National
Vande Bharat Express from Dehradun to Delhi
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagged off the inaugural run of Vande Bharat Express from Dehradun to Delhi via video conferencing on 25 May 2023.
- He also dedicated to the nation, newly electrified rail sections and declared Uttarakhand a 100% electric traction state.
Vande Bharat Express:
- This will be the first Vande Bharat to be introduced in Uttarakhand. With world-class amenities, it will herald a new era of comfortable travel experiences, especially for tourists traveling to the state.
- The train has been indigenously and is equipped with advanced safety features including the Kavach technology. The new Vande Bharat Express will cover the distance between Dehradun to Delhi in 4.5 hours.
- The Dehradun Terminal–Anand Vihar Terminal Vande Bharat Express is India’s 17th Vande Bharat Express train.
- The first Vande Bharat Express was launched in 2019, on the New Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route.
100% Electrified Railway Route:
- Guided by the vision of the Prime Minister of providing cleaner means of public transport, Indian Railways is on a quest to completely electrify rail routes in the country.
- Moving ahead in this direction, the Prime Minster dedicated the newly electrified rail line sections in Uttarakhand. With this, the state will have its entire rail route 100% electrified.
e-Office portal of PCIM&H and Online Portal
⇒ Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal visited Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H), Ghaziabad on 24 May 2023.
Shri Sarbananda Sonowal also inaugurated the “e-Office portal of PCIM&H” and “Online portal”.
- This online portal is for selling the softcopies of pharmacopoeial monographs. The online portal will promote the hassle-free reach of pharmacopoeia monographs among the stakeholders across the world.
About PCIM&H:
Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) under Ministry of Ayush is actively engaged in Standardization and Quality Control of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathic (ASU&H) drugs and is publishing the standards in the form of Pharmacopoeias.
International
Indian Railways hands over 20 Broad Gauge Locomotives to Bangladesh
⇒ To further strengthen bilateral relationship, 20 Broad Gauge (BG) locomotives were virtually flagged off to Bangladesh in a handing over ceremony held on 23 May 2023 at Rail Bhavan New Delhi, by Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways.
- From the Bangladesh end, Minister of Railway, Md. Nurul Islam Sujan also joined in virtually.
Key Points:
- The handing over of these diesel locomotives, under grant assistance from the Government of India, fulfills an important commitment made during the visit of Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina to India, in September 2022.
- In keeping with the requirements of Bangladesh Railway, the locomotives have been suitably modified by the Indian side. These locomotives will help handle the increasing volume of passenger and freight train operations in Bangladesh.
Other Points:
- To enhance people to people contact, presently three pairs of passenger trains between India and Bangladesh, namely, Kolkata-Dhaka Maitree Express, Kolkata-Khulna Bandhan Express and New Jalpaiguri- Dhaka Mitali Express are running.
- In line with Indian commitment to improve Rail service in Bangladesh, 10 BG Diesel locomotives were handed over to Bangladesh on grant basis in July 2020.
AI Supercomputer ‘AIRAWAT’ ranks 75th in top 500 Supercomputing List
⇒ The AI Supercomputer ‘AIRAWAT’, installed at C-DAC, Pune has been ranked 75th in the world.
It was declared so in the 61st edition of Top 500 Global Supercomputing List on 23 May 2023 at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC 2023) in Germany.
- It puts India on top of AI Supercomputing nations worldwide. The system is installed under National Program on AI by Government of India.
About AIRAWAT:
- Proof of Concept (PoC) AI Research Analytics and Knowledge Dissemination Platform (AIRAWAT) of 200 AI Petaflops Mixed Precision peak compute capacity is currently funded by MeitY and implemented by C-DAC, Pune.
- The AIRAWAT PoC of 200 AI Petaflops integrated with PARAM Siddhi – AI of 210 AI Petaflops gives a total peak compute of 410 AI Petaflops Mixed Precision and sustained compute capacity of 8.5 Petaflops (Rmax) Double Precision.
- The peak compute capacity (Double Precision, Rpeak) is 13 Petaflops.
Important Day
World Turtle Day 2023
⇒ Every year on May 23, the non-profit organisation American Tortoise Rescue (ATR) celebrates World Turtle Day.
- American Tortoise Rescue, a nonprofit organization established in 1990 for the protection of all species of tortoise and turtle.
Theme:
The theme for World Turtle Day 2023 is ‘I love Turtles.’
History:
- World Turtle Day sprang to life in the year 2000, following a decade of relentless dedication. With unwavering commitment, Susan Tellem and her husband, Marshall Thompson, spearheaded this noble cause.
- The day was created as a yearly observance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world.
Significance:
- World Turtle Day serves as a reminder of the numerous threats that turtles encounter, including habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, predation of turtle hatchlings, and illegal wildlife trade.
- World Turtle Day is an opportunity to learn about different species of turtles, their ecological significance, and the steps to be taken to ensure their survival. It emphasises the importance of preserving their habitats, abating pollution (mostly plastic), and combating illegal trade to safeguard the future of these ancient and remarkable creatures.