News In Short 26-11-2024

One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme

Syllabus: GS2/ Education

Context

• The Union Cabinet has approved the Central Sector Scheme, One Nation One Subscription (ONOS).

One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme

• Aim: To consolidate the subscription to academic journals and research publications under a centralized system.
  • It enables access to all journal articles in India through a single centrally negotiated payment model.
  • The scheme will replace individual institutional subscriptions with a national-level subscription, ensuring uniform access to research content.
• Funding and Duration: The central government has allocated ₹6,000 crore  for the period of 3 years from 2025 to 2027.
• Eligibility: The benefits are extended to:
  • All higher education institutions under central and state governments.
  • Research and Development (R&D) institutions managed by the central government.
• Implementing Agency: The Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), an autonomous center under the University Grants Commission (UGC), will coordinate the scheme at the national level.

Source: TH

PAN 2.0 Project

Syllabus :GS 2/Governance

In  News

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the PAN 2.0 Project of the Income Tax Department.

About PAN 2.0 Project

• It is an e-Governance initiative aimed at re-engineering taxpayer registration services through technology, enhancing the digital experience for taxpayers.
  • It has a budget of Rs. 1435 crore.
• It will upgrade the existing PAN/TAN 1.0 system, consolidating core and non-core activities, including PAN validation services.
• It aligns with the Digital India vision, aiming to use PAN as a common identifier across all digital systems of specified government agencies
• Key Benefits:

• Improved access and faster service delivery with better quality.
• Ensures a single, consistent source of truth.
• Promotes environmentally friendly processes and cost optimization.
• Strengthened infrastructure for greater security and operational flexibility.

Do you know ? – Permanent Account Number (PAN) is a ten-digit alphanumeric number issued by the Income Tax Department to individuals or entities for tax purposes. – PAN links all transactions of the holder (such as tax payments, TDS/TCS credits, income tax returns, and specified transactions) with the tax department, acting as an identifier. – Structure of PAN: The first three characters (e.g., “AFZ”) are alphabetic and follow a series from “AAA” to “ZZZ.” 1. The fourth character (e.g., “P”) indicates the status of the PAN holder (e.g., “P” for Individual, “F” for Firm, etc.). 2. The fifth character (e.g., “K”) represents the first letter of the holder’s last name or surname. 3. The next four characters (e.g., “7190”) are a sequential number ranging from 0001 to 9999. 4. The last character (e.g., “K”) is an alphabetic check digit. (i)Example: A typical PAN looks like AFZPK7190K.

Source: PIB

GI Tag to Narasapur Crochet Lace

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

In News

• Narasapuram lace from the West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

About

• Narasapuram lace: Made using cotton threads in a variety of colors. Crafted with thin crochet needles of varying sizes for intricate designs.
• GI Tag: It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation.
  • The registration is valid for 10 years, renewable thereafter.
  • Managed by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Significance of the GI Tag: Enhances market stability for weavers and artisans.
  • Boosts visibility of their craftsmanship.

Source: TOI

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) 2.0

Syllabus: GS3/Economy

Context

• The Cabinet approved the continuation of Niti Aayog’s flagship initiative Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) till March 31, 2028.

About

• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is an initiative under NITI Aayog launched in 2016.
• Aim: To foster innovation at the grassroots level by providing support to students, startups, and entrepreneurs. 
• Key Components:
  • Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs): School-based innovation hubs that encourage students to explore STEM fields and develop creative skills.
  • Atal Incubation Centers (AICs): Centers that support startups by providing infrastructure, mentorship, and funding.
  • Atal New India Challenges (ANIC): A platform to support innovation-driven solutions to national challenges.
  • Atal Community Innovation Centers (ACICs): Innovation hubs that focus on solving community-specific problems in rural and underserved areas.
  • Mentor of Change (Mentorship and Partnerships – with Public, Private sector, NGOs, Academia, Institutions): To enable all the initiatives to succeed AIM has launched one of the largest mentor engagement and management programs “Mentor India – The Mentors of Change”.
• AIM 2.0 is a step towards Viksit Bharat that aims to expand, strengthen, and deepen India’s already vibrant innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
  • It aims to break the language barrier through the Language Inclusive Program of Innovation (LIPI) and 30 vernacular innovation centres.

Source: BS

Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) Telescope

Syllabus: GS3/ Science and Technology

Context

• The Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) telescope, inaugurated in Hanle, Ladakh.

About 

• It is built collaboratively by  Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), and Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA).
• Located at around 4.3 km above sea level, it is the highest imaging Cherenkov telescope in the world.

