Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 16 February 2024 | Download PDF

• Recently, a digital replica of Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah’s tomb was revealed by the reality technology company Hexagon in Hyderabad.

Background:

• Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah was the fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golkonda, known for founding the city of Hyderabad and constructing its iconic landmark, the Charminar.
• His reign is celebrated for its administrative prowess and cultural achievements. 
• He was also a prolific Urdu poet, composing verses in the Persian diwan style. 
• His rule coincided with the times of Akbar the Great, Jagat Guru, and Ibrahim Adil Shah. 

About:

• • Qutb Shah’s tomb, located in Ibrahim Bagh, Hyderabad, is an architectural marvel blending Persian, Hindu, and Pathani styles. 
• The digital twin technology used to create this replica offers a digital representation of a physical object, person, or process, providing insights for better decision-making.

Digital Twin Technology

Definition: Digital Twins are detailed and dynamic virtual models that replicate the behavior and performance of real-world assets in real-time.

Components: They consist of physical assets, virtual models, sensors/IoT devices for data collection, and data analytics/machine learning for insights and decision-making.

Benefits: Digital Twins enable organizations to optimize operations, predict maintenance needs, and drive innovation by analyzing real-time data and integrating various data sources.

• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has launched the ‘Sangam: Digital Twin’ initiative, aiming to utilize Digital Twin technology for innovative infrastructure planning and design.

Objective: 

• The ‘Sangam: Digital Twin’ initiative aims to leverage Digital Twin technology to create virtual replicas of physical assets, enabling real-time monitoring, simulation, and analysis.

Stages: 

• It consists of two phases: an Exploratory phase for creative exploration and horizon clarity, followed by a practical demonstration stage focusing on specific use cases for future scalability and replication.

Technological Integration: 

• The initiative integrates advanced technologies like 5G, IoT, AI, AR/VR, AI-native 6G, and next-gen computational technologies to foster collaboration and innovation in infrastructure planning.

A Stone Age wall discovered beneath the Baltic Sea in Germany is believed to be Europe’s oldest megastructure built by humans. 

About:

• The Baltic Sea is a semi-enclosed inland sea in Northern Europe, extending from southern Denmark almost to the Arctic Circle. 
• It has an approximately 8,000 km coastline shared by countries such as Sweden, Poland, and Russia, covering an area of about 377,000 sq.km. 
• With major gulfs like the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland, it’s known for its low water salinity due to inflowing fresh water and shallowness. 
• The sea is fed by over 250 rivers and streams, with the Neva being the largest. 
• It boasts more than 20 islands and archipelagos, with Gotland as the largest.

• Recently, the Supreme Court directed the SBI to stop issuing these bonds immediately.
• Electoral Bonds (EBs) are interest-free bearer bonds or money instruments available for purchase by companies and individuals in India from authorized branches of the State Bank of India (SBI). 

About:

• EBs can be bought in denominations of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh, and Rs 1 crore, similar to banknotes, and are payable to the bearer on demand without interest.
• They are purchased through a KYC-compliant account and can be used for making donations to political parties.
• EBs have a short lifespan of 15 days for making donations.
• The donor’s name and information are not mentioned on the bond, making them anonymous.
• There is no limit on the number of EBs a person or company can purchase.
• Donations made through EBs are tax-exempt under Section 80 GG and Section 80 GGB of the Income Tax Act.
• Only political parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and which secured not less than 1% of votes in the last general election, are eligible to receive EBs.
• Political parties must encash the bonds within a specified period through a designated bank account and disclose the amount to the Election Commission.

• Tamil Nadu has been slow in implementing the Forest Rights Act (FRA) compared to other states in India, particularly evident in the Thanthai Periyar Sanctuary notification in Erode district.
• This notification raised concerns among forest-dwellers about potential denial of their rights under the FRA. 

Key points:

• Forest villages are settlements within forest areas inhabited by tribal or indigenous communities.
• In 1990, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) mandated the conversion of forest villages into revenue villages, a process also reinforced by the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006.
• The recent sanctuary notification acknowledges that rights granted under the Tamil Nadu Forest Act of 1882 and the FRA will be preserved, but Tamil Nadu has been slow in implementing the FRA compared to other states in India.

Read more about the rights of forest dwellers of tis region.

• Odisha’s Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, inaugurated the construction of JSW Utkal Steel Limited’s Integrated Greenfield Steel Plant in Paradip. 
• The plant, set to be built at Dhinkia, represents an investment of approximately Rs 65,000 crore and is expected to create job opportunities for 30,000 individuals.

• A team from the Cuttack Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has found the remains of a Buddhist site near Ganeswarpur village in Tangi Tehsil of Cuttack district. 
• The site, containing scattered Buddhist archaeological remnants, was located near a small mound within a rice field at the edge of the village. 

Key findings:

• They found a large headless Abalokiteswar image, similar to those in nearby sites. 
• The discovery suggests a flourishing Buddhist presence in the region before the 9th century CE. 
• Dr. Biswajit Mohanty believes that a temple or stupa with large images was buried under silt due to flooding. 
• The team also found a base of a temple and many kiln-baked bricks, indicating a buried structure. 

• • Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Bagchi Sri Shankara Cancer Centre and Research Institute in Odisha’s capital. 
  • The 750-bedded hospital, established with the support of the Sri Shankara Cancer Foundation, offers advanced cancer care, including radiotherapy for 300 patients and chemotherapy for 150 patients daily.
  • The institute, built at a cost of Rs 410 crore, is a significant step towards improving cancer care in the state.
• The state government has provided 22 acres of land for the health institute

• Odisha’s Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for various industrial units in Khurda district today.
• He inaugurated a new Food Park established by IDCO in Khurda and laid the foundation stone for a new industrial park in Kalibeti.

About:

• The Food Park will host production units for companies like Pepsi, Nestle, Indo Nissin, and their ancillaries. 
• The Industrial Park in Kalibeti will accommodate garment manufacturing company.

• Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister, declared that the cremation of organ donors would be conducted with state honors. 
• This initiative by the state government aims to acknowledge the bravery and selflessness of donors who have saved lives through their contributions. 
• Additionally, it seeks to raise awareness about organ donation and inspire more individuals to participate in this noble cause.

Key points:

• To facilitate organ donation, the state government established the State Organ & Tissues Transplant Organization (SOTTO) in 2019. 
• Furthermore, the government introduced the Suraj Award in 2020 to honor organ donors, named after Suraj from Bhanjanagar in Ganjam district. 
• Suraj’s family’s decision to donate his major organs saved six lives after he was declared brain dead following a road accident.

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