National Gopal Ratna Award
26-11-2024
10:42 AM
1 min read
Overview:
Recently, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) declared the winners of the National Gopal Ratna Awards (NGRA) for the year 2024.
About National Gopal Ratna Award:
- It is one of the highest National Awards in the field of livestock and dairy sector.
- These awards will be given on the occasion of National Milk Day celebrations.
- Objective
- The National Gopal Ratna Awards are conferred with an objective to recognize and encourage all individuals like Farmers rearing indigenous animals, AI Technicians and Dairy cooperative societies / Milk Producer Company / Dairy farmers Producers Organizations working in the sector of animal husbandry and dairying.
- The Award is conferred in three categories, namely,
- Best Dairy Farmer Rearing Indigenous Cattle/buffalo Breeds,
- Best Artificial Insemination Technician (AIT) and
- Best Dairy Cooperative/ Milk Producer Company/ Dairy Farmer Producer Organization.
- From this year onwards, the Department has incorporated a Special award for North Eastern Region (NER) States, in all the three categories under National Gopal Ratna Awards, so as to encourage and boost the dairy development activities in NER.
Q1: What is Ranching?
Ranching is the practice of raising herds of animals on large tracts of land. Ranchers commonly raise grazing animals such as cattle and sheep.
Samos Island
26-11-2024
10:19 AM
1 min read
Overview:
A migrant boat recently sank off the Greek island of Samos, resulting in the deaths of eight people, including six children.
About Samos Island:
- It is a Greek island located in the eastern Aegean Sea.
- It is one of the largest and most easterly Greek islands.
- It lies close to the Turkish coasts. It is located just 1700 mfrom the Asia Minor Turkish Coast.
- The area of the island is 478 sq.km.
- It is characterized by steep mountain ranges, sandy beaches, azure sea water, olive groves, and green pine forests.
- Mount Kerketeus, the highest peak (1,433 metres), forms the western tip of the island.
- Climate: It has a Mediterranean climate with long, hot summers and relatively short, mild winters.
- It is home to the Pythagoreion and the Heraion of Samos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which includes the Eupalin Aqueduct, a marvel of ancient engineering.
- Samos is the birthplace of the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, for whom the Pythagorean theorem is named.
- It is also the birthplace of the famous astronomer of ancient times, Aristarchus, who first suggested a heliocentric solar system at 500 B.C.
Q1: Which is the largest Greek Island?
Crete is the largest island in Greece, and the fifth largest one in the Mediterranean Sea.
Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC)
26-11-2024
10:05 AM
1 min read
Overview:
Pitching the upcoming Gelephu Mindfulness City as the biggest “co-operative project” in Bhutan, the Bhutanese Prime Minister recently said that he was grateful for India’s support on the 2,500 sq.km. “Zero Carbon” city being developed.
About Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC):
- It is an innovative urban development project that integrates economic growth with mindfulness, holistic living, and sustainability.
- The GMC project has been envisioned by the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
- It is located in the south-central part of Bhutan and covers over 2500 square kilometers (bigger than Singapore).
- It is a first-of-its-kind Special Administrative Region (SAR) in Bhutan.
- It would directly benefit India in many ways since this city has been purposely placed along the border with India in Assam.
- Features of GMC:
- The city will be built around a series of inhabitable bridges.
- It is expected to be a low-rise city which will have its own university and health care facilities for both western and traditional medicine.
- The planned city will have eleven “ribbonlike neighborhoods” that incorporate the area’s 35 rivers and streams.
- Neighborhoods will be designed like mandalas, with repeated patterns organized around a central public space.
- The city will have its own international airport.
- It will also have several markets and spiritual centres.
- To protect against flooding, paddy fields will be built along the rivers, “forming urban terraces that cascade down from the hills to the valley,”.
- It will have its own government and have the independence to have its own law making, as well as an independent judiciary.
- The GMC will have two protected areas - a national park and a wildlife sanctuary.
Q1: Which all countries border Bhutan?
The Kingdom of Bhutan is a sovereign nation located towards the eastern extreme of the Himalayas mountain range. It is evenly sandwiched between the sovereign territories of two nations: China and India.
What is Pterosaur?
26-11-2024
10:47 AM
1 min read
Overview:
Paleontologists recently discovered a new species of pterosaur after analysing 100-million-year-old fossilised bones uncovered in western Queensland, Australia.
