About 'Veer Guardian-2023’:

• The Joint Exercise which will continue till 26th January aims at promoting Air Defence cooperation between the countries. 
• The Indian contingent participating in the air exercise will include four Su-30 MKI, two C-17 and one IL-78 aircraft, while the JASDF will be participating with four F-2 and four F-15 aircraft. 
• It will include the conduct of various aerial combat drills between the two Air Forces. 
• They will undertake multi-domain air combat missions in a complex environment and will exchange best practices. 
• Exercise 'Veer Guardian' will fortify the long-standing bond of friendship and enhance the avenues of defence cooperation between the two Air Forces.

Q1) What is Su-30 MKI?

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a multirole combat fighter aircraft jointly developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF). Based on the Su-30 fighter aircraft, Su-30MKI is equipped with thrust vectoring control and canards.

Source: India, Japan to hold joint exercise to promote air defence cooperation

About Meghalaya’s Living Root Bridge:

• Meghalaya is known for its living root bridges, locally known as jingkieng jri.  
• They are on the tentative list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites. 
• Many bridges across the State are over a century old. 
• A living root bridge is like a suspension bridge formed by guiding the pliable roots of the rubber fig tree (Ficus elastica) across a stream or river and allowing the roots to grow and strengthen over time.
• They are common in the southern part of the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya.

Q1) What is world heritage site?

World Heritage site, any of various areas or objects inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List. The sites are designated as having “outstanding universal value” under the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage

Source: Roots connect a Meghalaya village

About International Kite Festival 2023:

• The festival is being organized by Gujarat Tourism on the G20 theme of 'One Earth, One Family, One Future. 
• Ahmedabad first hosted the International Kite Festival on the occasion of Uttarayan in 1989.
• Apart from Ahmedabad, the International Kite festival will also be organized in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Dwarka, Somnath, Dhordo, and Kevadia.
• After a gap of 2 years, skies over the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad will be adorned with colorful unique Kites. 
• More than 800 kite flyers from across India and the world will participate and display their unique creations in this Festival. 
• This year, kite enthusiasts from different countries will fly Kites at the same time attempting to create a Guinness World Record for the maximum number of kite flyers.
• A special Parade by international and national kite flyers, a theme pavilion displaying the history of kites, and workshops on making and flying kites are among the major attractions of the festival this year.

Q1) What is the significance of Uttarayan?

Uttarayan holds immense astrological and traditional importance and it is celebrated on the day the sun transitions from the Sagittarius to Capricorn while announcing the onset of spring and the harvest season

Source: International Kite Festival 2023 to begin in Ahmedabad, Gujarat today

About:

• The aim of the Memorandum of Understanding is to impart weaving and tailoring training to Veer Naris, widows and dependent ladies of veterans from Ladakh in three cycles of two months each. 
• Approximately, two hundred Veer Naris, widows and dependent ladies of veterans will benefit from this initiative, wherein Looms of Ladakh will also employ them post-completion of their training.
• This joint collaboration will go a long way in providing self-sufficiency to these ladies and empower them for their future endeavours.

What is Fire and Fury Corps?

• The Corps handles some of the most sensitive frontiers and battlefields in the world. 
• The areas of the Western and Eastern Ladakh also come under its responsibility. 
• The Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh is facing tense deployments of the militaries, along with its weaponry and equipment, between India and China since May 2020.
• Western Ladakh includes the Kargil, having its Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, while in eastern Ladakh, the Corps shares its Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. 
• The world’s highest battleground, Siachen Brigade, comes under this Corps.

Q1) What is Line of actual control?

The LAC is the demarcation that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory. India considers the LAC to be 3,488 km long, while the Chinese consider it to be only around 2,000 km

Source: MoU signed between Leh Sub Area and Looms of Ladakh Co-operative Ltd under aegis of Fire and Fury Corps

Why in news?

