There has never been a success story without a Failure and lessons along the way. Each one of us is fascinated by the glitters of success, without caring much about the pains and struggles behind it.
Today we bring to you one such story. The story of Prabhat Singh who secured AIR 377 in Civil Services Examination 2019.
Prabhat started his preparation for UPSC in 2012 after finishing his graduation. In his first 2 attempts, he was not able to clear Prelims. After facing back-to-back failures, Prabhat decided to take a break and focus on his PLAN B. He pursued law from Delhi University for the next 2 years. Despite pursuing law, his UPSC dream calling never faded and after 2 years he decided to attempt again. But as fate had it, again in the 3rd and 4th attempt, Prabhat could not clear Prelims. At this stage, he had 2 options – Leave the preparation or complete change of strategy(because obviously, something was not working). Looking back now, Prabhat thank his lucky stars that he chose the latter.
So, WHAT WAS THIS STRATEGY CHANGE? HOW DID HE KEEP HIMSELF MOTIVATED DESPITE FAILURES?
Get these answers from PRABHAT SINGH himself this Sunday. CivilsDaily presents Unherd Webinar edition with Prabhat Singh, AIR 377.
Absolutely no part of the IAS exam syllabus gets the level (even similar) of attention or emphasis as is received by Current Affairs. It is as ubiquitous as Oxygen on Earth, and for the exam, its importance is of similar magnitude.
Importance in Interview
In Personality Tests often your opinions are asked on various issues. Current Affairs make you aware of the surroundings and allow you to give practical answers to the problems faced by the country.
Current affairs are indispensable for every stage of the UPSC exam, be it prelims, mains, or interviews. Understanding the importance of current affairs is just one part of the UPSC puzzle. For solving the whole puzzle, we have Samachar Manthan.
What is Samachar Manthan 2022?
Samachar Manthan is our flagship program designed to help you develop a solid command on your newspaper reading and current affairs analyzing skills. We’re are also going to focus on imparting skills required to utilize current affairs. Since it builds your core, it is important for both Prelims and Mains.
3. Membership to Samachar Manthan Habitat club – doubts, discussion, and mentorship session.
4. Weekly Current Affairs based Mains Test (10 Questions) and Evaluation
5. Current Affairs Monthly Prelims Test package
6. Marathon Revision sessions on Habitat before Prelims and Mains
7. Frequent Google meet Sessions to check on Student’s Preparation status
8. Micro notes to help you make your notes.
About the faculty leading this program:
Sajal Singh
Sajal sir is known to make Economics and IR as easy as a cakewalk. He scored one of the highest marks in GS in the 2017 UPSC exam. Under his guidance, more than 80 percent of Students qualified for UPSC interview 2020 in Smash mains Program.
Sudhanshu Mishra
Sudhanshu sir has firsthand experience of 3 mains and two interviews of UPSC. He has served in the defense ministry for 10 years with keen interests in regional and global geopolitics and has ample experience of various other competitive exams as well.
Duration of the program:
This program will start from 1st week of June and has two variants which will continue till Prelims 2022 and Mains 2022 respectively.
5 stage structure of Lecture-Notes-Testing-Review-Mentoring
Our unique five-stage methodology helps ensure maximum retention and rock-solid preparation. Each component has been meticulously crafted which repeated every week creates a virtuous cycle.
Diversified and Comprehensive coverage
We let news develop over a week, and a team under Sajal Sir daily covers it from various sources which include newspapers (The Hindu, The Indian Express, LiveMint, etc.), magazines (Yojana, Kurukshetra, EPW, Down to Earth), important websites (PIB, PRS, govt ministries, IDSA, etc.).
UPSC is a generalist exam. It’s important to cover more issues than to cover a few, in more depth. Samachar Manthan ensures a fine balance of comprehensive news coverage and detailed discussion on the most important topics.
It’s not just a Current affairs program we cover even those themes which are not in news but which we feel are important for the exam
Eg: Land reforms, PDS Reforms, Issues with Rajya Sabha
Videos and Notes
Carefully selected relevant news is analyzed and delivered in a weekly lecture spanning over 3 hours.
You will be getting high-quality, well-designed notes. They are detailed with proper categorization of news into the Mains and Prelims category.
Our focus is on conceptual clarity, simplicity, relevance, and making interlinkages between current affairs and basic/static part of the syllabus.
