President of India lays the Foundation Stone for the Development of Pilgrimage Infrastructure at Bhadrachalam group of temples and Ramappa Temple

• Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreshwara temple, is a Kakatiya style Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva, located in Telangana.
• The medieval Deccan Ramappa Temple which dates back to 1213 AD, was built by the patronage of the Kakatiya ruler Kakati Ganapathi Deva under the authority of his Chief Commander Rudra Samani.
• The temple got its name Ramappa because of its chief sculptor Ramappa. Ramappa Temple is probably the only temple in India that is named after the architect.
• In 2021, the temple was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as "Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana".
• Architectural features:
  • Earthquake-proof: Made out of clay mixed with acacia wood, chaff and myrobalan fruit (a family of amla), the bricks used in building the gopuram of the temple are light enough to float on water. Using this technique has made the temple light, meaning, in case of a natural event like an earthquake, the probability of it collapsing would be very low.
  • Sandbox technique: The temple construction was done using the sandbox technique. This is a technique where the foundation pit is filled with a mixture of sand-lime, jaggery and black myrobalan fruit. This mix acts as a cushion in case of earthquakes.
  • The temple’s many carved pillars are positioned in such a way that when the sunlight hits these pillars. One of the pillars has a Lord Krishna carved into it. When gently hit, the pillar produces musical notes.

Coal Ministry Identifies More Blocks To Boost Coking Coal Production

• Coal is a fossil fuel and is the altered remains of prehistoric vegetation that originally accumulated in swamps and peat bogs.
• The quality of each coal deposit is determined by: varying types of vegetation from which the coal originated; depths of burial; temperatures and pressures at those depths; and length of time the coal has been forming in the deposit.
• Coking coal is a high-quality coal that is low in impurities and has a high carbon content, which makes it ideal for use in the metallurgical process.
• Coking coal is used to produce coke, which is a porous, solid carbon material that is used as a fuel and a reducing agent in the production of iron and steel.
• Largest coal-producing countries in the world: China (3.7 billion tonnes), India (783 million tonnes), United States (640 million tonnes), Indonesia (616 million tonnes).

''Dhanu Yatra'' Begins In Odisha''s Bargarh

• Dhanu Yatra is an annual drama-based open-air theatrical performance celebrated in Bargarh, Odisha.
• It is considered the largest open-air theatre in the world. Spread over five square km, the entire town of Bargarh turns into a stage for the yatra.
• The ‘Dhanu Yatra’ which marks the victory of good over evil, came into existence in Bargarh in 1947-48 as part of the celebration of the country’s Independence and is held annually.
• Theme: The plays in the festival start with the dethroning of Emperor Ugrasen of Mathura by angry Kansa over the marriage of his sister Devaki with Vasudev. The festival will conclude with the death of demon king Kansa and restoration of the throne to Ugrasen.

TRAI releases recommendations on ''Spectrum Requirements of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) for Train Control System for RRTS Corridors''

• The NCRTC is a joint partnership institution between the Central Government and the participating states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and the NCT of Delhi.
• It works under the administrative control of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Objective: It is mandated for implementing the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project across the NCR of India, ensuring a balanced and sustainable urban development through better connectivity and access.
• Institutional Setup:
  • NCRTC was formally incorporated on 21st August, 2013 as a Company under the Company Act, 1956.
  • As a joint partnership project between the Center and the States, NCRTC would have one nominated Director each from the participating States, and four nominee Directors from the Government of India.
  • The Secretary (UD) is the ex-officio Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Managing Director, a nominee of MoUD. NCRTC also has the flexibility of forming separate subsidiary companies for implementing specific projects.

Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS)

• National capital region (NCR) is a multi-state region with the National Capital as its centre. This region, spread over an area of about 35,000 km2, comprises the entire National Capital territory of Delhi and some parts of the neighbouring states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB), in order to enhance the connectivity within the NCR, has proposed to connect urban, industrial (SEZs/industrial parks), regional and sub-regional centers through a fast rail based Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS).
• The objective of this system is to reduce dependence of commuters on road based transportation.

ESA launch special Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer pre-launch event

• Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) will be Europe’s first dedicated robotic mission to Jupiter. Juice is due to reach the planet in July 2031 after performing an incredible flight path through the Solar System.

• The mission will enter into orbit around Jupiter and perform numerous flybys of its large icy moons:

  Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

• After four years of moon flybys, Juice will then enter into orbit around Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System — becoming the first spacecraft ever to reach orbit around the moon of another planet.

• The icy moons of Jupiter are interesting as they are all believed to host oceans of liquid water beneath their frozen surfaces. Europa, in particular, is regarded as one of the most likely abodes in the Solar System for extra-terrestrial life.

