India, Sweden host ''Industry Transition Dialogue'' in Stockholm

• The Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) gathers countries and companies that are committed to action to achieve the Paris Agreement.
• It was launched by the governments of Sweden and India at the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019 and is supported by the World Economic Forum.
• The LeadIT initiative lays specific focus on hard to abate sectors that are key stakeholders in the global climate action and require specific interventions.
• Japan and South Africa, the latest members of the initiative were welcomed. This extends the total membership of LeadIT to 37 including countries and companies together.

Liquid mirror telescope in Devasthal sees first light

• The telescope, staring at the sky overhead, will make sky surveys possible and obtain images that can help observe transient phenomena such as supernovae and record the presence of space debris or meteorites — basically, watch the skies.
• The telescope has been built by a collaboration of scientists from Canada, Belgium and India.
• It is located at an altitude of 2,450 metres on the Devasthal Observatory campus of the Aryabhata Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in Nainital district, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
• A large pool of mercury placed in a vessel is spun around so fast that it curves into a parabolic shape. Since mercury is reflective, this shape helps in focusing the reflected light. A thin sheet of mylar protects the mercury from the wind.
• The first image made by the telescope consisted of several stars and a galaxy, NGC 4274, which is 45 million light years away.
• The telescope, having a primary mirror that is liquid, cannot be turned and pointed in any direction. It “stares” at the zenith and watches the sky as the earth rotates, thereby giving a view of different objects.

India, Israel adopt vision statement to further defence cooperation

• The two Ministers presented a joint declaration marking 30 years of Israel-India relations and reiterated their commitment to deepening defence ties.
• They discussed partnerships within the government-to-government framework, military training, and technological cooperation with a focus on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and defensive capabilities.
• A Letter of Intent on enhancing cooperation in the field of futuristic defence technologies was also exchanged between the two Ministers.
• The Ministers also discussed a cooperation agreement signed between the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel’s Directorate for Defence R&D.

This 24-year-old plans to marry herself in India''s first-ever ''sologamy''

• Sologamy is the act of marrying oneself in a public ceremony, also referred to as self-marriage or autogamy. While such a marriage has no legal sanction or status, the symbolic ceremony is used by many as an act to emphasize their self-love and independence.
• Sologamy can be traced back to Linda Baker, a dental hygienist from the US, who married herself in 1993. It is widely considered the first publicized act of self-marriage.

Across the globe

• in present times, women can afford to live on their own, build their careers, buy their homes, create their own lives, have children if they choose.
• Women also frame self-matrimony as a unique solution to the problem of women sacrificing their own needs in a relationship. Marry yourself first, they say, before marrying anyone else.

''Har Ghar Dastak 2.0'' campaign begins

• Incorporating the experience & learning from “HarGharDastak campaign” launched in Nov 2021, ‘HarGharDastak 2.0’ will be implemented from 1st June 2022 to 31st July 2022.
• The objective of the ‘Har GharDastak2.0’ Abhiyan is to vaccinate and cover the eligible population groups for first, second and precaution doses through door-to-door campaigns.
• Major focus will also remain on improving sub-optimal coverage of persons aged ≥ 60years with precaution dose, along with considerably slower speed of coverage in the 12-14 years cohort.
• The ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ Teekakaran Abhiyaan has been inspired by the successful strategy of Mission Indradhanush.

Gecko found in Andhra, Odisha turns out to be a new species

• The species, Eublepharis pictus, also known as the Painted Leopard Gecko, has been described in the journal Evolutionary Systematics.
• Researchers had initially identified the specimen, as an East Indian Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis hardwickii). This new species appears to be common in the forests of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
• The gecko genus Eublepharis now has 7 species. The new species differs from all members of the genus Eublepharis except for E hardwickii. Geographically the two species appear to be separated by the Brahmani River.
• Based on IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) conservation prioritization criteria, the researchers propose to list E pictus… and E hardwickii as Near Threatened (NT).

Nano Urea (Liquid) Plant of IFFCO at Kalol in Gujarat

• Liquid nano urea is essentially urea in the form of a nanoparticle. Urea is a chemical nitrogen fertiliser which artificially provides nitrogen, a major nutrient required by plants.
• Liquid nano urea is sprayed directly on the leaves and gets absorbed by the plant. Fertilisers in nano form provide a targeted supply of nutrients to crops, as they are absorbed by the stomata, pores found on the epidermis of leaves.
• The product has been developed at Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative limited (IFFCO’s) Nano Biotechnology Research Centre (NBRC) at Kalol. The liquid nano urea produced by IFFCO comes in a half-litre bottle priced at Rs 240, and carries no burden of subsidy currently.
• Apart from reducing the country’s subsidy bill, it is aimed at reducing the unbalanced and indiscriminate use of conventional urea, increase crop productivity, and reduce soil, water, and air pollution.

Maruti Suzuki urges govt to reconsider making six airbags

• Airbags soften the impact of collisions by keeping occupants from coming into contact with the steering wheel, dashboard, front glass, and other parts of the automobile.
• In January 2022, Union Road Transport Minister said that “In order to enhance the safety of the occupants in motor vehicles carrying upto 8 passengers, I have now approved a Draft GSR Notification to make a minimum of 6 Airbags compulsory.” No timelines were mentioned then.
• Dual airbags (driver and passenger) became mandatory on all vehicles this January. A driver airbag has been compulsory for all passenger vehicles since July 1, 2019.
• Additional airbags are proposed in the ‘M1’ category of vehicles, with the aim of minimising the impact of “frontal and lateral collisions” to the occupants of both the front and rear compartments. As per the proposal, two side or side torso airbags, and two side curtain or tube airbags covering all outboard passengers, will be made mandatory.

‘M1’  vehicle

• Under the government’s homologation rules, vehicles are bucketed into broad categories.
• ‘Category M’ covers motor vehicles with at least four wheels, used for carrying passengers.
• Sub-category ‘M1’ defines “a motor vehicle used for the carriage of passengers, comprising not more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat”. This category effectively subsumes the bulk of the passenger vehicles on India’s roads.
• Homologation is the process of certifying that a particular vehicle is roadworthy, and matches certain specified criteria laid down by the government for all vehicles that are built or imported into the country.

PM condoles passing away of INA Veteran Anjalai Ponnusamy

• Anjalai was once a soldier who served under the command of Netaji Bose, who led the Indian National Army in 1943.
• At the age of 21, Anjalai joined the Rani of Jhansi Regiment – the women’s regiment of the Indian National Army.
• After the war ended with the Japanese defeat, the Indian National Army was disbanded, and Anjalai returned home to continue her life in Malaysia.