Samachar Manthan will also help you understand how to utilize current affairs in all your Prelims and Mains papers. A part of which is done by tests.
Weekly Mains Test and Evaluation
Because learning is not enough, you must apply. Every week a 10 question UPSC level current affairs test follows with video and notes. The focus here is on Mains answer writing skills and practice.
It’s a skill that is learned, honed, and perfected gradually. And this is why it should be done regularly. Our team of subject experts evaluates your answers and provides you with feedback. Answer enhancement is one of the objectives of this exercise.
This was a feedback that we had received from our students. Now every month we provide a Current Affairs prelims test package.
All this completes a study loop and enhances your retention.
Civilsdaily Handholding and mentoring:
Our team led by Sajal sir is there to provide handholding support all through your UPSC journey. Increased interaction with the faculty and teachers from Civilsdaily will help you align your preparation and make it more relevant. You can reach out to Sajal sir and other teachers on Habitat.
Google meet sessions
Another important component we have added this year is Google meet sessions. These sessions will be conducted on a regular basis with the aspirants.
Samachar Manthan 2022 -Habitat club
You’ll get a membership of the exclusive Habitat club and it is where everything comes together learning, doubt clearing, notes, references, mentors, and a focussed community. You’re going to learn and discuss like never before.
How will your queries be resolved?
The moment you have a query, you post it in the group. Your doubts will get resolved asap.
More often than not, your peers will take part in your doubt discussions adding a lot of value.
Besides doubts, what else is there on Habitat?
#DDS sessions – We have dedicated sessions every day to resolve doubts in real-time. Never keep a doubt to yourself.
An ecosystem for co-learning and active learning.
A highly motivated community to bring flexibility and consistency to your preparation.
Marathon revision sessions before Prelims and Mains
To consolidate your coverage and revision we take revision sessions on Habitat.
For the country to transition to carbon neutrality is easier said than done, say, climate experts, as it needs to balance growth with eco-goals. A TERI and Shell report, ‘India: Transforming to a net-zero emissions energy system’, says it is “technically possible” to achieve the goal, but cautions that it would be a highly challenging pathway. TERI, warns that a complete phase-out of coal plants by 2050 is likely to be difficult because of the economics of harnessing incremental RE potential and subsequent integration to the grid system.
Introduction
Carbon neutrality refers to achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions or buying enough carbon credits to make up the difference.
This can be done by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society.
It is used in the context of carbon dioxide-releasing processes associated with transportation, energy production, agriculture, and industry.
The term carbon neutral also includes other greenhouse gases, usually carbon-based, measured in terms of their carbon dioxide equivalence.
The term “net-zero” is increasingly used to describe a broader and more comprehensive commitment to decarbonization and climate action. Net-zero emissions are achieved when your organization’s emissions of all greenhouse gases (CO2-e) are balanced by greenhouse gas removals
Methodology
Carbon-neutral status can be achieved in two ways:
Carbon offsetting: Balancing carbon dioxide emissions with carbon offsets — the process of reducing or avoiding greenhouse gas emissions or removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to make up for emissions elsewhere. If the total greenhouse gasses emitted is equal to the total amount avoided or removed, then the two effects cancel each other out and the net emissions are ‘neutral’.
Reducing emissions: Reducing carbon emissions can be done by moving towards energy sources and industrial processes that produce fewer greenhouse gases, thereby transitioning to a low-carbon economy. Shifting towards the use of renewable energy such as hydro, wind, geothermal, and solar power, as well as nuclear power, reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Agreement and Target
The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.
Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
Article 4.1 of the Paris Agreement asks countries to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible.
It also requires countries to undertake rapid reductions in carbon emissions to achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases.
Global Actions regarding the agreement
Several other countries, including the UK and France, have already enacted laws promising to achieve a net-zero emission scenario by the middle of the century.
The EU is working a similar Europe-wide law, while many other countries including Canada, South Korea, Japan and Germany have expressed their intention to commit themselves to a net-zero future.
Even China has promised to go net-zero by 2060.
The hollowness of nation-level carbon neutrality declarations by developed countries is brought out starkly when we consider the details, as in the case of the United States.
Emissions in the U.S. peaked in 2005 and have declined at an average rate of 1.1% from then till 2017, with a maximum annual reduction of 6.3% in 2009, at the height of a recession.
