Some New Current Affairs Points: Prepared by Saurabh Kr.

Pandey
New Parliament Building
Architect: Bimal Patel

The new Parliament has been constructed on three themes – the banyan tree,
peacock (Lok Sabha) and the lotus (Rajya Sabha).
The historic “Sengol" will also be installed near the Lok Sabha speaker’s seat.
The peacock theme extends to the carpets and ceiling of the Lok Sabha.

The carpets in the new Parliament have been sourced from Mirzapur in Uttar
Pradesh and the stone carvings from Rajasthan, reflecting the diverse culture of
India.
The teakwood used in the new Parliament building was sourced from Nagpur in
Maharashtra, while the red and white sandstone was procured from Sarmathura
in Rajasthan. The sandstone for the Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb in the
national capital was also known to have been sourced from Sarmathura.
The Kesharia green stone has been carefully procured from the city of Udaipur,
while the red granite has been sourced from the vicinity of Lakha near Ajmer.
Additionally, the white marble used in the project has been meticulously
obtained from Ambaji in Rajasthan.
The materials for the Ashoka Emblem were sourced from Aurangabad in
Maharashtra and Jaipur in Rajasthan. The Ashok Chankra which dons the walls
of the two Houses of Parliament were procured from Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

Aditya L1
Project Director of Aditya L 1: Nigar Shaji (Woman Scientist)

The launch of Aditya-L1 by PSLV-C57 rocket was successfully accomplished

by ISRO on September 2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

Aditya-L1 is India’s first space based observatory to study the Sun. The
spacecraft has travelled beyond a distance of 9.2 lakh kilometres from Earth,
successfully escaping the sphere of Earth’s influence. It is now navigating its
path towards the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1)
The space agency added that this is the second time in succession that ISRO
could send a spacecraft outside the sphere of influence of the Earth, the first
time being the Mars Orbiter Mission. Aditya-L1’s 110-day journey towards the
L1 point which lies between the Sun-Earth line. L1 is about 1.5 million km
from the Earth and the distance of L1 from Earth is approximately 1% of the
Earth-Sun distance.
Aditya-L1 which is dedicated to the comprehensive study of the Sun has seven
payloads. Five payloads were developed by ISRO and two by Indian academic
institutes in collaboration with the space agency.

Upon arrival at the L1 point in January 2024, another manoeuvre will be

performed which will bind Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1.

Aditya-L1 has a mission life of five years during which its payloads are
expected to provide the most crucial information to understand the problem of
coronal heating; coronal mass ejection; pre-flare and flare activities and their
characteristics; dynamics of space weather; and propagation of particles and
fields.

Man Booker International 2023

Georgi Gospdinov won the International Booker prize for the novel “ Time
Shelter”. He shared the award with Angela Rodel who translated this novel.
It was the first novel originally published in Bulgarian conferred with this
award.
The International Booker Prize is awarded annually for a single book, translated
into English and published in the UK or Ireland.

The International Booker Prize is an international literary award hosted in

the United Kingdom. Sponsored by the Man Group, from 2005 until 2015 the
award was given every two years to a living author of any nationality for a body
of work published in English or generally available in English translation. It
rewarded one author's "continued creativity, development and overall
contribution to fiction on the world stage", and was a recognition of the writer's
body of work rather than any one title.Since 2016, the award has been given
annually.

2022:- Gitanjali Shree and Daisy Rockwell Tomb of Sand(Ret Samadhi)

UNESCO Heritage List : 2 New Indian Heritage Sites added

India recently added Santiniketan (West Bngal) and the Hoysala ensemble of
temples (Karnataka) to the UNESCO Heritage List, marking the inclusion of 42
Indian sites receiving this distinction.
Santiniketan(41st) was established by India's Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath
Tagore in 1901, as a residential school and a cultural centre. The poet who
authored India's national anthem also established Visva-Bharati university over
a century ago in 1921 in Santiniketan.
Santiniketan is the third site in West Bengal, after the Sundarbans National Park
and the Darjeeling Mountain Railways to be included in the list. Last year, the
state’s Durga Puja got space in the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of humanity”
list of the UNESCO.
A day after the Santiniketan inclusion, UNESCO announced the inscription of
the 13th-century sacred ensemble of temples of the Hoysala rulers — the famed
temples of Belur, Halebid and Somananthpura in Karnataka — into the World
Heritage list.

Operation Sajag
‘Operation Sajag’, a drill involving all stakeholders of the coastal security
construct, was conducted by the Indian Coast Guard along the west coast on
September 18, 2023. The drill facilitates revalidation of the coastal security
mechanism and bring awareness among the fishermen at sea.
During the drill, extensive checking and verification of documents and crew
passes of all fishing boats, barges and craft at sea was undertaken. A total of 118
ships including those from Customs, Marine Police, Ports & Indian Navy
participated in the drill.
In order to strengthen the coastal security construct, a slew of measures have been
incorporated ranging from Issuance of Biometric cards for the fishermen, colour
coding of fishing boats as per each state, manning of fish landing centres and
access control at entry/exit check points, coastal mapping, designating specific
marine band frequency for security agencies, training of marine police personnel
by Indian Coast Guard amongst others.

Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2023

Waheeda Rehman is the recipient of 2023 Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime
Achievement Award for the year 2021

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema. It
is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate
of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting. The recipient is honoured for their "outstanding contribution to
the growth and development of Indian cinema". The award comprises a Swarna
Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of ₹10Lakhs.

Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke was an Indian

producer-director-screenwriter, known as "the Father of Indian cinema".His
debut film, Raja Harishchandra, was the first Indian movie released in 1913.

