Russia to launch first moon lander Luna-25 days ahead of Chandrayaan-3 landing

• It is also designated as the Luna-Glob-Lander which is a Russian lunar lander mission.
• It is targeted to the south polar region of the Moon.
• There are two primary scientific objectives of the mission: to study composition of the polar regolith, and to study the plasma and dust components of the lunar polar exosphere.
• It will take off from the Vostochny cosmodrome.
• Lander structure:
  • Luna 25''s lander features a four-legged base housing landing rockets and propellant tanks.
  • An upper compartment contains solar panels, communication equipment, onboard computers, and scientific instruments.
• Payloads:
  • It carries eight science instruments, including gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers, infrared spectrometers, mass spectrometers, and imaging systems.
• Landing Site:
  • The primary landing site for Luna 25 is near the lunar south pole, with a reserve site located southwest of the Manzini crater.
• Mission duration:
  • It is expected to operate on the lunar surface, studying regolith and exospheric dust and particles, for approximately one year.

India Defence Ministry to replace Microsoft OS with Maya

• It is a new Operation System (OS) based on an open-source platform.
• It has the interface and all functionality like Windows and users will not feel much difference as they transition to it.
• Maya was developed by government development agencies within six months.
• Aim: To prevent malware attacks and other cyberattacks which had seen a steep increase.
• Currently, Maya is being installed only in Defence Ministry systems and not on computers connected to the networks of the three Services.

Operating System (OS)

• An OS is a software program that acts as an intermediary between computer hardware and the computer user.
• It provides a user-friendly interface and manages the hardware and software resources of a computer system.
• In essence, an operating system enables a user to interact with a computer and run applications efficiently.
• An OS, after being initially loaded into the computer by a boot program, manages all of the other application programs in a computer.

West African bloc ECOWAS to meet on Niger after junta defies deadline

ECOWAS

• It is the West African nation’s regional group which was established in 1975 through the Lagos Treaty.
• Mandate: Promoting economic integration among its members.
• Aim: To have a single common currency and create a single, large trading bloc in areas of industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, financial issues, and social and cultural matters.
• Member countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’ Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo. Around 400 million people live in this region.
• These countries have both cultural and geopolitical ties and shared common economic interest.
• Headquarters: Abuja, Nigeria.
• Beyond the goals of economic cooperation, ECOWAS has attempted to quell military conflicts in the region.
• ECOWAS also operated a regional peacekeeping operation known as ECOMOG, led by Nigeria in the 1990s and early 2000s.

NPPA fixes retail rates of 44 formulations

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)

• It is a government regulatory agency established with the aim of controlling and regulating the prices of pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices in the country to ensure their availability at affordable rates.
• It was constituted vide Government of India Resolution dated 29th August 1997 as an attached office of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.
• Functions
  • To implement and enforce the provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order in accordance with the powers delegated to it.
  • To deal with all legal matters arising out of the decisions of the Authority.
  • To monitor the availability of drugs, identify shortages, if any, and to take remedial steps.
  • To collect/ maintain data on production, exports and imports, market share of individual companies, profitability of companies etc, for bulk drugs and formulations.
  • To undertake and/ or sponsor relevant studies in respect of pricing of drugs/ pharmaceuticals.
  • To recruit/ appoint the officers and other staff members of the Authority, as per rules and procedures laid down by the Government.
  • To render advice to the Central Government on changes/ revisions in the drug policy.
  • To render assistance to the Central Government in the parliamentary matters relating to drug pricing.

Bulk Drugs

• A bulk drug, also called an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), is the key ingredient of a drug or medicine, which lends it the desired therapeutic effect or produces the intended pharmacological activity.
• For example, paracetamol is a bulk drug, which acts against pain.

APEDA facilitates export of first trial shipment of fresh

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)

• APEDA was established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act of 1985.
• It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Objective: To develop and promote the export of scheduled products.
• The products specified under the APEDA ACT are called scheduled products, and exporters of such scheduled products are required to register under APEDA.
• It provides financial assistance, information, and guidelines for the development of scheduled products.
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Functions:
  • Setting the standards and specifications for the scheduled products.
  • Registration of exporters of the scheduled products on payment of required fees.
  • Improving packaging and marketing of the Scheduled products.
  • Carrying out an inspection of products to ensure the quality of such products.
  • Training in various aspects of the industries connected with the scheduled products.
  • Development of industries relating to the scheduled products and undertaking surveys, feasibility studies, etc.
  • Collection of statistics from the owners of factories or establishments and publication of such statistics.
  • Examples of scheduled products: Fruits, Vegetable, Meat, Poultry Dairy Products, Confectionery, Biscuits, Bakery Products, Honey, Jaggery, etc.

