1

MBR Explorer

|

United Arab Emirates is heading for the asteroid belt.

  • The spacecraft, named MBR Explorer after Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and prime minister of the UAE, is scheduled to launch in 2028.
  • Building off the success of its Hope spacecraft, which is still circling and studying Mars, the United Arab Emirates announced plans for an ambitious follow-up mission.
  • The mission aims to take a grand tour of the asteroid belt.
  • In February 2030, the spacecraft will arrive at Wester Wald, a 1.4-mile-wide asteroid, zipping past at 20,000 mph on its way to visit 6 more objects in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
  • The mission would get a more detailed look at the surface of the asteroid.
  • This helps to understand the interior density and the structure of the asteroid.
  • Justitia – The seventh asteroid, Justitia, is the most intriguing.
  • About 30 miles wide, Justitia is very reddish, an unusual colour for an asteroid.
  • Indeed, it looks more like one of the small icy worlds found in the Kuiper belt, circling the sun beyond the orbit of Neptune.
  • That has led planetary scientists to speculate that Justitia formed in the outer reaches of the solar system and then was scattered inward by the shifting orbits of the giant planets, eventually joining the asteroid belt.
  • A visit to Justitia would provide a close-up study of a Kuiper belt object without the long trip to the solar system’s distant reaches.
  • The MBR Explorer is scheduled to sidle up within a few hundred feet of Justitia in October 2034.
  • It will spend at least 7 months studying it with cameras and spectrometers that will be able to identify the asteroid’s composition, including the presence of water.
  • The reddish colour is believed to point to carbon-based molecules that are the building blocks for life.
  • The spacecraft will also drop off a small lander to set down on Justitia’s surface.

Jupiter size exoplanet system

 



Indian Olympic Association (IOA)

|

IOC steps in support of the protesting wrestlers.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA)

  • The Indian Olympic Association is the governing body for the Olympic Movement and the Commonwealth Games in India.
  • It is an affiliated member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).
  • The IOA administers various aspects of sports governance and athletes’ welfare in the country.
  • In this regard, the IOA oversees the representation of athletes or teams participating in the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and other international multi-sport competitions of IOC, CGF, OCA and ANOC.
  • The Indian Olympic Association is recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

International Olympic Committee

  • The International Olympic Committee is the guardian of the Olympic Games and the leader of the Olympic Movement.
  • It acts as a catalyst for collaboration between all Olympic stakeholders, including the athletes, the National Olympic Committees, the International Federations and Olympic broadcast partners.
  • It also collaborates with public and private authorities including the United Nations and other international organisations. 
  • The vision of the International Olympic Committee is to build a Better World through Sport.

United World Wrestling (UWW)

  • United World Wrestling (UWW) is the international governing body for the sport of amateur wrestling; its duties include overseeing wrestling at the Olympics.
  • It presides over international competitions for various forms of wrestling, including Greco-Roman wrestling, Freestyle wrestling, Grappling, for men and women, as well as others.
  • The flagship event of UWW is the Wrestling World Championships.

 



Uttar Pradesh: New Sports Policy 2023

|

Through the New Sports Policy, the Uttar Pradesh government hopes to inspire aspiring athletes to pursue their aspirations while promoting and fostering a sports culture in the state.

What is the New Sports Policy 2023?

  • The policy will give a variety of factors, including a player’s physical fitness and training, extra attention.
  • Additionally, a number of provisions have been implemented to encourage the creation of new institutions and link sports to educational institutions like private academies and colleges.
  • It also specifies the establishment of a separate state sports authority.

Financial assistance to sports associations and academies

  • The new strategy provides financial assistance to numerous sports associations and academies. It will aid academies and sporting organisation with minimal resources.
  • With the government’s financial backing, these associations and academies will be able to improve their infrastructure and training facilities, allowing them to produce more top athletes.
  • The Uttar Pradesh government will also work with PPP (Public Private Partnership) to construct sports infrastructure facilities.
  • The state will establish 14 centres of excellence, each centred on a certain sport.
  • These are proposed to be established on a PPP basis.
  • The new sports policy also provides coach information and a map of numerous athletic facilities.

Eklavya Sports Fund

  • The government will also provide treatment to players provide funds from the Eklavya Sports Fund: Each registered player will receive a health insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh from the state government.

