UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | August 12 to August 18, 2024

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Polity

• Independence Day celebration

— The theme for this year’s celebrations is “Viksit Bharat,” which translates to “Developed India,” which aligns with the Indian government’s vision to transform the nation into a developed country by 2047, coinciding with the centenary (100 years) of independence.

— The government encouraged public participation through initiatives like the Har Ghar Tiranga movement, urging citizens to hoist the national flag at their homes and business.

— PM Narendra Modi delivered his 11th consecutive speech on this occasion at Red Fort.

Environment

•  Three New Ramsar sites added

—  Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and Tawa Reservoir of Madhya Pradesh have been added to the list of India’s Ramsar sites. The total number of Ramsar sites in India is now 85.

— The Ramsar Convention, which came into existence in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

(Source: PIB)

Science and Technology

ISRO’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is a three-stage Launch Vehicle configured with three Solid Propulsion Stages. (Via Youtube/ISRO)

•  SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle)

— On 16th August ISRO has successfully launched SSLV which placed the EOS-08 and SR-0 satellites into a precise 475-km circular orbit.

— SSLV is a three-stage Launch Vehicle configured with three Solid Propulsion Stages. It has a liquid propulsion-based Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) as a terminal stage, which can help adjust the velocity as it prepares to place the satellite.

— EOS-08, the primary payload on the mission, is a 175-kg experimental satellite carrying three new technologies on board – EOIR, GNSS-R, and SiC UV Dosimeter.

— The Electro-Optical Infrared Payload (EOIR) is designed to capture images in mid-wave and long-wave infra-red during the day and night.

— The Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) payload demonstrates how reflected signals from satellite-based navigation systems like GPS can be used for applications including ocean wind analysis, soil moisture assessment, and monitoring inland water bodies.

— The third payload SiC UV Dosimeter will be used to study the amount of UV radiation that will hit the viewport of the crew module in preparation for the Gaganyaan mission.

• Krishi-Decision Support System (K-DSS)

— Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare has launched the digital geo-spatial platform, Krishi-Decision Support System.

— It is a first-of-its-kind geospatial platform specifically designed for Indian agriculture. The platform provides seamless access to comprehensive data including satellite images, weather information, reservoir storage, groundwater levels and soil health information, which can be easily accessed from anywhere at any time.

• DDoS Attack

— Elon Mask and Donald Trump live audio interview was witnessed several glitches, due to what appeared to be a “massive DDoS attack on X”.

— Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) is a type of cyberattack where multiple compromised devices are used to flood a target server, network, or website with an overwhelming amount of traffic, causing it to slow down or become completely inaccessible to legitimate users.

An unmanned cargo aircraft developed by Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co. takes part in a maiden flight at an airport in Zigong, Sichuan province, China August 11, 2024. (REUTERS Photo)

• China Tests Largest Unmanned Cargo Drone for Civilian Use

— China has successfully flown its largest unmanned cargo drone, designed for civilian use, as part of efforts to expand its drone industry.

— State-funded Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co has developed this twin-engine cargo drone of China.

Diseases

A nurse tends to a child suspected of having contracted mpox in DRC. (Reuters)

• Mpox

— Recently, the World Health Organisation has declared mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

— Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a self-limiting viral infection caused by mpox virus (MPXV).

— According to WHO, there are two broad clades of the Mpox virus: clade I and II. Clade I leads to more severe disease and death than clade II in the populations where it is endemic.

— Mpox is classified as a zoonosis, meaning it transmits from infected animals to humans.

— The symptoms of Mpox are fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, and fatigue. It is a self-limiting disease but can lead to death, especially among children and those with weak immune systems.

(Just FYI: UPSC has consistently included questions on health and diseases in its examinations over the years. For instance, in 2014, a question about the Ebola virus appeared in the Prelims, and in 2017, a question about the Zika virus was featured. Therefore, it is crucial to stay updated on diseases that are currently in the news.)

Persons in News

• K Natwar Singh

— Veteran Congress leader and former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh passed away on 10th August at the age of 93.

— He has served as the External Affairs Minister from 2004-05. He had held multiple ministries as well.

— He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan after he served as the head of the preparatory committee of the Non-Alignment Summit in New Delhi in 1983.

• Rahul Navin

— The acting Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been appointed as full time chief of the ED for two years.

• Srettha Thavisin

— Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin of Thailand has been removed by Thailand’s Constitutional Court for appointing a former lawyer who served jail time to his Cabinet.

— He has become the fourth Thai premier in 16 years to be removed by verdicts by the same court.