Components of MACE

• Light Collector: It comprises 356 mirror panels in a honeycomb structure for optimal light reflection and stability.
  • It is coated with silicon dioxide for environmental protection.
• High-Resolution Camera: It is equipped with 1,088 photomultiplier tubes to detect faint Cherenkov radiation signals.
  • It has integrated electronics for real-time data processing and digital conversion.
• Movement: Uses an altitude-azimuth mount for vertical and horizontal adjustments. It moves on a 27-metre curved track with a total weight of 180 tonnes.

Working Principle

• Cherenkov Radiation: Gamma rays interact with atmospheric molecules, creating electron-positron showers.
  • The charged particles emit blue light (Cherenkov radiation) when moving faster than the speed of light in air.
• Detection: MACE captures Cherenkov radiation using its light collector and camera, allowing indirect study of high-energy gamma rays.

Significance of MACE

• Enables the study of gamma rays exceeding 20 billion electron volts (eV).
• Explores astrophysical phenomena near black holes, gamma-ray pulsars, blazars, and gamma-ray bursts.

Gamma Rays – Gamma rays are produced by exotic energetic objects in the cosmos, including rapidly spinning pulsars, supernova explosions, hot whirlpools of matter around black holes, and gamma-ray bursts.  – Properties: Shortest wavelengths and highest energy in the electromagnetic spectrum. 1. The energy levels exceed 100,000 eV, compared to visible light’s 1.63-3.26 eV. – Hazards: It can damage living cells and cause genetic mutations. The earth’s atmosphere blocks gamma rays from reaching the ground.

Source: TH

Milky Way

Syllabus: GS3/Space 

In News

• Scientists have identified a source of extremely hot gas (10 million degrees Kelvin) surrounding the Milky Way galaxy.

What is a Galaxy? – A galaxy is a large group of stars, gas, and dust bound together by gravity. – Galaxies come in different shapes and sizes

About 

• The Milky Way is a large barred spiral galaxy. It is made up of approximately 100 billion stars.
  • All stars visible to the naked eye in the night sky are part of the Milky Way Galaxy.
• Our Solar System is about 25,000 light years from the center of the Milky Way.
• It takes the Sun 250 million years to orbit the center of the Milky Way.

• Spiral Arms: Current data suggests the Milky Way has four spiral arms.
• Galaxy’s Gas Reserve: The Milky Way has a massive reserve of gas, which is the primary source for star formation, but this gas is difficult to measure due to its tenuous nature.
• Recent Discovery: More recently, X-ray emissions detected from the galaxy suggested the presence of even hotter gas at around ten million degrees Kelvin, leading to further studies.
  • The X-ray emitting hot gas is attributed to a puffed-up region around the stellar disc of the Milky Way, where ongoing star formation occurs. Supernovae explosions from massive stars heat the gas to high temperatures.

Other Galaxies

• Billions of other galaxies exist; three can be seen without telescopes – the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, and the Andromeda Galaxy.
  • The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are 160,000 light years away, visible from the southern hemisphere.
  • Andromeda Galaxy: 2.5 million light years away, visible from the northern hemisphere, predicted to collide with the Milky Way in about 4 billion years.

Source: PIB

Genetically Modified (GM) Maize

Syllabus: GS3/Biotechnology

Context

• Scientists have found that the Genetically modified (GM) maize, which is illegal in India, has been detected in commercially sold processed and unprocessed maize grains in the country.

What are GM crops?

• Crops that have undergone genetic engineering processes to alter their DNA are referred to as genetically modified crops.
• This alteration is done to introduce desirable traits such as resistance to pests or herbicides, improved nutritional content, or increased yield.
• The process of creating GM crops typically involves: identification of desired traits, isolation of genes, insertion into crop genome, and expression of the trait.
• The techniques used in GM crops are: gene guns, electroporation, microinjection, agrobacterium etc.
• The types of modification are: transgenic, cis-genic, subgenic and multiple trait integration.
• The main trait types in GM crops are herbicide tolerance (HT), insect resistance (IR), Stacked traits etc.

Indian Scenario in GM crops

• Bt Cotton: In 2002, the GEAC had allowed the commercial release of Bt cotton.
  • Bt cotton has two alien genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that allows the crop to develop a protein toxic to the common pest pink bollworm. 
  • Till now, it is the only GM crop that is allowed in India.
• Many varieties of GM crops are under different stages of development, like Bt brinjal and DMH-11 mustard.

Source: DTE

Baalbek, Tyre and Anjar

Syllabus: Places in News

Context

• Cultural professionals have urged the United Nations to take immediate measures to protect Lebanon’s world heritage sites against Israeli attacks.

About

• Lebanon is home to some of the most iconic UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Baalbek, Tyre, and Anjar.
  • Baalbek: It is situated in eastern Lebanon, near the Syrian border.
  • Tyre: It is a port city on Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast.
  • Anjar: It is located in the Bekaa Valley.
• The petition emphasizes enforcing international laws like the 1954 Hague Convention to safeguard cultural heritage during armed conflicts.

Source: TH