• World Wide Web Day, observed on August 1^st annually, recognizes the birth of one of the most transformative inventions of modern history— the World Wide Web (WWW).
• Created by English computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 while working at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), the WWW has revolutionised how we communicate, learn, and interact.
• It was on this day in 1991 that Berners-Lee posted a groundbreaking proposal for the World Wide Web on the hypertext newsgroup.
• He developed the fundamental principles of the web—HTTP, HTML, the WorldWideWeb browser, a server, and the first website.

• The logo, slogan-Jan Jan Sakshar and mobile application of ULLAS was launched recently.
• ULLAS mobile application marks a significant milestone in harnessing the potential of technology to facilitate widespread access to basic literacy.
• The app is available both on android and iOS.
• It will serve as a digital gateway for learners to engage in diverse learning resources through the DIKSHA portal of NCERT.
• The app can be used for registration of learners and volunteers either through self-registration or by surveyors.
• It also fosters a culture of continuous learning and knowledge-sharing in communities across India.

ABOUT ULLAS INITIATIVE

• The ULLAS (Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society) initiative is poised to revolutionise education and literacy across the nation, by fostering a learning ecosystem that reaches every individual, bridging the gaps in basic literacy and critical lifeskills.
• It imparts basic education, digital and financial literacy and critical life skills to citizens aged 15 and above who lost on the opportunity to go to school.
• It is being implemented through volunteerism.
• Slogan of the Initiative: ULLAS: Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram.

• Open AI CEO Sam Altman along with two co-founders launched the Worldcoin crypto project to grant users a verified digital identity and access to a financial project.
  • OpenAi was the company behind the AI chatbot ChatGPT.
• It is intended to be the world’s largest identity and financial public network, open to everyone regardless of their country, background or economic status.
• WorldCoin wants to offer users an account that only “real humans” can get, through what it calls a “World ID”.
• For this, a customer has to sign up and do an in-person eye scan at particular locations, where their irises would be scanned through a ball-like object called an ‘orb’.
  • Once the orb’s iris scan verifies the person is a real human, it creates a World ID for them.

• A constable of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) allegedly shot and killed four people on board the Mumbai-bound 12956 Jaipur-Mumbai Superfast Express recently.

ABOUT RAILWAY PROTECTION FORCE

• The RPF is an armed force under the operational and administrative control of the Union Ministry of Railways, which is tasked with protecting and securing railway property, the passenger areas, and the passengers themselves.
• The RPF was set up as a consequence of The Railway Protection Force Act, 1957, enacted by Parliament.
• The Act came into force after Parliament passed significant modifications to it through The Railway Protection Force (Amendment) Act, 1985 (Act No. 60 of 1985). Rules under the Act were notified in 1987.
• The RPF is led by a director-general.

ABOUT GOVERNMENT RAILWAY POLICE (GRP)

• The GRP is a part of the district police force, reporting to the state government.
• It works alongside the RPF, and should, under ideal circumstances, complement and strengthen its operations.
• The Government Railway Police are responsible generally for the prevention and detection of crime on railways.
  • But their remit does not extend to protecting Railway property.
  • The protection of goods sheds, goods wagons at stations and parcel offices is not duty of the Railway Police, but of the Railway Protection Force.

• The 2023 Plastic Overshoot Day Report was recently released by the Swiss-based research consultancy Earth Action.
  • Plastic Overshoot Day represents the day in a calendar year when humanity produces and consumes more plastic than the world’s capacity to effectively manage and recycle.
  • It is based on country’s Mismanaged Waste Index (MWI) e., the ratio of the mismanaged waste and the total waste.
• For 2023, Plastic Overshoot Day landed on July 28^th.
• The report reveals that 52% of the world’s mismanaged plastic waste comes from 12 countries, including India, China, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, Mexico, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, and Kazakhstan.
• It states that nearly 68,642,999 tonnes of additional plastic waste will end up in nature this year.
• India specific findings
  • According to EA’s Mismanaged Waste Index (MWI), India ranks fourth, with 55% of its generated waste being mismanaged.
  • India is categorized as ‘The Waste Sponges’. It refers to a low consumption yet a high level of plastic pollution.
  • Annual per capita plastic consumption is 3 kg/capita/year.
    • This is significantly lower than the global average of 20.9 kg.

