NVS-02 Satellite Latest News

India's space agency,Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has rolled out its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket, carrying the NVS-02 satellite, as part of the NavIC navigation system.

About NVS-02 Satellite

• It is the second of the five second-generation satellites developed by the space agency to replace the existing satellites in the country’s navigation constellation Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System.
• It will be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by GSLV-F15.
  • NVS-01 was launched on board GSLV-F12 in 2023 and for the first time, an indigenous atomic clock was flown in NVS-01.

NVS-02 Satellite Features

• It weighs 2,250 kg and has a power capacity of around 3 kW.
• It is configured with navigation payload in three frequency bandsL1, L5 and S bands in addition to ranging payload in C-band like its predecessor-NVS-01
• It also has a precise atomic clock called the Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standard (RAFS) for accurate timekeeping.
• It has a longer lifespan of 12 years and also equipped with indigenously developed, more accurate atomic clocks.
• It will replace an older NavIC satellite, IRNSS-1E, and be positioned at 111.75°E in orbit.
• It is designed, developed, and integrated at the U R Satellite Centre (URSC).

NVS-02 Satellite Significance

• It will help improve NavIC's services, which are used for navigation, precision agriculture, emergency services, fleet management, and even mobile device location services.
• By incorporating new L1 band signals, NVS-02 improves NavIC’s compatibility with global navigation systems, ensuring wider adoption and better service.

NVS-02 Satellite FAQs

Q1: Which is the first sun synchronous satellite of India?

Ans: IRS-1A launched into a polar sun-synchronous orbit on March 17, 1988

Q2: Who launched Xposat?

Ans: ISRO's PSLV-C58 has launched XPOSAT Satellite 

Q3: Which is India's first domestic geostationary satellite?

Ans: INSAT-1A 

Q4: Who is the father of the Indian Space Program?

Ans: Dr Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai

Q5: How many NavIC satellites are there?

Ans: Eight satellites

Source: IE

About Shompens

• They are one of the most isolated tribes on Earth.
• They are one of the least studied Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India.
• They reside in dense tropical rain forests of the Great Nicobar Island of Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands. Around 95% of the island is covered in rainforest.
• Shompen have different origins from most Nicobarese, although both groups have Mongoloid ancestry.
• The Shompen habitat is also an important biological hotspot, and there are two National Parks and one Biosphere Reserve, namely Campbell Bay National Park, Galathea National Park, and Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve.

Shompens Population 

Though according to the Census (2011), the estimated population of Shompen is 229, the exact population of Shompen is unknown till today.

• Most of them remain in the forest and have little or no contact with outsiders. 
• The Shompen are nomadic hunter-gatherers, living in small groups, whose territories are identified by the rivers that criss-cross the rainforest.
• Being nomadic, they typically set up forest camps where they live for a few weeks or months, before moving to another site.
• They collect a wide variety of rainforest plants, but their staple food is the pandanus fruit, which they call larop.
• They also plant small gardens, cultivating lemon, chillies and betel, amongst other plants.
• Shompen speak their own language, which has many dialects. Members of one band do not understand the dialect of the other. 
• They are of short to medium stature, have a round or nearly broad head shape, narrow nose, a broad facial profile, and distinctly exhibit Mongoloid features such as light brown to yellow brown skin and oblique eye features.
• They have nuclear families comprising husband, wife, and their unmarried children.
  • A Shompen family is controlled by the eldest male member, who controls all activities of the women and kids.
  • Monogamy is the general rule, although polygamy is allowed too.
• The Shompen worship the moon, known as Houou, as their goddess, whom they believe created the universe. 

Shompens FAQs

Q1. What is the religion of the Shompen?

Ans. Their belief system is generally animistic. 

Q2. Which Mongoloid tribes are in Andaman and Nicobar Islands?

Ans. The Andaman Islands are home to four 'Negrito' tribes – the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, and Sentinelese. Whereas the Nicobar Islands are home to two 'Mongoloid' tribes – the Shompen and Nicobarese.

Q3. Which is the oldest tribe in Andaman Nicobar?

Ans. The Jarawa of the Andamans are the oldest existing hunter-gatherer tribal populations of the world. 

Source: DH

Blue Carbon Latest News

Recent studies suggest that mangroves and coastal wetlands annually sequester carbon at a rate 10 times greater than mature tropical forests.

