• The child helpline number 1098 will be merged with the emergency response support system 112.
• It is a 24-hour a day, 365 days a year, free, emergency phone service for children in need of aid and assistance.
• CHILDLINE India Foundation (CIF) is the nodal agency for the monitoring and maintenance of the helpline. It functions under union Ministry of Women and Child Development.

• The Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority (SOUADTGA) has recently issued a tender to resume the suspended helicopter joyride services at the Statue of Unity.

ABOUT STATUE OF UNITY

• It was created as a tribute to the ‘Iron Man of India’, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• It is located in Gujarat, by the banks of River Narmada on the River Island of Sadhu Bet overlooking the Narmada Dam.
• The statue, 182-metre tall, is described as the world’s tallest as it exceeds the height of China’s Spring Temple Buddha by 177 feet.
• The statue was built by Indian construction major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and designed by Padma Bhushan-winning sculptor Ram V Sutar.

• A number of European institutions have formed the Einstein Telescope Collaboration to build a next generation gravitational wave observatory deep beneath the surface of the Earth.
• CERN has entered into an agreement with the collaboration in 2022, and held a workshop earlier this year.
• CERN is bringing its expertise with underground vacuum chambers to the table.

ABOUT EINSTEIN TELESCOPE

• It is an advanced gravitational-wave observatory, currently in the planning stage.
• It builds on the success of current, second-generation laser-interferometric detectors Advanced Virgo and Advanced LIGO, whose breakthrough discoveries of merging black holes (BHs) and neutron stars over the past 5 years have ushered scientists into the new era of gravitational-wave astronomy.
• The Einstein Telescope will achieve a greatly improved sensitivity by increasing the size of the interferometer from the 3km arm length of the Virgo detector to 10km, and by implementing a series of new technologies.
• The expected sensitivity of the Einstein Telescope will be at least a factor of ten times that of Ligo.

ABOUT CERN

• CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research where scientists probe the fundamental structure of the universe.
• Established in 1954.
• It has 23 member states– 22 members are European countries while Israel is the only non-European nation that has full membership in CERN.
• India is the associate member of CERN.
• CERN is located in Geneva and it is an official Observer to the United Nations (UN).

ABOUT GRAVITATIONAL WAVES

• They are ‘ripples’ in space-time caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the Universe.
• Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916 in his general theory of relativity.
• These cosmic ripples travel at the speed of light, carrying with them information about their origins, as well as clues to the nature of gravity itself.
• The strongest gravitational waves are produced by cataclysmic events such as colliding black holes, supernovae, and colliding neutron stars.

• Gangotri national park (GNP) authorities would soon be transferring around 50 hectares of land to Army and ITBP to develop new bunkers and border outposts near the LAC.

ABOUT GANGOTRI NATIONAL PARK

• It was established in 1989 and is situated in Uttarkashi, Uttrakhand in the upper catchment of Bhagirathi River.
• Gaumukh at Gangotri glacier, the origin of river Ganga, is located inside the park.
• The park area forms a viable continuity between Govind National Park and Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The northeastern section of the park forms the international boundary of India and Tibet (China).
• Area- 2,390 sq km across a highly mountainous part of the country.
• Major peaks within the park include Chaukhamba I, Satopanth, Chaukhamba II, Chaukhamba III, and Kedarnath Main.
• Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests dominate at lower elevation.
  • These forests are filled with fir trees intermixed with deodar, oak, spruce, and rhododendrons trees.
• Higher elevations in the park are home to Western Himalayan alpine shrubs.
  • Alpine meadows are also common beneath the massive glaciers.
• Various rare and endangered species like bharal or blue sheep, black bear, brown bear, himalayan monal, himalayan snowcock, himalayan tahr, musk deer and snow leopard are found in the park.

• It is observed annually on June 21^st.
• It is officially recognized and implemented by the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO).
• It serves as a platform to highlight the crucial work carried out by hydrographers worldwide and to promote the significance of hydrography itself.
• The theme for this year is: “Hydrography – underpinning the digital twin of the ocean.”

ABOUT HYDROGRAPHY

• Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences that deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time.
• This is done mainly with specialised ships and boats operating echo sounders and sonars, but also using survey aircraft fitted with lasers.
• Hydrography also involves measuring the tide and the currents.
• It includes shore features, natural and manmade, lights and towers that will aid in fixing a ship’s position, as well as the physical aspects of the sea and seabed.
• The most well-known application of hydrographic information is for making the nautical charts that all mariners use for navigation.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL HYDROGRAPHIC ORGANISATION (IHO):

• IHO was established in 1921 as a prominent entity focused on addressing various aspects of marine life.

