Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 16th March 2024

 

National News 

1. Union Minister Hardeep S Puri Launches Ethanol 100 Fuel Initiative 

• Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri unveiled ‘Ethanol 100’, an automotive fuel aimed at reducing emissions and promoting sustainability. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to increase ethanol blending in petrol, with significant strides already made in enhancing.

2. Union Minister Amit Shah inaugurates NIA's CCMS Pahal and Sankalan app 

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah virtually inaugurated a unique Digital Criminal Case Management System (CCMS) designed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi on March 14, 2024. 
• Mr Shah also launched a mobile app 'Sankalan' - a compendium of new criminal laws by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). In the virtual event, Home Minister Shah also inaugurated 2 new branch offices of NIA in Jammu and Kochi and a residential complex in Raipur. 
• The newly developed criminal case management system will enable NIA personnel to better coordinate terrorism and organized crime cases, thereby improving justice delivery. 
• The new stand-alone version of CCMS has been developed by NIA as a user-friendly and easily deployed, customizable, browser-based software to help state police forces in their investigation and prosecution. 
• The compilation app is designed to navigate through the new criminal laws as a bridge between the old and new criminal laws. 
• On this occasion, Home Minister Amit Shah urged the State Director Generals of Police to use new age software for effective and speedy investigation and operations. 
• He said this will help state forces to systematize, integrate and digitize data generated during investigation, such as case documents, extracted data, evidence collected and charge sheets submitted in the court. ailability and infrastructure across select states. 

3. No porting alloweded within seven days of SIM card swap: TRAI 

• The Telecom Regulatory act Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday updated regulations to disallow telecom le subscribers to port out of their current network provider if they have "swapped" their SIM card, after the loss or damage of =a previous card, within the past seven days. The regulations prohibit telecom operators from issuing a "unique porting code" (UPC) which is the first step of changing providers using mobile number portability. This amendment would "result in preventing (the) porting of mobile connections soon after SIM swapping/ replacement, by fraudsters in the name of new subscribers," the TRAI said in an explanatory memorandum. 
• The move is part of the anti-spam measures the TRAI has taken. Previous Steps Include creating a do hot-disturb registry for subscribers to opt out of spam, releasing a now-defunct app to enforce that registry by allowing users to file complaints against errant telemarketers, and requiring all transactional SMS messages by businesses to be as per a format registered with telecom operators, barring which they get filtered out. 
• The TRAI has also recommended to the Department of Telecommunications (Do'l) a feature that would display the legally registered name of every caller on recipients' handsets, a feature that drew some criticism on privacy grounds. The DoT has launched Chakshu, its own portal for reporting "suspected communication" fraud 
• The DoT had asked the TRAI to examine a suggestion that telecom firms be required to match the identity of subscribers when they port out from one operator to another. The TRAI said that this suggestion will be "examined separately". 

International News 

4. U.S. probing Adani Group over potential bribery, says report 

• The United States has widened its investigation of Adani Group to focus on the conduct of its founder, Gautam Adani, and whether the company may have engaged in bribery, Bloom- berg News reported on Friday. 
• Prosecutors are digging into whether an Adani entity or people linked to the company, including Mr. Adani, were involved in paying officials in India for favorable treatment on an energy project, the report said, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter. 
• The U.S. The Attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York and the Justice Department's fraud unit in Washington are handling the investigation and are also looking at Indian renewable energy company Azure Power Global, the report added. 
• "We are not aware of any investigation against our chairman," Adani Group told Bloomberg News. 
• Adani Group, Azure Power, and the DOJ did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comments. The Attorney's office could not be immediately reached. 
• Adani Group's stocks and bonds saw a massive sell off early last year after U.S. short-seller Hindenburg Research issued a report that alleged improper governance practices by the group. The Indian firm has denied the allegations. 

State News 

5. Tamil Nadu Tops Illegal Trade in Shark Body Parts 

• Tamil Nadu dominates the illegal trade in shark body parts, comprising nearly 65% of seizures between January 2010 and December 2022, as per a recent analysis by TRAFFIC and WWF-India. This alarming trend poses a significant threat to marine biodiversity, with Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, and Maharashtra also contributing to this illicit trade. 

