Bima Sugam
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) approved the setting up of Bima Sugam.
- Bima Sugam – An insurance e-market with open standards and an interoperable platform.
- Formed under – Section 8 of Companies Act, 2013 as a not-for-profit company.
- Objective – Achieve the vision of “Insurance for all by 2047”.
- Significance – Act as a one-stop solution for all insurance stakeholder’s vis-a-vis customers, insurers, intermediaries, or insurance intermediaries.
Postal ballots
Election Commission has notified Postal ballots for essential services workers.
- Postal ballots – Mechanism to allow eligible voters to exercise their franchise when they are unable to cast their votes in person.
- Paper used in Postal Ballot is different from the one used in the EVM.
- Eligible voters for Postal ballots –
- Service voters (members of armed forces, Armed Police Force of a State, government employees, etc.)
- Absentee voters (senior citizens, person with disability, etc.)
- Electors on election duty or under preventive detention.
Shiva and Shakti
Scientists have discovered the earliest building blocks of Milky Way, named them Shiva and Shakti.
- Shiva and Shakti – Remnants of 2 galaxies that merged between 12 and 13 billion years ago to form Milky way.
- Discovered by – European Space Agency‘s astrometry satellite Gaia
- Characteristics –
- Shakti stars orbit a little further from Milky Way’s centre and in more circular orbits than Shiva stars.
- Understanding these stars can give insights into Milky Way’s formation process
SCO Startup Forum
Latest edition of the SCO Startup Forum was organized in New Delhi.
- Objective – Broadening Startup interactions among the SCO Member States and fostering an environment conducive to innovation.
- Established by – Special Working Group for Startups and Innovation (SWG) at the Summit of SCO Heads of State in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), 2022
- SWG – Permanently chaired by India.
Orans, Dev Vans, Runds
Rajasthan recently notified to recognize orans, dev vans and runds as deemed forests has sparked fear among community dwellers.
- Orans – Community-preserved sacred groves in Rajasthan, also known as “virgin” forests found in Aravalli Mountain Range and the Great Indian Desert of Rajasthan.
- Dev vans – Sacred forests that perform ecological functions such as water recharging, nutrient cycling, biodiversity conservation, and preventing soil erosion.
- Runds – Traditionally conserved open forests.