Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 28 February 2024 | Download PDF

National and International News

• Four IAF pilots have been identified as potential crew members for the Gaganyaan mission, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi honored them with ‘astronaut wings’ during his visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.

Key points:

• • These pilots have undergone rigorous training both in Russia and at the ISRO Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru.
  • In preparation for the crewed mission, ISRO is conducting various tests, including Integrated Air Drop tests, Test Vehicle Missions, and pad Abort Tests, with unmanned flights preceding the actual mission. 
• Additionally, ISRO has unveiled plans to send astronauts to the moon by 2040.

Gaganyaan:

• The Gaganyaan Mission is India’s ongoing endeavor to launch a three-day manned mission into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 400 km, carrying a crew and safely returning them to Earth.
• The inaugural manned spaceflight is scheduled for 2024(by the end of the year). 
• Success in this mission will elevate India to join the elite group of nations—US, Russia, and China—with human spaceflight capabilities.

• The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has announced the completion of the ‘10,000 genome’ project, aiming to create a reference database of whole-genome sequences from India.
• The United Kingdom, China, and the United States are among the countries that have programmes to sequence at least 1,00,000 of their genomes.

Key points:

• Project was launched in 2020.
• India’s 1.3 billion population comprises over 4,600 endogamous groups, leading to significant genetic diversity.
• Over 20 institutions, including the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, are involved in the project.

Aim:

• The project aims to gain deeper insights into India’s population diversity, improve diagnostic methods and medical counseling, find genetic predispositions to disease, develop personalized drugs, improve gene therapy, and understand individual susceptibility to infectious diseases. 

Definition: A genome is the complete set of genetic material within an organism. It contains all the information needed for the development, functioning, and reproduction of that organism.

• India is set to establish its own space station by 2035, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Emphasizing India’s space ambitions, Modi mentioned plans for a crewed lunar mission by 2040, with an Indian astronaut landing on the moon using an Indian spacecraft during “Amrit Kaal.” 
• PM described the Gaganyaan astronauts as not just individuals but embodiments of the nation’s collective strength.

• Sweden has overcome the final obstacle to join NATO as Hungary has approved its accession. 
• Sweden’s parliament approved NATO accession on, marking the end of its neutrality that endured two world wars and the Cold War.

Key points:

• Sweden’s membership will also contribute resources like advanced submarines and Gripen fighter jets to NATO. 
• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine accelerated support in Sweden for NATO membership, especially after Finland joined last year. 
• Turkey and Hungary, however, initially raised objections, with Turkey seeking tougher action against Kurdish militants in Sweden and Hungary expressing annoyance over Swedish criticism of its democracy under Orban.
• Now the count of NATO countries has become 32.

NATO:

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. 
• NATO was the first peacetime military alliance the United States entered into outside of the Western Hemisphere.

• C-DOT, India’s leading telecom Research and Development center, has received significant recognition by winning three awards at the 14th Annual Aegis Graham Bell Awards. 
• These awards highlight C-DOT’s innovative telecom solutions developed and designed in India across various categories.

Awards:

Innovation in AI: ASTR Project

• The first award, jointly shared with Google India, was conferred upon C-DOT for its pioneering ASTR Project under the category “Innovation in AI.”
• This innovative solution is designed to analyze, identify, and eliminate fake/forged mobile connections, marking a significant stride towards ensuring a secure telecom environment.

Innovation in Social Good: CEIR Solution

• C-DOT secured the second award in the category “Innovation in Social Good” for its groundbreaking CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register) solution.
• CEIR has revolutionized mobile security by detecting clone IMEIs, restricting the import of counterfeit mobile devices, and facilitating the blocking and tracing of lost or stolen phones.

Innovation in Telecom: Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) Product

• The third accolade was bestowed upon C-DOT in the category “Innovation in Telecom” for its Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) product.
• This revolutionary solution ensures unparalleled security, marking a significant advancement in the field of telecommunications.

Odisha Regional Specific News

• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced a loan of Rs 10 lakh at zero percent interest for all Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under the Mission Shakti program.

