DRDO has successfully tested Nirbhay Cruise Missile recently from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, Odisha.
Nirbhay cruise missile is the India’s first long range sub-sonic cruise missile.
It has an operational range of 1000 km (long range).
It is capable of carrying warheads of up to 300kg at a speed of 0.6 to 0.7 Mach (sub-sonic)
It is a two-stage missile powered by Solid rocket motor booster.
It is guided by a highly advanced indigenously developed inertial navigation system.
Sub-sonic – Any speed lower than the speed of sound. Mach number greater than 1 is called as super-sonic.
Cruise Missile – It is a guided missile that flies major portion of its flight within atmosphere at approx. constant speed.
Ballistic Missile – It is a missile that follows a ballistic trajectory and guided only relatively during brief periods and spends most of their flight out of the atmosphere.
SHe-box Portal
SHe-box (Sexual Harassment electronic box) is an online platform launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
The platform is to enable women employees to file complaints related to sexual harassment at the workplace.
It enables both public and private sector employees to lodge their complaints.
It ensures the effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013.
Under the act, it is compulsory for any organisation with 10 or more employees to set up an internal complaints committee (ICC) for addressing complaints of sexual harassment.
The complaints filed in the portal will be forwarded to ICC and also paves way for monitoring the progress of the complaint.
New Species in Andaman
Edible wild banana species has been discovered in Andaman Island, the second such species on the island in two years.
In 2014, Musa indandamanensis, wild banana species was discovered in a remote tropical rain forest on the Little Andaman Island.
The latest discovery, Musa paramjitiana found in North Andaman Island.
The plant grows to a height of nine metres and bears an edible, sweet-and-sour tasting fruit with numerous bulb-shaped seeds.
Its conservation status has been declared as ‘Critically Endangered’.
New Species in Western Ghats
A new species of ant was found in the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Western Ghats region.
It belongs to Tyrannomyrmex, a rare tropical genus of ants that is distributed in the Indomalayan bio-region.
Its Bio region extends from southern India and Sri Lanka to Southeast Asia.
It is named as Tyrannomyrmexalii as a tribute to country’s “Ant Man” eminent myrmecologist Musthak Ali.
Kathak
The birth anniversary of Sitara Devi, Kathak queen and often hailed as the ‘Empress of dance (NrityaSamragini)’ is observed today.
Kathak is an ancient Indian classical dance and started as oral tradition by kathakars or storytellers based on episodes from epics, myths and legends.
Later it evolved in to a simple form of expressional dance through rhythmic foot movements, hand gestures, facial expressions and eye work.
Bhakti movement contributed to a whole new range of lyrics and musical form with Radha-Krishna theme and works of Mirabai, Surdas.
Three specific forms of kathak are three gharanas (schools) namely, the Jaipur gharana, the Benarasgharana and the Lucknow gharana.
The gharanas mostly differ in emphasis given to footwork versus acting.
The nineteenth century saw the golden age of Kathak under the patronage of Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Oudh.
Being the only classical dance of India having links with Muslim culture, it represents a unique synthesis of Hindu and Muslim genius in art.
It is the only form of classical dance wedded to Hindustani music.
Kambala
It is an annual buffalo race conducted in Coastal belt of Karnataka.
It is a traditional bull sport similar to Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu.
The 'track' used for Kambala is a slushy paddy field.
It is conducted in both competitive and non-competitive manner.
The Kambala season generally starts in November and lasts till March in the following year.
Supreme Court in 2014 had banned Kambala based on a petition filed by various animal rights organisations.
Following the massive protest against the ban, Karnataka government passed “The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance 2017” to legalize the bull sport.
Recently, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have challenged the ordinance but SC refuses to stay ordinance.
