Articles Covered:

1. ‘Golden tiger’ in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park
2. Government makes it clear that Aadhaar no proof of citizenship, birth date
3. Alabama execution using nitrogen gas, the first ever, again puts US at front of death penalty debate
4. Machu Picchu protesters disrupt tourism over ticket sales
5. Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal’s Krutrim AI turns unicorn with $50 million funding from Matrix,others
6. O. Chidambaram Pillai
7. India-France defence ties take a bigger leap

‘Golden tiger’ in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park:

A golden tiger, also called tabby tiger or strawberry tiger, is a tiger with a colour variation caused by a recessive gene. They characterise blonde or pale-golden colour and reddish stripes in place of black like in normal tigers.

Kazi 106 F, the tigress, resides in world heritage Kaziranga National Park of Assam. It is also known as ‘Tabby tiger’ or ‘Strawberry tiger’. The skin of tigers is orange-yellow with black stripes and whitish abdominal region. The yellowish background is controlled by a set of ‘agouti genes’ and their alleles and the black colour stripes are controlled by ‘tabby genes’ and their alleles. Suppression of any of these genes may lead to colour variation in tiger.
Agouti genes interacts with the pigment cells to produce yellow to red or brown to black expression. This interaction is responsible for making distinct light and dark bands in the hairs of animals such as the agouti here same is happening in our tigress – Kazi 106 F.

Kaziranga National Park:

• Location:It is located in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam.
• It was declared a national park in 1974.
• It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Siteand houses two-thirds of the total world population of greater one-horned rhinoceros.
• It is the largest undisturbed area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplains.
• Vegetation: It is a mix of eastern wet alluvial grasslands, semi evergreen forestsand tropical moist deciduous forests.

Flora: A.     It is primarily famous for its dense and tall elephant grasses intermixed with small swamplands. B.     It also includes an abundant cover of water lilies, water hyacinths and lotus. C.     Rattan Cane, a type of climbing palm, is also found here.

Fauna: A.     Important wildlife found are One-horned rhinoceros, Leopard, Fishing Cat, other Lesser cats, royal Bengal tiger, Large Indian Civet, Small Indian Civet, Sambar, Barking deer, Hog deer, Gaur, Hog Badger, Capped Langur, etc. B.     It is also one of the last remaining homes of the endangered and endemic western hoolock gibbon, the only species of apes found in India. C.     It is home to approximately 478 species of both resident and migratory birds. D.     It is one of the last homes of the critically endangered Bengal florican.

Government makes it clear that Aadhaar no proof of citizenship, birth date:

The 12-digit resident ID is not a proof of citizenship or date of birth, and Aadhaar cards and downloads now include that disclaimer on the ID itself Aadhaar

Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to every individual resident of India: 

1. It serves as proof of identity, which is linked to the individual’s biometric and demographic information.
2. The Aadhaar programme was launched in 2009 by the UIDAIwith the goal of providing a unique and verifiable identity for every resident of India.
3. It is now mandatory for a number of government servicesand is also being used by private companies for identification purposes.

More than 133 Crore Aadhaars have been issued as of April 2022. 99.9% of adults in India have an Aadhaar card. Since its inception Aadhaar Card has helped bridge the digital divide and helped in the smooth roll-out of various government direct benefit transfer (DBT) schemes. 

Safety and Security of the Aadhaar:

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has implemented a number of measures to ensure the safety and security of Aadhaar data. These include

Virtual Aadhaar (Virtual ID):

• Virtual ID(VID) is a temporary, revocable 16-digit random numbermapped with the Aadhaar number. VID can be used in lieu of an Aadhaar number whenever authentication or e-KYC services are performed.
• Authentication may be performed using VIDin a manner similar to using Aadhaar number. It is not possible to derive Aadhaar number from VID.

Masked Aadhaar:

1. Mask Aadhaar option allows you to mask your Aadhaar number in your downloaded e-Aadhaar.
2. Masked Aadhaar number implies replacing of first 8 digits of the Aadhaar number with some characters like “xxxx-xxxx”while only the last 4 digits of the Aadhaar Number are visible.

Tokenization of Aadhaar:

1. UIDAI has introduced tokenization within the Aadhaar authentication system. UID Token is returned as part of every authentication, which is the unique token for that Aadhaar number holder within that agency.
2. This Token will be unique for each Aadhaar number for a particular entity.

Significance:

There are various benefits and points of significance of Aadhaar, which include

1. Facilitating the delivery of government services and benefits
2. Reducing fraud and leakage in government welfare programs
3. Facilitating financial inclusion
4. Making it easier to verify the identity of an individual
5. KYC verification

Alabama execution using nitrogen gas, the first ever, again puts US at front of death penalty debate:

Execution by nitrogen gas involves the administration of pure nitrogen to the condemned person. The method typically includes placing a respirator-type face mask over the nose and mouth to replace breathable air with nitrogen, causing death from lack of oxygen.  The state predicts that the gas will cause the inmate to lose consciousness within seconds and death within minutes.

Nitrogen gas:

• It is a colourless, odourless gasthat makes up a significant portion of Earth’s atmosphere. It is inert and non-flammable, commonly used in various industrial applications, including food packaging and electronics manufacturing.

Machu Picchu protesters disrupt tourism over ticket sales:

Launching what they called an “indefinite strike,” tour operators and residents closed shops and blocked the tracks of a tourist train, compelling those on board to don rain jackets and walk the remaining three kilometers to the entrance.

The iconic tourist site Machu Picchu in Peru was shut down recently, due to the ongoing anti-government protests that are spreading throughout the South American nation.