About Blue Carbon

• Blue Carbon is the carbon captured by the world's ocean and coastal ecosystems.
• The world’s mangroves, sea grasses and salt marshes together comprise ‘blue carbon ecosystems.’ They are nature’s most effective carbon sinks.
• Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows sequester and store more carbon per unit area than terrestrial forests and are now being recognised for their role in mitigating climate change.
• Activities are causing loss of coastal blue carbon ecosystems
  • The main causes of conversion and degradation of blue carbon ecosystems vary around the world but are largely driven by human activities.
  • Common drivers are aquaculture, agriculture, mangrove forest exploitation, terrestrial and marine sources of pollution and industrial and urban coastal development.

Significance of Blue Carbon Ecosystems

• They have the potential to help people and coastal environments mitigate and adapt to climate change.
• They help sustain the environment by mitigating climate change.
• These ecosystems also provide essential benefits for climate change adaptation, including coastal protection and food security for many coastal communities.

Blue Carbon FAQs

Q1: What is blue carbon vs green carbon?

Ans: Blue carbon is the carbon stored and sequestered by coastal and marine ecosystems, such as mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes. Green carbon is the carbon stored by terrestrial ecosystems, including forests and other land-based vegetation.

Q2: What is purple carbon?

Ans: Carbon captured through the air or industrial emissions.

Q3: What is brown carbon UPSC?

Ans: It is released by the combustion of organic matter

Q4: What is green carbon?

Ans: Green carbon is the carbon stored in the plants and soil of natural ecosystems

Q5:What are the benefits of blue carbon?

Ans: It benefits wildlife, water quality, storm surge protection, and local economies.

Source: DTE

SANJAY Surveillance System Latest News

Recently, the Minister of Defence flagged-off ‘SANJAY - The Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS)’ from South Block, New Delhi.

About SANJAY Surveillance System

• It is a battlefield automated surveillance system which integrates the inputs from all ground and aerial battlefield sensors, processing them to confirm their veracity, preventing duplication and fusing them to produce a Common Surveillance Picture of the battlefield over secured Army Data Network & Satellite Communication Network. 

SANJAY Surveillance System Features

• It is equipped with state-of-the-art sensors and cutting-edge analytics.
• It will monitor the vast land borders, prevent intrusions, assess situations with unparalleled accuracy and prove to be a force multiplier in Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance.
• This would enable commanders to operate in both conventional & sub-conventional operations in a Network Centric Environment.
• These systems will be inducted to all operational Brigades, Divisions & Corps of the Indian Army in three phases w.e.f. March to October of 2025, which has been declared as ‘Year of Reforms’ in the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
• Developed by: It is indigenously & jointly developed by the Indian Army and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

SANJAY Surveillance System Significance

• Its induction will be an extraordinary leap towards data and network centricity in the Indian Army.
• It will enhance battlefield transparency and transform the future battlefield through a Centralised Web Application which will provide inputs to Command & Army Headquarters, and the Indian Army Decision Support System.

SANJAY Surveillance System FAQs

Q1: What is a radar surveillance system?

Ans Radar is a method whereby radio waves are transmitted into the air and are then received when they have been reflected by an object in the path of the beam.

Q2: What is a sensor?

Ans: A sensor is a device that detects the change in the environment and responds to some output on the other system

Q3: Who developed the SANJAY Battlefield Surveillance System?

Ans: Indian army and BEL

Q4: What is the purpose of the SANJAY Battlefield Surveillance System?

Ans: It will monitor the vast land borders.

Q5: What is Bharat Electronics Limited?

Ans: It is Indian Public Sector Unit and aerospace and defence electronics company,

Source: PIB

About Nahargarh Wildlife Sanctuary

• It is situated in the Aravalli hills, just 20 kilometres from Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• The sanctuary is named after Nahargarh Fort, a historic fort built in the 18th century by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur. 
• It encompasses an area of 720 hectares.
• Nahargarh Biological Park, a part of the Nahargarh sanctuary, is famous for the lion safaris.
• Nahargarh Wildlife Sanctuary Flora: The vegetation comprises dry deciduous forests, scrublands, and grasslands.
• Nahargarh Wildlife Sanctuary Fauna: 
  • Common species include leopards, wild boars, deer, lions, tigers, sloth bears, and several small mammals.
  • It's a haven for bird watchers, with a variety of species, including peacocks, owls, and eagles.
  • In addition to mammals and birds, the sanctuary is home to reptiles like Indian rock pythons, monitor lizards, and amphibians like frogs and toads.

