Current Affairs 28 April 2021 – IAS Current Affairs
Current Affairs 28 April 2021 focuses on Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :
- Community service centre to make data from India’s first solar space mission
- Traditional Organic Areas to transform into certified organic production hubs
- ADB sees India grow by 11%
Community service centre to make data from India’s first solar space mission
Why In News ?
A community service centre has been set up to bring all data on board India’s first dedicated solar space mission to a single web-based interface enabling the users to quickly look at the data and identify the interesting science cases.
Key Facts
- The service centre called Aditya-L1 Support Cell (AL1SC)
- It will be a joint effort of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) (an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology)
- Government of India will be used by the guest observers in analyzing science data and preparing science observing proposals.
- AL1SC set up at the transit campus of ARIES at Haldwani, Uttarakhand, will jointly work with ISRO to maximize utilization of science data from Aditya-L1.
- Centre will also provide the co-aligned data from other observatories around the world
- It will help data obtained from Aditya-L1 allowing users to accomplish the science goals beyond the capabilities of the Aditya-L1.
- Combined data will also help to analyse the solar system and Sun.
- Also provide periodic training of the national user community on data analysis and proposal preparation.
- Short workshops of 2-3 days durations at different locations in India will be held.
- Focusing on universities who do not have access for downloading and analyzing the Aditya-L1 data.
- Also planned to schedule frequent E-workshops and tutorials using online platforms.
Aditya – L1
- First Indian mission to study the Sun, meant to observe only the solar corona.
- Temperature of more than a million degree Kelvin which is much higher than the solar disc temperature of around 6000K.
- In addition, particle payloads will study the particle flux emanating from the Sun and reaching the L1 orbit.
- Lagrangian point 1 or L1 is a location in space where the combined gravitational forces of two large bodies equal the centrifugal force felt by a much smaller third body.
- Magnetometer payload will measure the variation in magnetic field strength at the halo orbit around L1.
- Project also provides an opportunity to solar scientists from multiple institutions within the country to participate in space based instrumentation and observations.
Source : PIB
GS III : Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights
Traditional Organic Areas to transform into certified organic production hubs
Why in News ?
Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) is working to identify Traditional Organic Areas to transform them into certified organic production hubs.
Key Facts
- The Government of India has certified 14,491 ha of such area under Car Nicobar and Nancowry group of islands in UT of A&N Islands.
- This area becomes the first large contiguous territory to be conferred with organic certification under the ‘Large Area Certification’ (LAC) scheme of the PGS-India (Participatory Guarantee System) certification programme.
Large Area Certification’ (LAC) Scheme
Under the scheme each village is considered as one cluster or group. The farmers have to adhere to the standard requirements without the need to undergo a conversion period to get certified. This was launched under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana.
- An expert committee has verified their organic status and recommended for declaration of the area as certified organic under the PGS-India certification programme.
- Based on these reports, the Government of India certified 14,491 ha area under Car Nicobar and Nancowry group of islands in UT of A&N Islands.
- These islands agriculture areas in States are essentially free from the use of chemical inputs can be transformed to certified organic.
Organic Farming
- Organic farming has been identified as a viable option promising safe and chemical residue-free food and long-term sustainability of food production systems.
- COVID-19 pandemic has further augmented the importance, need and demand.
- World over the demand for organic food is growing and India is no exception.
- Realising the importance of environmental and human benefits of chemical-free farming, the Government of India through the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has been promoting organic/ natural farming through various schemes of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Organic Mission in North East etc. since 2014.
- India now has more than 30 lakh ha area registered under organic certification and slowly more and more farmers are joining the movement.
- As per the international survey report (2021) India ranks at 5th place in terms of area and is at the top in terms of total number of producers (base year 2019).
Source : PIB
GS III : Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers
ADB sees India grow by 11%
Why in News ?
Asian Development Bank has raised its forecast for India’s growth in 2021-22 to 11%, from 8% earlier, even as it warned that failure to control the resurgence of COVID19 cases including April’s exponential jump poses a considerable downside risk to the recovery.
Key Facts
- India’s economy is expected to grow 11 per cent in fiscal year 2021-2022 due to a strong vaccine drive.
- Asian Development Bank (ADB) cautioned that the surge in COVID-19 cases may put the country’s economic recovery at risk.
- For FY2022, India’s GDP is expected to expand at 7 per cent.
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of South Asia is expected to rebound to 9.5 per cent this year, following a contraction of 6 per cent in 2020.
- Economic growth in developing Asia is set to rebound to 7.3 per cent this year possible if
- A healthy global recovery
- An early progress on COVID-19 vaccines.
- The report projects that most economies in developing Asia will see healthy growth this year and in 2022.
Asian Development Bank
- A regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines.
- ADB now has 67 members, of which 48 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.
- The ADB was modeled closely on the World Bank, and has a similar weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion with members’ capital subscriptions.
- The ADB offers hard loans on commercial terms primarily to middle income countries in Asia and soft loans with lower interest rates to poorer countries in the region.
Source : The Hindu
GS II : Indian Economy
GS III : Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
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