• A study by Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, discovered that a protein called Cellular communication network factor 2a (Ccn2a) secreted from intervertebral disc cells induces disc regeneration in aged degenerated discs in humans. 
• It is done by promoting cell proliferation and cell survival by modulating the pathway called the FGFR1-SHH (Fibroblast growth factor receptor-Sonic Hedgehog) pathway.

What are the key facts about Zebrafish?

• It is a small (2-3 cm long) freshwater fish found in tropical and subtropical regions. The fish is native to South Asia's Indo-Gangetic plains, where they are mostly found in the paddy fields and even in stagnant water and streams.
• It attracts developmental biologists due to its adequate regeneration capacity of almost all its organs, including the brain, heart, eye, and spinal cord.
• It has a similar genetic structure (around 70%) to humans.
• IUCN Red List Status: Least concerned.
• Freshwater fish, South Asia's Indo-Gangetic plains. Regeneration capacity, IUCN Red List Status Least concerned. 

Q1) What are invertebrates?

An invertebrate is a cold-blooded animal with no backbone. Invertebrates can live on land—like insects, spiders, and worms—or in water. Marine invertebrates include crustaceans (such as crabs and lobsters), mollusks (such as squids and clams), and coral

Source: Protein found in Zebrafish can regenerate aged discs in human vertebrae

Why in news?

• Six groupings, which included Facebook, Google, Amazon, Flipkart and others, had applied for NUE licences and all of them have fallen short of the RBI's expectations.

What is New Umbrella Entity (NUE)?

• As envisaged by the RBI, an NUE will be a non-profit entity that will set up, manage and operate new payment systems, especially in the retail space such as ATMs, white-label PoS; Aadhaar-based payments and remittance services.
• The entity formed shall be a company incorporated in India under the Companies Act, 2013.  Currently, the umbrella entity for providing retail payments systems is NPCI, which is a non-profit entity, owned by banks. 
• Promoters: A promoter will hold at least 25% and up to 40% of the operator. Only those entities that are owned and controlled by Indian citizens with at least three years of experience in the payments segment can become promoters of NUEs. 
• Foreign investment: Foreign companies can own a maximum of 25%, so are teaming up with local players. 
• Capital required: According to the RBI guidelines, the entity will have minimum paid-up capital of Rs 500 crore, with no single promoter group holding over 40 per cent investment in the capital. 
• Governance structure: The new entity will have to abide by corporate governance norms and the ‘fit and proper’ criteria for persons to be appointed to the board.

Q1) What is Aadhar?

Aadhaar is a 12 digit individual identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India on behalf of the Government of India.The number serves as a proof of identity and address, anywhere in India.

Source: Reserve Bank of India puts on hold NUE licensing.

About Mercury’s superconductivity

• In 1911, Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered superconductivity in mercury. 
• He found that at a very low temperature, called the threshold temperature, solid mercury offers no resistance to the flow of electric current.
• Scientists later classified mercury as a conventional superconductor because its superconductivity could be explained by the concepts of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory. 
• In BCS superconductors, vibrational energy released by the grid of atoms encourages electrons to pair up, forming so-called Cooper pairs. 
• These Copper pairs can move like water in a stream, facing no resistance to their flow, below a threshold temperature.

What is Superconductivity? 

• A material can conduct electricity without any resistance. It is observed in many materials when they are cooled below a critical temperature.

What is Mercury?

• It is a naturally occurring element that is found in air, water and soil. 
• It is released into the atmosphere through natural processes such as weathering of rocks, volcanic eruptions, geothermal activities, forest fires, etc.

Q1) What are superconductors?

A superconductor is a material that achieves superconductivity, which is a state of matter that has no electrical resistance and does not allow magnetic fields to penetrate. An electric current in a superconductor can persist indefinitely. 

Source: A clear picture of how mercury becomes a superconductor.

