Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 05 January 2024 | Download PDF

• An inscription written in Kannada and Sanskrit and said to be of 10th century A.D.Kadamba period has been discovered in the Mahadeva temple at Cacoda in southern Goa.
• The inscription opens with an auspicious saying ‘be it well’ (Swasthi Shri), and records that when Talara Nevayya was administering the mandala, his son Gundayya having taken a vow to fulfil his father’s desire of capturing a gopura of the port of Goa, fought and died after fulfilling his father’s wish

History behind

• Kadambas of Goa were the subordinates of Chalukyas of Kalyana. 
• Chalukya emperor Tailapa II appointed Kadamba Shasthadeva as mahamandaleshwara of Goa for his help in overthrowing the Rashtrakutas. 
• Kadamba Shasthadeva conquered the city of Chandavara from the Shilaharas in 960 A.D. 
• Later, he conquered the port of Gopakapattana (present Goa). 
• Gundayya, the son of Talara Nevayya, may have participated in this battle, and won the port at the cost of his life.

• Vice-Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi took over as the Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS)

Key Points

• Vice-Admiral V. Srinivas took over as 30th FOCINC of the Southern Naval Command at the Naval Base in Kochi
• Before taking over as the FOCINC, Vice-Admiral Singh served as the VCNS at Naval Headquarters. 
• He was commissioned in 1986 into the Executive Branch of the Navy.

• Researchers have identified a new class of antibiotics with the potential to tackle a drug-resistant bacterium, Acinetobacter baumannii. Zosurabalpin
• The antibiotic was found to be effective against CRAB (carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii)-induced pneumonia and sepsis in mouse models.
• The identification and analysis of the antibiotic zosurabalpin that can kill Acinetobacter baumannii, antibiotic-resistant strains of which are hard to treat in the clinic.

The Commerce and Industry Ministry has issued a Quality Control Order for a slew of electrical accessories and put the imports of screws in the prohibited category from its current ‘free’ status.

Key points

• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) mandated Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification for all products included under an Electric Accessories (Quality Control) Order, 2023
• The Centre also scrapped the ‘free’ import status for screws of various kinds that have a CIF value of less than₹129 per kilogram. 
• The CIF value refers to the landed cost of imported goods, including insurance and freight.

• VIPER stands for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover.
• It is a robot the size of a golf cart that NASA will use to explore the moon’s south pole.
• Astrobotic, a private company, developed it as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.
• This robotic mission is designed to search for volatiles, which are molecules that easily vaporize, like water and carbon dioxide, at lunar temperatures. 
• These materials could provide resources for future human exploration on the moon.
• The VIPER robot will rely on batteries, heat pipes and radiators throughout its 100-day mission, as it navigates everything from the extreme heat of lunar daylight — when temperatures can reach 224 degrees Fahrenheit (107 degrees Celsius) — to the moon’s frigid shadowed regions that can reach a mind-boggling -240 degree Celsius.

Odisha Regional Specific News

• Seven more products from Odisha have been granted the coveted geographical indication (GI) tag, recognising them as products unique to the state and safeguarding the interests of local growers, producers and artisans.
• They include Gajapati Date Palm Jaggery, Dhenkanal Magji, Similipal Kai Chutney of Odisha, Nayagarh Kanteimundi brinjal, Kapadaganda: Dongria Kondh Embroidery Shawl, Koraput Kala Jeera Rice, and Painting of Lanjia Saura (Idital).

• After a gap of three years Odisha’s tableau got selected for the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi this year
• It got selected by the Ministry of Defence
• It is showcasing Pattachitra of heritage craft of Raghurajpur village.

• Harihar Jor in Sonepur district was added to the list of places having ecotourism facility in Odisha.
• The state government had earlier set up eco-tourism projects at 33 places across Odisha. 
• Some of the prominent places having ecotourism facility are Bhitarkanika, Similipal, Satakosia, Debrigarh, Chilika, Daringbadi, Chandaka, Khandadhar, Olasuni, Ansupa, Tensa, Chitrakonda and Ghodahada.

• Odisha Mining Corporation Ltd (OMC) will be conferred with Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2023 for ‘Encouragement to sports through Corporate Social Responsibility’
• Jain Deemed to be University, Bengaluru, is the other recipient of the award in ‘Identification and nurturing of budding/young talent’ category.
• The award is given to corporate entities (both in private and public sector), sports control boards, NGOs, including sports bodies at the state and national level, who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.

• The Odisha state government requested the Centre to impose a complete ban on the manufacturing, distribution, sale and use of paraquat, a toxic chemical that is widely used as a herbicide by farmers of the state.
• As per a report of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT),paraquat and its derivatives are highly toxic chemicals and their effect on the human body is lethal.

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