• Founded by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921, Visva-Bharati University will soon get ‘heritage’tag from UNESCO to take distinction of world’s first living heritage university.
  • World Heritage Sites are cultural and/or natural sites of ‘Outstanding Universal Value; which are important across countries and generations.
• When founded in 1921 on 1,130 acres of land, it was named after Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore until Visva-Bharati Society was registered as an organisation in May 1922. Rabindranath Tagore donated some of his property, including land and a bungalow, to the society.
• University was inaugurated as a Centre for Culture with exploration into arts, language, humanities, music and these are reflected in diverse institutes.
• Structures in these institutes constitute a myriad of architectural expressions which are as diverse as the Kalo Bari (a mud structure with coal tar finish and sculpture panels), Mastermoshai studio (a single storied structure built for the first principal of Kala Bhavan, Nandalal Bose), etc.
• University has an open-air education system.
• Until Independence, it was a college and the institution was given the status of Central University in 1951 through a central Act.
• Its first vice-chancellor was Rathindranath Tagore, the son of Rabindranath Tagore, and the second vice-chancellor was grandfather of another Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen.

• A committee constituted by the Supreme Court on saving the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) has urged the apex court to pass directions for expediting the underground laying of power transmission lines in priority and potential GIB habitats in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• SC had constituted a 3- member committee to determine technical feasibility of future underground power lines.
• Committee recommended to install bird diverters which are flaps installed on power lines that work like reflectors and are visible to flying birds from about 50 metres away.
• In 2021, SC directed the power companies that all low-voltage power lines in areas demarcated as “priority and potential habitats of GIB” in Thar and Kutch deserts of Rajasthan and Gujarat should be underground.
  • “Priority zones” are areas where birds are known to live and “potential regions” are those where conservation programmes, such as breeding birds in captivity, are ongoing.
• However, state governments have not taken steps to comply with SC order as shifting overhead lines underground is expensive and impractical, and would hike the cost of solar power, undermining India’s commitment to green growth.

About Great Indian Bustard

• Habitat: Endemic to Indian Sub-continent (Rajasthan has highest population). Arid and semi-arid grasslands, open country with thorn scrub, tall grass interspersed with cultivation.
• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered.
• Protection: Listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Appendix I of CITES.
• Threats to GIB: Hunting, habitat erosion, ‘greening’ projects that transform arid grasslands to wooded areas, etc.

• Scientists are using outer space particles called muons to examine the fortress wall of Xi’an city, an ancient city in China.
• They used a muon detector, called CORMIS (Cosmic Ray Muon Imaging System), to examine the wall of Xi’an city.

What are Muons?

• Muons are subatomic particles raining from space. They are created when the particles in Earth’s atmosphere collide with cosmic rays — clusters of high-energy particles that move through space at just below the speed of light.
  • Atom is the smallest unit of matter and is made up of smaller units known as subatomic particles i.e. protons, neutrons and electrons.

Muons vs Electrons

• Muons are similar to electrons but weigh more than 207 times as much, equivalent to the difference between an adult person and a small elephant. Therefore, they are sometimes called “fat electrons”.
• Muons are so heavy, they can travel through hundreds of metres of rock or other matter in comparison, electrons can penetrate through only a few centimetres.
• Muons exist for only 2.2 microseconds before they decay into an electron and two kinds of neutrinos.

Muography

• Muography (or muon radiography) is a technique that exploits the penetration capability of muons. The measurement of their absorption in matter allows the imaging of the inner structure of large bodies.
• Muography is conceptually similar to X-ray but capable of scanning much larger and wider structures, owing to the penetration power of muons.
• As these high-energy particles are naturally produced and ubiquitous, all one needs to do is place a muon detector underneath, within or near the object of interest.

Applications

• Archaeology
• Detecting Volcanic Eruptions
• Nuclear Plants
• Application in various studies: Muons applications in studies of superconductors, molecular systems and chemical reactions, novel battery materials and a variety of organic systems.

