01 August 2022

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – Prevention of Insults to National Honours Act: GS II

Topic Government Policies and Interventions

Context:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited people to use the Tricolor as their social media profile image from August 2–15, this year, to commemorate 75 years of Independence, calling the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav a “popular movement.”

About the Act:

• The degradation of or insult to Indian national symbols, including the National Flag, the Constitution, the National Anthem, and the Indian map, as well as disrespect of the Constitution of India, are both prohibited by the law, which was passed on December 23, 1971.
• Insults to the Indian Constitution and National Flag are included in Section 2 of the Act.

Other clauses:

• The regulations, customs, and traditions pertaining to the display of the national flag are covered in Section 3.22 of The Flag Code of India, 2002.
• In accordance with Section 3.58, the flag must be draped over the coffin or bier on State, Military, and Central Paramilitary Forces funeral occasions, with the saffron facing the coffin’s or bier’s head.
• The Flag may not be placed on a funeral pyre or lowered into a grave.

 Source The Indian Express

 2 – Space Debris: GS II – Space Related Issues

About:

• The term “space debris” refers to the abandoned, defunct spacecraft that have been sitting in Earth orbit for years.

What dangers does space debris present?

• The issue is made worse by the space junk’s collision with other satellites or with other debris in space.
• Some low-Earth orbits might become unsuitable if there was a belt of space debris.
• Kessler syndrome has been forewarned by experts.
• Space debris would be harmful to astronauts in orbit.
• Batteries from retired spacecraft may explode, and system leaks may occur.
• Debris in space poses a persistent threat to the International Space Station (ISS).
• According to the Kessler syndrome, collisions between objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) could set off a chain reaction that raises the possibility of additional collisions.

What steps have been taken to manage the space debris thus far?

• In 1995, NASA established the Orbital Debris Program Office and published the first set of global guidelines for debris reduction.
• It suggested that by 25 years of mission completion, satellites should be built to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere.
• Plans for Europe Earth’s first space trash clearance mission, ClearSpace-1, will launch in 2025.
• In an effort to clear space of junk, Purdue University researchers are launching a prototype Spinnaker3 drag sail into low-Earth orbit for testing.
• A satellite that collects old satellites and other space debris was launched by the Japanese startup Astroscale.
• The NETRA Project, an early warning system to safeguard satellites from space debris and other risks of Space, was launched by ISRO in August 2020.
• According to international space law, if a satellite starts to malfunction, it should deorbit and a plan should be made for its re-entry into the atmosphere.

What needs to be done?

• The 1967 Outer Space Treaty was updated to award nations permanent property rights on their spacecraft, complicating efforts to clear trash.
• NASA funding technology development for debris removal and collaborations with businesses.
• US-led expansion of the Artemis Accords, a framework for international space cooperation that currently includes 11 other nations.

 Source The Hindu

3 – Aviation Sector in India: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

Background:

• In India, the third-largest civil aviation market in the world by 2020, civil aviation dates back to 1911, when the first commercial flight transporting mail across the Yamuna river to Naini took off from a polo ground in Allahabad.
• After merging with Indian in 2011, Air India is now the nation’s flag carrier and is crucial for tying India to the rest of the world.
• By 2024, India will have the third-largest global civil aviation market. In 2016, it registered 131 million passengers flying across its airspace, of which 100 million were domestic passengers.

Airports Authority of India (AAI):

• AAI began operations in 1995. It is a mini-ratna firm that constructs, modernises, manages, and maintains airport infrastructure.
• GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation, or GAGAN, is a method that improves the precision and reliability of GPS signals. AAI and ISRO collaborate to put it into action.
• In scheduled and non-scheduled air transport services, the government increased the FDI cap from 49 percent to 100 percent.
• the establishment of the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Akademi (IGRUA) at Fursatganj, Raebareli (UP).
• Fursatganj, Raebareli is home to the Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (RGNAU) (UP).

The 2016 National Civil Aviation Policy:

• The first policy since independence is this one.
• It intends to establish an ecosystem that will encourage the development of the civil aviation industry, which will stimulate tourism, boost employment, and result in a balanced regional growth.

Civil aviation sector reforms:

• The government has implemented a number of reforms to the nation’s civil aviation industry by putting in place first-rate facilities and infrastructure. It contains:
• To accommodate the anticipated growth in the aviation industry, AAI has launched a development programme to spend roughly Rs. 25,000 crores over the next 4-5 years on new terminal construction, terminal expansion and modification, runway extension or strengthening, aprons, Airport Navigation Services (ANS), control towers, technical blocks, etc.
• The establishment of 21 Greenfield Airports around India has received “in-principle” approval from the Government of India (GoI). Six Greenfield airports have so far been operationalized, including those in Shirdi in Maharashtra, Durgapur in West Bengal, Pakyong in Sikkim, Kannur in Kerala, Orvakal in Andhra Pradesh, and Kalaburagi in Karnataka.
• Encouraging private investments in both new and existing airports via PPP.
• As of July 27, 2021, 359 routes under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) have started linking 59 unserved/underserved airports, including 2 water aerodromes and 5 heliports.
• Optimization of flight paths within Indian airspace in collaboration with the Indian Air Force for effective airspace management, shorter flight paths, and reduced fuel consumption.
• To guarantee fair and equitable treatment for our carriers in the global market, efforts have been made through Air Bubble Arrangements.
• In order to increase their global competitiveness, the government has aided airlines with a variety of policy initiatives, such as tax reductions, the creation of favourable leasing and financing conditions for aircraft, the efficient use of bilateral traffic rights, and upgrades to air navigation facilities.
• The government has pushed airlines to purchase cutting-edge wide-body aircraft. Vistara Airlines has so far purchased two new wide-body planes.
• Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the aviation industry—including airlines, airports, and related services—has under financial strain.
• The following, among other things, are the specifics of the significant actions the government took to revitalise the civil aviation sector:
• Through the Airports Authority of India and the commercial operators, provide airport infrastructure.
• encouraging private investment in both new and existing airports via PPP
• Ensure the Air Navigation System is effective.
• To guarantee fair and equitable treatment for our carriers in the global market, efforts have been made through Air Bubble Arrangements.
• For domestic Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) services, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate was lowered from 18 percent to 5 percent.
• The atmosphere is favourable for financing and leasing of aeroplanes.
• optimization of flight paths within Indian airspace in collaboration with the Indian Air Force for effective airspace management, shorter flight paths, and reduced fuel consumption.
• collaborating with stakeholders to find solutions.

Source à The Indian Express

4 – COWIN Portal: Prelims Specific Topic

About Cowin:

• The website used by the Indian government to register people for COVID-19 vaccination is called CoWIN (Covid Vaccine Intelligence Work). It shows COVID-19 immunisation appointment times that are available nearby and may be scheduled on the website.
• People can determine when, where, and by whom they were immunised as a safe and reliable proof.
• Overall, CoWIN is a cloud-based IT solution for the Covid-19 immunisation in India, including planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating it.
• This enables the system to keep track of how much Covid-19 vaccine is used, wasted, and covered at the national, state, district, and sub-district levels.
• The CoWIN system keeps track of the immunisation drive in India in real time.
• The website also offers digital immunisation certificates.
• In essence, CoWIN is an expansion of eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network).

Source à The Hindu