India-Australia Circular Economy Hackathon (I-ACE)
PM Says
- There is a need to look at our consumption patterns, and how we can reduce their ecological impact. Circular Economy can be a key step in solving many of our challenges in this regard. He was addressing the valedictory function of India-Australia Circular Economy Hackathon today via video conference.
- Recycling and reusing things, eliminating waste, and improving resource efficiency must become part of our lifestyles.
- Expressed the hope that innovations showcased at the hackathon will inspire the two countries to take the lead in circular economy solutions.
PIB
TROPEX 21
Why in News?
- Chief of the Naval Staff presided over the debrief of TROPEX-21 (Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise) at Kochi.
About Exercise
- The exercise had commenced in January 2021 involving all three Commands of the Indian Navy, the Tri-Services Command at Port Blair, and elements of Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Coast Guard.
- The Biennial exercise is the largest exercise conducted by Indian Navy aimed to validate its concepts of war-fighting across the entire spectrum of warfare.
- The exercise was spread over the vast geographical expanse of Indian Ocean and its adjunct waters, with exercise scenarios centered around the extant geopolitical situation in IOR.
- The exercise was aimed at validating Indian Navy’s op philosophy across the entire spectrum of conflict-ranging from addressing low end sub- conventional challenges to high end conventional threats.
- As a prelude to this Theatre Level exercise, a coastal defence exercise – Sea Vigil was conducted in mid Jan 21 which witnessed all stakeholder Ministries of Govt of India, State Governments of all coastal states and UTs, the Coast Guard, Port Authorities, shipping and fishing communities coming together and exercising in tandem, with the Indian Navy as the lead agency.
- This was followed by an amphibious exercise (AMPHEX- 21) in which Indian naval amphibious ships, units of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force undertook joint exercise in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, with an aim to validate India’s capabilities to safeguard the territorial integrity of its Island territories.
- AMPHEX- 21 saw several ‘firsts’ and strengthened joint war fighting capabilities and Standard Operating Procedures towards enhancing operational synergy amongst the Services.
PIB
NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21
Why in News?
- Indian Naval Ship Pralaya arrived at Abu Dhabi, UAE to participate in the NAVDEX 21 (Naval Defence Exhibition) and IDEX 21 (International Defence Exhibition), scheduled from 20 to 25 February 2021.
- INS Pralaya, the second ship of the indigenously built Prabal Class Missile Vessels, was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 18 December 2002.
- The ship, built indigenously at Goa Shipyard Limited.
- Participation of INS Pralaya in NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21, one of the leading international naval and defence exhibitions of the region, is aimed at showcasing the strengths of India’s indigenous ship building.
- Participation of an Indian Navy Ship in NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21 also highlights close relations between India and UAE.
- Defence relations between India and UAE have been steadily growing since the upgradation of bilateral relations to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ during the visit of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in January 2017 as Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations.
- Towards enhancing interactions between the two navies, inaugural edition of Indian Navy – UAE Navy bilateral exercise GULF STAR – 1 was conducted in March 2018. The next edition of the exercise is likely to be conducted in 2021.
PIB
Anti-Tank Guided Missile Systems ‘Helina’ and ‘Dhruvastra’
Why in News?
- Joint User Trials for Helina (Army Version) and Dhruvastra (Air Force Version) Missile Systemshave been carried out from Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) platform in desert ranges.
- The missile systems have been designed and developed indigenously by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
- The Helina and Dhruvastra are third generation, Lock on Before Launch (LOBL) fire and forget Anti-Tank Guided Missiles that can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as top attack mode.
- The system has all-weather day and night capability and can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as with explosive reactive armour.
- It is one of the most-advanced anti-tank weapons in the world.
PIB
Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 3.0
Why in News?
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0.
- Also launched the IMI 3.0 portal and released the Operational Guidelines for IMI 3.0 and the awareness material/IEC package developed as part of the campaign.
- The Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0 will have two rounds starting from February 22 and March 22, 2021 and will be conducted in pre-identified 250 districts/urban areas across 29 States/UTs in the country.
Focus of the IMI 3.0
- The children and pregnant women who have missed their vaccine doses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- They will be identified and vaccinated during the two rounds of IMI 3.0. Each round will be for 15 days each. Beneficiaries from migration areas and hard to reach areas will be targeted as they may have missed their vaccine doses during COVID19.
