Rakthashali and Rajamudi

Recently a couple in Karnataka have documented 840 paddy varieties including Rakthashali and Rajamudi for preservation of rare native varieties.

• Rakthashali – Is a rare and precious variety of rice.
• It is a medicinal rice that is dark red in colour and medium in quality.
• It is a small and slender-grained rice that is unpolished and has full bran.
• Rakthashali is used in Ayurveda to treat imbalances in the body.
• Rajamudi - A rice variety cultivated in a small area around Hassan, Karnataka which is popular for its taste and perceived health benefits.
• It is a variety of red rice that was earlier grown exclusively for the Wadiyars or Maharajas of Mysore in Karnataka.

Jerezo

• Jerezo is a crater on Mars that is about 45 kilometers in diameter.
• It is located in the Syrtis Major quadrangle and is thought to have once been filled with water.
• Recently NASA's rover Perseverance have confirmed that there is evidence of ancient lake sediments deposited by water in this site.
• Radar observations by the rover also reveal sedimentary-like features resembling river deltas on Earth.
• The portions of Jerezo were once covered in water and may have harboured microbial life.

Ultrafiltration Water Purifier

• A UF water purifier, also known as an Ultrafiltration water purifier.
• It utilizes a membrane-based technology called ultrafiltration to effectively cleanse water.
• This advanced technology is highly efficient in eliminating various impurities such as bacteria, viruses and suspended particles.
• It is a popular and cost-effective that can be used by the individuals and households which provide a sustainable water purification to them.
• Unlike ordinary filters, which cannot fully remove tiny impurities, ultrafiltration adds another layer to make sure a safe water supply.
• Ultrafiltration (UF) technology along with technologies like UV in water purifier systems, eliminates pollutants while allowing important minerals like magnesium, calcium, and potassium pass through.

Aurangzeb

• Aurangzeb, the last of the Great Mughals, started off his reign by imprisoning his old father.
• He was no lover of art like his grandfather Jahangir and architecture like his father Shah Jahan.
• He assumed the title Alamgir and re-imposed the jizya tax on Hindus.
• He tolerated no religion excepting Islam.
• Aurangzeb remained in the North and suppressed the revolt of Bundelas, Jats, Satnamis and Sikhs.
• Aurangzeb’s expansion in the North-East resulted in a war with the Ahoms of Kamarupa (Assam).
• The kingdom came under repeated attacks of the Mughals, but it could not be subdued totally.
• The Visvanatha Temple of Banaras was built during the reign of Akbar by Raja Man Singh.
• During the Jahangir reign the ambassador by King James I, succeeded in securing permission to establish a British factory at Surat.
• Shah Jahan was contemporary of Louis XIV of France.

Criteria of a planet

With the discovery of new and distant dwarf planets, there is a chance for 9th planet to be included in the solar system.

• The Criteria of a planet were set by the International Astronomical Union.
• The criteria to identify a planet includes:
  1. It must orbit a star (in our Solar System this would be the Sun).
  2. It must be big enough that gravity has forced it into a spherical shape.
  3. It must be big enough that its own gravity has cleared away any other objects of a similar size near its orbit.
• The 3rd criterion was the reason for elimination of Pluto as a planet. It hasn’t cleared its neighbouring region of other objects.
• A 'dwarf planet' is a celestial body that:
  1. Is in orbit around the Sun.
  2. Has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape.
  3. Has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.
  4. Is not a satellite.
• All other objects, except satellites, orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as Small Solar System Bodies.