Facts in News

Facts in News

Hakki Pikki Tribal

• It is a semi-nomadic tribe based largely in Karnataka and sparsely spread in other districts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. 
  • It is said that in earlier times, the Hakki Pikki community migrated from Northern India to Karnataka 
• In the Kannada language, the word ‘Hakki’ means ‘bird’ and ‘Pikki’ stands for ‘to catch’, therefore, the community is known as the ‘bird catcher’ which is their traditional occupation. 
  • Alternate names: Haranashikari, Pashi pardhi, Adavichencher, and Shikari in Karnataka.
• Language: Their mother tongue is ‘Vaagri’ (belongs to the Dravidian language). 
  • However, they speak ‘Vaagri’ at home but they speak Kannada for their daily business. 
• Main Religion: Hinduism
• UNESCO has listed Hakki Pikki as one of the endangered languages.
• Documentaries 
  • My Bangalore: Portraits from Hakki Pikki Colony by Pankaj Gupta
  • Sikkidre Shikari Illdidre Bhikari by Madhu Bhushan and Vinod Raja.

National Technology Day

• Every year, India celebrates National Technology Day on May 11. 
• Theme: Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future.
  • 2020 Theme: ‘Rebooting the Economy through Science, Technology and Research Translations’ — ‘RESTART’.

• Objective: To celebrate the advancements that Indian innovators like scientists and engineers have made in the S&T sector.
  • On this day, the Technology Development Board (TDB) (works under the Department of Science and Technology) encourages the scientists and the engineers for their immense innovations, which helped in India’s growth.
• Background: On May 11, 1998, India conducted three successful nuclear tests under the leadership of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan under Operation Shakti.

• These nuclear tests gave India an entry into the elite group of nations that had nuclear weapons. India became the sixth nation in the world to join the ‘nuclear club’.
• The first time National Technology Day was celebrated was on May 11, 1999.

Asperger Syndrome

• It is a neurodevelopmental disorder and is also known as Asperger’s.
• This syndrome is considered to be on the mild end of the spectrum.

Evolution

• The disorder is named after German doctor Hans Asperger, who first described it in 1944.
• It belongs to the autism spectrum, a family of conditions, which can severely inhibit a person’s mental and social development.

Symptoms

• Having difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication.
• Restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests.
• Physical clumsiness and unusual use of language.

Effects

• The affected people often focus obsessively on a complex topic and have trouble with social relationships.

Interventions

• Social skills training, cognitive behavioural therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, parent training, and medications for associated problems, such as mood or anxiety.

DOGE-1 Mission

Elon Musk’s commercial rocket company SpaceX will launch “DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon” in 2022 onboard the Falcon 9 rocket.

About

• The “DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon” will be the first-ever commercial lunar payload in history paid entirely with Dogecoin.
  • Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency released in 2013 by software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer.
  • Logo– face of the Shiba Inu dog from the “Doge” meme.
• The DOGE-1 is a cubic satellite, weighing 88 pounds (40 kilograms), will aim to obtain “lunar-spatial intelligence from sensors and cameras on-board”.
• This mission is led by the Canadian company Geometric Energy Corporation (GEC).
• This mission will demonstrate the application of cryptocurrency beyond Earth orbit and set the foundation for interplanetary commerce.
• It is the first lunar mission that is fully financed in cryptocurrency and launches the first meme in space.

Blocktrack

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras have developed a “blocktrack”.
• It is a blockchain-based secure medical data and information exchange system for mobile phone applications.
  • The project originated during the height of COVID-19 in 2020 and has CSR support from Infosys. 
• Blocktrack aims to securely digitise healthcare information systems while protecting sensitive personal information and medical records by decentralising control and ownership of patient data through a blockchain-based innovation.
  • The innovation is protected through a provisional IP filed with the Indian Patent Office.
• Blocktrack has two separate versions — one for patients and another for doctors. 
• It allows for the interoperability of systems for multiple hospitals, institutes and healthcare organisations. 
• It integrates medical supply chain management and proactive tracking of the spread of contagious infections.

Speaker Pro-Tem

• Pro-tem is a Latin word that stands for “for the time being”, so Pro-tem Speaker is a temporary position that is appointed for a limited period of time.
• When the speaker of the Lok Sabha/ state legislative assembly vacates the office immediately before the first meeting of the newly elected house, the President/ Governor appoints the senior-most MP/ MLA as a Protem Speaker. 
• However, once a new Speaker is elected, the Protem Speaker ceases to function in the same capacity.
• Functions: Presides over the first sitting of the Lok Sabha/ State Legislative Assembly, administers the oath of office to the newly elected MPs/ MLAs.
  • He needs to conduct the election for the speaker and deputy speaker of the house.
  • He also administers the floor test in Lok Sabha/ State Legislative Assembly.