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Type: Prelims Only

  • ASTROSAT Satellite

    ASTROSAT, India’s first multi-wavelength satellite observatory, has detected an extreme ultraviolet (UV) light from a galaxy which is 9.3 billion light-years away from Earth.

    Try out:

     

    Consider the following statements regarding the AstroSat:

    1)AstroSat is India’s multi-wavelength space telescope.
    2)ASTROSAT mission is that enables the simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of various astronomical objects with a single satellite.
    3)ASTROSAT observes the universe in the optical and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

    Which of the following above statements is true?

    a.1 and 2
    b.2 and 3
    c.1 and 3
    d.1, 2 and 3

    AUDFs01

    • AstroSat has detected extreme-UV light from a galaxy, called AUDFs01, 9.3 billion light-years away from Earth.
    • The galaxy is located in the Hubble Extreme Deep field, through AstroSat.
    • This is a very important clue to how the dark ages of the universe ended and there was light in the universe.

    About ASTROSAT

    • AstroSat is India’s first dedicated multi-wavelength space telescope. It was launched on a PSLV-XL on 28 September 2015.

    It is the first dedicated Indian astronomy mission aimed at studying celestial sources in X-ray, optical and UV spectral bands simultaneously.

    ————–//—————-

    Find some time to scroll through recent ISRO missions and discoveries.

    ISRO Missions and Discoveries

  • River Ropeway over Brahmaputra

     India’s ‘longest’ river ropeway across the Brahmaputra River was unveiled in Guwahati.

    Navigate to this page for more readings on Brahmaputra River systems:

    Brahmaputra River System

    Brahmaputra Ropeway

    • The 1.82 km bi-cable jig-back ropeway connects the southern bank of the Brahmaputra and a hillock behind the Doul Govinda temple in North Guwahati on the other.
    • It passes over the mid-river Peacock Island that houses Umananda, a medieval Shiva temple.
    • It thus cuts travel time between the two banks to 8 minutes.
    • The current travel options between the two banks are by ferry (30 minutes or more, depending on current and season) or by road through a bridge that usually takes over an hour in the traffic.

  • National Council for Transgender Persons

    The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has constituted the National Council for Transgender Persons.

    Try this question for mains:

    Q.Discuss the salient features of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019. What are its various shortcomings?

    National Council for Transgender Persons

    • It has been a requirement under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
    • The Social Justice Minister would be the chairperson of the Council.
    • The members would include officials of the Ministries of Health, MHA, MoHUA, Minority Affairs, HRD etc. among others.
    • The council also includes five nominated members from the transgender community.

    Its mandate

    • The council would work with States to ensure that transgender welfare boards are set up in all States and essential needs of the community, like housing, food, healthcare and education are met.

    Also read:

    https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/parliament-passes-transgender-persons-protection-of-rights-bill-2019/

  • Festival in news: Nuakhai Juhar

    The PM has greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of Nuakhai Juhar.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following pairs:

    Tradition State
    1. Chapchar Kut festival : Mizoram
    2. Khongjom Parba ballad : Manipur
    3. Thang-Ta dance : Sikkim

    Which of the pairs given above is/are correct? (CSP 2018)

    a) 1 only

    b) 1 and 2

    c) 3 only

    d) 2 and 3

    Nuakhai Juhar

    • Nuakhai or Nuakhai is an agricultural festival mainly observed by people of Western Odisha and Southern Chhattisgarh.
    • It is celebrated at the time when the newly grown Kharif crop (autumn crop) of rice started ripening.
    • According to the calendar it is observed on Panchami tithi (the fifth day) of the lunar fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada or Bhadraba (August–September), the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
    • This is the most important social festival of Western Odisha and adjoining areas of Simdega in Jharkhand, where Odia culture is much predominant.

  • Gorumara National Park

    A bison (Indian Gaur) was allegedly poached in Gorumara National Park.

