Hubble captures a jellyfish galaxy 700 million light-years away

Jellyfish Galaxy (JO206):

• It trails across the universe about 700 million light-years away from our planet.
• It is in the constellation Aquarius.
• Jellyfish galaxies resemble their marine namesakes and that is evident in the image.
• At the bottom right in the image “tentacles” of bright star formation that trails the main disc of the galaxy are visible.

Aquarius constellation

• It is one of the 12 zodiac constellations.
• The constellation’s name means “the water-bearer” (or “cup-bearer”) in Latin.
• It lies in the region of the sky which is sometimes referred to as the Sea, because it contains a number of other constellations with names associated with water.
• It is the 10th largest constellation in the sky, occupying an area of 980 square degrees.
• It is one of the 15 equatorial constellations.
• It is located in the fourth quadrant of the southern hemisphere (SQ4) and can be seen at latitudes between +65° and -90°.

MSDE certifies 98 Trainers trained in the cluster-based Training of Trainers project under the SANKALP programme

SANKALP Programme:

• The Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) programme was launched in 2018.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE)
• It is a World Bank loan-assisted project and is aligned with the overall objectives of the National Skill Development Mission (NSDM).
• The project focuses on transforming the overall skilling ecosystem of India, covering both central and state-level agencies for improved outcomes.
• It also encourages innovative best practices at the local level, resulting in enhanced access, quality and capacity in the skilling ecosystem and improved access to and completion of skills training for female trainees and other disadvantaged groups.
• Strategy: Under SANKALP four key result areas have been identified viz –
  • Institutional Strengthening (at National, State & District level)
  • Quality Assurance Quality Assurance of skill development programs;
  • Inclusion of marginalised population in skill development; and
  • Expanding Skills through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).

One lakh girls in 11-14 age group brought back to schools

Kanya Shiksha Pravesh Utsav:

• It was launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), in partnership with the Ministry of Education and UNICEF
• Objective: Enhancing enrolment and retention of girls between 11-14 years of age in school.
• The initiative intends to build on the existing schemes and programmes like Schemes for Adolescent Girls (SAG), BetiBachaoBetiPadhao (BBBP) and National Education Policy (NEP) to work on a comprehensive system for out-of-school girls.
• Now Ministry of Women and Child Development has decided to club together three programmes under a new scheme — Anganwadi services, poshan Abhiyan and scheme for adolescent girls — since all these had the same nutritional targets.”
• In the new scheme, a new category is created in which adolescent girls between 14 and 18 years are covered.

The Hiroshima process that takes AI governance global

Hiroshima AI Process (HAP)

• It is an effort by the G7 bloc to determine a way forward to regulate artificial intelligence (AI).
• It also encourages international organisations such as the OECD to consider the analysis of the impact of policy developments and the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI) to conduct practical projects.

Global Partnership on AI (GPAI)

• It is a multi-stakeholder initiative which aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge research and applied activities on AI-related priorities.
• Launched in June 2020 with 15 members, GPAI is the fruition of an idea developed within the G7.
• At present, it has 29 members and India is also a member of this initiative.
• Its secretariat is at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

PM lauds new initiative of celebrating ‘Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana’ as ‘God Bharai'' ceremony in Dausa, Rajasthan

PM Matru Vandana Yojana

• It is a Centrally Sponsored Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme launched in 2017.
• Objectives
  • Providing partial compensation for the wage loss in terms of cash incentive, so that the woman can take adequate rest before and after delivery of the first child
  • To improve health-seeking behaviour amongst Pregnant Women & Lactating Mothers (PW&LM).
• Features
  • The scheme is to provide maternity benefits to women belonging to socially and economically disadvantaged sections of society.
  • The maternity benefit is to be provided to a woman for the first two living children provided the second child is a girl
  • Under this scheme monetary benefit of Rs. 5,000 is given to the expecting mothers from the time of the initial stage of pregnancy to till the time the child is born.
  • Additionally, Rs. 1,000 is provided under the Janani Suraksha Yojana post-institutional delivery.
  • The Rs. 5,000 is provided in three installments.
  • The first installment of Rs. 1,000 is paid at the time of registration of the pregnancy.
  • The second installment of Rs. 2,000 is paid at the time of completing 6 months of pregnancy and receiving at least one antenatal checkup.
  • The third installment of Rs. 2,000 is received after the birth and registration of birth of such child and after such child receives the first cycle of immunization for BCG, OPV, DPT and Hepatitis-B.
  • Cases of miscarriage/stillbirths are to be treated as fresh cases for providing maternity benefits under the scheme.

India''s ASW Shallow Water Craft Project Progresses Amidst Uncertainties

Anjadip Shallow Water Craft:

• It is an anti-submarine warfare shallow watercraft vessel built for the Indian Navy.
• It was built by the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE).
• Anjadip is the third of the eight ships of the contract that was signed between Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata and the Ministry of Defence in April 2019.
• The vessel was named after the island of Anjadip, located off Karwar Port, Karnataka, signifying its strategic maritime importance.
• It is designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, low intensity maritime operations and subsurface surveillance among others.
• Features:
  • The ship is a 900-ton, 77-metre-long vessel powered by water-jet propulsion.
  • It can achieve a maximum speed of 25 knots (46 km/h) and has an endurance of 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h).
  • The crew consists of 57 members, including seven officers and 50 sailors.
  • It is equipped with an Anti-submarine Combat Suite, potentially the DRDO-developed IAC MOD''C'', a Hull Mounted Sonar, and a Low-frequency Variable depth Sonar.
  • It also features a fire control system (FCS), an integrated Platform Management system, an Atomic Power Management system, and a Battle Damage control system.