About Pterosaurs:
- Pterosaurs were highly successful flying reptiles that flourished during all periods (Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous) of the Mesozoic Era (252.2 million to 66 million years ago).
- Pterosaurs were not only the first reptiles capable of flight; they were also the first vertebrates to fly, a feat they accomplished by using strong forelegs to launch their bodies into the air.
- Although pterosaurs are notdinosaurs, both are archosaurs, or “ruling reptiles,” a group to which birds and crocodiles also belong.
- It included the largest vertebrate ever known to fly: the late Cretaceous Quetzalcoatlus.
- Features:
- Pterosaurs are not closely related to either birds or bats and thus provide a classic example of convergent evolution.
- Their wings were formed by a membrane of skin that was connected to the hand by an elongated fourth finger, not unlike the fleshy wings of bats.
- Earlier species had long, fully-toothed jaws and long tails, while later forms had a highly reduced tail and some lacked teeth.
- They often had long necks, which sometimes had throat pouches similar to pelicans' for catching fish.
- The pterosaurs went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, around 65.5 million years ago, during the mass extinction known as the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event (K-T extinction event).
- When the pterosaurs disappeared, their role as the dominant vertebrates in the skies was taken over by the birds, which are considered to be of dinosaur ancestry.
Q1: What is convergent evolution?
Convergent evolution occurs when organisms that aren’t closely related evolve similar features or behaviors, often as solutions to the same problems. The process can result in matching body shapes, color patterns or abilities.
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)
26-11-2024
10:37 AM
1 min read
Overview:
The Union Cabinet recently approved the continuation of its flagship Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), under NITI Aayog, with an allocation of ₹2,750 crore until March 31, 2028.
About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM):
- AIM is a flagship initiative set up by the NITI Aayog in 2016 with an objective to create and encourage an environment of innovation and entrepreneurship across schools, educational organisations, research institutes, and industries, including MSMEs.
- AIM has two functions:
- Promote entrepreneurship by encouraging innovators to become entrepreneurs through financial support as well as mentorship.
- Promote innovation by creating a platform where ideas are generated through like-minded individuals.
- AIM has created four programs to support these functions:
- Atal Tinkering Labs
- Atal Incubation Centres
- Atal New India Challenges and Atal Grand Challenges
- Mentor India
- Apart from these programs, AIM also seeks and collaborates with academia, industries, NGOs, and individuals to enable an atmosphere of innovation.
- All the initiatives of AIM are currently monitored and managed systematically using real-time MIS systems and dynamic dashboards.
Q1: What are Atal Tinkering Labs?
Atal Tinkering Labs are state-of-the-art space established in a school with a goal to foster curiosity and innovation in young minds, between grade 6th to 12th across the country through tools and technologies such as Internet of Things, 3D printing, rapid prototyping tools, robotics etc.
Raja Raja Chola I
26-11-2024
10:48 AM
1 min read
Overview:
The birth anniversary of the legendary Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola I is celebrated every year during the Sadhaya Vizha in Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu
About Raja Raja Chola I:
- He was born as Arulmozhi Varman in 947 CE, he rose to become one of history’s most illustrious and visionary rulers.
- He was revered as Raja Raja the Great, he inherited the legacy of his ancestors and crafted an empire that flourished both militarily and culturally.
- Reign: Raja Raja’s reign, from 985 to 1014 CE, was marked by military prowess and profound administrative vision.
- Military Conquest:
- During his reign, the Cholas expanded beyond South India with their domains stretching from Sri Lanka in the south to Kalinga in the north.
- Raja Raja Chola also launched several naval campaigns that resulted in the capture of the Malabar Coast as well as the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
- Titles
- After the defeat of the Pandyas by him he took the title Pandya Kulashani meaning a thunderbolt to the race of the Pandyas.
- He also adopted the title of Mummudi Chola which means the Chola who wears the three crowns.
- In 1010, Raja Raja built the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur dedicated to Lord Shiva.
- The temple and the capital acted as a center of both religious and economic activity.
- During his reign, the texts of the Tamil poets Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar were collected and edited into one compilation called Thirumurai.
Q1: What is World Heritage?
World Heritage is the designation for places on Earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and as such, have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
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