    Try this PYQ:

    Which one of the following National Parks lies completely in the temperate alpine zone?(CSP 2019)

    (a) Manas National Park

    (b) Namdapha National Park

    (c) Neora Valley National Park

    (d) Valley of Flowers National Park

    Gorumara NP

    • It is located in the Eastern Himalayas’ submontane Terai belt.
    • This region has rolling forests and riverine grasslands, and is known as the Dooars in West Bengal.
    • The park is located on the flood plains of the Murti River and Raidak River. The major river of the park is the Jaldhaka river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra river system.
    • In this regard, Gorumara is a significant watershed area between the Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems.
    • The park is rich in large herbivores including Indian rhinoceros, gaur, Asian elephant, sloth bear, chital, and sambar deer. Small herbivores include barking deer, hog deer and wild boar.

    About Gaur

    • The Gaur called the Indian bison, is native to South and Southeast Asia and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986.
    • It is the largest species among the wild cattle.
    • The domesticated form of the gaur is called gayal (Bos frontalis) or mithun.

  • In news: Srisailam Dam

    The major fire accident at the Srisailam hydroelectric power station has resulted in heavy loss of lives.

    Try this PYQ:

    What is common to the places known as Aliyar, Isapur and Kangsabati? (CSP 2019)

    (a) Recently discovered uranium deposits

    (b) Tropical rain forests

    (c) Underground cave systems

    (d) Water reservoirs

    About Srisailam Dam

    • The Srisailam Dam is constructed across the Krishna River in Kurnool district, AP near Srisailam temple town.
    • It is the 2nd largest capacity working hydroelectric station in the country.
    • The dam was constructed in a deep gorge in the Nallamala Hills in between Kurnool and Mahabubnagar districts, 300 m (980 ft) above sea level.
    • It has a reservoir of 616 square kilometres.

  • Namath Basai Programme

    Namath Basai, the State government’s unique programme of teaching tribal children in their mother tongue, has become a runaway hit in Kerala’s tribal districts.

    Try this MCQ:

    Q. The Namath Basai Programme recently seen in news is related to:

    Tribal Education/ Women SHGs/ Forest Produce/ Tribal Health

    Namath Basai Programme

    • The NBP is implemented by the Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK).
    • It has succeeded in retaining hundreds of tribal children in their online classes by making them feel at home with the language of instruction.
    • The SSK has distributed some 50 laptops exclusively for Namath Basai. Pre-recorded classes are offered through a YouTube channel.

  • Bioethanol Blending in Petrol

    The government has set targets of 10 per cent bioethanol blending of petrol by 2022 and to raise it to 20 per cent by 2030 to curb carbon emissions and reduce India’s dependence on imported crude oil.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Given below are the names of four energy crops. Which one of them can be cultivated for ethanol?(CSP 2010)

    (a) Jatropha

    (b) Maize

    (c) Pongamia

    (d) Sunflower

    What is Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Program?

    • Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme was launched in January 2003 for the supply of 5% ethanol blended petrol.
    • The programme sought to promote the use of alternative and environment-friendly fuels and to reduce import dependency for energy requirements.
    • OMCs are advised to continue according to the priority of ethanol from 1) sugarcane juice/sugar/sugar syrup, 2) B-heavy molasses 3) C-heavy molasses and 4) damaged food grains/other sources.

    Bio-ethanol blend in India

    • 1G and 2G bioethanol plants are set to play a key role in making bio-ethanol available for blending but face challenges in attracting investments from the private sector.
    • 1G bioethanol plants utilise sugarcane juice and molasses, byproducts in the production of sugar, as raw material, while 2G plants utilise surplus biomass and agricultural waste to produce bioethanol.
    • Currently, domestic production of bioethanol is not sufficient to meet the demand for bio-ethanol for blending with petrol at Indian Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
    • Sugar mills, which are the key domestic suppliers of bio-ethanol to OMCs, were only able to supply 1.9 billion litres of bio-ethanol to OMCs equating to 57.6 per cent of the total demand of 3.3 billion litres.

