Author: Explains

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Name : SWATHI

Defence Forces : Army

Module Type : Tech Misc.

Brief Intro : 1.The Swathi Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) is a mobile artillery locating phased array radar developed by India.This counter-battery radar is designed to detect and track incoming artillery and rocket fire to determine the point of origin for Counter-battery fire. 2.The WLR has been jointly developed by DRDO’s Bangalore based laboratory, LRDE and the Government owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). The sub-systems have been fabricated by BEL based on the DRDO designs and delivered to LRDE for integration

Name : INS Tillanchang

Defence Forces : Navy

Module Type : Warships

Brief Intro : 1.INS Tillanchang, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) was recently commissioned into the Indian Navy. 2.INS Tillanchang is the third ship of four follow-on WJFAC built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Kolkata. The first two ships of the class, IN ships Tarmugli and Tihayu were commissioned in 2016 and are based at Visakhapatnam. 3.The ship has been indigenously designed and built and is an upgrade from the Chetlat class of Fast Attack Craft that the Indian Navy possesses.

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Name : Forest Carbon Partnership Facility(FCPF)

Objective :  To assist countries in their REDD+ efforts by providing them with financial and technical assistance in building their capacity to benefit from possible future systems of positive incentives for REDD+. To pilot a performance-based payment system for REDD+ activities, with a view to ensuring equitable benefit sharing and promoting future large-scale positive incentives for REDD+. Within the approach to REDD+, to test ways to sustain or enhance livelihoods of local communities and to conserve biodiversity. To disseminate broadly the knowledge gained in the development of the Facility and the implementation of Readiness Preparation Proposals (RPPs) and Emission Reductions Programs (ERPs).

Name : United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Recently in News because : U.S., Israel quit UNESCO India Kumbh Mela Intangible Heritage

Objective : To contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms

Members : 195 member states and ten associate members

Headquarters : Paris, France

Year Founded : 1946

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Name of the scheme : She-Box

Salient Features : Online complaint Management System for women working in both public and private organizations to ensure effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at workplace Act

Nodal Ministry : Ministry of Women & Child

Name of the scheme : Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women

Objectives : To achieve holistic empowerment of women through convergence of schemes/programmes of different Ministries/ Department of Government of India as well as State Governments

Salient Features : It aimed at improving the declining Child Sex Ratio; ensuring survival. & protection of the girl child; ensuring her education, and empowering her to fulfill her potential.s a social sector welfare schemes for care, protection and development of women. -It will provide an interface for rural women to approach the government for availing their entitlements and for empowering them through training and capacity building.

Nodal Ministry : Ministry of Women & Child

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Name : NPT

Brief Intro : The NPT is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. The Treaty represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States. Opened for signature in 1968, the Treaty entered into force in 1970.

Objective : To prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.

Type : Treaty

Category : E&B

Year : 1970

Importance (wr. Prelims) : High

Name : CTBT

Brief Intro : The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral treaty that bans all nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996 but has not entered into force as eight specific states have not ratified the treaty.

Objective : Nuclear weopan free world

Type : Treaty

Category : E&B

Year : 1996

Importance (wr. Prelims) : High

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Key words related to History : Khalisa

Dynasty/era : Mughal period

Meaning : Land revenue directly for imperial treasury

Key words related to History : Khums

Dynasty/era : Medieval India

Meaning : Tax on plunder

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Name : Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)

Details : designed to search for exoplanets using the transit method

Agency : NASA

Name : Next generation of ICESat-2 and GRACE satellites to observe Earth’s ice sheets, sea level, and underground water reserves.

Details : Earth’s ice sheets, sea level, and underground water reserves

Agency : NASA

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Name : INLCU L51

Defence Forces : Navy

Module Type : Warships

Brief Intro : 1.INLCU L51 was commissioned into the Indian Navy. LCU 51 IS First of the Eight ships of the LCU Mk IV Class. 2.It has been built by M/s Garden Reach Ship Builders & Engineers Ltd, Kolkata, it is the first of the eight ships of the LCU MK IV Class. Conceived and designed indigenously, the commissioning of the ship adds a feather to the glorious chapter in the nation’s ‘Make in India’ initiatives & indigenisation efforts in the field of warship design and construction. With a displacement of 900 tons the magnificent ship spans 62.8 m in length and 11 m in breadth.

Name : USHUS-II submarine sonar

Defence Forces : Navy

Module Type : Tech Misc.

Brief Intro : 1.Sonars are the eyes and ears of a submarine under water. DRDO has developed the State-of-the-Art submarine sonar suite, USHUS-II, a highly evolved compendium of multiple sensors. 2.The constituent sonars in the suite include passive sonar, active sonar, intercept sonar, obstacle avoidance sonar and underwater telephony.

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Global Grouping name : International Court of Justice

Recently in News because : Justice Dalveer Bhandari was re-elected as a judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ),making him the third Indian to secure a prominent position in a United Nations (UN) body in recent months

Objective : Settle legal disputes submitted to it by states, duly authorized international branches, agencies, and the UN General Assembly

Members : The International Court of Justice is composed of 15 judges elected to nine-year terms of office by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council

Headquarters : The Hague, The Netherlands

Year Founded : Established in 1945

Global Grouping name : Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)

Objective : Provide services of arbitral tribunal to resolve disputes between member states, international organizations, or private parties arising out of international agreements

Members : The PCA has 121 member states: 119 members of the United Nations, as well as Kosovo and Palestine

Headquarters : The Hague, The Netherlands

Year Founded : 1899

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Name : Ashgabat Agreement

Brief Intro : 1.Ashgabat Agreement, is an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. 2.The transit agreement provides for a transit corridor across Central Asia and the Middle East through the continuous landmass between Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran before reaching the Persian Gulf and into Oman.

Objective : The objective of this agreement is to enhance connectivity within Eurasian region and synchronize it with other transport corridors within that region including the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

Type : Declaration

Category : Connectivity

Year : 2011

Importance (wr. Prelims) : High

Place : Ashgabat

Name : G-20

Brief Intro : 1.It was started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Southeast Asian (Tiger economies) financial crisis. 2.The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for its members’ international economic cooperation and decision-making. It is deliberating forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies on economic issues and other important development challenges. 3.In 2008, the first G20 Leaders’ Summit was held in Washington DC, US. The group had played a key role in responding to the global financial crisis. It comprises total 19 countries plus the European Union (EU), representing 85% of global GDP, 80% of international trade, 65% of world’s population. Its members include Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, India, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey, South Africa, UK, US and EU. 4.The 2016 summit was held in Hangzhou China.

Objective : It was established for studying, reviewing, and promoting high-level discussion of policy issues pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability.

Type : Summit/ Conference

Category : Economy

Year : 2008

Importance (wr. Prelims) : High