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News in Shorts: 06 January 2025

News in Shorts: 06 January 2025

Atomic Clock

Context: The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) unveiled a revolutionary quantum atomic clock developed at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).

About  Quantum Atomic Clock

  • A quantum atomic clock is an advanced clock that uses quantum mechanics to measure time with extreme accuracy.
    • It is much more precise than traditional clocks and has many uses in defense, navigation, and communication.
  • It is the first UK-built optical atomic clock to be tested outside a laboratory.

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How does it work? 

  • Quantum atomic clocks measure time by tracking changes in atoms or ions based on quantum mechanics.
  • Superposition & Entanglement:
    • Superposition allows atoms to exist in multiple states at once for precise measurements.
    • Entanglement links particles’ states, improving accuracy and synchronization.
  • Cooling Atoms: Atoms are cooled to nearly absolute zero to reduce interference.
  • Exciting Atoms: Lasers or microwaves excite atoms, causing them to switch between fixed energy states.
  • Measuring Frequency: The time for atoms to transition between states is used to measure time accurately.
  • Quantum Interference: Compares multiple states simultaneously using superposition for better precision.
  • Significance of the Quantum Atomic Clock
    • The clock is so precise that it loses less than one second over billions of years.
    • This advancement allows for highly accurate time measurement.

About atomic clock 

  • An atomic clock is a clock that measures time by looking at the way atoms move.
    • It watches how atoms change between different energy levels when they interact with certain types of radiation.
  • How it works: Atoms absorb or release energy at specific frequencies when they move between energy levels, and this is what helps the clock keep time accurately.

 

BAANKNET’ e-auction Portal

Context: Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, launched the revamped e-auction portal ‘Baanknet’ in New Delhi.

About Baanknet 

  • It is an e-auction platform.
  • Objective: It is designed to streamline the recovery process for Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and make property auctions more accessible, transparent, and efficient.

Key Features of ‘Baanknet’

  • Centralized Platform:
    • Consolidates e-auction property details from all PSBs in one place.
    • Listings include:
      • Residential properties (flats, independent houses, open plots).
      • Commercial properties, industrial land/buildings, shops.
      • Vehicles, plant and machinery.
      • Agricultural and non-agricultural land.
  • Integrated User Journey:
    • Seamless pre-auction, auction, and post-auction processes on a single platform.
  • Technology-Driven Architecture:
    • Microservices-based system with open APIs for third-party integration.
  • Analytics and Reporting:
    • Dashboard with ‘Spend Analytics’ and instant MIS report generation.
  • Customer Support:
    • Dedicated helpdesk and call center with callback request features.

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Benefits of the Platform

  • Boosts Recovery for PSBs: Enhances the recovery process, strengthens balance sheets, and increases

Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) 2024’ Report

Context: The Union Minister of Commerce & Industry has released the “Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) 2024” report.

About The LEADS 2024 Report

  • The LEADS 2024 Report is the 6th edition of the report. The LEADS Report was conceived on the lines of Logistics Performance Index (LPI) of the World Bank.
  • Released By: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry. 
  • Objective: The Report gives an insight into improvement of logistics performance at State/UT level.
  • Pillars: The report evaluates logistics performance across four key pillars,
    • Logistics Infrastructure
    • Logistics Services
    • Operating and Regulatory Environment
    • Sustainable Logistics
  • Performance Highlights of LEADS 2024

Groups  Achievers Fast Movers Aspirers
Coastal Group Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh, Goa Kerala, West Bengal
Landlocked Group Haryana, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan Aspirers: Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand
North-Eastern Group Assam, Arunachal Pradesh Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura Manipur
Union Territories Chandigarh, Delhi Fast Movers: Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Puducherry Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Ladakh

Toda Tribe

Context: The Toda Tribes most important festival of the year, known as Modhweth, was celebrated at the Muthanadu Mund, in the Nilgiris to mark the New Year.

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About the Toda Tribe

  • Native: The Toda tribe are a Dravidian ethnic group of people who live in the upper Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, India
    • Approximately 1,600 Todas lives in 69 settlements across the Nilgiri Hills. 
  • Language: The Todas speak the Toda language, an indigenous Dravidian language of southern India originating from the Toda-Kota subgroup of South Dravidian
  • Customs: Some unique feature of Toda customs are,
    • Religion: The Toda tribe’s religion is buffalo centered. They perform rituals for many dairy activities and only men who have become dairyman-priests can milk the sacred buffaloes. 
    • Polyandry: The Toda tribe practiced fraternal polyandry, where a woman would marry all the brothers in a family.
    • Funeral rituals: The Toda tribe has a dry funeral ceremony that takes place nine months after cremation
    • Embroidery: The Toda tribe’s embroidery features a symbolic color scheme of Black (representing underworld), Red for earth, and White for the celestial and is called “pukhoor”
      • It is reversible and the embroidery on the left of the black stripe is called the karnol, and the embroidery on the right is called the karthal
    • Flower symbolism: The Toda tribe uses flowers to indicate the season and stage of the year.
      • Example: The white maw(r)sh flower flowers in the shola forests when the southwesterly monsoon is ending.
    • Architecture: The Todas are known for their barrel-vaulted temples and houses.

Toda Tribe

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