Nahargarh Wildlife Sanctuary FAQs

Q1. Which animals are found in Nahargarh Biological Park?

Ans. The Nahargarh Zoological Park houses animals such as Asiatic lions, Bengal tigers, panthers, hyenas, wolves, deer, crocodiles, sloth bear, Himalayan black bear, wild boar, etc

Q2. Which is the largest wildlife sanctuary in India?

Ans. The Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat is the largest wildlife sanctuary in India.

Q3. Which is the largest tiger reserve in India?

Ans. The Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, located in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, is the largest tiger reserve in India.

Source: TOI

Pangsau Pass Latest News

Recently, the Pangsau Pass International Festival was celebrated in Nampong, Arunachal Pradesh.

About Pangsau Pass

• Pangsau Pass or Pan Saung Pass, 3,727 feet (1,136 m) in altitude, lies on the crest of the Patkai Hills on the India-Myanmar border.
• The pass offers one of the easiest routes into Burma from the Assam plains.
• It is named after the closest Burmese village, Pangsau, that lies 2 km beyond the pass to the east.
• It is the reputed route of the 13th century invasion of Assam in India by the Ahoms, a Shan tribe.
• The pass became famous during World War II for being the initial obstacle encountered by American General “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell’s forces in their effort to build a land route to isolated China after the fall of Burma to the Japanese.
• The famous lake called the Lake of no return in Myanmar side which can be viewed from Pangsau pass
• Pangsau Pass is considered to be “Hell gate” or “Hell Pass” due to difficult terrains in the Indo-Burma Patkai mountain Range.

Key Facts About the Pangsau Pass International Festival 

• It is celebrated every year in Nampong which is situated in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• The festival offers a platform for the cross border trade and cultural exchange with neighbouring country Myanmar to exhibit its culture and other products.
• The festival conjoins the tribes of both North East and Myanmar and gives them the opportunity to showcase their culture and traditions to the world.

Pangsau Pass FAQs

Q1: Where is Pangsau Pass?

Ans: Nampong, Arunachal Pradesh

Q2: What is the mystery lake of Arunachal Pradesh?

Ans: The Lake of No Return or the Nawang Yang lake is one of the most mysterious destinations around India

Q3: In which state Pangsau festival is celebrated?

Ans: Arunachal Pradesh

Q4: What are mountain passes?

Ans: Mountain pass is a connectivity route through the mountain run

Source: TOI

About Rakhigarhi

• Rakhigarhi is an archaeological site located in Hisar district, Haryana, in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain.
• It is one of the oldest and largest cities of the subcontinent’s earliest known Bronze Age urban culture, the Indus Valley or Harappan Civilization, going back to about 6500 BCE.
• Rakhigarhi constitutes one of the only two cities of the Harappan Era (6th millennium–1900 BC) situated within India’s current political boundary, the other being Dholavira in Gujarat. 
• The site was first discovered in the 1960s by the Archeological Survey of India. 
• Findings:
  • The exploration around this site has clearly identified seven archaeological mounds spread over an area of approximately 350 ha.
  • Rakhigarhi primarily yields evidence of occupation during the Early and Mature Harappan periods, with the site being completely abandoned during the Late Harappan period.
  • The archaeological excavations revealed the mature Harappan phase, represented by a planned township with mud-brick as well as burnt-brick houses with a proper drainage system.
  • The ceramic industry is represented by red ware, which included dish-on-stand, vase, jar, bowl, beaker, perforated jar, goblet, and handis. 
  • Animal sacrificial pits lined with mud bricks and triangular and circular fire alters on the mud floor have also been excavated, that signifies the ritual system of the Harappans. 
  • A cylindrical seal with five Harappan characters on one side and a symbol of an alligator on the other is an important find from this site.
  • Other antiquities include blades; terracotta and shell bangles; beads of semi-precious stones, terracotta, shell and copper objects; animal figurines, toy cart frame and wheel of terracotta; bone points; inscribed steatite seals, and sealings.
  • The excavations have yielded a few extended burials, which certainly belong to a very late stage, maybe the medieval times.
  • Rakhigarhi is also well-known as the site which has yielded the only DNA evidence from the Harappan era.

