Government has decided to implement e-Office in all attached, subordinate offices, and autonomous bodies.

About e-Office

• A mission mode project under National e-Governance Program and is developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC).
• It is a digital work place solution built on open architecture making it a standard reusable product amenable for replication across the Governments. 
• Key Components: eFile (File Management System), KMS (Knowledge Management System), WAW (Work from Anywhere) portal, SPARROW (Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window).

National Commission for Scheduled Castes has sought a report from the Karnataka government over reported diversion of funds from SCSP and TSP.

About SCSP and TSP

• Strategy of TSP has been in force since 1974, to ensure adequate flow of plan resources for the development of Scheduled Tribes.
• Strategy of SCSP (earlier known as the Special Component Plan for Scheduled Castes) has been in force since 1979-80, to ensure proportionate flow of plan resources for development of Scheduled Castes (SCs).
• Budget provided under SCSP and TSP are non-divertible and non-lapsable with clear objective of bridging the gap in socio-economic development of SCs and STs.

RBI expanded the scope of remittances to International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS).

About IFSC

• Gujarat International Finance Tech-city (GIFT) - IFSC is India’s maiden IFSC  set up under the Special Economic Zone Act, 2005 
• GIFT, operationalized in 2015, aims to become India’s gateway for inbound and outbound requirements of the international financial services.
• International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has been established as a statutory authority under IFSCA Act, 2019.
  • IFSCA is a unified authority for the development and regulation of financial products, financial services, and financial institutions in IFSC.

Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent reached Australia to participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2024.

About Exercise Pitch Black 2024

• It is a biennial, multi-national exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
• It includes participation by 20 countries.
• The IAF has previously participated in the 2018 and 2022 editions of this exercise.
• It provides an opportunity for strengthening the ability to deploy over large distances, and support integrated operations in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Board for Loss and Damage Fund decided to call it as “Fund to respond to Loss and Damage“(FrLD).

• It was decided that Philippines will be the host country for Board of the fund.

About FrLD

• It was established in 27^th session of UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) in 2022.
• Purpose: Fund will help developing countries compensate for losses and damages from natural disasters caused by climate change.
• Loss and damage refers to the negative consequences that arise from unavoidable risks of climate change, like rising sea levels, prolonged heatwaves, desertification, ocean acidification etc.

Summer census reveals rise in Sarus crane population in Uttar Pradesh.

About Sarus Crane

• It is the tallest flying bird in the world.
• It has been declared as State Bird of Uttar Pradesh.
• Features
  • Social creature: Found mostly in pairs or small groups.
  • Known to mate for life with a single partner.
• Distribution: Indian sub-continent (northern and central India, Terai Nepal and Pakistan), Southeast Asia and Northern Australia.
• Habitat: Marshes, floodplains, wetlands, fallow and cultivated lands and paddy fields.
• Conservation Status: IUCN (Vulnerable), WPA (Schedule IV).
• Threats: Habitat loss and degradation, conversion of land for agriculture, ingestion of pesticides.

Locals in Upper Siang district are protesting against the Upper Siang Hydropower Project in Arunachal Pradesh.

• Upper Siang Hydropower Project is being developed by NHPC on River Siang.

About Siang River

• Origin: Angsi Glacier in Kailash Ranges near Mansarovar Lake (Tibet).
• Major tributaries: Lohit and Dibang.
• It descends down into the plains of Asam south of Pasighat town, where it meets Dihang and Lohit and becomes the Brahmaputra.

Kolkata bench of National Green Tribunal ordered Central Ground Water Board to investigate the dangerous levels of Chromium contamination of groundwater in Sukinda Valley (Odisha).

About Chromium Contamination

• Chromium is highly water soluble, hence labile and leads to widespread contamination from the point of source.
• It exists in two valence states
  • Trivalent Chromium [Cr(III)]: Biologically important element and is needed for glucose and lipid metabolism.
  • Hexavalent Chromium [Cr (VI)]: Considered toxic due to high carcinogenicity.
• Maximum permissible contamination of Cr(VI) in drinking water is 50 µg/L. (Indian standard IS 10500)

Scientists at Raman Research Institute (RRI) have created a new, user-friendly way to generate truly unpredictable random numbers, which is crucial for stronger encryption in quantum communications.

• RRI performed a photonic experiment to demonstrate violation of Leggett Garg Inequalities (LGI).
  • LGI is a set of mathematical expressions that compare the predictions of quantum mechanics with those of classical physics.

About Quantum Cryptography

• It is a method of encryption that uses naturally occurring properties of quantum mechanics to secure and transmit data.
• It uses individual photons (particles of light) to transmit data over optic fibre.

Scientists successfully create a time crystal made of giant atoms.

About Time crystals

• In 2012, Frank Wilczek proposed the concept of time crystals.
  • A crystal is an arrangement of atoms that repeats itself in space, in regular intervals.
  • A time crystal is a quantum system where particles organize into a pattern of motion that repeats periodically in time.
• Researchers used laser light and Rydberg atoms to demonstrate spontaneous oscillations, achieving a breakthrough in creating time crystals.
• It offers new insights and potential applications in sensors, wireless communication and quantum technology.