Daily News Analysis : 12 July 2024

Classical Language Status

The Union Government of India has recently decided to tweak the criteria for giving classical language status. There are six classical languages in India till date namely Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia. The first language to be conferred with Classical status was Tamil in 2004.

Key Points:

A) This in effect means that classical language status for certain languages, chiefly Marathi, which are under the consideration of the government, might have to wait till the new criteria is notified.
B) The Linguistics Expert Committee comprises representatives of the Union Ministries of Home, Culture and four to five linguistic experts at any given time.
C)  It is chaired by the president of the Sahitya Akademi.

BGRL executing India’s scientific deep drilling programme

The Borehole Geophysics Research Laboratory (BGRL), a specialised institute under the Ministry for Earth Sciences is executing India’s scientific deep drilling programme in Karad, Maharashtra. The aim of the programme is to drill Earth’s crust to a depth of 6km and expand the understanding of reservoir-triggered earthquakes in the Koyna-Warna region of Maharashtra. 

Key Points:

A) Powerful earthquakes at the boundaries of tectonic plates, which measure more than 7.5 on the Richter scale, are almost certainly associated with a severe loss of infrastructure and life. 
B) In the ocean, these geological events trigger tsunamis. 
C) However, more minor earthquakes that occur in a plate’s interior are more challenging to predict because they occur at the least expected sites and could strike densely populated habitats.

World Population Day 2024

The World Population day 2024 was observed  on July 11 to raise awareness about global population issues and their impact on society. The theme of 2024 is “Leave no one behind; count everyone”. It was first observed by the United Nations in 1989 and the idea was inspired by the World population reaching five billion on July 11, 1987.

Key Points:

A) Through this observance, the United Nations promotes understanding, collaboration, and innovative solutions to ensure a sustainable future for all countries.
B) Over the years, World Population Day has played a crucial role in raising awareness, advocating for reproductive rights, and encouraging policies and programs that support sustainable development and the well-being of all individuals.

GAINS 2024

The GRSE Accelerated Innovation Nurturing Scheme (GAINS 2024) of Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) was launched by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth in Kolkata. The major aim of the scheme is to seek solutions to the problems related to shipyards and promote technology development through startups. The Initiative is in sync with the Make in India and Start-up India policies of Government of India.

Key Points:

A) GAINS is an exclusive nationwide initiative aimed at providing support and guidance to MSMEs and start-ups in creating innovative solutions that can be integrated by GRSE to drive technological progress.
B) The adoption of new technologies is a key area for ports and GAINS 2024 will contribute significantly to this.
 

Temperature surge in Western US due to Heat Domes

The Western part of the United States suffers from sweltering heat waves leading to scorching temperatures and dry conditions as a result of the Heat Dome centred over California. Heat Dome is a weather phenomenon where a high-pressure system in the atmosphere traps warm air, allowing more sunlight to reach the earth.

Key Points:

A) A heat dome is a weather phenomenon in which a high pressure system in the atmosphere heats up for a long period of time, just like a pot lid.
B) A heat dome’s formation is tied to the behaviour of the jet stream — an area of fast-moving air high in the atmosphere that usually helps move weather systems along the Earth’s surface.
C) Nearly 75 million people are under heat alerts, and temperature records are tumbling.

National Gopal Ratna Award 2024

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has asked for nominations for the National Gopal Ratna Award 2024. The award will be given under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) since 2021 to encourage the milk producing farmers, dairy Cooperative Societies etc. 

Key Points:

A)  NGRA 2024 will confer 1st,  2nd, 3rd and one Special Award for North Eastern Region(NER) States in each category.
B) From this year onward, the Department has incorporated a Special award for North Eastern Region (NER) States so as to encourage and boost the dairy development activities in North Eastern Region(NER).

New species of Shield-tail snake discovered

A new species of Shield-tail snake was discovered recently by researchers in Western ghats’ Meghamalai-Munnar landscape. The new species has been named as Uropeltis Caudomaculata and is the closest relative of Uropeltis Pulneyensis. The species has a characteristic feature with a yellow spot on each side of the base of its tail.

Key Points:

A) Surya Narayanan, a team member, said the snakes spend most of their lives underground and emerge during the rains for breeding. 
B) Members of this species are often confused with a similar looking snake of a species known as ‘Palni Shieldtail’ found in the Kodaikanal region.
C) During its three-year study, the team’s examination of several museum specimens along with DNA data, showed that the species spotted in the Meghamalai-Munnar hills is previously unknown.

World’s Largest Ramayan Temple in Bihar

The second phase of the construction of World’s largest Ramayan Temple has begun in East Champaran, Bihar. The project is called the Viraat Ramayan Mandir Project and it began in June 2023. The total cost of the project is Rs 500 crore and it will be three times the size of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. 

Key Points:

A) The construction of the three-storey temple, spread over an area of 3.76 lakh sq.ft., began in June 2023 and is expected to be complete in 2025.
B) The Viraat Ramayan Mandir, once complete, will be three times bigger than the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. 
C) The architecture of the temple is inspired by the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Ramanathaswamy temple at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, and the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple in Madurai.
 

India ranks fifth in World for GenAI Innovations

The WIPO Patent Landscape Report on Generative AI report ranked India 5th in Global Generative AI Innovations. The countries ahead of India are China, US, Republic of Korea and Japan. Indian companies like RN Chidakashi Technologies and TCS have made important contributions to new ideas in retail AI and contract management. 

Key Points:

A) Chinese companies Tencent, Ping An Insurance Group and Baidu published the most GenAI patent families in the last 10 years. 
B) Indian companies are not among the top 20 GenAI patent owners, but the report showcases Indian patents such as a retail AI assistant solution patented by RN Chidakashi Technologies (Miko Robotics) and Tata Consultancy Services’ GenAI patent for an AI tool designed for contract lifecycle management.

Gagan Narang named Chef-de-Mission for Paris 2024 Olympics

Indian Olympic Bronze Medal winner Gagan Narang took over from MC Mary Kom as the Chef-de-Missiom for the Indian team at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Chef-de-Mission is the official spokesperson and representative for their country’s team.

Key Points:

A) Gagan Narang will be India’s new Chef de Mission, replacing MC Mary Kom while PV Sindhu and A Sharath Kamal will be India’s flagbearers for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
B) The role of Chef-de-Mission is certainly an important one as the individual appointed would be responsible to be the spokesperson for the team ahead of the Olympics.
C) This includes attending many seminars with the athletes, management and the Mission Team as well.