Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 02 January 2024 | Download PDF

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched PSLV-C58 X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) mission 
• The successful launch put India in an elite category as it has become the second nation to send an observatory to study astronomical sources such as black holes, neutron stars among others.

Key points

• XPoSat is only the second X-ray polarimetry mission in the world, after NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) launched in 2021. 
• It is the first dedicated scientific satellite from ISRO to carry out research in space-based polarisation measurements of X-ray emission from celestial sources. 
• It carries two payloads, namely POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing). POLIX has been developed by the Raman Research Institute and XSPECT by the Space Astronomy Group of URSC, Bengaluru.
• During the mission, the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) experiment was also executed to meet the objective of 10 other payloads.

President Droupadi Murmu notified the inclusion of the Hattee community in Himachal Pradesh’s Scheduled Tribes list.

About Hattee 

• • The Hattis are a close-knit community that got their name from their tradition of selling homegrown vegetables, crops, meat, and wool, etc. at small markets called ‘haat’ in towns.
  • Hatti men traditionally don a distinctive white headgear on ceremonial occasions.
  • The Hatti homeland straddles the Himachal-Uttarakhand border in the basin of the Giri and Tons rivers, both tributaries of the Yamuna.
• The Tons marks the border between the two states.

• There are two Hatti clans, in Trans-Giri and Jaunsar Bawar, have similar traditions, and inter-marriages are common.
• The Hattis are governed by a traditional council called ‘khumbli’ which, like the ‘khaps’ of Haryana, decides community matters.
• The Khumbli’s power has remained unchallenged despite the establishment of the Panchayati raj system.
• They have sizeable presence in about nine Assembly seats in the Sirmaur and Shimla regions.
• According to the 2011 Census of India, the total tribal population of Himachal Pradesh is 3,92,126, which is 5.7% of the total population of the state.

The Union Home Ministry declared Canada-based Satwinder Singh, alias Goldy Brar, an “individual terrorist” under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

About UAPA

• The UAPA was enacted in 1967.
•  It lays down the definitions and rules for designating an organisation as an “unlawful association” if it is engaged in certain types of activities.
• The government can then issue a notification designating such an organisation as a terrorist organisation, if it believes that the organisation is part of “terrorist activities.
• Under the Act, ‘unlawful activity’ is not limited to terror activities relating to causing direct violence or attacks, it also includes any activities that disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, disrupts the economic stability of the country or causes disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different reli­gious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communi­ties in the country
• The 2019 Amendment gave the Home Ministry the power to designate individuals as terrorists.

• DLF Cyber City Developers Limited was declared the best sustainable developer at the fourth edition of the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (India) in Bangkok recently. 
• The company also earned special recognition for sustainable design and construction during the award ceremony. 
• Supreme Universal received the recognition for luxury development while Turner House by Raiaskaran won the special recognition for “landmark office design”.

The Warli tribe in Mumbai objected to the construction of Shivaji museum on the land they live on.

About

• The Warli or Varli are an indigenous tribe of western India there related ethnic groups are Konkani people, Marathi people, living in mountainous as well as coastal areas along the Maharashtra and Gujarat border and surrounding areas.
• The Warli have their own animistic beliefs, life, customs and traditions, and as a result of acculturation they have adopted many Hindu beliefs. 
• The Warli speak the unwritten Varli language which belongs to the southern zone of the Indo-Aryan languages. 
• Waralis have sub castes such as Murde varli, Davar varali.

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Samvid Gurukulam Girls Sainik School, the first all-girls Sainik School, at Vrindavan in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. 
• The school is set up under the partnership mode initiative that aims to establish 100 new Sainik Schools.

Key points

• The first all-girls Sainik School, with a strength of approximately 870 students, has been inaugurated under the initiative of establishing 100 new Sainik Schools in partnership mode with non-governmental organisations (NGO), private and State government schools in all State/Union Territories, of which 42 have been set up
• The objectives behind the vision of setting up of 100 new Sainik Schools are to provide quality education to the students in tune with the National Education Policy, 2020 and give them better career opportunities, including joining the armed force

The Lingaraj Temple Trust Board is all set to implement stricter norms of banning the use of Paan and tobacco products inside the centuries-old Shiva temple in Bhubaneswar.

About 

• Lingaraj Temple, built in 11th century AD, is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is considered as the largest temple of the city Bhubaneswar (Odisha).
• It is believed to have been built by the Somvanshi King Yayati I.
• It is built in red stone and is a classic example of Kalinga style of architecture.
• Lingaraj is referred to as ‘Swayambhu’ – self-originated Shivling.
• Another important aspect of the temple is that it signifies the syncretisation of Shaivism and Vaishnavism sects in Odisha.
• The presiding deity in the Temple is known as Hari-Hara; Hari denotes Lord Vishnu and Hara meaning Lord Shiva.
• The temple is out of bounds for non-Hindus.
• The other attraction of the temple is the Bindusagar Lake, located in the north side of the temple.

• It is located near Lingaraja Temple, Old Town, Bhubaneswar. 
• It is now under the care and maintenance of Lingaraja Temple Administration. 
• The tank is enclosed within a masonry embankment made of dressed laterite blocks. 
• It is the largest water body of Bhubaneswar. 
• All the rituals of Lord Lingarajaa are closely associated with this lake.

• Odisha-Mo Parivar has collected as many as 1 lakh units of blood under the Jeevan Bindu Programme 
• The outfit had launched the Jeevan Bindu programme on August 9, 2020 to collect blood through organizing donation camps in the state.
• The prime objective of this programme is to arrange blood for the blood banks in Odisha to save the lives of the needy people

• The relaxation in upper age limit for government jobs in Odisha will continue for the calendar year 2024.
• The state government had earlier announced relaxation in the upper age limit for Odisha Civil Services examinations and other government jobs for 2021, 2022 and 2023 calendar years in Odisha. 
• The upper age limit was enhanced from 32 years to 38 years for government services for the three calendar years.

• The state government will procure 200 new electric buses to strengthen urban mobility in the capital region.
• The Odisha Cabinet approved the bidding process for procurement of the new electric buses by the Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT). 
• The new buses will further strengthen the ‘Mo Bus’ service in the capital region.

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