One Liners 22-03-2025
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History, Art and Culture
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Indo-U.S. Cultural Property Agreement
- Signed in – 2024.
- Aim – To prevent smuggling of Indian antiquities to USA.
- Features – It has provision for fostering cooperation and mutual understanding in the matters of technical assistance, illicit trade and pillage of cultural property.
- Agreement, being preventive in nature has no timelines or target numbers.
- Repatriation of antiquities – So far, 588 antiquities have been repatriated from USA, out of which 297 received in 2024.
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Economy
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Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme
- Launched in – 2021.
- Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
- Objectives – To make India a global hub for high-tech production and attract multinational chip manufacturers.
- To generate 85,000 industry-ready manpower at B.Tech, M.Tech, and PhD levels specialized in semiconductor chip design.
- Activity – It provides the students a complete hands-on experience in chip design, fabrication, and testing.
- Participating Institutions – Academic institutions/R&D organizations, Start-ups and MSMEs.
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Oeko Tex Certification
- It is a worldwide certification for textiles such as yarns, fabrics, buttons, linens, terry cloth, thread, and other accessory materials.
- It tests for harmful substances in raw, semi-finished and finished textile materials and products.
- In India – The North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation Ltd. (NEHHDC) under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, has obtained Oeko-Tex certification for eri silk from Germany.
- Significance – Certification ensures that the final product is safe for human use.
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Eri silk
- It is one of the most durable and strong fibres.
- Properties – It provides cooling effect in the summer and warming effect in the winter.
- World’s only vegan silk – It distinguishes itself through an ethical production process where the silk moth is allowed to naturally emerge from its cocoon, leaving the silk intact.
- In India – It is mostly cultivated in tribal areas of Assam.
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Agriculture
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Radiation based Food Preservation
- Radiation processing of food – It involves controlled application of energy from ionizing radiations such as gamma rays, electrons and X-rays for food preservation.
- Working – It disrupts the biological processes that lead to decay.
- The interaction of radiation and radiolytic products of water with DNA impair reproducing capacity of microorganism and insects.
- In India – Presently, 37 Gamma Radiation Processing Plants are in private, cooperative, semi government and government sector.
- 21 plants out of 37 are capable of carrying out radiation processing of agricultural/ food products.
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Environment
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International Day of Forests 2025
- Celebrated on – March 21st every year.
- Declared by – United Nations in 2021.
- Aim – To celebrate and raise awareness about the vital role of all types of forests.
- To recognize the importance of trees and forests, and take action to protect them.
- 2025 theme – ‘Forests and Food’, which emphasizes the deep connection between forests and global food security.
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Science
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Technology Adoption Fund (TAF) scheme
- It is for promoting the Indian industry especially start-ups towards commercialization of early-stage space technologies.
- Launched by – Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), Department of Space.
- Objectives – Upgradation of the existing space technologies and development of innovative products.
- Import substitution of components whose technologies have not matured in the Indian industry.
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Criteria for Funding support to Space Technology Startups
- The startup should be under Indian management and control.
- The proposal of the startup shall have potential commercial value.
- The startup shall not source any funding from any other central & state government departments and/or ministries for the project forming the subject of their proposal(s).
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National Cancer Grid (NCG)
- Established in – 2012.
- Established and managed by – Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), with the support of Department of Space, Ministry of Science and Technology.
- Objectives – To involve and implement uniform standard of cancer care across India.
- To offer state-of-the-art services for patients and to create human resources to tackle the rising need for cancer care.
- To run epidemiological intervention studies to prevent cancer.
- To direct cancer research in clinic and laboratory to offer cost effective solution to cancer in India.
- Network – There are 362-member organizations in the NCG.
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Nuclear Energy Mission
- Announced in – Union Budget 2025.
- Nodal agency – Department of Atomic Energy under Prime Minister’s Office.
- Objectives – To deploy 100 GWe of nuclear energy by 2047, which is essential for NetZero by 2070.
- To provide reliable energy alternative to fossil fuel energy sources with an objective to replace retiring thermal power-plants.
- To set up captive plants for energy intensive industry.
- To provide energy for remote as well as off-grid location with objective to decarbonize the energy sector.
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