Commonwealth Games
- Singapore rules out hosting the commonwealth games of 2026.
- About CWG
- It takes place every four year.
- Members of Commonwealth Nations along with overseas territories, island states also participate in this.
- It is managed by Commonwealth Games Federation, based in London, England.
- Earlier known as British Empire Games and they were held for first time in Canada in 1930.
- Commonwealth Nations' members are countries which were formerly British Colonies.
- However, presently other members can also join it.
- India is a member.
- Tags :
- Commonwealth
- Singapore
Article 293 (Borrowing of States)
- SC has referred to constitution Bench questions raised in the petition on the interpretation of Article 293.
- Article 293
- Article 293(1), executive power of State extends to borrowing within territory of India upon security of Consolidated Fund of State.
- Article 293(2), empowers central Government to make loans to any State and give guarantees for State loans.
- Article 293(3), restricts states from borrowing without consent of Central Government if they have outstanding loans or guarantees from Central Government.
- Tags :
- Centre-State Relations
- Borrowing by states
- Constitution Bench
Indian Ocean Geoid Low
- According to researchers, Indian Ocean hosts a phenomenon known as ‘gravity hole’ or ‘Indian Ocean Geoid Low (IOGL)’, where the Earth’s gravitational pull is weaker and the sea level dips by around 100 meters.
- This creates a gravitational/geoid anomaly with depression in the ocean and a lowest point in geoid.
- Technically, Earth is not a sphere but a geoid, with its middle part bulging outward, flattening poles and uneven surface.
- This uneven surface results from non-uniform gravity due to unequal distribution of matter within the planet’s interior.
- Tags :
- Indian Ocean
- gravity hole
- geoid low
Dornier 228
- India delivered two state-of-the-art Dornier 228 aircraft to Guyana.
- About Dornier 228 aircraft:
- It is a twin engine turboprop, multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft.
- Manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
- It can be deployed for tasks like surveillance, gathering information, medical rescue, and transporting goods.
- Maldives and Sri Lanka have received these aircraft from India.
- Tags :
- Dornier
- Caribbean
- India-Caribbean
Paira Cropping System
- Odisha is promoting Paira Cropping system, a conservation agricultural practice which has been dwindling in recent years.
- About Paira cropping system
- It is a relay method of sowing in which short-duration pulses/oilseeds are broadcast in the standing crop of rice ~2 weeks before its harvest.
- It does not allow interventions such as tillage, weeding, irrigation and fertilizer application.
- Benefits: maximize land use efficiency, boost farmers income, promotes regenerative agriculture etc
- Areas of Practice: Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Odisha
- Tags :
- Rice
- Cropping system
- paira cropping
Strategic Petroleum Reserve
- India plans to build its first privately managed SPR by 2029-30.
- Aim: To enhance stockpiles against potential supply disruptions.
- Authority: The project will be overseen by Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL), a special purpose vehicle created by the government for building and operating SPR.
- Location: Padur (Karnataka), also second site is planned in Odisha.
- Current SPRs in India: Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Mangalore & Padur in Karnataka.
- Tags :
- Energy Security
- Oil
S.A.R.A.H.
- World Health Organization unveils a digital health promoter prototype S.A.R.A.H harnessing generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) for public health.
- About S.A.R.A.H.
- It is a Smart AI Resource Assistant for Health which uses new language models and cutting-edge technology.
- It can provide information across major health topics, including healthy habits and mental health.
- It aims to provide an additional tool for people to realize their rights to health.
- It can support people in developing better understanding of risk factors for some leading causes of death in world E.g., cancer, heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes.
- Tags :
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Public Health
- AI Assistant
PRATUSH Radio Telescope
- Researchers from Bengaluru’s Raman Research Institute (RRI) have started work on PRATUSH (Probing ReionizATion of the Universe using Signal from Hydrogen).
- PRATUSH is currently funded for pre-project studies by ISRO.
- About PRATUSH:
- It is a future space radio telescope that will be placed in lunar orbit.
- Objectives: Revealing the transformation of the Universe after the Big Bang and determining when the first stars formed, their nature, and the color of the light emitted.
- Advantage: Ground-based experiments, including SARAS, face limitations such as radio-frequency interference (RFI) and atmospheric contaminants, which can be mitigated through a space-based telescope.
- Tags :
- ISRO
- Moon
- Universe
- Radio telescope