Key points:

• Additionally, Patnaik allocated Rs 145 Crore for interest refunds and outlined plans to establish 5000 Mission Shakti Bazaars in the state over the next five years. 
• The Mission Shakti Bazaar aims to market products made by SHGs.
• The Mission Shakti Bazaar will make products from Mission Shakti available both online and offline, including handicrafts, handlooms, food products, forest products, health and personal care items, traditional jewelry, and home and kitchen products.

About:

• “Mission Shakti” is the self-help mission for empowering women through promotion of Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs) to take up various socio-economic activities which was launched in the state on 8th March 2001 on the eve of International Women’s Day.
• Vision:Mission Shakti aims to make Odisha a land of equal opportunities irrespective of gender where women are empowered to live with dignity and enjoy economic prosperity.

• The Chief Minister laid the groundwork for renovating the Barabati stadium in Cuttack and the VSS cricket stadium in Sambalpur.

Key points:

• CM announced that the stadium in Berhampur will be renamed the Mahatma Gandhi Cricket Stadium, honoring Gandhiji’s visit there during the freedom movement. 
• The Barabati stadium will be transformed into a state-of-the-art sports complex in collaboration with the BCCI, OCA, and corporate partners. 
• The iconic clock tower will be preserved as a heritage structure. 
• Additionally, the VSS stadium in Sambalpur will be expanded and upgraded to provide top-notch cricket facilities for local athletes.
• Furthermore, Naveen inaugurated cricket facilities at various locations, including the Berhampur Sports Complex, Shree Jagannath Cricket Stadium, Women’s Cricket Academy in Puri, Jajpur Sports Complex, and the cricket ground in Jharsuguda. 
• He also unveiled 41 cricket academies established by the OCA across the state. 
• An integrated sports complex will be developed in Sitalapalli, Berhampur, offering facilities for athletics, football, cricket, and an indoor stadium.

• The Odisha government has requested permission from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to introduce female tigers from other regions into the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) to enhance the genetic diversity of its tiger population. 

Key points:

• Similipal is globally unique for being the sole habitat of black or pseudo-melanistic tigers, a rare variant of the Royal Bengal Tiger. 
• The latest All Odisha Tiger Estimation (AOTE) report revealed that 13 out of the 24 tigers camera-trapped in Similipal are melanistic, a condition caused by melanism leading to dark pigmentation in the skin.

Additional Info:

• Despite approval from NTCA for the Sunabeda tiger reserve, there are no immediate plans for a new tiger reserve in the state. 
• The government is evaluating rehabilitation measures and assessing the impact on development projects before notifying the proposed habitat. 
• Meanwhile, efforts are underway to revive the big cat population in the Satkosia tiger reserve by creating meadows and more inviolate space.

• The Ministry has approved Rs 718 crore for the widening of NH-59 in Odisha. 
• Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, announced the allocation for the Daringbadi Ghat section in Kandhamal and Ganjam districts. 
• The project, part of the 2023-24 annual plan, will cover 26.96 km. 
• Currently, the narrow carriageway and suboptimal geometrics of the Daringbadi Ghat segment pose challenges, forcing long-route vehicles from western Odisha to avoid NH-59. 
• Improving this stretch, which is a popular tourist destination, especially in winter, will enhance highway standards, improve safety, and ensure all-weather connectivity along NH-59, Gadkari noted.

• National Science Day is celebrated in India on February 28th each year. 
• It commemorates the groundbreaking discovery of the Raman Effect by the renowned Indian physicist Sir C.V. Raman in 1928. 
• This remarkable work earned C.V Raman the prestigious Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.
• The purpose of National Science Day is to:

1. Promote scientific awareness and inspire interest in science, especially among youth.
2. Recognize contributions of scientists to the field of science and technology.
3. Encourage scientific temper and a spirit of inquiry within society.

Theme 2024: 

• The theme for National Science Day 2024 is “Indigenous Technologies for Viksit Bharat.”

Did you Know?

• The first National Science Day was celebrated on February 28, 1987.
• The National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), in 1986, asked the Government of India to announce February 28 as National Science Day

All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Adda247.