Daily Prelims Notes 14 June 2021

June 14, 2021
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

14 June 2021

Table Of Contents

1. PASHIPAE Mission will peep into unknown regions of the sky

Subject : Science & tech

Context : Recently, the Scientists from the University of Crete, Greece, Caltech, USA, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), India, the South African Astronomical Observatory and the University of Oslo, Norway, are involved in PASIPHAE Mission.

Concept:

PASIPHAE Mission

Polar-Areas Stellar-Imaging in Polarisation High-Accuracy Experiment (PASIPHAE) is an international collaborative sky surveying project.
The project has been funded by the world’s leading institutions from USA, Norway, South Africa and Private foundations.
Scientists aim to study the polarisation in the light coming from millions of stars.
The survey will use two high-tech optical polarimeters to observe the northern and southern skies, simultaneously.
It will focus on capturing starlight polarisation of very faint stars that are so far away that polarisation signals from there have not been systematically studied.
The distances to these stars will be obtained from measurements of the GAIA satellite (of European Space Agency)
By combining these data, astronomers can create a 3-Dimensional model of the distribution of the dust and magnetic field structure of the galaxy using a novel polarimeter instrument known as WALOP (Wide Area Linear Optical Polarimeter).

What is WALOP?

Wide Area Linear Optical Polarimeter (WALOP) is an instrument, when mounted on two small optical telescopes, that will be used to detect polarised light signals emerging from the stars along high galactic latitudes.
A WALOP each will be mounted on the 1.3-metre Skinakas Observatory, Crete (Greek islands), and on the 1-metre telescope of the South African Astronomical Observatory located in Sutherland.
Once built, they will be unique instruments offering the widest ever field of view of the sky in polarimetry. In simple terms, the images will simultaneously have the finest of details of a star along with its panoramic background.
200 kg weighing WALOP will be capable of observing hundreds of stars concurrently present both in the northern and the southern skies.

2. Sea surge on Kerala coast

Subject : Environment

Context : Kerala’s 590-kilometre-long coastline — one of the most densely populated in India and exposed to rogue waves — has for long been susceptible to large-scale sea erosion.

Concept :

A recent study has flagged the possibility of coastal areas in the state witnessing an increasing trend of sea surge in the coming years, mainly due to the rise in sea surface temperature.
The scientists have advocated for nature-based solutions, in such a case, involving active participation of residents of the coastal communities.
He added that the most impacted communities in Kerala — bordered by the Western Ghats on the east and the Lakshadweep Sea on the west — live at the ecotone of land and the sea. This calls for urgent intervention of the state government.

Ecotone

An ecotone is a zone of junction or a transition area between two biomes (diverse ecosystems).
Ecotone is the zone where two communities meet and integrate.
For e.g. the mangrove forests represent an ecotone between marine and terrestrial ecosystem.
Other examples are grassland (between forest and desert), estuary (between fresh water and salt water) and riverbank or marshland (between dry and wet).

Characteristics of Ecotone

It may be narrow (between grassland and forest) or wide (between forest and desert).
It has conditions intermediate to the adjacent ecosystems. Hence it is a zone of tension.
Usually, the number and the population density of the species of an outgoing community decreases as we move away from the community or ecosystem.
A well-developed ecotone contains some organisms which are entirely different from that of the adjoining communities.

Ecocline

Ecocline is a zone of gradual but continuous change from one ecosystem to another when there is no sharp boundary between the two in terms of species composition.
Ecocline occurs across the environmental gradient (gradual change in abiotic factors such as altitude, temperature (thermocline), salinity (halocline), depth, etc.).

Edge Effect – Edge Species

Edge effect refers to the changes in population or community structures that occur at the boundary of two habitats (ecotone).
Sometimes the number of species and the population density of some of the species in the ecotone is much greater than either community. This is called edge effect.
The organisms which occur primarily or most abundantly in this zone are known as edge species.
In the terrestrial ecosystems edge effect is especially applicable to birds.
For example, the density of birds is greater in the ecotone between the forest and the desert.

3. Hundreds of Olive Ridley turtles die along the eastern coastline of India every year

Subject :Environment

Context : Hundreds of Olive Ridley turtles die along the eastern coastline of India every year, mostly due to fishing activities, even as officials claim a stringent conservation drive is underway.

Concept :

Around 75 per cent of the dead turtles had clear signs of injury by fishing gears, according to a 2015 report on Biodiversity Journal. Other stated reasons were habitat loss, pollution, unsustainable development in the coastal areas and climate change.
A Clement Edison, the forest range officer in Velachery, Chennai, said that the government bans trawling beyond five nautical miles of the coast from January to May, the turtle nesting season.
This move has helped conserve the Schedule I species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972, he said.

Schedule I of WPA 1972 :

It covers endangered species that need rigorous protection. The species are granted protection from poaching, killing, trading etc.
A person is liable to the harshest penalties for violation of the law under this Schedule.
Species under this Schedule are prohibited to be hunted throughout India, except under threat to human life or in case of a disease that is beyond recovery.
Some of the animals granted protection under the Schedule I include: The Black Buck , Bengal Tiger , Clouded Leopard , Snow Leopard , Swamp Deer , Himalayan Bear , Asiatic Cheetah , Kashmiri Stag , Fishing Cat , Lion-tailed Macaque , Musk Deer , Rhinoceros , Brow Antlered Deer , Chinkara (Indian Gazelle) , Capped Langur , Golden Langur , Hoolock Gibbon.