Even if it did reach net-zero by 2050 at a steady linear rate of reduction, which is unprecedented, its cumulative emissions between 2018 and 2050 would be 106 GtCO2, which is 22% of the total remaining carbon budget for the whole world so high, that unless others reduced emissions at even faster rates, the world would most certainly cross 1.5°C warmings.
Regrettably, a section of the climate policy modeling literature has promoted the illusion that this three-way compatibility is feasible through speculative “negative emissions”, ostensibly through a dramatic expansion of carbon capture, primarily by the biosphere.
They have also been promoting the other illusion that not resorting to any serious emissions increase at all is the means to guarantee the successful development of the Third World.
India @Net Zero emission
India is the only one opposing this target because it is likely to be the most impacted by it.
Over the next two to three decades, India’s emissions are likely to grow at the fastest pace in the world, as it presses for higher growth to pull hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.
No amount of afforestation or reforestation would be able to compensate for the increased emissions.
Most of the carbon removal technologies right now are either unreliable or very expensive.
Why does India object to net-zero emissions?
The net-zero goals do not figure in the 2015 Paris Agreement, the new global architecture to fight climate change.
The Paris Agreement only requires every signatory to take the best climate action it can.
Countries need to set five- or ten-year climate targets for themselves, and demonstrably show they have achieved them.
Implementation of the Paris Agreement has begun only this year.
Most of the countries have submitted targets for the 2025 or 2030 period.
India has been arguing that instead of opening up a parallel discussion on net-zero targets outside of the Paris Agreement framework, countries must focus on delivering on what they have already promised.
India’s step towards Net Zero emissions
India is hoping to lead by example. It is well on its way to achieving its three targets under the Paris Agreement and looks likely to overachieve them.
Several studies have shown that India is the only G-20 country whose climate actions are compliant with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global temperatures from rising beyond 2°C.
Even the actions of the EU, which is seen as the most progressive on climate change, and the US are assessed as “insufficient”.
In other words, India is already doing more, relatively speaking, on climate than many other countries.
How to achieve Net Zero emissions
Fossil fuels: The use of fossil fuels must go down steeply for the production of energy and electricity. Alternate sources must be bought into majority practices so as to achieve the target of carbon neutrality by 2050. Within renewables, the focus ought to be more on solar and wind energy—hydroelectricity, given its impact on aquatic ecology, at best maybe a filler.
More electrification: Electricity is zero-emission when consumed, and the world needs to rely on it a lot more to hit its decarbonization goals. Much progress has been made in emerging economies, especially in Asia. But in many developed markets, the share of electricity in the total energy mix has stood still, or even slipped. For power companies, there needs to be a move away from fossil fuels such as coal and gas.
(Wind & solar growth as part of global electricity generation)
Bioenergy to the fore once more: Focus must be shifted away from the “food versus fuel” dilemma, under which crop-based biofuels were linked with rising food prices, deforestation and conflict over land. Now there is a new generation of biofuels that can be made from inedible crops and oils, and from agricultural and municipal waste.
(The production of biofuels from forestry waste)
Greater use of hydrogen: Hydrogen is light and storable and produces no direct CO2 emissions when converted into energy. That is why society needs to use more of it – and why governments should keep providing incentives to do so.
Carbon sequestration: Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. It is one method of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with the goal of reducing global climate change.
(Global carbon capture and storage capacity)
Way forward
Ours is the last generation that can prevent global disaster. The need for action is immediate. It therefore falls upon this generation of business, government and society leader to accelerate action individually and through collaboration.
All stakeholders – corporations, governments, investors and, ultimately, individuals – can take unilateral initiative to lower emissions, often with positive economic implications. Collective actions can support and amplify individual ones.
Where the costs and risks of taking action for individual companies are higher (for example, in emission-intensive sectors), ecosystems of industry peers, value chain players or public-private partnerships can work together, sharing the burden.
The world needs decisive action at every level to change the trajectory of ever-increasing emissions. In light of the facts, it should be viewed as an opportunity for businesses, countries and individuals to create an advantage in building a better, more sustainable world.
HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?
Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.
A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.
You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.
Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.
Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.
If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 1st June is uploaded on 1st June then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis
If you are writing answers late, for example, 1st June is uploaded on 3rd June, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.
