Current Context : Maharastra has won the Best Agriculture State Award for 2024.

Award is announced by the 15th Agriculture Leadership Awards Committee.

• Maharashtra has been chosen for this award for its innovative agricultural and rural initiatives, which have led to the advancement of agricultural and rural prosperity in the state.

ABOUT AWARD

• The annual Agricultural Leadership Award was instituted by Agricultural Today magazine in 2008.
• The award honours the contributions of various stakeholders—government, individuals, and organisations—who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in agriculture.

Current Context : Recently, Chief Minister allocated Rs 201 crore for the construction of a state-of-the-art milk processing plant at Dhagwar village in Kangra.

Objective : to enhance the economic prosperity of farmers in Kangra, Hamirpur, Chamba and Una districts.

ABOUT PROCESSING PLANT

• Developed in collaboration with the National Dairy Development Board.
• Production Capacity : 1.50 lakh litres per day,can be expanded up to 3 lakh litres per day.
• Products : curd, lassi, butter, ghee, paneer, flavoured milk, khoya and mozzarella cheese.

Current Context : The Karnataka government has ordered implementation of ‘Naavu Manujaru’ programme in schools to inculcate social harmony and Constitutional values among children.

ABOUT NAAVU MANUJARU’ PROGRAMME:

• Objective: To improve the capacity of the students to think independently, rationality and understand the pros and cons of every issue. It will also helpful for the overall development of the students.
• Implementation : all government, aided, and unaided primary and high schools of the State, would involve discussions and dialogues for two hours per week (with three periods of 40 minutes).
• It involves discussion on social harmony and its significance.
• It also includes thoughts of social reformers, discussion on nuclear and non-nuclear families, discussion on elimination of inequality and dialogue on constitutional values like equality, liberty and fraternity etc.
• Implementing agency: The Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT) is the implementation authority of this programme.

Current Context : Recently, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has upgraded its Regional Analysis of Indian Ocean (RAIN), system for gathering better information on the health of the Indian Ocean.

• The upgraded version by INCOIS includes sea surface height in addition to salinity and sea surface temperature.

ABOUT REGIONAL ANALYSIS OF INDIAN OCEAN SYSTEM:

• It is a data assimilation system developed in Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).
• The new version has been incorporated with the Sea surface height anomaly (SSHA).
• In the new system, for running ocean models, observations are taken at the ocean’s surface and below the water at depths ranging from 3 metres to 2,000 metres, depending on the requirement.

KEY FACTS ABOUT INDIAN NATIONAL CENTRE FOR OCEAN INFORMATION SERVICES

• Established in 1999 as an autonomous body.
• Ministry : Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and is a unit of the Earth System Science Organization (ESSO).
• Objective : To provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies, and the scientific community through sustained ocean observations and constant improvements through systematic and focused research

Current Context : NASA is set to launch a  CubeSat Radio Interferometry Experiment (CURIE) mission to study the mysteries of solar radio waves.

ABOUT CUBESAT RADIO INTERFEROMETRY EXPERIMENT (CURIE):

• Aim : to investigate the enigmatic origins of radio waves emanating from the Sun, a phenomenon first observed decades ago.
• Technique used : low frequency radio interferometry, marking its first use in space.
• Mission consists of two miniature spacecraft, collectively no larger than a shoebox, which will orbit Earth approximately two miles apart.
• It will measure radio waves in the 0.1 to 19 megahertz range, frequencies blocked by Earth’s upper atmosphere.
• CURIE will orbit 360 miles above Earth’s surface to obtain an clear view of the Sun’s radio waves.
• Once in orbit, the two CURIE spacecraft will separate, deploy their eight-foot antennas, and begin collecting data.
• Sponsored by NASA’s Heliophysics Flight Opportunities for Research and Technology (H-FORT) Program.

Current Context : Scientists are preparing New IVF procedure called mitochondrial donation (currently under trial in Australia) offers a cure to Mito.

