Prelims Pointers for 5-March-2024

by Vajiram & Ravi

05-03-2024

08:47 AM

ADITI scheme

05-03-2024

08:47 AM

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1 min read
ADITI scheme Blog Image

Overview:

Recently, the Union Minister of Defence launched the ADITI scheme during DefConnect 2024 in New Delhi.

About ADITI Scheme

  • Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) is a scheme to promote innovations in critical and strategic defence technologies.
  • Aim: It aims to develop about 30 deep-tech critical and strategic technologies in the proposed timeframe.
  • Eligibility: Under this scheme start-ups are eligible to receive grant-in-aid of up to Rs 25 crore for their research, development, and innovation endeavours in defence technology. 
  • Time period: This scheme worth Rs 750 crore for the period 2023-24 to 2025-26.
  • It falls under the iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) framework of the Department of Defence Production ,Ministry of Defence. 
  • It also envisages to create a ‘Technology Watch Tool’ to bridge the gap between the expectations and requirements of the modern Armed Forces and the capabilities of the defence innovation ecosystem.
  • In the first edition of ADITI, 17 challenges – Indian Army (3), Indian Navy (5), Indian Air Force (5) and Defence Space Agency (4) - have been launched.
  • To motivate young innovators, iDEX was expanded to iDEX Prime, with the assistance increasing from Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 10 crore.
  • The idea behind the schemes/initiatives such as ADITI, iDEX, iDEX Prime is to also transform India into a knowledge society.
  • The scheme will nurture the innovation of youth, and help the country leap forward in the field of technology.

Q1) What is iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence)?

It is the flagship initiative of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), launched in April 2018.It aims to achieve self-reliance and foster innovation and technology development in Defence and Aerospace by engaging Industries including MSMEs, start-ups, 

Source: DefConnect 2024: Raksha Mantri launches ADITI scheme to promote innovations in critical & strategic defence technologies


Risa Textile Blog Image

Overview:

Tripura’s traditional tribal attire ‘risa’ received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag recently.

About Risa Textile

  • It is a handwoven cloth used as a female upper garment, and also as headgear, a stole, or a present to express respect.
  • It is woven in colourful designs and has a crucial social and religious significance.
  • Adolescent Tripuri girls are first given a risa to wear in an event called Risa Sormani, at age 12 to 14.
  • Religious relevance: The risa is used in religious festivals such as Garia Puja by tribal communities, a turban by men during weddings and festivals, a cummerbund over the dhoti, a head scarf by young girls and boys, and a muffler during winters.
  • The cloth is also used as a makeshift hanger to hold an infant on mothers’ backs.
  • It is presented as a mark of honour to distinguished recipients.
  • Risa is common in almost all 19 indigenous tribal communities of Tripura.
  • The traditional Tripuri female attire consists of three parts — risa, rignai and rikutu.
    • Risa is a handwoven cloth used as a female upper garment.
    • Rignai is primarily worn as the lower garment and literally means ‘to wear’.
    • Rituku is mainly used as a wrap, or like a ‘chunri’ or a ‘pallu’ of the Indian saree. It is also used to cover the heads of newly married Tripuri women.
  • The complete Tripuri attire is claimed to have originated even before the time of the Manikya kings, who ruled Tripura for over 500 years starting from the 15th century. 

Q1) What is a Geographical Indication Tag?

It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.This is typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts and industrial products.

Source: Tripura’s traditional tribal attire ‘risa’ gets GI tag: CM Manik Saha


Digital Intelligence Platform Blog Image

Overview:

Recently, the Minister of Communications, Railway, and Electronics & Information Technology Chauhan launched the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)’s ‘Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP)’ and ‘Chakshu facility on Sanchar Saathi portal.

