Prelims Focus-28th September 2023

1.Dadasaheb Phalke Award

In News: Recently, the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister announced that legendary actress Waheeda Rehman will be honored with the Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award  2021.

• Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest film industry award. 
• It is awarded annually at the national film awards ceremony by the Board of Film Festivals, an organization established by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. 
• Recipients of the award are recognized for their “outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema”. 
• The award includes a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a scarf and a cash prize of 10 lakh rupees. 
• The Government of India presented the award to  Dadasaheb Phalke for his contribution to Indian cinema. 
• He is popularly known as the “Father of Indian Cinema”. 
• It was first awarded in 1969. The first recipient of the award was actress Devika Rani, the “First Lady of Indian Cinema”.

2.Balsam

In News: Balsams (family Impatiens) bloom in Munnar, providing a visual feast for tourists.

• Locally it is called Kasithumba and Onappovu. 
• It is known as “touch me” because of the bursting and cracking of the ripe seeds. 
• They are often known by different names such as balsams, touch me not, jewel grass etc.  
• It is found in tropical, subtropical and northern temperate regions of the world. 
• It is found mainly in India, China and Africa and some parts of Europe and North America. 
• There are 220 species of balsam  in India, of which 135 are found in the southern Western Ghats.  
• Anamudi, the highest mountain in the Western Ghats, and the surrounding high hills are known for the variety of wild balsams. 
• The normal life cycle of balsams is from June to December. 
• The plant grows mainly in pockets of forest areas. 
• This succulent orophyte plant generally prefers moist habitats and completes its life cycle during the rainy season. 
• It is an important indicator species of climate change.

3.SHAKTI-2023

In News: SHAKTI-2023 was a nationwide mega-event organized under the theme “Women in Technological Development and Social Upliftment”.

• • SHAKTI-2023 is “Sthree in HVACR(heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration) & Architecture and Key in Transforming the Industry”. 
  • It is organized by Indian Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Climinating Engineers (ISHRAE), Kalpakkam Chapter and  Women Scientists of India. Association (IWSA), Kalpakkam Branch  with Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR). 

• Objectives: 

• • It focuses on the research and development of green technologies with the help of scientists, engineers and academics. 
  • It plans to monitor, control and mitigate household air pollution in rural India. 
  • It aims to help achieve “Net Zero Emissions 2070” by reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

4.Shi Yan 6

In News: The Chinese ship Shi Yan 6 has reached the Indian Ocean, which India and the United States have expressed concern about.

• The Chinese ship, named Shi Yan 6, plans to conduct research in the Indian Ocean during an 80-day mission. 
• Shi Yan 6 entered the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Malacca. 
• While India has clearly told Sri Lanka to deal with its security and strategic issues, China has Colombo under its thumb because of its mounting debt. 
• The Chinese research vessel Shi Yan 6 is part of a geophysical  research expedition organized by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanography (SCSIO) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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