Facts in News

Facts in News

Alps Mountain Range

Recently, the inventory of Swiss Glacial lakes has shown that almost 1,200 new lakes have formed in formerly glaciated regions of the Swiss Alps since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA) around 1850.

• Alps Mountain Range
  • It is a small segment of a discontinuous mountain chain that stretches from the Atlas Mountains of North Africa across southern Europe and Asia to beyond the Himalayas. 
  • There they touch the Danube River and merge with the adjacent plain.
  • The Alps form part of France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania.
    • However, only Switzerland and Austria can be considered true Alpine countries.
  • Like Himalayan mountains, the Alps are young fold mountains with rugged relief and high conical peaks.

(Image Courtesy: Britannica)

• Swiss Alps
  • The northern part of Switzerland is known as the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss Alps lie to its south, roughly between 45° and 47° northerly latitudes.
  • The lower hills and mountains in Switzerland that lie in the foothills of the Alps are called the Swiss Prealps.
  • They form a natural barrier and division between northern and southern Europe.
    • The mountain passes through the Swiss Alps have provided important trade routes connecting Italy with European countries to the north.
• Little Ice Age
  • It is the climate interval that occurred from the early 14^th century through the mid-19^th century, when mountain glaciers expanded at several locations and mean annual temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere declined by 0.6 °C (1.1 °F) relative to the average temperature between 1000 and 2000 CE.
  • The term was introduced by Dutch-born American geologist F.E. Matthes in 1939. 
    • Originally the phrase was used to describe the most recent 4000 year climatic interval (the Late Holocene) associated with mountain glacier advances and retreats.
    • This relatively prolonged period has now become known as the Neoglacial period.

Project-75 India

Recently, the Defence Ministry has issued the Request For Proposal (RFP) for construction of six advanced conventional submarines for the Navy under Project-75 India or P-75I.

• P-75I envisages indigenous construction of six modern conventional submarines with contemporary equipment, weapons and sensors including Fuel-Cell based Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, advanced torpedoes, modern missiles and state-of-the-art countermeasure systems.
• The overall aim would be to progressively build indigenous capabilities in the public/private sector to design, develop and manufacture complex weapon systems for the future needs of the Armed Forces.
• It will be an important step towards meeting broader national objectives, encouraging self reliance and aligning the defence sector.
• The project is part of the 30 Year Plan for indigenous submarine construction which was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security way back in 1999. 
  • It envisaged the construction of 24 submarines with the first 12 in collaboration with foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) by 2012 and the remaining 12, indigenously thereafter.
  • The aim of the plan was to streamline submarine construction and induction to ensure contemporary capability besides consolidating the submarine building eco-system within the country.
  • However, only three submarines have been commissioned and no more than another three will be commissioned by 2030.

(Image Courtesy: TOI)

Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile

Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully flight-tested the Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) and the Akash missiles.

• It is indigenously developed low weight, fire and forget missile.
• The missile is incorporated with state-of-the-art Miniaturized Infrared Imaging Seeker (IIS) along with advanced avionics.
  • It is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared light emission from a target to track and follow it. 
  • Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as “heat-seekers” since infrared is radiated strongly by hot bodies.
• The successful trial of the missile is a major boost for the government’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat‘ (self-reliant India) campaign.
• The missile is being developed to strengthen the combat capabilities of the Indian Army.
• It was launched from a man-portable launcher integrated with a thermal site and the target was mimicking a tank.
• The missile hit the target in direct attack mode and destroyed it with precision. The test has validated the minimum range successfully.
• It has already been successfully flight-tested for the maximum range.

(Image Courtesy: NDTV)

• Akash-NG
  • DRDO also successfully tested a new generation of Akash surface-to-air missile from an integrated test range off the Odisha coast in a boost to air defence capabilities.
  • Once deployed, the Akash-NG weapon system will prove to be a force multiplier for the air defence capability of the IAF.
  • It is learnt that the new variant has a slightly better range compared to the original version that can strike targets at a distance of around 25 km.
  • The Akash missile system has been developed by the DRDO’s laboratory in Hyderabad in collaboration with other wings of the premier defence research organisation.