About Digital Intelligence Platform

  • It is developed by the Department of Telecommunications.
  • It is a secure and integrated platform for real time intelligence sharing, information exchange and coordination among the stakeholders, Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), law enforcement agencies (LEAs), banks and financial institutions (FIs), social media platforms, identity document issuing authorities etc.
  • The portal also contains information regarding the cases detected as misuse of telecom resources.
  • The shared information could be useful to the stakeholders in their respective domains.
  • It also works as a backend repository for the citizen-initiated requests on the Sanchar Saathi portal for action by the stakeholders.
  • The DIP is accessible to the stakeholders over secure connectivity and the relevant information is shared based on their respective roles. The said platform is not accessible to citizens.

What is Chakshu?

  • It is the latest addition to the citizen centric facilities already available on the Sanchar Saathi portal of DoT.
  • It facilitates citizens to report suspected fraud communication received over call, SMS or WhatsApp with the intention of defrauding like KYC expiry or update of bank account / payment wallet / SIM / gas connection / electricity connection, sextortion, impersonation as government official / relative for sending money, disconnection of all mobile numbers by Department of Telecommunications etc.
  • In case, a citizen is already a victim of cyber-crime or financial fraud, it is advised to report at cyber-crime helpline number 1930 or website https://www.cybercrime.gov.in of Government of India.

Q1) What is Smishing?

It is a type of phishing attack, smishing, often involves sending fraudulent text messages to individuals with the aim of tricking them into divulging sensitive personal information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, or other confidential data.

Source: MoC Ashwini Vaishnaw launches DoT’s Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) for Coordination Among the Stakeholders to Curb Misuse of Telecom Resources in Cyber-crime and Financial Fraud


What is HPV Vaccination? Blog Image

Overview:

Every year, March 4 is observed as International HPV Awareness Day.

What is Human Papillomavirus (HPV)?

  • HPV is a group of more than 200 related viruses, of which more than 40 are spread through direct sexual contact.
  • Among these, two HPV types cause genital warts, and about a dozen HPV types can cause certain types of cancer.
  • More than 95% of cervical cancer is caused by the HPV virus.
  • Transmission:
    • It is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) globally. 
    • It also spreads through skin-to-skin contact. 
  • Once infected, most people do not develop any symptoms, thereby not being aware that they have the virus.
  • Most of the time, the body can find and clear out HPV. But if the virus stays in the body for a long time, it can cause cancer.
  • Getting vaccinated against HPV helps prevent cancer in men and women.
  • HPV Vaccination:
    • The HPV vaccine is a series of shots that can protect you from an HPV infection. 
    • It prevents HPV infections that can progress to cancer or genital warts.
    • The HPV vaccination is more efficacious if given between the age group of 9-26 years.
    • Once a person gets HPV, the vaccine may not be as effective.
    • The HPV vaccine isn't given during pregnancy.

Q1) What is a Virus?

A virus is an infectious microbe consisting of a segment of nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat. A virus cannot replicate alone; instead, it must infect cells and use components of the host cell to make copies of itself. Often, a virus ends up killing the host cell in the process, causing damage to the host organism. Well-known examples of viruses causing human disease include AIDS, COVID-19, measles and smallpox.

Source: A vaccine that prevents six cancers


Cavum clouds  Blog Image

Overview:

Recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shared captivating pictures of clouds on a social media platform, showcasing the breathtaking view of Cavum clouds as seen from space.

About Cavum clouds

  • These clouds are also known as “hole-punch clouds or fallstreak holes.”
  • How are Cavum clouds formed?
    • These are formed when aeroplanes pass through layers of altocumulus clouds, which are mid-level clouds containing supercooled water droplets (water below freezing temperature but still in liquid form).
    • As the aircraft moves through, a process known as adiabatic expansion can cause the water droplets to freeze into ice crystals.
    • These ice crystals eventually become too heavy and fall out of the cloud layer, creating a hole in the clouds.
    • These "mysterious clouds" has been ongoing for over 13 years.
    • They are formed when planes pass through at a relatively steep angle.

What are Altocumulus clouds?

  • These are typically found in groups or heaps clumped together.
  • They’re found in the middle layer of the troposphere, lower than cirrocumulus and higher than their cumulus and stratocumulus counterparts.
  • The term mackerel sky is also common to altocumulus (and cirrocumulus) clouds that display a pattern resembling fish scales.
  • These are the one of the most diverse and dynamic in terms of appearance.

