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- The Supreme Court has recently instructed a supervisory committee, led by the head of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), to address the concerns raised by Tamil Nadu regarding Kerala's handling of the maintenance of the 125-year-old Mullaperiyar dam.
- About the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA):
- The NDSA is a statutory body established by the Central Government under Section 8(1) of the National Dam Safety Act, 2021.
- Functions:
- The NDSA is responsible for regulating, overseeing, and inspecting dams across India.
- It plays a pivotal role in developing policies and guidelines for the construction, upkeep, and operation of dams throughout the country.
- A significant responsibility of the NDSA is to resolve disputes between State Dam Safety Organizations or between a State organization and a dam owner within the state.
- The NDSA also runs national awareness campaigns to educate the public on dam safety.
- In the event of natural disasters or emergencies, the authority ensures that emergency response plans are in place.
- The NDSA is headed by a chairman and supported by five members who lead its various wings: policy and research, technical, regulation, disaster resilience, and administration and finance.
- Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.
- A new world record for nuclear fusion has been set as the WEST Tokamak reactor in southern France successfully maintained plasma for over 22 minutes.
- About Nuclear Fusion:
- Nuclear fusion is the process in which two light atomic nuclei merge to form a single, heavier nucleus, releasing vast amounts of energy in the process. This energy release occurs because the mass of the resulting nucleus is smaller than the combined mass of the original nuclei, with the difference converted into energy.
- Fusion reactions happen in plasma, a high-energy state of matter consisting of charged particles, including positive ions and free-moving electrons. Plasma has distinct characteristics that set it apart from solids, liquids, or gases.
- This same fusion reaction powers the sun and all other stars.
- What are Tokamaks?
- Tokamaks are devices designed to replicate nuclear fusion reactions here on Earth. Often referred to as "artificial suns," these doughnut-shaped reactors mimic the processes occurring within the sun.
- There are over 200 tokamaks currently in operation worldwide, and the progress made in these reactors is shaping the future of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)—the world's largest fusion research facility, currently under construction in southern France.
- A commercial tokamak will aim to use the heat generated by plasma during fusion to produce steam, which will then spin turbines to generate electricity.
- Fusion Fuel:
- Fusion can involve various elements, but researchers are particularly focused on deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion, which yields a neutron and a helium nucleus while releasing more energy than most fusion reactions.
- Advantages of Nuclear Fusion:
- More Energy than Fission: Fusion generates far more energy per kilogram of fuel than nuclear fission, potentially providing four times the energy output of fission and nearly four million times more than burning fossil fuels like coal or oil.
- Clean Energy: Unlike fission, fusion doesn’t produce harmful radioactive byproducts that need to be stored for long periods. Its primary byproducts are inert helium and neutrons.
- Abundant Fuel Supply: The fuel needed for fusion, such as deuterium and tritium, can be sourced from seawater, providing an almost unlimited supply of fuel without the need for uranium mining.
- Safety: Fusion is far safer than nuclear fission because it cannot trigger a runaway reaction, making it a much more controlled and secure energy source.
- Assam's largest tribal group, the Mising tribe, recently celebrated the Ali Ai Ligang festival with great enthusiasm.
- About the Mising Tribe:
- The Mising people are an indigenous community from Northeast India, belonging to the Tani group and speaking Tibeto-Burmese languages.
- They primarily reside in parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, India, as well as in Tibet, China. In Tibet, they are referred to as "Lhobhas," meaning "southerners," due to their historical presence in South Tibet and areas that are now part of Arunachal Pradesh.
- The Mising tribe is one of the largest tribal communities in Assam, with a population of 680,424, according to the 2011 Census of India.
- Their lifestyle is deeply connected to rivers, making them the only riparian tribe in Northeast India. The culture and daily life of the Mising people are centered around agriculture and fishing.
- Traditionally, the Mising practiced "Jhum" (slash-and-burn) agriculture, but after settling in the plains of Assam, they have successfully adopted wet paddy cultivation and are now known for their skills as settled farmers.
- The main festival of the Mising tribe is Ali-Aye-Ligang, which celebrates the beginning of the sowing season. The name "Ali" refers to an edible root, "Aye" means seed, and "Ligang" translates to the sowing festival.
- Religion:
- The Mising people follow the "Do-nyi-Po:lo" belief system, which involves the worship of the Sun and the Moon.