• HQ – Monaco
• It works to ensure that all the world’s seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted, thereby supporting the safety of navigation and the protection of the marine environment.
• It coordinates the activities of national hydrographic offices and sets standards in order to promote uniformity in nautical charts and documents.

• Water, Ice, Society, and Ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (Hi-Wise) Report was recently released by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
• The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) is one of the highest mountain ranges in the world. It is also referred as the Third Pole and water tower of Asia.

MAJOR FINDINGS-

• Many areas around the world have passed “peak water” and communities are dealing with less glacier meltwater.
  • For the HKH, the peak point has not been reached yet, but it is coming soon.
• As Himalayan glaciers melt due to climate change, water availability in the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra is set to increase (through 2050) in the short term and decrease in the long term (~80% by 2100).
• The HKH has seen a 65% faster loss of glacier mass.
• The Eastern/ lesser Himalayas have fewer glaciers compared to their western counterparts. Hence, rivers in the region get less contribution from glaciers and are less likely to be affected overall.
• Climate change is severely affecting biodiversity in HKH.
  • For example, the habitat of Himalayan ibex is likely to reduce by 33 to 64%.

ABOUT ICIMOD

• It is a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge-sharing centre serving the 8 regional member countries (RMCs) of the HKH region – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
• It was established in 1983 and is headquartered at Lalitpur, which is located in the Kathmandu valley of Nepal.
• ICIMOD promotes and fosters partnerships amongst the RMCs to secure a better future for the people and environment of the HKH region.

• India’s first indigenous mRNA vaccine for the Omicron variant, GEMCOVAC-OM, developed by Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd, was approved under emergency use guidelines by the Drug Controller General of India
• It is a mRNA COVID-19 booster vaccine.
• It is a lyophilized (freeze dried) vaccine, stable at 2- 8 °C, is delivered using a device called Tropis.
  • Tropis use the technology that propels liquid at high pressure to deliver vaccines through the skin without utilising needles.
• Clinical trials and approval of new drugs/vaccines are governed by the New Drugs and Clinical Trial Rules 2019 under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
• Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) headed by the DCGI is the authority to grant approval of Vaccine.
• Vaccine Testing and subsequent approval involves preclinical phase (without testing on humans) and three phases of human clinical trials.

ABOUT MRNA VACCINE

• It is type of vaccine that use messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules to provide instructions to the body’s cells for producing a protein that triggers an immune response against a pathogen.
  • Messenger RNA is a type of RNA that is necessary for protein production.
• Once the mRNA is injected into the body, the cells read the instructions and produces the protein.
• This then stimulates the immune system to recognize and mount a response against the targeted pathogen.
• mRNA from vaccines does not enter the nucleus and does not alter DNA.

• An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 was recently recorded in Gulf of California.
• The Gulf of California, also called the Sea of Cortez is a large inlet of the eastern Pacific Ocean along the northwestern coast of Mexico.
• Its another name is Vermilion Sea.
• It separates the mountainous Lower California Peninsula/Baja California Peninsula in the west from the states of Sonora and Sinaloa on the mainland of Mexico in the east.
• The Gulf is divided into two portions and is separated by a narrowing that is marked by the islands of Tiburón and Angel de la Guarda.
• The Colorado River drains into the Gulf.
• The long coastline of the gulf is extremely irregular and forms numerous small bays.

• Indian Army will participate in Ex Khaan Quest (in Mongolia), a multinational peacekeeping joint exercise.
• It features participation from military contingents and observers from over 20 countries.
• The exercise is co-sponsored by Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) and the United States Army Pacific Command (USARPAC).
• The Indian Army is represented by a contingent from the GARHWAL RIFLES.
• The exercise will prepare participants for future UN Peacekeeping missions, develop peace operations capabilities and enhance military readiness.

• DAKSHTA (Development of Attitude, Knowledge, Skill for Holistic Transformation in Administration) For Young Professionals, was launched recently on the iGOT Karmayogi Platform
• Objective– To equip young professionals and consultants in government with the necessary competencies to effectively discharge their duties and responsibilities.
• It consists of 18 courses and the collection covers a wide range of subjects crucial to their roles, including data-driven decision making, code of conduct, communication skills, public policy research, stress management, and more.
• The iGOT Karmayogi Platform, an online portal established under the Mission Karmayogi, offers a comprehensive resource for capacity building, career management, and networking for government officials.
  • Nodal Ministry- Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions