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• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and Meta have announced the launch of FTLs.

• About FTLs
  • Aim: to empower students to innovate using technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Augmented & Virtual Reality, Blockchain, etc.
  • It is an advanced version of the Atal Tinkering Lab, equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure.
  • It will be funded by Meta, and Atal Innovation Mission will be the knowledge partner.
  • These labs will be managed by Meta’s partner 1M1B (One Million for One Billion).

• Communities, particularly those in western Rajasthan, are concerned about the state’s proposal to classify orans (sacred groves) as deemed forests.
• A sacred grove comprises patches of natural vegetation ranging from a few trees to several acres that are dedicated to local deities or tree spirits.

• Deemed Forest
  • The concept of deemed forests has not been clearly defined in any forest law.
  • In the Godavarman Thirumalpad (1996) case, SC brought in the concept of ‘deemed forests,’.
    • It means an area that wasn’t officially classified as forest by the government but looked like it.

• TDB has entered into an agreement with a private company for Advanced Chemical Manufacturing Facility.

• About TDB
  • Genesis: A statutory body under the Technology Development Board Act, 1995.
  • Ministry: Ministry of Science and Technology.
  • Objective: commercializing the results of indigenous research.
  • Functions:
    • Provides equity capital or loans to industrial concerns and financial assistance to research and development institutions.
    • Facilitates interaction between industry, scientists, technocrats, and specialists.

• Union Cabinet approves continuation of targeted subsidy of Rs. 300 per LPG cylinder for up to 12 refills per year under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) during FY 2024-25.

• PM Ujjwala Yojana
  • Launched in 2016 with the objective to provide clean cooking fuel to rural and deprived households which were otherwise using traditional cooking fuels.
    • Government targets 10.35 crore LPG connections under the scheme. 
  • Ministry: Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • Eligible beneficiary: An adult woman belonging to poor household and not having LPG connection. 
  • Government provides financial support of Rs. 1600 for each LPG connection.

• ChipIN centre aims to provide state-of-the-art Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to around 85,000 students to design Semiconductor Chips.

• ChipIN Centre
  • The Centre has been set up by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology at C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing). 
  • It is a centralized design facility, hosting most advanced tools for entire chip design cycle and provide aggregate services for fabrication of design. 
  • It aims to bring the chip design infrastructure at door-steps of the semiconductor design community.

• Government has launched the ‘NITI for States’ platform. 
  • It is a comprehensive digital initiative designed to empower States/UTs in their pursuit of national development goals. 

• Key Features of Platform:
  • It offers a centralised repository of valuable resources, including best practices, policy documents, datasets, and NITI Aayog publications.
  • Multilingual: It will be available in 22 major Indian languages and 7 foreign languages.
  • Capacity Building: Tailored digital training modules for officials at various levels (block, district, and state).
  • Expert Help: Specialized guidance through partnerships with leading institutions to address specific challenges.

• Supreme Court has directed to constitute a committee to assess the damage caused in the Corbett Tiger Reserve due to Tiger Safaris.

• About Corbett Tiger Reserve
  • Located on foothills of Himalayas in Uttarakhand and spread over Bhabar and lower Shivalik region.
  • First national park to be established in mainland Asia.
  • Declared as an 'Important Bird Area' (IBA) by Birdlife International.
  • Rivers flowing through it: Ramganga, Pallaen and Sonanadi.
  • Local grasslands known as Chaur. 
  • Vegetation type: Tropical dry and moist deciduous forest.
  • Fauna: Tiger (highest tiger density), elephant, leopard, sambar, hog deer etc.

Indonesia (Capital: Jakarta)

• RBI and Bank Indonesia signed MoU to promote use of local currencies in bilateral transactions.

• Political Boundaries:
  • A Southeast Asian country, located on equator, and largest archipelagic country.
  • Land Borders: Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor
  • Maritime Borders: Singapore, Philippines, Australia, Vietnam, Thailand and India.
  • Water Bodies: South China Sea and Pacific Ocean (North), and Indian Ocean (South).

• Geographical Features:
  • Five largest islands: Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua.
  • Major Rivers: Mahakam, Barito
  • Highest Peak: Puncak Jaya
  • It lies on Pacific Ring of Fire. 

• PM has offered his reverence to the Shankaracharya Hill on his recent visit to Kashmir.
  • The hill located in the Zabarwan Range, houses the Shankaracharya Temple.

• About the Temple
  • The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located at a height of 1100 feet.
  • It is considered as the oldest shrine for worship in Kashmir valley.
  • The temple got its name from the visit of the philosopher and saint Adi Shankaracharya.
    • He propounded the Doctrine of Advaita,  and 
    • He established the four maths namely Dwarka, Joshimath, Puri, and Sringeri.