• During a close Mercury flyby, BepiColombo spacecraft collected data that showed how electrons raining down on the planet’s suface are triggering X-ray auroras.
• BepiColombo is a joint mision by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to the planet Mercury.
• The mission was named after Giuseppe “Bepi” Colombo, an Italian mathematician and engineer who made significant contributions to the understanding of Mercury’s orbit.
• The BepiColombo spacecraft consists of two main components:
  • Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO): The MPO is primarily provided by ESA and is responsible for mapping and studying Mercury’s surface, as well as its composition and topography.
  • Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO): The MMO is provided by JAXA and focuses on studying Mercury’s magnetic field and magnetosphere.
• Auroras on Earth are triggered when a stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun interact with the ionosphere.
• But Mercury has a very thin atmosphere (called an exosphere).
• Auroras on the planet are created when solar wind, the stream of particles, interact directly with the planet’s surface.

• Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri recently dedicated to the people, three community utility buildings in the Haroli sub-division in Una. A sum of Rs 51 lakh has been spent on these.
• The three buildings have been constructed in Beetan, Hira Nagar and Gondpur Jaichand villages.
• Other than that, 15 new tubewells are being set up in Beetan and Singan villages to mitigate water scarcity in the upper reaches of the Haroli Assembly segment.
• A water storage tank with a capacity of 25 lakh litre is being constructed in Amrali village and will be the biggest storage tank in the state.

• Satwiksairaj Rankireddy made history in the ongoing Korea Open 2023 by establishing a Guinness world record for the fastest hit of 565 km/h in badminton by a male player.
• Previously, the record was held by Malaysian player Tan Boon Heong, who had recorded a speed of 493 km/h with his smash.

• India and Japan have recently signed an agreement to jointly develop the semiconductor ecosystem.
• The deal aims to bolster the resilience of the global supply chain, particularly in the crucial semiconductor industry.
• This makes Japan the second Quad partner, after the United States, to join hands with India in semiconductor development.

• Rakesh Pal has been appointed as the 25^th Director General of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
• He is an alumnus of the Indian Naval Academy and joined Indian Coast Guard in January 1989.
• He holds the recognition of being the First Gunner of ICG.

• Ministry of Heavy Industries has recently announced the re-bidding of ACC manufacturing under PLI Scheme on ‘National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage’.
• ACCs are new generation of advanced storage technologies that can store electric energy, either as electrochemical or as chemical energy, and convert it back to electric energy as and when required.
• Applications- electric vehicles, maintaining grid stability, solar rooftop, consumer electronics etc.
• The government has approved the PLI scheme ‘National Programme on ACC Battery Storage’ for achieving a manufacturing capacity of 50 Giga Watt Hour (GWh) of ACC to enhance manufacturing capabilities with a budgetary outlay of Rs 18,100 crore.

• J R Oppenheimer was an American scientist who played a key role in the success of Manhattan Project, code name for American-led effort to develop a functional atomic weapon during World War II.
• He is often known as the “father of the atomic bomb’’.
• His research helped in creation of first nuclear bombs.
• The first atomic bomb was tested roughly 340 km south of Los Alamos. It was known as the ‘Trinity Test’, and was the culmination of years of work by the group of scientists Oppenheimer put together and led.
• He was awarded the Enrico Fermi Award of the Atomic Energy Commission.
• The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki set in motion a nuclear arms race that was to change global geopolitics forever.
  • The Soviets tested their first atomic bomb in 1949, the British in 1952, the French in 1960, and the Chinese in
• Later on, Oppenheimer actively opposed nuclear weapons and their unchecked proliferation.

• A new agreement has been signed by Indian Navy with Ministry of culture to revive/rejuvenate 2,000-Year-Old Shipbuilding Technique and construction of the stitched ship.
• The stitched ship is made by stitching wooden planks.
• These ships are more durable as nails are not used.
• It makes them less susceptible to damage from shoals and sandbars.
• The Indian Navy will oversee the implementation and execution of the entire project adhering to the highest standards of safety and precision.
• Arrival of European ships led to a shift in shipbuilding techniques.
• However this art is still practiced in a few coastal regions of India, mainly for small local fishing boats.
• Importance – The revival of the stitched shipbuilding method is vital for preserving India’s rich maritime heritage and cultural history. Furthermore, it aims to promote cultural memories and strengthen ties with Indian Ocean littoral countries.

• President of India presented the “Bhoomi Samman” 2023 at a function organised recently by the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
• She presented the Bhoomi Samman awards to 68 district collectors and nine state secretaries for their accomplishments in the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP).
• In the field of Digital India Land Records modernization, Madhya Pradesh has secured the first position in the country in both state and district categories.
• 15 districts of Madhya Pradesh have been awarded Platinum Grading for 100 % achievement in all the components of Digital India Land Records Management Programme.

ABOUT DILRMP

• The Digital India Land Records Management Programme is a central sector scheme being run by the Department of Land Resources (under the Ministry of Rural Development) since 2008-09 with 100% central government funding.
• Objective– It attempts to build upon the commonalities that exist in the arena of land records in various States to develop an appropriate Integrated Land Information Management System (ILIMS) across the country.
  • The ILIMS integrates all the processes and lands records databases with the banks, financial institutions, circle rates, Registration Offices and other sectors.
• Major components: Computerization of land records, Survey/re-survey, Computerization of Registration.
• Under the programme, a monthly grading system has been implemented, based on the data recorded on the Management Information System (MIS) of the programme to reward the districts that have done well since January 2022.
  • It offers Silver grades ranging from 90% to 95%, Gold from 95% to 99% and Platinum grades at more than 99% work efficiency.

• Nivruti Rai has joined as the new Managing Director & CEO of Invest India.

ABOUT INVEST INDIA

• It is the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency that helps investors looking for investment opportunities and options in India.
• It was formed under Section 25 of the Companies Act 1956.
• It was set up in 2009 as a non-profit venture under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• It is set up as a joint venture company between Industry Associations (17% each of FICCI, CII & NASSCOM) and remaining 49% of Central and 19 State Governments.
• Invest India focuses on sector-specific investor targeting and development of new partnerships to enable sustainable investments in India.
• It also actively works with several Indian states to build capacity as well as bring in global best practices in investment targeting, promotion and facilitation areas.
• It also plays a role in executing the government’s flagship initiatives including Make in India, Startup India, and National Single Window System.