10th century Kadamba inscription written in Kannada; Sanskrit found in Goa.

• An inscription said to be of the 10th century A.D. from the Kadamba period was discovered in the Mahadeva temple at Cacoda in southern Goa.
• Kadamba inscription is written in Kannada and Sanskrit. The inscription opens with an auspicious word be it well (Swasthi Shri).
• It records that when Talara Nevayya was administering the mandala, his son Gundayya having taken a vow to fulfil his father’s desire of capturing a gopura of the port of Goa, fought and died after fulfilling his father’s wish.
• Very interestingly, the record is composed as a vocal statement on the death of his son from the mouth of a lamenting father.
• It is in the literary style of the Talangre inscription of Jayasimha I of the same period.

Key facts about Kadambas of Goa:

• The Kadambas of Goa were the subordinates of Chalukyas of Kalyani.
• Chalukyan emperor Tailapa II appointed Kadamba Shasthadeva as mahamandaleshwar of Goa for his help in overthrowing the Rashtrakutas.
• Kadamba Shasthadeva conquered the city of Chandavara from the Shilaharas in 960 A.D.
• Later, he conquered the port of Gopakapattana (present day Goa).

Indigenous technology used in constructing roads near China border in Arunachal.

• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has utilised road construction technology i.e. Rejupave technology to build high-altitude bituminous road sections at the Sela tunnel and LGG-Damteng-Yangste (LDY) road near the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Rejupave Technology is developed by India’s oldest and premier road research organisation, CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI).
• It is beneficial in constructing high-altitude bituminous roads at low and sub-zero temperature conditions.
• This technology brings down the production and rolling temperature of bituminous mixes by 30 degrees Celsius to 400 degrees Celsius with negligible heat loss in the bituminous mix during transit, despite long haulage time amid snowfall.
• This technology''s asphalt modifier is a bio-oil-based product, which significantly lowers the heating requirement of bituminous mixes besides preserving the bituminous mix temperature during transit.

Significance:

• Rejupave'' asphalt modifier in cold climatic regions will have improved long-term durability and better resistance to thermal cracking under low-temperature conditions.
• It also brings down the greenhouse gas emissions in the pristine eco-sensitive mountainous environment of Arunachal Pradesh.

Key facts about CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI)

• It is a premier national laboratory established in 1952, a constituent of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
• The major R&D programmes of CRRI related to the research and development projects on design, construction and maintenance of roads and runways, traffic and transportation planning of mega and medium cities, management of roads in different terrains, improvement of marginal materials, utilisation of industrial waste in road construction and landslide control etc.
• The institute provides technical and consultancy services to various user organisations in India and abroad.
• For capacity building of human resources in the area of highway Engineering to undertake and execute roads and runway project.

Keeping Thanjavur doll industry out of the doldrums is no child’s play.

• Thanjavur dolls are facing stiff competition from electronic toys and e-commerce platforms, besides a severe labour crunch and shortage of clay.
• The craft was brought to Thanjavur by Maratha ruler Raja Serfoji in the early 19th Century.
• In Tamil language, it is called “Thanjavur thalayatti bommai”.
• Thanjavur dolls are primarily of two kinds, one is the bobble-head version, and the other is the tilting doll version.
• The dancing doll has four sections (including the arms that are individually glued to the torso), each balancing on the other with the help of inner metal loop hooks that create the light bobbing movement.
• It earned the Geographical Indication tag in 2009.

Material used:

• Doll-makers use papier-mâché, plaster of Paris and other materials for the body.
• A mixture of vandal mann (fine silt deposited by rushing streams of water), kali mann (clayey riverbed mud), and manal (loose aggregate) is required to make the dolls’ pedestals.
• Copper sulphate powder is added as a fungicide.

Process:

• All the dolls have a lightweight body made of tapioca flour, papier-mache and plaster of Paris cooked and kneaded to the consistency of ‘roti’ dough.
• Each toy is made in halves, by pressing the rolled-out ‘doll dough’ into cement moulds, with liberal dusting of chalk powder.
• Dolls pass through at least seven stages from mould to assembly before they are packed for despatch, with each step, such as painting the facial features and costume embellishments, requiring a skilled artisan’s attention.

