About Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) Scheme:

• It is a flagship scheme of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) launched in 2022.
• It aims to fund research and development (R&D) in rural-specific communication technology applications.
• It encourages collaboration among academia, startups, research institutes, and industry stakeholders to drive innovation.
• It provides milestone-based financial assistance to eligible entities, ensuring ease of compliance and adequate funding.
• It supports the development of state-of-the-art telecom solutions in key sectors such as education, agriculture, health and water management.
• Funding under the scheme is provided through the Digital Bharat Nidhi (formerly known as the Universal Service Obligation Fund).

Eligibility Criteria for TTDF

• Domestic Companies with a focus on telecom R&D, Use case development.
• Startups/MSMEs
• Academic institutions
• R&D institutions, Section 8 companies/societies, Central & State government entities/PSUs/Autonomous Bodies/SPVs/Limited liability partnerships- with a focus on telecom R&D.
• Collaborative consortium of the above entities.
• For Pilots: The above entities may partner, inter alia, with PSUs, TSPs, Central/State Government entities, government autonomous bodies, SPVs, etc.
• For Pilot application: Minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 is required.

• Some exclusions also exist:
  • Domestic companies receiving grants must maintain their ‘Domestic Company’ status for at least two years after project completion.
  • If a foreign investor or foreign Successor-in-Interest acquires a majority stake in the company within two years post-project, they must repay double the grant amount.
  • Expenditures on items like land and buildings are not eligible under the fund.
  • Preference is given to projects with minimum TTRLs, so very early-stage or theoretical research without clear application may be excluded.

About Development Communication and Information Dissemination Scheme:

• It is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• It supports the information dissemination and citizen outreach of Government programmes/ schemes/initiatives.
• It emphasizes on reaching out to the rural, tribal, remote and urban populations across the country.
• Implementation: The scheme is implemented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting through its media units - Central Bureau of Communication (CBC), Press Information Bureau (PIB), and New Media Wing (NMW).

What is Central Bureau of Communication (CBC)?

• It is a unit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Mandate: It has mandate of providing communication solutions to Ministries, Departments, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), and autonomous bodies.
• Background: It was set up by the integration of the erstwhile Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP), and Song & Drama Division (S&DD).
• Function: It is engaged in the process of educating people, both rural and urban, about the Government’s policies and programmes to evoke their participation in developmental activities.

About National Council of Science Museums (NCSM):

• It is an autonomous society under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
• NCSM, with its headquarters in Kolkata, has its own network of science museums/centres spread across the country and a Central Research & Training Laboratory (CRTL) in Kolkata.
  • CRTL is the Council’s central hub for professional training, research, and development.
• National-Level Centres of NCSM:
  • Science City, Kolkata
  • Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM), Kolkata
  • Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai
  • Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM), Bangalore
  • National Science Centre, Delhi
  • National Science Centre, Guwahati
• Except for Science City, Kolkata, all have regional and sub-regional/district science centres called Satellite Units (SUs).
• In addition, NCSM develops Science Centres/museums for different States and Union Territories.
• NCSM has also developed several centres and galleries for different Government organisations such as ONGC, BEL, ICAR, etc.
• It has also collaborated internationally for the development of Museum/Science Centres or for galleries such as the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre, Mauritius; ‘India’ gallery on Buddhism at the ‘International Buddhist Museum’, Kandy, Sri Lanka;
• It also strives to communicate science to empower people through its Mobile Science Exhibitions, Lectures and Demonstrations, Training and Workshops, Publications, etc.
• Today, NCSM forms the largest network of science centres and museums in the world under a single administrative umbrella.

About Three New Moth Species:

• The three species are Gelechia bilobuncusa, Gelechia adi, and Istrianis ladakhensis.
• They were discovered in the high-altitude landscapes of the Himalayas.
• Gelechia bilobuncusa:
  • It was found in Himachal Pradesh.
  • Its name is a scientific nod to the unique bilobed shape of its uncus, a part of the male genitalia.
  • It is characterised by pale brown wings with irregularly scattered black scales.
• Gelechia adi:
  • It was discovered in the Ramsing area of Arunachal Pradesh.
  • It is named in honour of the local Adi tribe inhabiting the Upper Siang district.
  • It is visually distinct, featuring ivory-white forewings interrupted by a dramatic black streak across the base and triangular spots.
• Istrianis ladakhensis:
  • It is named after its type locality in Ladakh.
  • This moth is adapted to the high-altitude environment, sporting light brown wings mottled with dark grey, white, and orange scales, distinguishing it from its closest relatives in the genus.

