China is the first country to host both summer and winter Olympic games. China is creating artificial snow flakes for the winter Olympics to be held in 2022.
China is to create artificial snow flakes at snow boarding, ski jumping venues of Olympic games. The cross country, biathlon, Nordic, freestyle and snow boarding games are to be held in Zhangjiakou. It is 100 miles away from the host city and is a ski destination. Here the temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius. However, snowfall is less. Earlier snowfall here was abundant. Now it has reduced to milli metres. The Olympics cannot rely on miniscule snowfall. Thus, artificial snow flakes are to be created. The artificial snow is important for gliding games. Good amount of snow means good winter Olympics.
An Italian snowmaking supplier called Techno Alpin is to supply the artificial snow flakes. The company is to use huge fan powered guns and stick lances. Using these equipment, the water is to be sprayed round the clock from near by reservoir. The air is to be pressurised using multiple pump stations. While falling, the water mist particles chills down and crystallises into snow. This gives a natural snow like feel. China is to use 49 million gallons of water from its natural resources for this arrangement.
At first snow making at Olympics was used in 1980 over Lake Placid. In 2014, Sochi (Russia) used artificial snow. However, this is the first time, a single company is supplying all the snow required at the games.
With the announcement of artificial snow, countries are raising questions about green and clean Olympics. Earlier China had promised to make the Olympics green and clean. According to environmentalists, the water to be used to create the snow is inevitable for the fruit plantations in the region. China’s glaciers are melting and its natural water resources are depleting. China has lost one-fifth of ice cover since 1950. Also, according to environmentalists the artificial snow cannot be restored to fresh water. This is because chemicals are added to retain the water in the snowy state for longer duration.
Every year the International Customs Day is celebrated on January 26. The day is celebrated by the United Nations and several other international organizations. The day is celebrated to acknowledge the role of custom officials in the flow of goods.
Scaling up Customs Digital Transformation by embracing a data culture and building a data ecosystem
The celebration of International Customs Day dates back to 1953. The day was announced by Custom Cooperation Council. It was announced in Brussels, Belgium. The customs council was attended by more than 17 European countries. The council was renamed to World Customs Organization in 1994. Today more than 182 countries are part of the organization.
The main objective of celebrating the day is to boost guidance, leadership and support to customs administrations. Customs play major role in connecting countries when they are divided by geographical borders. Also, customs collect taxes and monitor the flow of hazardous materials in and out of the country. In India, this role is played by the Central Boards of Excise and Customs.
The WCO exhibits its activities involved in customs during this day. The WCO maintains the HS system. HS is International Harmonised System of goods. It provides unique numbers to traded products. India also follows this system. WCO plays a major role in determining the international custom practices. It mainly works to enhance the efficiency of its member countries.
The customs duty in India is governed by the Customs Tariff Act of 1975 and Customs Act 1962. India imposes basic customs duty, additional duty, special additional duty, education cess and other state level taxes. Customs duty is levied under customs act, 1962 on all the imported items. These items are included in Section 12 of the act. The additional custom duty goods are included in Section 3 of the act.
Recently, astronomers with Curtin University note of International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research came across an object, called “Ultra-long-period Magnetar”.
Objects turning on and off in the Universe aren’t new to astronomers. Astronomers call such objects as “transients”. There are two kinds of transients:
Magnetar is a type of neutron star, having an extremely powerful magnetic field. Magnetic-field decay powers the emission of high-energy electromagnetic radiation, specifically gamma rays and X-rays. The theory on these objects was proposed in 1992 by Christopher Thompson and Robert Duncan. The theory was later developed by Bohdan Paczynski. The theory explained a burst of gamma rays from Large Magellanic Cloud. A fast radio burst (FRB) was detected from a magnetar in 2020.
A neutron star is the collapsed core of massive supergiant star with total mass of 10 to 25 solar masses. These stars are the smallest and densest known class of stellar objects.
World’s largest desert, The Sahara Desert, witnessed snowfall recently.
The town of Ain-Sefra is located in Naama province of north-western Algeria. It is known as “The Gateway to the Sahara”. It is surrounded by Atlas Mountains and is located at around 3,000 feet above sea level. Sand dunes in this area can be as high as 180 metres. It also witnesses water scarcity. Recently, temperatures reached to -2 degrees Celsius in the town, resulting into snowfall.