Also, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Swatantra so that the mentor is notified about your answer
*In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. Swatantra Sir’s tag is available, tag him.
The Union Cabinet has approved the Model Tenancy Act (MTA) to be sent to the States and Union Territories to enact legislation or amend laws on rental properties.
Model Tenancy Act
MTA is aimed at opening up of the vacant housing stock for rental housing purposes and helping bridge the trust deficit that exists between tenants and landlords by clearly delineating their obligations.
The housing and urban affairs ministry had floated the draft model tenancy law in July 2019.
Major provisions of MTA
(1) Rent Court and Rent Tribunal:
To ensure speedy redressal of disputes, the Act calls for establishing a separate Rent Court and Rent Tribunal in every state/UTs to hear appeals for matters connected to rental housing.
Only the rent court and no civil court will have the jurisdiction to hear and decide the applications relating to disputes between landowner and tenant and matters connected with it.
It calls for the disposal of complaints and appeals by the Rent Court and Rent Tribunals within 60 days.
(2) Tenancy Agreements:
It also seeks to establish an independent authority in every state and Union Territory for the registration of tenancy agreements.
Under the Act, unless otherwise agreed in the tenancy agreement, the landlord will be responsible for activities like structural repairs except those necessitated by damage caused by the tenant etc.
On his part, a tenant will be responsible for drain cleaning, switches and socket repairs, kitchen fixtures repairs, replacement of glass panels in windows, doors and maintenance of gardens and open spaces, among others.
For residential and commercial properties
The Act will apply to premises let out for residential, commercial or educational use, but not for industrial use. It also won’t cover hotels, lodging houses, inns, etc.
This model law will be applied prospectively and will not affect existing tenancies.
It seeks to cover both urban as well as rural areas.
The Act says that a security deposit equal to a maximum of two month’s rent in the case of residential premises and a maximum of six month’s rent in the case of non-residential premises would have to be paid by the tenants.
How will states implement it?
As per the MoU signed under PMAY-U, the states and union territories would legislate or amend the existing rental laws on the lines of the MTA.
Why was a need felt to bring this on?
(1) For a rental economy
Without a well-rounded rental policy and the proper implementation of the rental contracts, there was no sound mechanism to resolve tenant-landlord conflicts.
Property owners find it challenging to evict tenants if they misuse the property.
To steer clear of such complications, such property owners often chose to keep these homes vacant instead of renting them out.
(2) Unattractive rental yield
In India, the rental yield for residential property is quite low, even in bigger cities. It is in the range of 1.5% to 3% of the capital values.
This has disincentivized people from investing in second or third homes which could be rented out.
Often, they also prefer to leave their properties vacant in case they return to India.
NRIs avoid leasing their residential properties for fear of squatters and dealing with the legalities of eviction.
How will MTA help?
(1) Unlocking homes
It will unlock vacant houses for rental purposes
It will enable the creation of adequate rental housing stock for all the income groups thereby addressing the issue of homelessness.
(2) Helping migrants
Rental housing is a preferred option for students and migrants.
It will balance the rights of both landlords and tenants.
(3) Effective negotiations
There is no monetary ceiling under MTA, which enables parties to negotiate and execute the agreement on mutually agreed terms.
It will give confidence to landlords to let out their vacant premises, the housing ministry said.
The Act also tries to address how a renter can legitimately increase the rent.
(4) Control over encroachments
It has proposed limiting the advance security deposits to two months’ rent and has also suggested heavy penalties for tenants who decide to overstay.
Those who do may have to shell out double the rent for two months and even four months.
(5) Rights of tenants
The landowner cannot cut power and water supplies in case of a dispute and would have to provide a 24-hour notice to tenants to carry out repair work.
Should the landlords wish to increase the rent, they will need to provide a three-months notice to the tenants.
These measures would go a long way in protecting the rights of a tenant as it regulates the rent hikes that tenants have had to face.
Challenges ahead
While the proposals of the Act have been widely welcomed, their implementation may not be very simple.
(1) Not Binding nature
The Act is not binding on the states as land and urban development remain state subjects.
Like in the case of RERA, the fear is that states may choose not to follow guidelines, diluting the essence of the Model Act.
(2) Issues over paltry rents
Also, the Model Act is prospectively applicable and will not affect the existing tenancies.
