Centre declares Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali as classical languages

The Union Cabinet officially granted classical language status to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali, recognizing their historical and cultural significance. This decision marks a significant addition to India’s classical language list, which was first established on October 12, 2004, with the declaration of Tamil as a classical language. The category was created to honor languages with a long and rich history, ancient literature, and cultural heritage.

The status of a classical language is granted based on specific criteria, including the language’s antiquity, with recorded texts dating back over a thousand years, a body of ancient literature considered a valuable heritage by generations, and an original literary tradition not borrowed from other linguistic communities.

The Linguistic Experts Committee (LEC), constituted by the Ministry of Culture under Sahitya Akademi in November 2004, reviewed and revised the criteria, leading to the declaration of Sanskrit as a classical language in 2005. Since then, Telugu (2008), Kannada (2008), Malayalam (2013), and Odia (2014) have also received classical language status.

Proposals from Maharashtra, Bihar, Assam, and West Bengal to recognize Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali were reviewed by the LEC. After extensive consultations, the committee, in a meeting held on July 25, 2024, unanimously recommended these languages for classical status.

The Ministry of Education has undertaken several initiatives to promote classical languages, including establishing three Central Universities in 2020 to promote Sanskrit and the Central Institute of Classical Tamil, which focuses on translating ancient Tamil texts and promoting research. Centers for Excellence for Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Odia studies were also established under the Central Institute of Indian Languages in Mysuru.

The recognition of these languages as classical will open new avenues for employment in academics, research, archiving, translation, and digital media. Preservation and digitization of ancient texts will create job opportunities in these fields. The primary states benefiting from this initiative include Maharashtra (Marathi), Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh (Pali and Prakrit), West Bengal (Bengali), and Assam (Assamese). Classical languages serve as vital custodians of India’s ancient cultural heritage, representing the historical milestones of various communities across the nation. This move is expected to bolster cultural pride and enhance academic engagement with these languages, both nationally and internationally.

Source: DD News

Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 with one half to David Baker(University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA) “for computational protein design” and the other half jointly to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper (both are from Google DeepMind, London, UK) “for protein structure prediction”.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 is about pro­teins, life’s ingenious chemical tools. David Baker has succeeded with the almost impossible feat of building entirely new kinds of proteins. Demis Hassabis and John Jumper have developed an AI model to solve a 50-year-old problem: predicting proteins’ complex structures. These discoveries hold enormous potential.

Mithun Chakraborty receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Actor Mithun Chakraborty, widely regarded as one of the most versatile figures in Indian cinema, will be honored with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2022.

Mithun Chakraborty’s journey from humble beginnings to becoming a celebrated film star has been one of determination and resilience. Born Gourang Chakraborty on June 16, 1950, in Kolkata, West Bengal, he earned national recognition with his very first film, Mrigayaa (1976), for which he won the National Film Award for Best Actor. An alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Mithun went on to establish a lasting legacy in Indian cinema.

He rose to prominence with his role in Disco Dancer* (1982), a film that became a major success in India and abroad, and cemented his status as a dance icon. His dynamic performance and unique dance style in the film brought disco music into the mainstream of Indian cinema, and his popularity soared.

In addition to Disco Dancer, his notable work includes a powerful supporting role in Agneepath (1990), for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. Mithun Chakraborty has also garnered two more National Film Awards for his roles in Tahader Katha (1992) and Swami Vivekananda (1998), showcasing his versatility across a range of genres. Mithun Chakraborty’s contributions are not limited to the silver screen. Over the course of a nearly five-decade-long career, he has acted in over 350 films across multiple languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Odia, Bhojpuri, and Telugu. His diverse filmography reflects his ability to portray a wide spectrum of characters, from action heroes to emotional, complex roles.

Mithun Chakraborty has also demonstrated his commitment to public service and social welfare through his tenure as a Member of Parliament. Mithun Chakraborty has been recognized with numerous accolades throughout his illustrious career, including the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honors. His influence on Indian cinema is profound, and his legacy continues to inspire generations of actors, filmmakers, and audiences.

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024 given to Victor Ambros (Affiliation at the time of the award: UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA) and Gary Ruvkun (Affiliation at the time of the award: Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA)  for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.

The information stored within our chromosomes can be likened to an instruction manual for all cells in our body. Every cell contains the same chromosomes, so every cell contains exactly the same set of genes and exactly the same set of instructions. Yet, different cell types, such as muscle and nerve cells, have very distinct characteristics. How do these differences arise? The answer lies in gene regulation, which allows each cell to select only the relevant instructions. This ensures that only the correct set of genes is active in each cell type.

