• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, have developed a method that will make it simple to assess and prioritise strengthening and repairs to enhance the earthquake-resistance capabilities of buildings in the Himalayan region.
• The Himalayas is among the most earthquake-prone regions and witnesses periodic tremors.
• The findings of the research, conducted by Sandip Kumar Saha, an assistant professor at IIT-Mandi’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and his PhD student Yati Aggarwal, have been published in the ‘Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering’.
• Explaining his research, Saha said, “We have devised an effective method to screen reinforced concrete buildings in the Indian Himalayan region so that repair work may be prioritised according to the condition of the buildings and the risk from impending earthquakes can be minimised.”
• Through extensive field surveys, a large cache of data was collected on the types of buildings in the Mandi region and the typical attributes that are connected to their vulnerability to earthquakes, he said.
• A numerical study was also carried out to establish guidelines to count the number of stories in hilly buildings for their rapid-visual screening (RV). Based on the buildings’ vulnerable characteristics, an improved RVs method was also proposed, he added.
• The methodology developed to screen the buildings is a simple single-page RVs form that does not require much expertise to fill.
• It takes into account the various vulnerability attributes that are unique to the buildings in the region, Saha explained, and said calculations made using these observations produced a seismic vulnerability score for buildings to differentiate vulnerable buildings from more robust ones and allow better decision-making for maintenance and repair.
• The computation process is designed such that it minimises the possibility of human bias or subjectivity of the assessor in scoring a building, he said.
• Talking about the benefits of the research, Aggarwal said, “We have shown that the proposed method is useful for segregating reinforced concrete buildings in hilly regions according to the damage that they are expected to experience in the event of an earthquake.”

• In a shift in policy, India permitted the India-Kosovo Commercial Economic Office to open its office here but the MEA said “it is reiterated that our position on Kosovo is well known, and there is no change in it.’’ The opening of the office is significant because India does not recognise Kosovo though it has its own independent functioning government like Taiwan.
• In the aftermath of the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the West helped 92 per cent of ethnic Albanians to gain independence from Serbia, an ally of Russia. Since the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, the MEA’s approach is that the recognition of Kosovo “can set a very dangerous precedent for similar cases around the world’’. Recently, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani renewed his appeal to India to recognise the “sovereign territory of Kosovo’’.
• Due to India’s non recognition, the nearest embassy of Kosovo is in Dhaka and its Ambassador to Bangladesh Guner Ureya sent a welcome message on the low-key opening on November 17.
• At the same time, Serbian ambassador Sinisa Pavic welcomed the MEA stating that India’s position on Kosovo has not changed. “It is the newest confirmation of historical friendship and actual partnership between Serbia,” said a tweet from the Serbian embassy.
• According to WikiLeaks, the US and European countries pressured India in recognising Kosovo’s independence. India’s default position is non-recognition due to its close ties with Russia and the prospect that it will be caught in a bind over J&K.
• The Office may not have the same status as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre. Though Taiwan and India say their respective “Centres” promote only economy and culture, both have posted promising diplomats as the heads and other senior staff.
• Indian Economic Trade Organisation chief Asif Iqbal and an entrepreneur couple had met Kosovo PM Albin Kurti in the capital Pristina as a prelude to opening of the Office here. “The objective is to help promote economic cooperation and strengthen ties between the world’s largest agricultural country and Europe’s youngest country,’’ said the Indian entrepreneur couple Payal Kanodia and Deepak Kanodia who had accompanied Iqbal to Pristina in August.
• Kosovo is slowly gaining international acceptance. A delegation from Kosovo had for the first time participated in the COP27 Conference in Egypt.

• According to railway officials, the railways are aiming to become a major exporter of Vande Bharat trains by 2025-26 to markets in Europe, South America and East Asia.
• The latest version of the indigenous trains with sleeper coaches will be operational by the first quarter of 2024.
• The official also said the railways is planning to clock 10-12 lakh kilometers on 75 Vande Bharat trains over the next few years, for these to be export ready.
• The ecosystem to export trains has to be created over the next two to three years. We are on track to manufacture 475 Vande Bharat trains in the next three years.
• Speaking about these trains, he stated these have a rider index of three, which means no or minimal jolts for passengers; and noise level of 65 decibel which is 100 times less than the sound produced in aircraft, further adding that while the present Vande Bharat trains are suitable for broad gauge, the railways’ manufacturing units will modify the trains to run on standard gauges used by other countries.
• In fact, the national transporter is constructing a 59 km testing track between Gudha-Thathana Mithri in Jodhpur Division (about 70 Km from Jaipur) for carrying out tests/trials of various rolling stocks. This track can test trains running at a maximum speed of 220 kmph, maneuvering a variety of curves. The track will be ready by January 2024 and trains which will be exported will be tested here for prospective clients, officials said.
• They also said that sleeper Vande Bharat trains will be ready by the first quarter of 2024 and will be manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai.
• A decision is yet to be taken on whether these trains will replace the existing Rajdhani and Duronto trains on routes like Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Howrah and other major routes or run parallel.
• In another development, the officials said India will get its first tilting trains by 2025-26, with 100 Vande Bharat trains being manufactured using this technology which enables trains to maneuver curves at higher speeds, just as a motorbike on a winding road.
• They said 100 of the 400 Vande Bharat trains to be manufactured by 2025 will have this technology.

• India observes Constitution Day or Samvidhan Divas on November 26 every year in order to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India.
• On the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, the Union Cabinet decided to celebrate November 26 as Constitution Day.

What is the importance of Constitution Day?

• The main aim of celebrating this day is to create awareness among the citizens about the Constitution and its values. Earlier, this day was celebrated as ‘National Law Day’.

History of the Constitution Day

• The Constituent Assembly adopted the present-day Constitution on November 26, 1949 but it was decided that it will come into effect after a gap of almost two months i.e. on January 26, 1950. During this two-month break, the members of the constituent assembly thoroughly read it in order to find any mistakes.
• The Constituent Assembly met for two years, eleven months and eighteen days, a total of 166 days, before adopting the Constitution. Initially, it had been written in both English and Hindi and had been signed by each member of the assembly.

Interesting facts about the Constitution of India

• The constitution is the largest written constitution in the world.
• The original copy had been written by hand.
• Each page of the constitution has a gold leaf frame while the opening page of each is adorned with some kind of artwork.
• Beohar Rammanohar Sinha and Nandalal Bose, who were artists from Shantiniketan, had decorated the original version of the Constitution.
• Prem Behari Narain Raizada was a talented calligrapher who had prepared the original copies of the constitution.

• The Indian Coast Guard ship Sarojini Naidu, which rendered two decades of meritorious service in maritime security, was decommissioned with full military honours at a ceremony at Odisha’s Paradip coast.
• As the sun disappeared over the horizon on Friday, the CG ship was accorded a warm farewell traditional military ceremony.
• The ship has glorified the name in Indian and foreign shores and has been the first of its class in the fleet of Indian Coast Guard, said the Coast Guard personnel.
• The farewell ceremony to decommission the ship was presided over by DIG YK Singh, Commander Coast Guard, Odisha.
• The occasion was graced by various civil and military dignitaries besides previous Commanding Officers and crew of the vessel.
• During the ceremony, an impressive Guard of Honour was paraded and with sunset the Coast Guard Ensign was hauled down on the ship for the last time. Soon after ‘Decommissioning Pennant’ which is equal to the length of the ship was lowered.
• The ship has been flying the National Flag and Coast Guard Ensign with great pride and honour during its illustrious career spanning over 20 years of commission.
• ICGS Sarojini Naidu was first of its water jet series, known as a fast patrol vessel (FPV) and built by Goa Shipyard Limited, Goa. The previous Commanding Officers along with a number of officers and sailors who had earlier served onboard were also present at the venue to bid a fond farewell to the ship.
• The Commanding Officer of the ship Commandant Jagannath Behera made the final decommissioning report to Commander Coast Guard, Odisha.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a slew of initiatives under the e-court project when he will be attending the Constitution Day celebrations in the Supreme Court in New Delhi.
• The project aims at providing better services to litigants, lawyers and the judiciary through ICT-enabled courts. These include virtual justice clock, JustIS mobile App 2.0, digital court and S3WaaS websites.
• The virtual justice clock is an initiative to exhibit vital statistics of the justice delivery system at the court level with the details of the cases instituted, cases disposed and pendency of cases on a day/week/month basis at the court level.
• The effort is expected to make the functioning of the courts accountable and transparent by sharing with the public the status of disposed cases. The public can have access to the virtual justice clock of any court establishment on the District Court’s website.
• JustIS Mobile App 2.0 is a tool available to judicial officers for effective court and case management by monitoring the pendency and disposal of not only his court but also individual judges working under them. This App is also made available to high court and Supreme Court judges who can now monitor the pendency and disposal of all the states and districts under their jurisdiction.
• The digital court is an initiative to make the case records available to the judge in digitised form to enable the transition to paperless courts.
• Similarly, S3WaaS Website is a framework to generate, configure, deploy and manage websites for publishing specified information and services related to district judiciary.
• S3WaaS is a cloud service developed for government entities to generate Secure, Scalable & Sugamya (Accessible) websites. It is multilingual, citizen-friendly and divyang (physically challenged)-friendly.

About:

• The workshop was conducted as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ with the theme ‘Advancements in Cryptology for enhancing security & privacy in communication networks’.
• NWC 2022 aimed to bring all the relevant stakeholders on a common platform to deliberate upon various contemporary themes in the field of Cryptology spanning Cyber Security, Quantum Computing, Post-Quantum Cryptography
• Cryptography, or cryptology is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adversarial behavior.

