Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas
Syllabus: GS1/ Physical Geography
In News
- The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has developed an ‘Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas’ for India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
About
- The atlas highlights the potential of ocean energy resources like solar, wind, waves, tides, and ocean currents.
- It aims to guide policymakers, industries, and researchers in tapping into these resources for energy generation.
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)
- It is an autonomous body established in 1999 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- It plays a crucial role in providing ocean data, information, and advisory services to various sectors, including society, industry, government, and the scientific community.
Source: PIB
Turkey’s Bid to Join BRICS
Syllabus :GS 2/IR
In News
- Turkey has formally applied to join BRICS.
About
- BRICS: The BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) leaders first met in St. Petersburg, Russia, in July 2006 during the G8 Outreach Summit.
- The group was formalized as BRIC during the 1st BRIC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in September 2006, held alongside the UN General Assembly in New York City.
- The inaugural BRIC summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on June 16, 2009.
- Reason for Turkey’s Joining: Frustrated by its stalled European Union (EU) accession process, Turkey sees BRICS as an opportunity to form stronger ties with emerging global powers like Russia, China, and India. This could help Turkey reduce its dependency on Western alliances and diversify its international partnerships.
- By joining the group, Turkey hopes to access new markets, boost trade relations, and attract investments from BRICS members, which could help strengthen its economy.
- Expansion to BRICS: The group was renamed BRICS after South Africa joined as a full member in September 2010.
- South Africa attended the 3rd BRICS Summit in Sanya, China, on April 14, 2011.
- In January 2024, five new countries—Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, and Ethiopia—were added to the bloc.
- India’s Strategic Goals: India aims to use BRICS to enhance its global standing and promote a multipolar world order.
- The expansion aligns with India’s foreign policy objectives and its efforts to reform global governance.
Source: IE
Operation Sadbhav
Syllabus: GS2/IR
Context
- India has launched Operation Sadbhav to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) to Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
About
- Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam have been hit by severe flooding caused by Typhoon Yagi.
- Operation Sadbhav is part of India’s broader effort to contribute to HADR within the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region, in line with its longstanding ‘Act East Policy’.
- Typhoon Yagi has been termed the strongest tropical cyclone that has hit Asia in 2024.
- It started as a tropical storm in the western Philippine Sea and turned into a Category 5 typhoon and made landfall in China’s Hainan province with winds of 223 kmph.
- It has displaced millions across South East Asia and caused widespread devastation.
Source: TH
CREATE Setup
Syllabus: GS3/ Economy
In News
- The Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises has inaugurated the Centre for Rural Enterprise Acceleration through Technology (CREATE) setup at Leh.
About
- CREATE will provide a Pashmina Wool Roving Facility, Training for development of production facility for Essential Oil Extraction from Roses and Other Flowers and Training for development of production facility for Bio-processing of available fruits and other raw materials.
- It will enhance local productivity, product quality, economic potential and improve livelihoods for the local communities.
Source: PIB
20th Maritime State Development Council
Syllabus: GS3/Infrastructure
Context
- The 20th Maritime State Development Council (MSDC), was concluded in Goa recently.
About
- It saw the resolution of over 80 critical issues between the Central Government, States, and Union Territories, focused on port infrastructure modernization, connectivity, statutory compliances, maritime tourism, navigation projects, sustainability, and port security.
- The MSDC has been instrumental in aligning policies and initiatives like the Indian Ports Bill and the Sagarmala program.
Maritime State Development Council
- MSDC is an apex advisory body for the development of the Maritime sector and aims to ensure integrated development of Major and non-Major Ports.
- It was constituted in 1997 to assess in consultation with State Governments, the future development of existing and new Minor Ports by the respective Maritime States either directly or through captive users and private participation.
- MSDC also monitors the development of minor ports, captive ports and private ports in the Maritime States.
- It also ensures their integrated development with Major Ports and to assess the requirements of other infrastructure requirements like roads/rail/IWT.
Source: PIB
Satellite Chamran-1
Syllabus: GS 3/Science and Tech
In News
- Iran successfully launched its Chamran-1 research satellite into orbit
- In January, Iran launched the Sorayya satellite into a 750 km orbit, its highest to date.
About
- The Chamran-1 satellite, weighing 60 kg, was placed into a 550-kilometer orbit to test orbital maneuver technology.
- It used the Qaem-100 rocket which is a solid-fuel carrier designed and built by the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guards.
- Western nations, especially the United States, express concern that Iran’s space program could be used to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
| Do you know ? – Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) are missiles with a range over 5,500 kilometers, designed to deliver nuclear warheads. – They are possessed by several countries, including the US,Russia, China, and others. |
Source:IE
Saarthi App
Syllabus: GS2/ Governance
Context
- The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) launched Saarthi, a new reference application aimed at helping businesses create customized multilingual buyer apps.
About
- It is developed in collaboration with Bhashini which is an AI-powered language translation tool.
- The app initially supports Hindi, English, Marathi, Bangla and Tamil, with plans to scale up to all 22 languages provided by Bhashini.
- The multilingual features of Saarthi, including real-time translation, transliteration, and voice recognition allow businesses to expand market reach, enabling companies to tap into new regions and increase customer acquisition.
Source: TH
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya
Syllabus: Miscellaneous
In News
- Engineers’ Day is observed on September 15 each year to celebrate the birth anniversary of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya.
About Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (1861–1962)
- He was a renowned Indian engineer, statesman, and scholar. He played a pivotal role in modernizing India’s infrastructure and is considered one of the nation’s foremost engineers.
- He developed a flood protection system for Hyderabad and designed automatic water floodgates at the Khadakwasla reservoir near Pune.
- Established Bangalore Agricultural University, University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, etc.
- He served as the Diwan (Prime Minister) of the princely state of Mysore from 1912 to 1918
- He was conferred ‘Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire’ by the British in 1915 and conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 1955.
Source: IE
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