Archaeologists Unearth Prehistoric Tools In National Capital Region (NCR)

Context: Archaeologists have found around 200 prehistoric tools and artefacts from the Lower Palaeolithic Age (200,000 to 500,000 years ago) in Mangar Bani.

About the Findings

• Discovery: The tools discovered include handaxes and cleavers, typical of the Acheulean culture (advanced stone tool culture), indicating the presence of early hunter-gatherer populations.
• Method to date the artefacts: Thermoluminescence dating.
  • Thermoluminescence dating measures the accumulated radiation dose of the time elapsed since the material containing crystalline minerals was heated or exposed to sunlight.

About Mangar Bani

• Location: Mangar Bani is a sacred grove hill forest on the Delhi-Haryana border, within the Aravalli range.
  • It is the only known primary forest in the NCR.
• Geological Significance: Mangar is part of the Pleistocene epoch.
  • The Pleistocene epoch was marked by ice ages, megafauna, and the evolution of early humans.
• Vulnerability: It is not officially classified as forest under Haryana records.
  • The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 exempts “unrecorded deemed forests,” leaving Mangar Bani vulnerable to real estate interests.

Moran Community

Context: Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) praised the courage, discipline, and cultural richness of the Moran community at the 57th Foundation Day celebrations of the All Moran Students’ Union at Doomdooma. 

About Moran Community

• The Moran community is a lesser-known ethnic group of Assam.
• They belong to the Tibeto-Burman group and are part of the Kachari family.
• The Morans were also called Habungiya or Hasa, where “Ha” means soil and “Sa” means son, signifying “Son of the Soil” in their language.
• They mainly live in Tinsukia district of Assam.
• The Moran community celebrates two major traditional festivals – Gos Tolor Bihu (A traditional festival that celebrates nature and community bonding) and Kheri (Represents unity, tradition, and strength within the Moran community)
• Smaller populations are found in Lohit and Tirap districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Earlier, they had an independent kingdom at Bengmara, now known as Tinsukia.
• Religious Beliefs
  • Morans follow Vaishnavism, specifically the Moamoria sect.
  • They were introduced to Neo-Vaishnavism by Sri Aniruddha Deva (1553–1624), a disciple of Sri Sankara Deva.

Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT)

Context: The Central Government has announced the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) in Mumbai.

About Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT)

• It will be similar in status and structure to IITs and IIMs.
• The institute is dedicated to the AVGC-XR sector – Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality.
• Features: Virtual production setups, Immersive studios, Gaming and animation labs, Editing and sound suites, and Smart classroom. 
• Objective: It aims to become a National Centre of Excellence for creative technologies.
  • It will follow the academic framework of IITs and IIMs.
• The focus areas will include: Training and education, Entrepreneurship and incubation, Innovation and research, and Policy-making. 
• The permanent campus will be developed over ten acres at Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (Film City), Goregaon, Mumbai, while initial operations will begin at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).
• Funding and Structure
  • Equity Participation:
    • 48% government equity: 34% from the Government of India and 14% from Maharashtra.
    • 52% industry equity: Held by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) each holding 26%.
    • The government has allocated a one-time budget grant of ₹391.15 crore for infrastructure and initial operations.

Partnerships with Global Tech Companies

• NVIDIA, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Star India, Meta, and Adobe will collaborate with IICT.

Civil Defence Drills

Context: Recently, The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed all States to conduct mock drills in 244 districts, down to the village level  following rising tensions with Pakistan after the Pahalgam terrorist attack. 

What is a mock drill?

• It is a  practice exercise for preparing for emergency situations like fires, earthquakes, medical emergencies, etc. 
• It is used by organizations to check the effectiveness of emergency plans and find weak areas in emergency situations. 

Key points of Civil Defence Preparedness: Mock Drills

• The decision States on the western border will also take part.
• Key Activities in the Mock Drills
• • Air-raid warning systems will be tested.
  • Crash blackouts (complete power shutdown at vital places) will be carried out.
  • Camouflaging of important installations by turning off lights near them.
  • Evacuation plans and hotlines with the Indian Air Force will be activated.
  • Cleaning of bunkers and trenches, especially in border areas like Jammu & Kashmir.
  • Activation of control rooms, firefighting units, and warden services.
  • Training of civilians on civil defence responses.