 

 

Machu Picchu:

1. It is a 15th-century Inca site.
2. Location: Machu Picchu is located 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Cuzco, Peru, in the Cordillera de Vilcabamba of the Andes Mountains.
3. Machu Picchu is believed to have been built by Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, the ninth ruler of the Inca, in the mid-1400s.
4. It is made up of temples, palaces, terraces, monuments, complexes and walls.
5. The city is divided into a lower and upper part, separating the farming from residential areas, with a large square between the two.
6. Machu Picchu was abandoned when the Inca Empire was conquered by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century.
7. Machu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham.
8. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.

Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal’s Krutrim AI turns unicorn with $50 million funding from Matrix, others

Krutrim, Ola Founder’s AI Start-Up Emerges As India’s First AI Unicorn

Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola’s visionary, secures $50M for Krutrim. This AI start-up, a tech frontrunner, is poised to revolutionize the industry with cutting-edge technology.

Funding Success: $50 Million at a $1 Billion Valuation

The recent funding round, led by Matrix Partners India and other key investors, has propelled Krutrim to unicorn status. With a valuation of $1 billion, Krutrim is set to make significant strides in reshaping the landscape of artificial intelligence.

Accelerating AI Innovation:

• The substantial funding infusion will serve as a catalyst for Krutrim’s mission to accelerate AI innovation. With a commitment to building India’s first comprehensive AI computing stack, Krutrim aims to lead the charge in pioneering transformative changes globally.

Krutrim’s AI Models: Bridging the Gap:

Krutrim introduces two powerful AI models to address diverse needs within the industry:

1. Krutrim Base Model: Built on 2 trillion tokens and unique datasets, the Krutrim base model lays the foundation for a robust AI platform. This model, deeply integrated with Ola’s ethos of innovation, is poised to set new benchmarks in AI solutions.
2. Krutrim Pro Model: Scheduled for launch in the next quarter, the Krutrim Pro model signifies a leap forward in AI capabilities. Tailored for advanced problem-solving and task execution, it exemplifies Krutrim’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of what AI can achieve.
3. O. Chidambaram Pillai

The Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNC) was one of the first indigenous Indian shipping companies set up during the Indian independence movement. It was started in 1906 by V. O. Chidambaram Pillai to compete against the monopoly of the British India Steam Navigation Company (BISNC).

He was popularly known as Kappalottiya Tamilan (The Tamil Helmsman) and Sekkizuththa Semmal (scholarly gentry who suffered at the oil press).

Role Played in Freedom Movement:

• By 1906,VOC won the support of merchants and industrialists in Tuticorin and Tirunelveli for the idea of establishing a Swadeshi merchant shipping outfit by the name of the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNCo).

He established many institutions like Swadeshi Prachar Sabha, Dharmasanga Nesavu Salai, National Godown, Madras Agro-Industrial Society Ltd and Desabimana Sangam.

1. VOC and Siva were aided in their efforts by a number of Tirunelveli-based lawyers, who formed an organisation called the Swadeshi Sangam, or ‘National Volunteers’.
2. The nationalist movement acquired a secondary character with the beginning of the Tuticorin Coral Mills strike (1908).
3. Even prior 1917, VOC took up the cause of the working class in Tamil Nadu, and thus he is a forerunner to Gandhiji in this respect.
4. VOC, along with other leaders, resolved to take out a mammoth procession on the morning of 9^thMarch 1908 to celebrate the release of Bipin Chandra Pal from jail and to hoist the flag of Swaraj.

Writings: Meyyaram (1914), Meyyarivu (1915), Anthology (1915), Thirukural with literary notes of Manakudavar (1917), Tholkappiam with literary notes of Ilampooranar (1928), Autobiography (1946).

Death: V.O.C died on 18^th November 1936 in the Indian National Congress Office at Tuticorin as was his last wish.

India-France defence ties take a bigger leap:

1. Defence and Security- India and France’s Relationship in the defence and security domain has increased many folds, which are mentioned below-
2. France has emerged as a key defence partner for India. It has become the second-largest defence supplier in 2017-2021. Major Military equipments imported from France include Rafale and Mirage 2000 Fighter Aircraft and Scorpene Submarines.
3. India and France have been regularly conducting joint exercises- Varuna (Naval), Garuda (Air Force) and Shakti (Army).
4. India and France have been undertaking ‘joint patrolling’ in the Indian Ocean Region and are striving towards maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean region.

• has inducted French rafale multi-role combat aircraft.
• India entered into a contract with a French firm to build six Scorpene submarines in India’s Malegaon dockyards through a technology-transfer arrangement in 2005.

The two countries also signed the Agreement regarding the Provision of Reciprocal Logistics Support.

 

• This agreement will help to facilitate the replenishment of fuel, rations, spares, and berthing and maintenance for the other nations’ warships, military aircraft and troops during routine port calls, as well as during Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).

Indian Ocean, the Common Shared Interest:

• France needs to protect its colonial territorial possessions like reunion island and Indian ocean being the zone of influence for India.
• Recently, France became the 23^rdmember of the IORA
• It is the first time that a country whose mainland is not on the Indian Ocean has been brought into the fold of the IORA.

1. Counter Terrorism: France backed the India’s proposal for a global conference on terrorism. Both the countries also support organising a new “No Money for Terror” – an International Conference on Fighting Terrorist Financing.
2. France Backing India:France also continues to steadfastly back India on Kashmir while its relations with Pakistan have plummeted in the recent past and China has become an object of suspicion.