Deadline for Submission of Applications for “Adopt a Heritage 2.0” Program

Adopt a Heritage 2.0 Program

• It is a revamped version of the earlier scheme launched in 2017 and clearly defines the amenities sought for different monuments as per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (or AMASR Act), 1958.
• The programme seeks collaboration with the private/public sector companies / trusts / societies / NGOs etc. through their CSR funding who intend to provide, develop, and maintain ‘amenities’ at centrally protected monuments and sites.

Adopt a Heritage Scheme

• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India.
• It was launched in September 2017 on the World Tourism Day.
• Under it, the government invites entities, including public sector companies, private sector firms, as well as individuals, to develop selected monuments and heritage and tourist sites across India.
• The project aims to encourage these entities to become ‘Monument Mitras’ and take up the responsibility of developing and upgrading the basic and advanced tourist amenities at these sites.
• The corporate sector is expected to use corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for the upkeep of the site.
• The Monument Mitras, in turn, will get limited visibility on the site premises and on the Incredible India website.

Clean Ganga mission signs pact with Mississippi river initiative

River Cities Alliance:

• It was launched in 2021.
• It is a first-of-its-kind Alliance in the world, symbolising the successful partnership of the two Ministries i.e., the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Objective: To provide the member cities with a platform to discuss and exchange information on aspects that are vital for sustainable management of urban rivers, sharing best practices and supporting innovation.
• The Alliance is open to all river cities of India. Any river city can join the Alliance at any time.
• The alliance has been launched initially with 30 cities namely Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Srinagar, Varanasi, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Farrukhabad, Mirzapur, Mathura, Bijnor, Ayodhya, Patna, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Munger, Sahibganj, Rajmahal, Howrah, Jangipur, Hugli-Chinsurah, Berhampore, Maheshtala, Aurangabad, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Hyderabad, Pune, Udaipur and Vijayawada.
• It focuses on three broad themes- Networking, Capacity Building and Technical Support.
• The Secretariat of the Alliance is set up at the National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA).

India Takes the Lead in Green Shipping

Green Voyage2050 Project

• The overall goal of the Project is to support effective implementation of the Initial IMO GHG Strategy.
• It provides support to developing countries in their efforts to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions from ships.
• The Initial IMO Strategy sets out a clear vision and levels of ambition, one of which is to reduce the total annual GHG emissions by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008.
• It is envisaged that the project will strengthen MARPOL Annex VI compliance, facilitate sharing of operational best practices, catalyse the uptake of energy efficient technologies and explore opportunities for low- and zero-carbon fuels.
• Components of the project
  • Component 1 – Developing global tools to support implementation of the Initial IMO GHG Strategy
  • Component 2 – Capacity building, policy and NAP development
  • Component 3 – Strategic partnership development
  • Component 4 – Technology cooperation, innovation and pilot demonstrations
• Partnering Countries:
  • The countries participating in the GreenVoyage2050 Project are: Azerbaijan, Belize, China, Cook Islands, Ecuador, Georgia, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka.
  • These countries are participating as either a New Pilot Country (NPC) or a Pioneer Pilot Country (PPC).
• The GreenVoyage2050 Project, currently in its first phase, is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment for an initial period up to December 2023 (NOK 64.5 million).

Koya tribe rides the eco-friendly wave to help conserve the Indian Bison of Eastern Ghats

Koya Tribe

• Koya are one of the few multi-racial and multi-lingual tribal communities in India.
• They live in the forests, plains, and valleys on both sides of the Godavari River, which lies in Andhra Pradesh.
• Many also live in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.
• They believe their main deity still resides in a cave in the Bastar region.
• Language:
  • Most Koya speak either Gondi or Telugu, in addition to Koyi.
  • Koyi is closely related to Gondi and has been strongly influenced by Telugu.
• Occupation: Traditionally they are pastoralists and shifting cultivators but now-a-days, they have taken to settled cultivation supplemented by animal husbandry and seasonal forest collections.
• They erect menhirs in memory of the dead.
• Culture:
  • The Koyas adopted Bison horns to discover their two cultural forms: the Kommu Koya dance, during which two Bison horns are adorned on the head as part of the attire, and the Permakore flute, which is made of a single horn.
  • They have retained their rich and varied heritage of colourful dance and music which form an integral part of their festivals and rituals.
  • Many Koya deities are female, the most important being the "mother earth."

Anti-collision system Kavach deployed on 1465 Route km, 139 locomotives, work underway in major corridors

Kavach’ System:

• It is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system.
• It was developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) under the Indian Railway (IR) in collaboration with the Indian industry.
• It is a set of electronic devices and Radio Frequency Identification devices installed in locomotives, in the signalling system, as well the tracks, that talk to each other using ultra-high radio frequencies to control the brakes of trains and also alert drivers, all based on the logic programmed into them.
• Since 2016, the railways have been carrying out field tests for Kavach on passenger trains.
• Applications:
  • It is meant to provide protection by preventing trains from passing the signal at Red (which marks danger) and avoiding collisions.
  • The system can alert the loco pilot, take control of the brakes, and bring the train to a halt automatically when it notices another train on the same line within a prescribed distance.
  • The device also continuously relays the signals ahead to the locomotive, making it useful for loco pilots in low visibility.
  • It also controls the speed of the train through an automatic application of brakes in case the loco pilot fails to do so.
  • It helps the loco pilot in run the train during inclement weather conditions, such as dense fog.
  • An added feature is the centralised live monitoring of train movements through the Network Monitor System.