4. Tigray Crisis: A new ‘famine ‘ in Ethiopia

Subject: International Relations

Context: Hundreds of thousands in Tigray are facing famine, and millions more are at risk, UN agencies have said. The Ethiopian government has rejected the accusations, and claimed that the food shortages were not severe.

Concept:

The conflict that began between Ethiopia’s federal government and the ruling party in the Tigray region in the country’s north last September has since blown up into a full scale crisis in the Horn of Africa.
Tigrayan leaders have also accused Eritrean forces of entering Ethiopia to support the federal government in its fight against Tigray.
The animosity between Tigrayans and Eritrea goes back to the Ethiopian-Eritrean war that occurred between 1998 and 2000.
Many veterans from the TPLF (Tigray People’s Liberation Front) who participated in the Ethiopian-Eritrean war between 1998 and 2000 are now part of the Tigray region’s paramilitary forces.
Despite their improvement in relations with Ethiopia, Eritrea continues to remain hostile to Tigrayans and their leaders because of the war.
Prior to the start of this conflict, there were already several thousand civilians who were internally displaced in Tigray.
With Ethiopian civilians escaping in large numbers to Sudan, the country may find itself inadvertently drawn into the war.

Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in Africa. It lies along the southern side of the Red Sea and extends hundreds of km into the Gulf of Aden, Somali Sea, and Guardafui Channel.
The area is the easternmost projection of the African continent.
Referred to in ancient and medieval times as the land of the Barbara and Ethiopians, the Horn of Africa denotes the region containing the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

5. Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) of 1972

Subject: International Conventions

Context: For bio-weapons, all we have is the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) of 1972 with no implementing body.

Concept:

Biological weapons

Also called germ weapons, they are any of a number of disease-producing agents—such as bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, fungi, toxins, or other biological agents—that may be utilized as weapons against humans, animals, or plants.
Biological weapons, like chemical weapons, radiological weapons, and nuclear weapons, are commonly referred to as weapons of mass destruction.

The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC):

It is the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the development, production and stockpiling of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction, was opened for signature on 10 April 1972. The BWC entered into force on 26 March 1975.
The Convention is of unlimited duration. As of May 2021, 183 states have become party to the treaty.
Four additional states have signed but not ratified the treaty, and another ten states have neither signed nor acceded to the treaty

The BWC bans:

The development, stockpiling, acquisition, retention, and production of:
Biological agents and toxins “of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes;”
Weapons, equipment, and delivery vehicles “designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict.”
The transfer of or assistance with acquiring the agents, toxins, weapons, equipment, and delivery vehicles described above.

6. Principal Scientific Adviser has launched ‘Project O2 for India’

Subject : Governance

Context : Amid the second wave of COVID-19, the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser (Government of India) has launched ‘Project O2 for India’.

Concept :

Project O2 for India

Under this project, a National Consortium of Oxygen (NCO) is enabling the national level supply of critical raw materials such as zeolites, setting up of small oxygen plants, manufacturing compressors, final products, i.e. oxygen plants, concentrators, and ventilators.
The consortium has started to secure CSR/philanthropic grants from organisations like USAID, Edwards Life sciences Foundation, Climate Works Foundation, etc.
Hope Foundation, American Indian Foundation, Walmart, Hitachi, BNP Paribas, and eInfoChips are procuring oxygen concentrators and VPSA/PSA plants as part of their CSR efforts to aid the consortium’s work.
Under the Project O2, the NMDC Ltd has agreed to fund the procurement of raw materials like zeolite for the manufacturers in the consortium.
The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser invited private sector companies, donor organizations, and individuals to support various projects of national importance.

Significance of Project O2 for India

It aims to enable stakeholders working to augment the country’s ability to meet this rise in demand for medical oxygen.
The NCO is not only looking forward to providing immediate to short-term relief but also working to strengthen the manufacturing ecosystem for long-term preparedness.
It caters to meeting the rising demand for medical oxygen by supporting government hospitals to procure oxygen and related high priority equipment from approved manufacturers and start-ups.

7. Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)

Subject : Defence

Context : Recently, the Ministry of Defence has approved the budgetary support of Rs 498.8 crore to Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) – Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) for the next five years.

Concept :

Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)

It was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in April 2018.
It will be funded and managed by a Defence Innovation Organization (DIO).
It will function as the executive arm of DIO, carrying out all the required activities while DIO will provide high level policy guidance to iDEX.
It aims at creation of an ecosystem to foster innovation and technology development in Defence and Aerospace.

