In News:

• Bali Jatra 2024 is being held from November 15 to November 22 in Cuttack, Odisha.
• The festival celebrates Odisha’s ancient maritime history and its cultural and trade links with Southeast Asia.
• The event has gained international attention due to the participation of diplomats and cultural troupes from ASEAN, BIMSTEC, and Pacific Island countries.

Historical and Cultural Significance:

• Bali Jatra ("Voyage to Bali") commemorates the 2,000-year-old maritime trade routes between ancient Kalinga (modern-day Odisha) and Southeast Asia, including regions like Bali, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Burma (Myanmar), and Sri Lanka.
• The festival honors the skills of Kalinga sailors who contributed to the prosperity of the region through trade, including commodities like pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, silk, camphor, gold, and jewelry.
• It highlights Odisha’s maritime legacy and the cultural exchanges between India and Southeast Asia, particularly the cultural influence of Odia merchants on Bali.

Commercial and Economic Aspects:

• Bali Jatra is Asia’s largest open-air trade fair, featuring over 2,500 stalls selling a variety of products including artisanal crafts, household items, and food.
• The event is a major commercial activity with business transactions estimated to exceed ?100 crore over the course of the festival.
• The festival provides an opportunity for both local and national traders to exhibit products at competitive prices.

Cultural Performances and International Participation:

• The festival includes daily cultural performances showcasing Odissi dance, Chhau dance, Bihu, Mahari, Gotipua, Sambalpuri, and Santali folk dances.
• This year, cultural troupes from countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka have participated, enhancing the international profile of the festival.
• Diplomats, including Ambassadors, High Commissioners, and Heads of Mission from 14 countries attended the inaugural ceremony.

Historical Background of Bali Jatra:

• The festival is linked to Kartika Purnima, the full moon night of the month of Kartika, marking the annual migration of traders from Odisha to Southeast Asia.
• Traders used boats called Boitas to travel to distant lands, which is now symbolically represented in the festival.
• The event’s cultural significance extends to the recognition of Odisha’s historic maritime routes, with ports like Tamralipti, Manikpatna, Chelitalo, Palur, and Pithunda playing key roles in global trade from as early as the 4th century BC.

Kalinga's Maritime Influence:

• The Kalinga Empire (present-day Odisha) had significant influence over the Bay of Bengal, referred to as the Kalinga Sea.
• Kalinga’s dominance in maritime trade is reflected in Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa, where the King of Kalinga is called "Lord of the Sea."
• Kalinga's Boitas (ships) were instrumental in connecting India with the Southeast Asian archipelago, including Bali.

Cultural Linkages with Bali:

• Odisha's trade with Bali influenced the culture, religion, and architecture of the region.
• Balinese Hinduism today still reflects Indian influences, with worship of Hindu deities like Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, and Ganesha.
• The MasakapankeTukad festival in Bali, similar to Bali Jatra in Odisha, is a tribute to the maritime ancestors of Bali and commemorates the long-standing cultural ties.

Recognition and Milestones:

• Bali Jatra 2022 achieved a Guinness World Record for creating the largest collection of origami sculptures.
• The festival has evolved from a traditional trade fair to an international cultural event that highlights Odisha’s historical role in global trade and cultural exchanges.

In News:

Chinese rover helps find evidence of ancient Martian shoreline.

Mission Overview:

• Rover: Zhurong, part of China’s Tianwen-1 Mars exploration program.
• Mission Launch: Zhurong landed in 2021 in the Utopia Planitia region of Mars' northern hemisphere.
• Key Discovery: Evidence of an ancient ocean on Mars, suggesting a habitable past for the planet.

Key Findings:

• Geological Features Indicating a Coastline:
  • Data from Zhurong and orbiting spacecraft (Tianwen-1 Orbiter, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) revealed geological features such as troughs, sediment channels, and mud volcano formations, suggesting the existence of a Martian coastline.
  • Features indicate both shallow and deeper marine environments, supporting the idea of a past ocean.
• Age of the Ocean:
  • The ocean likely existed around 3.68 billion years ago, with its surface potentially frozen in a geologically short period.
  • The ocean is thought to have disappeared by 3.42 billion years ago.