Union Cabinet approves allocation of Rs 2,500 crore for Interest Equalisation Scheme

Interest Equalisation Scheme (IES):

• It was first implemented on 1st April, 2015, to provide pre- and post-shipment export credit to exporters in rupees.
• It was initially valid for 5 years, up to 31.3.2020. The scheme has been continued thereafter, including a one-year extension during COVID and further extensions and fund allocations.
• The scheme shall be implemented by the RBI through various Public and non-Public Sector banks who provide pre- and post-shipment credit to the exporters.
• The Scheme is jointly monitored by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and the RBI through a consultative mechanism.
• The scheme helps the identified export sectors to be internationally competitive and to achieve a high level of export performance.
• The scheme is primarily meant for the labour-intensive sectors.
• Features:
  • An eligible exporter has to submit a certification from the external auditor to the concerned bank to claim this benefit.
  • Banks provide IES benefits to the eligible exporters and claim a reimbursement from the RBI based on the external auditor certification furnished by the exporter.
  • Currently, the Scheme provides an interest equalisation benefit at the rate of 2% on pre- and post-shipment rupee export credit to merchant and manufacturer exporters of 410 identified tariff lines at 4-digit level and 3% to all MSME manufacturer exporters.
  • The Scheme has now been made fund-limited, and the benefit to individual exporters has been capped at Rs 10 Crore per annum per IEC (Import Export Code).
  • In addition, the banks that lend to exporters at an average rate of more than Repo + 4% would be debarred under the Scheme.

New Species of Forest Hedgehog Discovered in China

Mesechinus orientalis:

• It is a new species of Hedgehog.
• It is currently known from southern Anhui and northwestern Zhejiang, both in eastern China.
• It is currently the southeasternmost species of Mesechinus (Mesechinus is a small genus of mammals in the hedgehog family).
• Habitat: It can be found in scrubland and subtropical broad-leaf evergreen forests at elevations from 30 to 700 m.
• Features:
  • It is a small-bodied hedgehog.
  • It has the shortest spines in the genus (1.8-2 cm).
  • There are four colour rings on the spine, from the base to the tip.
  • The nose is brown, with black whiskers on the snout; these whiskers shorten towards the nose.
  • The ears are small and nearly the same length as the surrounding spines.
  • It appears to be sexually dimorphic. The pelage of males is generally gray, while that of most of the females is reddish brown.

Hedgehog

• Hedgehogs are a distinctive group of spiney insectivorous mammals comprising the subfamily Erinaceinae of the Erinaceidae family.
• They are found across Eurasia and Africa but absent from Australia and the Americas.
• Their most notable features are their spines, which are enlarged hollow hairs, and ability to roll into a ball when frightened, presenting only these spines to the outside world.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, UN Under Secretary General discuss India''s presidency of Conference on Disarmament

Conference on Disarmament (CD):

• The CD was formed in 1979 as the single multilateral disarmament negotiation forum of the international community after agreement was reached among Member States during the first special session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) devoted to disarmament (1978).
• It succeeded other Geneva-based negotiating forums, which included the Ten-Nation Committee on Disarmament (1960), the Eighteen-Nation Committee on Disarmament (1962-68), and the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament (1969-78).
• The CD and its predecessors negotiated major multilateral arms control and disarmament treaties such as:
  • Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)
  • Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (BWC)
  • Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (CWC)
  • Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
• Currently, the CD focuses its work on the following agenda items:
  • Cessation of the nuclear arms raceand nuclear disarmament.
  • Prevention of nuclear war, including all related matters.
  • Prevention of an arms race in outer space.
  • Effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon states against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.
  • New types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons; radiological weapons.
  • Comprehensive programme of disarmament.
  • Transparency in armaments.
• Working:
  • The Conference is comprised of 65 member states, including the five NPT nuclear-weapon states and 60 other states of key military significance.
  • In addition, every year, non-member states participate, upon their request, in the CD’s work.
  • The CD has three sessions each year.
  • The CD conducts its work by consensus.
• Relationship with the United Nations (UN):
  • While the CD is independent of the United Nations, its secretary is appointed by the UN Secretary-General.
  • It is required to consider recommendations from the UNGA, and it submits reports annually or more often to the UNGA.
  • The CD adopts its own Rules of Procedure and its own agenda, taking into account the recommendations of the UNGA and the proposals of its member states.

Temple linked to Hercules and Alexander the Great discovered in ancient megacity in Iraq

Girsu:

• Girsu was a city of the Sumer civilization.
• It was discovered during the 19th century, with the first excavations being conducted in the 1880s by the French archaeologist, Ernest de Sarzec.
• It was significant in that it first revealed to the world the existence of the Sumerian civilization, as well as bringing to light some of the most vital monuments of Mesopotamian art and architecture.
• Key Facts about the Sumer Civilization:
  • It is one of the earliest known civilizations that flourished between c. 4100-1750 BCE in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia, in present-day Iraq.
  • Sumer was never a cohesive political entity, however, but a region of city-states, each with its own king.
  • The Sumerians were responsible for many technological advancements, including measurements of time as well as writing.
  • They essentially “invented” time by dividing day and night into 12-hour periods, hours into 60 minutes, and minutes into 60 seconds.
  • They built the first known cities as well as creating the first known code of law. According to archaeological evidence, they built about a dozen city-states in the fourth millennium BC.
  • They advanced the craft of writing, literature, hymns and prayers. The epic of Gilgamesh, considered to be the world’s oldest surviving piece of literature, derives from five Sumerian poems.
  • They also perfected several existing forms of technology, including the wheel, the plough, and mathematics.
  • They were also notably one of the first civilizations to brew beer, which was seen by the ancient people as a key to a healthy heart and liver.