1. NMM.
- NMM: It refers to the National Mission for Manuscripts. NMM was launched in 2003 by the Government of India (GoI) under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
- The task of NMM is documenting, conserving and disseminating the knowledge preserved in the manuscripts. One of the main objectives of the mission publishing rare and unpublished manuscripts so that the knowledge enshrined in them is spread to researchers, scholars and general public at large.
- India possesses an estimate of ten million manuscripts, probably the largest collection in the world.
- These cover a variety of themes, textures and aesthetics, scripts, languages, calligraphies, illuminations and illustrations.
- Recently, the Government of Mongolia was presented the first set of five volumes of Mongolian Kanjur published under NMM. It was presented on the occasion of Guru Purnima, also known as Dharma Chakra Day, on 4th July, 2020.
- The publication of Mongolian Kanjur by the GoI for the Government of Mongolia will not only act as a symbol of cultural harmony between India and Mongolia anbut will also contribute to furtherance of bilateral relations during the coming years.
- The project of reprinting of 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) was taken up by the Ministry of Culture. All the 108 volumes of the Mongolian Kanjur are expected to be published by March, 2022.
- Mongolian Kanjur: It is the Buddhist canonical text in 108 volumes. It is considered to be the most important religious text in Mongolia. In the Mongolian language ‘Kanjur’ means ‘Concise Orders’- the words of Lord Buddha in particular. It has been translated from Tibetan and written in classical mongolian.
- Mongolian Buddhists worship the Kanjur at temples and recite the lines of Kanjur in daily life as a sacred ritual. The Kanjur are kept almost in every monastery in Mongolia.
- The Mongolian Kanjur is a source of providing a cultural identity to Mongolia.
- India and Mongolia: Historical interaction between India and Mongolia goes back centuries. Buddhism was carried to Mongolia by Indian cultural and religious ambassadors during the early Christian era. As a result, today, Buddhists form the single largest religious denomination in Mongolia. India established formal diplomatic relations with Mongolia in 1955.
Mongolia: Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia. It a nation bordered by China and Russia. It is known for vast, rugged expanses and nomadic culture. Its capital is Ulaanbaatar which centers around Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan) Square, named for the notorious founder of the 13th- and 14th-century Mongol Empire. The currency used here is Mongolian tögrö
2.Environment........
Seabed 2030 Project: It is a collaborative project between Nippon Foundation of Japan and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO). The project was launched at the United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference in June 2017. It coordinates and oversees the sourcing and compilation of bathymetric data from different parts of the world’s ocean. It is aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.
- In the past, satellites and planes carrying altimeter instruments have provided large swathes of data about the ocean floor, but now the project aims to obtain higher quality information that has a minimum resolution of 100 m at all spots using equipment such as deep-water hull-mounted sonar systems, and more advanced options such as Underwater Vehicles (AUVs).
- It also aims to rope in governments, private companies, and international organisations to acquire data.
- Recently, an international collaboration of researchers announced that the Seabed 2030 Project which seeks to galvanize the creation of a full map of the ocean floor says one-fifth of this task has now been completed. This new milestone in the history of marine exploration was announced on World Hydrography Day.
- When Seabed 2030 Project was launched in 2017, only 6% of the global ocean bottom had been surveyed to what might be called modern standards but that number now stands at 19%, up from 15% in just the last year. Some 14.5 million sq km of new bathymetric (depth) data was included in the GEBCO grid in 2019 - an area equivalent to almost twice that of Australia.
- Importance of Mapping: The mapping is instrumental in understanding several natural phenomena, including ocean circulation, tides, and biological hotspots. The maps would ensure a better understanding of climate change, since floor features including canyons and underwater volcanoes influence phenomena such as the vertical mixing of ocean water, and ocean currents — which act as conveyor belts of warm and cold water, thus influencing the weather and climate. It also provides key inputs for navigation, forecasting tsunamis, exploration for oil and gas projects, building offshore wind turbines, fishing resources, and for laying cables and pipelines.
- This data becomes highly valuable during disaster situations. The previously mapped seafloor helped scientists in Japan to reconstruct the forces behind the destructive 2011 Tohoku earthquake.
- The importance of mapping a bathymetric base map of the southeastern Indian Ocean became more evident especially, while searching for the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared 8 March 2014.
- Bathymetry: It is the measurement of the depth of water in oceans, rivers, or lakes. Bathymetric maps look a lot like topographic maps, which use lines to show the shape and elevation of land features.
- Nippon Foundation of Japan: It is a non-profit philanthropic organisation active around the world. It was established in 1962 by Ryoichi Sasakawa, a late statesman and businessman. The main mission of the foundation is to direct Japanese motorboat racing revenue into philanthropic activities, and it uses these monies to pursue global maritime development and assistance for humanitarian work, both at home and abroad. In the humanitarian field, it focuses on such fields as social welfare, public health, and education.
- GEBCO: It refers to the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans. GEBCO is an international group of mapping experts which operates under the joint auspices of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).
- It is the only intergovernmental organization with a mandate to map the entire ocean floor.
