- Green Credit Programme (GCP)
- Green Credit Initiative was launched by the Indian PM on the side-lines of COP 28 (held in 2023 at Dubai, United Arab Emirates).
- It is an initiative within the government’s Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) movement.
- The concept of LiFE was introduced by the Indian PM at COP26 (Glasgow) in 2021, to drive an international mass movement towards “mindful and deliberate utilisation” to protect and preserve the environment.
- GCP introduces a market-based approach to incentivise 8 identified environmental activities.
- The main objective was to establish a mechanism where participants could earn incentives in the form of ‘Green Credits’.
- It encourages voluntary environmental actions by individuals, organizations, and companies.
2. Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ)
- CCPCJ is a commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
- It acts as the principal policymaking body of the United Nations (UN) in the fields of crime prevention and criminal justice.
- Membership: The CCPCJ has 40 member states that are elected by ECOSOC and is chaired by a Bureau.
- ECOSOC provided for CCPCJ mandates and priorities in resolution 1992/22, which includes the following:
- International action to combat national and transnational crime, such as organized crime, economic crime, and money-laundering
- Promoting the role of criminal law in protecting the environment
- Crime prevention in urban areas, including juvenile crime and violence
- Improving the efficiency and fairness of criminal justice administration systems
- CCPCJ also offers Member States a forum for exchanging expertise, experience and information in order to develop national and international strategies and to identify priorities for combating crime.
- It also acts as a preparatory body and as an implementing body for the quinquennial United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
- In 2006, the General Assembly adopted resolution 61/252, which further expanded the mandates of CCPCJ to enable it to function as a governing body of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and to approve the budget of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Fund, which provides resources for technical assistance in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice worldwide.
- The Commission maintains close links with the research institutes belonging to the UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme Network (PNI).
- The network has been developed to assist the international community in strengthening cooperation in the area of crime prevention and criminal justice.
3. IndiaAI Mission
- The Union Cabinet has recently approved the comprehensive national-level IndiaAI mission with a budget outlay of Rs.10,371.92 crore.
- The IndiaAI mission aims to Strengthen the AI Innovation Ecosystem.
- It will be implemented by ‘IndiaAI’ Independent Business Division (IBD) under Digital India Corporation (DIC)
- Set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
- Objective – To innovate, develop and deploy ICT and other emerging technologies for the benefit of the people.
4. Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX)
- It is a collaborative endeavor between Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
- The mission is scheduled to launch in 2025.
- This mission will take off aboard Japan’s H3 rocket.
- Primary Goal: To explore the moon’s southern polar region, investigating the presence of water and other elements, potentially in the form of surface ice.
- It aims to showcase innovative surface exploration technologies. The special focus is on vehicular transport and lunar night survival.
- It features both a lander and a rover. JAXA is responsible for developing and operating the rover, and ISRO for developing and operating the lander that will carry the rover.
- The rover will drive on its own to search for areas where water is likely to be present and sample the soil by digging into the ground with a drill.
- The plan is to acquire data by analyzing the collected samples in detail with observation equipment mounted on the rover.
- The rover will be equipped with instruments for measuring the water content of regolith (lunar sand), drilling, and sampling, as well as with other world-first and world-leading technologies for the driving system and batteries.
- The rover will carry not only the instruments of ISRO and JAXA but also those of the US space agencyNASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
5. Summer solstice
- The summer solstice heralds the start of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere and marks the day with the most daylight for the year.
- In Latin, “Solstice” means “sun stands still”.
- It is an annual astronomical phenomenon that brings the longest day of the year.
- On the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, receiving the full glare of the sun’s rays.
- During the solstice, the Earth’s axis — around which the planet spins, is tilted in a way that the North Pole is tipped towards the Sun and the South Pole is away from it.
- Typically, this imaginary axis passes right through the middle of the Earth from top to bottom and is always tilted at 23.5 degrees with respect to the Sun.
- This day sees the Earth receiving a greater amount of energy from the Sun.
- Each year, the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere falls on one of two days: June 20 or June 21.In the Southern Hemisphere, the summer solstice happens on Dec. 21 or Dec. 22.
- The date varies because the Gregorian calendar has 365 days, with an extra leap day added in February every four years.
- The amount of light received by a specific area in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer solstice depends on the latitudinal location of the place.
- The further north one moves from the equator, the more light one receives during the summer solstice. At the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set during the solstice.
ONE LINER
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