- As per the Guidelines released for IMI 3.0, the districts have been classified to reflect 313 low risk; 152 as medium risk; and 250 as high risk districts.
- Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0 (IMI 3.0) aimed to reach the unreached population with all the available vaccines under Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) and thereby accelerate the full immunization and complete immunization coverage of children and pregnant women.
- Mission Indradhanush & Intensified Mission Indradhanush has enabled the immunization system in reaching hard to reach and high-risk areas including brick kilns, construction sites and nomadic population.
- The previous campaigns also helped in improving the micro-planning, generating demand for immunization services and strengthening the supporting systems.
PIB
MoU to promote Health Research
Why in News?
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the development, conduct and promotion of health research in India.
- Gates Foundation and CSIR will work together to identify opportunities to initiate scientific and technological collaborations. These will focus on developing and testing new preventions, therapies and interventions that can help to solve major health concerns that affect India and other developing countries.
- As per the MoU, areas of research collaboration would include genetic diseases that impact infant and neonatal mortality; new diagnostics and devices for infectious disease and environmental surveillance; development of cost-effective processes for drug, vaccines, biologics, and diagnostics manufacturing; novel microbiome-directed foods; socio-economic impact of science and technological tools; and other areas of health and development.
PIB
Swati Mohan
Why in News?
- Indian-American scientist, Swati Mohan, led the guidance, navigation, and control operations of the Mars 2020 mission.
- Over the course of her career with NASA, Ms. Mohan has worked on the Cassini mission to Saturn and GRAIL — a pair of formation flown spacecraft to the Moon, and has been a mainstay with the Mars 2020 mission since its beginning in 2013.
THE HINDU
Saka Nankana Sahib
Why in News?
- Nankana Sahib, the birth place of first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev, was also the site of the first big agitation by the SGPC to take back control of gurdwaras from mahants backed by the British.
- The centenary of Sri Nankana Sahib Massacre, which is popularly known as Saka Nankana Sahib, is being marked in an event there on February 21 this year.
Efforts to free Nankana Sahib
- The SGPC came to existence in November 1920, a month after Sikhs removed partial restrictions on Dalit rights inside Golden Temple in Amritsar.
- It started gurdwara reform movement which was aimed at taking possession of historical Sikh Gurdwaras, which had turned personal property of the priests, who were called mahants.
- These mahants were also accused of running practices from gurdwaras which were not approved in Sikhism.
The February massacre
- Meanwhile, all the mahants and other groups, who were in control of Sikh gurdwaras, also organised themselves and started holding meetings against any move of the SGPC to take control away from them.
- They called “Sikh Sanatan Conference” in Lahore on February 19, 20 & 21, 1921. Some motivated Sikh leaders took it as an opportunity to take control of the Gurdwara Nankaka Sahiba as Mahant Narain Das would be busy in Lahore.
- The unarmed Sikh jatha entered inside the gurdwara and with a plan to take possession of gurdwara in a non-violent manner.
- On the other side, the mahant was all prepared for an armed attack and he leashed his men equipped with fire arms, sticks and sharp-edged weapons on this jaths.
- As the jatha entered the gurdwara, all the gates were closed. Around 60 Sikhs were killed in the main hall. 25 bodied were found in a single room.
Taking control of the gurdwara
- After the incident, Mahant Narain Das ran away, while the British police arrested 26 Pathans and sent them to Lahore in special train. The incident, however, created an impression among Sikhs that the British government had played a hidden part in this massacre.
- All the prominent Sikh leaders reached Nankana Sahib on February 21, 1921. Kartar Singh Jhabbar reached with 2,200 Sikhs. Initially, police and Army tried to stop the jatha, but later Sikhs were allowed to take control of the gurdwara.
IE
Uttarakhand flash flood has changed Alaknanda colour
Why in News?
- The Alaknanda rises in the Satopanth glacier and is met at Vishnuprayag by the Dhauli Ganga, which carried deposits from the flood on Feb 7.
- The Alaknanda is then met by the Nandakini at Nandaprayag, Pindar at Karnaprayag, Mandakini at Rudraprayag, and Bhagirathi at Devprayag.
- Thereafter, it is known as Ganga, which flows to Rishikesh and Haridwar.
- The river is usually clear in winter, it becomes muddy only in the monsoon.
