Dekho Apna Desh Webinar on Khajuraho Temples

The Ministry of Tourism recently organized a webinar on “Khajuraho Temples of Architectural Splendour” under Dekho Apna Desh.

About Dekho Apna Desh webinar

• Ministry of Tourism launched the Dekho Apna Desh webinar series in April 2020.
• Its objective is to create awareness about and promote various tourism destinations in India.
• It is also an effort to showcase India’s rich diversity under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.

About Khajuraho Temples:

• Khajuraho Group of Monuments is a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh.
• It was built by the Chandella rulers between AD 900 and 1130.
• It is situated within the Vindhya Mountain range in Central India.
• The temple got the status of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site in 1986.
• The temples are famous for their Nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures.
• These temples are famous for intricate & exceptional carvings and surprising architectural skills.
• The first documented mention of Khajuraho was made in 641 by Xuanzang, a Chinese pilgrim.
  • Later, the Khajuraho temples were also found mentioned by Abu Raihan al Biruni in AD 1022 and the Arab traveller Ibn Battuta in AD 1335.
• Ministry of Tourism included Khajuraho Temples as one of the sites under the “Iconic Tourist Sites Initiative”.
  • Iconic Tourist Sites Initiative announced in Budget 2019-20.
  • It aims to develop the selected sites into world-class tourist destinations to serve as a model for other tourism sites.
• The 10th-century Bhand Deva Temple in Rajasthan was built in the style of the Khajuraho monuments and is often referred to as ‘Little Khajuraho’.

World Press Freedom Index 2021

The World Press Freedom Index 2021 was recently released.

About World Press Freedom Index:

• The index is Published by Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) or Reporters Without Borders since 2002.
• The Index ranks 180 countries and regions according to the level of freedom available to journalists.
  • However, the index neither ranks public policies and nor is it an indicator of the quality of journalism in each country or region.
• The index ranks 180 countries based on the following parameters, such as
  • a) pluralism,
  • b) media independence
  • c) environment and self-censorship
  • d) legislative framework
  • e) Transparency
  • f) Infrastructure, and
  • g) Abuses.

Key Findings Related to India:

• India ranks 142nd on the World Press Freedom Index 2021. The rank is the same as in 2020 after it had consistently slid down from 133 in 2016.
• India continues to be counted among the countries classified “bad” for journalism.
• Similarly, India is termed as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their jobs properly.

Other key Findings:

• Norway tops the index, followed by Finland and Denmark.
• China ranks 177 in the index. It is only above North Korea at 179 and Turkmenistan at 178.
• India’s South Asian neighbourhood: Nepal is at 106, Sri Lanka at 127, Myanmar (before the coup) at 140, Pakistan at 145, and Bangladesh at 152.
• The report shows that journalism is completely or partially blocked in 73% of all the countries on the index

Global Youth Mobilization Initiative Launched by UN

Recently, United Nations agencies, youth organisations, and WHO have come together to launch the Global Youth Mobilization initiative for local Solutions.

About Global Youth Mobilization Initiative:

• World Health Organization and United Nations Foundation are supporting Global Youth Mobilization Initiative.
• It is also led by the world’s six largest youth organisations, including
  1. The World Alliance of Young Men’s Christian Associations
  2. World Young Women’s Christian Association
  3. World Organization of the Scout Movement
  4. World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
  5. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  6. The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award
• The Aim is to address the negative impact of the pandemic on young people and support them to build back better.
• Young people from around the world can apply for funding. It will support innovative Local Solutions to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Need of the Initiative

• The International Labour Organisation (ILO) terms the current young population as the ‘lockdown generation’.
• As per some estimates, around 90 per cent of young people reported increased mental anxiety during the pandemic.
• Whereas one in six young people worldwide has lost their jobs during the pandemic.

Supplemental Oxygen Delivery System developed by DRDO

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has launched the SpO2 (Blood Oxygen Saturation) supplemental Oxygen Delivery System which will be useful for soldiers in extreme high-altitude areas.

About DRDO’s Supplemental Oxygen Delivery System:

• The system delivers supplemental oxygen based on the SpO2 (Blood Oxygen Saturation) levels. Thus, it prevents the person from going into a state of Hypoxia.
  • Hypoxia is a state in which the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues is inadequate to fulfill all the energy requirements of the body.
• It is developed by Defence Bio-Engineering & ElectroMedical Laboratory (DEBEL), Bengaluru of - a unit of DRDO
• This system will also be helpful in the current Covid-19 pandemic. It is useful for household care for moderate Covid patients for Oxygen flow therapy.

Key Features of the System:

• The system has been indigenously developed. It has dual qualities of being robust & cheap.
• Further, this system reads the blood oxygen saturation levels of the subject from a wrist-worn pulse oximeter. After that, the system delivers the required oxygen.
• Moreover, the system can function at extreme altitudes featuring low barometric pressures, low temperatures, and humidity.
• The system also has software safety checks in the system to ensure the functional reliability of the system in field conditions.