The repeal of rent control Acts can be governed by political exigencies.
This may be a complicated process in cities like Mumbai, where tenants have occupied residential properties in prime areas for absurdly low rents.
The US government has announced the further suspension of punitive tariffs for six months on India, Austria, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the UK while it continues to resolve the DST investigation amid the ongoing multilateral negotiations at the OECD and the G20.
Do you remember?
GAFA tax—named after Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon—is a proposed digital tax to be levied on large technology and internet companies.
What are the Digital Services Taxes in India?
The NDA government had moved an amendment in the Finance Bill 2020-21 imposing a 2 percent digital service tax on trade and services by non-resident e-commerce operators with a turnover of over Rs 2 crore.
The new levy has expanded the ambit of the equalization levy for non-resident e-commerce operators involved in the supply of services, including the online sale of goods and provision of services.
E-commerce operators are obligated to pay the tax at the end of each quarter.
Estimates by the USTR indicate that the value of the DST payable by US-based company groups to India will be up to approximately $55 million per year.
The US is focused on finding a multilateral solution to a range of key issues related to international taxation, including our concerns with digital services taxes.
It is trying to reaching a consensus on international tax issues through the OECD and G20 processes.
Investigation regarding DST
The US has conducted a year-long investigation into digital services taxes imposed by countries, stating that they are against tech companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook.
It had determined that the digital services taxes adopted by Austria, India, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the UK has discriminated against US digital companies and were inconsistent with principles of international taxation, and burdened US companies.
What’s the case against India?
In the case of India, the USTR’s proposed course of action includes additional tariffs of up to 25 percent ad valorem on an aggregate level of trade.
Around 26 categories of goods are in the preliminary list of products that would be subject to the additional tariffs.
This includes shrimps, basmati rice, cigarette paper, cultured pearls, semi-precious stones, silver powder and silver articles of jewelry, gold mixed link necklaces, and neck chains, and certain furniture of bentwood.
Why does India need DST?
The agenda to reform international tax law so that digital companies are taxed where economic activities are carried is still a work in progress.
Due to this, countries are worried that they might cede their right to tax incomes. Therefore, many countries have either proposed or implemented a digital services tax.
The proliferation of digital service taxes (DSTs) is a symptom of the changing international economic order.
Countries such as India which provides large markets for digital corporations seek a greater right to tax incomes.
The taxation of the digitalized economy turned out to be a relatively contentious issue because there is a huge asymmetry in digital service providers and consumers.
NASA has selected two missions to the planet Venus, Earth’s nearest neighbor. The missions are called DAVINCI+ and VERITAS.
DAVINCI+ and VERITAS
(1) DAVINCI+
DAVINCI+ is short for ‘Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging’ and is the first US-led mission to the planet’s atmosphere since 1978.
It will try to understand Venus’ composition to see how the planet formed and evolved.
This mission also consists of a decent sphere that will pass through the planet’s thick atmosphere and make observations and take measurements of noble gases and other elements.
Significantly, this mission will also try to return the first high-resolution photographs of a geological feature that is unique to Venus.
This feature, which is called “tesserae” may be comparable to Earth’s continents.
The presence of tesseraes may suggest that Venus has tectonic plates like Earth.
(2) VERITAS
The second mission called VERITAS is short for ‘Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy’.
It will map the planet’s surface to determine its geologic history and understand the reasons why it developed so differently from Earth.
VERITAS will orbit Venus with a radar that will help to create a 3D reconstruction of its topography which might be able to tell scientists if processes such as plate tectonics and volcanism are still active there.
This mission will also map the emissions from Venus’s surface that may help in determining the type of rocks that exist on Venus–a piece of information that is not exactly known yet.
It will also determine if active volcanoes are releasing water vapor into the atmosphere.
Why study Venus?
The results from DAVINCI+ are expected to reshape the understanding of terrestrial planet formation in the solar system and beyond.
Taken together, both missions are expected to tell scientists more about the planet’s thick cloud cover and the volcanoes on its surface.
Further, scientists speculate about the existence of life on Venus in its distant past and the possibility that life may exist in the top layers of its clouds where temperatures are less extreme.
Have humans visited Venus?
Because of the planet’s harsh environment, no humans have visited it and even the spacecraft that have been sent to the planet have not survived for a very long time.