• With a view to increase the immunity of children and prevent them from various diseases, the government in Himachal Pradesh has decided that the vaccination in the state would now be implemented through U-WIN portal that has been started by the government as a pilot project in Solan and Sirmaur districts. Complete information about maternal and child vaccination in the state will be available on this portal.
• Under this centre sponsored project, these two districts have been included in selected districts across the country.
• This portal has been developed on the lines of CoWIN portal.
• The data of all the vaccination beneficiaries of the state will be available in the portal. Complete information about vaccination from time to time after the birth of the child will be available on this portal.
• This portal is also being linked directly to the labour room, so that correct and accurate information is available.
• All government and private hospitals are also being linked with the U-WIN portal.
• Himachal Pradesh has an estimated target of vaccinating more than one lakh new born babies and about 1.27 lakh pregnant women annually.
• For this purpose, there are a total of 390 cold chain points in the state. Asa pilot project, 42 cold chain points of both districts will be covered under the U-WIN portal launched in Solan and Sirmaur districts.
• UWIN Portal is a digital solution to facilitate tracking of every pregnant woman and child for vaccination.
• At present, an estimated 43,000 beneficiaries will be benefited annually through the U-WIN portal launched in these two districts. An estimated 11,000 children and 13,000 pregnant women in the age group of 0-1 years will be benefited in district Solan. While in district Sirmaur, an estimated 9100 children and 10 thousand pregnant women in the age group of 0-1 years will be benefited.
• The special feature of the portal is that after the completion of the vaccination process, the beneficiary will also get the vaccination certificate. To get the beneficiary registered in the U-WIN portal, Aadhaar card and mobile number will have to be provided at the vaccination center.

• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO)’s Project Yojak has been able to keep the Shinku La Pass mostly open for traffic round the year. Besides, under the project the work on important infrastructure projects has been continuing even during the winter.
• Project Yojak constituted by the BSF is focused on making the Manali-Leh road operational via Darcha-Padum-Nimu road round the year.
• The snow-laden Shinku La Pass, situated at an altitude of 16,703 feet, remains closed during the winter from October to April, snapping link to the Zanskar valley in Ladakh. The valley is connected to the mainland through Leh or Manali and connectivity via Leh is unthinkable in the winter due to the extreme cold wave conditions.
• The Darcha-Padum-Nimu road is strategically very important to connect the border areas of Leh and Ladakh with the mainland. The BRO is engaged in the task of double laning Nimu-Padum-Darcha road. This is one of the toughest roads to traverse as it often receives heavy snowfall ranging from 15 feet to 20 feet at various stretches. Besides, the area is prone to avalanches.

• As part of ‘Operation SADBHAVANA’,Indian Army is undertaking multiple welfare activities such as Army Goodwill Schools, Infra-development projects, education tours etc. for the children living in remote areas of UT of Ladakh.
• The focus of Operation is to improve the overall core social indices of the region by improving Education, Women & Youth Empowerment, and Health care through implementation of community/infrastructure development projects.
• The Indian Army is presently running 7 Army Goodwill Schools under ‘Operation SADBHAVANA’ in Ladakh Region. More than 2,200 Students are currently studying in these schools.
• Under this initiative (in FY 22-23), medical camps, veterinary camps, provision of medical equipment, upgradation of medical infrastructure and staffing of Medical Aid Centres have been provided at various remote locations in Ladakh. Women in remote areas of Ladakh are also being inducted in Vocational Training Centres, Women Empowerment Centres and Computer Centres organised and funded through SADBHAVNA.
• Operation SADBHAVANA (Goodwill) is a unique humane initiative undertaken by Indian Army and formalised in 1990s in the erstwhile State of J&K to address aspirations of people affected by scrooge of terrorism.

• The Surajkund Mela is an international event that aims to promote locally produced handicraft items in India and International Platform.
• The Surajkund Mela is unique event that showcases the richness and diversity of the handicrafts, handlooms and cultural fabric of India. Surajkund International Crafts Mela 2023 is the largest crafts fair in the world.

Background

• In 2013, the fair was upgraded to an international level and in 2015, a record number of 20 countries participated in the Mela. Lebanon was the Partner Nation and Chhattisgarh, the Theme State.
• In 2014, over 15 countries from European & African continents participated in the Mela including SAARC nations.
• Organizing Body: The Surajkund International Crafts Mela 2023 is organized by the Surajkund Mela Authority & Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.
• Surajkund Mela is an annual event that is held during the first fortnight of each February.
• At least 20 countries & all the states of India will be participating in the Surajkund International Mela.
• Partner Nation: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is the partner nation in 36th Surajkund International Crafts Mela 2023.
• North Eastern Region is the theme state in the 36th Surajkund International Crafts Mela.

