Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 18 March 2024 | Download PDF

• The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, Government of India, is conducting the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) under the ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram on 17th March 2024, across 23 states. 

About:

• • Government of India has approved a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme “ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society)” for the period FYs 2022-2027 to cover all the aspects of Education For All (erstwhile termed as Adult Education) to align with National Education Policy 2020.
  • The objectives of the scheme is to impart not only Foundational Literacy and Numeracy but also to cover other components which are necessary for a citizen of 21 st century such as 
    • Critical Life Skills (including financial literacy, digital literacy, 
• commercial skills, health care and awareness, child care and education, and family welfare); 

• • Vocational Skills Development (with a view towards obtaining local employment);
  • Basic Education (including preparatory, middle, and secondary stage equivalency)
  • and Continuing Education (including engaging holistic adult education courses in arts, sciences, technology, culture, sports, and recreation, as well as other topics of interest or use to local learners, such as more advanced material on critical life skills).
• The scheme will be implemented through volunteerism through online mode. 
• The scheme will cover non-literates of the age group of 15 years and above in all state/UTs in the country. 
• The ULLAS app, available on both Android and iOS, was launched to provide a user-friendly and interactive digital gateway for learners to access diverse learning resources through the DIKSHA portal of NCERT.

Read about DIKSHA portal.

• Indian Army contingent left for Seychelles to partake in the tenth edition of the Joint Military Exercise “Lamitiye-2024” with the SDF(Seychelles Defence Forces).
• Lamitiye, translating to ‘Friendship’ in Creole, is a biennial event held in Seychelles since 2001.
• 45 personnel from the Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army and SDF each will join the exercise.

Aim:

• Enhance interoperability in Sub-conventional Operations in Semi-Urban environments under Chapter VII of the UN Charter on Peace Keeping Operations.
• Foster cooperation and interoperability during Peace Keeping Operations.
• Strengthen bilateral military relations and exchange skills, experiences, and good practices.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has consistently ranked among the top 10 ministries in 2023-24 in the Grievance Redressal Assessment Index (GRAI), performing well in all 15 specified indicators.

Key points:

• • The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) conceived and designed GRAI.
  • Objective: GRAI aims to offer a comparative view of organizations and highlight their strengths and areas for improvement in grievance redressal mechanisms.
  • Parameters: A comprehensive index was used to rank based on four dimensions: Efficiency, Feedback, Domain, and Organizational Commitment.
• Data Source: Data from the Centralised Public Grievance Redressal and Management System (CPGRAMS)

CPGRAMS:

• Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) is an online platform available to the citizens 24×7 to lodge their grievances to the public authorities on any subject related to service delivery. 
• It is a single portal connected to all the Ministries/Departments of Government of India and States. 
• Every Ministry and States have role-based access to this system. CPGRAMS is also accessible to the citizens through standalone mobile application downloadable through Google Play store and mobile application integrated with UMANG.

• Recently, Pandavula Gutta has been officially recognized as the sole Geo-heritage site in Telangana.

About:

• Located in the Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, this geological marvel predates the Himalayan hills. 
• Discovered in 1990, it boasts numerous prehistoric habitation sites, showcasing a rich history from the mesolithic to medieval times.
• The site is renowned for its abundance of paintings, rock shelters, and evidence of human habitation. 
• The cave paintings, in green, red, yellow, and white pigments, feature geometrical designs and impressions. 
• These paintings provide a unique insight into prehistoric rock art, found on cave walls, ceilings, and boulders.
• Noteworthy depictions in the rock art include various wildlife such as bison, antelope, tiger, and leopard. 
• Additionally, symbols like the swastika, along with shapes such as circles and squares, and weapons like bows, arrows, swords, and lances, are present.

Geo heritage site:

• • Geo-heritage sites, like Pandavula Gutta, are geologic features with significant scientific, educational, cultural, or aesthetic value. 
  • They may feature textbook geologic landscapes, unique rock or mineral types, rare fossils, or other geologic characteristics relevant to education and research. 
  • Such sites can also hold cultural or historical significance, with landscapes that played a role in past events. 
• Aesthetically, these sites can be visually captivating due to their geologic features or processes, often attracting tourists and providing economic benefits to the local area.

• Odisha filmmakers Amartya Bhattacharyya and Swastik Choudhury achieved global recognition for their film “Son of Adam.”
• Their film won the prestigious ‘Best Musical Film’ award at the Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente de Madrid (FICIMAD) 2024.

Key points:

“Son of Adam” is a cinematic adaptation of Rupam Islam’s album ‘Aami,’ released in 2020, in collaboration with guitar maestro Amyt Datta.