This is not the first time it snowed in the Sahara Desert. In last 42 years, snowfall occurred for the fifth time. Earlier, the region witnessed snowfall 1979, 2016, 2018, and 2021. Each year, the amount of snowfall was different. In 1979, there was a snowstorm. On the other hand, in 2018, it received 40 cm of snowfall.
In the month of January, temperatures are much milder in Ain-Sefra region. Temperatures can be around 14 degrees Celsius. Climate crisis and Arctic warming could be responsible for this rare event.
The Sahara Desert is located in African continent. It covers an area of 9,200,000 square kilometres. It is the largest hot desert of the world and third largest desert overall, after deserts of Antarctica and northern Arctic. It comprises much of North Africa, excluding fertile region on the Mediterranean Sea coast, Nile Valley and Atlas Mountains of the Maghreb.
For many years, the Sahara has alternated between Savanna grassland and desert, in a 20,000-year cycle. This is due to precession of Earth’s axis as it rotates across the Sun. Rotation across the Sun changes the location of North African monsoon.
The Sahara covers parts of Algeria, Egypt, Chad, Mali, Libya, Niger, Mauritania, Sudan, Morocco, Western Sahara, and Tunisia. It covers an area of 9 million square kilometres, accounting for 31% of Africa.
On January 28, 2022, the United States (US) and European Union (EU) announced that they are working together on guaranteeing energy security in Europe and Ukraine.
Russia has amassed about 100,000 troops within reach of Ukraine’s border. Thus, it has surrounded Ukraine from the north, east and south. This move has raised alarm in the West that Russia is preparing for a new military assault, after Crimean invasion in 2014. However, Russian government is denying any invasion plan.
The EU depends on Russia for a third of its gas supplies. Any interruptions to gas supply from Russia to Europe would exacerbate the existing energy crisis due to shortage.
It is an ongoing and protracted conflict, since February 2014. The conflict primarily involves Russia & pro-Russian forces and Ukraine. It is also supported by NATO and European Union. War is centered around the status of Crimea and parts of Donbas, which is recognized as part of Ukraine, internationally.
Russia recently carried out one of the largest military deployments in Europe after the Second World War. It has deployed over 1,00,000 soldiers around Ukraine and has been threatening the use of conventional force. The War is a continuation of politics by other means. Russia’s objectives are:
Ukraine is the second-largest country by area, in Europe. It shares border with Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. The country has a coastline along the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. It is the eighth-most populous country in Europe. Ukraine’s largest city, Kyiv, is its capital.
On January 28, 2022, Australia launched a new plan to protect the climate-ravaged Great Barrier Reef.
When the United Nations had earlier threatened to downgrade World Heritage listing of reef in 2015, Australia had created a “Reef 2050” plan and invested billions of dollars into protection. The measures are believed to have stopped the pace of decline. however, much of reef system has already been damaged.
According to a recent study, bleaching had affected 98 percent of the reef since 1998. Only a fraction of the reef is left untouched. Bleaching occurs when healthy corals become stressed due to increasing ocean temperatures. High temperature causes them to expel algae living in their tissues. The algae drain them of their vibrant colours. Australian reef has undergone three mass bleaching events during heatwaves in 2016, 2017 as well as 2020. Bleaching events have left corals on struggle for survival.
It is the world’s largest coral reef system, comprising of more than 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands. The system stretches for over 2,300 kilometres, on an area of 344,400 square kilometres. It is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in Australia. It is separated from the coast through a channel 100 miles wide and around 200 feet deep. The Reef system can be seen from outer space. It is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. The reef system supports a wide diversity of life and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1981.
The Great Barrier Reef is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms. These organisms are known as coral polyps.
On January 28, 2022, Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation was launched marking the occasion of 92nd birth anniversary of late Indian classical vocalist, Pandit Jasraj.
Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation has been founded by Pandit Jasraj’s son, Shaarang Dev Pandit and his daughter, Durga Jasraj. Foundation was launched with the objective of protecting, preserving, developing and promoting the National Heritage, Art & Culture of India.