1st recipient:- Devika rani (1969)

2020:Asha Parekh

Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards

Best Film: The Kashmir Files
Best Director: R Balki for Chup: Revenge of The Artist
Best Actor: Ranbir Kapoor for Brahmastra: Part 1
Best Actress: Alia Bhatt for Gangubai Kathiawadi
Outstanding Contribution In The Film Industry: Rekha
Film of The Year: RRR
About the Award
Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF) was founded in 2012 and
established in 2016 to carry forward the legacy of Late Shri Dhundiraj Govind
Phalke, lovingly known as Dadasaheb Phalke – The Father of Indian Cinema. It
is India’s only independent international film festival, with a mission to
celebrate the work of aspiring, young, independent & professional filmmakers.

The aim is to honor the lifetime effort of Shri Dadasaheb Phalke ji and so, the
festival celebrates the brilliance of the Indian film industry by making an effort
to acknowledge and aid nascent projects by bringing them to mainstream
audiences. DPIFF is a unique initiative intended to honor the Entertainment
Industry and to appreciate creativity in the spectacular world of cinema.
Sengol

On May 28th 2023, the PM Modi inaugurated new Parliament building, which
is part of the Central Vista redevelopment project.

 One of the highlights of the event was the the installation of

a historic golden sceptre, called Sengol, near the Speaker’s seat.
 The Sengol is a symbol of India’s independence and sovereignty,
as well as its cultural heritage and diversity.
Historical Significance of Sengol?
 The Sengol is profound in meaning, derived from the Tamil
word “Semmai”, it means “Righteousness”. It was made of gold or
silver and was often decorated with precious stones.
 A Sengol sceptre was carried by emperors on ceremonial
occasions, and used to represent their authority.
 It is associated with the Chola Empire, one of the longest-ruling
and most influential dynasties in South India.
 o The Cholas ruled over parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala,
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and
Sri Lanka from the 9th to 13th century CE.
o They were known for their military prowess, maritime
trade, administrative efficiency, cultural patronage,
and temple architecture.
 The Cholas had a tradition of handing over the Sengol sceptre
from one king to another as a mark of succession and legitimacy.
o The ceremony was usually performed by a high priest or
a guru who blessed the new king and conferred him
with the Sengol.
How Sengol Became a Part of India’s Independence?
 Before independence from the British rule in 1947, the then
Viceroy - Lord Mountbatten posed a question to the to-be Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru: “What is the ceremony that should be
followed to symbolise the transfer of power from British to
Indian hands?”
o PM Nehru then consulted C.
Rajagopalachari, commonly known as Rajaji, who went
on to become the last Governor-General of India.
 Rajaji suggested that the Chola model of
handing over the Sengol sceptre could be
adopted as a suitable ceremony for India’s
independence.
 He said that it would reflect India’s ancient
civilisation and culture, as well as its unity
in diversity.
o The Sengol sceptre was presented to PM Nehru by
Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam (a 500-year-old
Saivaite monastery) on August 14, 1947.
 A golden sceptre was crafted by Vummidi Bangaru Chetty, a
famous jeweller in Madras (now Chennai).
o The Nandi, with its unyielding gaze as the beholder
of “Nyaya”, is hand-carved at the top.
Where is Sengol Now and Why is it Being Installed in the New Parliament
Building?
  After receiving the Sengol sceptre in 1947, Nehru kept it at his
residence in Delhi for some time.
o He then decided to donate it to Anand Bhavan Museum
in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), his ancestral home.
 The museum was established by his father
Motilal Nehru in 1930 to preserve the history
and legacy of India’s freedom movement.
o The Sengol sceptre remained at Anand Bhavan
Museum for over seven decades.
 In 2021-22, when the Central Vista redevelopment project was
underway, the government decided to revive this historical event
and install the Sengol sceptre in the new Parliament building.
o It will be placed near the Speaker’s seat in the new
Parliament building and will be accompanied by a plaque
that will explain its history and meaning.
 The installation of Sengol in the new Parliament building is not just
a symbolic gesture but also a meaningful message.
o It signifies that India’s democracy is rooted in its
ancient traditions and values and that it is inclusive and
respectful of its diversity and plurality.
What is the Central Vista Redevelopment Project?
 The Central Vista Redevelopment Project is a project that aims to
revamp the Central Vista, India’s central administrative area located
near Raisina Hill, New Delhi.
o The area was originally designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens
and Sir Herbert Baker during British colonial rule and
was retained by Government of India after independence.
Note:
In Union Budget 2022-23, the Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs was allocated an amount of Rs 2,600 crore for the
construction of non-residential office buildings of the ambitious
Central Vista project, including the Parliament as well as the
Supreme Court of India.
Chat GPT
Chat GPT stands for Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer
Chat GPT is an artificial intelligence program that generates dialogue. Created
by Open AI, this high-capable chatbot uses machine learning algorithms to
process and analyze large amounts of data to generate responses to user
inquiries. This language processing program is able to understand human
language as it is spoken and written, allowing it to understand the information it
is fed, and what to spit back out.
Features and Limitations of ChatGPT

One of the key features of chat GPT is its ability to generate responses like
humans in real-time, based on the user’s input. It can give natural answers to
questions in a conversational tone and can generate stories, essays, and poems.
Moreover, Chat GPT can:

 Answer questions
 Solve math equations
 Translate between languages
 Debug and fix code
 Write a story/poem
 Classify things
Perhaps more amazing is the ease at which ChatGPT produces these responses.
Students could potentially spend hours researching and drafting an essay on
quantum mechanics, whereas ChatGPT can produce a well-written alternative in
seconds.

While ChatGPT can populate a pristine essay on the cultural impact of the
Spanish-American War, there are limitations. Due to its infancy, the chatbot
may generate incorrect information or have a comprehensive understanding of a
topic because answers are based on data that is limited to 2020 and prior.