UPSC Daily Current Affairs| Prelim Bits 07-03-2025

Rashtriya Karmayogi Jan Seva Programme

The 1^st batch of the Rashtriya Karmayogi Jan Seva Programme was inaugurated by Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE), Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

• Launched by – Capacity Building Commission.

National Capacity Building Commission (NCBC) was constituted in 2021 to drive the standardization and harmonization of civil services training across the country, to enhance the effectiveness of public service and create a competent civil service.

• Aim – To foster a stronger sense of Seva Bhav (spirit of service) among government officials.
• Beneficiaries – Government officials who are solution oriented, compassionate, and citizen-focused.

The term ‘Karmayogi’ signifies our duty—towards our nation, our department, our citizens and ourselves.

• It is an opportunity for every officer to develop leadership skills, adopt a solution-oriented approach, and embrace Seva Bhav in their roles.
• Programme features – 4 short training sessions (approximately 1.5 hours each).
• It is designed to encourage
  • Open discussions
  • Teamwork
  • Practical problem-solving through service-oriented narratives.
• Significance – It inspired the participants in becoming nation builders and cemented their commitment towards citizen first approach of the government.

Quick Facts

• Mission Karmayogi – It is an initiative aimed at transforming civil servants from 'Karmachari' (employee) to 'Karmayogi' (dedicated worker) through competency-driven capacity building.
• Amrit Gyan Kosh Portal – It is a shared learning resources knowledge bank, providing access to India-centric case studies and reducing dependence on Western materials.

Reference

PIB| Inauguration of Rashtriya Karmayogi Jana Seva Programme

Related News – Mission Karmayogi | Amrit Gyan Kosh Portal

AI Kosha

Why in News?

Recently, India’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) celebrated its anniversary with the launch of AIKosha and other AI initiatives.

• AIKosha – IndiaAI Datasets Platform.
• Launched by – Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in 2025.
• Umbrella Scheme – IndiaAI Mission.

IndiaAI Mission launched in 2024 to fortify India’s AI ecosystem through strategic programs and partnerships spanning both public & private sectors.

• Aim – To provide a unified portal for seamless access to datasets, tools and AI models.
• Features – It is a secured platform that provides a repository of datasets, models and use cases to enable AI innovation.
• It has an AI sandbox capabilities through an integrated development environment along with tools and tutorials.
• It is equipped with the content discoverability, AI readiness scoring of datasets, permission-based access & security mechanisms like,
  • Data encryption at rest and in motion
  • Secure Application Programming Interface (API)
  • Firewalls for real-time filtering of malicious traffic

Reference

PIB| Launch of AI Kosha

Goliath beetles

Why in News?

New research has found that one species of the enormous Goliath beetles faces extinction in West Africa.

• The Goliath beetles (genus Goliathus) are among the world’s biggest insects.
• Types - Goliathus regius Klug, Goliathus cacicus Olivier, Goliathus cacicus, Goliathus goliatus, Goliathus albosignatus Boheman, Goliathus orientalis Moser.
• Size - They grow up to 110mm long, males have Y-shaped horns and females do not have horns.
• Distribution -Found in the rainforests of
  • Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.
• Diet -Beetle larvae, or grubs, are omnivorous and likely scavenge on meat as well as debris of plants.
• The adult beetles feed only on the sap of a few tree species in mature rainforest areas.
• Goliathus cacicus –Smaller compared to Goliathus regius beetle species, it’s up to 95mm long (normally 60-84mm) and lives only in mature rainforests.
• Goliathus regius - It can grow up to 105mm long (normally 75-95mm) and prefers to live in drier forests.
• Occasionally, they both live in the same patch of forest and even on a same tree and mate, giving birth to natural hybrids.
• Significance to ecosystem - They have an important role in moving nutrients throughout the forest ecosystem to nourish other plants and animals.
• Goliath beetle is an excellent indicator of forest health, if they are abundant in a forest, it means the forest is in a good enough condition to support other species.
• But when their populations decline, this is an early warning indicator of emptying forests and eroding ecosystems.
• Threats - Goliathus regius Klug and Goliathus cacicus Olivier, are threatened with extinction.
• Goliathus cacicus has had a catastrophic decline over the past 30 years.
• Goliathus cacicus seemed to have gone extinct in several areas of west Africa, like the Banco Forest National Park in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
• Forests in Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda and Kenya offer valuable shelter to Goliathus goliatus.
• Gabon, the northern Republic of Congo and northern Democratic Republic of Congo have vast and largely pristine, inaccessible forests where Goliathus goliatus beetles are not under threat.
• Goliath beetles are not currently evaluated on the IUCN Red List.
• The beetles has been almost wiped out by the West African cocoa industry and, to a lesser extent, by the international trade in dried insects.

Reference

The Hindu | Goliath beetles