ISRO-JAXA Virtual Meeting

ISRO and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) held a virtual meeting.

Key Takeaways :

• They have signed an Implementing Arrangement for collaborative activities on rice crop area and air quality monitoring using satellite data.
• The agencies also reviewed ongoing cooperation to launch a joint lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission.

About LUPEX Mission:

• LUPEX is a robotic lunar mission by ISRO and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
• The mission aims to send a lunar rover and lander to explore the South Pole region of the Moon in 2024.
• It will also test lunar night survival capabilities for sustainable lunar exploration in the South Pole region of the moon.
• JAXA is likely to provide the H3 launch vehicle and the rover. While ISRO would be responsible for the lander for this mission.

India’s Space Cooperation with other countries:

• India and Italy have decided to explore opportunities in earth observation, space science, and robotic and human exploration.
• India and Australia may host vital tracking infrastructure to support the Gaganyaan manned space flight mission.

Lingaraja Temple

• Lingaraja Temple is a Hindu temple in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
• The temple is believed to be built by the kings of the Somavamsi dynasty, with later additions from the Ganga rulers.
• The temple is a classic example of the Kalinga style of architecture.
• The temple is built in the Deula style that has four components namely, vimana (structure containing the sanctum), jagamohana (assembly hall), natamandira (festival hall) and bhoga-mandapa (hall of offerings), each increasing in height compared to its predecessor.
• The harmony between the two sects of Hinduism, Shaivism, and Vaishnavism, is seen where the deity is worshipped as Harihara, a combined form of Vishnu and Shiva.

Small Finance Banks

About Finance Banks:

• They are niche banks that focus on and serve the needs of a certain demographic segment of the population.
• The objectives of setting up of small finance banks will be to further financial inclusion by
  • the provision of savings vehicles
  • supply of credit to small business units; small and marginal farmers; micro and small industries; and other unorganised sector entities,
  • through high technology-low cost operations.
• SFBs was recommended by the Nachiket Mor committee on financial inclusion.

Scope of activities of SFBs

• Small finance banks primarily undertake basic banking activities of acceptance of deposits and lending to unserved and underserved sections including small business units, small and marginal farmers, micro and small industries and unorganised sector entities.

Criteria for setting up SFBs

• Individuals/professions with 10 years of experience in finance, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), micro finance companies, local area banks are eligible to set up SFBs.
• The minimum paid-up equity capital for small finance banks shall be Rs. 100 crore.
• The promoter’s minimum initial contribution to the paid-up equity capital shall at least be 40% and gradually brought down to 26% within 12 years from the date of commencement of business of the bank.
• The small finance banks will be required to extend 75% of its Adjusted Net Bank Credit to the sectors eligible for classification as priority sector lending (PSL) by the Reserve Bank.
• SFBs have to maintain Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) as per RBI norms.
• At least 50% of its loan portfolio should constitute loans and advances of up to Rs. 25 lakh.

What can Small Finance Banks do?

• Sell forex to customers.
• Sell mutual funds, insurance and pensions.
• Can convert into a full-fledged bank.

What Small Finance Banks can’t do?

• Extend large loans.
• Cannot float subsidiaries
• Deal in sophisticated products.

Agglomeration Effect

Agglomeration Economies:

• A localized economy in which a large number of companies, services, and industries exist in close proximity to one another and benefit from the cost reductions and gains in efficiency that result from this proximity.
• If an area specialises in the production of a certain type of good, all firms can benefit from various factors such as:
  • Good supply networks
  • Supply of trained workers
  • Infrastructure built specifically for the industry
  • Good transport links

Committee for Studying Saraswati River

The Central Government reconstituted an advisory committee for studying the mythical Saraswati river for the next 2 years.

Advisory Committee on Saraswati River:

• The Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) set up the Advisory Committee for the Study of the River Saraswati in 2017 for 2 years.
• Aim was to study the mythical Saraswati river and draw up a plan to identify its basin and define its path.
• The committee, now reconstituted, is chaired by the Culture Minister.

About Saraswati River:

• Sarasvati River is a mystical river mentioned in the Rig Veda and later Vedic and post-Vedic texts.

About Archaeological Survey of India:

• ASI is the premier organization for archaeological research, scientific analysis, excavation of archaeological sites, conservation, and preservation of protected monuments.
• It is an attached office under the Department of Culture, Ministry of Culture.
• It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham.