• Mitochondria is the Powerhouse of the cells producing 90% of the energy needed to sustain life.
• These are tiny structures in cells that convert the food we eat into the energy our cells need to function.

ABOUT MITO

• Mitochondrial disease (or mito for short) is a group of conditions that affect this ability to generate the energy organs require to work properly.
• Inherited metabolic condition caused by genetic mutation in the DNA.
• It impairs the ability of mitochondria to convert food and oxygen into energy.
• There are two types of DNA :
  • Nuclear DNA is inherited from both parents and which makes us who we are.
  • DNA of the mitochondria, passed down through the mother.

ABOUT MITOCHONDRIAL DONATION

• It is an experimental IVF-based technique that offers people who carry faulty mitochondrial DNA the potential to have genetically related children without passing on the faulty DNA.
• It involves removing the nuclear DNA from the egg of someone who carries faulty mitochondrial DNA and inserting it into a healthy egg donated by someone not affected by mito.

Current Context : Ministry of Coal is working to ensure the disposal and repurposing of Fly Ash generated by thermal power plants.

• The Ministry of Coal, in collaboration with the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI), is in the process of developing a portal to manage the application process for the allocation of mine voids to Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) for fly ash backfilling activities.
• This portal aims to streamline operations and ensure transparency and efficiency

ABOUT FLY ASH

• Fly ash is a byproduct from burning pulverized coal in thermal power generating plants.
• As per the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notification of 2009, the term “fly ash” means and includes, all ash generated such as Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) ash, dry fly ash, bottom ash, pond ash and mound ash.
• Its composition includes silicon dioxide (SiO2), calcium oxide (CaO), and aluminium oxide (Al2O3).
• Uses: Manufacture of building materials, replacement of cement, enhancement of soil fertility etc.

Current Context : Recently, Pakistan has finally completed the 420-metre-long bridge at the Kartarpur Corridor zero line.

ABOUT KARTARPUR CORRIDOR

• The 4-km-long Corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in India’s Punjab state.
• It is a way for Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit one of their religion’s holiest sites in Pakistan without needing a visa.
• Followers of Guru Nanak Dev built the Dera Baba Nanak town.
• Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak is about 1 km from the Indo- Pakistan border and on the east bank of River Ravi while
• Kartarpur Sahib is located on west bank of River Ravi.

Current Context :The 25th PM-STIAC meeting discussed Carbon Capture Utilisation & Storage (CCUS) and Carbon Credit in India.

ABOUT PM-STIAC

• Constituted in August 2018.
• It consist 21-members
• Objective: Synergizing Science & Technology collaborative research with various stakeholders, future preparedness in science and technology, Ensuring an enabling ecosystem for technology-led innovations and entrepreneurship.
• The council advises the PM on science, technology, as well as innovation, but also coordinate the implementation of the PMs vision.
• PM-STIACreplaced the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) to PM and Cabinet.
• The council also oversees the implementation of interventions by concerned S&T departments, agencies, and other government ministries.
• Missions approved by the PM-STIAC: Deep Ocean Exploration Mission, AI (Artificial Intelligence) Mission, National Quantum Mission, Electric Vehicle Mission, and AGNIi Mission, etc.

Current Context : RBI released Financial Inclusion Index for March 2024.

• The value of the Index for March 2024 stands at 64.2 vis-à-vis 60.1 in March 2023

ABOUT FINANCIAL INCLUSION INDEX:

• It is a comprehensive index incorporating details of banking, investments, insurance, postal as well as the pension sector.
• The index captures information on various aspects of financial inclusion in a single value ranging between 0 and 100, where 0 represents complete financial exclusion and 100 indicates full financial inclusion.
• It includes three broad parameters viz., Access (35%), Usage (45%), and Quality (20%).
• It is published annually in July.
• The index is responsive to ease of access, availability and usage of services, and quality of services.