Rajya Sabha pays homage on the 81st Anniversary of ''Quit India Movement’ today

• The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Movement or Bharat Chodo Andolan, was a significant civil disobedience movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress on August 8, 1942 at Gowalia Tank Maidan also known as August Kranti Maidan in Bombay.
• On this day, August 8th, in 1942, Gandhi gave the famous "Do or Die" speech, urging the Indian people to act decisively and nonviolently against British rule.
• Reasons:
  • While factors leading to such a movement had been building up, matters came to a head with the failure of the Cripps Mission.
  • The failure of the Cripps Mission made Gandhi realise that freedom would come only if Indians fought tooth and nail for it.
  • The movement aimed to demand an end to British colonial rule in India and achieve full independence.
• Mass Protests:
  • The movement saw widespread protests, strikes and acts of civil disobedience across the country.
  • People participated in marches, demonstrations, and various forms of nonviolent resistance.
  • Women played a vital role in the Quit India Movement, displaying immense courage and leadership.
  • During the movement, parallel governments were set up in Ballia (Uttar Pradesh), Satara (Maharashtra), Tamluk (West Bengal), and Talcher (Odisha).
  • Numerous arrests were made following the protest. Many top leaders of Congress, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, were also arrested.

The enigmatic Indian eagle-owl

Indian eagle-owl

• It is also called the rock eagle-owl or Bengal eagle-owl.
• It is a large horned owl species native to hilly and rocky scrub forests in the Indian Subcontinent.
• Appearance:
  • It is splashed with brown and grey, and has a white throat patch with black small stripes.
  • The slightly larger female can reach a total length of two and a half feet, with a wingspan of six feet.
  • Prominent ear tufts that look like horns are seen to project from its head.
• It was earlier treated as a subspecies of the Eurasian eagle-owl.
• It is usually seen in pairs. It has a deep resonant booming call that may be heard at dawn and dusk.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN: Least Concern

''Raisina Dialogue'' Key Think Tank Event in World

Raisina Dialogue

• It is India’s premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community.
• It is modeled on the lines of the Munich Security Conference and Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue.
• It is held annually since 2016 in New Delhi.
• The Dialogue is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectoral discussion involving heads of state, cabinet ministers, and local government officials, who are joined by thought leaders from the private sector, media, and academia.
• It is organized by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

Observer Research Foundation (ORF)

• Established in 1990, the ORF is an independent, nonpartisan think tank that conducts policy research on good governance, foreign policy, and sustainable economic development for India.
• ORF’s work spans a wide range of topics, including climate, energy, cyber issues and media, economic development, and national security.
• It provides non-partisan, independent, well-researched analyses and inputs to diverse decision-makers in governments, business communities, academia, and to civil society around the world.
• Mandate: It seeks to lead and aid policy thinking towards building a strong and prosperous India in a fair and equitable world.

Shangri-La Dialogue

• It is Asia''s premier defense and security summit.
• It is attended by Defence Ministers, permanent heads of ministries and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific countries.
• It is organized by an independent think-thank, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
• The summit is named after the Shangri-La hotel in Singapore, where it has been held since 2002.

Postal Life Insurance (PLI) Launches Direct Incentive

Direct Incentive Disbursement Program

• This programme will recognize the role of PLI’s sales force which is the driving force behind the department’s accomplishments.
• It will impact around two lakh sales force members across the nation, including Gramin Dak Sevaks, Direct Agents, Field Officers, and Departmental Employees.
• Key benefits of pilot program:
  • Swift and Secure Transactions: Sales force receives incentives directly in their Post Office Savings Bank accounts.
  • Convenience and Motivation: Sales force can conveniently manage their funds, and immediate rewards drive optimal performance.
  • Simplified Administration: Automated payouts reduce administrative costs, enabling a greater focus on delivering client service.

Postal Life Insurance

• It is the oldest life insurer in this country which was introduced on 1st February 1884.
• It started as a welfare scheme for the benefit of postal employees and was later extended to the employees of the Telegraph Department in 1888.
• In 1894, PLI extended insurance cover to female employees of the erstwhile P & T Department at a time when no other insurance company covered female lives.

North East Venture Fund Has Invested INR 56 Cr In 37 Startups: Govt

• It is registered as a Category I Venture Capital Fund under Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Alternative Investment Funds (AIF) Regulations, 2012.
• An independent committee (Investment Committee) comprising of experienced professionals from the field of venture funding, private equity, developmental banking etc takes the investment decision.
• As a regulatory requirement, periodic reporting on the operation/compliances of regulation is placed before the contributors of NEVF and other concerned bodies in a structured manner.
• In addition, fund operation is also monitored by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in the form of periodic audit.
• It was established as a close ended fund with a target corpus of Rs. 100 crore.
• It has already received its targeted corpus with contribution of Rs. 30 crore from North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (NEDFi), Rs. 25 crore from Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and Rs. 45 crore from Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER).
• However, the contribution of MDoNER was given to NEDFi as interest free loan to be repayable in lump sum at the end of 15 years.