President of India to Confer National Geoscience Awards-2023

The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu confers the prestigious National Geoscience Awards - 2023 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, New Delhi in the august presence of Union Minister for Coal & Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy and Minister of State for Coal & Mines Shri Satish Chandra Dubey.

The National Geoscience Award (NGA) is one of the oldest and most prestigious national awards in geosciences, instituted by the Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India in 1966. Before 2009, these awards were called National Mineral Awards. The objective of these Awards is to honour individuals and teams for extraordinary achievements and outstanding contributions in various fields of geosciences i.e. mineral discovery & exploration, Mining Technology & Mineral Beneficiation, and fundamental/ applied geosciences. Any citizen of India who has made a significant contribution in any field of geosciences is eligible for the award. The Ministry of Mines confers National Geoscience Awards every year in three categories:

• National Geoscience Award for Lifetime Achievement
• National Geoscience Award
• National Young Geoscientist Award

For NGA 2023, 240 nominations were received under different award categories and examined through a three-stage screening process. After detailed deliberations, the Ministry of Mines has finally selected 12 awards which include 09 individual awards and 03 team awards. The 09 individual awards also include the 01 award for the National Geoscience Award for Lifetime Achievement and the 01 award for the National Young Geoscientist Award. These 12 National Geoscience Awards will be presented to 21 Geoscientists by the President of India in the august presence of distinguished geoscientists, scholars, policymakers, and industry leaders.

The National Geoscience Award for Lifetime Achievement will be conferred upon Prof. Dhiraj Mohan Banerjee, Emeritus Scientist, INSA and the National Young Geoscientist Award will be presented to Dr. Ashutosh Pandey, Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram.

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh took over as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS)

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh took over as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) at a ceremony at Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan). The CAS was commissioned on 21 December 1984 in the fighter stream of the IAF. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College and National Defence College. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor and an Experimental Test Pilot with more than 5000 hours of service flying on a variety of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

His operational tenures include being the Commanding Officer of a MiG-27 Sqn and Air Officer Commanding an air base. As a test pilot, he led the Mig 29 Upgrade Project Management Team at Moscow, Russia. He was also the Project Director (Flight Test) at the National Flight Test Centre looking after the flight testing of Tejas. During his career spanning four decades, the CAS has tenanted staff appointments as Air Defence Commander at HQ South Western Air Command and Senior Air Staff Officer at Eastern Air Command. Before taking over as Chief of the Air Staff, he was the Vice Chief of the Air Staff.

The CAS is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM).In his address to the IAF, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said that he is honoured and privileged to have been entrusted with the responsibility of leading the Indian Air Force. Extending greetings to all Air Warriors, Non-Combatants (Enrolled), DSC personnel, civilians and their families, CAS expressed absolute faith and confidence in their unstinted support and dedication towards maintaining IAF's operational capability at an all-time high.

ADB projects India’s growth for 2024 - 25

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected India’s economic growth at 7% for the financial year 2024 and 7.2% for FY2025, stating that the country’s economy remains strong. ADB’s Country Director for India, Mio Oka, said that India has displayed resilience in the face of global geopolitical challenges and is set for steady expansion. Oka added that improvements in agriculture are expected to boost rural spending, complementing the robust performance of the industry and services sectors.

In its September edition of the Asian Development Outlook (ADO), ADB reported that a favorable monsoon across most regions of India is expected to lead to strong agricultural output, positively impacting the rural economy in FY2024. Additionally, the report holds an optimistic view of the industry and services sectors, private investments, and urban consumption for both FY2024 and FY2025.

The new government policy offering employment-linked incentives to workers and firms is expected to increase labor demand and support job creation beginning in FY2025. The report says “With the government’s fiscal consolidation efforts, central government debt is projected to decrease from 58.2% of GDP in FY2023 to 56.8% in FY2024. The general government deficit, which includes state governments, is expected to fall below 8% of GDP in FY2024.”

However, consumer inflation is expected to rise to 4.7% in FY2024 due to higher food prices, despite an increase in agricultural output. ADB noted that inflation has kept the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from lowering policy interest rates. Should agricultural supply improve and food prices moderate, the central bank may consider easing interest rates in FY2024, which could facilitate credit expansion.