About Article 30

• It is one of the many provisions that ensure the preservation of minority rights. 
• Article 30 of the Indian Constitution states the right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions.
• It says: “All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.”
• It was adopted on December 8, 1948.
• Features:
  • It consists of provisions that safeguard various rights of the minority community in the country, keeping in mind the principle of equality as well.
  • Article 30(1) says that all minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
  • The right is provided by this clause on two types of minorities, namely, religious and linguistic minorities. 
  • Article 30(1A) deals with the fixation of the amount for the acquisition of property of any educational institution established by minority groups.
  • Article 30(2) states that the government should not discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority, whether based on religion or language, while giving aid.
• Concept of Minorities:
  • The Constitution of India uses the word minority but does not define it.
  • Article 29 of the Indian Constitution uses the word ‘minorities’ in its marginal heading, but it speaks about "any section of the citizens inhabiting the territory of India or any part of the country should have the right to protect their language or script or culture, which is different and varied. 
    • It also says that citizens should be allowed to take admission in any educational institution which is maintained by the State or getting help from State funds whether they vary in religion, race, caste, language, or any of them.
  • Article 30 of the Constitution of India talks only about religious and linguistic minorities.
  • Religious Minority: The basic ground for a community to be nominated as a religious minority is the numerical strength of the community. 
  • Section 2, clause (c) of the National Commission of Minorities Act, declares six communities as minority communities. They are:
    • Muslims
    • Christians
    • § Buddhists
    • Sikhs
    • Jains and
    • Zoroastrians (Parsis)
  • Linguistic Minorities:
    • Class or group of people whose mother language or mother tongue is different from that of the majority groups is known as the linguistic minorities. 
    • Article 350-A of the Indian Constitution imposes an obligation on the states to try to provide enough facilities for instruction in the mother language at the primary level of education to children belonging to the linguistic minority community.

Q1) What are Fundamental Rights under the Indian Constitution?

The Fundamental Rights, embodied in Part III of the Constitution, guarantee civil rights to all Indians, and prevent the State from encroaching an individual's liberty while simultaneously placing upon it an obligation to protect the citizens' rights from encroachment by society.. Significantly, fundamental rights are enforceable by the courts, subject to certain conditions. There are six fundamental rights of Indian Constitution : Right to Equality (Article 14-18), Right to Freedom (Article 19-22), Right against Exploitation (Article 23-24), Right to Freedom of Religion (Article 25-28), Cultural and Educational Rights (Article 29-30), Right to Constitutional Remedies (Article 32).

Source: SC: Article 30 on minority institutes not intended to ghettoise communities 

About Thylakoid membranes

• Thylakoids are little pouches located in the chloroplasts of plants.
• They store chlorophyll, the substance in plant that reacts to sunlight and triggers photosynthesis.
• These membranes are dense, mostly galactolipid, protein-containing bilayers in which photosynthesis occurs in photosynthetic organisms.
• They are found in ancient, light-sensitive bacteria called cyanobacteria.
• The cyanobacteria multiplied in the oceans billions of years ago, and are believed to be responsible for the vast stores of oxygen that are found in the atmosphere and thus, a precursor to life.
• It is now believed that thylakoid membranes in cyanobacteria were what made them capable of using sunlight to create energy and release oxygen.

Key facts about Cyanobacteria

• These are also called blue-green algae, are microscopic organisms found naturally in all types of water.
• These single-celled organisms live in fresh, brackish (combined salt and fresh water), and marine water.
• These organisms use sunlight to make their own food.
• In warm, nutrient-rich (high in phosphorus and nitrogen) environments, cyanobacteria can multiply quickly, creating blooms that spread across the water’s surface.
• Cyanobacteria blooms can form in warm, slow-moving waters that are rich in nutrients from sources such as fertilizer runoff or septic tank overflows.
• It needs nutrients to survive. The blooms can form at any time, but most often form in late summer or early fall.

Q1) What is chloroplast?