High-frequency waves detected in the Martian Upper Atmosphere could help understand plasma processes over Mars.

• Scientists have detected the existence of high-frequency plasma waves in the Martian Upper Atmosphere with novel narrowband and broadband features that can help to understand plasma processes in the Martian plasma environment.
• Plasma waves are often observed in the Earth’s magnetosphere, a magnetic field cavity around the Earth.
• In general, plasma waves are identified as the short-time scale fluctuations in the electric and magnetic field observations.
• These plasma waves play an important role in the energization and transport of the charged particles in the Earth’s magnetosphere.
• Some of the plasma waves like electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves act as a cleaning agent for the Earth’s radiation belt, which is hazardous to our satellites.
• Knowing this scenario, researchers are curious to understand the existence of various plasma waves in the vicinity of unmagnetized planets like Mars.
• The planet Mars does not have any intrinsic magnetic field therefore the high-speed solar wind coming from the Sun interacts directly with the Mars atmosphere, like an obstacle in the flow.

Key observations

• Scientists have examined the existence of high-frequency plasma waves in the Martian plasma environment by making use of the high-resolution electric field data from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) spacecraft of NASA.
• These waves could be either electron oscillations that propagate parallel to the background magnetic field (Langmuir waves) or electron oscillations that propagate perpendicular to the background magnetic field (upper-hybrid type waves) in the magneto sheath region of Mars.
• They observed two distinct wave modes with frequency below and above the electron plasma frequency in the Martian magnetosphere.
• These waves are either broadband- or narrowband-type with distinguishable features in the frequency domain.
• The broadband waves were consistently found to have periodic patchy structures with a periodicity of 8–14 milliseconds.

Significance

• Such waves provide a tool to explore how electrons gain or dissipate energy in the Martian plasma environment.

Pallas fish eagle sighted in Chilika after 10 years.

• Pallas fish eagle is also known as Pallas''s sea eagle or band-tailed fish eagle, is a large, brownish sea eagle.
• It can be seen near lakes, marshes and large rivers, from lowlands to 5,000 metres of elevation.
• It feeds primarily on fish, but many other prey are part of its diet.
• It breeds usually near water in a large nest placed in a tall tree.
• Distribution: It is found in east Palearctic in Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, China, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
• It is partially migratory.

Conservation status

• IUCN Red List: Endangered
• Threats: Humans contribute to the decline of this species through habitat degradation, pollution, and draining or overfishing lakes.

Key facts about the Chilika lake:

• It is a brackish water lake and a shallow lagoon with estuarine character spread across the districts of Puri, Khurda and Ganjam in the state of Odisha.
• It is connected to the Bay of Bengal by a wide channel that mostly runs parallel to the Bay separated by a narrow spit.
• It is located at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
• It can be broadly divided into four ecological sectors based on salinity and depth, namely the southern zone, the central zone, the northern zone and the outer channel.
• It is the largest wintering ground for migratory waterfowl found anywhere on the Indian sub-continent.
• The Nalaban Island within the lake is notified as a Bird Sanctuary under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

NAREDCO plans event to showcase real estate opportunities in Ayodhya.

• Real estate body NAREDCO recently said it plans to organise a builders'' conference in Ayodhya to tap its commercial and residential opportunities.
• National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) was established in 1998 under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of the Government of India.
• It is the leading industry association for the real estate sector in the country.
• Its primary objective is to provide a legitimate platform for the government, the real estate industry, and the general public to address their concerns and find effective solutions to the challenges faced by the real estate sector.
• NAREDCO''s mission is to improve the real estate industry''s building, construction, and marketing standards.
• It contributes to the development of national fiscal policies and acts as a catalyst for economic growth in the Indian real estate sector.
• All major national developers and public sector organisations in the fields of housing and real estate development, finance, and marketing are members of NAREDCO.