• 3.34 crore voters are expected to participate in the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha.
• Elections for 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 Assembly segments will occur in four phases between May 13 and June 1.
• Male voters number 1.69 crore, while female voters amount to 1.65 crore.
• The state has 3,438 third-gender voters, over 5 lakh differently-abled voters, and over 3 lakh senior citizen voters (above 85 years).

• Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Communications, and IT, announced fast-tracking two new railway lines in Odisha for improved communication and economic growth.
• Approved in 2010, project delays were due to budgetary constraints and land acquisition delays.

Lines to be Expedited:

• Angul – Nayagarh Town via Narsinghpur, Kantilo, and Khandapada
• Chord line between Khurda Town – Kaipadar Road, and the Digha-Jaleswar (Chandaneswar-Jaleswar) project.

Benefits:

• Jaleswar-Chandaneswar line to connect Chandaneswar temple, Bhusandeswar temple with Jaleswar station, boost regional socio-economic development, and provide connectivity to students, pilgrims, farmers, and local traders.
• Connectivity to Jaleswar and Bhograi blocks of Balasore districts will benefit fisheries sector and local agricultural producers.
• Angul – Nayagarh Town line to provide connectivity to Kantilo Nilamadhab temple, promote nature tourism, extend connectivity to wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests, and facilitate smooth freight movement to coal and power plants.
• New line to merge with ongoing Khurda-Balangir line at Nayagarh Town station, and start from Khurda Town station to Kaipadar Road station in Khurda Road Vizianagaram main line.

• The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), a regional political party based in Odisha, became the wealthiest regional party in India between 2016-17 and 2022-23, accumulating a total of Rs 844.6 crore in donations during this seven-year period. 
• Of this amount, a significant portion, around 90 per cent, came from electoral bonds, totaling Rs 775.5 crore.

Key points:

• BJD is the highest receiver of electoral bonds among regional parties, ranking fifth overall in the country after BJP, TMC, Congress, and BRS.
• Several companies involved in mining, metal, and other businesses in Odisha, such as Utkal Alumina International Ltd, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, Vedanta Ltd, and others, are among the purchasers of these bonds.

• CM Naveen Patnaik aims to make Odisha the leading state by 2036, coinciding with its 100th anniversary.
• He envisions a modern, dynamic, and responsive Odisha, particularly benefiting the youth, women, children, entrepreneurs, farmers, and tribals.

Key points:

• The state’s focus is on providing top-tier educational and employment opportunities to its youth to enable them to realize their aspirations and contribute to a prosperous Odisha.
• The last five years have been guided by the principles of 5T (Teamwork, Transparency, Technology, Time, Transformation), leading to visible changes across the state and among its populace.

Odisha Day or Utkal Divas

• Odisha Day or Utkal Divas is a significant day for the people of Odisha, India as it marks the formation of the state on April 1, 1936. 
• This day marks formation of the state as a separate state out of Bihar and Orissa Province with addition of Koraput District and Ganjam District from the Madras Presidency on 1 April 1936.
• The state is the 8th largest state by area and the 11th largest state by population. 
• The reports from the World Bank suggest that the state of Odisha has a rich mineral reserve containing 30 percent of India’s iron ore and 90 percent of India’s chromite deposits. It also has resources like coal, bauxite, nickel, and manganese.

• Global Recycling Day is an annual event on March 18 that helps to acknowledge that recycling is a key part of a circular economy that helps to protect the environment and Earth’s natural resources

History:

• It was the brainchild of the Bureau of International Recycling, with the first announcement coming in 2015 by its president, Ranjit Singh Baxi. 
• The inaugural celebration followed a few years later in 2018. 
• The day is now recognized by the United Nations as well.

About:

• • The year 2024 marks the 7th Global Recycling Day
• Global Recycling Day 2024 focuses on the theme #RecyclingHeroes. 

• It’s a call to recognize individuals and initiatives making a positive impact through recycling.

• Ordnance Factories Day is celebrated on March 18th every year in India. 
• It commemorates the establishment of the first Ordnance Factory in Cossipore, Kolkata, in 1801.

About:

• The day highlights the contributions of the Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) to India’s self-reliance in defense equipment.
•  The OFB is a crucial organization under the Ministry of Defence.
• It is responsible for manufacturing a wide range of weaponry and ammunition for the Indian Armed Forces. 
• Often referred to as the “Fourth Arm of Defence”, the OFB plays a vital role in national security.

Theme:

• Ordnance Factories Day 2024 theme is “Operational Efficiency, Readiness, and Mission Accomplishment in the Maritime Domain”.

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