Paetongtarn entered politics in 2022, being elected as ‘Head of the Pheu Thai Family’ which made her a leading prime minister-candidate for the Pheu Thai Party. (X/@ingshin)

• Paetongtarn Shinawatra

— Paetongtarn Shinawatra has become the new Prime Minister of Thailand.

— At the age of 37, she became the youngest PM of the country.

(Just FYI: Noting historical personalities’ anniversaries aids UPSC prep. UPSC often includes such personalities in questions, so revisiting their lives refreshes your static syllabus.)

Places in News

• Tungabhadra dam

— A flood alert has been issued in Karnataka’s Koppal district after one of the 33 crest gates of the Tungabhadra dam was washed away.

— The dam is located across the Tungabhadra river, which is formed by the confluence of the Tunga and Bhadra rivers near Shimoga in the Western Ghats.

— The Tungabhadra river, flowing into the Krishna river at Sangamaleshwaram in Andhra Pradesh, has a catchment area of nearly 70,000 sq km.

• Kursk region

— Ukrainian troops have advanced 30 km into Russia’s Kursk region, marking Kyiv’s largest incursion into Russian territory since the war began in 2022.

— Russian forces are currently engaged with Ukrainian troops near the villages of Tolpino and Obshchy Kolodez — which are about 25 km and 30 km from the Russia-Ukraine border.

Sudzha, located near Russia’s border with Ukraine.

• Nankai Trough

— Japan’s government has issued a warning against the country’s first-ever “megaquake advisory” on August 8, hours after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off southwestern Japan.

— The Nankai Trough is an underwater subduction zone (nearly 900 km long) where the Eurasian Plate collides with the Philippine Sea Plate, pushing the latter under the former and into the Earth’s mantle.

• St Martin’s Island

— The recent ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has brought St Martin’s Island under the spotlight.

— The island is located in the northeastern region of the Bay of Bengal, close to the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. It is nine kilometres away from the southern tip of Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf peninsula.

(Just FYI: The location of the place is important, considering that UPSC has asked several questions about places that were in the news, such as Aleppo and Kirkuk, in the 2018 UPSC Prelims. The best way to remember them is to plot them on a world map.)

Reports and Rankings

• Women and Men in India 2023

— The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released the 25th issue of its publication titled “Women and Men in India 2023”.

— It provides data on a wide range of topics such as Population, Education, Health, Participation in Economy, Participation in Decision making etc. among others.

— By 2036, the population of India is expected to reach 152.2 Crore, with a slightly improved female percentage of 48.8% as compared to 48.5 percent in 2011.

— India’s population in 2036 is expected to be more feminine compared to the 2011 population, as reflected in the sex ratio which is projected to increase from 943 in 2011 to 952 by 2036, highlighting a positive trend in gender equality.

(Source: PIB)

• NIRF Ranking 2024

— The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024 has been announced by the Ministry of Education.

— This is the ninth consecutive edition of the India Rankings for higher education institutions. Three new categories namely Open Universities, State Public Universities, and Skill Universities were added this year, making a total of 16 categories.

Awards

• 70th National Film Awards

— The 70th National Film Awards for the calendar year 2022 was announced on Friday.

— The National Film Awards were first given out in 1954, at that time it was called ‘state awards’. Nargis won the inaugural Award for Best Actress, for her performance as a schizophrenia patient in ‘Raat Aur Din’, while Uttam Kumar won the Best Actor award for both ‘Antony Firingee’ and ‘Chiriyakhana’.

— The first-ever Best Feature Film winner was the Marathi movie Shyamchi Aai. The most awarded film in the history of the awards remains Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan, which received eight honours in 2002.

Terms making buzz

— Drug Captagon: It is commonly known as “poor man’s cocaine.” It was originally manufactured in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s where it was intended to treat attention deficit disorders.

Test Your Knowledge

(Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.)

(A) With reference to India’s satellite launch vehicles, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2018)

1. PSLVs launch the satellites useful for Earth resources monitoring whereas GSLVs are designed mainly to launch communication satellites.

2. Satellites launched by PSLV appear to remain permanently fixed in the same position in the sky, as viewed from a particular location on Earth.

3. GSLV Mk III is a four-staged launch vehicle with the first and third stages using solid rocket motors; and the second and fourth stages using liquid rocket engines.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3

(c) 1 and 2

(d) 3 only

B. Kursk region which was recently in the news is located in which of the following countries?

(a) Syria

(b) Angola

(c) Russia

(d) Iraq

C. NIRF ranking is released by which of the following?

(a) NITI Aayog

(b) Ministry of Education

(c) MoSPI

(d) Ministry of Health

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2xAVzg_YKE?si=m4nhp7rX9n3ieCBz&w=560&h=315