Q1) What is the troposphere?

It is the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere in direct contact with the Earth's surface. Most of the weather phenomena, systems, convection, turbulence, and clouds occur in this layer.

Source: NASA satellite captures ‘odd holes’ in clouds caused by aeroplanes. Explained


What is Project Seabird? Blog Image

Overview:

The Defence Minister will inaugurate two big piers and seven towers with 320 homes for Navy officers and Defence civilians as part of Project Seabird at Naval Base Karwar in Karnataka.

About Project Seabird

  • The largest naval infrastructure project for India, it involves creation of a naval base at Karwar, Karnataka, on the west coast of India. 
  • History:
    • In the post-Indo-Pak War of 1971 scenario, India learned that the Indian Navy needs an additional naval base since Mumbai Harbour faced congestion, which led to security issues for its Western Fleet. 
    • The project was originally conceived by Admiral OS Dawson, the Chief of Naval Staff, in the early 1980s.
    • It was initially sanctioned in 1985, and the foundation stone was laid on October 24, 1986, by Rajiv Gandhi.
  • This is a massive project spread over around 11,000 acres of land. With the first sealift facility in the country and a transfer system for docking and undocking ships and submarines.
  • Its first phase, which included the construction of a deep-sea harbour, breakwaters dredging, a township, a naval hospital, a dockyard uplift centre and a ship lift, was commissioned in 2005.
  • The development of phase 2 of INS Kadamba commenced in 2011.
    • This phase is further divided into 2A and 2B. It was planned to expand the facilities to dock additional warships and a new Naval Air Station, among other projects. 
  • Once completed, it will be the largest naval base in the Eastern Hemisphere.
  • It will be able to accommodate around 32 warships, 23 submarines, and hangers for several aircraft.

Q1) What are submarines?

A submarine is a vessel, or ship, that can go underwater. Submarines are called subs for short. Militaries and scientists use submarines to travel deep under the ocean. Militaries use submarines to patrol ocean waters and to attack enemy ships during wartime. Military submarines are usually very large. They may carry more than 100 people. They also carry such weapons as missiles and torpedoes.

Source: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Inaugurate Key Infrastructure at Naval Base Karwar for Project Seabird Expansion


Women, Business and Law Index Blog Image

Overview:

India's ranking improved to 113 out of 190 countries in the World Bank’s Women, Business and Law index.

About Women, Business and Law Index

  • It is a World Bank index measuring the enabling environment for women’s economic opportunity in 190 economies.
  • The index measures how laws and regulations affect women’s economic opportunity on a scale from 0 to 100, where 100 means equal legal rights for men and women.
  • The report covers eight related areas: Mobility, workplace, pay, marriage, parenthood, entrepreneurship, assets, and pension.
  • The data offer objective and measurable benchmarks for evaluating global progress toward legal gender equality.
  • It demonstrates the progress made while emphasising the work still to be done to ensure economic empowerment for all.
  • Highlights of 2024 Index:
    • o It is the 10th edition of the report.
    • o Globally, none of the countries has a full score in the new index, indicating that women did not enjoy equal rights in any of the countries.
    • o India's ranking improved to 113 out of 190 countries.
    • o Indian women enjoyed 60% of the legal rights given to men as per the new report, lower than the global average of 64.2%.

Q1) What is the World Bank?

The WB is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low and middle-income/developing countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. It was established along with the IMF at the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference. The WB is the collective name for the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Development Association (IDA), two of five international organisations owned by the WB Group.

Source: India ranks 113 out of 190 countries in the World Bank’s legal gender gap index


What is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)? Blog Image

Overview:

Germany recently announced that it would allow carbon capture and off-shore storage for certain industrial sectors.

