these rockets, known as Area Denial Munition Type 2 and Type-3.
• The rockets would be procured by the Indian Army from indigenous sources only.
• Two prominent contenders for the rocket supply contract are Economic Explosives Limited of Solar Industries and Munitions India Limited.
• It is named after the bow of Hindu god Shiva.
• It has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
• The weapon system is one of the first few Indian military terms to have been exported to foreign countries, including Armenia.
• As part of larger artillery modernisation plans, the army has a requirement of 22 regiments of the Pinaka MBRL.
  • Pinaka regiments of the Indian Army include launchers with automated gun aiming and positioning systems and command posts.