Look for ways to adopt AI into audit techniques for effectiveness: CAG

Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs)

• They are public oversight institutions which audit a government’s use of public funds.
• They are a critical link in a country’s accountability chain.
• By scrutinizing public financial management and reporting they provide assurance that resources are used as prescribed.
• Most SAIs derives their mandate from the constitution and/or legislation.
• SAIs undertakes financial audits of organizations’ accounting procedures and financial statements, and compliance audits reviewing the legality of transactions made by the audited body.
• They also conduct performance audits to scrutinize the efficiency, effectiveness or economy of government’s undertakings.
• The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is India’s SAI.

INTOSAI – International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions:

• It is an autonomous, independent and non-political organization.
• It operates as an umbrella organization for the external government audit community.
• It has special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.
• It works to promote auditing standards, good governance of SAIs, and SAI independence, among other work.
• Structure:
  • The International Congresses of Supreme Audit Institutions (INCOSAI) is the supreme organ of INTOSAI and is composed of all the members. On a triennial basis, it holds regular meetings, which is chaired by the hosting SAI.
  • The INTOSAI Governing Board meets annually to provide strategic leadership, stewardship, and continuity of INTOSAI activities between INCOSAI.
  • The CAG of India is a member of the Governing Board of the INTOSAI.

Biologists discover 20 new species of sea lettuce, a potential new food source

Sea Lettuce:

• Sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) is commonly referred to as seaweed.
• It is a genus of green algae usually found growing on rocky shores of seas and oceans around the world.
• Some species of Sea lettuce also grow in brackish water rich in organic matter or sewage and can accumulate heavy metals.
• It usually grows attached by a small discoid holdfast to rocks and shells, but it can also grow in a free-floating, non-attached form, sometimes in prolific masses.
• It needs a lot of sunlight to flourish.
• It is perennial, and grows all year, although the largest blooms occur during the summer.
• Large masses of sea lettuce are often an indicator of nutrient pollution in the water.
• In some parts of the world, people eat sea lettuce in soups and salads.
• Features:
  • It resembles leaves of green lettuce. The color is often bright green but can range from dark green to almost yellow.
  • The leaves can be narrow or broad and single or multi-lobed. They’re often rounded or oval with ruffled edges and riddled with holes or perforations.
  • They are rich in iodine and vitamins A, B, and C.

Tiger Safari In Ramgarh Reserve Buffer Zone Soon

Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve:

• Location: It lies in the southeastern part of Rajasthan in Bundi district.
• It is in continuation with the buffer area of Ranthambore tiger reserve on the North-eastern side and Mukundara Hills tiger reserve on the southern side.
• It was notified as a tiger reserve on May 16, 2022.
• River: Mez, a tributary of the Chambal River, passes through the tiger reserve.
• Vegetation: Dry Deciduous Forest
• Topography: It varies from gentle slopes to steep rocky cliffs, from the flat-of hills of Vindhyas to the conical hillocks and sharp ridges of the Aravallis.
• Flora:
  • The habitat is dominated by Dhok (Anogeissus pendula) trees.
  • Other important flora includeS Khair (Acacia catechu), Ronj (Acacia Leucophloea), Amaltas (Cassia fistula), Gurjan (Lannea coromodelica), Saler (Boswellia serrata) etc.
• Fauna:
  • The area is dominated by Leopards and Sloth bears.
  • Other important fauna includes Jungle cat, Golden jackal, Hyaena, Crested Porcupine, Indian Hedgehog, Rhesus macaque, hanuman langur etc.
  • It is also the natural habitat for the Indian Star tortoise.

Strong gravitational lense results in four images of same distant supernova

Gravitational Lensing

• It occurs when a massive celestial body, such as a galaxy cluster, causes a sufficient curvature of spacetime for the path of light around it to be visibly bent, as if by a lens.
• The body causing the light to curve is accordingly called a gravitational lens.
• An important consequence of this lensing distortion is magnification, allowing us to observe objects that would otherwise be too far away and too faint to be seen.
• Theory:
  • Gravitational Lensing was first predicted in 1915 by Albert Einstein, which involves the bending of light by objects of great mass.
  • According to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, time and space are fused together in a quantity known as spacetime.
  • Within this theory, massive objects cause spacetime to curve, and gravity is simply the curvature of spacetime.
  • As light travels through spacetime, the theory predicts that the path taken by the light will also be curved by an object’s mass.
  • Gravitational lensing is a dramatic and observable example of Einstein’s theory in action.
  • Extremely massive celestial bodies such as galaxy clusters cause spacetime to be significantly curved. In other words, they act as gravitational lenses.
  • When light from a more distant light source passes by a gravitational lens, the path of the light is curved, and a distorted image of the distant object — maybe a ring or halo of light around the gravitational lens — can be observed.