6. Rajasthan Government to Distribute Free Millet Seeds to Farmers 

• The Rajasthan government has decided to distribute free seeds of millets and coarse grains to the state’s farmers. This move aims to boost millet production in the state. 

7. India's first indoor athletic center started in Bhubaneswar 

• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated India's first indoor athletics and aquatics center at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of a new indoor diving center in the stadium complex. 
• According to the Chief Minister, the new indoor facilities will help athletes train throughout the year without any fear of weatherrelated disturbances. The newly developed India's first indoor athletics stadium has facilities to host national and international athletic events. 
• Built at an estimated cost of Rs 120 crore, the stadium can accommodate 120 athletes for full-time coaching. It also has a classroom for studies, medical facilities and a dedicated pantry for athletes. 
• Italian company Mondo Spa has built a 10,000 square meter track in the stadium, which is the first of its kind in the country. The stadium has facilities for long jump, triple jump, 100 meters and 200 meters race track. Pole vault and shot put events can also be organized in the stadium. 
• The indoor stadium will be a training ground for the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics HighPerformance Centre. Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics HighPerformance Center was established in 2019 by Reliance Foundation in collaboration with the Government of Odisha. The foundation aims to develop athletics in Odisha and become a national athletics centre. Indoor Aquatics Center 
• The indoor aquatic center at the stadium complex consists of a 50- metre Olympic-sized pool and a 25- metre warm-up pool with temperature-control facility. It has a seating capacity of 1000 people and can organize national and international events. 
• Odisha Inspire Institute of Sports High-Performance Center will operate from this aquatic centre. Odisha Inspire Institute of Sport High-Performance Center is a joint venture of JSW Group with the Government of Odisha. 
• Inspire Institute of Sports in Odisha is a sports coaching center that trains athletes for the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and other boxing, wrestling, judo and athletics events. Indoor Diving Center 
• The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of the Indoor Diving Center to be built in the Kalinga Stadium complex. The diving center will have a 25 meter diving pool and an additional 5 meter pool for synchronized swimming. 

7. Phool Dei Festival held in Uttarakhand-2024 

• An important crop festival in Uttarakhand, Phool dei is the reverence given to the gods for a good crop. On this occasion, young girls decorate the threshold of the house with freshly broken flowers. This year it started from 14 March 2024.
• In many places, children also decorate the doli of Ghogha Devta (Phuldei) in the group and dance with spring songs. On the eighth day, children are prepared by collecting food items and worship materials from all houses. 
• Phool Dei is an auspicious folk festival that welcomes the spring in the state. This festival is celebrated on the first day of the Hindu month of Chaitra. The flower dei is completely about flowers and spring. In some places, the festival is observed as a carnival and the festival lasts for a month. 
• The word 'Dei' refers to a formal halwa that is the main food of this festival that is made from jaggery. All are also offered to maida and curd. Young girls gather together and go to every house of their villages/towns with rice, jaggery, coconut, green leaves and flowers filled with flowers. 
• Apart from this, these girls wishes for the prosperity and prosperity of the family by singing "Phool Dei, Chamma Dei, Deno Dwar, Bhur Bhakar, Woh Dei Sei Namaskar, Puje Dwar". In turn, they are given blessings and gifts such as sweets, jaggery and money. 
• The people of the village sing and dance their folk songs to celebrate the festival of Vasant along with wishing the prosperity and prosperity of their families and relatives. 

7. Adani Green Energy operationalises 126 MW wind power plant in Gujarat 

• Adani Green Energy announced the operationalisation of an additional 126 MW capacity in its 300 MW wind power project in Gujarat. This comes after the earlier operationalisation of 174 MW, marking a significant milestone for the company. 

Important Days News 

8. National Vaccination Day 2024, Date, History and Significance 

• National Vaccination Day is a special day to create awareness about the importance of vaccines. Vaccines help protect us from deadly diseases like polio and smallpox. On this day, people are encouraged to get vaccinated to stay safe and healthy. National Vaccination Day is celebrated every year on March 16th. This year, it falls on a Saturday.

