What is the News ?

Recently, a dictionary called Toto Shabda Sangraha has been created with the aim of preserving a language from becoming extinct.

Facts About:

• It belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family and is the native language of the Toto tribal community. Toto is typically written using the Bengali script.
• Remarkably, a script for Toto was developed by a prominent community member named Dhaniram Toto as recently as 2015.
• Toto is spoken by a relatively small population of around 1,600 individuals residing in parts of West Bengal that border Bhutan.

Key Highlights of the Toto Shabda Sangraha:

• This dictionary has been meticulously compiled by Bhakta Toto, who serves as both a bank employee and a poet. It has been jointly published by a trust and Bhasha Samsad.
• The dictionary serves as a significant step towards preserving the Toto language, which has primarily been an oral tradition, by documenting its vocabulary in written form.
• To facilitate wider understanding, Toto words will be translated into Bengali and English and presented using the Bengali script, as the Toto script is still in its early stages of development, and community members are more familiar with the Bengali script.

What is the News ?

The Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology is preparing to initiate the restoration of the ancient Naganathaswamy Temple, which has stood for a millennium in Manambadi, located within the Thanjavur district.

Facts About:

• This temple was commissioned by Rajendra Chola I, reigning from 1012 to 1044 CE.
• In historical inscriptions, it is also known as the Kailasamudaiyar Temple.
• Key Features:
• Renowned for its intricate stone carvings and significant inscriptions.
• Comprises a single-tiered vimana (sanctum) and a mukha mandapa (front hall).
• The walls of both structures are divided into three sections.
• Within the central bays of the vimana, niches are dedicated to Dakshinamurthi in the south, Lingodhbava in the west, and Brahma in the north.
• The mukha mandapa features three niches each on the south and north sides.
• Notable sculptures in the southern niches include Bikshatana, Adavallan, and Ganapathi, while the northern niches feature Gangadarara, Durga, and Ammaiappar.
• All these niches exhibit finely crafted and distinctive makara thoranas (decorative arches) with central relief sculptures.
• Inscriptions: The temple boasts important inscriptions dating back to the reigns of Rajendra Chola I and Kulothunga I (1070-1120 CE).
• A total of nine informative inscriptions have been documented within the temple premises.
• The earliest of these inscriptions dates to the fourth year of Rajendra Chola I's rule and pertains to a tax-free land grant by the nagaratthar of Ilaichikkudi for establishing a flower garden in honor of the king for the temple's benefit.

What is the News ?

Recently, the Union Minister for Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship unveiled a program called 'CRIIIO 4 GOOD'.

Facts About:

• This is a novel online module designed to impart essential life skills.
• Comprising a series of eight cricket-themed animated films, its primary objectives are to promote gender equality, empower girls with valuable life skills, and foster their active engagement in sports.
• Leveraging the immense popularity and enthusiasm for cricket among young audiences, the ICC (International Cricket Council) and UNICEF collaborated to introduce these modules, aiming to inspire children and youth to embrace crucial life skills and appreciate the significance of gender parity.
• The program is available in three languages: English, Hindi, and Gujarati.
• The eight modules revolve around key themes such as leadership, problem-solving, self-assurance, decision-making, negotiation, empathy, teamwork, and goal-setting, all depicted through cutting-edge animations using cricket-related examples.
• This initiative was launched in partnership with the International Cricket Council, UNICEF, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

What is the News ?

The Prime Minister will launch a special week-long program called 'Sankalp Saptaah' at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

Facts About:

• This initiative is closely tied to the successful execution of the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP).
• In order to implement the ABP effectively and devise a robust strategy for block development, 'chintan shivirs' or brainstorming sessions were conducted at the village and block levels across the nation. The Sankalp Saptah marks the culmination of these brainstorming sessions.
• Sankalp Saptah will be observed in all 500 aspirational blocks.
• Each day during Sankalp Saptah will be dedicated to a specific development theme that all aspirational blocks will focus on.
• The themes for the initial six days include 'Comprehensive Health', 'Nourished Families', 'Cleanliness', 'Agriculture', 'Education', and 'Prosperity Day'.
• The final day of the week will be a celebration of the collective efforts undertaken throughout the week, known as 'Sankalp Saptah – Inclusive Conclave.'
• The inaugural event will see the participation of approximately 3,000 representatives from panchayats and block-level officials from across the country at Bharat Mandapam.

What is the News ?

Recently, NASA declared the conclusion of the CALIPSO mission, which conducted assessments of climate, weather, and air quality.

Facts About:

• CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol LIDAR and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations), is a dedicated mission aimed at understanding the influence of clouds and aerosols on Earth's climate.
• A collaborative endeavor between NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales), the French space agency, CALIPSO took to the skies in 2006 as a satellite-based observatory.
• Scientists have harnessed CALIPSO's data to construct three-dimensional atmospheric models, enhancing our capacity to forecast future climate changes.
• CALIPSO has been an integral part of the "A-Train" constellation of spacecraft, which includes Aqua, Aura, and PARASOL, all dedicated to the study of Earth's weather and environment.

Key Instrumentation:

• The mission is equipped with CALIOP, a lidar system that operates at two wavelengths and is sensitive to polarization.

                  Additionally, it carries two passive sensors functioning in the visible and thermal infrared spectral ranges.

• CALIOP emits laser pulses and measures the light scattered back by clouds and aerosols, enabling the creation of vertical profiles detailing properties such as height, thickness, and optical depth.
• Notably, CALIOP is the first lidar to provide continuous atmospheric measurements from Earth's orbit.
• This invaluable data aids scientists in generating comprehensive three-dimensional profiles of cloud and aerosol distributions.
• Throughout its 17 years of operation, the mission amassed over 10 billion LIDAR measurements and contributed to the creation of numerous scientific reports.