Pandit Jasraj was an Indian classical vocalist. He belonged the Mewati gharana. His musical career spanned for 75 years, giving him fame, respect and major awards nationally and internationally. Legacy of Pandit Jasraj includes memorable performances of classical and semi-classical vocal music, devotional & classical music, albums and film soundtracks. He is also known for innovations in various genres such as Haveli Sangeeth and popularizing Mewati Gharana. Pandit Jasraj taught music to professionals and amateur and students across India, Canada, United States and Europe. He passed away on August 17, 2020 in New Jersey.
Mewati Gharana is also known as Jodhpur gharana, Jaipur-Mewati gharana, and Miyan Bande Ali Khan Beenkar gharana). It is a musical apprenticeship tribe of Indian classical music. It is known for being Pandit Jasraj’s musical lineage. This gharana was founded by Utd. Wahid Khan (beenkar) and Utd. Ghagge Nazir Khan of Indore.
The Union Agricultural Minister recently addressed the fourth National Conference on Agriculture for Summer Campaign. The conference is also called the Zaid conference. The conference focuses on summer crops.
During the conference the Department of Fertilizers made the following announcements:
The pulses and oil seeds are to be promoted through Targeted Rice Fallow Area sub – component of NFSM. Also, they are to be promoted as inter – crop in oil palm and sugarcane.
The crop area of pulses were set as 21.05 lakh hectares. The oil seeds are to be brought under 13.78 lakh hectares of land. Nutri – cereals are to be planted in 17.89 lakh hectares of land.
According the 4th Advanced Estimates, in 2020 – 21, India produced 3086.47 tonnes of food grains. During the same year, 257 lakh tonnes of pulses and 361 lakh tonnes of oil seeds were produced. Around 353.84 lakh bales of cotton were produced. The horticulture sector had outperformed the agricultural sector.
The Drug regulator in India has granted conditional market approval for the COVISHIELD and COVAXIN vaccines. This means that the private hospitals shall administer the vaccines. However, the vaccines will not be available in retail medical stores.
The Serum Institute vaccine COVISHELD and Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN were administered in the country under Emergency Use Authorisation. The EUA means restricted use of the medicine. The outcome of the medicine is not yet proved. But the medicine shall still be used during unavoidable situations like that of the pandemic. The two vaccines have now met high standards of safety and quality as listed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Thus they are now being given the conditional market authorization. This is not full market authorization. The culture of conditional market authorization merged during the pandemic.
The European Union Medical Agency grants conditional marketing authorization under certain conditions. They are as follows:
The approval of these medicines is valid only for a year. The conditional market authorization to be provided by India is to be the same as that provided by USFDA and the EU. USFDA has provided CUA to mRNA vaccine of Pfizer. The UK has granted the CUA to the vaccine of Astrazeneca.
No. The GoI has launched programme setting to implement the CUA. This means only that government decided eligible will receive the third dose. This includes health care workers, frontline workers, and elderly population.
Under the EUA, the manufacturers had to submit the efficacy and safety data of the vaccine once in 15 days. Under CUA, they have to submit this once in six months.
Swachhata Start-Up challenge was launched to increase innovation in waste management. It was launched by the Agence Francaise de Developpment, AFD and the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, DPIIT. The AFD is a French public financial institution. It implements the policies of the French Government. The top ten winner of the challenge will receive prize money of 25 lakh rupees. The challenge is to be conducted under the supervision of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
The challenge is a step towards smart governance under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban 2.0. It aims to incentivise the startups to realise the dream of garbage free cities. The SBM – Urban 2.0 aims to achieve Garbage Free Cities in next five years.
The challenge has come up during the time, when France and European Union are working with India to negotiate global treaty on plastic pollution. The treaty aims to make a shift towards circular economy.
The startups are evolving rapidly. India is leading the startup world with more than 70 unicorns. Unicorns are startups whose value is more than one billion USD. The startups hold huge potential in the waste management sector of India. The challenge will capitalise the startups in the field of waste management. It will create opportunities for young innovators.
According to Chinese researchers, a type of coronavirus called NeoCov, which spreads among bats in South Africa is likely to pose threat to humans if it mutates further, in future.
NeoCov is found in South Africa, among population of Coronaviruses. As of date, it spreads exclusively among these animals. In current form, NeoCov does not infect humans, however, further mutations may make it harmful.