A chloroplast is an organelle within the cells of plants and certain algae that is the site of photosynthesis, which is the process by which energy from the Sun is converted into chemical energy for growth.

Source: Science For All | What are thylakoid membranes?

About Phytocannabinoids

• Cannabinoids are a class of compounds found in the cannabis plant.
• The prefix ‘phyto’ in phytocannabinoid means it comes from a plant.
• Cannabinoids bind to receptors in the bodies of animals to produce a variety of neurological effects.
• The researchers extracted cannabidiol from a cannabis plant and made it react with hydrogen, using palladium as a catalyst.
• This process yielded a mixture of molecules with the same composition and order of atoms but different structures. One of them was THCBD.

What were THCBD’s effects?

• Researchers tested the antibacterial properties of tetrahydrocannabidiol (THCBD), a semisynthetic phytocannabinoid, against Staphylococcus aureus, the bacteria responsible for the second most number of deaths due to AMR worldwide.
• The minimum quantity found to be efficacious against a strain of Gram-positive S. aureus used commonly in AMR research was found to be 0.25 μg/ml, which the researchers called “potent”.
• They found that THCBD “significantly reduced” the number of viable microbial cells of S. aureus skin infections in mice.

Key facts about Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

• It is a major health concern worldwide.
• It refers to when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to medicines used to treat them.

Q1) What is Staphylococcus aureus?

It is a type of bacteria. It stains Gram positive and is non-moving small round shaped or non-motile cocci. It is found in grape-like (staphylo-) clusters. It is one of the five most common causes of infections after injury or surgery. It affects around 500,000 patients in American hospitals annually.

Source: Jammu CSIR lab finds cannabis plant compound has antibiotic effects | Explained

About Zero Effect, Zero Defect Scheme (ZED)

• Launched in October 2016 and revamped in April 2022, the ZED scheme offers certification for environmentally conscious manufacturing under three certification levels (gold, silver, and bronze) classified according to 20 performance-based parameters such as quality management, timely delivery, process control, waste management, etc.
• The major objectives of the ZED Scheme are:
  • To create proper awareness in MSMEs about ZED manufacturing and motivate them for the assessment of their enterprise for a ZED rating.
  • To drive manufacturing with the adoption of Zero Defect production processes without impacting the environment (Zero Effect).
  • To encourage MSMEs to constantly upgrade their quality standards in products and processes.
  • To support the “Make in India” campaign.
• The scheme provides financial assistance of up to 75 percent of the total cost of certification, with a maximum subsidy ceiling of Rs 50,000, along with up to Rs 2 lakh in support for handholding/consultancy to achieve the next certification level. 
• For technology upgradation, the scheme offers assistance of up to Rs 3 lakhs for moving towards zero effect solutions/pollution control measures/cleaner technology. 
• MSMEs are charged Rs 10,000 for bronze certification, Rs 40,000 for silver certification, and Rs 90,000 for gold certification. 
• In December 2023, the MSME Ministry made the ZED scheme free for women-led MSMEs.
• In addition, the government will now make guarantee payment of 100 percent financial support for the certification costs under the scheme.
• The ZED certification is valid for three years, and the MSME units are required to re-apply for the certificate as per the validity of the scheme.
• Currently, the scheme is applicable for manufacturing MSMEs only. 

Q1) What is the “Make in India” campaign?

'Make in India' initiative was launched globally in September 2014 as a part of India's renewed focus on Manufacturing. The objective of the Initiative is to promote India as the most preferred global manufacturing destination.

Source: Govt’s ZED scheme for MSMEs hits 1 lakh certification milestone; check scheme’s details

About VIPER Rover

• The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER will get a close-up view of the location and concentration of ice and other resources at the Moon's South Pole.
• It is NASA's first mobile robotic mission to the Moon.
• It will directly analyze ice on the surface and subsurface of the Moon at varying depths and temperature conditions within four main soil environments.
• The data VIPER transmits back to Earth will be used to create resource maps, helping scientists determine the location and concentration of ice on the Moon and the forms it’s in, such as ice crystals or molecules chemically bound to other materials.
• It navigates across the rugged terrain of the lunar South Pole and gathers valuable data that will help us better understand the history of the Moon and the environment where NASA is planning to send Artemis astronauts.
• Mission duration: 100 Earth days, covering 3 cycles of lunar day and night.
• It will land at the South Pole of the Moon in late 2024.