Evolutionary Scenario of Mars:

• At the time of the ocean, Mars might have already begun transitioning away from a habitable planet, losing much of its atmosphere and becoming cold and dry.
• The ocean may have formed after Mars' climate began to change, suggesting that it was once more hospitable, possibly capable of supporting microbial life.

Implications for Life on Mars:

• The presence of water, a key ingredient for life, raises the possibility that Mars could have supported microbial life in its early history.
• When Mars had a thick, warm atmosphere, conditions might have been favorable for life, as microbial life would have been more likely to exist.

Significance of Zhurong's Contribution:

• Zhurong exceeded its original mission duration of three months, operating until May 2022, helping provide key data to understand Mars' ancient water history.
• The discovery adds to ongoing efforts to study the disappearance of water on Mars and its implications for the planet's habitability.

Future Exploration:

• Other studies, including seismic data from NASA’s InSight lander, suggest that liquid water might still exist deep beneath the Martian surface, hinting at the possibility of finding water in the planet's subsurface in the future.

In News:

Israeli researchers from the Israel Institute of Technology have developed the PyPIM platform, which allows computers to process data directly in memory, eliminating the need for a central processing unit (CPU). This breakthrough aims to address key challenges in modern computing, particularly in terms of energy consumption and processing efficiency.

Key Features of the PyPIM Platform:

• Integration with Python and PIM Technology:
  • The PyPIM platform merges Python programming with digital processing-in-memory (PIM) technology, facilitating in-memory computing where computations occur directly within memory instead of transferring data to and from the CPU.
• Functionality and Innovations:
  • Direct In-Memory Computations: PyPIM uses specialized instructions that enable computations to take place directly in memory, reducing the need for data movement between the CPU and memory.
  • Developer-Friendly: It allows developers to use familiar languages like Python to write software for in-memory computing systems.
• Solving the "Memory Wall" Issue:
  • The platform addresses the memory wall problem, where the speed of the CPU and memory exceeds the data transfer rates, creating bottlenecks that lead to inefficiencies.
  • By performing calculations directly in memory, PyPIM reduces time and energy spent on data transfer, optimizing performance.
• Performance Improvements:
  • Energy and Time Efficiency: By minimizing energy-intensive data transfers, PyPIM leads to significant energy and time savings.
  • Simulation Tools: The platform includes tools that allow developers to simulate potential performance improvements from in-memory processing.
• Real-World Benefits:
  • Faster Processing: Tasks performed using PyPIM have demonstrated faster processing speeds, with minimal code changes, particularly in mathematical and algorithmic tasks.
  • The platform delivers a significant performance boost in areas like data analysis and algorithmic operations.

The PyPIM platform marks a pivotal advancement in computing architecture, providing a more energy-efficient and faster alternative to traditional CPU-dependent systems by reducing reliance on external memory processing and cutting down on data transfer delays.

Why is it in the News?

Ministry of Mines today organized a summit to foster collaboration, share knowledge, and drive innovation in the field of critical mineral beneficiation and processing in New Delhi.

About Critical Minerals Summit:

• The Critical Minerals Summit was organized by the Ministry of Mines, Government of India, in collaboration with the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (Shakti), the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), and the Indian Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD).
• It aims to promote collaboration and innovation in critical mineral beneficiation and processing.
• This event brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including industry leaders, startups, government officials, scientists, academics, and policy experts from both India and abroad.

Key Objectives:

• Tackling Demand: The summit seeks to address the growing demand for Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) needed for renewable energy systems and electric vehicles as part of India's strategic development goals.
• Focus on Key Minerals: The Ministry of Mines has identified eight crucial minerals for focus, including Glauconite (Potash), Lithium – Rare Earth Elements (Laterite), Chromium, Platinum Group, Graphite, Tungsten, Rare Earths (RE), and vanadium-associated with Graphite.
• Diverse Participation: The summit offers a platform for a diverse group of stakeholders to collaborate, share knowledge, and drive innovation in the field of critical minerals.

