Indian Air Force to participate in 'Udarashakti’
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
Why in news?
- Recently, a contingent of the Indian Air Force left for Malaysia to participate in a bilateral exercise named 'Udarashakti'.
Key Highlights:
- Indian Air Force is participating in the air exercise with Su-30 MKI and C-17 aircraft while the Royal Malaysian Air Force will be flying Su 30 MKM aircraft.
- The exercise will give an opportunity to IAF contingent members to share and learn best practices with some of the best professionals from RMAF, while also discussing mutual combat capabilities.
- The four days of exercise will witness conduct of various aerial combat drills between the two Air Forces.
Way Forward:
- Ex Udarashakti will fortify the long-standing bond of friendship and enhance the avenues of defence cooperation between the two Air Forces, thereby augmenting security in the region.
SPARK, ISRO's new virtual museum
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Why in news?
- Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), unveiled ‘SPARK’, a virtual space tech park, as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, commemorating India's 75th year of Independence.
What is SPARK?
- The virtual space museum hosts several documents, images and videos related to launch vehicles, satellites, scientific missions as well as pioneers of India's space sector.
- SPARK is ISRO's first-ever 3D virtual space tech park. It includes a museum, a theatre, an observatory, a garden with life-sized rockets, a lakeside cafe area and a children's play area along with several other interactions.
Features:
- The webpage gives options on the top left corner to enter the different areas in the park such as the museum, the theatre, or the lobby.
- The application helps visitors to navigate using dedicated arrows along with options to zoom in and zoom out for a 360° immersive experience.
- Inside the main museum building, one can navigate through the virtual facility to explore various exhibits on ISRO's achievements, satellites and launch vehicles.
- In the open area of the park, next to a giant sundial stands a bus, ‘Space on Wheels’. It offers information about ISRO’s various outreach programmes.
Informative tours:
- Different areas of the park provide information on iconic scientists who have played important roles in ISRO’s journey through the years. Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha, Dr Vikram Sarabhai, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Prof Raja Ramanna, Prof Yash Pal, Prof MGK Menon, and Prof Satish Dhawan among others have found mention in the space park.
- Detailed tours of different galleries inform the visitor about ISRO’s various satellite programmes, and offer images, videos and documents related to various launch vehicles.
Asia's largest Compressed Biogas plant
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant in Sangrur district of Punjab, largest in Asia, has now started commercial production.
Details:
- The plant has a total capacity of 33.23 tonne CBG per day. It was commissioned at village Bhuttal Kalan (Sangrur) in April 2022.
- The plant has now started commercial production of CBG, which is being supplied to Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) outlet.
Strengthening rural economy:
- Besides, PEDA (Punjab Energy Development Agency) has also allocated 42 additional CBG projects of total capacity 492.58 Tonnes Per Day (TPD) based on paddy straw and other agro-residue to develop a lasting and sustainable solution to prevent stubble burning while also strengthening the rural economy.
- These projects are expected to fetch private investment of around Rs 1,200 crore, besides generating employment opportunities for 8,000 skilled and unskilled individuals.
- With these projects, emission of greenhouse gases will also be reduced and the rural economy will get a boost by providing additional income to farmers from agro residue.
Upcoming projects:
- Two more plants of total capacity 14.25 tonnes CBG per day are likely to be completed in 2022-23.
- Remaining projects are expected to be commissioned within next three years. All these projects will consume nearly 16.5 lakh tonne paddy straw per annum to produce 492.58 tonne CBG per day.
- Apart from this, fermented organic manure produced from these CBG plants as by-product will be used for organic farming. This will further help local allied industries to flourish.
CBG projects based on agro-waste:
- There is a huge potential of CBG projects based on agro-waste in Punjab.
- The Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) is setting up a project of capacity 100 KL 2G ethanol per day based on paddy straw and other agro-residue in Bathinda district. It will be completed by February 2023. This project will consume about 2 lakh tonne paddy straw per annum.
- About 300 more projects having capacity of 10 TPD each can be set up in the state.
Incentives by state government:
- For this, Punjab government is providing various incentives, including exemption of stamp duty and registration charges, change of land use and external development charge and one stop clearances system through 'Invest Punjab' under the state's new and renewable energy policy.
NASA's InSight mission finds Martian equator contains little or no ice
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Why in news?
- Martian equator contains little or no ice, according to a new analysis of seismic data from NASA's Mars InSight mission.
- The findings describes the dry conditions in the top 300 metres of the subsurface beneath the landing site near the Martian equator.
Key Findings:
- It found that the Mars may have harboured oceans of water early in its history. Many experts suspected that much of the water became part of the minerals that make up underground cement.
- Cements by their very nature hold rocks and sediments together, protecting them from destructive erosion.
- The lack of cemented sediments suggests a water scarcity in the 300 metres below InSight's landing site near the equator. The below-freezing average temperature at the Mars equator means that conditions would be cold enough to freeze water if it were there.
- Many planetary scientists, including Manga, have long suspected that the Martian subsurface would be full of ice. Their suspicions have melted away. Still, big ice sheets and frozen ground ice remain at the Martian poles.
About InSight mission:
- The InSight spacecraft landed on Elysium Planitia, a flat, smooth, plain near the Martian equator, in 2018. Its instruments included a seismometer that measures vibrations caused by marsquakes and crashing meteorites.
What’s next?
- Scientists want to probe the subsurface because if life exists on Mars, that is where it would be. There is no liquid water on the surface, and subsurface life would be protected from radiation.
- Following a sample-return mission, a NASA priority for the next decade is the Mars Life Explorer mission concept.
- The goal is to drill two metres into the Martian crust at high latitude to search for life where ice, rock, and the atmosphere come together.
“SMILE-75 Initiative”
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
Why in news?
- In the spirit of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, has identified 75 Municipal Corporations to implement comprehensive rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of begging under “SMILE: Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise” named as “SMILE-75 Initiative”.
- The “SMILE-75 Initiative” was launched by Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment at a Shelter Home (Rain Basera) near Nizammudin Metro Station in New Delhi.
Objective:
- Through this project, the Ministry envisions to develop a support mechanism for holistic rehabilitation of those engaged in the act of begging and build an India where no person is forced to beg in order to survive and fulfill their basic needs.
- The objective of SMILE- 75 is to make our cities/town and municipal areas begging-free and make a strategy for comprehensive rehabilitation of the persons engaged in the act of begging through the coordinated action of various stakeholders.
Key Highlights:
- Under the SMILE-75 initiative, seventy five (75) Municipal Corporations in collaboration with NGOs and other stakeholders willcover several comprehensive welfare measures for persons who are engaged in the act of begging with focus extensively on rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, awareness, education, skill development, economic linkages and convergence with other Government welfare programmes etc.
- The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has allocated a total budget of Rs.100 crore for the SMILE project for coming years till 2025-26.
Stakeholders:
- The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment understands the important role of Local Urban Bodies, Civil Society Organisations/Non-Government Organisations to address this persisting social issue with concerted efforts.