Difference between Cryptography and Cryptology

• Cryptography
  • It is the study of conversion of plain text(readable format) to ciphertext(non-readable format) i.e. encryption. It is also called the study of encryption.
  • It takes place on the sender side.
  • In Cryptography, sender sends the message to receiver.
  • Cryptology is the parent of Cryptography.
• Cryptology:

• • It is the study of the conversion of plain text to ciphertext and vice versa. It is also called the study of encryption and decryption.
  • It takes place on the sender and receiver side.
  • In Cryptology, both sender and receiver send messages to each other.

• India has strengthened protection to Leith’s Soft-shelled Turtle under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES. India’s proposal for transferring Leith’s Softshell Turtle from Appendix II to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora, has been adopted by the Conference of Parties to CITES in its 19th Meeting at Panama.
• This will ensure that legal international trade in the species does not take place for commercial purposes. It will also ensure that international trade in captive-bred specimens only takes place from registered facilities and higher penalties are provided for illegal trade of the species.
• The proposal was introduced by Director General of Forests and Special Secretary in the Environment Ministry, Chandra Prakash Goyal on 23rd November when the Committee I of CoP took up the proposal for consideration.
• Leith’s Softshell Turtle is a large fresh water soft-shelled turtle which is endemic to peninsular India and it inhabits rivers and reservoirs. The turtle species has been subject to intensive exploitation over the past 30 years.
• It has been poached and illegally consumed within India. It has also been illegally traded abroad for meat.
• The population of this turtle species is estimated to have declined by 90 percent over the past 30 years. The species is now difficult to find.
• It is classified as ‘Critically Endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

• India has strengthened protection to Leith’s Soft-shelled Turtle under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES. India’s proposal for transferring Leith’s Softshell Turtle from Appendix II to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora, has been adopted by the Conference of Parties to CITES in its 19th Meeting at Panama.
• This will ensure that legal international trade in the species does not take place for commercial purposes. It will also ensure that international trade in captive-bred specimens only takes place from registered facilities and higher penalties are provided for illegal trade of the species.
• The proposal was introduced by Director General of Forests and Special Secretary in the Environment Ministry, Chandra Prakash Goyal on 23rd November when the Committee I of CoP took up the proposal for consideration.
• Leith’s Softshell Turtle is a large fresh water soft-shelled turtle which is endemic to peninsular India and it inhabits rivers and reservoirs. The turtle species has been subject to intensive exploitation over the past 30 years.
• It has been poached and illegally consumed within India. It has also been illegally traded abroad for meat.
• The population of this turtle species is estimated to have declined by 90 percent over the past 30 years. The species is now difficult to find.
• It is classified as ‘Critically Endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

• The Sangeet Natak Akademi announced the list of 10 Akademi fellows and 128 artists who will receive the prestigious Akademi Puraskar for 2019, 2020 and 2021.
• The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama elects eminent personalities in the field of performing arts as Akademi Fellows.
• The fellows are: Bharatnatyam dancer Saroja Vaidyanathan, Kathakali exponent Sadanam Krishnan Kutty, Manipuri dancer Darshana Jhaveri, classical vocalist Chhannu Lal Mishra, Carnatic clarinet player AKC Natarajan, tabla player Swapan Chaudhuri, classical singer Malini Rajurkar, Carnatic and Hindustani musician TV Gopalakrishnan, folk singer Teejan Bai, and musicologist Bharat Gupt.
• “The fellowship of the Akademi is the most prestigious and rare honour, which is restricted to 40 at any given time. With the election of ten fellows, there are presently 39 fellows of Sangeet Natak Akademi,” it said in a statement.
• The general council of Sangeet Natak Akademi also selected 128 artists from the field of Music, Dance, Theatre, Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/Theatre, Puppetry and Overall contribution/scholarship in the performing arts for the Akademi Puraskar for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021.
• The 128 artists include three joint awards. The eminent artists cover the entire gamut of the performing arts such as Hindustani and Carnatic vocal music, Hindustani and Carnatic instrumental music, Sugam Sangeet as well as Harikatha; the major forms of Indian dance such as Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Sattriya, Mohiniattam as well as contemporary dance.
• Artists with different specialisations of theatre such as playwriting, direction, acting, make-up, lighting and stage design as well as other major traditions of theatre like Isai Natakam have been selected.
• Practitioners of folk and tribal arts and the arts of puppetry and instrument making have also made it to the list of awardees.
• The award of Akademi fellow carries a prize money of Rs three lakh while the Akademi award carries a prize money of Rs one lakh, besides a ‘tamrapatra’ and ‘angavastram’.The awards will be conferred by President Draupadi Murmu in a special investiture ceremony.