The objectives of iDEX are:

Facilitate rapid development of new, indigenized, and innovative technologies for the Indian defence and aerospace sector, to meet needs for these sectors in shorter timelines;
Create a culture of engagement with innovative startups, to encourage co-creation for defence and aerospace sectors; and
Empower a culture of technology co-creation and co-innovation within the defence and aerospace sectors

Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO)

It is formed as a “not for profit‟ company as per Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013.
Its primary objective is to fund and manage the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX).
It will provide high level policy guidance to iDEX.
The CEO of iDEX will be selected and recruited by the DIO and will be a professional person of sound technical, scientific and engineering background.
The CEO of iDEX would also be CEO of DIO thereby providing the linkage between the high level policy guidance given by DIO and its implementation in a professional manner through iDEX.

8. RAMAKRISHNA MISSION

Subject : Culture

Context : PM Modi expressed grief over the demise of Swami Shivamayanandaji Maharaj, vice-president of Ramakrishna Math and mission.

Concept :

Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) is a Hindu religious and spiritual organisation which forms the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as the Ramakrishna Movement or the Vedanta Movement.
The mission is named after and inspired by the Indian saint Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and founded by Ramakrishna’s chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on 1 May 1897.
The headquarters of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are situated at an area named Belur in the district of Howrah, West Bengal, India.
The entire campus of the headquarters is popularly known as ‘Belur Math’.
Vedanta (also known as Uttara Mīmāṃsā) is one of the six (āstika) schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning “end of the Vedas”, Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from the philosophies contained in the Upanishads.

9. UMLING LA PASS

Subject : Geography

Context : Raksha Mantri flagged off the first ever Solo Woman Motorcycle Expedition by Ms Kanchan Ugursandi to Umling La Pass, Ladakh and back.

Concept :

Umling La Pass, located at an altitude of 19,300ft, has overtaken Khardung La Pass to become the highest motorable road in the world.
The construction of this road has been achieved by the BRO (Border Road Organization) as part of “Project Himank”
Umling La Pass, stretching to a distance of almost 86km, connects Chisumle and Demchok villages.
Both these villages lie in close proximity to the Indo-China border in the eastern sector.

Khardung La Pass

Khardung La is a mountain pass in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. The pass on the Ladakh Range is north of Leh and is the gateway to the Shyok and Nubra valleys.
Locally, it is also known as “Khardong La” or “Khardzong La”.
The elevation of Khardung La is 5,359 m. It is incorrectly claimed by some locals as the highest vehicle-accessible pass in the world.

10. DECLASSIFICATION & COMPILATION OF WAR/OPERATIONS HISTORIES

Subject : Governance

Context : Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has approved the policy on archiving, declassification and compilation/publication of war/operations histories by the Ministry of Defence.

Concept :

Each organisation under the Ministry of Defence will transfer the records, including war diaries to the History Division of Ministry of Defence (MoD) for proper upkeep, archival and writing the histories.
According to the policy, records should ordinarily be declassified in 25 years.
Records older than 25 years should be appraised by archival experts and transferred to the National Archives of India once the war/operations histories have been compiled.
Committee headed by Joint Secretary, MoD and comprising of representatives of the Services, MEA, MHA and other organisations and prominent military historians (if required) should be constituted for compilation of war/ operations histories.

War/operations histories to be compiled within 5 years

The above-mentioned Committee should be formed within two years of completion of war/operations.
Thereafter, collection of records and compilation should be completed in three years and disseminated to all concerned.

11. Blue Origin auctions New Shepard ride with Jeff Bezos for $28 million

Subject : Science & tech

Context : The flight aboard New Shepard, slated for July 20th, will mark the company’s first mission flying humans, in which the winning bidder will bask in a few minutes of microgravity with Bezos, his brother Mark, and one other passenger before returning back to land.

Concept :

New Shephard

New Shephard has been named after astronaut Alan Shephard, the first American to go to space, and offers flights to space over 100 km above the Earth and accommodation for payloads.
Essentially, it is a rocket system that has been designed to take astronauts and research payloads past the Karman line – the internationally recognised boundary of space.
The idea is to provide easier and more cost-effective access to space meant for purposes such as academic research, corporate technology development and entrepreneurial ventures among others.
It is built by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s Space Company called Blue Origin.
In 2018, Blue Origin was one of the ten companies selected by NASA to conduct studies and advance technologies to collect process and use space-based resources for missions to the Moon and Mars.

How does it work?

The rocket system consists of two parts, the cabin or capsule and the rocket or the booster.
The cabin can accommodate experiments from small mini payloads up to 100 kg.
The cabin is designed for six people and sits atop a 60-feet tall rocket and separates from it before crossing the Karman line, after which both vehicles fall back to the Earth.
The system is a fully reusable, vertical takeoff and vertical landing space vehicle that accelerates for about 2.5 minutes before the engine cuts off.
After separating from the booster, the capsule free falls in space, while the booster performs an autonomously controlled vertical landing back to Earth.
The capsule, on the other hand, lands back with the help of parachutes.

Karman Lines

The Karman line is an attempt to define a boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space.
The line is named after Theodore von Kármán (1881–1963), a Hungarian American engineer and physicist, who was active primarily in aeronautics and astronautics.
He was the first person to calculate the altitude at which the atmosphere becomes too thin to support aeronautical flight and arrived at 83.6 km (51.9 miles) himself.