Players will receive training in three categories

  • First category will include grassroots (ground level) players who need coaching at the initial level.
  • Second category will focus on the development of players, with talented players being identified and given necessary training as part of an action plan to help them become future players.
  • Third category is of elite-class players established players who represent the state in various sports. Such players will be motivated to perform better at national and international levels.

Role of Khelo India University Games 

  • It also decided to frame a policy for the construction, operation, and management of stadiums, and open gyms in rural areas so that necessary facilities could be provided to promising players in the hinterland and help them win laurels for the state and country.


MH-60 Romeo Helicopter

|

The Indian Navy recently achieved a unique feat after an MH-60 ‘Romeo’ multi-mission helicopter landed on the indigenously-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

About MH-60 Romeo  Helicopter:

  • It is the world’s most advanced maritime helicopter and is the most capable naval helicopter available today designed to operate from frigates, destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers.
  • It is manufactured by US defence major Lockheed Martin.
  • It is an all-weather helicopter designed to support multiple missions with state-of-the-art avionics and sensors.
  • Main missions of the MH-60R Seahawk are Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW). 
  • This helicopter can detect and track submarines and surface ships and attack with torpedoes and missiles.
  • Secondary missions are search and rescue, combat search and rescue, vertical replenishment, medical evacuation and insertion and extraction of special forces.
  • Features:
    • This helicopter is operated by a crew of 4 in anti-submarine warfare role and crew of 5 in anti-surface warfare role. It can also accommodate additional passengers.
    • It carries advanced airborne active sonar, multi-mode search radar and nose-mounted forward-looking infrared (FLIR) turret.
    • The helicopter has an integrated self-defense system.
    • Maximum Speed: 267 km/h
    • Range: 454 km


Grain Storage Plan

|

Recently, the Union Cabinet approved forming and empowering an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to create the world’s largest grain storage plan in the cooperative sector.

About Grain Storage Plan:

  • In order to ensure time-bound and uniform implementation of the Plan in a professional manner, the Ministry of Cooperation will implement a pilot project in at least 10 selected districts.
  • The Pilot would provide valuable insights into various regional requirements of the project, learnings from which will be suitably incorporated for country-wide implementation of the Plan.
  • An inter-ministerial committee (IMC) will be formed under the chairmanship of the Minister of Cooperation, with ministers of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Food Processing Industries, and secretaries as members “to modify guidelines/ implementation methodologies of schemes of the respective ministries as and when the need arises”.
  • Aim: To address the shortage of agricultural storage infrastructure in the country by facilitating the establishment of godowns at the level of primary agricultural credit societies (PACS) and also enables PACS to undertake various other activities.


Electronics Repair Services Outsourcing (ERSO) initiative

|

Recently, the Union Ministry of Electronics & IT launched the ERSO Pilot initiative to validate certain transformational policy and process changes to make India the Repair Capital of the World.

About Electronics Repair Services Outsourcing (ERSO) initiative:

  • It aims to promote India as a hub for repairing electronic goods and to assess the feasibility and potential of capturing 20% of the global repair service market within five years.
  • The pilot is being held in Bengaluru and will be run for three months.
  • India’s e-waste policy will be modified to enable repair companies to domestically recycle 5% of imported goods by weight on a trial basis.
  • The repaired goods will not be permitted to be sold in the domestic market.
  • New provisions will be made to allow their exportation to regions other than their country of origin.
  • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Electronics & IT.


Guarani tribe

|

Recently, protests by Guarani tribal people have erupted across Brazil as the country’s Chamber of Deputies approved a new land bill that will restrict the new recognition of ancestral land of indigenous people.

Why in the news?

  • According to the new law, tribal people can get recognition only for the land they have been occupying since before the constitution of the country came into effect in 1988.

Key facts about the Guarani tribe:

  • The Guarani were one of the first peoples contacted after Europeans arrived in South America around 500 years ago.
  • In Brazil, there are today around 51,000 Guarani living in seven states, making them the country’s most numerous tribes. Many others live in neighbouring Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina.
  • These people in Brazil are divided into three groups: Kaiowá, Ñandeva and M’byá, of which the largest is the Kaiowá which means ‘forest people’.
  • They are deeply spiritual people.
  • Most communities have a prayer house, and a religious leader, whose authority is based on prestige rather than formal power


Lightweight and portable payment system

|

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is developing a lightweight and portable payment system designed to operate during catastrophic events.