Venus’ high surface temperatures overheat electronics in spacecraft in a short time, so it seems unlikely that a person could survive for long on the Venusian surface.
So far, spacecraft from several nations have visited the planet.
The first such spacecraft was the Soviet Union’s Venera series (the spacecraft, however, could not survive for long because of the planet’s harsh conditions).
It was followed by NASA’s Magellan Mission that studied Venus from 1990-1994. As of now, Japan’s Akatsuki mission is studying the planet from Orbit.
Back2Basics: Venus
For those on Earth, Venus is the second-brightest object in the sky after the moon.
It appears bright because of its thick cloud cover that reflects and scatters light.
Surface temperatures on Venus can go up to 471 degrees Celsius, which is hot enough to melt lead, NASA notes. Surface temperatures on Venus can go up to 471 degrees Celsius, which is hot enough to melt lead, NASA notes.
Some unknown facts
While Venus, which is the second closest planet to the Sun, is called the Earth’s twin because of their similar sizes, the two planets have significant differences between them.
For one, the planet’s thick atmosphere traps heat and is the reason that it is the hottest planet in the solar system, despite coming after Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.
Further, Venus moves forward on its orbit around the Sun but spins backwards around its axis slowly.
This means on Venus the Sun rises in the west and sets in the East.
One day on Venus is equivalent to 243 Earth days because of its backward spinning, opposite to that of the Earth’s and most other planets.
Following the successful launch of 36 satellites, OneWeb’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation reached 218 in-orbit satellites.
What is OneWeb?
OneWeb is a global communications company that aims to deliver broadband satellite Internet around the world through its fleet of LEO satellites.
OneWeb satellites are built at a OneWeb and Airbus joint venture facility in Florida that can produce up to two satellites a day.
The launch roll-out of the satellites is facilitated by French company Arianespace using Russian-made Soyuz rockets.
The company has announced plans to enter the Indian market by 2022.
About its constellation
The company has one more launch to complete before it obtains the capacity to enable its ‘Five to 50’ service of offering internet connectivity to all regions north of 50 degrees latitude.
The Five to 50 service is expected to be switched on by June 2021 with global services powered by 648 satellites available in 2022.
What are LEO satellites?
LEO satellites have been orbiting the planet since the 1990s, providing companies and individuals with various communication services.
They are positioned around 500km-2000km from earth, compared to stationary orbit satellites which are approximately 36,000km away.
Latency, or the time needed for data to be sent and received, is contingent on proximity.
As LEO satellites orbit closer to the earth, they are able to provide stronger signals and faster speeds than traditional fixed-satellite systems.
Additionally, because signals travel faster through space than through fiber-optic cables, they also have the potential to rival if not exceed existing ground-based networks.
However, LEO satellites travel at a speed of 27,000 kph and complete a full circuit of the planet in 90-120 minutes.
As a result, individual satellites can only make direct contact with a land transmitter for a short period of time thus requiring massive LEO satellite fleets and consequently, a significant capital investment.
Criticisms of LEO satellites
During the days of the Sputnik and Apollo missions, governments dominated and regulated space-based activities.
There are logistical challenges with launching thousands of satellites into space as well.
Satellites can sometimes be seen in the night skies which creates difficulties for astronomers as the satellites reflect sunlight to earth, leaving streaks across images.
Satellites traveling at a lower orbit can also interrupt the frequency of those orbiting above them, an accusation that has been leveled against Starlink satellites already.
Another worry is that there are already almost 1 million objects larger than 1cm in diameter in orbit, a byproduct of decades of space activities.
Those objects, colloquially referred to as ‘space junk,’ have the potential to damage spacecraft or collide with other satellites.
China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), which mimics the energy generation process of the sun, set a new record.
What is China’s ‘artificial sun’ EAST?
The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor is an advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device.
The purpose of the artificial sun is to replicate the process of nuclear fusion, which is the same reaction that powers the sun.
The EAST is one of three major domestic tokamaks that are presently being operated across the country.
Apart from the EAST, China is currently operating the HL-2A reactor as well as J-TEXT.
Since it first became operational in 2006, the EAST has set several records for the duration of confinement of exceedingly hot plasma.
The EAST project is part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) facility, which will become the world’s largest nuclear fusion reactor when it becomes operational in 2035.