• The government has brought a Bill to include four communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Jammu and Kashmir: “Gadda Brahmin”, “Koli”, “Paddari Tribe”, and “Pahari Ethnic Group”.
• The proposed expansion of the ST list has triggered unrest among the Gujjar-Bakerwal.
  • With a population of almost 18 lakh, the Gujjar-Bakerwal are the third largest group after Kashmiris and Dogras in J&K.
  • They were given ST status in 1991, along with the two smaller groups of Gaddis and Sippis.
• Gujjar-Bakerwal leaders are especially agitated with the proposed ST status for Paharis and Paddaris.
  • Gadda Brahmins and Kolis are very small communities; also, according to the protesters, Gadda Brahmins are a branch of the Gaddis while Kolis are a sub-caste of Sippis — both these communities are already in the ST list.

ABOUT PAHARI AND PADDARI TRIBES

• Pahari tribe are Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, and include people of Kashmiri origin who settled in districts of Rajouri and Poonch.
• Paddari tribe lives in the remote Paddar area of the hilly Kishtwar district.
  • The 2011 census recorded the Paddari population at 21,548, comprising 6% Hindus, 9.5% Buddhists, and 6.8% Muslims.
  • Paddari homeland borders Zanskar (Ladakh) in north and east, Pangi (Himachal Pradesh) in south, and rest of J&K in west.

THE OPPOSITION

• Gujjar-Bakerwal opposition to the proposed inclusion of the Paddari Tribe in the ST list is based on the argument that they do not constitute a single ethic group, but are a mix of individuals from different castes and religions who speak a particular language.

• Two Indian military aircrafts recently visited Australia’s strategic Cocos (Keeling) Islands (CKI).
• CKI is an Australian external territory located in the Indian Ocean, approximately 3,000 km north-west of Perth in western Australia, and comprises two coral atolls made up of 27 smaller islands.

Note

• Not to be confused with Coco islands (under Myanmar) and Coco channel near Andaman Islands.

• Over 85% cure rate has been seen in modified BPaL regimen trial for Tuberculosis.
• The BPaL regimen is an all oral, short treatment course which uses only three drugs — bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid — and the treatment lasts only for 26 weeks.
  • In contrast, conventional treatment for (Drug resistant)DR-TB, requires 8-9 tablets to be taken each day for 18 months
• The shorter duration of the BPaL regimen also means that people undergoing the treatment cannot miss even one dose. In short, treatment adherence should be very good.
• India is targeting to reduce TB incidence by 80% and TB deaths by 90% by 2025.

• Scientists from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) Prayagraj Centre have discovered a new hemiparasitic (partially parasitic) plant species, Pedicularis Revealiana, in the state of
• Along with making its own food, it has the ability to gather nutrients from the roots of trees and plants located nearby.

• Over 1,200 biogas plants, including 320 compressed biogas (CBG) units and 892 conventional plants across 450 districts, have registered on the Gobardhan portal since it was launched in June.
• The Gobardhan initiative is aimed at creating a conducive environment for the biogas and CBG sector.
• The portal was initiated to streamline the registration process for operational, under-construction, and planned biogas or CBG plants across the country.
• It allows any government, cooperative or private entity operating or intending to set up a Biogas/CBG/Bio-CNG plant in India to obtain a registration number by enrolling in the portal.
• The portal has been developed by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
• It serves as a centralized repository for assessing investment and participation in the Biogas/CBG (Compressed Biogas) sector at a pan-India level.

ABOUT GOBARDHAN SCHEME

• Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan is a crucial umbrella initiative launched in 2018 as a national priority project under the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen-Phase II program.
• It aims to generate wealth and energy by converting cattle dung, agricultural residue, and other organic waste into Biogas, CBG and bio-fertilizers.
• It adopts a whole-of-government approach and aims to convert waste into wealth, thereby promoting a circular economy.
• The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under Ministry of Jal Shakti is the nodal office.