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14th May 2022

ISRO successfully tests solid rocket booster for Gaganyaan programme

Context
  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully carried out the static test of the HS200 solid rocket booster.
  • Designed and developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) as a part of ‘Gaganyaan Human spaceflight mission’.
About Gaganyaan mission
  • Gaganyaanis an Indian crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the formative spacecraft of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.
  • The spacecraftis being designed to carry three people, and a planned upgraded version will be equipped with rendezvous and docking capability.
  • In its maiden crewed mission, Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO)'s largely autonomous 5.3 metric tonnes capsule will orbit the Earth at 400 km altitude for up to seven days with a two or three-person crew on board.
  • It is the first crewed mission to space by India and was originally planned to be launched on ISRO's GSLV Mk IIIin December 2021, but this has since been delayed to no earlier than 2023

What is HS200 solid rocket booster?

  • HS200 booster is the 'human-rated' version of the S200 rocket boosters used on the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk-III (GSLV Mk-III), also called the
  • The HS200 is a 20-metre-long booster with a diameter of 3.2 metres and is the world’s second largest operational booster using solid propellants.

 About GSLV MK-III

  • The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III(GSLV Mk III), also referred to as the Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3),  is a three-stage, medium-lift launch vehicle developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
  • Primarily designed to launch communication satellites into geostationary orbit, it is also identified as the launch vehicle for crewed missions under the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.
  • It was used in dedicated science missions like Chandrayaan-2.
  • The GSLV Mk III has a higher payload capacity than the similarly named GSLV Mk II.
  • The GSLV Mk-III will have improvements to increase reliability and safety to meet the requirements of 'human ratings’.
  • Of the three propulsion stages of the GSLV Mk-III, the second stage uses liquid propellant while the third is a cryogenic stage.

Human ratings

  • While the GSLV Mk III is being human rated for Gaganyaan project, the rocket was designed with potential human spaceflight applications in consideration.
  • The maximum acceleration during ascent phase of flight was limited to 4 g for crew comfort and 5 meter diameter payload fairing was inducted to be able to accommodate large modules like space station segments.

Testing for the mission

  • Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment
  • S200 static fire tests
  • L110 static fire tests

What are Protected Mobility Vehicles

Context
  • The Indian Army has floated a ‘Request for information (RIF)’ to purchase Protected Mobility Vehicles (PMV) for high-altitude areas and for deserts and plains.

What are they?

  • The PMV is essentially a wheeled armoured personnel carrier. It provides protection to the soldiers travelling inside the vehicle from mine blasts and sudden attack by small arms.
  • Used by troop members of any quick reaction team heading to a point of conflict, or members of patrolling parties heading to border areas.
    • They could also be members of a reconnaissance squad operating behind enemy lines or in forward positions of own troops.

What is Request for Information?

  • An RFI (request for information) is a formal process for gathering information from potential suppliers of a good or service.
  • RFIs are intended to be written by customers and sent to potential suppliers.
    • An RFI is typically the first and most broad series of requests intended to narrow down a list of potential vendor candidates.
    • RFIs can be very useful in situations where an organization has little knowledge on possible vendors and wants to reduce the time and cost of evaluating vendors.

What do they contain?

  • The PMVs have a ballistic protection and should be able to protect the vehicle from grenade and mine blasts.
  • It should have a maximum speed of 90 km on road and 40 km per hour on cross country terrain.
  • They should be able to operate in temperature range of 40 degree centigrade to minus 15 degree in high-altitude areas.
  • The vehicles are required to have a weapon mount to enable a 62 mm Light Machine Gun (LMG) to be fitted and a turret with 360 degree rotation for a LMG.
  • It is also required to have 11 firing ports with five each on the starboard and port side of the vehicle and one at the rear.
  • The PMV should be able to ford in water with depth of 1000 mm without any special preparation.

Can India manufacture them?

