FIU-IND and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signed an MoU for coordinated efforts towards effective implementation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Rules framed thereunder.

About FIU-IND

• About: Central National Agency for receiving, processing, analyzing and disseminating information relating to suspect financial transactions. 
  • Also deals with coordinating and strengthening efforts of National and international intelligence, investigation and enforcement agencies in pursuing the global efforts against money laundering and financing of terrorism. 
• Genesis: 2004
• Nature:  Independent body reporting directly to the Economic Intelligence Council (EIC) headed by the Finance Minister.

From April 2025 onwards, All India Index of Industrial Production (IIP) will be released on 28th of every month, within 28 days (from the current 42 days) from the reference month. 

• Further, only two estimates (Quick estimate and Final estimate) would be released instead of the earlier practice of releasing three estimates.

About IIP

• About: Composite indicator measuring the short-term changes in the volume of production of a basket of industrial products during a given period with respect to a chosen base period.
• Base Year: 2011-12.
• Compiled and Published By: Central Statistics Office (CSO) on a monthly basis.
• Scope: Covers mining and quarrying, manufacturing and electricity sectors.

South Africa's 'Cradle of Humankind' caves reopened for public after being closed three years ago due to flooding. 

About Cradle of Humankind

• UNESCO World Heritage Site dotted with subterranean limestone caves. 
• Location: Near Johannesburg, South Africa
• Sites Included: Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and Environs, and the Makapan Valley and Taung Skull Fossil Site.
• Discovered Specimens: Australopithecus Africanus, Paranthropus, domestication of fire, etc. 
• Significance : Abundant scientific information on the evolution of modern humans over at least the past 3.5 million years.

Research indicates signs of geological changes (elevation of the dried land of the basin) since the water disappeared on Aral Sea. 

About Aral Sea

• About: Was once a large saltwater lake of Central Asia. 
• Location: Boundary between Kazakhstan (North) and Uzbekistan (South).
  • It was fed by Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. 
• Cause of Disappearance: Diversion of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers during the Soviet era. 
  • The dried-up Aral Sea became the hazardous Aralkum Desert, which ranks as a major global dust source.

A study commissioned by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser recommended the rollback of the 2015 policy mandating the installation of FGD systems in all of India’s coal-fired plants. 

• Rather, it recommended FGD to only those plants using imported coal or high (>0.5%) sulphur coal. 

About FGD

• It involves the removal of SO2 (Sulphur Dioxide) in exhaust gases from coal-fired power plants before being released to the atmosphere.
• Uses scrubbing technique involving an alkaline reagent (typically a sodium- or calcium-based alkaline regent). 
• Types of FGD Systems: Dry Sorbent Injection, Wet Limestone Based, Sea Water Based, etc. 

Recently, National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (⁠NOTTO) has written to states, UTs to implement swap organ transplant.

• Swap organ transplant is a process where two or more incompatible donor-recipient pairs swap their organs. 

About NOTTO

• National level organization set up under Directorate General of Health Services, Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• Carries out activities as per Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994.
• It has two divisions:
  • National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network
  • National Biomaterial Centre.
• Located: Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.
• Set up under the National Organ Transplant Program (NOTP), along with Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (ROTTOs) and State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (SOTTOs).

Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) have initiated a pilot project to explore the implementation of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology.

About V2G Technology

• V2G refers to technologies that enable EV batteries to send power back to the grid. 
  • When an EV is not in use, it can act as a decentralised battery energy storage device.
• By incorporating V2G technologies, EVs offer an opportunity to facilitate the integration of Renewable Energy (RE) and support a demand response market.
• It can also help modulate power in an EV battery to reduce the impact of variable RE on the grid and improve grid stability. 

Kerala becomes first State in India to launch Online Permanent Lok Adalat Services.

About Permanent Lok Adalat

• It is organized under Section 22-B of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.
• Power: Same powers as are vested in a Civil Court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.
• Jurisdiction: Compulsory pre-litigation mechanism for conciliation and settlement of cases relating to Public Utility Services like transport, postal, telegraph, etc.
• Nature of judgment: Final and binding on all the parties.
• Jurisdiction: Up to Rs.1 Crore.