What are Critical Minerals?

• Critical minerals are metallic or non-metallic elements essential for modern technologies, economies, and national security, with potentially vulnerable supply chains.
• Their 'criticality' changes over time due to shifting supply and societal needs.
• Applications: Critical minerals are vital for manufacturing advanced technologies like mobile phones, computers, semiconductors, and renewable energy systems such as electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries.
• They are also used in common products like stainless steel and electronics.
  • Examples of Critical Minerals are antimony, beryllium, cobalt, copper, gallium, germanium, lithium, vanadium, and more.
• Top Producers: Countries like Chile, Indonesia, Congo, China, Australia, and South Africa lead in critical mineral production.
• Critical Minerals in India: The Indian government has identified 30 critical minerals, including antimony, beryllium, cobalt, copper, gallium, graphite, hafnium, indium, lithium, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, phosphorous, potash, rare earth elements, rhenium, silicon, strontium, tantalum, tellurium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, zirconium, selenium, and cadmium.
• To meet the rising demand for critical minerals and ensure a stable supply, the Indian government is actively working on auctioning critical mineral blocks and fostering industry partnerships.
• These efforts are crucial for the country's economic development and energy transition goals.

Why is it in the News?

President Droupadi Murmu will present the first Pey Jal Survekshan Awards on the 5th of next month in New Delhi.

About the Pey Jal Survekshan Awards:

• The Pey Jal Survekshan Awards feature a prestigious lineup of 130 accolades, spotlighting outstanding contributions in the realm of water management.
• The awards span various categories, including the Pey Jal Gold, Silver, and Bronze City Awards, with each tier symbolizing excellence in specific population segments (ranging from 1 to 10 Lakh, 10 to 40 Lakh, and more than 40 Lakh).
• In addition to these, commendations are also extended for commendable efforts in areas such as Best Water Body, Sustainability Champion, Reuse Champion, Water Quality, City Saturation, and the prestigious AMRUT 2.0 Rotating Trophy of the Year.

Comprehensive Evaluation Parameters:

• Embracing a multifaceted approach, the evaluation criteria encompass a wide array of parameters, including accessibility, coverage, water quality maintenance at treatment facilities and household levels, sustainability practices ensuring the health of water bodies, adoption of SCADA/flowmeters, and efficient reuse of treated wastewater.
  • Cities are meticulously graded using a star rating system, ranging from 5 stars to No star, meticulously reflecting their performance across these pivotal benchmarks.
• Ensuring Water Purity and Transparency: The Pey Jal Survekshan reinforces the assurance of clean water through rigorous independent NABL lab testing at both the source and consumer ends.
  • Leveraging advanced technological tools such as GIS-enabled web portals, geo-tagging, and infrastructure mapping, the survey captures precise and transparent data, facilitating informed decision-making.
• Enhancing Urban Governance and Citizen Engagement: Anticipated to serve as a catalyst for urban local body (ULB) decision-making processes, the outcomes of the Pey Jal Survekshan are poised to elevate service delivery standards while fostering active citizen participation.
  • By nurturing a sense of ownership and disseminating knowledge on water conservation and optimal utilization, the awards endeavor to empower communities toward sustainable water management practices.

What is the AMRUT Mitra initiative?

• The AMRUT Mitra initiative is geared towards active engagement of women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in urban water management, recognizing women as pivotal stakeholders and highlighting their vital role in household water governance.
• Tasked with executing AMRUT 2.0 projects, the Mitras will undertake various responsibilities, including billing, collection, leak detection, plumbing, water quality monitoring, and infrastructure upkeep.
• At its core, AMRUT Mitra seeks to cultivate a sense of ownership among women, fostering inclusivity and diversity in traditionally male-dominated domains while ensuring equitable access to safe drinking water and addressing gender disparities.
• Expected outcomes encompass the empowerment of women SHGs, socio-economic upliftment, alignment with AMRUT 2.0 objectives, heightened community awareness, and the establishment of a blueprint for future endeavors.