News in Shorts: 31 July 2024

National Culture Fund

• The Union Minister of Culture  reported to the Lok Sabha that the National Culture Fund (NCF) received ₹3.70 crore from non-government sources in the past five years.

 National Culture Fund (NCF) 

• About: The National Culture Fund was established by the Government of India as a Trust under the Charitable Endowment Act of 1890 and officially set up via a Gazette Notification in 1996.
• Function: To offer a new funding mechanism for arts and culture in India, separate from traditional sources. 
  • This enables institutions and individuals to directly support arts and culture projects in collaboration with the government.
• Aim: To gather extra resources through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to promote, protect, and preserve India’s cultural heritage, including both tangible (physical artifacts) and intangible (cultural practices and traditions) aspects.
• Tax Benefit: Donations to the National Culture Fund are eligible for tax benefits under the Income Tax Act.
• Management: The NCF is overseen by a Council and an Executive Committee that implement its policies.
• Administration: The Council, chaired by the Union Minister of Culture, comprises up to 24 members, including the Chairperson and Member Secretary.
  • It includes representatives from the corporate sector, public sector, private foundations, and non-profit organizations to ensure diverse input in decision-making.
  • The Executive Committee, led by the Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, manages the administration of the NCF.

Bohai Gulf

• UNESCO has recently included China’s Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf (Phase II) in its World Heritage List.

Bohai Gulf:

• Location: The Bohai Gulf, also known as the Bohai Sea or Bo Hai, is the innermost part of the Yellow Sea, located on the northeastern coast of China.
  • Historically, it was referred to as the Gulf of Chili or the Gulf of Pechili.
• Coverage: It spans approximately 78,000 square kilometers and is one of the busiest seaways in the world due to its proximity to Beijing.
• Border: The gulf is bordered to the northeast by the Liaodong Peninsula and to the south by the Shandong Peninsula.
• Cities: Key cities around the Bohai Gulf include Dalian and Tianjin. Its shores feature Liaodong Bay, Bohai Bay, and Laizhou Bay.
• River: The Yellow River, China’s second-longest river, empties into the gulf.
• Resources: The area is rich in petroleum deposits and features oil refineries and various industries.

Pangong Lake

• China has completed the construction of a 400-metre bridge, connecting the northern and southern banks of the Pangong Tso. 

Pangong Tso:

• Location: Pangong Tso is a landlocked lake situated partly in India’s Ladakh region and partly in Tibet. It spans over 600 square kilometers.
• Cultural Feature: The lake’s name reflects its diverse heritage: “Pangong” in Ladakhi means extensive concavity, while “Tso” is the Tibetan word for lake.
• Geological Origin: The lake is formed from the Tethys geosyncline.
• Geographical Features: The Karakoram Mountain range, which extends across Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and India, with peaks over 6,000 meters including K2, the world’s second-highest peak, terminates at the lake’s northern bank.
  • The southern bank is also flanked by rugged mountains that slope towards Spangur Lake. 
  • The lake’s water, although crystal clear, is brackish and undrinkable.
  • It freezes in winter, enabling some vehicular movement on its surface.
• Control of Pangong Tso: China controls nearly two-thirds of Pangong Tso, while about 45 kilometers of the lake are under Indian control. 
• • The Line of Actual Control (LAC) runs north-south, cutting through the western part of the lake, which is aligned east-west. 
  • The borders between India and China are disputed, and the perception of the LAC varies in different sectors, including Pangong Tso.

Bagless Days

• The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has launched a new initiative for students in Classes 6 to 8.

Bagless Days

• About: Bagless days are designated days when students are not required to bring their usual school bags.
• Purpose: These days are designed to provide students with a break from their regular classes and textbooks.
• Learning from Experts: Students will engage in activities conducted by local vocational experts, such as carpenters, gardeners, potters, and artists.
  • Teachers will coordinate these activities to help students acquire new skills and gain insights into various professions.
• Significance: They offer students an opportunity to experience and explore the world beyond the classroom.
  • Students will participate in hands-on activities, demonstrating how theoretical knowledge is applied in real life.
  • These days enable students to understand their community and how various jobs contribute to it.
• Curriculum Themes: The activities during bagless days are organized into three primary themes:
  • Science, Environment, and Technology – Exploring various aspects of these fields.
  • Local Businesses and Public Offices – Gaining insight into their operations.
  • Local Culture, Art, and Historical Practices – Learning about regional traditions and historical practices.

Machine Unlearning (MUL)

• Policymakers face challenges with the growing complexity of Machine Learning models, including LLMs and deep neural networks.

Machine Unlearning (MUL):

• About: Machine Unlearning (MUL) is a technique for AI systems to selectively forget specific types of data, such as false, discriminatory, outdated, or sensitive information.
• Origin: The concept was introduced by Cao and Yang in their work, “Towards Making Systems Forget with Machine Unlearning.”
• Purpose: MUL seeks to manage the complexities and risks associated with AI handling large volumes of data, which can result in privacy breaches, misinformation, and AI bias.
• Application Example: IBM is actively testing MUL models to enhance accuracy, clarity, and cost-efficiency in removing unnecessary or harmful data from AI systems.

Significance:

• Complexity Management: MUL aids in managing the complexity of AI systems that handle large volumes of data, which can challenge data integrity.
• Privacy and Bias Issues: It tackles issues of AI bias, misinformation, and privacy breaches, especially critical during sensitive periods such as elections.
• Cost and Efficiency: MUL can be a more cost-effective and efficient solution compared to deleting entire datasets and retraining AI models, which is expensive and can decrease accuracy, as shown by IBM’s tests on MUL models.

One DAE One Subscription

• The Department of Atomic Energy has recently launched the ‘One DAE One Subscription’ (ODOS) initiative.

One DAE One Subscription:

• Purpose: ODOS aims to provide the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and its approximately 60 units with access to national and international research papers and scientific journals through a single subscription.
• Features of ODOS: ODOS will enable DAE and its units to access and publish research papers and journals from multiple sources. 
  • The initiative seeks to facilitate digital sharing of resources and promote collaborative work across all units.
• Benefits of ODOS: Access to 1,353 Wiley journals (up from 166), with perpetual rights for 2024 and coverage of Article Processing Charges (APC).
  • Access to 2,686 Springer Nature titles, including 553 open-access journals, perpetual rights for 2024, archives from 1997 (Springer) and 2012 (Nature), and publication of 281 open-access articles in Springer Hybrid journals without APC.
• Impact of ODOS: ODOS will expand access to a broad array of scientific publications and support research efforts.  
  • The initiative is anticipated to promote scientific research, drive innovation, and improve the quality of academic publications.

Different armed groups of Myanmar

• Recently Myanmar’s junta and an ethnic group both asserted control over Lashio’s military command following clashes that began on July 3.

Different armed groups of Myanmar: 

• Armed Groups: The Brotherhood Alliance, which includes the Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), has made notable territorial advances. 
  • Strategic locations in Shan State and border trade routes with China have been seized by groups such as the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
• Regional Dominance: The Arakan Army has gained control over large areas in Rakhine State, influencing local governance and resource management.
• Peace in Rakhine: Achieving peace in Rakhine is vital for infrastructure projects and addressing the Rohingya crisis.
• Southern Advances: Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) like the Karen National Union (KNU) have captured key towns along the Thailand border, impacting military supply lines.