Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and Meta join hands to establish Frontier Technology Labs in schools to democratize access to future technologies and innovation.

About Frontier Technology Lab:

• It is an advanced version of Atal Tinkering Lab. It aims to advance the government’s agenda of digital inclusion, skilling and growth.
• Collaboration: Atal Innovation Mission and Meta will partner to set up FTLs in schools of strategic importance to ensure that students from diverse backgrounds across India will have equal opportunities to learn and engage with frontier technologies.
• Funding: The FTLs will be funded by Meta and Atal Innovation Mission will be the knowledge partner.
• It is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, including all components of the Tinkering Lab to empower students to innovate using technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Augmented & Virtual Reality, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Robotics, 3D Printing and Internet of Things.
• Significance: The labs support the Government’s focus on equipping youth with digital skills to succeed in the evolving landscape of technology and the global economy.

GI tag for Majuli masks of Assam: History, cultural significance of the centuries-old art form

About Majuli masks:

• These are handmade masks traditionally used to depict characters in bhaonas, or theatrical performances with devotional messages under the neo-Vaishnavite tradition, introduced by the 15th-16th century reformer saint Srimanta Sankardeva.
• Srimanta Sankardeva established this art of masks through a play called Chinha Jatra.
• The masks can depict gods, goddesses, demons, animals and birds — Ravana, Garuda, Narasimha, Hanuman, Varaha Surpanakha all feature among the masks.
• They can range in size from those covering just the face (mukh mukha), to those covering the whole head and body of the performer (cho mukha).
• Material used: The masks are made of bamboo, clay, dung, cloth, cotton, wood and other materials available in the riverine surroundings of their makers
• Traditional practitioners are working to take the art out of their traditional place in sattras, or monasteries, and give them a new, contemporary life.
• Sattras are monastic institutions established by Srimanta Sankardev and his disciples as centres of religious, social and cultural reform.

Key facts about Majuli manuscript painting

• It is a form of painting — also originating in the 16th century — done on sanchi pat, or manuscripts made of the bark of the sanchi or agar tree, using homemade ink.
• The earliest example of an illustrated manuscript is said to be a rendering of the Adya Dasama of the Bhagwat Purana in Assamese by Srimanta Sankardev.
• This art was patronised by the Ahom kings. It continues to be practised in every sattra in Majuli.

Scientists reveal secrets of Earth''s magnificent desert star dunes

About Star dunes:

• Star dunes - or pyramid dunes - are named after their distinctive shapes and reach hundreds of metres in height.
• They are found in Africa, Asia and North America and also have been spotted on Mars and on Saturn''s large moon Titan.
• Star dunes make up just under 10% of the dunes in Earth''s deserts. These are the tallest ones, surpassing other types such as crescent-shaped barchan dunes and straight and lengthy linear dunes.
• These are formed in areas with complex wind regimes, where winds blowing from different directions and net sand accumulation, points within the desert where big piles of sand can be blown around to form giant dunes.
• Geographical distribution:
• Earth''s largest star dunes are found in the Badain Jaran desert in western China. 
• Namib Sand Sea in Namibia, large sand seas in Algeria such as the Grand Erg Oriental and Grand Erg Occidental, and Rub'' al Khali in Saudi Arabia.
• In North America, Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado contains a series of them.

Recent research about Star dunes

• The research team from the UK have estimated the age of star dune of Lala Lallia in Morocco, for the first time.
• The scientists used a technique called luminescence dating to work out the age of the star dune. The method calculates when the grains of sand were last exposed to daylight.

Minister of Communications, Railways, and Electronics & Information Technology to launch NITI Aayog’s ‘NITI For States’ Platform

About NITI For States Platform:

• It is a cross-sectoral knowledge platform designed to become a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for Policy and Good Governance.
• The significant features of the platform include
• A multi-sectoral live repository of Best Practices, Policy documents, datasets, data profiles and NITI publications.
• The knowledge products on the platform span 10 sectors including Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health, Livelihoods and Skilling, Manufacturing, MSME, Tourism, Urban, Water resources & WASH across two cross-cutting themes - Gender and Climate Change.
• The platform is an intuitive and user-friendly interface that allows users to easily navigate; and it is accessible through multiple devices including mobile phones.
• This platform will facilitate the digital transformation of governance by equipping government officials with robust, contextually relevant, and actionable knowledge and insights, thereby enhancing the quality of their decision-making.
• It will also support cutting-edge level functionaries like district collectors and block-level functionaries by giving them access to innovative best practices across various States and UTs.

What is Viksit Bharat Strategy Room?