Objectives

• To promote handicrafts, handlooms with the aid of craftsmen invited from all over the country.
• To identify languishing and lesser known crafts and to introduce them to patrons.
• To display crafts and loom techniques by organising demonstration sections in the Mela grounds.
• To undertake the promotion of export of handlooms and handicrafts.
• To set up an environment in which rural crafts traditions could be displayed and to project the traditional rural ambience of a typical village near Delhi for travellers who may not have the time or means to visit an Indian village.

• An earth-observation satellite jointly developed by NASA and ISRO that will help study Earth’s land and ice surfaces in greater detail is all set to be shipped to India later this month for a possible launch in September.
• ISRO and NASA joined hands in 2014 to build the 2,800 kg satellite. In March 2021, ISRO sent its S-Band SAR payload developed in India to NASA for integration with the L-Band payload built by JPL.
• NISAR will provide critical information on Earth’s crust, ice sheets, and ecosystems.
• NISAR spacecraft will be integrated into the satellite bus at the U R Rao Satellite Centre for launch within the next year.
• NISAR will gather radar data with a drum-shaped reflector antenna almost 12 meters in diameter. It will use a signal-processing technique called interferometric synthetic aperture radar, or InSAR, to observe changes in Earth’s land and ice surfaces down to fractions of an inch.
• The satellite will help researchers detect slow-moving variations of a land surface that can precede earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions. Data about such movements could help communities prepare for natural hazards such as the Joshimath land subsidence.
• Measurements of melting sea ice and ice sheets will improve understanding of the pace and impacts of climate change, including sea level rise.
• Over the course of its three-year prime mission, the satellite will observe nearly the entire planet every 12 days, making observations day and night, in all weather conditions.

• The Government of India, through the National Health Mission, is supporting the states in their efforts to prevent and manage sickle cell disease.
• In Union Budget 2023-24, the government has announced a mission to eliminate Sickle cell Anaemia by 2047.
• The mission will entail awareness creation, universal screening of seven crore people in the 0-40 years age group in affected tribal areas and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.
• There are approximately 200 districts in the country where the disease is prevalent, mostly in Maharashtra. Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha.

About:

• Sickle-cell anaemia is one of a group of inherited disorders known as sickle-cell disease. Due to this genetic anomaly, the red blood cells of the affected person become misshapen and break down. Due to the abnormal shape, the blood flow is affected. Usually,
• Red blood cells are usually round and flexible, so they move easily through blood vessels. In sickle cell anaemia, some red blood cells are shaped like sickles or crescent moons. These sickle cells also become rigid and sticky.
• Symptoms of sickle cell disease can vary, but some common symptoms include:
  • Chronic Anaemia:leading to fatigue, weakness, and paleness.
  • Painful episodes(also known as sickle cell crisis): these can cause sudden and intense pain in the bones, chest, back, arms, and legs.
  • Delayed growth and puberty
• Treatment:
  • Blood Transfusions:These can help relieve anaemia and reduce the risk of pain crises.
  • Hydroxyurea:This is a medication that can help reduce the frequency of painful episodes and prevent some of the long-term complications of the disease.
  • It can also be treated by bone marrow or stem cell transplantation
• Government Initiatives to Tackle SCD:
  • Government has released technical operational guidelines for prevention and control of hemoglobinopathies in 2016including sickle cell
  • Integrated centers have also been established in 22 tribal districts for treatment and diagnosis.
  • The State Haemoglobinopathy Mission has been established in Madhya Pradesh to address the challenges in screening and management of the disease

• Indian Institute of Science (IISc) researchers have found hazardous radioactive radon to be present in air and water in the outskirts of Bengaluru.
• Radon is found to be 50 to 100 times the permissible limit of 11.1 Bq per litre as per initial studies by the researchers.
• This radon emanates from radioactive granites. Radon when ingested over an extended period can increase the risk of lung cancer.

About Radon

• Radon is an odorless, inert, invisible, radioactive gas and naturally released from rocks, soil and water.
• Radon derives naturally from uranium through radioactive transformation, as it undergoes radium decay before it is transformed into a chemically reactive atom.
• Presence of radon in air and water leads to damage of lung tissues, threatening cancer of the lungs while presence of uranium affects the urinary tract, leading to kidney cancer etc.