1) Hanle Dark Sky Reserve: The Department of Science & Technology (DST) has announced the setting up of India’s first dark sky reserve at Hanle village in Ladakh, as a part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. The dark sky reserve will also be known as the ‘Night Sky Sanctuary’.
- It will be one of the world’s highest-located sites for optical, gamma ray and infrared telescopes.
- Designation – The International Dark Sky Association (U.S.-based non-profit) designates places as International Dark Sky Places, parks, sanctuaries and reserves, depending on the criteria they meet.
- Hanle is regarded as one of the world’s most optimal sites for astronomical observations.
- The cloudless skies and low atmospheric water vapour make it one of the world’s best sites for optical, infrared, sub-millimetre, and millimetre wavelengths.
2) Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator: ISRO has successfully tested the Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator technology on a Rohini-300 (RH300 Mk II) sounding rocket from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station.
- IAD is a technique used for an atmospheric entry payload. An inflatable envelope and an inflatant (anything that inflates the envelope, like air or helium) make up the IAD.
- The IAD serves to decelerate an object plunging down through the atmosphere. It systematically reduced the velocity of the payload through aerodynamic drag.
- The IAD technology could aid cost-effective recovery of spent rocket stages and safely land payloads on other planets.
3) Kurki: Kurki means attachment of a farmer’s land, already pledged to the money lending institution or individual, in case of a loan default.
- Kurki orders are executed under Section 60 of Civil Procedure Code, 1908.
- The land which is pledged by the farmer to the bank or money lender gets registered in their name.
4) Nano Urea: Nano urea is a patented and indigenously made liquid (developed and patented by IFFCO) that contains nanoparticles of urea, the most crucial chemical fertiliser for farmers in India.
- A single half-litre bottle of the liquid can compensate for a 45kg sack of urea that farmers traditionally rely on.
- Normally, three seasons of independent assessment by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is required for approving a new fertiliser, but in the case of nano urea, this was reduced to two.
5) Cyber Surakshit Bharat Initiative: aims to ensure awareness about cybercrime and adequate safety measures for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and frontline IT staff across all government departments.
- The purpose of the Cyber Surakshit Bharat is to spread awareness, build capacity as well as enable government departments on steps that need to be taken to create a resilient IT set up.
- Cyber Surakshit Bharat is first public-private partnership of its kind.
- It will leverage the expertise of the IT industry in cybersecurity.
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