About Lightweight and portable payment system:

  • The RBI has conceptualized this system which it is calling a bunker which is an equivalent of digital payments that can be operated from anywhere by a bare minimum staff in exigencies such as natural calamities or war.
  • It is expected to operate on minimalistic hardware and software and would be made active only on a need basis.
  • The infrastructure for this system will be independent of the technologies that underlie the existing systems of payments such as UPI, NEFT, and RTGS.
  • The system is expected to process transactions that are critical to ensure the stability of the economy, including government and market-related transactions.
  • The existing conventional payment systems such as RTGS, NEFT, and UPI are designed to handle large volumes of transactions while ensuring sustained availability.
  • As a result, they are dependent on complex wired networks backed by advanced IT infrastructure.

What is NEFT?

  • The National Electronic Funds Transfer is an electronic method of transferring money online.
  • It enables transferring funds from the account maintained with any bank to any other bank branch, provided the transaction is attempted between the banks that participate in the NEFT payment system.
  • The payments made via NEFT are processed and settled half hourly batches and transactions can be performed 24*7.
  • Minimum Transfer Value: Rs. 1
  • Maximum transfer value: No limit
  • Money transfer made through NEFT does not require any additional transaction costs.

What is RTGS?

  • It stands for Real-time Gross Settlement, which is a payment mode where the money is transferred from one bank account to the other in real time, without any delay. 
  • It is mostly used for transactions of high value.
  • When using the banking method, RTGS is the fastest possible way to transfer money.
  • Transactions made through RTGS are processed on a one-to-one basis and transactions can be performed 24*7.
  • Minimum Transfer Value: 2 lakh
  • Maximum transfer value: No upper limit is there, but can vary between banks.

 



CITIIS 2.0 Program

|

Recently, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Indian Prime Minister has approved the City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain 2.0 (CITIIS 2.0) programme.

About CITIIS 2.0 Program:

  • It is a program conceived by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD), Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the European Union (EU), and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).
  • The program will run for four years, i.e., from 2023 to 2027.
  • Objective: The program envisages supporting competitively selected projects promoting a circular economy with a focus on integrated waste management at the city level, climate-oriented reform actions at the State level, and institutional strengthening and knowledge dissemination at the National level.
  • Funding: The funding for this program would include a loan from AFD and KfW and a technical assistance grant of Rs.106 cr from the EU.
  • It has three major components:
    • Component 1:   Financial and technical support for developing projects focused on building climate resilience, adaptation and mitigation in up to 18 smart cities through a selection of competitively selected projects promoting a circular economy with a focus on integrated waste management.
    • Component 2:   All States and UTs will be eligible for support on-demand basis.
    • The States will be provided support to (a) set up/strengthen their existing State climate centres / Climate cells / equivalents (b) create State and city-level Climate Data Observatories (c) facilitate climate-data-driven planning, develop climate action plans and (d) build capacities of municipal functionaries. To achieve these objectives, the PMU at NIUA will coordinate the provision of technical assistance and strategic support to State Governments.
    • Component 3:   Interventions at all three levels; Centre, State and City to further climate governance in urban India through institutional strengthening, knowledge dissemination, partnerships, building capacity, research and development to support scale-up across all States and Cities.


Ahilyabai Holkar

|

Marking the 298th birth anniversary of Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar, Maharashtra Chief Minister announced to rename Ahmednagar after her as Ahilyanagar.

Key  details:

  • Located in the Western region of Maharashtra, Ahmednagar has been a part of some prominent kingdoms, starting from 240 BC.
  • In the Medieval period, the region was ruled over by the Rashtrakuta Dynasty, the Western Chalukyas, and then the Delhi Sultanate.
  • In 1486, Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah assumed the position of the Bahmani Sultanate’s prime minister.
    • He successfully defeated the king of the Bahmani kingdom, who tried to dislodge him from power, in 1490.
    • Four years later, he laid the foundation of a city close to where he had defeated the army, on the left bank of Sina river. 
    • This city was named after him: Ahmednagar.

Ahilyabai Holkar

  • Ahilyabai was born in Chondi village of Ahmednagar to the village head Mankoji Shinde.
  • After her husband’s death (Khande Rao Holkar) in the Battle of Kumbher against the king of Bharatpur in 1754, Ahilyabai took control of Malwa.
  • In 1780, she had the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi rebuilt, nearly a century after Mughal king Aurangzeb ordered its destruction.
  • Apart from holy sites like Badrinath, Dwarka, Omkareshwari, Gaya, and Rameswaram, Holkar also supported the construction of resting lodges for travellers, and of public ghats.