DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Aug. 5, 2022

DRDO successfully test-fires indigenously developed laser-guided Anti-Tank Guided Missiles

Tags: Defence Science and Technology

India on 4 August successfully test fired the indigenously developed laser-guided anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) at Ahmednagar in Maharashtra.

Important facts

• The ATGM was test-fired from Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjuna by DRDO and Indian Army in collaboration with Armored Corps Center and School (ACC&S) at KK Range.

• The missiles struck with precision and successfully destroyed targets at two different ranges.

• The telemetry system has recorded satisfactory flight performance of the missiles.

• The ATGM has been developed with multi-platform launch capability and is currently undergoing technical trials with the 120 mm rifled gun of MBT Arjun.

• This indigenous anti-tank guided missile is fitted with a Tandem High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) weapon, which is capable of destroying armoured vehicles with state-of-the-art Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA).

• Earlier in June, the DRDO and the Indian Army successfully test-fired an indigenously built tank destroyer missile at the KK range in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

• It is a premier defence research and development agency under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.

• It aims to make India self-reliant in critical defence technology and systems.

• It was set up in 1958.

• Headquarters - New Delhi 

• Chairman - G. Satheesh Reddy

ISRO to launch its smallest rocket to unfurl Tricolour in Space

Tags: Science and Technology

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its smallest commercial rocket on 7 August to unfurl Tricolour in space. 

Important facts

• The launch will be done from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota.

• It will drive India’s dreams of breaking into the lucrative and booming small satellite launch market.

• On August 15, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the tricolor would be unfurled in space during India's 75th year of independence.

• To mark the celebration of the country's 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', the SSLV will carry a co-passenger satellite named 'Azadisat', which will carry 75 payloads built by 750 young girl students from 75 rural government schools across India.

• The project was conceptualized especially for the 75th Independence Day celebrations to encourage scientific temper and to create opportunities for young girls to choose space research as their career.

Indian Navy's All Woman Aircrew Creates History

Tags: Defence

5 officers of INAS 314 of the Indian Navy based at Naval Air Enclave, Porbandar created history by completing the first all-female independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea on 3 Aug 2022 aboard a Dornier 228 aircraft.

Important facts

• The mission was carried out by five officers of Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 314 based at Naval Air Enclave in Porbandar, Gujarat.

• The aircraft was captained by the Mission Commander, Lt Cdr Aanchal Sharma. 

• His team consisted of Pilots Lt Shivangi and Lt Apoorva Geete and Tactical and Censor Officer Lt Pooja Panda and SLT Pooja Shekhawat.

• The ground training and extensive mission briefings were provided to the women officers ahead of this historic flight.

• This will pave the way for women officers in the aviation cadre to assume more responsibility and aspire for more challenging roles.

• It is a pioneering initiative in women empowerment which includes induction of women pilots, selection of women air operations officers in the helicopter stream and piloting a women's sailing expedition around the world in 2018.

Indian Naval Air Squadron 314

• The sixth Dornier aircraft squadron was commissioned on 29 November 2019 at a ceremony held at Naval Air Enclave, Porbandar. 

• It marks another milestone in efforts towards enhancing maritime security and surveillance footprint in the North Arabian Sea.

• It is a frontline naval air squadron that operates the state-of-the-art Dornier 228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft. 

• The squadron is commanded by Commander SK Goel, a qualified Navigation Instructor.

ICMR starts new initiative in northeast

Tags: National News

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on 4 August inaugurated the Foodborne Pathogen Survey Network (ICMR-FoodNet) in the northeastern States of India.

Important facts

• This latest initiative is part of the project launched by ICMR in 2020.

• The Integrated Task Force Project coordinates various operations, monitors outbreaks of foodborne enteric disease, and conducts intensive systematic laboratory-based surveillance in four north-eastern Indian states in collaboration with research and medical institutions and the food sectors.

• The project also includes assessment of disease burden, detection of specific pathogens responsible for outbreaks, and documentation of antimicrobial resistance patterns among intestinal bacteria.

Foodborne Pathogen Survey Network (ICMR-FoodNet)

• FoodNet determines the incidence of laboratory-diagnosed infections for bacterial pathogens typically transmitted through food.

• It provides a foundation for food safety policy and prevention efforts. 

• It estimates the number of foodborne illnesses, tracks the incidence of specific foodborne illnesses over time, and disseminates information.

Northeast India

• Northeast India comprises seven states : Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.

• The northeast is bordered by Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh with a total length of over 2000 km and is connected to the rest of India by a narrow 20 km wide corridor of land.

• Northeast India is also known as the “Seven Sisters”.

Minerals Security Partnership

Tags: International News

India is to join an 11-member US-led partnership for critical mineral supply chains called the 'Mineral Security Partnership (MSP)'.

Important facts

• A group of Western countries are collaborating to develop alternatives to China to ensure key industrial supplies.

• The Mineral Security Partnership is a new ambitious US-led partnership to secure the supply chain of rare minerals with the aim of reducing dependence on China.

• India is not a part of this arrangement but is working to gain entry through diplomatic efforts.

• Demand for rare minerals, which are essential for clean energy and other technologies, is projected to increase significantly in the coming decades.

What is the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP)?

• It is an initiative by the United States to strengthen rare mineral supply chains.

• Partner countries - Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States and European Commission.

