IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-02

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India, Bhutan vow to strengthen ties, ink 10 MoUs

News

• Indian Prime Minister and his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering held wide ranging talks and discussed steps to further expand the bilateral partnership across several sectors.
• The two countries also signed 10 MoUs to infuse new energy in their ties.

Bilateral partnership

• Earlier, Indian Prime Minister inaugurated the Mangdechhu hydroelectric power plant and also launched stamps to commemorate five decades of India-Bhutan hydropower cooperation.
• The two countries signed 10 MoUs in the fields of space research, aviation, IT, power and education.
• On increasing the currency swap limit for Bhutan under the SAARC currency swap framework, India’s approach is “positive“.
• An additional $100 million will be available to Bhutan under a standby swap arrangement to meet the foreign exchange requirement.
• The two leaders also unveiled an e-plaque on the interconnection between India’s National Knowledge Network and Bhutan’s Druk Research and Education Network.
• The two leaders jointly inaugurated the Ground Earth Station and SATCOM network, developed with assistance from ISRO for utilization of South Asia Satellite in Bhutan. 

Source: The Hindu

BASIC countries

News: The BASIC countries recently held their 28th Ministerial meeting on Climate Change in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Beyond News:
•It is a bloc of four large newly industrialized countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
•The BASIC group was formed as the result of an agreement signed by the four countries on November 28, 2009.
•The BASIC countries recently held their 28th Ministerial meeting on Climate Change in Sao Paulo, Brazil
•Brazil, South Africa, India and China put together has one-third of the world’s geographical area and nearly 40% of the world’s population.
•BASIC is one of several groups of nations working together to fight climate change and carry out negotiations within the UNFCCC.

Source: The PIB 

Supreme Court orders committee to review ecological aspects of Chardham project

News

• The Supreme Court has ordered the setting up of an independent committee take a view on whether the Centre’s ambitious 900 kilometre, ₹12,000 crore ambitious Char Dham project to improve road network connecting pilgrimage spots in Uttarakhand, needs to be “revised” to minimise its ecological damage.

Char Dham project

• The project proposes the widening of single lane roads into double lanes by up to 10 metres, developing highways in Uttarakhand and thereby improving access to the Char Dham (four shrines) Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedar Nath.
• The NGT nod for the project was stayed by the Supreme Court on technical grounds. But the apex court backed portions of the Tribunal’s order allowing the project to continue with assessment by an independent committee.
• The order, which was made available, modified portions of the earlier NGT order regarding the constitution of the High Powered Committee (HPC).
• It would also have representatives from the Department of Space, the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and a representative from the Ministry of Defence.
• The Chopra committee is expected to make assessments and give recommendations to the Road Transport Ministry within four months.
• The Committee would consider the “cumulative and independent impact” of the Char Dham project on the Himalayan ecology.
• It also had the prerogative to “give directions” to conduct environment impact assessments by the project proponents or the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Source: The Hindu

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-03

Parker Solar Probe

News: On August 12, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed a year in service. It is part of NASA’s “Living With a Star” programme that explores different aspects of the Sun-Earth system.

Beyond News:

• NASA’s historic mission will revolutionize our understanding of Sun.
• Will trace the flow of energy that heats & accelerates the solar corona and solar wind and changes in space weather which can change the orbits of satellites.

Why corona?

• Corona is hotter than the surface of the sun & gives rise to the solar wind.
• Unpredictable solar winds cause havoc with communications technology on Earth
• The probe seeks to gather information about the Sun’s atmosphere and NASA says that it “will revolutionise our understanding of the Sun”.
• It is also the closest a human-made object has ever gone to the Sun.

Source: The Hindu

New species of freshwater fish found

News

• Scientists have discovered two new species of freshwater fish from the north-eastern and northern parts of the country.

Two new species

• While Glyptothorax gopii, a new species of catfish was found in Mizoram’s Kaladan river, Garra simbalbaraensis was found in Himachal Pradesh’s Simbalbara river.
• Both fish, measuring less than seven centimetres, are hill stream fauna and are equipped with special morphological features to suit rapid water flow.
• Glyptothorax gopii(measuring 63 mm standard length without caudal fin) is dark brown on its dorsal surface, and its ventral surface is of a yellowish-light brown. Garra simbalbaraensis (measuring 69 mm standard length without caudal fin) has a yellowish-grey colour fading ventrally.
• Experts suggest that the origin or evolution of the fishes in the Himalayas and north-eastern parts of India must have been the consequence or after-effects of orogenic events (geological movement) at various stages in the Himalayas’ uplift.

Source: The Hindu

 

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