About is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

  • CCS refers to a host of different technologies that capture CO2 emissions from large point sources like refineries or power plants and trap them beneath the Earth. 
  • Notably, CCS is different from carbon dioxide removal (CDR), where CO2 is removed from the atmosphere.
  • It’s a three-step process, involving: capturing the carbon dioxide produced by power generation or industrial activity, such as steel or cement making; transporting it; and then storing it deep underground.
  • CCS involves three different techniques of capturing carbon, including post-combustion, pre-combustion, and oxyfuel combustion.
    • In post-combustion, CO2 is removed after the fossil fuel has been burnt. By using a chemical solvent, CO2 is separated from the exhaust or ‘flue’ gases and then captured.
    • Pre-combustion involves removing CO2 before burning the fossil fuel. “First, the fossil fuel is partially burned in a ‘gasifier’ to form synthetic gas. CO2 can be captured from this relatively pure exhaust stream. The method also generates hydrogen, which is separated and can be used as fuel.
    • In oxyfuel combustion, the fossil fuel is burnt with almost pure oxygen, which produces CO2 and water vapour. The water is condensed through cooling, and CO2 is separated and captured. 
  • Out of the three methods, oxyfuel combustion is the most efficient, but the oxygen burning process needs a lot of energy.
  • After capture, CO2 is compressed into a liquid state and transported to suitable storage sites. 
    • Possible storage sites for carbon emissions include saline aquifers or depleted oil and gas reservoirs.
  • There are also only a few operational CCS projects across the world, even though the technology has been pushed for decades.
    • According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), there were 40 operational CCS projects in 2023, which captured more than 45 metric tonnes (Mt) of CO2 annually.

Q1) What is syngas?

Syngas, also called a synthesis gas, is a mix of molecules containing hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water vapours, as well as other hydrocarbons and condensable compounds. It is a main product of gasification and majority product of high temperature pyrolysis carried on any biomass, residues and waste. When produced in pyrolysis, it is created by the vaporisation of volatile compounds from the raw material thanks to the heat, which induces a set of complex reactions.

Source: Warming up to climate change: What is carbon capture and can it help save the planet?


Key Facts about Copper Age Blog Image

Overview:

Archaeologists in Italy recently made a remarkable discovery of a 5,000-year-old cemetery that belonged to a Copper Age society.

About Copper Age

  • The Copper Age, or Chalcolithic time period, is a period that spans from about 5,000 to 2,000 years ago, depending on the region.
  • It was a transitional phase from the Neolithic period (the New Stone Age) to the Bronze Age.
  • Features:
    • It is characterized by the emergence of metallurgy, especially the use of copper, along with stone tools.
    • It coincides with the beginnings of craft specialization, the development of agriculture, long-distance trade, and increased sociopolitical complexity.
    • Farmers typically raised domestic animals such as sheep-goats, cattle, and pigs, a diet supplemented by hunting and fishing.
  • Crops grown by Chalcolithic farmers included barley, wheat, and pulses.
    • A main identifying characteristic of the Chalcolithic period is polychrome painted pottery.
    • Houses built by Chalcolithic farmers were constructed of stone or mudbrick.
  • One characteristic pattern is a chain building, a row of rectangular houses connected to one another by shared party walls on the short ends. 
  • Another pattern, seen in larger settlements, is a set of rooms around a central courtyard, which may have facilitated the same sort of social arrangement. 
    • In archaeology, the first signs of massacres, battles, and warrior burials begin appearing with the rise of the Copper Age.
  • By the end of the Copper Age, people discovered that by adding tin to copper, a stronger and more durable metal could be created: bronze. From that point on, the Bronze Age begins.

Q1) What is the Neolithic period?

The Neolithic Period, also called the New Stone Age, is the final stage of cultural evolution or technological development among prehistoric humans. The term Neolithic is most frequently used in connection with agriculture, which is the time when cereal cultivation and animal domestication were introduced. It is characterized by the beginning of a settled human lifestyle. The Neolithic stage of development was attained during the Holocene Epoch (the last 11,700 years of Earth’s history). The starting point of the Neolithic is generally thought to have occurred sometime around 10,000 BCE. The Neolithic followed the Paleolithic Period, or the age of chipped-stone tools, and preceded the Bronze Age, or the early period of metal tools.

Source: A 5,000-year-old cemetery discovered in Italy belongs to the Copper Age