PM addresses 2nd National Conference of Chief Secretaries

• The Aspirational Blocks Programme is on the lines of the Aspirational District Programme that was launched in 2018 and covers 112 districts across the country.
• This new programme is aimed at improving performance of blocks lagging on various development parameters.
• This will enable holistic development in those areas that require added assistance.
• The programme will cover 500 districts across 31 states and Union Territories initially.
• Over half of these blocks are in 6 states—Uttar Pradesh (68 blocks), Bihar (61), Madhya Pradesh (42), Jharkhand (34), Odisha (29) and West Bengal (29).

Aspirational Districts Programme

• It was launched in 2018 and aims to transform districts that have shown relatively lesser progress in key social areas.
• 3C Strategy: The broad contours of the programme
• Convergence (of Central & State Schemes)
• Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors)
• Competition (among districts driven by a Mass Movement )
• Parameters for Ranking: The ranking is based on the incremental progress made across 49 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) under 5 broad socio-economic themes
  • Health & Nutrition (30%)
  • Education (30%)
  • Agriculture & Water Resources (20%)
  • Financial Inclusion & Skill Development (10%)
  • Infrastructure (10%)

A clear picture of how mercury becomes a superconductor

• In 1911, Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered superconductivity in mercury.
• He found that at a very low temperature, called the threshold temperature, solid mercury offers no resistance to the flow of electric current.
• Scientists later classified mercury as a conventional superconductor because its superconductivity could be explained by the concepts of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory.
• In BCS superconductors, vibrational energy released by the grid of atoms encourages electrons to pair up, forming so-called Cooper pairs.
• These Copper pairs can move like water in a stream, facing no resistance to their flow, below a threshold temperature.

Superconductivity

• A material can conduct electricity without any resistance. It is observed in many materials when they are cooled below a critical temperature.

Mercury

• It is a naturally occurring element that is found in air, water and soil.
• It is released into the atmosphere through natural processes such as weathering of rocks, volcanic eruptions, geothermal activities, forest fires, etc.

Reserve Bank of India puts on hold NUE licensing

• Six groupings, which included Facebook, Google, Amazon, Flipkart and others, had applied for NUE licences and all of them have fallen short of the RBI''s expectations.

New Umbrella Entity (NUE)

• As envisaged by the RBI, an NUE will be a non-profit entity that will set up, manage and operate new payment systems, especially in the retail space such as ATMs, white-label PoS; Aadhaar-based payments and remittance services.
• The entity formed shall be a company incorporated in India under the Companies Act, 2013. Currently, the umbrella entity for providing retail payments systems is NPCI, which is a non-profit entity, owned by banks.
• Promoters: A promoter will hold at least 25% and up to 40% of the operator. Only those entities that are owned and controlled by Indian citizens with at least three years of experience in the payments segment can become promoters of NUEs.
• Foreign investment: Foreign companies can own a maximum of 25%, so are teaming up with local players.
• Capital required: According to the RBI guidelines, the entity will have minimum paid-up capital of Rs 500 crore, with no single promoter group holding over 40 per cent investment in the capital.
• Governance structure: The new entity will have to abide by corporate governance norms and the ‘fit and proper’ criteria for persons to be appointed to the board.

Ottanthullal: A Cultural Treasure from the State of Kerala

Thullal

• It is a recite-and-dance art form of Kerala, which was introduced in the 18th century by the famous Malayalam poet Kunchan Nambiar (1705 - 1770).
• It is famous for its humour and social satire and is marked by its simplicity.
• It follows the classical principles of Natyasasthra (a treatise on art compiled in the 2nd century B.C.E).
• It is enacted into three separate versions
  • Ottanthullal
• Seethankan thullal
• Parayan thullal
• The Ottanthullal is the most popular among the three varieties of Thullal.
• The performance uses elaborate expressions and stories recited in verses to bring important mythological tales and stories to life.
• The costume and makeup of the performer are similar to that of a Kathakali artist.
• It is performed at temple festivals and cultural programmes.
• The Thullal performer is supported by a singer who repeats the verses and is accompanied by an orchestra of mridangam or thoppimaddalam (percussions) and cymbals.

Protein found in Zebrafish can help regenerate aged discs in human vertebrae: Study

• A study by Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, discovered that a protein called Cellular communication network factor 2a (Ccn2a) secreted from intervertebral disc cells induces disc regeneration in aged degenerated discs in humans.
• It is done by promoting cell proliferation and cell survival by modulating the pathway called the FGFR1-SHH (Fibroblast growth factor receptor-Sonic Hedgehog) pathway.