Defence News 

9. Indian Navy Gets Its Own Headquarters Named ‘Nausena Bhawan’ 

• The Indian Navy has finally got its own dedicated headquarters building. The newly constructed Nausena Bhawan located at Delhi Cantonment was formally inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on March 15th, 2024. 

10.Army raises first unit to operate Apache attack helicopters in Jodhpur 

• Preparing to induct the first batch of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters Into its fold, the Indian Army Aviation Corps raised Its first unit at Jodhpur on Friday that will operate the helicopters. The Apaches will be the second attack helicopters in the Army after the indigenous light combat helicopter (LCH). 
• The 451 Aviation Squadron was formally raised at Jodhpur on Friday in the presence of Lt. Gen. A. K. Suri, Director-General of the Army Aviation Corps, a deferice official said. "Army will receive the first batch of three Apaches in May and another three in July," the official added. 
• India signed a deal with Boeing for six more Patches for the Army, at a cost of around $800 million, in February 2020. As part of the deal, six pilots and 24 technicians were trained by Boeing in the U.S. 
• The Army Aviation inducted its first dedicated attack helicopter with the LCH and the first squadron, 351 Army Aviation, was moved to Missamari, Assam in the Eastern Sec- tor near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in November 2022. 
• The Cabinet Committee had in the past given sanction for the procurement of 39 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters from the U.S., as part of which the IAF inducted 22 Apaches under a deal signed in September 2015. Subsequently, the government decided that future Apache procurements would go to the Army. 
• While the Army has been pushing the case for 11 more Apaches, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) last year ordered a study on the number of armored helicopters required by the three Services. 
• Last November, the Defence Acquisition Council approved the procurement of 156 LCH at an estimated cost of ₹45,000 стоге - 90 for the Army and 66 for the Air Force, There are 10 for the Air Force and five for the Army, currently being inducted, in addition to the 15 limited-series production LCH at a total cost of ₹4,264 crore. 

11. Rajnath inaugurates Navy's state-of-the-art headquarters in Delhi 

• Finally, the Indian Navy has a dedicated headquarters of its own. The newly constructed Natusena Bhawan located at Delhi Cantonment was formally inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday. 
• The Inauguration marks a significant milestone for the Indian Navy as It establishes its first independent headquarters in Delhi. Previously, the Navy operated froîn 13 different locations, necessitating a consolidated and purpose- built facility such as Nause na Bhawan," a Defence Ministry statement said.
• "Comprising three wings across four storeys, the building incorporates Innovative construction technologies to optimize efficiency and sustainability. Efforts toward energy and water conservation are evident throughout the complex, with the integration of solar generation systems and advanced building materials!" 
• Previously, the Navy operated from 13 different locations, necessitating a consolidated and purpose-built facility and congenial atmosphere facilitated by a central heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system utilizing advanced oxidation plasma technology, according to the statement. The complex is equipped with a state-of-the-art integrated building management system, ensuring efficient coordination and monitoring of security services and utility systems, 
• The building has achieved Green Rating IV under the integrated habitability assessment. Additionally, the complex also features a comprehensive three-tier security system, including cutting-edge technologies such as automatic underbelly scanning of vehicles, power fence, face recognition cameras, bollards, vehicle stoppers, access control, and security cameras, the statement added. 

12. 2,890. deal Tor Dornier upgrade inked with HAL 

• The Defence Ministry on Friday signed a contract worth ₹2,890 crore with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) for the midlife upgrade of 28 Dornier patrol aircraft of the Indian Navy 
• "The midlife upgrade for Dornier aircraft includes an upgrade to Incorporate state-of-the-art avionics systems and primary role sensors. The upgrade would significantly enhance the operational capability of the Dornier aircraft of the Indian Navy to perform primary roles of maritime surveillance, coastal surveillance, electronie intelligence, and development of maritime domain awareness," the Ministry said in statement. 
• The upgrade will also enable the aircraft to carry out secondary roles of search and rescue, casualty evacuation, and communication linking 

Awards News 

13. Chameli Devi Jain Award 2024 for Outstanding Woman Media Person 

• The prestigious Chameli Devi Jain Award 2024 for Outstanding Woman Media Person of the Year has been given jointly to two remarkable journalists: Greeshma Kuthar – Independent Journalist Ritika Chopra – Indian Express. 

