Daily Current Affairs for 29th Aug 2023

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GS PAPER – III

Aditya L-1 Solar Mission

Why in news?

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch its spacecraft, Aditya L1 to study the Sun. The mission is expected to last for five years.

  • It is set to launch on September 2 at 11:50 a.m. from Sriharikota.

What is Aditya L-1?

  • The Aditya-L1 mission will be launched by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) carrying the 1,475-kg spacecraft to an elliptical orbit around the Earth.
  • It will travel to the Lagrange 1 (L1) point between the Earth and the Sun, which is about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth.

Lagrange points: These are such spots in space where the gravitational pull of the celestial objects equals the centripetal force required to keep a satellite in orbit. This means satellites placed at Lagrange points do not need to expend a lot of fuel to remain in position.

Objectives of the mission:

  • To study the Sun’s atmosphere, including the corona and the chromosphere.
  • It will also study coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun.

The Aditya L1 spacecraft will carry seven scientific payloads:

  • Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VLEC): Image the solar corona from the lowest part upwards.
  • Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT): This will capture the UV image of the solar photosphere and chromosphere.
  • Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS): This will study X-ray flares.
  • High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL10S): This will also study X-ray flares.
  • Aditya Solar wind Particle EXperiment (ASPEX): This will study the solar wind.
  • Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA): This will study energetic ions.

 

GS PAPER – III

Chandrayaan-3 Releases Data on Moon’s Temperature

Why in news?

Recently, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has begun releasing important data from the scientific experiments being conducted by the instruments on board. Findings:

  • ChaSTE (Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment) made a few observations, one of the four instruments on the lander module.
  • The first set of data released by ISRO showed a very sharp difference in temperatures just above and below the surface of the Moon.

What is ChaSTE?

  • ChaSTE is meant to study the heat conductivity of the Moon’s surface and measure the differences in temperatures at different points on and below the surface, with the overall objective of creating a thermal profile of the Moon.
  • This instrument has been developed by the Space Physics Laboratory at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram and the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad.

Other Payloads of Chandrayaan 3:

Lander

  • Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) will measure the seismicity around the landing site.
  • RAMBHA Langmuir Probe (LP) will estimate the near-surface plasma density over time.

Rover

  • Alpha Particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) will derive the chemical composition and infer the mineralogical composition of the lunar surface.
  • Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) will determine the elemental composition (Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Fe) of lunar soil and rocks around the lunar landing site.

Propulsion module

  • Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) will study spectral and polarimetric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit in the near-infrared (NIR) wavelength range.

 

GS PAPER – II

Wrestling Federation of India (WFI)

Why in news?

Recently, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has been provisionally suspended by the United World Wrestling (UWW) for not conducting its elections on time.

What does UWW Suspension mean?

  • The suspension means that Indian wrestlers cannot compete under the national flag in UWW events, including the World Championships in Belgrade in September.
  • Cause of the delay: The delay in conducting the WFI elections was caused by a number of factors, including allegations of sexual harassment and financial irregularities against the former WFI president.

About WFI:

  • The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is the governing body for wrestling in India.
  • It is affiliated with the United World Wrestling (UWW), the world governing body for wrestling.
  • The WFI was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in New Delhi.
  • The WFI is responsible for organizing and conducting wrestling tournaments in India, including the National Wrestling Championships and the Senior National Wrestling Championships.

Do You Know?

  • The WFI is a member of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

Analysis:

  • The UWW Disciplinary Chamber found sufficient grounds to provisionally suspend the WFI due to the prevailing situation for at least six months.
  • The only way to bail the country out of international ignominy and give the athletes their right to compete under the Tricolour is to conduct the WFI elections in a free and fair manner.

 

GS PAPER – II

Indian Air Force Joins BRIGHT STAR-23 in Egypt

Why in news?

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has joined the biennial Exercise BRIGHT STAR-23, a multilateral, tri-service exercise hosted by Egypt.

  • The exercise is taking place at Cairo (West) Air Base from August 27 to September 16, 2023.
  • This is the IAF’s first participation in Exercise BRIGHT STAR. The other participating countries are the United States, Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Qatar.
  • The exercise will focus on joint planning and execution of operations, as well as interoperability between the participating forces.
  • The IAF contingent includes personnel from the Garud Special Forces, as well as fighter jets, transport aircraft, and refuelling tankers.

The exercise is a valuable opportunity for the IAF to enhance its capabilities and cooperation with other countries. It also helps to strengthen the strategic ties between India and Egypt.

 

GS PAPER – II

China releases new map showing territorial claims

Why in news?

  • The Chinese government released the “2023 edition of the standard map of China”, which continues to show the entire State of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region within China’s borders.

China’s map release

  • The 2023 map was released by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
  • The territorial claims on China’s western borders, as also the so-called nine-dash line covering the entire South China Sea, are shown on the map as in previous editions.
  • Also as in previous maps, a “tenth dash” is placed east of Taiwan, underlining Beijing’s claims over the island.
  • The latest map follows Beijing’s announcement that it would “standardise” the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, including a town close to the Arunachal Pradesh capital of Itanagar.
  • This was the third such list “renaming” places in Arunachal Pradesh, and was seen by observers as a response to India holding events in the lead-up to the G-20 summit in the State, which Beijing had opposed.

National Mapping Awareness in China

  • The 2023 map, was released during the “National Mapping Awareness Publicity Week” in China.
  • This year marks the 30-year anniversary of the Law of Surveying and Mapping of the People’s Republic of China which was passed to strengthen the administration of the surveying and mapping undertaking, promote its development and ensure that it renders service to development of the national economy, the building up of national defence, and progress of the society.
  • Under Mr. Xi, Beijing has tightened management of border areas, passing in 2022 a border law that lists responsibilities for civilian and military authorities to take steps to “safeguard national sovereignty”.

Constitutional Issues

  • The issuing of new names is related to Article 7 of the law, which calls for promoting border education at all levels of government.
  • Article 22 calls for the Chinese military to carry out border drills and to “resolutely prevent, stop and combat” what it calls “invasions, encroachments and provocations”.

 

GS PAPER – I

Moody’s report on Indian Population

Why in news?

  • In a report titled ‘Population growth alone will not drive credit benefits for emerging economies’, the rating major said it expects continued population growth in the region to support economic expansion as working-age populations will remain large compared with younger and older citizens.

Finding of the Report

  • India’s population growth would raise its labour force availability but that alone won’t be enough to make the economy stronger or improve fiscal outcomes, due to the quality of education in the country.
  • Moody’s bracketed India’s current education outcome levels with that of Pakistan and Bangladesh.
  • There remains a considerable gap in the quality of education between Pakistan, Bangladesh and India compared with China and other peers in South East Asia, which contributes to labour force participation imbalances.
  • India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Vietnam will account for a third of the global population increase over the next 20 years and 40% of the uptick in working age population.
  • The difference in the proportion of the male and female population that has completed an upper secondary education was most pronounced in India and Bangladesh.

Way Forward

  • The availability and scale of labour inputs alone will not drive materially stronger economic strength or better fiscal outcomes. Other conditions such as strong education and quality infrastructure are also key to reaping the benefits.
  • Strong education and quality infrastructure are key to reaping the benefits of a larger population.
  • Better educational outcomes will help countries like India avoid potential job losses from digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence in the long run, especially in services like call centres and BPOs.

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