Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 23 September 2024 | Download PDF

• Celebrated on September 22 to raise awareness about rhinoceros conservation.

Key points:

• • Species all over the World
• White Rhino
• Black Rhino
• Greater One-Horned
• Javan
• Sumatran Rhino

• With all five species combined, there are just under 28,000 rhinos left in the world.
• India and Nepal have estimated over 4,014 rhinos, with major populations residing in Kaziranga National Park. 
• The greatest threats to rhinos are poaching, habitat loss, and for some species, isolated small populations unable to reproduce.

• In September 2024, the MHA expanded this initiative to 21 major airports across India, including key airports in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, and Ahmedabad. 

About:

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched the Fast-Track Immigration-Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) to enhance the immigration process for Indian nationals and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders. 
• Initially implemented at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in June 2024, the programme aims to provide faster, more efficient, and secure immigration clearances by allowing eligible travelers to use e-gates. 
• This allows them to bypass regular immigration queues, providing a smoother travel experience.
• This programme is one of the key initiatives introduced during the first 100 days of the Modi 3.0 government, reflecting its focus on technological advancements and infrastructure development in the aviation sector.

• The third indigenous 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) at Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP), Rawatbhata, achieved criticality on September 19, 2024.

Key points:

• Criticality is a significant phase indicating the start of a controlled fission chain reaction, marking the end of construction and the start of operational tests.

Nuclear Reactor:

• A nuclear reactor is a critical component of a nuclear power plant, where controlled nuclear fission reactions occur to produce energy. 
• Nuclear reactors operate on the principle of nuclear fission, where heavy atomic nuclei (commonly uranium-235 or plutonium-239) split into smaller fragments upon absorbing a neutron. 

Nuclear Fission:

• Nuclear fission is the process by which a heavy atomic nucleus, such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239, splits into two smaller nuclei along with the release of a significant amount of energy.
• This process is fundamental to both nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons.

• “EXERCISE AIKYA” is a significant disaster management exercise organized by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with the Southern Command of the Indian Army and the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority (TNSDMA).

About:

• “AIKYA” means “Oneness” in Tamil, reflecting the exercise’s goal to unify India’s disaster management efforts.

Focus Areas:

• Simulated emergency situations to assess roles and responsibilities.
• Discussed recent disaster trends and lessons learned from recent operations.
• Addressed disasters such as tsunamis, landslides, floods, cyclones, industrial incidents, and forest fires.

• NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission is scheduled for launch on October 10, 2024.

About:

• The mission aims to explore Jupiter’s icy moon Europa for potential signs of habitability.
• Europa is considered one of the most promising locations to find conditions for life beyond Earth.

Key Focus:

• The spacecraft will investigate whether Europa’s icy surface hides a subsurface ocean, which may harbour life-supporting conditions.
• The mission will use scientific instruments to estimate the thickness of Europa’s ice shell and study its surface for geological activity.

Launch Details:

• Launch vehicle: SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
• Distance to cover: 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km).
• The spacecraft will arrive at Jupiter by April 2030.

Challenges:

• Intense radiation around Jupiter is a major challenge.
• The spacecraft will face radiation levels equivalent to millions of chest X-rays during each flyby.
• The mission will follow a trajectory designed to minimize radiation exposure.

Duration and Scientific Goals:

• The mission will last 4 years and conduct 49 flybys of Europa.
• It will search for organic compounds and study the moon’s environment but will not directly search for life.

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is set to resume inspection and survey of the Ratna Bhandar, a treasure trove within the Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha. 
• This move comes after a hiatus caused by legal challenges and concerns about the temple’s sanctity.

About:

• The Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, is a renowned Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath, a form of Lord Vishnu. 
• It’s one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Vaishnavas and is part of the Char Dham pilgrimage.   

Key features:

• The temple houses the deities of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balaram, and their sister Subhadra.
• The most famous event associated with the temple is the annual Ratha Yatra, a chariot festival where the deities are pulled through the streets in intricately decorated chariots.
• Unlike most Hindu temples, the deities here are made of wood and are ceremoniously replaced every 12 or 19 years in a ritual called “Nabakalebara.

• Tata Steel has successfully commissioned India’s largest blast furnace at Kalinganagar in Jajpur district, Odisha.
• This new facility, part of the Phase II expansion, will take the total capacity from 3 MTPA to 8 MTPA.
• Odisha has now emerged as the largest investment destination for Tata Steel in the country with a total investment of over Rs 1 lakh crore in the last 10 years.

About:

• A blast furnace is a massive, vertical shaft furnace used to extract iron from iron ore. 
• It’s a crucial component in the steelmaking process.   

How it works:

• Raw materials: Iron ore, coke (a type of coal), and limestone are loaded into the top of the furnace.   
• Hot blast: Preheated air is blown into the bottom of the furnace, creating a high temperature environment.   
• Chemical reactions: As the materials descend, chemical reactions occur. 
• The coke reacts with oxygen in the air to produce carbon monoxide. 
• The carbon monoxide then reacts with the iron oxide in the ore to produce iron metal.   
• Slag formation: The limestone acts as a flux, combining with impurities in the ore to form slag, a molten material that can be easily removed.   
• Molten iron: The iron metal melts and collects at the bottom of the furnace, where it is tapped off.

Key products:

• Pig iron: The primary product of a blast furnace, which is then further processed to make steel.   
• Slag: A byproduct that can be used in various industries, such as construction and cement production.

• Prominent Buddhist historian Prabir Kumar Patnaik was honored with the ‘Nabagunj Samman’ in  Bhubaneswar.
• He was presented with a certificate, Uttariya and prize money of Rs 25,000. 
• Also, Odia Asmita warrior Anita Sabat and  two other people were also facilitated.
• Anita Sabat was presented with the ‘Young Talent’ Award.

Award:

• Nabagunj Samman is a prestigious award bestowed upon individuals who have made significant contributions to the culture, history, and identity of Odisha. 
• This award is conferred by the cultural forum ‘Nabagunja,’ a renowned organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Odia heritage.

• Odisha swimmer Pratyasa Ray, has been selected for the prestigious 32nd Ekalabya Puraskar for 2024. 
• The award is instituted by IMPaCT and managed by IMFA.
• This prestigious honor comes with a cash prize of Rs. 7 lakh and a citation.

About:

• The Ekalabya Puraskar is a prestigious sports award in India, specifically for young athletes from the state of Odisha. 
• It was instituted by the Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT) in 1993.
• This award recognizes and motivates exceptional talent in various sports disciplines. 
• The award is named after Ekalavya, a character from the Mahabharata who, despite facing discrimination, achieved remarkable skills in archery through self-learning.

• The City University of New York(CUNY) will set up a research institute in the name of KIIT and KISS founder Achyuta Samanta.
• It will provide US students with the opportunity to research Odisha’s rich art and heritage, as well as explore Samanta’s contributions to the socio-economic development of indigenous communities and his success in the field of education.

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