14. Ratan Tata Awarded PV Narasimha Rao Memorial Award for Philanthropy Work 

• Ratan Tata, former chairman of Tata Sons, has been bestowed with the prestigious PV Narasimha Rao Memorial Award. He received the award for his outstanding philanthropic contributions. The award ceremony took place in Mumbai on March 15, 2024. 

15.The Hindu wins 6 WAN-IFRA digital media awards for 2023 

• The Hindu's projects bagged six awards at the WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards South Asia 2023 held in New Delhi recently. 
• The Hindu Made of Chennai, a campaign to celebrate the city, won gold in both 'Best in audience engagement' and 'Best in native advertising campaign' categories. 
• Chennai-A-Maze, an online cryptic crossword challenge, bagged silver in the 'Best in audience engagement' category. 
• The crossword was rolled out on The Hindu Crossword and website as part of the Made of Chennai campaign for Madras Day (August 22, 2023) for 10 days. 
• The activity was organized along with the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation and was powered by Storytrails, a company that organizes story-based walking tours in India. 
• A 'Made of Chennai song' - an audio-visual tribute to the city that was part of the campaign won a special jury mention in the 'Best use of video' category'. 
• The Hindu website won silver in the 'Best news website' category. 
• The Hindu's meta description for news articles using generative artificial intelligence bagged silver in the 'Best use of Al in the newsroom' category. 
• Executive Officer of The Hindu Group, said: "With Made of Chennai, we embraced the city's passion points and crafted engaging activities around them. The resounding success of our campaign underscores our deep understanding of Chennai and its vibrant community. With digital technology, we intend to elevate the user experience on our platforms and foster deep engagement with readers. The Hindu website is reshaping how we deliver top-notch news content, particularly to young audiences. This acknowledgement from WAN-IFRA fuels our drive to elevate the efforts.” 

Agreement News

16. Max India’s subsidiary partners with IIT Delhi for senior citizen care 

• Max India Ltd announced a strategic partnership between its subsidiary, Antara Assisted Care Services Limited, and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi). This collaboration aims to address the challenges faced by India’s aging population by developing tailored solutions to improve their quality of life. 

17.Railways plans to develop multi-modal transport hubs 

• The Indian Railways create mega with multimodal connectivity in sapirational eller with a population of mоvе than 10 lakh across.
• The programme is part of the infrastructure being developed oped for for Prime IN White fer Narendra Modi's 'Vilalta Bharat Inidadve 
• According to official sources, the Railway land has communicated to General Managers of all Zonal Hallways that the project could also be extended to cities where a sizable population was expected. expee list of elles es with pop more than 10 lakh population, Shirish Kumar Sinha, Addtional Member (Planning), called for suggestions to in chide new locations of stations 
• Enhancing experience The Railway Ministry has also taken up enhancement of passenger expe finance on a mode and warned that any laxity on the part of its senior of heers will not be tolerated, With the proliferation of Vande Bharata Express trains across the country, which are being projected the Railway Board has taken up the task of enhancing the travel experience of passengers through improved cleanliness of coaches and properly maintained amenities on railway premises. 
• The principal chief me chanteal engineers (PCMEs) of Zonal Railways have been Instructed to closely monitor and ensure sustained housekeeping and maintenance activities and take necessary action on real-time basis. 
• Investigation needed Videos and pictures of staff cleaning exteriors, tollets, fans, Inaccessible areas, and so on developed confidence in the system. These efforts were required to be Increased and sustained to achieve a quantum jump in cleanliness level and enhancement in the passenger experience. 
• "While many divisions have been actively involved in this mission, a few are still to get into this Important area of Rolling Stock Maintenance. I have been regularly emphasizing this aspect during my Interaction with PCMES and no laxity is to be tolerated," Satish Kumar, imember (Traction & Rolling Stock), Railway Board, said in an order recently. 
• Pointing out there had been a spate of cases relating to brake binding, brake block Jamming, uncoupling of air hoses, and train parting, affecting the operation of passenger and freight trains, he urged the PCMEs to conduct a proper Investigation into the incidents and implement remedial measures in consultation with the Ret search Designs and Standards Organisation. 

