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History

13th Century tomb-like structure in Siri Fort

A tomb-like structure was discovered in the Siri Fort area by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

About the site:

• Siri Fort was built in the 13th Century by Alauddin Khilji, considered to be the most powerful ruler of the Khilji dynasty (Delhi sultanate).
• It was used as a garrison town where his army used to reside.
• Hauz Khas village in Delhi was an extension of the fort, which was designed to meet the water needs of the army.
• The fort is currently in ruins and the only structure that remains is its boundary walls.

The Tomb architecture during Delhi sultanate:

Since the Delhi sultanate had a significant influence on the capital of Delhi:

• Indo-Islamic Fusion: The art and architecture of Delhi Sultanate also represented a fusion of Islamic and Indian styles.
• This is evident in Hindu motifs such as lotus and bell-shaped domes in Islamic buildings.
• For example, the Qutub Minar features intricate carvings of Hindu deities, along with Arabic inscriptions.
• Use of Red Sandstone: The Delhi Sultanate rulers extensively used locally available materials such as red sandstone, which was abundant in the region.

Polity and Governance

Mission on Advanced and High-Impact Research (MAHIR)’

The Ministry of Power and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy have jointly launched a National Mission to quickly identify emerging technologies in the power sector and develop them indigenously, at scale, for deployment within and outside India.

About:

• The National Mission, titled “Mission on Advanced and High-Impact Research (MAHIR)” aims to facilitate indigenous research, development and demonstration of the latest and emerging technologies in the power sector.
• By identifying emerging technologies and taking them to the implementation stage, the Mission seeks to leverage them as the main fuel for future economic growth and thus make India a manufacturing hub of the world.

The key objectives of the Mission are as follows:

• To identify emerging technologies and areas of future relevance for the Global Power Sector and take up indigenous end-to-end development of relevant technologies
• To provide a common platform for Power Sector Stakeholders for collective brainstorming, synergetic technology development and devise pathways for smooth transfer of technology
• To support pilot projects of indigenous technologies (developed especially by Indian Start-ups) and facilitate their commercialization
• To leverage foreign alliances and partnerships to accelerate research & development of advanced technologies and to build competencies, capabilities and access to advanced technologies through bilateral or multilateral collaborations, thereby facilitating exchange of knowhow and Technology Transfer.
• To seed, nurture and scale up scientific and industrial R&D and to create vibrant & innovative ecosystem in the Power Sector of the country
• To make our Nation among the leading Countries in Power System related Technologies & Applications development

Economy

UPI transaction limit set by Indian banks

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions have been on the rise since its introduction however, Banks like HDFC, State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI have set a limit on UPI transactions.

About UPI:

• It was introduced by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016.
• NPCI has set out guidelines for UPI transactions stating that a person can initiate a maximum payment of Rs.1 lakh per day through UPI.
• The UPI limit varies from small banks like Canara Bank which allows Rs.25,000 transactions, to big banks like SBI that have set a limit of Rs.1 lakh.
• In addition to the money limit levied on UPI transactions, NPCI has also set a limit on the number of transactions per day.
• The new regulations state that per day a person is allowed up to 20 transactions post which they are required to wait for 24 hours to renew transactions. However, the limit can vary depending on the banks.

For other payment banks:

• Google Pay, Paytm, and Amazon Pay UPI have set a limit of Rs.1 lakh per day along with a total of up to ten transaction limits across all UPI apps and bank account.

Environment

Apocalyptic skies

Recently, the cities like Montreal, Toronto and New York, are covered in heavy smog as around 400 fires burn incidents occurred in Canada.

About:

• The event can poses a significant health risks to tens of millions of residents in the United States and Canada, particularly those living in close proximity to the affected areas.
• New York City’s air quality remains in the “very unhealthy” category as more thick smoke poured south from Canada’s devastating wildfires.

What are Wild fires?

• Wildfires require right climatic conditions, burnable fuel and a spark.
• Rising temperatures suck moisture out of plants, creating an abundance of dry fuel.
• While dry vegetation is the burnable fuel that serves as kindling for fires, the spark is sometimes caused by lightning, at other times by accident or recklessness of the local population.
• Wildfire smoke contains various harmful pollutants, including fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides. 

Science and Technology

Griscelli Syndrome

In a remarkable medical breakthrough, Rainbow Children’s Hospital recently achieved a significant milestone by successfully treating a 3 years old female patient diagnosed with Griscelli syndrome type 2, a rare genetic condition.

About the disease:

• The disease is compounded by the development of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), an immune system abnormality affecting her brain, the patient faced difficulty in walking for the past six months.
• Cure: With limited options available, the only curative treatment deemed viable was a bone marrow transplant (BMT).