Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

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China develops its own ‘Mother of All Bombs’: report

News

• China has developed a massive bomb, said to be the country’s answer to the US-built ‘Mother of All Bombs’, the most powerful non-nuclear weapon.

Beyond News

• China’s defence industry giant NORINCO for the first time showcased the aerial bomb, the country’s largest non-nuclear bomb.
• It is dubbed as the Chinese version of the “Mother of All Bombs” due to its huge destruction potential that is claimed to be only second to nuclear weapons.
• The bomb was airdropped by an H-6K bomber and caused a gigantic explosion, showed a promotional video released by China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (NORINCO) .
• This is the first time the new bomb’s destructive powers have been shown in public.
• Last year, while waging war against militants in Afghanistan, the US military dropped a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) weapon, more commonly known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” on the Islamic State.
• Although China is using the same nickname for its bomb, said to weigh several tonnes, the Chinese weapon is smaller and lighter than its American counterpart.
• It can be used to clear a landing zone for troops on helicopters to rappel down, in case the area is covered by obstacles such as forests.
• To match the U.S. weapon, Russia developed the “Father of All Bombs” which is both bigger and thermobaric, meaning it uses gas to create a huge fireball rather than a shockwave.

Malaria cases drop significantly; deaths down to 54

News

• Malaria cases reduced by three million in India in 2017 compared to 2016.

Beyond News

• The number of deaths came down to 54 in 2018 from 194 in 2017.
• World Malaria Report 2018, published by the WHO, has reported a significant drop in the estimated malaria cases in India by three million fewer cases in 2017 as compared to 2016 which is a decrease of 24%.
• Deaths due to Malaria as reported by the states have come down from 194 in 2017 to 54 in 2018 till September.
• This achievement is primarily due to intensified efforts, including improved surveillance, early diagnosis and complete treatment, distribution of Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs), uninterrupted logistic supply and by strengthening of monitoring and supervision etc.

Child care homes don’t paint a rosy picture

News

• A pan-India survey of childcare institutions (CCI) conducted by the Centre has highlighted poor safety and security measures, inadequate monitoring of these facilities, and a lack of effort to trace parents of missing children sent to these homes.
• The full report of the survey titled ‘Mapping and Review Exercise of Child Care Institutions’, conducted between December 2015 and March 2017, was recently made public by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD).

Findings

• Some of the findings of this exercise were shared last year before the Supreme Court, which took suo motu cognisance of rampant child abuse at a shelter in Muzaffarpur in Bihar.
• The detailed report shows that only 46.7% of the total homes had adequate number of caregivers per child and only 28.7% centres were able to tend to inmates showing signs of hunger or illness and 65.9% of homes were able to actively supervise children under trauma.
• The report also says that the lack of infrastructure facilities is “glaring” and finds that more than 1,000 homes did not have a dormitory for children, raising questions about sleeping arrangements made for them.
• The report finds that even though there are several mechanisms for monitoring, regular inspections of these shelters were not being carried out.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

RBI scales down printing of ₹2,000 note to minimum: Finance Ministry official

News

• The printing of ₹2,000 banknote, introduced post-demonetisation in November 2016, has been reduced to the “minimum” by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Beyond News

• Soon after the sudden decision to ban old ₹500/₹1,000 currency notes by the government, the RBI had come out with the ₹2,000 currency note along with a new look ₹500 note as part of its massive remonetisation exercise.
• The senior official said the RBI and the government from time to time decides on the quantum of currency to be printed on the basis of money in circulation.
• When the ₹2,000 note was launched, it was decided that the printing would be “scaled down” going forward, since the new high currency value note was meant for meeting the remonetisation need.
• According to the RBI data, there were 3,285 million pieces of ₹2,000 notes in circulation at March-end, 2017. A year after (on March 31, 2018), there was only a marginal increase in the number at 3,363 million pieces.
• Of the total currency in circulation amounting to ₹18,037 billion at end-March 2018, ₹2,000 notes accounted for 37.3%, down from 50.2% at end-March 2017.
• The old 500/1,000 banknotes that were scrapped in November 2016 accounted for around 86% of the total currency in circulation at that time.

