Table of Contents:
A. GS1 Related:
B. GS2 Related:
C. GS3 Related:
1. Interceptor missile test successful
D. GS4 Related:
E. Important Editorials : A Quick Glance
1. Whatever the Q3 growth rate, get on with reforms
1. Minister for Civil Aviation Dedicates First Integrated Heliport to the Nation
3. Successful Test Firing of AAD Endo-Atmospheric Interceptor Missile
F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn
G. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS
H. Fun with Practice Questions 🙂
I. Archives
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Useful News Articles for UPSC Current Affairs
A. GS1 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
B. GS2 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
C. GS3 Related
Category: Science and Technology
Topic: Developments
Key Points:
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on 1st March, 2017 successfully carried out a test of an interceptor missile.
- This further validated the reliability of the under-development, two-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) in shooting down enemy missiles.
- This missile is an endo-atmospheric missile that can intercept missiles at ranges of 15-30 km.
A note on the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD)
- The BMD consists of two interceptor missiles, the Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) for exo-atmospheric ranges and the Advanced Area Defence (AAD) missile for endo-atmosphere or lower altitudes.
- The BMD is critical to protect the country from the long-range ballistic missiles proliferating in the neighbourhood.
- DRDO expects to have shield ready for deployment by 2022.
D. GS4 Related
E. Important Editorials: A Quick Glance
Hindu
Category: Geography
Topic: Climatology, Monsoon
Key Points:
- It is important to note that Global weather in recent times has come under pressure from the El Nino warming that began in 2015 and exerted its influence into the first quarter of 2016.
- Further, it is also significant to note that the Australian international weather bureau says there is a 50% prospect of a similar phenomenon this year as well, making it a significant alert on hotter temperatures, and possibly a debilitated monsoon and weaker agricultural prospects.
Impact
- As the temperature edged past 40ºC last year, schools in some states decided to extend their summer vacations by a week or two.
- This may become necessary again.
- Urban water distress poses another challenge, because big cities in several States have not received adequate rainfall to replenish their reservoirs and are using up groundwater at unsustainable rates.
- For farmers, another harsh period would add to their difficulties, requiring a sensitive approach to their needs.
- Administrative decisions for summer management will need to be refined on the basis of coming IMD updates, although the overall trend appears to be clear.
Concluding Remarks
- Temperatures in different parts of the world may have variations due to local weather phenomena.
- The effect of El Nino on the global temperature average is only a small part of the overall rise, indicating that the trend could be correlated with the rise in greenhouse gases.
- There are clear signs that the world must shift away from further high-emission pathways in the economy and adopt leapfrogging technologies.
- It is also a call for policy initiatives to build resilience by improving water harvesting and expanding tree cover, including in cities.
- For rural India, building surface irrigation facilities such as ponds through the employment guarantee scheme and climate funds would seem a natural choice, while urban water supply augmentation needs more reservoirs to be built.
Economic Times
Category: Indian Economy
Topic: : Government Policy
Key Points:
- The recent development of the Central Statistics Office’s (CSO) second advance estimate of economic activity would suggest that the financial shock of removing 86 per cent of the currency from circulation in an economy where more than 90 per cent of transactions were in cash has not hurt economic growth.
- Growth in the quarter ending December, when the impact of demonetisation would have been the worst, is estimated to have been 7 per cent and the estimate for 2016-17 as a whole is 7.1 per cent.
- The robust growth in agriculture, of 6 per cent in Q3 and 4.4 per cent for the whole year, after two years of drought does not quite explain it: after all, agriculture, forestry and fishing account for just 15 per cent of GDP.
- But there are rational explanations for this seeming mismatch between expectation and outcome.
Concluding Remarks
- CSO estimates GDP using the financial results of companies and sales tax paid by traders.
- It is conceivable that quite a few entities declared unusual levels of income and sales, to bring hoarded cash into formal channels and, thus, presented an inflated picture of economic activity.
- This bump in activity would disappear in the fourth quarter, if this were so. And the CSO figures imply precisely that: growth in Q4 is expected to turn in at 6.9 per cent.
PIB
Category: Indian Economy
Topic: : Government Policy
Key Points:
- The First Integrated Heliport was dedicated to the Nation by Ministry of Civil Aviation in association with Pawan Hans.
- After inaugurating the facility the Minister for Civil Aviation Shri Ashok Gajapathi Raju said that the heliport was an excellent infrastructure but pointed out that helicopter services in India are still at a nascent stage.
2. PM greets the scientists on National Science Day; salutes Sir CV Raman for his contribution to science
Category: Science and Technology
Topic: : Developments
Key Points:
- The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the scientists on National Science Day. The Prime Minister also saluted Sir CV Raman for his contribution to the science.
- “On National Science Day, my greetings and best wishes to our scientific community. Their role in nation building and advancement is paramount.
- We salute Sir CV Raman for his pioneering contribution to science, which continues to inspire generations of science enthusiasts’’, the Prime Minister said.
3. Successful Test Firing of AAD Endo-Atmospheric Interceptor Missile
Category: Science and Technology
Topic: : Developments
Key Points:
- DRDO conducted the successful launch of the interceptor missile Advanced Area Defence (AAD).
- The endo-atmospheric missile, capable of intercepting incoming targets at an altitude of 15 to 25 kms successfully destroyed the incoming missile.
- All the mission objectives were successfully met.
- The weapon system radars tracked the target and provided the initial guidance to the interceptor which could precisely home on to the target and destroyed it in endo-atmospheric layer.
- The complete event including the engagement and destruction was tracked by a number of electro-optical tracking systems using infrared imagery.
- Radars and telemetry stations tracked the target and the interceptor till the destruction of the target.
- The launch has proved the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) prowess of the country.
F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn
- First Integrated Heliport
- National Science Day
- Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD)
G. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS
H. Fun with Practice Questions 🙂
Question 1: Consider the following statements, regarding Ballistic Missile
Defence (BMD):
1] The BMD consists of two interceptor missiles, the Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) for exo-atmospheric ranges and the Advanced Area Defence (AAD) missile for endo-atmosphere or lower altitudes.
2] The BMD is critical to protect the country from the long-range ballistic missiles proliferating in the neighbourhood.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
- 1 Only
- 2 Only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Question 2: Consider the following statements:
1] The Agulhas Current and Gulf Stream are warm water currents.
2] The West Wind Drift is a cold water current.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
- 1 Only
- 2 Only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Question 3: “INS Chakra” was recently in the news. What is it?
a) Aircraft Carrier
b) A nuclear submarine
c) A Frigate
d) An offshore patrol vessel
Question 4: Consider the following statements:
1] BRAHMOS missile operates on a ‘Fire and Forget Principle’.
2] BRAHMOS is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
- 1 Only
- 2 Only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Question 5: Which of the following organizations bring out the report
known as ‘Ease of Doing Business’?
- IBRD (World Bank)
- The United Nations Development Programme
- The World Economic Forum
- The World Bank
Check Your Answers
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