Structure:

• The organisational structure of NAREDCO includes National, State, and City Councils.
• The councils ensure that the policy recommendations accurately reflect the real conditions on the ground and cover the entire geography.
• The National Council focuses on macro-level issues, the State Councils address state-level concerns, and the City Councils tackle local and on-ground issues.
• The Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Govt. of India, serves as the Chief Patron of NAREDCO.

Cabinet approves Rs 4,797 crore PRITHVI scheme to boost earth science research.

• To enhance the understanding of the Earth and its vital signs, the Union Cabinet recently approved the “PRITHvi VIgyan (PRITHVI)” scheme.
• PRITHVI Scheme is an initiative of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) to enhance the understanding of the Earth and its vital signs.
• This overarching initiative, with an allocation of Rs 4,797 crore for the period 2021-26, aims to significantly enhance research, modelling, and service delivery across crucial areas like weather, climate, oceans, and the polar regions.

The Prithvi scheme integrates five existing sub-schemes:

• Atmosphere and Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems and Services (ACROSS)
• Ocean Services, Modelling Application, Resources and Technology (O-SMART)
• Polar Science and Cryosphere Research (PACER)
• Seismology and Geosciences (SAGE)
• Research, Education, Training, and Outreach (REACHOUT).
• These programs collectively aim to enhance our understanding of the Earth''s vital signs and translate scientific knowledge into practical services that benefit society, environment and economy.

Objectives:

• One of the primary objectives of Prithvi is to augment and sustain long-term observations across the atmosphere, ocean, geosphere, cryosphere, and solid earth.
• This will enable recording and monitoring of the Earth System''s vital signs and changes.
• Additionally, the scheme focuses on developing predictive models for weather, ocean, and climate hazards, as well as advancing the understanding of climate change science.
• Exploration of the polar regions and high seas is another key aspect, aiming at discovering new phenomena and resources.
• The scheme also emphasises the development of technology for the exploration and sustainable harnessing of oceanic resources for societal applications.
• Various components of the PRITHVI scheme are interdependent and are carried out in an integrated manner through the combined efforts of the concerned institutes under the MoES.

ISRO tests futurist fuel cell system that could power space station.

• A fuel cell is a device that generates electricity by a chemical reaction.
• Fuel cells can be used in a wide range of applications, providing power for applications across multiple sectors, including transportation, industrial/commercial/residential buildings, and long-term energy storage for the grid in reversible systems.

Working:

• A fuel cell consists of two electrodes—a negative electrode (or anode) and a positive electrode (or cathode).
• Both electrodes must be immersed in and separated by an electrolyte, which may be a liquid or a solid but must, in either case, conduct ions between the electrodes in order to complete the chemistry of the system.
• A fuel, such as hydrogen, is supplied to the anode, where it is oxidised, producing hydrogen ions and electrons.
• An oxidizer, such as oxygen, is supplied to the cathode, where the hydrogen ions from the anode absorb electrons from the latter and react with the oxygen to produce water.
• The difference between the respective energy levels at the electrodes (electromotive force) is the voltage per unit cell.
• The amount of electric current available to the external circuit depends on the chemical activity and amount of the substances supplied as fuel.
• A single fuel cell generates a tiny amount of direct-current (DC) electricity. In practice, many fuel cells are usually assembled into a stack.

Advantages of Fuel Cells:

• Fuel cells have lower or zero emissions compared to combustion engines. Hydrogen fuel cells emit only water, addressing critical climate challenges as there are no carbon dioxide emissions.
• There are also no air pollutants that create smog and cause health problems during the operation of a fuel cell.
• They are quiet during operation as they have few moving parts.
• They can operate at higher efficiencies than combustion engines.
• A fuel cell resembles a battery in many respects, but it can supply electrical energy over a much longer period of time.
• This is because a fuel cell is continuously supplied with fuel and air (or oxygen) from an external source, whereas a battery contains only a limited amount of fuel material and oxidant that are depleted with use.