Prelims – 7th Nov 23

Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)

It is a network based on open protocol and will enable local commerce across segments, such as mobility, grocery, food order and delivery, hotel booking and travel, among others, to be discovered and engaged by any network-enabled application.

The platform aims to create new opportunities, curb digital monopolies and by supporting micro, small and medium enterprises and small traders and help them get on online platforms.

It is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

How ONDCwill benefit the small traders?

• The ONDC will provide equal opportunities to all marketplace players. It is a neutral platform that will set protocols for cataloguing, vendor match, and price discovery on an open source-basis, like the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
• Unlike other online market-places of the large ecommerce players where certain sellers are preferred over others, the ONDC offers a set of protocols and a technology-based solution which allows everybody to trade on a common platform.
• ONDC also help small retailers engage with big companies and serve customers with modern delivery systems.

Kui Language

• Kui (also known as Kandh, Khondi, Khond, Khondo), is a South-Eastern Dravidian language spoken by the Kandha community.
• It is primarily spoken in the state of Odisha.
• It is closely related to other languages in the Dravidian family, such as Gondi and Kuvi.
• Kui figures at rank 29 in the 1991 Indian census.
• Script: Kui is traditionally written using the Odia script, which is also used for writing the Odia language.
• Odisha Cabinet recently recommended a proposal for inclusion of ‘Kui’ language in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Tankai Shipbuilding Method

• Ministry of Culture and Indian Navy to launch a project to revive the 2000-year-old technique of shipbuilding known as the Tankai method.
• In this method, the ship is constructed by stitching wooden planks together rather than using nails.
• This method offered flexibility and durability, making them less susceptible to damage from shoals and sandbars.
• The arrival of European ships led to a shift in shipbuilding techniques.