Coronavirus are a group of related RNA viruses, causing diseases in birds and mammals. Among humans and birds, these viruses cause mild to lethal respiratory tract infections. Mild illnesses among humans include some cases of common cold. More lethal varieties can cause Covid-19, SARS and MERS. In pigs and cows, these viruses cause diarrhea. In mice, they cause hepatitis and encephalomyelitis.
SARS is a viral respiratory disease. It is having zoonotic origin and caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV). First known case of the disease occurred in 2002.
The Exercise Paschim Lehar is conducted to enhance the cooperation among the different naval commands in the Indian Navy. It involves Indian Army and Indian Air Force as well. Recently, the exercise was conducted in the west coast.
The exercise was held for twenty days. It was conducted to enhance the operational cooperation among Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Coast Guard. The western command of Indian Navy participated in the exercise. The headquarters of the western command is situated in Mumbai. The headquarters of eastern naval command is located in Vishakhapatnam. The headquarters of southern naval command is located in Kochi.
Many of the Indian Navy ships and submarines participated in the exercise after a long gap. This included the Fast Patrol Vessels and the Offshore Patrol Vessels. All the participating forces learnt to cooperate under realistic conditions. This is important to keep the force operation ready. The exercise mainly focused on the operational plans of the Western Naval Command.
The Western Naval command is the senior most of all the three naval commands. It is responsible for the forces deployed in the western parts of Indian Ocean and Arabian sea. The command is led by a three star flag officer of the rank Admiral. The title of the leading officer is FOC – in – C, that is, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Western Command. Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh is the current FOC – in – C. He took charge in November 2021.
Andhra Pradesh State Forest Department has approached experts from Wildlife Institute of India (WII-Deharadun), Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Zoological Survey of India (ZSI-Kolkata), for preventing mass mortality of spot-billed pelicans in Naupada swamp at Telineelapuram, Srikakulam district.
The spot-billed pelicans or grey pelican are scientifically called as Pelecanus philippensis. They are a member of pelican family. The species breed in South Asia from southern Iran to east India to Indonesia. The bird lives in coastal waters and large inland, especially large lakes. Breeding population of these species is limited to India, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. In non-breeding season they are recorded in Myanmar, Nepal, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
IUCN red list has listed the species in Near Threatened list. While in Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, it is a Schedule IV species. Thus, it hunting is prohibited but penalty for any violation is less.
Pelicans are a genus of large water birds. They make up the family Pelecanidae. The birds are characterized by a long beak and large throat pouch, which they use to catch prey and drain water from scooped-up contents before swallowing. There are eight living pelican species across the globe. They are distributed latitudinally from tropics to the temperate zone.
Naupada is a village in Santha Bommali mandal of Srikakulam district. It is located near palasa town in Andhra Pradesh. The village is famous for salt fields and is known as “Salt Bowl of Andhra Pradesh”. It is also known for its railway junction station.
Coal Controller’s Organization released its flagship publications “Coal Directory of India 2020-21”, recently.
The Coal Directory of India 2020-201 comprises of information on performance of Coal and Lignite sectors during financial year 2020-21. It contains grade-wise data of production, dispatch and reserves of coal. It further provides information on pit head closing stock, prices of coal for last few years and its import-export. The publication also provides a comprehensive and valuable reference of data to all policymakers, stakeholders, researchers, institutions and industry.
The Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) was established in 1916. It is one of the oldest offices in Indian Coal sector. CCO is responsible to ensure fair production and commercial transaction. It collects and maintains coal production data of all public as well as private sector coal mines in India. It collects information on a monthly basis. CCO is a subordinate office under the Ministry of Coal.
Realizing a 50-year-old goal of integrating single molecules into circuit for achieving scaling limits of Moore’s law, Roswell Biotechnologies has developed first molecular electronics chip.
The molecular electronics platform comprises of a programmable semiconductor chip with scalable sensor array architecture. Each array element comprises of an electrical current meter, which monitors the current flowing through precision-engineered molecular wire. The wire is assembled to span nanoelectrodes, coupling it directly into the circuit. The sensor is programmed by attaching desired probe molecule to molecular wire. The observed current provides a real-time, direct electronic readout of molecular interactions of the probe.
