Latest News
26th July 2021
RAMAPPA GETS WORLD HERITAGE TAG; PM LAUDS TS PEOPLE
Recently, the Prime Minister has expressed happiness on UNESCO declaring Kakatiya Ramappa Temple a World Heritage site.
- With this, India has 39 sites on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is now the custodian of 23 world heritage sites.
- It was built during the rule of Kakatiya dynasty.
- Rudreshwara, popularly known as Ramappa Temple, is located in the village of Palampet approximately 200km north-east of Hyderabad, in the State of Telangana.
- It is the main Shiva temple in a walled complex built during the Kakatiyan period (1123–1323 CE) under rulers Rudradeva and Recharla Rudra.
- The presiding deity here is Ramalingeswara Swamy.
- The construction of the sandstone temple began in 1213 CE and is believed to have continued over some 40 years.
- It features decorated beams and pillars of carved granite and dolerite with a distinctive and pyramidal Vimana (horizontally stepped tower) made of lightweight porous bricks.
- Its sculptures of high artistic quality illustrate regional dance customs and Kakatiyan culture.
- It is located at the foothills of a forested area and amidst agricultural fields, close to the shores of the Ramappa Cheruvu.
- The Ramappa temple stands on a 6 feet high star-shaped platform with walls, pillars and ceilings adorned with intricate carvings that attest to the unique skill of the Kakatiyan sculptors.
- It is nominated under Criterion i (Masterpiece of human creative genius) and Criterion iii (bearing a unique or at least an exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition, which is living or which has disappeared).
- The International Council of Historic Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) had evaluated Ramappa’s heritage status and made some recommendations.
- It has been accorded extension for five years i.e. until 2026 and enters its second phase with added features.
- It is the national web portal for sharing R&D facilities
- It is an initiative of Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Govt. of India (PSA, GOI) under the aegis of Prime Minister Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) mission.
- Its goal is to strengthen the R&D ecosystem of the country by connecting researchers with resources.
- It is aimed at promoting technologies and scientific equipment development indigenously, and providing necessary supplies and supports to researchers.
- The goals of I-STEM include serving as a platform for generating technical manpower through a variety of training programs conducted by Regional I-STEM Hubs, which would form a natural partner and a complement to the Clusters.
- Devices that are used daily often break down due to mechanical damage, forcing users either to repair or replace them.
- This decreases the life of the equipment and increases maintenance costs. In many cases, like in a spacecraft, human intervention for restoration is not possible.
- Keeping such necessities in mind, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, in collaboration with IIT Kharagpur, have developed piezoelectric molecular crystals that repair themselves from mechanical damages without need for any external intervention, the DST said in a statement.
- Called bipyrazole organic crystals, the piezoelectric molecules developed by the scientists recombine following mechanical fracture without any external intervention, autonomously self-healing in milliseconds with crystallographic precision.
- In these molecular solids, due to the unique property of generating electrical charges on mechanical impact, the broken pieces acquire electrical charges at the crack junction, leading to attraction by damaged parts and precise autonomous repair.
- These materials with perfect internal arrangement of molecules or ions are called 'crystals' which are abundant in nature.
- The material may find application in high-end micro-chips, high precision mechanical sensors, actuators, and micro-robotics.
- Further research into such materials may eventually lead to the development of smart gadgets that self-repair cracks or scratches.
- Special Representatives and Special Envoys of the US, the EU, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, Norway, and the UK met in Rome on 22 July to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and the developments in peace negotiations after the fresh round of talks in Doha between Taliban and the High Peace Council for Reconciliation led by Abdullah-Abdullah.
- The communique also called on all parties to reduce violence and protect civilians, respecting their obligations under international humanitarian law.
- The US and EU nations called for an immediate ceasefire. They appealed to the Taliban and the Afghan government to sit down and work out a negotiated settlement.
- They also urged the Taliban to reduce violence, uphold their commitments to protect Afghanistan's infrastructure, protect civilians and cooperate on humanitarian assistance, particularly as the Afghan people suffer acutely from the effects of COVID-19 and drought, in addition to violence.
- The five elements of the joint communique include inclusive governance; the right to elect political leaders; protections for human rights, including rights of women, youth, and minorities; commitments on counter-terrorism, including ensuring that Afghanistan does not again serve as a safe haven for terrorists; and adherence to international law, including international humanitarian law.
- It will be run by the Meghalaya Government with the help of Assam Rifles.
- It will greatly benefit eco-tourism and will also boost tourism in the state.
- The campaign gave the slogan "Evergreen Northeast", underlining the importance of afforestation and tree plantation.
- It is an ambitious project to make Cherrapunji green again and the entire area of Cherrapunji is going to be adopted by Assam Rifles for the purpose of plantation.
- It is a part of the Prime Minister's ambitious project Jal Jeevan Mission.
- It will be implemented by the Ministry of DoNER and the Government of Meghalaya, under the North-East Special Infrastructure Scheme.
- It will provide pure drinking water through taps to every household.
- It has set the target of providing pure drinking water to every household in the state of Meghalaya and the country before the completion of 75 years of Independence and 50 years of Meghalaya.
- It is an ambitious programme to provide drinking water to 280,000 families in the state of Meghalaya, which is clubbed into 1874 small projects.
POSTED ON 26-07-2021 BY ADMIN
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