  • India has the capability of producing PMVs.
  • The Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) handed over the first of such Infantry Protected Mobility Vehicles (IPMVs).
    • The TASL is now the first private sector company in the country to produce such wheeled armoured personnel carriers and has developed the IPMV in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Cryptocurrencies as a legal tender

Context
  • A transition towards cryptocurrencies by the Central African Republic and El Salvador is spurred by the urge to circumvent inflationary pressures and move away from colonial currency mechanisms.
    • The Central African Republic (CAR) became the second country after El Salvador to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender.
About
  • The CAR is among the poorest and most economically fragile countries on the globe.
  • As per World Bank estimates provided in July 2021, 71% of its population was living below the international poverty line of $1.90/day.
  • President of CAR had said that this measure would enable “strong and inclusive growth” and place the African country on the “map of the most courageous and visionary countries in the world”. 
  • The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said adopting the unregulated asset as a legal tender posed major legal, transparency and economic policy challenges.
  • Several countries have considered instituting laws that regulate the use of cryptocurrencies, particularly those not having well-devised currency mechanisms and experiencing prolonged inflation.
  • Geopolitical currents and dependence on varied colonial-era currencies have further provided stimulus. 

What is Cryptocurrency?

  • Cryptocurrency, sometimes called crypto-currency or crypto, is any form of currency that exists digitally or virtually and uses cryptography to secure transactions.
    • Cryptocurrencies don't have a central issuing or regulating authority, instead using a decentralized system to record transactions and issue new units.
  • It is a digital payment system that doesn't rely on banks to verify transactions. 
    • It’s a peer-to-peer system that can enable anyone anywhere to send and receive payments.
  • Instead of being physical money carried around and exchanged in the real world, cryptocurrency payments exist purely as digital entries to an online database describing specific transactions.
    • When you transfer cryptocurrency funds, the transactions are recorded in a public ledger. Cryptocurrency is stored in digital wallets.

It’s Impact on Economy of African nations

  • Can doge the inflation: There is potentially a direct relationship between inflation and countries permitting the use of cryptocurrencies.
  • Cryptocurrencies bear the potential to convert inflation-related headwinds from legal currencies into tailwinds.
  • The purchasing power of the dollar takes a hit because of the price rise.
  • However, Bitcoin, which say rose 10% the previous day and is unaffected by the local conditions, would endow greater purchasing power to the consumer and dodge inflation.
  • Can reduce Headline inflation: according to the IMF, headline inflation in the African countries is expected to accelerate to 4% in 2022 because of rising food and fuel prices.
  • Food, fuel and budget support shocks are also expected to weaken the country’s balance of trade.

Risks associated for those countries

  • Despite a strong economy, El Salvador’s public debt remains persistently high.
  • “This situation is unsustainable—it crowds out private investment and limits resources for social and infrastructure spending, all impediments to growth,”.
  • The country would essentially require more private investments and healthier public finances.
  • For countries like CRA, risks associated with paying taxes in cryptocurrencies would be exposed when taxes are paid using crypto-assets but expenditures remain in local currency.
  • For example, the government collects $100 worth taxes using crypto denominations but a downward slide of the asset makes available $40 to spend.
  • Unlike equities or currencies, cryptos are not subject to a definite mechanism and are speculative assets, therefore, central banks would not have any reference point to devise their interest rates in accordance with their domestic requirements. 
  • The IMF argues that the underlying anonymity in crypto-transactions may create certain data gaps for regulators.
  • Blockchains may help trace the transactions but not the parties involved. Hence, it could potentially be used for money laundering, terrorist financing or other illegal activities.

Some types of cryptocurrency

  • Bitcoin
  • Ethereum
  • Ripple

Why India bans Wheat exports

Context
  • The Annual consumer price inflation (CPI) has hitting a near eight-year-high of 7.79 per cent in April and retail food inflation (RFI) surging even higher to 8.38 per cent.
  • Export of all wheat, including high-protein durum and normal soft bread varieties have been moved from “free” to the “prohibited”
About

What is the issue?

  • Low wheat procurement: the reasons behind the low procurement of wheat this year;
  • The first is “on the basis of permission granted by the Government of India to other countries to meet their food security needs and based on the request of their governments”.
  • The second is exports under transitional arrangements, where irrevocable letters of credit have been issued.
  • The yield losses from the sudden spike in temperatures from mid-March, which impacted the standing wheat crop when it was in the crucial “dough”.
  • More exports: India’s wheat exports topped an all-time-high of 7.5 mt in the fiscal ended March 31, 2022.
  • Hence has led to the low stocks or the domestic consumptions.
  • High Temperature impacts: The month of March and April time is when the wheat kernels accumulate starch, protein and other dry matter, with maximum temperatures ideally in the early 30 degrees Celsius range to permit optimal grain filling and weight gain.
  • But temperatures crossing 35 degrees in mid-March and 40 degrees by the month-end resulted in premature ripening and shriveling of the grains.