Source :TP

Rakhigarhi Latest FAQs

Q1. On which river is Rakhigarhi civilization?

Ans. Rakhigarhi is situated on the bank of the now dry, Saraswati river

Q2. Who excavated Rakhigarhi first?

Ans. The excavation of Rakhigarhi was first conducted by Dr. V. N. Misra, an Indian archaeologist, in the early 1990s.

Q3. How old is Rakhigarhi?

Ans. Researchers have established that human remains discovered at an ancient site of Rakhigarhi – a village in the Hisar district of Haryana – date back around 8,000 years.

Q4. What is the city of the dead in Harappan civilization?

Ans. Mohenjo-daro! Mohenjo Daro, or "Mound of the Dead" is an ancient Indus Valley Civilization city that flourished between 2600 and 1900 BCE

About Deep Ocean Mission

• It is a mission-mode project to support the Blue Economy Initiatives of the Government of India.
• It is a high-level multi-ministerial, multidisciplinary programme for a better understanding of the deep sea living and non-living resources of the Indian Ocean.
• It was launched as a Central Sector Scheme with the overall estimated cost of Rs 4,077 crores for two phases of the Mission period during 2021-2026.
• The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal Ministry implementing this multi-institutional Mission.
• The mission consists of six major components:
  • Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining and Manned Submersible and Underwater Robotics;
  • Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services;
  • Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity;
  • Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration;
  • Energy and freshwater from the Ocean;
  • Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology
• The Samudrayaan project under the Deep Ocean Mission is for the development of a manned submersible to carry three people to a depth of 6000 meters in the ocean with a suite of scientific sensors for ocean exploration and observation. 
• The vehicle is called Matsya 6000. 
• The entire vehicle design has been completed and various sub-components like underwater battery, propulsion system, underwater telephone, navigation and communication devices, power distribution and control systems, personnel sphere for 500 m water depth, lift support system, control software, etc have been realised.

Deep Ocean Mission FAQs

Q1. Who launched the Deep Ocean Mission?

Ans. The Deep Ocean Mission was launched by the Government of India, specifically 

by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

Q2. What is the purpose of the Deep Ocean Mission?

Ans. To develop technologies to harness the living and non-living resources from the deep-oceans.

Q3. Who owns the deep ocean?

Ans. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the deep ocean beyond national jurisdiction is considered a common heritage of mankind. 

Q4. What is the depth of the deepest ocean?

Ans. The deepest part of the ocean is called the Challenger Deep, approximately 10,935 meters (35,876 feet) deep, and is located beneath the western Pacific Ocean in the southern end of the Mariana Trench.

Source: BS

About Doctrine of Merger

• It is a common law doctrine that is rooted in the idea of maintenance of the decorum of the hierarchy of courts and tribunals. 
• It provides that when an appellate court passes an order, the order passed by the lower court is merged with that order.
• The underlying logic is that there cannot be more than one decree or operative order governing the same subject matter at a given point of time.
• The doctrine solves the issue of which order must be enforced and given importance if there are multiple orders passed by both subordinate and superior courts on a single issue. 
• It clarifies and provides that in this situation, the order passed by the superior court or the successive order would prevail and that the order of the lower court would be merged with the order passed by the superior court.
• The doctrine is not recognized statutorily but is a statement of judicial propriety and seeks to instill discipline in the functioning of subordinate adjudicating authorities, whether judicial, quasi-judicial, or administrative.
• It is not a doctrine of universal or unlimited application. It will depend on the nature of jurisdiction exercised by the superior forum and the content or subject-matter of the challenge.

Doctrine of Merger FAQs

Q1. What is the meaning of the doctrine of merger?

Ans. The doctrine of merger states that once a higher court decides on an appeal, the lower court's judgment is no longer considered valid independently, as it merges with the appellate court's ruling.

Q2. How is doctrine defined??

Ans. A doctrine is a principle, rule, or set of beliefs that is systematically followed or accepted by a group, organization, or system. 

Source: LL