- The muddiness, which persisted recently, is the result of suspended sand, clay, rocks, in the water.
IE
India is building its own Footwear Sizing System
Why in News?
- By next year, India could have its own ‘Footwear Sizing System’, which will hopefully remove some of the confusion involved in buying shoes of ‘EU’, ‘UK’ or ‘US’ sizes, especially online.
- CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) will lead a pan India feet scanning survey, data from which will be used to define Indian footwear size standards – and which will be included by shoe manufacturers in their size charts.
What footwear sizing system does India follow?
- India has never had its own footwear sizing system. The British introduced English sizes before Independence, which are followed still. Manufacturers size footwear according to the English system, with charts mentioning the equivalent European and American sizes.
- According to this UK system, the average Indian woman wears footwear sizes between 4 and 6, and the average man between 5 to 11.
Why is an Indian sizing system needed?
- Designing footwear is complex, and requires scientific and engineering expertise.
- Optimal comfort and foot health can be expected only with appropriately sized footwear. Bad fits can cause injuries, more so in those above age 40, women, and diabetics.
- Back in 1969, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which lays down standards and certifies product quality, had notified the Indian Standard Specification for Sizes and Fitting of Footwear (IS 1638-1969). The characteristics of Indian feet have changed since.
- Among some general observations: people from the Northeast have comparatively smaller feet, and overall, the feet of Indians are broader near the toes, so they prefer a size bigger than actually required.
What will happen after the sizing scheme comes into effect?
- Footwear makers will have to prepare shoe lasts – which are like moulds or casts for footwear – per the Indian sizing system.
- They will have to provide a chart indicating the Indian equivalent of international sizing schemes. This will also mean that international manufacturers wanting to sell their products in India will have to manufacture shoes as per Indian sizing requirements.
- Footwear are currently sized according to four main schemes – English (UK), French (European), American, Mondopoint (Japanese).
- One or the other of these schemes is used in countries around the world, and manufacturers provide charts to match sizes in other schemes.
- India is the second largest footwear producing country after China, producing 2,257 million pairs annually. Some 2,021 million pairs are sold in the domestic market every year. While India manufactures all kinds of footwear, the share of men’s footwear is the largest at about 58 per cent.
- Women’s footwear accounts for 30 per cent, children’s for 9 per cent, and others for 3 per cent of the footwear.
IE
US makes official return to Paris climate pact
Why in News?
- The US is back in the Paris climate accord, just 107 days after it left.
- The president signed an executive order on his first day in office that reversed the withdrawal ordered by his immediate predecessor, Donald Trump.
- The Trump administration had announced its departure from the Paris accord in 2019 but it did not become effective until 4 November 2020, the day after the election, because of provisions in the agreement.
- More than 120 countries, including the world’s biggest emitter, China, have promised to have net zero carbon emissions around mid-century.
- A longtime international target, included in the Paris accord with an even more stringent goal, is to keep warming below 2C above pre-industrial levels. The world has already warmed about 1.2C since that time.
THE GUARDIAN
Discovery of Life Deep beneath Antarctica’s Ice Shelves
Why in News?
- Researchers have accidentally discovered life under the ice shelves of the Antarctic — in extremely cold and harsh conditions. The discovery has left many of them baffled for it contradicts earlier theories of non-survival of life in such extreme conditions.
- They discovered sessile sponges — a pore bearing multicellular organism and other alien species — attached to the sides of a rock beneath the ice sheets.
- The unidentified species are estimated to be related to sponges, ascidians (sea squirts), hydroids, barnacles, cnidarian or polychaete.
- All of these look like bristle worms.
- The study noted that the filter feeders of such organisms are known to adapt in temperatures up to -2 degrees Celsius. But the sponges were found in to survive in far low temperature.
- The images of the rock with sponges were recorded by drilling through two boreholes in the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, the second-largest ice shelf of Antarctic. It was 260 kilometres from the open water shelf where photosynthetic organisms can survive.
- Scientists are yet to discover how these organisms access food. They said they would use Environment Deoxyribonucleic acid (e-DNA) technology in future to identify the organisms.
- Until now, scientists believed that sea life decreased with increase in the depth of the Antarctic ice floor. The new discovery has now broken the assumed trend and challenged scientists to re-examine their theories about life beneath the ice shelves of Antarctic.
DTE