07 Apr 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. EOS-02 Satellite
2. Funds for Nai Roshni Scheme
3. Indian Tent Turtles
4. UNESCO fund for Elimination of Doping in Sports

1. EOS-02 Satellite

Syllabus: GS III, Awareness in the field of Space

Mains: Progress story of India’s advancement in the field of space technology.

Context: It has been announced that the EOS-02 satellite will be launched in the upcoming days. 

About EOS (Earth Observing Satellite):

• These satellites are integrated with remote sensing technology with the objective of collecting information about Earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems. 
• So far ISRO has launched various versions of this satellite with EOS-04 being the latest one. 

Different series of EOS:

• EOS – 01: Earth Observation Satellite meant for agriculture, forestry and disaster management.
• EOS – 02: Technology demonstration satellite for various new technologies with applications in various fields and forming the payload for SSLV-1. 
• EOS – 03: First agile observation satellite in geostationary orbit and applications that include near real-time imaging, monitoring of natural disasters, spectral signatures for agriculture.
• EOS – 04: Radar imaging capacity applicable in forestry, agriculture, soil moisture & hydrology and food mapping. 
• EOS – 05: EOS in geostationary orbit.
• EOS – 06: Capable of ocean-related services and advisories towards potential fishing zones, ocean state forecast. 

Challenges with the EOS series and the steps taken:

• This satellite offers new technology demonstrations that will have a wide range of applications in agriculture, forestry, geology, hydrology, miniaturised power electronics, and reaction wheels. 
• Due to the failure in the Cryogenic Upper Stage during the launch of the EOS-03 satellite, a national level committee was set up for Failure Analysis that involved experts from ISRO and other institutions. 
• The committee observed that there was an abnormal pressure build up in the propellant tank (Liquid Hydrogen) during the flight obstructing the lower tank pressure at the time of ignition of the engine. This resulted in the inadequate flow of liquid hydrogen in the engine thrust chamber. 
• With the corrective measures in place, there will be improved versions of the existing technology demonstration satellites (EOS) with enhanced robustness of the Cryogenic Upper Stage for future Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle missions. 

Read more about EOS in the linked article.

2. Funds for Nai Roshni Scheme

Syllabus: GS I, Role of women and associated issues

Prelims: About Nai Roshni Scheme

Mains: Empowering women for leadership roles.

Context: The financial progress in funding the Nai Roshni Scheme has been assessed. 

About the Nai Roshni Scheme:

• It is a Central Sector Scheme that intends to empower and enhance confidence in women by offering knowledge, tools and techniques for their leadership development. 
• It includes a six-day non-residential and five-day residential training programmes for women belonging to minority communities falling within the age group of 18 to 65 years. 
• Areas of training include, health and hygiene, legal rights awareness, financial literacy, digital literacy, socio-behavioural changes and so on. 

Get all the relevant information about the Nai Roshni Scheme in the linked article

3. Indian Tent Turtles

Syllabus: GS III, Conservation

Prelims: Salient Features of Indian Tent Turtles

Mains: Interventions of the government to conserve and protect wildlife.

Context: It was iterated in the Parliament that the status of Indian Tent Turtles and the effect of illegal mining in the Narmada river on the species have not yet been assessed by the Zoological Survey of India. However, the government has taken effective measures to conserve the river ecosystem. 

Indian Tent Turtles: Pangshura tentoria: Distribution

• The species is native to India, Nepal and Bangladesh. 
• Three of its subspecies are found in Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Madhya Pradesh.
• The Pangshura tentoria circumdata species can be traced in the western tributaries of Ganga and the rivers of Gujarat. 
• Some of the species are also found in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam.

Image Source: https://petkeen.com

Characteristics:

• The size ranges from species to species and is about 20 cm to 26.5 cm. 
• The colours of these turtles are also species-specific. For example, the head of the circumdata species is olive green with a pink postocular spot with brownish olive green carapace with a pink pleuro-marginal ring and the plastron is yellow with dark and large blotches. 
• The tentoria subspecies have a moderately small and pointed head that is shorter than the orbit. 
• The carapace is oval and elevated with a distinct vertebral keel that is spiked with truncated plastron anteriorly and notched posteriorly. 
• Their habitats include still water pools on the riverside and slow running water near river banks. 
• They are active swimmers and are mainly herbivorous. 

Conservation Status:

• IUCN Status: Lower Risk/least concern
• Listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
• It is listed under Appendix II of CITES

Major Threats:

• Due to their attractive appearance, these species of Indian tent turtles are illegally traded in the pet market. 
• It is alleged that they are also under the threat of illegal mining at the riverside.

4. UNESCO fund for Elimination of Doping in Sports

Syllabus: GS II, International Relations, Global groupings

Prelims: WADA, NDTL, UNESCO

Mains: Measures taken to curb doping in sports

Context: The Government of India has doubled its contribution towards the UNESCO fund for the elimination of doping in sports. 

An Overview:

• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has released an enhanced contribution of India to the UNESCO Fund for the elimination of doping in sports. 
• This contribution will be recorded in the certified financial statement of the Fund which will be presented at the 9th Conference of Parties (COP9) along with the contributions from the state parties supporting the implementation of the Fund’s Operational Strategy 2020-25. 
• The Copenhagen Declaration on Anti-Doping in Sport was agreed to by the Government of India in 2003. This agreement acted as the government document through which governments signalled their commitment to formally recognise and implement the World Anti-Doping Code brought by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). 
• WADA was the first progressive step towards the preparation of the UNESCO International Convention against doping in sports. 
• India is a signatory to the International Convention against Doping in Sports which is also known as the ‘UNESCO Anti-Doping Convention’. It was ratified by India in 2007. 
• The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is responsible for adopting, implementing and enforcing the anti-doping programmes in India. 
• Headquartered in New Delhi, NADA was established in 2005 with affiliation to the Indian Olympic Association.

Read about National Dope Testing Laboratory in the link provided.

What is doping?

• Doping refers to the practice of incorporating illegal substances and banned drugs to make the performance of athletes better. 
• It ruins the entire spirit of sportsmanship and questions the credibility of a level playing field in sports. 
• Androgenic agents like anabolic steroids, narcotic analgesics and cannabinoids, stimulants, Diuretics and masking agents (to prevent the tracing of the drug in the doped athlete’s blood), peptide hormones, glucocorticoids and beta blockers are used for doping with the aim to build more muscle and double the strength of the athletes. 
• These substances have side effects that result in reduced sperm count, baldness, kidney damage and so on.

Read previous PIB here.

April 7th, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here