08 August 2022

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – SSLV: GS III – Science, and Technology

About:

• It is the lightest vehicle, just weighing 110 tonnes. In contrast to the 70 days it currently takes for a launch vehicle, it will just take 72 hours to integrate.
• While the tried-and-true Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) can launch satellites weighing up to 1000 kg, it can only deliver satellites up to 500 kg into low earth orbit.
• The SSLV is a three-stage, all-solid rocket that can launch satellites up to 500 kg into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at 500 km altitude and 300 kg into Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).
• In addition to supporting multiple orbital drop-offs, it is ideal for simultaneously launching many microsatellites.
• The primary benefits of SSLV include its low price, quick turnaround time, adaptability to accommodate many satellites, viability of launch on demand, minimal launch infrastructure requirements, etc.
• For the development project, which includes the creation and qualification of the vehicle systems as well as flight demonstration via three development flights, the government has approved a total expenditure of Rs. 169 Crores (SSLV-D1, SSLV-D2 & SSLV-D3).
• Somanath, the new chairman of ISRO, is credited with designing and developing the SSLV while serving as the center’s director in Thiruvananthapuram from 2018.
• The SSLV’s first flight was supposed to take off in July 2019, but that date has now been postponed because of difficulties with Covid-19 and other factors.

Relevance of SSLV:

• A major objective of the space ministry is to increase the synergy between the space industry and private Indian companies through the development and production of the SSLV.
• Once the SSLV has been proven, the Indian industry should join forces to produce it as well. A consortium already exists for the production of PSLV.
• The SSLV and the more potent PSLV are to be mass-produced and manufactured by the newly established ISRO commercial arm, New Space India Limited (NSIL), in collaboration with the Indian corporate sector through knowledge transfers.
• Its goal is to harness ISRO’s decades of research and development for business needs with the help of Indian industrial partners.
• The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the workhorse of ISRO with more than 50 successful launches, has been used for small satellite launches up to this point. Small satellite launches have therefore been dependent on ISRO completing launch contracts for bigger spacecraft.

Source The Indian Express

2 – Lumpy Skin Disease: GS III – Health Related Issues

Causes:

• Lumpy Skin Disease Virus infects water buffalo or cattle, which results in LSD (LSDV).
• Mortality is less than 10%, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• In 1929, Zambia reported an epidemic of lumpy skin conditions. At first, it was believed to be the result of poisoning or an allergy to bug bites.

Transmission:

• Mosquitoes and biting flies are the main biting insects (vectors) that transmit lumpy skin disease between animals.

Symptoms:

• The main symptoms include fever, discharge from the eyes and nose, saliva leaking from the lips, and body blisters.
• Due to difficulty chewing or eating, the animal stops eating, which lowers milk production.

Treatment and Prevention:

• The Indian Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme provides coverage for vaccination against certain diseases.
• No particular antiviral medications are available to treat lumpy skin conditions. Supportive care for cattle is the solely available treatment. This can involve utilizing wound care sprays to treat skin lesions and medications to stop subsequent skin infections and pneumonia.
• Animals suffering from pain can be given anti-inflammatory medications to maintain their appetite.

Source The Hindu

3 – Foreigner Tribunal: GS III – Citizenship Related Issues

About Foreigners Tribunals in Assam:

• The tribunals are quasi-judicial entities that decide whether or not someone who is present unlawfully qualifies as a “foreigner.”
• Every person may present their case to the appellate authority, which is the Foreigners Tribunals if their name does not appear in the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) (FT).
• To handle the issues of the 19.06 lakh people excluded from the amended NRC, Assam has established FTs.
• Only Foreigners Tribunals have the authority to declare a person to be a foreigner in accordance with the terms of the Foreigners Act 1946 and the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order 1964.
• The cases are prepared for the tribunals to judge who is a foreigner and who is not by the Assam Police Border Organization, a division of the State police charged with finding foreigners.

Member of the Foreigners Tribunal:

• According to the rules periodically provided by the government, each FT member is appointed in accordance with the Foreigners Tribunal Act of 1941 and the Foreigners Tribunal Order of 1984.
• A member may be a retired Assam Judicial Service judicial officer, a retired civil servant with judicial experience who held a position at least as high as secretary but not lower, or a practicing attorney who is at least 35 years old and has at least seven years of experience.
• Assam’s four official languages, Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, and English, as well as awareness of the issue’s historical context, are also prerequisites for membership.

Source The Indian Express

4 – Nalanda University: Prelims Specific Topic

About:

• Located in Rajgir in the Nalanda District in modern-day Bihar, Nalanda University is a restored replica of the historic Nalanda University.
• It is a secular, international, non-profit, and non-state organization.
• Former President APJ Abdul Kalam proposed it in 2006.
• Based on a joint press statement made during the 4th East Asia Summit, which took place in Thailand in October 2009, it was formed by the Nalanda University Act, 2010.
• Under the Ministry of External Affairs, it operates.
• It is required to pursue academic, philosophical, historical, and spiritual research.
• In September 2014, this university began offering classes.
• In its three academic programs—the School of Ecology and Environment Studies, the School of Historical Studies, and the School of Buddhist Studies—there are now 116 students enrolled.
• 35 international students representing 21 different nations are included.

Details of the Ancient Nalanda University:

• During the rule of Gupta ruler Sakraditya in 427 AD, the historic Nalanda University was founded.
• It was one of the first universities in India.
• It attracted academics and students from near and far, with some coming from as far as Tibet, China, Korea, and Central Asia at its height.

Source The Hindu