News in Shorts: 19 July 2024

Project ASMITA

• The Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission recently launched the ASMITA Project to enhance the availability of educational resources in Indian languages.

Project ASMITA:

• About: ASMITA (Augmenting Study Materials in Indian Languages through Translation and Academic Writing) aims to produce 22,000 books in Indian languages over the next five years.
• Collaboration: It is a joint initiative by the UGC and the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, a high-level committee within the Ministry of Education.
• Objective: To more deeply integrate Indian languages into the education system, enriching the learning experience and making it more inclusive.
  • This project is part of a broader strategy to improve the accessibility and quality of educational materials in various Indian languages.
• Identification: Thirteen nodal universities have been selected to spearhead the project, supported by member universities from different regions.
• SOP: The UGC has developed a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the book-writing process in each designated language. 
  • The SOP covers the identification of nodal officers and authors, allocation of titles, subjects, and programs, as well as writing, editing, manuscript submission, review and plagiarism checks, finalisation, design, proofreading, and e-publication.

International Centre for Audit of Local Governance (iCAL)

• Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Girish Chandra Murmu inaugurated the International Centre for Audit of Local Governance (iCAL) in Rajkot, Gujarat.

iCAL:

• About: It is the first initiative of its kind in the country, designed to establish a global standard for auditing local governance bodies. 
  • It will serve as a collaborative platform for policymakers and auditors, and act as a centre of excellence for building auditors’ capacity.
• Functions; It strengthens the independence of local government auditors to better assess financial performance and improve service delivery.
  • Function as a knowledge hub and think tank for tackling governance issues at the grassroots level.

Need for iCAL in India:

• Promoting Collaboration: Promote collaboration among 2.5 lakh panchayats and 8,000 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), facilitating knowledge exchange and the promotion of best practices.
• Global Alignment: Aligned with global practices, as 40 countries have their own Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs).
• Fund Utilisation Inefficiencies: Address inefficiencies in fund utilisation, as many municipalities do not use audited financial statements for cash flow management. (RBI)

Current Auditing Mechanism of Local Bodies:

• Primary Auditors: Most states use the Examiner of Local Fund Accounts (ELFA) or Director of Local Fund Accounts (DLFA) to audit the utilisation of funds granted by the state government to local bodies.
• Additional Audits: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) also conducts audits, overseeing the maintenance of accounts and auditing for all three levels of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
• CAG’s Role: The CAG provides control, supervision, and advisory support to ELFA/DLFA.

Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovation

• The Union Minister for Science & Technology recently inaugurated Asia’s first “Pre-clinical Network Facility” under CEPI.

Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovation: 

• About: It was Launched in 2017, it represents an innovative collaboration between public, private, philanthropic, and civil organisations.
• Founding: It was established in Davos, Switzerland, by the governments of Norway and India, along with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the World Economic Forum.
• Mission: Its mission is to speed up the development of vaccines and other biological countermeasures for epidemic and pandemic threats, ensuring they are accessible to everyone in need.
• Support: CEPI has backed the development of over 50 vaccine candidates or platform technologies targeting various high-risk pathogens and potential future threats like Disease X.
  • At the heart of CEPI’s five-year plan for 2022-2026 is the ‘100 Days Mission,’ which aims to shorten the development time for safe, effective, and globally accessible vaccines against new threats to just 100 days.

Cadmium Telluride

• CdTe (Cadmium Telluride) technology shows one of the lowest environmental impacts among solar cell technologies in India, according to a study by IIT Mandi.

Cadmium Telluride:

• Flexibility: CdTe can be deposited on thin sheets, allowing for the creation of flexible photovoltaic (PV) panels.
• Light Absorption: CdTe efficiently absorbs sunlight to release electrons, enabling the use of thin sheets.
• Application: CdTe thin film absorbers possess good electronic property favourable for solar cells action
• Disadvantages:
  • Toxicity: Cadmium is highly toxic.
  • Scarcity: Tellurium, a rare earth metal, is difficult to obtain and is primarily found in underwater ridges.

High-Level Brainstorming Session on Avian Influenza

• Recently, the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying held a high-level brainstorming session on Avian Influenza.

High-Level Brainstorming Session on Avian Influenza

• Objective: Focus on surveillance and vaccination for Avian Influenza using the One Health approach.
• Goals: Enhance surveillance, improve response mechanisms, and advance vaccine development.
• Significance: The session marked a crucial step towards a coordinated and comprehensive strategy for managing Avian Influenza.

Avian Influenza:

• About: Bird flu, or avian flu, is a viral infection primarily affecting and spreading among poultry and some wild birds.
  • Various strains of the bird flu virus have been circulating among at least 100 bird species for a long time, generally without causing significant harm to them.

Project Strawberry

• OpenAI is reportedly developing a new AI model with enhanced reasoning abilities, which could potentially transform the AI landscape.

Project Strawberry:

• About: OpenAI is currently developing a new reasoning technology codenamed “Strawberry,” which is thought to be the new name for Project Q*.
  • Strawberry aims to enhance AI models’ ability to plan, autonomously search the internet, and perform in-depth research.

Applications of Strawberry Models:

• Scientific Breakthroughs: Advanced AI models could conduct experiments, analyse data, and propose new hypotheses, potentially leading to scientific breakthroughs.
• Medical Research: In medical research, AI could aid in drug discovery, genetics studies, and personalised medicine analysis.
• Mathematical and Engineering Challenges: AI could tackle complex mathematical problems, assist with engineering calculations, and engage in theoretical research.
• Creative Fields: AI could contribute to writing, creating art and music, generating videos, and designing video games.