Ranks and Reports News 

18. V-Dem Institute’s Democracy Report 2024 India’s Decline into Electoral Autocracy 

• The V-Dem Institute’s Democracy Report 2024 highlights India’s continued descent into electoral autocracy since its downgrade in 2018. The report underscores the deterioration of democratic principles, particularly in the areas of freedom of expression, media independence, and civil liberties. India’s status as one of the top standalone autocracies further accentuates the gravity of its democratic decline. 

19. According to the Election Commission, between 2019 and 2024, BJP is at the top in receiving donations from electoral bonds. 

• According to data released by the ECI, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) encashed electoral bonds worth a staggering ₹6,060.5 crore between April 12, 2019, and January 24, 2024. This amount is 47.5% of the total electoral bonds. 
• BJP became the biggest recipient by a significant margin. The electoral bond scheme, launched in 2018, allows individuals and institutions to donate to political parties without revealing their identity. 
• After the BJP, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) received ₹1,609.5 crore (12.6% of the total), while the Indian National Congress (INC) received ₹1,421.9 crore (11.1%), coming second and third respectively. 
• Future Gaming and Hotel Services PR, owned by lottery tycoon Santiago Martin, emerged as the biggest donor to political parties. The firm donated Rs 1,368 crore through electoral bonds. 
• Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Ltd., headquartered in Hyderabad, along with three associated companies took the second position in the list of top donors by contributing Rs 1,200 crore. 
• Earlier, a five-judge Constitution bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud had declared the electoral bond scheme unconstitutional in New Delhi on February 15, 2024. The release of this data by ECI comes after the Supreme Court directed it to make the information public by March 15. 
• The data was initially provided by the State Bank of India (SBI), which is authorized to issue and encash electoral bonds. 

Other Facts 

• Regional parties received donations of over Rs 5,221 crore through electoral bonds between April 2019 and January 2024, which was Rs 839 crore less than the Rs 6,060.51 crore raised by the BJP alone in the period under review. 
• The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) also received substantial amounts, amounting to ₹1,214.7 crore (9.51%), ₹775.5 crore (6.07%), and ₹639 cr (5%), respectively. 
• Among regional parties, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) got ₹337 crore (2.64%), while Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Shiv Sena got ₹218.9 crore (1.71%) and ₹159.4 crore (1.24%), respectively. 

19.Inflation is impacting personal consumption and hurting growth 

• The latest retail inflation data, yet again, underscores how volatile food prices continue to hold hostage not only broader inflation but also the lynchpin of economic growth, namely, personal consumption. While February's headline Consumer Price Index (CPI)based reading remained virtually unchanged from the preceding month, at 5.09%, the pace of food price gains computed from the Consumer Food Price Index accelerated by 36 basis points to 8.66%. Vegetable prices continued to remain the biggest concern, with the third-heaviest food category in the food and beverages sub group of the CPI registering 30.3% inflation year-on-year, a disconcerting 315 basis points acceleration from January's reading. And inflation in cereals, the largest weight among foods in the CPI, also remained high at 7.6%, just marginally slower than the preceding month's 7.83% pace. Among vegetables, the potato-onion-tomato triumvirate, which is the most-widely consumed group nationwide and constitutes more than a third of the weight in the category, led the charge. Potato prices moved from an almost 2% year-on-year deflation in January to a 12.4% inflation, onion logged 22.1% inflation and tomato's price gains quickened by close to 400 basis points to a six- month high of 42%. A look at the Department of Consumer Affairs' daily price monitoring dashboard shows little respite on this front, with average retail prices of potato, onion and tomato reigning 21.3%, 41.4% and 35.2% higher, respectively, as on March 14 from a year earlier. 
• Clearly, the government's supply side measures, including a three-month-old ban on export of onions, has had little impact on cooling prices of these politically sensitive food inputs. And the outlook too is far from reassuring. Onion output in the 2023-24 horticulture crop year is seen more than 15.6% lower than last year and production of potato is projected to log an almost 2% deficit as in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare's First Advance Estimates released on March 7. The water storage data from the Central Water Commission, showing live storage at 150 reservoirs across the country as on March 14 at 40% of capacity, and trailing both the 10-year average and the year-earlier levels, also does not portend well for summer-sown crops. This is particularly so in the southern region, where the storage deficit compared with the 10-year average is a most acute 29%. Reserve Bank of India Deputy My Governor Michael Patra aptly summed up the risks to the economy from persistently high food inflation in his statement to the Monetary Policy committee last month when he observed: "private consumption, which accounts for 57% of GDP, languishing under the strain of still elevated od inflation. This is particularly telling in rural areas. Inflation has to be restrained to its target growth to be inclusive and sustained." Policy-makers have their task cut out if the economy is void a summer of discontent as the country 