About Thullal 

• It is a recite-and-dance art form of Kerala, which was introduced in the 18th century by the famous Malayalam poet Kunchan Nambiar (1705 - 1770).
• It is famous for its humour and social satire and is marked by its simplicity.
• It follows the classical principles of Natyasasthra (a treatise on art compiled in the 2nd century B.C.E).
• It is enacted into three separate versions
  • Ottanthullal
  • Seethankan thullal
  • Parayan thullal
• The Ottanthullal is the most popular among the three varieties of Thullal.
• The performance uses elaborate expressions and stories recited in verses to bring important mythological tales and stories to life.
• The costume and makeup of the performer are similar to that of a Kathakali artist.
• It is performed at temple festivals and cultural programmes.
• The Thullal performer is supported by a singer who repeats the verses and is accompanied by an orchestra of mridangam or thoppimaddalam (percussions) and cymbals.

Q1) What is Natyashastra?

The Nātya Shastra (Nātyaśāstra नाट्य शास्त्र) of Bharata is the principal work of dramatic theory, encompassing dance and music, in classical India. It is attributed to the muni (sage) Bharata and is believed to have been written during the period between 200 B.C.E. and 200 C.E

Source: Mythological tales, Ottanthullal , Seethankan thullal, Parayan thullal, Temple festivals

What is Aspirational Block Programme?

• The Aspirational Blocks Programme is on the lines of the Aspirational District Programme that was launched in 2018 and covers 112 districts across the country.
• This new programme is aimed at improving performance of blocks lagging on various development parameters.
• This will enable holistic development in those areas that require added assistance.
• The programme will cover 500 districts across 31 states and Union Territories initially. 
• Over half of these blocks are in 6 states—Uttar Pradesh (68 blocks), Bihar (61), Madhya Pradesh (42), Jharkhand (34), Odisha (29) and West Bengal (29). 

What is Aspirational Districts Programme?

• It was launched in 2018 and aims to transform districts that have shown relatively lesser progress in key social areas.
• 3C Strategy: The broad contours of the programme 
• Convergence (of Central & State Schemes)
• Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors)
• Competition (among districts driven by a Mass Movement )
• Parameters for Ranking: The ranking is based on the incremental progress made across 49 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) under 5 broad socio-economic themes 
  • Health & Nutrition (30%)
  • Education (30%)
  • Agriculture & Water Resources (20%)
  • Financial Inclusion & Skill Development (10%)
  • Infrastructure (10%)

Q1) What is financial inclusion?

Financial inclusion means that individuals and businesses have access to useful and affordable financial products and services that meet their needs – transactions, payments, savings, credit and insurance – delivered in a responsible and sustainable way.

Source: PM launches Aspirational Block Programme aimed at spurring development parameters.

About Floatovoltaics:

• Floatovoltaics, floating solar plants, or FSPV (floating solar photovoltaic) are panel structures that are installed on water bodies like lakes, basins, and reservoirs instead of on solid structures like a roof or terraces. 
• The biggest impetus behind the rise of large-scale FSPV has been that it doesn’t take up any land space, which could be then used for construction and agriculture.
• The world’s first large-scale FSPV system was installed in 2011, in Napa Valley, California.

India:

• In recent years, floating solar power plants have become part of India’s plans of solar expansion. 
• According to a 2020 study by TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) reservoirs cover 18000 square Kilometer in India and can generate 280 GW through floating solar panels.
• Currently less than 1% of solar installations are floating.
• The largest floating solar power plant in India is currently the Ramagundam in Peddapalli district of Telangana, with a capacity of 100 MW.
• Currently a plant is being built on the Narmada’ Omkareshwar Dam in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh is being built with a capacity of 600 MW, which will soon be the largest floating solar power plant in the world. 
• The project is touted to be worth Rs 3000 crore.
• What are the benefits of floating solar panels?
  • the water’s cooling effect makes them more efficient than land-based ones; 
  • they don’t interfere with desert ecosystems; and 
  • they keep precious water from evaporating. 
  • Even though reservoirs are artificial ecosystems, they provide habitats for wildlife.

Q1) What is the advantage of solar energy?

Solar energy include  is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels and has a low impact on the environment and the potential for any country to produce it