Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 27 February 2024 | Download PDF

National and International News

• The inaugural Pey Jal Survekshan Awards, to be presented by the PNational and International News

  resident on March 5th, will commend cities and states for their outstanding achievements in the water sector. 

• The ceremony, hosted at Vigyan Bhawan, will honor a diverse array of 130 awards, recognizing exemplary performance in various categories.

Key points:

• Awards comprise of Prestigious Pey Jal Gold, Silver, and Bronze City Awards, where Gold signifies top performers (1st) in their respective population categories (1 to 10 Lakh, 10 to 40 Lakh, and More than 40 Lakh), Silver denotes the 2nd position, and Bronze the 3rd.
• Additionally, commendations will be awarded for Best Water Body, Sustainability Champion, Reuse Champion, Water Quality, City Saturation, and the coveted AMRUT 2.0 Rotating Trophy of the Year.
• The meticulous evaluation process, conducted under AMRUT 2.0 in 485 cities, considered a wide range of parameters, including access, coverage, water quality, and sustainability.
• Cities will be graded on a star rating scale, reflecting their performance across critical criteria.

AMRUT Mitra Initiative:

• This initiative aims to actively involve women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the urban water sector, empowering them to contribute significantly to household water management and infrastructure maintenance.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram to review the progress of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme and dedicate three new facilities of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to the nation.
• The Gaganyaan mission, scheduled for 2025, aims to demonstrate India’s capability in human spaceflight by sending astronauts into orbit and safely returning them to Earth.

Key points:

• • The facilities to be inaugurated are the 
• Trisonic Wind Tunnel at VSSC, 

• • Integration facilities for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, and the
  • Semi-cryogenic Integrated Engine and Stage Test Facility (SIET) at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. 
• These facilities, developed at a cost of ₹1,800 crore, mark significant advancements in India’s space capabilities.

• Researchers from BRIC-THSTI(Translational Health Science and Technology Institute) Faridabad and IIT Madras have developed an India-specific model, Garbhini-GA2, to precisely determine the age of a foetus in pregnant women during the second and third trimesters. 

Key points:

• It is part of an interdisciplinary group for advanced research on birth outcomes – the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) India initiative (GARBH-Ini) programme.
• The model’s accuracy is crucial for pregnant women’s care and determining delivery dates accurately.

Gestation period:

• • Gestation refers to the duration between conception and birth, during which the baby develops inside the mother’s womb. 
  • Gestational age, a common term in pregnancy, indicates how far along the pregnancy has progressed, typically measured in weeks from the first day of the woman’s last menstrual cycle. 
• A normal pregnancy usually lasts between 38 to 42 weeks.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Sudarshan Setu, India’s longest cable-stayed bridge, linking mainland Gujarat with Bet Dwarka island off the Okha coast in Devbhumi Dwarka.
• Also known as Signature Bridge, it is Gujarat’s first sea link.
• Total length: 4,772m, including a 900-m-long cable-stayed section.
• Cost: Rs 978 crore, funded by the Union government.

• Maryam Nawaz has been sworn in as the Chief Minister of Punjab. 
• This makes her the first woman to hold this position in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province.
• She won after receiving 220 votes in the 371-member Punjab Assembly.

About:

• Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has become the fourth member of her family to hold the position of Punjab Chief Minister.
• Previously, this role was held by her father, his brother Shehbaz, and Shehbaz’s son Hamza.
• Maryam became more involved in politics and assumed a significant role in the party after Nawaz Sharif was disqualified from the prime minister’s post in 2017.

Odisha Regional Specific News

• Odisha is home to 30 Royal Bengal Tigers, with at least 24 residing in the Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary in Mayurbhanj district. 
• Additionally, the state has around eight Royal Bengal Tiger cubs under a year old, as per a tiger census report released recently.

Key points:

• One Royal Bengal Tiger each was recorded in the Keonjhar, Paralakhemundi, and Hirakud forests.
• The census, conducted in FY 2023-24, identified a total of 13 male and 14 female Royal Bengal Tigers across various forests. 
• However, the presence of three tigers in Similipal, though initially noted, was not confirmed through camera traps.
•  In 2022,only 20 tigers were reported from the State.
• Camera trap image-based identification of tigers was exercised in this survey.
• It is a scientifically accepted methodology and is also used in the All India Tiger Estimation exercises.

• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated 67 health facilities across 15 districts of Odisha in the second phase of the ambitious ‘Ama Hospital’ scheme.

About:

• The Ama Hospital scheme aims to include 1,858 hospitals across the state, with an estimated expenditure of around Rs. 3,300 crore over five years from 2023 to 2028.
• All public health facilities such district headquarter hospital (DHH), sub divisional hospital (SDH), community healthcare centre (CHC) and primary health centre (PHC) would be upgraded in a phased manner.
• It is a part of the Government’s 5T initiative.

• Nua-O Scholarship benefits all eligible PG and UG Students from State government Universities, Govt Colleges, non-Govt aided and unaided Colleges will be benefitted.
• The scholarship amount for General and OBC male and female students is Rs. 9,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively whereas for SC/ST and Nirman Shramik male and female students, it is Rs 10,000 and Rs 11,000 respectively.

Nabin Odisha Magic Card

• The Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, will soon introduce a smart card system for students, to be known as the Nabin Odisha Magic Card, for which applications will be invited. 
• This transformative initiative under 5T will significantly impact higher education and empower youth to pursue their dreams.
• The Magic Card will operate on a point-based system, categorized into Silver, Gold, and Platinum cards based on students’ academic performances, discipline, extracurricular activities, and social work.
• This initiative by the CM aims to provide benefits such as bus/train concessions, phone recharges, wifi access, online courses, and career counseling to students.
• The card will also offer job and placement opportunities by sharing student data with potential recruiting companies, creating a LinkedIn-type platform for students to interact with the industry. 
• It will integrate with the Start-Up ecosystem to encourage entrepreneurship and provide priority loans for students under various schemes like Swayam.

Mahurigarh fort, a historic monument near Aska in Ganjam district, faces imminent extinction due to neglect and government indifference. This fort, once a symbol of the rich cultural heritage of Ganjam, now lies in ruins, a sad testament to its former glory.

History and Significance:

• • Originally established as a royal seat by Puri royal Purushottam Dev in the medieval era, Mahurigarh later became the capital of the Mahuri princely state, ruled by the Mahuri royal family for six generations.
  • However, the fort’s fortunes changed when it faced attacks, first from the French army in 1755 and then from the East India Company in 1765. 
  • These conflicts, along with internal family disputes, led to the decline of the Mahuri royals.
  • By 1832-33, the princely state was auctioned off by the British government due to unpaid revenue, and a subsequent drought from 1837 to 1840 further contributed to its downfall. 
• The Mahuri royals eventually shifted their base to Berhampur, leaving Mahurigarh abandoned and forgotten.
• Despite its historical significance, it has not been officially recognized as a tourist site by the state government. 

• While efforts are being made to protect it, including conducting research by Berhampur University, more needs to be done to preserve this valuable piece of history.

• A team from the Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Cuttack Chapter, recently uncovered archaeological remnants of an ancient settlement near Balimangala Debipitha in Uttampur Village, Sadar block of Cuttack. 
• These discoveries, which include earthenware, rings of a mud well, and bone pieces, were found in a large area spread over the dunes about 200 meters from the current embankment of the Kuakhai river.

Key points:

• The findings also include fragmented pieces of red ware, black ware, and grey ware, along with unidentifiable pieces of sculpted images. 
• The discovery holds historical significance as it is located between Barabati Fort and Chudanagada Fort at Baranga. 
• Similar pottery and ware have been found in ongoing excavations inside the Barabati Fort by the Archaeological Survey of India.
• According to INTACH, there is evidence of maritime trade in the waterway of the Kuakhai river. 
• The deity Goddess Balimangala, a form of Goddess Mangala, was important to the old mariners of Odisha, leading to many villages and temples being named after her in the Mahanadi delta.
• Findings indicate the existence of either a riverside port or a large settlement that was abandoned due to frequent flooding.

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