Appointment News 

20. B Sairam is the New Chairman and Managing Director of NCL 

• B Sairam has been appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL). NCL is the Singrauli-based flagship Subsidiary of Coal India Limited. Sairam has assumed the charge for this post. 

21.Senior bureaucrat Rahul Singh becomes the new Chairman of CBSE 

• The Central Government has appointed senior IAS officer Rahul Singh as the Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on March 13, 2024. Rahul Singh will replace Nidhi Chibber on this post as Nidhi Chibber has recently been made an advisor in NITI Aayog. 
• Rahul Singh is a 1996 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Bihar cadre. Rahul Singh is currently the Under Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). 
• The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a major board of school education in India. Many private schools inside and outside the country are affiliated to CBSE. The motto of CBSE is – Asato Ma Sadgamaya (O Lord! Lead us from untruth to truth.) 
• Apart from this, Rajiv Kumar Mittal, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Department of Atomic Energy, has been appointed Director General of National Clean Ganga Mission. 
• National Mission for Clean Ganga comes under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir S Sandhu are the new election commissioners. 
• Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were appointed as the new Election Commissioners in the Election Commission of India. 
• The new members have been appointed under the newly enacted Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act 2023. 
• The Chief Election Commissioner is Rajiv Kumar. The second election commissioner Arun Goyal recently resigned from his post, while Anup Pandey is set to retire on February 15, 2024. 
• Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu both are retired IAS officers. Gyanesh Kumar retired from the post of Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu retired from the post of Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand 

Science and Technology News 

22. IIT Jodhpur develops hybrid unmanned vehicle that works in both water and air 

• The Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur has created a new system for a hybrid unmanned vehicle that can operate both underwater and in the air. The paper highlighting this work was written by Jayant Kumar Mohanta of IIT Jodhpur and his research scholar Jai Khatri, Professor Sandeep Gupta of IIT Kanpur and Professor Santkumar Mohan of IIT Palakkad. 
• The researchers were inspired by a bird species called anhingas, which can walk both on land and under water. Its flight time is 15 minutes and it can stay underwater for up to 8 hours. These vehicles are useful for tasks like mapping oil spills on beaches, rivers or underwater erosion and pollution spread. 
• They used this inspiration to develop a 3D-printed prototype with waterproofing and various components. They tested the prototype for aerial, water surface and underwater maneuvering using remote control (RC) transmission. 
• By developing a solid mathematical system to operate these vehicles, the research team aims to make them more efficient and better suited for tasks such as lifeguard rescue efforts and underwater and aerial photography. The team presented their work at AIR '23, proceedings of the 2023 Sixth International Conference on Advances in Robotics. 

Obituaries News 

23. Renowned Rabindra Sangeet Singer Sadi Mohammad Passes Away at 70 

• Sadi Mohammad, a legendary Rabindra Sangeet singer, has passed away at the age of 70. His death has cast a grim shadow in the cultural sphere of the country. Mohammad completed his bachelor’s and master’s in Rabindra Sangeet from the Visva-Bharati University.