    Hurdles in meeting the demand

    • Lack of infrastructure: Many sugar mills are best placed to produce bioethanol do not have the financial stability to invest in biofuel plants. There are also concerns among investors on the uncertainty over the price of bio-ethanol in the future.
    • Lack of raw materials: Presently there is no mechanism for depots where farmers could drop their agricultural waste. The central government should fix a price for agricultural waste to make investments in 2G bioethanol production an attractive proposition.
    • Rigid pricing mechanism: Sugars mills have to pay high prices for sugarcane set by the government even when there have been supplying gluts. The prices of both sugarcane and bio-ethanol are set by the central government.

    Way ahead

    • The government should provide greater visibility on the price of bioethanol that sugar mills can expect by announcing a mechanism by which the price of bio-ethanol would be decided.
    • 2G bioethanol not only provided a clean source of energy but also help provide greater income to farmers and prevent them from having to burn agricultural waste which can be a major source of air pollution.

  • Tornado’s dynamics and its India connection

    Babu ChunderSikur Chatterjee’s paper was the earliest record of a tornado’s dynamics in the history of meteorology, according to a study.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. In the South Atlantic and South-Eastern Pacific regions in tropical latitudes, cyclone does not originate. What is the reason? (CSP 2015)

    (a) Sea surface temperatures are low

    (b) Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone seldom occurs

    (c) Coriolis force is too weak

    (d) Absence of land in those regions

    What is a Tornado?

    • A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud.
    • The windstorm is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone winds blow counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern.
    • Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, and they are often visible in the form of a condensation funnel originating from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud, with a cloud of rotating debris and dust beneath it.
    • It is generally accompanied by extreme weather such as heavy downpours, hail storms, and lightning.

    Who was Babu ChunderSikur Chatterjee?

    • Chatterjee was an Indian scientist employed with the Surveyor General of India during the British colonial era.
    • He was likely the first person to scientifically document a tornado’s path in 1865, a study from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, has claimed.
    • Chatterjee had published his findings in a journal named Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, in a paper titled ‘Note on a whirlwind at Pundooah’, near Hooghly.
    • The paper described a tornado’s dynamics in meticulous detail and was accompanied by a sketch that mathematically depicted its scale, track and rotation.

    His work

     

    • Chatterjee quantitatively mapped the entire trail of á tornado’s destruction.
    • He benefited from the rare opportunity to observe a tornado passing through a railway track where there were conveniently placed markers at predefined locations.
    • This enabled him to observe and make clear measurements of the tornado’s direction, dynamics and path.

    Back2Basics

  • In news: Lingaraj Temple

    The Odisha government has announced to give a facelift to the 11th century Lingaraj Temple, akin to its pre-350-year structural status.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. Building ‘Kalyaana Mandapas’ was a notable feature in the temple construction in the kingdom of- (CSP 2019)

    (a) Chalukya

    (b) Chandela

    (c) Rashtrakuta

    (d) Vijayanagara

    About Lingaraj Temple

    • Lingaraja Temple is a temple dedicated to Shiva and is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
    • It represents the quintessence of the Kalinga Architecture and culminating the medieval stages of the architectural tradition at Bhubaneswar.
    • The temple is believed to be built by the kings from the Somavamsi dynasty, with later additions from the Ganga rulers.
    • It is built in the Deula style that has four components namely, vimana (structure containing the sanctum), jagamohana (assembly hall), natamandira (festival hall) and bhoga-mandapa (hall of offerings), each increasing in the height to its predecessor.

    • Bhubaneswar is called the Ekamra Kshetra as the deity of Lingaraja was originally under a mango tree (Ekamra) as noted in Ekamra Purana, a 13th-century Sanskrit treatise.
    • The temple has images of Vishnu, possibly because of the rising prominence of Jagannath sect emanating from the Ganga rulers who built the Jagannath Temple in Puri in the 12th century.