1.Karnataka govt. takes efforts to solve mystery over birthplace of Purandara Dasa
News:Department of Archaeology in Karnataka will commence field research work to explore archaeological evidence that may put an end to speculations regarding the birthplace of Purandara Dasa.
Facts:
- Purandara Dasa was a Haridasa (meaning servant of Lord Hari or Lord Krishna), a renowned composer of Carnatic music, a Vaishnava poet, saint and a social reformer.
- He was a disciple of the philosopher-saint Vyasatirtha and contemporary of another great Haridasa, Kanakadasa.
- In honour of his significant contributions to Carnatic music, he is widely referred to as the Pitamaha (father) of Carnatic music.
- He is also noted for composing Dasa Sahitya, as a Bhakti movement vocalist and a music scholar.
2.Maharashtra: Katkari tribal youths bring benefits of Giloy to doorsteps in Shahpur
News:A group of Tribal Youth from Katkari community came together to market Giloy through Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana.
Facts:
- Giloy is an Ayurvedic herb used in the medicines to treat various kinds of fever (viral fever, malaria) as well as diabetes.
Katkari Tribe:
- The Katkari are primarily located in the state of Maharashtra and some places of Gujarat.
- In Maharashtra, the Katkari have been designated as a Particularly vulnerable tribal group(PVTG).
Additional Facts:
- Prime Minister Van Dhan Yojana: It was launched in 2018 to help tribals in optimum utilization of natural resources and provide sustainable Minor Forest Produce (MFP)-based livelihood and to help increase tribal income through value addition of MFP centric products.TRIFED acts as the Nodal Agency at the National Level.
3.Genes in wheat varieties mapped
News:The Pune-based Agharkar Research Institute(ARI) has mapped two alternative dwarfing genes Rht14 and Rht18 in wheat.
Facts:
- Rht14 and Rht18: These are two alternative dwarfing genes in wheat associated with better seedling vigour and longer coleoptiles (sheath protecting the young shoot tip).
- Significance: They can reduce crop residue burning and can also allow deeper sowing of wheat seeds to avail advantage of residual moisture in the soil under dry environments.
4.Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna(ANTIA) finds high energy particles from ice
News: NASA’s Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna(ANITA) have detected high energy particles from ice in Antarctica.
Facts:
- ANITA instrument: It is a radio telescope to detect ultra-high energy cosmic-ray neutrinos from a scientific balloon flying over the continent of Antarctica.
- ANITA is also the first NASA observatory for neutrinos of any kind.
- How does ANITA detect Neutrinos: The ANITA instrument detects these ultra-high energy neutrinos by use of the Askaryan effect.
Additional Facts:
- Askaryan Effect: It predicts the production of a coherent radio emission from the cascade of particles produced in a high-energy particle interaction
- Neutrinos: They are subatomic particles with no electric charge and with a very small mass.They are considered to be the second most abundant particle in the universe after photons or light particles.
5.Explained: Now online, a map tracking migrants, real time
News: India Observatory in collaboration with several other organisations has launched CoAST India (Collaboration/Covid Action Support Group) for helping migrants.
Facts:
- CoAST India: It is a GIS-enabled dashboard that maps the movement of migrants in real time and draws information from 55 organisations on the ground to help administrators, civil society organisations in planning urgent steps to get the stranded migrant population to safety and care.
Additional Facts:
- India Observatory: It is India’s first socio economic ecological open source integrated Geospatial data platform launched in 2019.
- It aims to provide comprehensive information on India’s social, ecological and economic parameters on a single platform to supplement local level decision making.