The project includes the contributions of several countries, including India, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States.
How does the ‘artificial sun’ EAST work?
The EAST Tokamak device is designed to replicate the nuclear fusion process carried out by the sun and stars.
Nuclear fusion is a process through which high levels of energy are produced without generating large quantities of waste.
Previously, energy was produced through nuclear fission — a process in which the nucleus of a heavy atom was split into two or more nuclei of lighter atoms.
Fission vs. Fusion
While fission is an easier process to carry out, it generates far more nuclear waste.
Unlike fission, fusion also does not emit greenhouse gases and is considered a safer process with a lower risk of accidents.
Once mastered, nuclear fusion could potentially provide unlimited clean energy and very low costs.
But what is Fusion?
For nuclear fusion to occur, tremendous heat and pressure are applied on hydrogen atoms so that they fuse together. `
The nuclei of deuterium and tritium — both found in hydrogen — are made to fuse together to create a helium nucleus, a neutron along with a whole lot of energy.
Fuel is heated to temperatures of over 150 million degrees C so that it forms a hot plasma “soup” of subatomic particles.
With the help of a strong magnetic field, the plasma is kept away from the walls of the reactor to ensure it does not cool down and lose its potential to generate large amounts of energy.
The plasma is confined for long durations for fusion to take place.
What is the latest record and why does it matter?
The EAST reactor set a new record on Friday when it achieved a plasma temperature of 216 million degrees Fahrenheit and also managed to run for 20 seconds at 288 million degrees Fahrenheit.
To put this in perspective, the sun’s core only reaches about 15 million degrees Celsius, which means the reactor was able to touch temperatures that are 10 times hotter than that.
The next goal for the scientists behind the experimental reactor is to maintain the high temperature for a long period of time. Previously, the EAST had reached a record temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius in 2018.
China is not the only
But China is not the only country that has achieved high plasma temperatures.
In 2020, South Korea’s KSTAR reactor set a new record by maintaining a plasma temperature of over 100 million degrees Celsius for 20 seconds.
The third edition of the SDG India Index and Dashboard 2020–21 was released by NITI Aayog.
SDG India Index
The index measures the progress at the national and sub-national level in the country’s journey towards meeting the Global Goals and targets.
It has been successful as an advocacy tool to propagate the messages of sustainability, resilience, and partnerships, as well.
From covering 13 Goals, 39 targets, and 62 indicators in the first edition in 2018-19 to 17 Goals, 54 targets and 100 indicators in the second; this third edition of the index covers 17 Goals, 70 targets, and 115 indicators.
Aims and objectives
The construction of the index and the ensuing methodology embodies the central objectives of measuring the performance of States and UTs on the SDGs and ranking them.
It aims at supporting States and UTs in identifying areas which require more attention; and promoting healthy competition among them.
Methodology and Process
The index estimation is based on data on indicators for the first 16 goals, with a qualitative assessment for Goal 17.
The technical process of target setting and normalization of scores follow the globally established methodology.
While target setting enables the measurement of the distance from the target for each indicator, the process of normalization of positive and negative indicators allows for comparability and estimation of goal-wise scores.
The composite score of a State is derived by assigning each goal the same weight, keeping in mind the indivisible nature of the 2030 Agenda.
The selection of indicators is preceded by a consultative process undertaken in close coordination with MoSPI, Union Ministries and stakeholders from States and UTs.
Highlights of the 2021 Report
States and Union Territories are classified as below based on their SDG India Index score:
Aspirant: 0–49
Performer: 50–64
Front-Runner: 65–99
Achiever: 100
Its significance
The index represents the articulation of the comprehensive nature of the Global Goals under the 2030 Agenda while being attuned to the national priorities.
The modular nature of the index has become a policy tool and a ready reckoner for gauging the progress of States and UTs on the nature of goals including health, education, gender, economic growth and climate change and the environment.
Back2Basics: Sustainable Development Goals
The UN General Assembly in its 70thSession considered and adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the next 15 years.
The 17 SDGs came into force with effect from 1st January 2016.
Though not legally binding, the SDGs have become de facto international obligations and have the potential to reorient domestic spending priorities of the countries during the next fifteen years.
Countries are expected to take ownership and establish a national framework for achieving these goals.
Implementation and success will rely on countries’ own sustainable development policies, plans, and programs.
