Published on: August 3, 2024
Snippets : 3 AUGUST 2024
Snippets : 3 AUGUST 2024
- The Karnataka High Court has upheld the constitutional validity of the Karnataka Land Revenue (III) Amendment Act, 2011, dismissing petitions from Kodava joint families who claimed that the amendments disrupted their customary and religious practices by requiring partition deeds for land ownership, and instead ruled that the amendments confer full ownership rights over Jamma Bane land without compelling partition or separation from the family.
- ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre has partnered with Axiom Space Inc. for the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, selecting Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair as the prime and backup pilots, respectively, to undertake scientific research and technology demonstration experiments on board the ISS
- The Karnataka government will provide special lunches to government and aided schoolchildren on festivals, national days, and birthdays of teachers and students under the midday meal (PM Poshan) program. The special lunch, called “Tithi Bhojana”, will be served with the help of donors and locals, and will feature fresh, healthy, and nutritious food, including locally sourced vegetables, pulses, and cereals. The goal is to attract children to government schools and promote healthy eating habits. No junk food will be served. This initiative is in collaboration with the Union government and is expected to benefit around 55.6 lakh students across the state
- 8 national high-speed road corridor projects approved by Union Cabinet + Total length: 936 km + Total cost: ₹50,000 crore + Projects include: Ayodhya ring road (68 km, ₹3,935 crore) + Guwahati bypass (121 km, ₹5,729 crore) + Tharad-Ahmedabad corridor (214 km, six-lane) + Agra-Gwalior corridor (88 km, ₹4,613 crore) + Other projects: connecting major cities and industrial regions to ports and national corridors
- The Centre recently allowed state governments to directly buy rice from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) without participating in e-auction under the open market sale scheme (domestic). The Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) allows the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to sell surplus food grains, such as wheat and rice, in the open market to various buyers, including state governments, at predetermined prices, to enhance food security, moderate prices, and control inflation, with state governments now allowed to buy directly without participating in e-auctions.
- The Central Electricity Authority has approved Sharavati 2,000 MW hydro-pumped storage plant in Karnataka, developed by KPCL, with an investment of Rs 8,005 crore. The plant will have eight hydropower units, an underground tunnel, and play a crucial role in ensuring energy security, grid stability, and meeting peak power demands. It works by pumping water uphill during off-peak hours and releasing it to generate power during peak hours.
- The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has launched the Women Entrepreneurship Program in partnership with Britannia Industries Limited, aiming to empower 25 lakh women entrepreneurs across India by providing financial grants, product and service exposure, complimentary self-learning entrepreneurship courses, and incubation support to stimulate economic growth and create a supportive ecosystem for women-led enterprises
- The Union government has issued a draft notification to declare 56,800 sq km of the Western Ghats across six states as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), aiming to achieve consensus among states and protect the region’s biodiversity. The notification proposes restrictions on mining, quarrying, and construction, and invites suggestions and objections within 60 days.
- Astronomers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) discovered a vampire star, WOCS 9005, in the star cluster M67. Vampire stars, also known as blue straggler stars, exhibit traits of younger stars. They rejuvenate by siphoning material from a companion star in a binary system. Data from the UltraViolet Imaging Telescope on AstroSat aided in the discovery. Vampire stars are compact, hot stars that attract material from a larger, cooler donor star. The material forms an accretion disk, increasing the vampire star’s mass and energy output.