Significance of the Civil Defence Mock Drills

• Boosts India’s Passive Defence : Helps strengthen India’s passive defence system, which was first introduced during the 1962 war with China.
• Prepares Citizens for Emergencies: Spreads awareness among people and teaches them how to stay safe during national emergencies or in case of a foreign attack.
• Improves Local-Level Readiness: Makes sure that even villages and remote areas are ready and can respond quickly in the current situation of cross-border tensions.

Stratospheric Airship Platform

Context: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out maiden flight-trials of Stratospheric Airship Platform from Sheopur Trial site in Madhya Pradesh. 

About the Stratospheric Airship Platform

• The Stratospheric Airship Platform is a high-altitude, lighter-than-air unmanned aerial system.
• Developed by: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) through its Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in Agra.
• Stratospheric operation: Capable of reaching 17 km altitude (above commercial air traffic).
• Applications: 
  • Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)
  • Earth and atmospheric observation
  • Disaster management and monitoring
• Onboard Payload: Equipped with sensors and instruments for data collection and observation.
• Advanced systems: Includes envelope pressure control and emergency deflation systems tested during flight.
• It functions as a High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) that can remain airborne for extended durations.
• It is powered by solar energy with onboard batteries for night-time operation.

HawkEye 360 Technology

Context: The United States has approved a $131 million deal to sell HawkEye 360 technology to India, significantly strengthening India’s maritime surveillance and security capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.

About HawkEye 360 Technology

• HawkEye 360 is a U.S.-developed space-based surveillance system that operates through a constellation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites designed to detect and analyze radio frequency (RF) emissions.
• Key Components
  • Electro-Optical (EO) Sensors: Provide high-resolution imaging during daylight hours.
  • Infrared (IR) Sensors: Detect thermal signatures at night for around-the-clock monitoring.
  • Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR): Captures detailed images regardless of weather or lighting conditions.
  • Signal Correlation Tools: Match unidentified RF signals with ships that have disabled their AIS (Automatic Identification System) to avoid detection.
• Applications:
• • The system tracks ships, aircraft, and vehicles by monitoring RF activity.
    • It identifies “dark ships” involved in activities like illegal fishing, smuggling, and piracy
  • It also supports surveillance over India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and aids in securing maritime trade routes.

Strategic Significance for India

• Enhanced Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA): The system allows India to closely monitor naval movements and illegal activities in the Indian Ocean Region, contributing to better maritime security.
• Support to Naval and Surveillance Operations: It complements India’s existing maritime assets like P-8I patrol aircraft and Sea Guardian drones, offering an integrated approach to maritime monitoring.
• Boost to Strategic Posture: By strengthening the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), it improves India’s ability to detect, analyze, and respond to regional threats effectively.

Bio-AI Hubs

Context: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and BIRAC have issued a Joint Call for Proposals to establish Bio-AI (मूलांकुर) hubs under the BioE3 Policy.

About Bio-AI Hubs

• Bio-AI hubs are specialized research and innovation centers being established under India’s BioE3 Policy to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Biology. 
• Purpose: To integrate AI/ML with biological sciences to solve complex problems in Health, Agriculture, and Environment.
  • To promote high-performance biomanufacturing through data-driven innovation.
• Strategic Importance: Serve as interdisciplinary research platforms combining biology, AI/ML, synthetic biology, and computational sciences.
• Key Research Areas: 
  • Biomolecular Design
  • Synthetic Biology
  • Sustainable Agriculture
  • Genome Diagnostics
  • Ayurveda-based innovations
• Collaboration Model: Involve academia-industry partnerships to drive translational research.
  • Encourage multi-disciplinary teams to propose problem statements and research solutions.
• Support & Implementation: Launched by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and BIRAC.
  • Part of the larger Bio-RIDE scheme and aligned with national biotechnology goals.

BioE3 Policy

• The BioE3 Policy (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment & Employment) was approved in August 2024.
• It promotes High-Performance Biomanufacturing across India.
• Merged Schemes: Two umbrella schemes of DBT have been merged into a single scheme called Bio-RIDE (Biotechnology Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development), with a new component on Biomanufacturing and Biofoundry.

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