First close-ups of Ultima Thule reveal it resembles reddish snowman: NASA

News

• Ultima Thule, an icy celestial body, is aptly shaped like a giant snowman, NASA scientists have announced.
• The first detailed images beamed back from the U.S. agency’s New Horizons mission allowed scientists to confidently determine the body was formed when two spheres, or “lobes,” slowly gravitated towards each other until they stuck together a major scientific discovery.

Findings

• The New Horizons spacecraft flew past Ultima Thule, which was discovered via telescope in 2014 and is the farthest and potentially oldest cosmic body ever observed by a spacecraft.
• Before that flyby, the only image scientists had was a blurry one showing Ultima Thule’s oblong shape, resembling something like a bowling pin or a peanut.
• Ultima Thule’s surface reflects light about as much as “garden variety dirt,” as the sun’s rays are 1,600 times fainter there than on the earth. The body completes its own rotation in about 15 hours. NASA dubbed the larger lobe Ultima, and the other, which is about three times smaller, Thule.
• Some 4.5 billion years ago a cloud of frozen pebbles began to join forces, gradually forming two bodies Ultima and Thule.
• Slowing turning, they eventually touched at each other at what mission geology manager Jeff Moore called an “extremely slow speed” maybe just one to a few kilometres per hour.

China lands probe on far side of moon

News

• A Chinese space probe touched down on the far side of the moon, China’s space agency said, hailing the event as a historic first and a major achievement for the country’s space programme.

Beyond News

• The moon is tidally locked to Earth, rotating at the same rate as it orbits our planet, so most of the far side or “dark side” is never visible to us. Previous spacecraft have seen the far side, but none has landed on it.
• The probe, which has a lander and a rover, touched down at a targeted area near the moon’s south pole in the Von Karman Crater.
• The tasks of the Chang’e-4 include astronomical observation, surveying the moon’s terrain, land form and mineral make-up, and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment of its far side.

Karnataka’s Kaiga power station sets new record of 962 days of uninterrupted operation

News

• Karnataka’s Kaiga power station, which made the country proud by creating a world record for the longest uninterrupted operation for 941 days, has set a new benchmark of 962 days of uninterrupted operation and has now been shut down for maintenance.

Beyond News

• Generating Station-1 (KGS-1) at Kaiga in Uttara Kannada was shut down on the last day of 2018 after 962 days of operation and will be commissioned again after the maintenance activities, inspection and regulatory clearances.
• On December 10, KGS-1 had broken the earlier record of earlier record of 940 days(Hesham-2 unit 2) held by the United Kingdom.
• Subsequently since KGS-1 had continued its operation as it had the necessary permission and it completed 926 days before it was shut down on December 31.
• Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), has said that during its continuous operation of 962 days KGS-1 had produced 5 billion units of electricity at a plant load factor of 99.3%.
• Kaiga has four indigenously developed Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors of 220 MW each fuelled by domestic fuel. Of them KGS-2 has been operating since the last 661 days.
• NPCIL has said in the release that the record uninterrupted operation of 962 days showed the pre-eminence of NPCIL in the design, construction and operation of PHWRs.

Improved Light Combat Aircraft gets green light for production

News

• Light Combat Aircraft ‘Tejas’ quietly progressed towards manufacture in an enhanced, battle standard format.
• A new ‘limited’ clearance from military airworthiness certifier CEMILAC for the Indian fighter green-lights its production in a superior lethal version.

Beyond News

• Hindustan Aeronautics Limted (HAL), which is mandated to produce the LCAs for the Indian Air Force (IAF), aims to get the first aircraft out in late 2019 in the just-cleared standard.
• The LCA is being designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in Bengaluru. The IAF has asked HAL to make 40 LCA aircraft. Of this, 20 will be in the advanced ‘FOC’ (final operational clearance) format. Another 20 are in the earlier IOC (initial operational clearance) version.
• The FOC tag signals that the novice LCA is fully equipped and fit for battle. It adds many features over the IOC version, which Tejas achieved in December 2013. The IOC enabled the IAF to start flying it and in getting acquainted with its competences. Until then, only test pilots and ADA handled Tejas.
• Tejas was expected to be FOC-compliant much earlier, the last two deadlines being June-end and December-end of 2018.
• The IAF has modified and upgraded its trainer requirement in its old package order of 40 LCA aircraft.
• It has opted to have all eight trainers in the FOC mode, instead of four each in IOC and FOC standards.

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