Prime Minister of India met President of the Republic of Estonia.

• They welcomed the initiation of ministerial exchanges in the India-Nordic-Baltic format.
  • India-Nordic-Baltic is a collaboration between India and the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) countries.

About Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB-8) countries:

• About: It is an informal (non-institutionalized) regional co-operation group.
• Members: Nordic Countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) and Baltic Countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania).
• India’s trade with NB8 countries expanded to US$9.04 billion in 2022-23 with Sweden being India’s top trading partner from the region.

Recently, SC dismissed centre's plea to levy service tax on promotion, marketing, or sale of lottery tickets.

• It ruled that taxation power on lotteries lies solely with states.
• It upheld 2012 Sikkim High Court ruling, which was based on doctrine of Pith and Substance.
  • HC had observed that power to levy tax on lotteries (Considered games of chance and fall under "betting and gambling" in List II of Seventh Schedule (Article 246)) lies exclusively with state Legislature.

About Doctrine of Pith and Substance:

• It determines which level of government (union or state) is empowered to make a law, in case of ambiguity in legislative powers.
• It says that when there is a question of determining whether a particular law relates to a particular subject court looks to the substance of the matter.

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) had a session on GDKP Measurement.

About GDKP:

• GDKP was propounded by Prof. Umberto Sulpasso of the University of Southern California with Prof. Jeff Cole.
• It is a proposed metric that quantifies the knowledge generated and utilized within an economy.
• GDKP measures a nation's growth and future through four basic pillars:
  • Knowledge items (Ki) - Identification of both modern and local distinct culture knowledge items.
  • Country's Knowledge Producing Matrix (CKPM) - Comparison of knowledge produced by government, private institutions, and households.
  • Country's Knowledge User Matrix (CKUM) – Value of knowledge bought by individuals and private companies.
  • Cost of Learning – similar to cost of living to be used as a political reference for government budgeting decisions.

IIT-Madras and ISRO jointly developed and successfully booted aerospace quality SHAKTI-based Semiconductor Chip – IRIS (Indigenous RISCV Controller for Space Applications).

• SHAKTI class of systems are based on RISC-V (Reduced Instruction Set Computer Five), an open-source Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), for designing custom processors. 
• ‘SHAKTI’ is backed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under its Digital India RISC-V initiative (DIRV).
  • It aims to promote indigenous development of microprocessor-based products that offer best-in-class security and visibility for users adopting RISC-V technology.

Union minister recently highlighted the importance of Pradhan Mantri Dakshata Aur Kushalata Sampanna Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Yojana.

About PM-DAKSH Scheme:

• Type: Central Sector Scheme.
• Time: Approved for a period of five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26 by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Objective: Short Term Training, Upskilling / Re-skilling and Entrepreneurship Development Programme conducted by the empanelled training institutes.
• Target Group: To provide skill training to SCs, OBCs, EWSs, DNTs, Safai Karamcharis including waste pickers etc.
• Age Criterion: 18-45 years
• Income Criteria: 
  • No Income limit: For SCs, Safai Karamcharis Including waste picker and DNT:, 
  • For OBCs and EWSs: Annual income family below Rs.3 lakh.

Supreme Court stated that there is no fundamental right to claim reservation, as Articles 16(4) and 16(4-A) of the Constitution are in the nature of enabling provisions only. 

• While Article 16(4) empowers the State to make any provision for reservation of appointments in favour of any backward class, Article 16 (4-A) provides for provision for reservation in promotion.
  • These articles do not mandate the State or its instrumentalities to provide reservation in every selection process.
  • However, the State’s decision to not provide reservation has to be based on some quantifiable data and valid reasoning.

Engineers in Japan have switched on the the world's first hybrid quantum supercomputer, called Reimei.

• 20-qubit quantum computer Reimei has been integrated into Fugaku, the world's sixth-fastest supercomputer. 
• Unlike most quantum computers that use superconducting qubits, Reimei uses trapped-ion qubits.
  • It involves isolating charged atoms, or ions, in an electromagnetic field known as an ion trap and using lasers to precisely control their quantum state.
  • This enables scientists to manipulate the ions and use them as qubits that store and process quantum information. 

Increasing salinity levels is posing a serious threat to ‘puncha’ paddy cultivation in Kuttanad, Kerala.

About Kuttanad Wetland Agriculture System:

• It is a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS).
• Paddy is cultivated below sea-level in land created by draining delta swamps in brackish waters.
• It is divided in three structures: 
  • Wetlands used for paddy activities and fish catching, 
  • Garden lands used for food crops plantation 
  • And water areas used as inland fishing and shells.. 

About GIAHS:

• These are living heritage systems inhabited by communities that maintain an intricate relationship with their territory. 
• Designated by: Food and Agriculture Organization 
• In India: There are 3 GIAHS i.e. Saffron Heritage of Kashmir, Koraput Traditional Agriculture (Odisha), Kuttanad Wetland Agriculture System.