The molecular electronic chip has been developed with the goal of putting biosensing on an ideal technology foundation for future of precision medicine and personal wellness.
Roswell Biotechnologies is digitizing biology with molecular electronics for predicting, preventing, and curing disease. It has developed world’s first molecular electronics chip called “Roswell ME Chip™”. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
Sangoli Rayanna was a warrior from Kittur princely state. Kittur is the current Karnataka. He ruled during the time of Rani Channamma. The State Government of Karnataka is building a military school in the name of Sangoli Rayanna at a cost of Rs 180 crores. The school will be administrated by the defence ministry.
Sangoli Rayanna was the Shetsanadi of the Kittur kingdom. He fought against the Doctrine of Lapse along side Rani Chennamma till his death. The Britishers killed the king and prince of Kittur kingdom. As there was no legal heir to the throne, they wanted to take control over Kittur kingdom under Doctrine of Lapse. Rani Chennamme adopted Shivalingappa as the ruler of Kittur kingdom. Sangoli Rayanna wanted to make Shivalingappa as the next ruler.
Rayanna played a major role in the 1824 rebellion. Most of the land in Kittur kingdom was confiscated. And the left over land was heavily taxed. He created a guerrilla army. He and his army moved from place to place, burnt government offices, plundered treasuries. He trained and built army from the common people. He was caught in 1830 and imprisoned by the Britishers.
Rayanna was hanged to death in a Banyan tree in Belagavi district in 1831.
Siddi was a close associate of Rayanna. He planted a Banyan tree in his grave. To this date, the tree stands majestic. A temple has been built for Rayanna under the tree. Also, Ashoka Stambha was installed near the tree.
The temple has a statue of Rayanna with two wooden weights. The weights were used by Rayanna himself for body building.
Gee Gee songs are sung on Rayanna. In 2015, the main railway station was renamed as Sangoli Rayanna railway station.
A total of 21 tableaux from twelve states and union territories participated in the republic day parade.
The state showcased fifty years of its statehood. This included the women led self-help groups and women cooperative societies. The tableau also showcased cane handicrafts and bamboo handicrafts.
The state showcased tribal revolutionaries. This included the Pal Dadhvav Martyrs, where more than 1,200 innocent people were killed by the British.
The state showcased its tableau based on the theme, “Symbols of Gone Heritage”. It also showcased different natural and historical attractions.
The theme of the state’s tableau was “Haryana Number One on Sports”. Haryana had brought maximum number of medals in national and international sports, especially Olympics.
The theme of the Uttarakhand’s tableau is “Pragati Ki or Badhta Uttarakhand”. It showcased the recent developments in connectivity and religious sites.
The theme of the Tableau was “Anglo Abor Adiverse”. It depicted the struggle of the ethnic groups against the Britishers. 16 dancers performed the Tapu dance. The Abor are the Galo people. They are the descendants of Abotani. They speak Tani Galo language. They are listed under the Scheduled Tribe list since 1950.
Theme: Credo of Traditional Handicrafts. The theme is based on the Godhan Nayay Yojana.
Theme: Achievements through skill development and employment through One District One Product Programme
Theme: Contribution of the state to the country’s independence
Bio symbols and biodiversity of the state
Only 21 tableaux took part in the parade due to less time and space. The states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal did not participate in the state and had raised concerns over this.
The central theme was “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”. It aims to celebrate 75 years of Indian independence.
The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) has created a committee to look into the concerns raised by students.
The RRB released an employment notification for the Non – Technical category in 2019. The exam got postponed because of COVID. The exam was recently held on January 14 – 15, 2022. The candidates are not satisfied with the results and are raising concerns. According to them, the results are inaccurate.
The students are now protesting on the following issues:
The RRB has put the exams on hold. The second stage of the RRB – CBT that was to be held on February 15 to February 19, 2022 has been postponed.
The RRB conducts several exams namely RRB Junior Engineer, Railway Protection Force Sub Inspector, RRB – Non Technical Popular Category (NTPC), RRB – assistance Loco Pilot, Technicians, etc. More than 21 exams are conducted by the board. The age limit to appear in the exam is between 18 years and 33 years.