What is CPI?

  • Consumer Price Index or CPI is the measure of changes in the price level of a basket of consumer goods and services bought by households.
  •  CPI is a numerical estimation calculated using the rates of a sample of representative objects the prices of which are gathered periodically.
    • The CPI captures changes in price level at the consumer level.
    • Changes in prices at the producer level are tracked by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI).
    • CPI can capture the change in the prices of services which the WPI cannot.

How CPI is calculated?

  • The Consumer Price Index or CPI assesses the changes in the price of a common basket of goods and services by comparing with the prices that are prevalent during the same period in a previous year.
  • The formula for calculating CPI is:
    • CPI = (Cost of market basket in a given year / Cost of market basket in base year) x 100

Impacts of banning wheat exports

  • Less Minimum Selling Price (MSP): The Russian attack on Ukraine is causing a significant disruption to oil and gas supplies, as well as to wheat.
  • This is an opportunity for the Indian government to dispose the piles of wheat rotting in FCI godowns.
  • But there is a risk that in doing so, the government will also misuse this occasion to ban wheat exports.
  • If low procurement and depleting public stocks were a concern and stopped the government from offering a Rs 200-250 bonus over the MSP (of Rs 2,015 per quintal) to farmers.
  • The ban on exports is an implicit tax on farmers.
  • Risk to food security: wheat is now become a major issue for geopolitical unrest in whole of the central Asia and India too.
  • Harm the India’s global image: It also sought to deflect likely criticism over the about-turn in policy from claiming to be able to “feed the world” in the wake to the Russia-Ukraine war, to stopping all shipments overnight by reiterating the government’s commitment
  • Hence disrupting the global supply chain.

Haryana’s compensation in custodial torture case

Context
  • The Haryana human rights panel recommends Rs 25,000 compensation in custodial torture case.
    • They said, ‘It is the responsibility of the state authorities to take care of all persons in custody’.
    • The police are empowered by the state to enforce laws and maintain public order
Background
  • Custodial torture, often known as extra-judicial executions has been on a rise in India especially between 2002 and 2007.
  • According to Asian Centre for Human Rights, the nationwide figures are four custodial deaths per day.
  • There have been 7468 reported custodial deaths in this five year period.
  • However, the severity of the torture in India is far worse than statistics suggest.
  • While award of compensation in 684 cases of custodial violence was given by the National Human Rights Commission alone from 1994 to 2007.
  • This is because victims rarely report cases against the police due to fear of reprisals. More than half the cases of custodial torture are not even reported.

What is custodial torture?

  • Custodial torture a form of torture that generally happens when a person alleged of any crime is under the custody of law enforcement officials.
  • The Supreme Court has held that Custodial torture is a naked violation of human dignity and degradation which destroys, to a very large extent human personality.
  • Custodial torture is a punishable offense under the existing laws but due to various reasons, the accused do not get convicted.
    • o   Certain modification in the law is required and what's more important is the implementation of the existing and newly enacted laws in the right manner.

What does the constitution says?

  • Violation of Article 21: In India where rule of law is inherent in each and every action and right to life and liberty is prized fundamental right adorning highest place amongst all important fundamental rights, instances of torture and using third degree methods upon suspects during illegal detention and police remand casts a slur on the very system of administration.
  • Human rights take a back seat in this depressing scenario.
  • Torture in custody is at present treated as an inevitable part of investigation.
  • The former Supreme Court judge, V.R. Krishna Iyer, has said that custodial torture is worse than terrorism because the authority of the State is behind it.
    • Custodial torture is universally held as one of the cruellest forms of human rights abuse. T
  • The Constitution of India, the Supreme Court, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the United Nations forbid it.