What are Moths?

• Moths are insects that belong to the order Lepidoptera, which they share with butterflies.
• Highly adapted, they live in all but polar habitats.
• Moths vary greatly in size.
• They often have duller colors compared to butterflies, which helps with camouflage.
• Moth antennae are often feathery, unlike the thin and clubbed antennae of butterflies.
• Most moths are active at night, but some are diurnal.
• The larvae and adults of most moth species are plant eaters.

About Hormuz Island:

• It is a hilly island of Iran on the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, 8 km off the coast.
• It is known for its unique scenery and colorful soil, which has earned it the nickname, “Rainbow Island”.
• It is covered by sedimentary rock and volcanic ash.
• The landscape of Hormuz Island is mostly red in color. This is due to a high concentration of iron oxide, especially a mineral called hematite.
• Whenever waves from the ocean hit the sands of Hormuz Island, those waves turn pink.
• But although the island is well-known for its red landscape, it is also known for various other colors.
  • Colors to be seen in the island’s sand and soil include red, gold, silver, and white.
• It is mostly barren. Hormuz village is the only permanent settlement.
• People native to the island belong to an ethnic group known as the Bandari.

About SabhaSaar Initiative:

• It is an AI-enabled voice-to-text meeting summarisation tool.
• It is launched by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
• It has been made available to all States/UTs, and Gram Panchayats are progressively adopting it for routine Gram Sabha and Panchayat meetings.
• The AI model used in SabhaSaar operates on AI and cloud infrastructure provisioned through the India AI Compute Portal under the India AI Mission.
• Features of SabhaSaar Initiative:
  • It leverages the power of AI to generate structured minutes of meetings from gram sabha videos and audio recordings.
  • It will bring uniformity in minutes of the gram sabha meetings across the country.
  • Panchayat officials can use their e-GramSwaraj login credentials to upload video/audio recordings on ‘SabhaSaar’.
  • It is built on Bhashini, an AI-powered language translation platform launched by the government to bridge literacy, language, and digital divides.
  • The tool generates transcription from a video or audio, translates it into a chosen output language and prepares a summary.
  • It enables transcription in all major Indian languages like Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Gujarati, in addition to English.
  • Significance: It is ideal for panchayats, administrative bodies, and rural development projects as it streamlines documentation and empowers stakeholders with instant access to meeting insights.

About White Spot Disease:

• It is a highly contagious viral infection that affects crustaceans such as prawns, yabbies and crabs.
• Causative Agent: It is caused by a virus called as White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV).
• Host range: All decapod crustaceans (order Decapoda), including prawns, lobsters and crabs from marine, brackish or freshwater environments, are considered susceptible to the infection.
• Symptoms: The affected shrimp exhibit anorexia, lethargy, reddish discoloration and presence of circular white spots on the carapace and other exoskeletal parts.
• Transmission: It can be transmitted both horizontally as well as vertically.
  • Vertical transmission: It occurs from infected brood stock to postlarvae.
  • Horizontal transmission: It is through carrier animals or through cannibalism of infected organisms.
• It has been officially reported from Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

About Freshwater Sponge:

• Freshwater sponges are the earliest multicellular eukaryotes.
• They filter large volumes of water and are vital for ecosystem health.
• Habitat: They grow on sturdy submerged objects in clean streams, lakes, and rivers.
• Sponges are filter feeders. They obtain food from the flow of water through their bodies and from symbiotic algae. 
• Appearance: Many freshwater sponges appear green because they contain algae, which live on sponges in a symbiotic relationship.
• Reproduction: They can reproduce sexually or asexually.
  • When small piece is broken off and grow into new sponges.
  • The sponge forms gemmules.
• Ecological Role: They act both as bioindicators and absorbents of toxic metals like arsenic, lead, and cadmium and can be a promising solution for bioremediation.
• They are effective bio indicators for monitoring water quality and pollution levels in estuarine and freshwater ecosystems.