Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Egypt unveils colourful Fifth Dynasty tomb

News

• In a major archaeological discovery, Egypt unveiled the tomb of a Fifth Dynasty official adorned with colourful reliefs and well preserved inscriptions.

Beyond News

• The tomb, near Saqqara, a vast necropolis south of Cairo, belongs to a senior official named Khuwy who is believed to have been a nobleman during the Fifth Dynasty, which ruled over Egypt about 4300 years ago.
• The L-shaped Khuwy tomb starts with a small corridor heading downwards into an antechamber and from there a larger chamber with painted reliefs depicting the tomb owner seated at an offerings table.
• It is mostly made of white limestone bricks. Ornate paintings boast a special green resin throughout and oils used in the burial process.
• The tomb’s north wall indicates that its design was inspired by the architectural blueprint of the dynasty’s royal pyramids.
• The excavation team has unearthed several tombs related to the Fifth Dynasty.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

2018 tiger census report gets delayed due to ‘new methods’

News

• The much awaited 2018 tiger census report is likely to be delayed and will be released only after the formation of a new government at the Centre, an official said citing “huge data” which is to be analysed.

Beyond News

• The four-yearly report, which gives out the number of big cats living in the country, was to be released this month, but officials say it is not expected before June due to addition of states in the survey, intense methods and delay by states in submitting the data.
• However, an official had said in February the report would be released in March as the tiger count was almost completed and only data analysis was pending.
• According to Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), an autonomous institution of the Ministry of Environment, the process of estimating tigers commenced late and it has been an elaborate exercise with minute details being taken care of so the report is likely to come out in May end.
• A wildlife official from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body of the environment ministry, said the delay was on the part of state governments in submitting their data to the Centre and due to the increase in the number of states from where the data is being collected.
• Number of states have increased this time. Nagaland, Manipur and Gujarat have been included this time besides the 18 tiger reign states.
• This is the fourth cycle of the tiger census. The first was conducted in 2006, second in 2010 and third in 2014. A team of over 44,000 officials is working on the census along with 55 biologists.
• According to the last survey conducted in 2014, the tiger count was 2,226.

 ‘Zinc deficiency rising in Indians’

News

• Rising carbon dioxide levels can accelerate zinc deficiency in crops and thus in human consumption, cautions a new study.

Findings

• The study states that inadequate zinc intake has been rising in India for decades, causing tens of millions of people to become newly deficient in it.
• The study added that the highest rate of inadequate zinc intake was concentrated mainly in the southern and northeastern States with rice-dominated diets: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya.
• Rising carbon dioxide levels in the coming decades could accelerate this trend. National grain fortification programmes, increased dietary diversity, bio-fortified crops, and reduced carbon dioxide emissions could all make a difference to slow or reverse the course.
• Inadequate zinc intake can have serious health consequences, particularly for young children, who are more susceptible to contracting malaria, diarrhoeal diseases and pneumonia, when suffering from zinc deficiency.
• The presence of zinc plays a critical role in human immune systems.
• Rice is poor in [the presence of] zinc, causing higher rates of zinc inadequacy in diets that rely heavily upon it. Overall urban populations, and wealthier urban groups in particular, showed higher rates of inadequate intake as well, due to a higher proportion of nutrient-poor fats and sugars in the diet.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Cross-LoC trade suspended after ‘misuse by arms, drugs smugglers’

News

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) suspended the cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade in Jammu and Kashmir, citing “funnelling of illegal weapons, narcotics and fake currency” as reasons.

Beyond News

• The move will immediately impact around 300 traders, and over 1,200 people who are directly and indirectly associated with the trade on this side.
• The action has been taken after reports that the cross-LoC trade routes are being misused by Pakistan-based elements for funnelling illegal weapons, narcotics and fake currency, etc.
• The trade has changed its character to mostly third party trade and products from other regions, including foreign countries, are finding their way through this route. Unscrupulous and anti-national elements are using the route as a conduit for hawala money, drugs and weapons, under the garb of this trade.
• A probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the MHA said, suggested that a significant number of concerns engaged in the trade are being operated by persons closely associated with banned terrorist organisations.
• It also pointed out that the Government of India after the Pulwama attack withdrew the Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan and “inputs suggested that in order to evade the consequent higher duty, the LoC trade was likely to be misused to a much larger extent.”
• In a major confidence building measure, cross-LoC trade was started in 2008 by setting up two Trade Facilitation Centres located at Uri’s Salamabad in Baramulla, and Chakkan-da-Bagh in Poonch.
• The trade took place four days a week. It was based on barter system and zero duty basis.

Lunar meteorites reveal origin of Moon

News

• Analysing lunar meteorites has provided new evidence that the Moon was formed after a Mars-sized body impacted the Earth 4.5 billion years ago, finds a study.

Findings

• Scientists conducted research on three lunar meteorites from the US space agency NASA and found chlorine isotopic fractionation, which only occurs in ultra-high-temperature and ultra-high-energy conditions, such as a giant collision between astronomical bodies.
• Chlorine isotopic fractionation was a process in which chlorine-35, an isotope of chlorine, easily evaporates under high temperatures while the heavier chlorine-37 can better stand the heat.
• The discovery of the phenomenon in lunar meteorites demonstrates that the Moon originated from a giant impact.
• The giant-impact hypothesis gives answer to many questions, such as the moon’s rotation speed and the relatively large size of the moon compared with the Earth.

Dhanush gun enters the scene with a bang

News

• A premier research establishment located in Visakhapatnam has facilitated patenting and trademarking of India’s first home-made long-range howitzer gun Dhanush, which was formally inducted into the Indian Army recently after trials in the desert regions, and glaciers of the Himalayas.

Beyond News

• Termed ‘desi version of the Bofors gun,’ the patent facilitation was made by experts of the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre and UN-WIPO Technology Support Centre located at Innovation Valley here.
• Dhanush has inertial navigation-based sighting system, onboard ballistic computation and most advanced any time firing system. The ordnance factory, also known as gun carriage factory, has successfully passed through accuracy, quality, speed, timing and other rigorous tests during the trial phase.
• The design was made on the lines of Bofors Haubits fh77 of the 1980s.
• Production started in 2019 after development trials during last year. Sources said the Army had ordered for 114 guns, which could go up to 414 for phase-wise supply.
• The new weapon, which will give a fillip to the Army’s firepower, will replace 105mm Indian field gun, Russian 122-mm gun and 105mm light field gun.
• This is the third type of artillery gun manufactured in the country after K-9 Vajra and M-777 ultra light howitzers.

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