The flowering of Bamboos in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

The gregarious flowering of bamboo inside the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and the nearby Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and Gudalur forest division in Tamil Nadu.

The life cycle of bamboo:

• Bamboo is a monocarpic (flowering occurs only once in the life cycle) plant belonging to the Poaceae family (grass family), and its flowering cycle varies from 40 to 60 years.
• The Bamboo flowers and die.
• Regeneration occurs from seeds after gregarious flowering. Seeds have no dormancy, and they can undergo germination under favourable conditions soon after seed fall.
• The bamboo groves in the Wayanad forest are the mainstay of herbivores like elephants, and wild gaur in the Nilgiri biosphere during summer.

National Bamboo Mission:

• The restructured NBM was launched in 2018-19 for the holistic development of the complete value chain of the bamboo sector and is being implemented in a hub and spoke model.

Objective:

• Connecting farmers to markets so as to enable farmer producers to get a ready market for the bamboo grown.
• To increase the supply of appropriate raw materials to the domestic industry.
• To upgrade the skills of traditional bamboo craftsmen as per the requirement of contemporary markets with a tie-up with enterprises and premier institutes.
• The Sector Skill Councils established under the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) will impart skills and recognition of prior learning to traditional artisans, encouraging the youth to carry forward their family traditions.

NSDA is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship that anchors the National Skill Qualifications Framework and allied quality assurance mechanisms for synergizing skill initiatives in the country.

Deep Ocean Mission

• The Deep Ocean Mission is proposed as the multi-ministerial multi-disciplinary programme with an emphasis on the development of deep-sea technology, exploration of deep-sea mineral resources and biodiversity, acquisition of a research vessel for exploration, deep sea observations, and capacity building. Ministry of Earth Sciences is the nodal agency for implementing the programme.
• The Deep Ocean Mission is proposed to be a Central Sector Scheme and no separate allocation for States is envisaged.
• It is proposed to collaborate with non-governmental organizations for research collaboration for various components of the Deep Ocean Mission.
• Under Deep Ocean Mission, it is proposed to develop, test and demonstrate the mining technology for harvesting polymetallic nodules from the Test Mine Site (TMS) in the allocated area of 75000 sq. km in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB).
• A manned submersible for 6000 m depth is also proposed to be developed as an ocean exploratory tool.

The major objectives proposed under Deep Ocean Mission are as follows:

1. Development of technologies for deep-sea mining, underwater vehicles and underwater robotics;
2. Development of ocean climate change advisory services;
3. Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deepsea biodiversity;
4. Deep ocean survey and exploration;
5. Proof of concept studies on energy and freshwater from the ocean; and
6. Establishing an advanced marine station for ocean biology.

National Institutes of Food Technology Bill, 2019 Passed by Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha passed the National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2019.

Provisions:

• The bill declares two institutes of food technology, entrepreneurship, and management as institutions of national importance. These are:
  • National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Haryana
  • Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology, Tamil Nadu.

Institutions of National Importance:.

• The status is conferred on a premier public higher education institution in India by an act of the Parliament of India.

Benefits:

• These institutes are provided functional autonomy to design and develop courses
• Award Degrees such as Bachelor of Technology, Master of Technology, and Ph.D.
• Undertake research activities
• The institutes would also implement the reservation policy of the Government.

Martian Blueberries

According to Researchers from Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad the Blueberries in India and “Martian Blueberries” share similar characteristics.

What are Martian Blueberries?

• Martian blueberries are small spherical haematites.
• The Mars rover “Opportunity” discovered them in 2004 on the planet Mars.

Composition of Martian blueberries:

• Martian Blueberries are made of iron oxide compounds called haematites.
• These haematites are known to form in oxidising environments through precipitation from aqueous fluids (water-like fluid).
• Hence, the presence of haematites suggests that water was present on Mars.
• It also indicates that the planet had an atmosphere with oxygen as haematites need oxygen to stabilise.

Similar Haematite Concentrations on Earth

• Researchers from India have been studying the Jhuran formation in Kutch, Gujarat.
• They have similar morphology – spherical and similar mineralogy – a mixture of haematite and goethite.
• Further, it has been also argued that the transformation of Mars from a wet and humid to dry and arid environment is mimicked by the history of Kutch in Gujarat.