Ministry of Tribal Affairs Launches Beta Version of “Adi Sanskriti”.

• Adi Sanskriti is envisioned as the world’s first  Digital Learning Platform for Tribal Artforms.

Major components:

• Adi Vishwavidyalaya (Digital Tribal Art Academy): Currently offering 45 immersive courses on tribal dance, painting, crafts, music, and folklore.
• Adi Sampada (Socio-Cultural Repository): A collection of over 5,000 curated documents across five themes, covering paintings, dance, clothing & textiles, artefacts and livelihood.
• Adi Haat (Online marketplace): Currently linked with TRIFED, this will evolve into a dedicated online marketplace for tribal artisans, enabling sustainable livelihoods and direct consumer access.

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) signed an agreement to pave the way for resuming cooperation, including on ways of relaunching inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities.

• Earlier, Iran enacts a law suspending cooperation with IAEA after conflict with Israel and US.

About IAEA

• IAEA administers international safeguards to verify the non-proliferation commitment of non-nuclear weapon States party to the NPT.
  • IAEA also facilitates development of applications of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in non-nuclear weapon states party. 
• Under Iran nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran reduced its nuclear activities and agreed to greater access for inspectors.

Recently, Ministry of statistics and program implementation unveiled draft NIC 2025 revising NIC 2008.

About NIC 

• NIC code is a numerical classification scheme used to categorize economic activities into different sectors.
• It utilized across multiple domains, including statistical surveys, censuses, economic research, registration processes, and for policy formulation by central and state government agencies.
• India brought out its first Standard Industrial Classification in 1962.

It was revised multiple times thereafter in consonance with the revisions in the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC).

Researchers have identified two new species of Black Aspergillus in Western Ghats.

About Aspergillus

• The aspergillus is a group of filamentous fungi, which can act as saprophytes, endophytes, and opportunistic pathogens.
• Biotechnology Applications: Black Aspergilli are vital in citric acid production, food fermentation (production of enzymes, organic acids etc.), and agriculture (having phosphate stabilization potential).
• Some species form deadly fungal pathogen, and are potent carcinogen.

ISRO signed an agreementwith HAL for transfer of Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLV) technology.

About SSLV

• SSLV is designed as a quick turnaround, on-demand launch vehicle that can be efficiently scaled for industrial production. 
• It has three Solid Propulsion Stages and liquid propulsion-based Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) as a terminal stage.
• Designed to launch satellites weighing up to 500 kg into Lower Earth Orbit (LEO).

Innovations for Defence Excellence - Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO) has inked an MoU with EdCIL (India) Limited, driven by the ASPIRE (Accelerating Strategic Progress in Research and Education) program.

• MoU aims to foster the development of dual-use cutting-edge technologies, linking defence expertise with emerging ed-tech solutions. 

About iDEX-DIO

• Scheme for iDEX, launched in 2021, aims to provide financial support to nearly 300 Startups/ MSMEs/individual innovators and about 20 Partner incubators. 
• iDEX is being funded and managed by a ‘Defence Innovation Organization (DIO)’ which has been formed as a ‘not-for-profit’ company under the aegis of Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence.

Recently India’s first overseas Atal Innovation Centre was inaugurated at  IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi campus in UAE under AIM.

About AIM

• It is Government of India’s flagship initiative under the auspices of the NITI Aayog.
• Objective: To promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country
• Major programs 
  • Atal Tinkering Lab to foster innovation at school level( 6th - 12th grades) 
  • Atal Incubation Centres at universities, institutions and corporates to promote entrepreneurship among young innovators .
  • ARISE-ANIC program to support innovation in MSMEs and startups.