Role of Human Rights commission

  • The NHRC is responsible for the protection and promotion of human rights, defined by the act as "Rights Relating To Life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the constitutionor embodied in the international covenants and enforceable by courts in India".
  • The Protection of Human Rights Act mandates the NHRC to perform the following:
  • Proactively or reactively inquire into violations of human rights by government of India or negligence of such violation by a public servant.
    • The Protection of human rights and suggest measures for their effective implementation.
    • Review the factors, including acts of terrorism that inhibit the enjoyment of human rights and recommend appropriate remedial measures.
    • To study treaties and other international instruments on human rights and make recommendations for their effective implementation
    • Undertake and promote research in the field of human rights
    • To visit jails and study the condition of inmates
    • Engage in human rights education among various sections of society and promote awareness of the safeguards available for the protection of these rights through publications, the media, seminars and other available means
    • Encourage the efforts of NGOs and institutions that works in the field of human rights volunteerly.
    • Considering the necessity for the protection of human rights.
    • Requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court or office

Existing laws and guidelines in India

  • Police Act, 1861
  • Indian Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure
  • The evidence act

 Supreme Court interventions

  • Joginder Kumar V. State of Uttar Pradesh (1994
  • D.K Bose V. State of West Bengal, 1997 case

Human Cell Atlas

Context
  • Scientists have mapped out more than a million cells across 33 organs in the human body.
  • The map can help to provide unparalleled insights into health and diseases.

 The Health Cell Atlas

  • The Human Cell Atlas is an international collaborative consortium that charts the cell types in the healthy body, across time from development to adulthood, and eventually to old age.
  • This enormous undertaking, larger even than the Human Genome Project, will transform our understanding of the 37.2 trillion cells in the human body.
  • It is only possible now thanks to global collaboration, technological and computational breakthroughs, and science at great scale.
  • The HCA was founded in 2016 and has grown to more than 2,300 HCA members, from over 1,000 institutes and 83 countries around the world.
    • Bringing together an international community of biologists, clinicians, technologists, physicists, computational scientists, software engineers, and mathematicians, HCA membership is open to the entire scientific community worldwide.

About

What does it aim?

  • The initiative can transform our understanding of the 37.2 trillion cells in the human body.
  • Without maps of different cell types, their molecular features and location in the body, we cannot describe all their functions or understand the networks that direct their activities.
  • The map can also help us understand how a disease emerged in a body and identify the precise place or cell where it arises.
  • It will allow us to develop more precise diagnostics for patients and new treatments.
  • At its most basic level, the Human Cell Atlas must include a comprehensive reference cataloge of all human cells based on their stable properties and transient features, as well as their locations and abundances.

India’s Project’ MANAV’

  • The project named Manav has been launched by the Department of Biotechnology and Persistent Systems, a biotechnology company.
  • This mega project will collate and integrate molecular information on human tissues and organs that currently lies hidden in research articles in an unstructured and disorganized form.
  • The project would utilize large biological community, both students and scientists, for extracting and adding the information from scientific literature at the level of cells and organs.
  • The database would eventually help researchers in identifying gaps in current knowledge and help in future projects in diagnostics and disease biology.
  • The idea emerged from the success of Smart India hackathon”, a nationwide contest in which large number of engineering students are being encouraged to find solutions to the pressing problems.
  • Key highlights:
  • In this public-private venture, DBT and Persistent Systems will invest Rs 13 crore and Rs 7 crore respectively.
  • The project will be executed by Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) and National Center for Cell Sciences (NCCS) based at Pune.
  • While the institutes will train students, the technology platform and data management will be provided by the private partner.
  • Students and faculty from DBT Star colleges and Biotechnology Information network system (BTIS) network will also be involved.
  • The project team is in talks with other scientific agencies such as the All India Council of Technical Education, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), University Grants Commission and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for possible collaboration.
  • Advantages: This initiative will not only seal the gaps in knowledge on human body but will also create a trained population of biologists.
  • Job creation:With the data curation and analysis skills imparted during this project, students will have better opportunities for the job in life science sector.
  • Wider scope: The undergraduates and postgraduates from the various distinct fields of biology such as zoology, biotechnology, botany, biochemistry, pharmacology and medical sciences can register and contribute to this project.

ThinkQ

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QUIZ - 14th May 2022

Mains Question:

Q1.Though the government has given substantial attention to improving the conditions of prison in the country, yet there are not desired results. Analysing their structural loopholes and challenges, suggest remedial measures. (250 words)

Approach

  • Introduction- brief about Indian prison system
    • Current challenges and issues
    • Overcrowding
    • Delay in trials
    • Health and hygiene issues
    • Infrastructure
  • Also discuss about custodial torture and its impact
  • Recent government measures
  • Suggest remedial measures
  • Conclude accordingly
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