A 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) formed to review the bills related to the One Nation One Election.

• It will comprise 21 Lok Sabha members and 10 Rajya Sabha members.
• The bills include the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

About JPC

• An ad-hoc body set up for a specific object and duration.
• Set up by a motion passed in one house of Parliament and agreed to by the other.
• Details regarding membership and subjects are also decided by Parliament.
• JPC recommendations are not binding on the Government. 

The 20th Foundation Day of the NCMEI was celebrated.

About NCMEI

• Genesis: Formed by the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) Act, 2004.
• It is a quasi-judicial body with powers of the Civil Court.
• It aims to safeguard the educational rights of the minorities enshrined in Article 30(1) of the Constitution.
  • Article 30(1) provides linguistic and religious minorities a fundamental right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
• Powers of NCMEI:
  • Deciding questions related to Minority Educational Institution (MEI) status including power to cancel the status.
  • Appellate authority for disputes related to Minority Status.

A novel strategy has been developed to control and regulate infrared (IR) radiation using 2-dimensional nanosheets of a chemical called hexagonal boron nitride. 

• It can be deployed as a radiative heat barrier, thermal camouflage and in thermal management applications.

About IR Radiation 

• A region of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum where wavelengths range from about 780 nm to 1000 nm. 
  • Its wavelength lies between Visible and Microwaves. 
• Constitutes about 50% of the Sun’s radiation.
  • It is absorbed by the Greenhouse Gases in Earth’s atmosphere. 
• Applications: Thermal Imaging, Astronomical observations etc.
• Excess exposure can lead to health disorders such as photocarcinogenesis. 

European Union recently launched Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²), its third major space infrastructure project, following Galileo navigation system and Copernicus.

• Copernicus and Galileo are the world’s largest Earth observation programme and the world’s most accurate civilian satellite-navigation system, respectively

About IRIS²

• Developed with the support of the European Space Agency and other partners.
• Objective:  To provide secure connectivity and high-speed broadband in zones where network connectivity is low or unavailable.
  • It supports government applications like border surveillance, crisis management etc. 
• Comprises 290 satellites in low and medium Earth orbits.

Other such Projects: Elon Musk’s Starlink Project (comprises about 7000 satellites) 

In Special Representatives meeting, India and China affirmed implementation of October 2024 disengagement border agreement

• It also provided positive steps for resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and data sharing on trans-border rivers and border trade. 

About Kailash Mansarovar

• It is a holy pilgrimage consisting of the Kailash mountain (highest peak in Kailash Ranges) and the sacred lake, Mansarovar, located in Tibet.
  • Mansarovar lake is considered the world’s highest fresh-water lake.
• Pilgrims from India can reach Mount Kailash through the Lipulekh pass in Kumaon.
• Cultural significance: It is considered holy in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and for Tibetans as well.

NASA researchers have discovered more dark Comets, Oumuamua-like (a messenger from afar arriving first) objects.

Dark Comets

• These celestial objects look like asteroids but act like comets and have  less surface area for material to form tails.
• They deviate from expected orbit. That deviation couldn’t be explained by the Yarkovsky effect.
  • It is a phenomenon which changes the path of celestial objects due to asymmetric radiation of heat energy.
• They spin quite rapidly and disperse escaping gas and dust in all directions, making them less visible.
• Dark comets follow elongated, elliptical paths that bring them close to the Sun before sweeping back out to the farthest reaches of the Solar System.

The National Institute of Siddha (NIS) has set a Guinness World Record for providing Varmam therapy to 567 individuals simultaneously.

About Varmam Therapy

• It is a unique and traditional healing modality within Siddha system of medicine.
• Varmam is one of the oldest South Indian Martial Arts which later evolved into a therapy. It is an art of unarmed fighting system targeting nerves, veins, joints and organs.
• Process: Involves therapeutic manipulation of Varmam points called Varma Adi (Varmam assault) wherein pranic energy remains concentrated.
• Therapy is a very unique, non-invasive, cost effective, non pharmacological form of treatment. 
• Benefits: neurological and musculoskeletal diseases treatment.

All 17,130 police stations in the country linked through the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) Project.

 About CCTNS project

• It is the flagship e-Governance program of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP).
• Launched in 2009 with a budget as a 100 % Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• Aims to create a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency and efficacy of policing at all levels
• Implementing Agency: National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 
• It is a key pillar of the Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) which aims to integrate the main pillars of criminal justice. 
  • Its other pillars include Courts (e-Courts), Jails (e-Prisons), Forensic Lab (e-Forensic) and Prosecution (e-Prosecution).