Q1) What is Artemis II Mission:

It will be the first mission to carry humans to the moon's vicinity since 1972. It is the second scheduled flight of the Artemis program and the first crewed Artemis mission. During Artemis II, four astronauts will fly around the moon before returning to Earth. It will use the huge Space Launch System (SLS) mega-rocket and Orion spacecraft to launch the crew on the lunar flyby mission.

Source: Fly your name to the Moon aboard NASA’s first robotic lunar rover

About National Sports and Adventure Awards 2023

• National Sports Awards are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports.
• Categories of National Sports Award
  • Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award: It is considered India’s highest sporting honour, the Khel Ratna was established in 1991-92.
  • The award is named after the Indian hockey legend, Major Dhyan Chand
  • The award is given for outstanding performances in sports spanning over a period of four years and the Khel Ratna winners receive a medallion, certificate and a cash prize.
  • Arjuna Award: It is awarded for consistent good performance over a period of four years. The winners of the Arjuna Award receive a statuette of Arjuna, a certificate and a cash prize.
  • Dronacharya Award: It was instituted in 1985, is India’s highest sports honour for coaches. It is awarded to individuals for producing medal winners at prestigious international events.Awardees receive a bronze statue of Dronacharya, a certificate and a cash prize.
  • Major Dhyan Chand Award: This award represents India’s highest honour for lifetime achievements in sports. Presented for good performance and contributing towards the promotion of sports in an individual capacity since 2002, the winners get a Dhyan Chand statuette, a certificate and a cash prize.
  • Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy (MAKA): It was instituted in 1956–1957. It is given to an institution or university for top performance in inter-university tournaments over the last one year.
  • Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar: Awarded to organisations or corporates (both private and public) and individuals for playing a role in the area of sports promotion and development over the last three years, the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar has been a fixture in the National Sports Awards list since 2009.

Q1) Who is Maulana Abul Kalam Azad?

He is theologian who was one of the leaders of the Indian independence movement against British rule in the first half of the 20th century. He was highly respected throughout his life as a man of high moral integrity.

Source: President Droupadi Murmu presents National Sports and Adventure Awards 2023 at Rashtrapati Bhavan

About Baleen whales

• These are any cetacean possessing unique epidermal modifications of the mouth called baleen, which is used to filter food from water.
• Most mammals have teeth in their mouth. Baleen whales are a strange exception.
• Baleen is a large rack of fine, hair-like keratin used to filter out small krill from the water.
• This structure enabled baleen whales to feed efficiently on enormous shoals of tiny zooplankton in productive parts of the ocean, which facilitated the evolution of larger and larger body sizes.
• There are 14 species of baleen whale including the blue, bowhead, right, humpback, minke and gray whale.
• Baleen whales are generally larger than toothed whales except for the sperm whale which is very big and has teeth.
• Many baleen whales migrate annually, travelling long distances between cold water feeding areas and warm water breeding areas.
• The large whale fossils from Australasia and South America seem to suggest that for most of the evolutionary history of baleen whales, whenever a large baleen whale shows up in the fossil record, it is in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Baleen whales are ecosystem engineers, their huge bodies consuming tremendous amounts of energy.
• Upon death, these whales provide an abundance of nutrients to deep-sea ecosystems.

Q1) What is Keratin?

It is a protein that your body produces naturally, and it helps keep your hair, skin and nails healthy and strong. Your body produces keratin naturally, but keratin shampoos and conditioners that contain keratin hydrolysates may strengthen your hair and improve its appearance.

Source: 19-million-year-old fossil jaw bone hints the biggest whales first evolved somewhere unexpected