Zebrafish

• It is a small (2-3 cm long) freshwater fish found in tropical and subtropical regions. The fish is native to South Asia''s Indo-Gangetic plains, where they are mostly found in the paddy fields and even in stagnant water and streams.
• It attracts developmental biologists due to its adequate regeneration capacity of almost all its organs, including the brain, heart, eye, and spinal cord.
• It has a similar genetic structure (around 70%) to humans.
• IUCN Red List Status: Least concerned.

Assessment of floating solar photovoltaics potential in existing hydropower reservoirs in Africa

• Floatovoltaics, floating solar plants, or FSPV (floating solar photovoltaic) are panel structures that are installed on water bodies like lakes, basins, and reservoirs instead of on solid structures like a roof or terraces.
• The biggest impetus behind the rise of large-scale FSPV has been that it doesn’t take up any land space, which could be then used for construction and agriculture.
• The world’s first large-scale FSPV system was installed in 2011, in Napa Valley, California.

India

• In recent years, floating solar power plants have become part of India’s plans of solar expansion.
• According to a 2020 study by TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) reservoirs cover 18000 square Kilometer in India and can generate 280 GW through floating solar panels.
• Currently less than 1% of solar installations are floating.
• The largest floating solar power plant in India is currently the Ramagundam in Peddapalli district of Telangana, with a capacity of 100 MW.
• Currently a plant is being built on the Narmada’ Omkareshwar Dam in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh is being built with a capacity of 600 MW, which will soon be the largest floating solar power plant in the world.
• The project is touted to be worth Rs 3000 crore.
• What are the benefits of floating solar panels?
  • the water’s cooling effect makes them more efficient than land-based ones;
  • they don’t interfere with desert ecosystems; and
  • they keep precious water from evaporating.
  • Even though reservoirs are artificial ecosystems, they provide habitats for wildlife.

Roots connect a Meghalaya village

• A farmer recently takes forward the State’s traditional practice of building root bridges and connects two areas across Umkar river in Cherrapunjee.

Meghalaya’s Living Root Bridge:

• Meghalaya is known for its living root bridges, locally known as jingkieng jri.
• They are on the tentative list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites.
• Many bridges across the State are over a century old.
• A living root bridge is like a suspension bridge formed by guiding the pliable roots of the rubber fig tree (Ficus elastica) across a stream or river and allowing the roots to grow and strengthen over time.
• They are common in the southern part of the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya.

MoU signed between Leh Sub Area and Looms of Ladakh Co-operative Ltd under aegis of Fire and Fury Corps

• The aim of the Memorandum of Understanding is to impart weaving and tailoring training to Veer Naris, widows and dependent ladies of veterans from Ladakh in three cycles of two months each.
• Approximately, two hundred Veer Naris, widows and dependent ladies of veterans will benefit from this initiative, wherein Looms of Ladakh will also employ them post-completion of their training.
• This joint collaboration will go a long way in providing self-sufficiency to these ladies and empower them for their future endeavours.

Fire and Fury Corps

• The Corps handles some of the most sensitive frontiers and battlefields in the world.
• The areas of the Western and Eastern Ladakh also come under its responsibility.
• The Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh is facing tense deployments of the militaries, along with its weaponry and equipment, between India and China since May 2020.
• Western Ladakh includes the Kargil, having its Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, while in eastern Ladakh, the Corps shares its Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
• The world’s highest battleground, Siachen Brigade, comes under this Corps.

India and Japan to hold joint air exercise Veer Guardian 2023

''Veer Guardian-2023’:

• The Joint Exercise which will continue till 26th January aims at promoting Air Defence cooperation between the countries.
• The Indian contingent participating in the air exercise will include four Su-30 MKI, two C-17 and one IL-78 aircraft, while the JASDF will be participating with four F-2 and four F-15 aircraft.
• It will include the conduct of various aerial combat drills between the two Air Forces.
• They will undertake multi-domain air combat missions in a complex environment and will exchange best practices.
• Exercise ''Veer Guardian'' will fortify the long-standing bond of friendship and enhance the avenues of defence cooperation between the two Air Forces.

International Kite Festival 2023 begins in Ahmedabad, Gujarat

• The festival is being organized by Gujarat Tourism on the G20 theme of ''One Earth, One Family, One Future.
• Ahmedabad first hosted the International Kite Festival on the occasion of Uttarayan in 1989.
• Apart from Ahmedabad, the International Kite festival will also be organized in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Dwarka, Somnath, Dhordo, and Kevadia.
• After a gap of 2 years, skies over the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad will be adorned with colorful unique Kites.
• More than 800 kite flyers from across India and the world will participate and display their unique creations in this Festival.
• This year, kite enthusiasts from different countries will fly Kites at the same time attempting to create a Guinness World Record for the maximum number of kite flyers.
• A special Parade by international and national kite flyers, a theme pavilion displaying the history of kites, and workshops on making and flying kites are among the major attractions of the festival this year.