• Its purpose is to ensure that rare minerals are produced, processed and recycled in such a way that countries benefit from the full economic development of their geological management.

• This new group will focus on the supply chains of cobalt, nickel, lithium and the 17 "rare minerals" found on Earth.

Rare Earth Elements

• The 17 rare earth elements (REE) include the 15 Lanthanides (atomic numbers 57 — which is Lanthanum — to 71 in the periodic table) plus Scandium (atomic number 21) and Yttrium (39).

• REEs are classified as light RE elements (LREE) and heavy RE elements (HREE).

• Some REs are available in India such as Lanthanum, Cerium, Neodymium, Praseodymium and Samarium, while others such as Dysprosium, Terbium, Europium that are classified as HREE are not available in India.

• Hence, there is a dependence on countries such as China for HREE.

Importance of these minerals 

• The batteries used in electric vehicles require minerals such as cobalt, nickel and lithium.

• REE is an essential component for over 200 consumer products such as mobile phones, computer hard drives, electric and hybrid vehicles, semiconductors, etc.

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Plant Being Set Up in Lakshadweep

Tags: State News

National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), is setting up an ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) plant with a capacity of 65 kW at Kavaratti Lakshadweep.

What is an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Plant?

• OTEC is a process or technology for energy production using the temperature difference (thermal gradient) between sea surface water and deep ocean water.

• The energy of the sun heats the surface water of the ocean.

• In tropical regions, surface waters can be warmer than deeper waters.

• This temperature difference can be used to generate electricity and to desalinate sea water.

• In recent times, high electricity costs, growing concerns for global warming, and a political commitment to energy security have made OTEC commercialization economically attractive in tropical island communities where a high percentage of electricity generation is oil-based.

Water shortage officially in Netherlands due to drought

Tags: International News

The Netherlands government has officially declared a water shortage due to the ongoing drought in the country, national water levels at an all-time low.

Important facts

• According to the Water Shortage Management Team of the country, continuous drought in the country has led to ‘water shortage’.

• The scarcity of water is so bad that the waters of the Rhine River are supplying 50% less water than normal. 

• The water shortage is already having a negative effect on shipping and agriculture in particular.

• Water used for irrigation of crops is banned in some parts of the country.

• Prolonged water scarcity can lead to salinization of the soil, affecting the agricultural industry.

• Despite the fact that the Netherlands is known for its abundance of water, it has declared a water shortage for the fifth time in the last 22 years.

• The water scarcity situation has now escalated to the third level threat in 2003. Threat of the third level means a specified national crisis.

• Drought means that the supply of fresh water must be comparatively less, but it can also affect the quality of drinking water.

9 Indian companies in Fortune 500 Global list 2022

Tags: International News

Recently, Life Insurance Corporation listed on the stock exchange has joined the list of Fortune's Global 500 companies. With this, now nine Indian companies have made their place in the list.

Important facts

• LIC, the country's largest life insurer with a revenue of USD 97.26 billion and profit of USD 553.8 million, is ranked 98th in the recently released Fortune 500 list.

• Reliance Industries jumped 51 places to 104 in the 2022 list.

• Reliance has been on the list for 19 years with a revenue of USD 93.98 billion and a net profit of USD 8.15 billion in the latest year.

• Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) jumped 28 places to 142nd position, while Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) moved up 16 places to 190th.

• The list includes two Tata group companies - Tata Motors at 370th position and Tata Steel at 435th position.

• State Bank of India (SBI) climbed 17 places to 236th and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited climbed 19 places to 295th.

• The Fortune Global 500 list ranks companies based on total revenue for the respective fiscal years ended on or before March 31, 2022.

Global position

• American retail company Walmart tops the list of Fortune Global 500.

• Amazon is in second position.

• Chinese energy giant's State Grid, China National Petroleum and Sinopec rounded out the top five.

Top 10 companies in 2022 Fortune Global 500 list

1. Walmart, U.S

2. Amazon, U.S

3. State Grid, China

4. China National Petroleum, China

5. Sinopec, China

6. Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia

7. Apple, U.S

8. Volkswagen, Germany

9. China State Construction Engineering, China

10. CVS Health, U.S.

Haryana government started the Haryana Chirag Yojana

Tags: State News

The Haryana government has recently started the Haryana Chirag Yojana. Under this scheme, the government will provide free education to the economically weaker section (EWS) students of government schools in private schools.

Important facts

• Chirag Yojana means “Chief Minister Equal Education Relief, Assistance and Grant” (Cheerag).

• Under Chirag Yojana, government school students can enrol in private school from class 2nd to 12th. However, for this, the annual verified income of the parents should be less than Rs 1.8 lakh.

• Around 533 budget private schools in villages and small towns had applied under the Chirag scheme. However, due to various technical reasons only 381 schools were found eligible.

• The eligible schools provided 24,987 seats to the EWS students of government schools. But only 1665 students have opted for this scheme, which is 6.66% of the total seats provided.

Haryana Government will make the payment as follows:

• 700 per student from class II to V

• 900 rupees per student in class 6th to 8th

• Rs 1,100 per student in class 9th to 12th

About Haryana State 

• Formation - 1 November 1966

• Capital Chandigarh

• Governor Bandaru Dattatreya

• Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar (BJP)

• Legislative Assembly - 90 seats

• Rajya Sabha - 5 seats

• Lok Sabha - 10 seats