• It is an interactive space where users will be able to visualise data, trends, best practices and policies in an immersive manner allowing them to make a holistic assessment of any problem statement.
• It also allows user to interact through voice-enabled AI and connect to multiple stakeholders through video conferencing.
• It is designed to be a plug-and-play model to enable replication by states, districts and blocks.
• Various government organizations have collaborated in this initiative by NITI Aayog.
• It includes iGOT Karmayogi bringing online training modules called “SAMARTH” which can be accessed by the platform.
• NITI Aayog’s National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP) has been integrated to give access to government data sets;
• National E-Governance Division (NeGD) has extended support to develop the first-of-its-kind Viksit Bharat Strategy Room while multi-lingual support has been provided by the Bhashini.
• PM Gatishakti BISAG-N team, with the support of DPIIT, has also been integrated providing for the geospatial tool for Area Based Planning.

Odisha: Cuttack city''s silver filigree receives Geographical Indication tag

About Rupa Tarakasi:

• It is one of the most exquisite silver crafts.
• This centuries-old, sophisticated craft is practiced in the silver city of Cuttack, Odisha.
• Origin:
• It is known to have existed as far back as the 12th century.
• The art form received considerable patronage under the Mughals.
• Process:
• In this work of craft, silver bricks are transformed into thin, fine wires (tara) or foils, from which silver filigree is made with all designs (kasi).
• While different grades of silver are used in the main metal alloy, the craftsmen also use other metals like copper, zinc, cadmium and tin.
• The artists involved with this filigree work are called “Rupa Banias” or “Roupyakaras” (in Odia). 
• This craftsmanship extends to creating various items, including jewellery worn by Odissi dancers, decorative artifacts, accessories, and religious and cultural pieces.

Conviction can be solely based on dying declaration if it inspires confidence: Supreme Court

About Dying Declaration:

• A Dying Declaration is a statement made by a person who is dead. It is dealt with under clause (1) of Section 32 of the Indian Evidence Act 1872. 
• Generally, it relates to the cause of death of the declarant. It is admissible as evidence in all proceedings, civil or criminal.
• The reason behind this can be followed by the Latin maxim ‘Nemo Mariturus Presumuntur Mentri’ which means that “Man Will Not Meet His Maker with Lying on His Mouth. 
• Format:
• There is no specific format required for a dying declaration. It can be given orally, in writing, through gestures or signs, by a thumb impression, or even in the form of a question and answer.
• However, the statement must clearly and assertively convey the person’s intention. Ideally, a written declaration should be recorded using the exact words stated by the person making the statement. 
• In cases where a magistrate records the dying declaration, it is usually done in a question-and-answer format. This allows the magistrate to gather maximum relevant information accurately. 
• Who can record a Dying Declaration?
• The best form of declaration of dying would be the one recorded by the Magistrate.
• However, according to the Supreme Court’s guidelines, anyone can record the dying statement.
• A dying statement can also be recorded by public servants or by a doctor as well, where the victim is hospitalized.
• Evidentiary Value:
• A dying declaration carries significant weight in legal proceedings and can serve as the sole basis for a conviction without the need for additional corroborating evidence. 
• However, the court must ensure that the statement of the deceased was not influenced, coached, or a result of imagination. 
• It must also ascertain that the deceased was of sound mind and had a clear opportunity to observe and identify the assailants. 
• If the person making the dying statement is likely to live, his statement is inadmissible as a dying statement.

PM Modi inaugurates India’s first under-river metro route in Kolkata

About India''s First Under-River Metro Tunnel:

• It is a part of Kolkata Metro’s East-West Corridor.
• It passes under the Hooghly River and forms part of section from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade.
• The stretch also has the deepest metro station in the country, the Howrah Maidan station, at 32 metres below ground level.

Key Facts about River Hooghly:

• The Hooghly River, also known as the Bhagirathi-Hoogly and Kati-Ganga Rivers, is one of the significant rivers in West Bengal. It is a distributary or arm of the Ganges River.
• Course:
• It is formed in Murshidabad, where the Ganga splits into two parts, while the part flowing through Bangladesh is called the Padma.
• The Hooghly River is silted up above Kolkata, and the river flows to the west and south to the estuary of Rupnarayan and then south and southwest to enter the Bay of Bengal through a 32-kilometer-wide estuary.
• The Hooghly’s majority of water comes from the Farakka Feeder Canal instead of natural water. 
• The Farakka Barrage is a dam that diverts water from the Ganges into a canal near the town of Tildanga in Malda district. This supplies the Hooghly with adequate water even in the dry season.
• Haldi, Ajay, Damodar and Rupnarayan are the rivers that feed the lower reaches of the Hooghly. 
• The important cities near the Hoogli River are Jiaganj, Azimganj, Murshidabad, and Baharampur.