• Juice will be equipped with ten scientific instruments including ice-penetrating radar to study the internal oceans. This use of radar is a practical first step in mapping the sub-surface oceans, paving the way for more exotic future missions involving submersible vehicles — some of which have already been put forward

EC begins delimitation of assembly, parliamentary constituencies in Assam

• The Delimitation process in Assam will be based on Census data from 2001. The last delimitation of constituencies in Assam was done in 1976 based on the 1971 Census.

Delimitation

• Delimitation is carried out by an independent Delimitation Commission, appointed by the Government of India under provisions of the Delimitation Commission Act.
• Under Article 82, Parliament is to enact a Delimitation Act after every Census. Once the Act is in force, the Union government sets up the Delimitation Commission.
• The Commission is supposed to determine the number and boundaries of constituencies in a way that the population of all seats, so far as practicable, is the same. The Commission is also tasked with identifying seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
• It works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India.
• The commission is composed of: a retired Supreme Court judge, the Chief Election Commissioner of India and respective State Election Commissioners.
• In the history of the Indian republic, Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times:1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002.

Annual Report 2020-21 - Ministry of Road Transport & Highways

• As per the report, there were 4,12,432 unfortunate incidences of road accidents during 2021 which claimed 1, 53,972 lives and caused injuries to 3, 84,448 persons.
• This report has been developed by reporting, management, claim processing and analysis of road accident data by using the Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD) system.

iRAD

• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and is funded by World Bank, to improve road safety in the country.
• This will facilitate road accident data collection by 4 stakeholder departments; Police, Transport, Highways and Health Departments.
• Through a collection of road accident data from all over the country, a road accident database will be developed. The collected data will be analysed using different data analytics techniques for the identification of accident-prone areas and the causes of the accidents.
• The analysis output will be represented in appropriate dashboards, access to higher authorities of stakeholder departments and MoRTH. And accordingly, a strategy will be formed for the reduction of the number of road accidents in India and to enhance road safety.

Sebi proposes regulatory framework for index providers

• The index provider shall be a legal entity incorporated under the Companies Act in the country of origin and should have a minimum net worth of Rs 25 crore.
• The proposed regulation shall apply to index providers of both domestic and foreign.
• The index providers must be assessed by independent external auditors to evaluate adherence to International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) principles once in two years.

IOSCO

• Established in 1983, it is the international body that brings together the world''s securities regulators and is recognized as the global standard-setter for the securities sector.
• It works intensively with the G20 and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) on the global regulatory reform agenda.
• There are three categories of members: Ordinary, Associate and Affiliate.
• Recently, **the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA)**has become an associate member of this organisation.

IT Minister launches G-20 campaigns for online safety, digital innovation

• Objective: To identify, recognize, and enable the adoption of innovative and impactful digital technologies developed by start-ups, from G20 nations as well as the invited non-member nations,
• It can address the needs of humanity in the six critically important sectors i.e Agri-tech, Health-tech, Ed-tech, Fin-tech, Secured Digital Infrastructure, and Circular Economy.
  • Startup products in these six sectors enabled through Digital Public Goods Infrastructure can create a global population-scale impact and reduce the digital divide and enable sustainable, and inclusive techno-socio-economic development.
• This summit which will be held in Bangalore on the sidelines of the Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) meeting will be a multi-day program where top nominated startups from each of the theme areas from all of the G20 countries and the non-member invited countries will showcase their solutions to the global community of investors, mentors, corporates, and other government stakeholders.
• This will create cutting-edge digital solutions in the six themes that bridge the digital divide between different segments of humanity and advance the world economy.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launches 2 key initiatives to take India''s Urban Rejuvenation journey to next level

• The rankings aim to motivate city/state officials and decision-makers, to implement municipal finance reforms.
• The participating ULBs will be evaluated on 15 indicators across three key municipal finance assessment parameters, namely:
  • Resource Mobilization
  • Expenditure Performance
  • Fiscal Governance.
• The cities will be ranked at the national level based on their scores under any one of the following four population categories:
  • Above 4 million
  • Between 1-4 million
  • 100K to 1 million
  • Less than 100,000
• The top 3 cities in each population category will be recognized and rewarded at the national level as well as within each state/state cluster.

Significance of the ranking:

• City Finance Rankings are an effort to analyse and help the ULBs in identifying areas in their financial performance where they can make further improvements, to be able to deliver quality infrastructure and services to its citizens.
• The rankings will serve as a constant motivation for city/state officials to continue to implement municipal finance reforms.
• At a state- and national level, the rankings will highlight the outcomes achieved by municipalities and provide critical insights to key policymakers into the state of finances of urban local bodies.