• NITI Aayog has launched ATL Sarthi under Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).
• ATL Sarthi is a comprehensive self-monitoring framework to strengthen the ever-growing ecosystem of Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL).
• It provides a Monitoring and Evaluation framework to enhance the performance of ATLs.
• AIM is establishing ATLs in schools across India to foster curiosity, creativity, and imagination in young minds.
• AIM is Government of India’s flagship initiative to create and promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the country.

• The Singapore Army and Indian Army participated in the 13^thedition of Exercise Bold Kurukshetra, a bilateral armour exercise at Jodhpur Military Station, India.
• First conducted in 2005, this exercise underscores the strong and long-standing bilateral defence relationship between both countries and enhances cooperation between the two armies.
• Other exercise between India and Singapore includes Joint Military Training (Air Force), Trilateral Maritime Exercise SIMTEX (with Thailand) and Exercise Agni Warrior (Army).

• Successful flight-test of Power Take Off (PTO) shaft was conducted on LCA Tejas.
  • PTO shaft, critical component in aircraft, will support the requirements of future fighter aircraft & their variants and offers competitive cost & reduced time of availability.

About LCA Tejas

• LCA Tejas is all weather, single engine, lightweight, highly agile, 4.5 generation, multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft.
• It was designed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Department of Defence Research and Development and produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• Tejas has many advanced features like Beyond Visual Range Missile capabilities, Air-to-Air Refuelling and Air-to-Ground weapons.
• It is equipped with a state-of-the-art satellite-aided inertial navigation system.
• The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme was started by the Government of India in 1984 when they established the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) to manage the LCA programme.
  • It aimed at replacing the ageing Mig 21 fighter planes.

• A tigress recently died of electrocution in a buffer zone of Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
• It is situated in the northeastern part of the state of MP and is bordered by the Guru Ghasidas National Park on the south.
• It is located in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh; it comprises Sanjay National Park and Dubri Wildlife Sanctuary.
• It forms a wildlife corridor connecting Bandhavgarh and Palamau Tiger Reserve.
• Topography:
  • Undulating topography, some small hills interspersed with plain area.
  • Rivers like Banas, Gopad, Mawai, Mahan flow through.
• Flora: It comprises of North Indian moist deciduous peninsular sal and North Indian dry deciduous peninsular sal. The forests in the Dubri sanctuary range from dense to open sal forests with remains of degraded bamboo stumps.
• Fauna: Tiger, Sloth bear, Chital, Nilgai, Chinkara, leopard, Dhole (wild dog) Hyena, Porcupine, Jackal, Fox, Indian Wolf, Indian Python Four-horned Antelope, and Barking deer etc.

• DRDO conducted two consecutive successful flight tests of Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile at Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.
• VSHORADS is a Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPADS) designed and developed indigenously by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad in collaboration with other DRDO facilities and various Indian industry partners.
• It is meant to target low altitude aerial threats at short
• These are lightweight and portable surface-to-air missiles.
• These can be fired by individuals or small groups to destroy aircraft or helicopters.
• Propelled by a dual thrust solid motor, it incorporates many novel technologies including miniaturised Reaction Control System (RCS) and integrated avionics.

• It was launched by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for students for learning science via standards.
• This initiative is in continuity with an earlier BIS initiative under which ‘Standards Clubs’ are being established in educational institutions across India.
  • Over the years, more than 4200 such Clubs have been formed with over one lakh student members.
• The initiative will help students understand their practical applications in manufacturing, functioning and testing of quality characteristics of different products as stated in the relevant Indian Standards.
• The subjects for the lesson plans are largely related to products used in day-to-day life and have been chosen based on their relevance to education as part of the course curriculum as well as to industrial applications.
• BIS officials and resource personnel will be responsible for delivering lesson plans to students for an interactive learning experience.

About Bureau of Indian Standards

• It is the national standards body of India established as Indian Standards Institution in 1947 under the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) Act, 1946.
• It is responsible for the development of standards, product certification, and testing and quality control in India.
• It operates through its headquarters in New Delhi and five regional offices located in Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Chandigarh, and Delhi.
• BIS is also a member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC).

• Recently, Bumchu Festival was celebrated in Tashiding Monastery, located in Sikkim.
• Bumchu festival commemorates a supernatural occurrence that took place in 18th century under Chogyal Chakdor Namgyal. Bumchu means “pot of sacred water” in Tibetan.
• The vase is opened during the event, and water inside is thought to have healing qualities shared among the worshippers.
• Celebration takes place on 14th and 15th of first lunar month, which often falls in February or March.
• Tashiding Monastery is one of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites.
• It is believed that during his journey to Sikkim in the eighth century, Guru Padmasambhava, better known as Guru Rinpoche, the great Buddhist guru who brought Buddhism to Tibet, blessed the location of the monastery.
• A Nyingma teacher named Ngadak Sempa Chempo Phunshok Rigzing later founded the monastery in the 17th century on top of a hill between two rivers, Rangit and Rathong.

• The Telugu movie ‘RRR’, which won the Best Original Song for ‘Naatu Naatu’ at the 2023 Oscars, is inspired by the lives of Indian freedom fighters Alluri Sitharama Raju and Komaram Bheem.

1. Alluri Sitharama Raju
   1. Alluri Sitarama Raju, born in Andhra Pradesh in 1897/1898, led the Rampa or Manyam Rebellion of 1922 and was involved in opposing the British in response to the 1882 Madras Forest Act.
   2. The Forest Act of 1882 banned the collection of minor forest produce such as roots and leaves, and tribal people were forced into labour by the colonial government.
   3. The Rampa or Manyam Rebellion continued in the form of a guerrilla war until May 1924, when Raju, the charismatic ‘Manyam Veerudu’ (Hero of Jungle), was finally captured and executed.
2. Komaram Bheem
   1. Komram Bheem was born in 1900/1901 in the Gond tribal community at Sankepally village in Komaram Bheem dstrict of Telangana.
   2. He led the rebellion against the feudal Nizams of Hyderabad.
   3. He spread the message of “Jal, Jangal, Zameen” among tribal people, which became a clarion call for indigenous people’s rights to natural resources.

• The Cycling Association of Himachal Pradesh (CAHP) will conduct an open state MTB (Mountain Biking /Cycling) championship in Shimla on March 19.
• The venue for the championship will be Summerhill.
• Two events will be held in the championship — ITT (Individual Time Trial) and MTB XCO (Cross Country Olympic).
• Only a bona fide resident of Himachal Pradesh is allowed to participate in the state championship.

• The annual Chaitra Mela at Baba Balak Nath Temple started at Deotsidh in the Hamirpur.
• Deputy Commissioner raised the religious flag of Baba Balak Nath temple and participated in the inaugural prayers.
• The festival would continue for one month and devotees from all parts of the country and also abroad come here to pay obeisance at the temple.