Asian Development Outlook (ADO) Report

• The Asian Development Bank has downgraded India’s economic growth forecast for the current financial year to 10 percent from 11 percent projected in April this year.

Key Highlights

• India is expected to record a growth of 7.5% in the financial year 2022-23 based on almost universal vaccination coverage in India and the normalization of economic activities.
• Reasons for downgrade: Then a second wave of the pandemic induced many state governments to impose strict containment measures.
  • However, the adverse economic impact of these new waves is expected to be limited, with businesses and consumers better able to adapt to the pandemic and containment measures now than they were a year ago
• Inflation outlook: The ADB has raised its average inflation projection for 2021-22 to 5.5%, from 5.2% anticipated earlier. The increase in inflation projections is based on the rapid and large increase in fuel and food prices.
  • High levels of inflation do not augur well for economic recovery in the post-pandemic scenario.

Recent Initiatives to Bolster Economic Growth

• National Vaccine Drive
• Reduction in the Tax levies 
• Recently released India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Package: Phase I

Asian Development Bank

• About: It is a regional development bank established on 19th December 1966. The ADB was modelled closely on the World Bank.
• Headquarters: Manila, Philippines.
• Members: 68 members, 49 from within Asia.
  • Japan holds the largest proportion of shares in ADB followed by the USA, because Japan is one of the largest shareholders of the bank, the president has always been Japanese.
  • ADB is an official United Nations Observer.
• Aim: To promote social and economic development in Asia.
  • It is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty.

eSaNta Platform

• Many aquaculture farmers in the State are planning to update the details of their products online and market their stocks through the e-Santa platform.

 E-Santa platform

• e-SANTA stands for Electronic Solution for Augmenting NaCSA farmers’ Trade-in Aquaculture.
• National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA) is an extension arm of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
  • The objectives of NaCSA are to encourage and uplift the small and marginal farmers through the organization of clusters and maintaining best management practices.
• It basically functions as an electronic marketplace for marine products. It enables widely dispersed buyers and farmers to interact and execute purchase transactions digitally.
• This initiative by building a bridge between Aqua farmers and buyers to interact directly and buy the produce directly from farmers helps eliminate the middlemen completely.

H5N1 Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

Recently, the first recorded death due to the bird flu in India happened.

About

• Earlier, bird flu was confirmed in several states with thousands of birds, including migratory species, being found dead.

Bird Flu

About:

• It is a disease caused by avian influenza Type A viruses found naturally in wild birds worldwide.
• Avian Influenza type A viruses are classified based on two proteins on their surfaces – Hemagglutinin(HA) and Neuraminidase(NA). 
• There are about 18 HA subtypes and 11 NA subtypes. Several combinations of these two proteins are possible e.g., H5N1, H7N2, H9N6, H17N10, etc.
• H5N1 consists of two types of proteins.
  • H5 stands for the fifth of several known types of the protein hemagglutinin.
  • N1 stands for the first of several known types of the protein neuraminidase.
• The virus can infect domestic poultry and there have been reports of H5N1 infection among pigs, cats, and even tigers in Thailand zoos.

Infection in humans:

• There have been reports of avian and swine influenza infections in humans including A(H1N1), A(H1N2), A(H5N1), A(H7N9), etc. The first report of human H5N1 infection was in 1997.

Transmission: 

• Direct contact — when a person comes in close contact with infected birds, either dead or alive.

Human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus was very rare.

Symptoms

• Fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, and severe respiratory illness.

Measures against bird Flu

• Revised Action Plan for Prevention, Control & Containment of Avian Influenza (2021)
• Opting Culling method
• Cleansing and disinfecting and reduction of people’s movement. 
• Research is to be done on these diseases.
• Vaccination to humans: Avian Influenza vaccine is available outside India e.g. the USA has developed the vaccine for Human infection.