News in Shorts: 01 March 2025

Aadhaar Good Governance Portal

Context: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the Aadhaar Good Governance Portal to simplify the approval process for Aadhaar authentication requests. 

About Aadhaar Good Governance Portal

• Purpose and Implementation of the Portal
  • The online platform (http://swik.meity.gov.in) was launched following the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Amendment Rules, 2025.
  • The amendment, made under the Aadhaar Act, 2016, aims to increase transparency and inclusivity in decision-making.
    • The amendment allows both government and private entities to use Aadhaar authentication for various public interest services.
      • It will support areas like:
        • Innovation and knowledge-sharing
        • Improving ease of living
        • Enhancing access to essential services
• Benefits of Aadhaar Good Governance Portal
  • Enhancing Ease of Living and Governance
    • The portal will streamline Aadhaar authentication approvals, making services more accessible and efficient.
    • It will enable faster onboarding for various Aadhaar-based services.
    • Expanding Aadhaar authentication will ensure hassle-free service access for residents.
  • Aadhaar’s Role in Digital Growth
    • The portal simplifies the submission and approval process for Aadhaar authentication requests.

Ocelot

Context: Amazon Web Services (AWS) has introduced Ocelot. 

About Ocelot

• It is a new quantum computing chip.
  • Ocelot is a prototype chip with limited computing power
• Designed to speed up the development of a commercially useful quantum computer by up to five years.
• The Ocelot chip is built using standard semiconductor techniques and a material called tantalum.
• Naming: cat” qubits is named after a famous physics thought experiment (inspired by Schrödinger’s Cat thought experiment) where a cat is both alive and dead simultaneously.
• Why it matters:
  • Traditional quantum computers need 1 million physical qubits (basic units of quantum data) to create enough reliable “logical qubits” (error-corrected qubits) for useful tasks.
  • AWS claims Ocelot’s design could cut this requirement to 100,000 physical qubits, speeding up development.

What is a quantum chip?

• It is a type of computer chip.
• Objective: Designed to perform quantum computations.
• Unique feature:
  • It uses quantum bits, or qubits to process information unlike classical computer chips. 

Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)

Context: PKK declares ceasefire with Turkey after 40 years of armed struggle.

• Abdullah Ocalan, the group’s founder, has called on Kurdish fighters to lay down their arms.

About Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)

• Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is a militant organization advocating Kurdish rights.
• Formation: Established in the early 1980s 
• Objective: Initially sought independence for the Kurdish population in Turkey.
• Ethnic Background: The Kurds make up approximately 15% or more of Turkey’s population.
• Armed Struggle:
  • Began operations from the mountains of eastern and southern Turkey.
  • Attacked Turkish military bases and police stations, leading to severe government crackdowns.
• Leader: Abdullah Ocalan was captured in 1999 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Conflict with the Turkish Government

• Government Response: Harsh military crackdowns and counterinsurgency operations.
• Urban Attacks: PKK later expanded attacks to Turkish cities, carrying out bombings that resulted in civilian casualties.
• International Designation: Recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU.
• Peace Efforts: Past ceasefire attempts and negotiations have failed to produce lasting peace.

About Khurds

• The Kurds are an ethnic group of roughly 40 million people concentrated in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
• They speak multiple dialects of Kurdish, a language not directly related to Turkish or Arabic. 
• Most are Sunni Muslims.
• The Kurds were promised a nation of their own by world powers after World War I, but that was never granted.

Make the World Wear Khadi Campaign

Context: The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting have launched  the Make the World Wear Khadi campaign.

About the Make the World Wear Khadi campaign

• The campaign aims to blend India’s rich textile heritage with global fashion trends.
• This initiative seeks to position Khadi as a desirable global brand through innovative advertising.
• It is a part of the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES).

What is Khadi? 

• Khadi refers to a hand-spun and handwoven fabric made primarily from cotton, though silk and wool variants also exist.
• It is crafted using a traditional spinning wheel called the charkha.
• It was popularized by Mahatma Gandhi during India’s freedom struggle as a symbol of self-reliance (Swadeshi movement) and resistance against British textile imports.
• The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) promotes khadi production and sales.

About WAVES 2025

• Event Details: WAVES 2025 will take place from May 1-4, 2025, at the Jio World Convention Centre and Jio World Gardens in Mumbai.
• It will serve as a major platform for the Media & Entertainment (M&E) sector.
• Key Focus Areas: The summit follows a hub-and-spoke model, connecting Indian talent with global industry leaders across four key pillars:
  1. Broadcasting & Infotainment
  2. AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality)
  3. Digital Media & Innovation
  4. Films

Olive Ridley Turtles

Context: A mass nesting event of Olive ridley turtles has been observed with nearly 7 lakhs turtles laying eggs at the Rushikulya ‘rookery’ or nesting ground in Odisha’s Ganjam district.

About Olive Ridley Turtles

• Scientific Name: Lepidochelys olivacea
• Named: They are named after the olive green colour of their heart-shaped shell
• Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles in the world.
• Habitat: They inhabit Tropical warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans.
• Nesting: They lay their eggs in conical nests which they dig with their hind flippers and are one and a half feet deep. 
• Protection Status: 
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule 1
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix I
• Threats: 
  • Declining Population due to long-term collection of eggs and mass killing of adult females on nesting beaches
    • A 50% reduction in population of olive ridleys have been observed since the 1960s as per the Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) of the IUCN.  
  • Unintended capture in fishing gear which can lead to drowning or cause injuries that result in death.
  • Coastal development projects destroy nesting beaches and reduce foraging grounds for olive ridley turtles.
  • Climate change: A warming ocean is said to disrupt the sex ratios of hatchlings, producing more females.

About Arribada

• Arribada nesting is a unique mass nesting behaviour whereby  thousands and lakhs of female turtles come together on the same beach to lay eggs in mass numbers and synchrony.
• Unique: The behaviour is observed only in the genus Lepidochelys which includes the Kemp’s ridley and olive ridley sea turtles. 
• Sites: Arribada nesting occurs on only a few beaches.
  • Examples: The coast of Odisha (where Rushikulya and Gahirmatha rookeries are situated) is the largest mass nesting site for the Olive ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.