Current Affairs Reverse Engineering – CARE (30-05-2024)
| News at a Glance |
| Science and Technology: India successfully test-fires Rudra air-to-surface missile from SU-30MKI |
| IIT-Bombay, TCS to build India’s first Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager |
| Polity and Governance: Conference on ‘Bharatiya Languages and India as One Linguistic Area’ launched at CIIL |
| An overview of the AMRUT scheme |
| International: Instability and chaos in Haiti |
India successfully test-fires Rudra air-to-surface missile from SU-30MKI
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS 3- Defence Technology, Science and Technology
Context: RudraM-II is an indigenously-developed solid-propelled air-launched missile system meant for air-to-surface role to neutralise several types of enemy assets.
Why in News
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on May 29 successfully flight tested the RudraM-II air-to-surface missile from a Su-30 MKI jet off Odisha coast at around 1130 hours.
Key Highlights
- The Defence Ministry said the flight-testing of the RudraM-II missile met all the trial objectives.
- The flight-test met all the trial objectives, validating the propulsion system and control & guidance algorithm.
- The performance of the missile has been validated from the flight data captured by range tracking instruments like electro-optical systems, radar and telemetry stations deployed by integrated test range, Chandipur at various locations, including the on-board ship.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, the IAF and the industry on the successful test-flight of RudraM-II.
- The flight test conducted off the coast of Odisha at around 11:30 am met all the trial objectives, validating the propulsion system and control and guidance algorithm.
- The flight data captured by range tracking instruments like electro-optical systems, radar and telemetry stations deployed by Integrated Test Range, Chandipur at various locations, including the onboard ship, validated the performance.
About RudraM-II
- RudraM-II is an indigenously-developed solid-propelled air-launched missile system meant for air-to-surface role to neutralise several types of enemy assets.
- They have been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
- A number of state-of-the-art indigenous technologies developed by various DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) laboratories have been incorporated in the missile system.
- The missiles are meant for suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) from long stand-off ranges, which in turn will enable IAF strike aircraft to carry out bombing missions without hindrance.
Features of RudraM-II
- RudraM-II is an indigenously developed solid-propelled air-launched missile system that can neutralise many types of enemy assets.
- It incorporates many state-of-the-art indigenous technologies developed by DRDO.
- The RudraM-II is an indigenously developed air-to-surface anti-radiation missile.
- The RudraM series are being developed by the DRDO as new-generation anti-radiation missiles (NGARMs) for destroying a variety of enemy surveillance, communication, radars, and command and control centers on the ground.
Significance of RudraM-II
- RudraM-II is an indigenously developed solid-propelled air-launched missile system.
- It is an air-to-surface missile that is meant to neutralise various types of enemy assets.
- The RudraM missiles are India’s first indigenous anti-radiation missiles.
- The performance of the missile has been validated from the flight data captured by range tracking instruments like electro-optical systems, radar and telemetry stations deployed by Integrated Test Range, Chandipur at various locations, including the on-board ship.
RudraM-II Air-to-Surface missile
- According to the Ministry of Defence, RudraM-II is an indigenously developed solid-propelled air-launched missile system.
- It’s a Air-to-Surface missile which can neutralise many types of assets of India’s enemies.
- Several state-of-the-art indigenous technologies developed by various DRDO laboratories have been incorporated into this missile system.
RudraM-I
- The Rudram-1 was a new generation anti-radiation missile (ARMs) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
- ARMs are designed to seek and destroy the enemy defence systems including radar, communication assets and other radio frequency sources.
- The RudraM-I was test-fired four years ago by the Indian Air Force at the integrated test range in Odisha’s Balasore.
- The defence ministry at the time said the RudraM-I hit the radiation target with “pin-point accuracy.”
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q1. Rudra is an advanced air-to-surface missile system utilized by military forces. Which of the following statements correctly describe the Rudra missile system?
Correct code: a) 2 and 3 b) 1 and 4 c) 2 and 4 d) 1 and 3 |
Q. What is “Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)”, sometimes seen in the news? (2018)
(a) An Israeli radar system (b) India’s indigenous anti-missile programme (c) An American anti-missile system (d) A defence collaboration between Japan and South Korea. Ans: (c)
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| Answer 1-C
Explanation:
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IIT-Bombay, TCS to build India’s first Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Relevance: GS-3- Quant Computing, Science and Technology
Context: The Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager, an advanced sensing tool for semiconductor chip imaging, will help reduce the chances of chip failures and improve the efficiency of electronic devices.
Why in News
- The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-Bombay) has entered a strategic partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to develop India’s first Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager.
Features of Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager
- Over the next two years, experts from TCS will work with Dr. Kasturi Saha, Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering of IIT Bombay, to develop the quantum imaging platform in the PQuest Lab.
- Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager is a advanced sensing tool will hold the potential to unlock new levels of precision in the examination of semiconductor chips, reduce chip failures and improve the energy efficiency of electronic devices.
- This platform will enable better quality control of semiconductor chips, thereby improving product reliability, safety, and energy efficiency of electrical devices.
- Semiconductor chips are essential to all modern electronic devices, making them smart and efficient.
- With the ability to process data and complete tasks, these chips act as the brains of devices across industries such as communications, computing, healthcare, military systems, transportation and clean energy.
Significance
- PQuest group at IIT-Bombay is excited to collaborate with TCS on developing a quantum imaging platform for the non-destructive examination of chips, leveraging our extensive expertise in quantum sensing to drive innovation.
- The Second Quantum Revolution is progressing at an unprecedented speed, making it imperative to pool our resources and expertise to build cutting-edge capabilities in sensing, computing, and communication technologies.
- This initiative will have a transformative impact on various industries and society, with applications ranging from electronics to healthcare, and beyond.
Collaboration with industry
- The collaboration between TCS and IIT-Bombay is aligned with the National Quantum Mission — an initiative by the Government of India to position the nation as a global quantum technology leader.
- This collaboration aims to develop a quantum imaging platform for the non-destructive examination of chips.
Wide applications of Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager
- As semiconductors continue to shrink in size, traditional sensing methods lack the precision and capabilities to detect anomalies in chips.
- The Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager can image magnetic fields, enabling a non-invasive and non-destructive mapping of semiconductor chips, much like an MRI at a hospital.
- It uses the defects in a diamond’s structure, known as Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centres, together with the other hardware and software for detecting and characterizing anomalies in semiconductor chips.
- The diagnostic capabilities will have significant implications for failure analysis, device development, and various optimisation processes.
- With its advanced capabilities to identify chip defects such as current leakages and enable visualisation of three-dimensional charge flow in multi-layer chips, Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager is a leap forward in semiconductor imaging.
- It will have wide applications in microelectronics, biological, and geological imaging, and fine-scale imaging of magnetic fields, among others.
- This project builds on TCS and IIT-Bombay’s dynamic partnership since the 1990s, spanning joint research projects, collaborative education programs, internships, faculty development programs, and more.
- IIT-Bombay was the first institute to be signed as an academic partner for TCS’ Co-Innovation Network, a platform driving industry-academia collaboration for pioneering solutions.
Quantum Computing
- Quantum Technology is based on the principles of Quantum mechanics, that was developed in the early 20th century to describe nature in the small — at the scale of atoms and elementary particles.
- The first phase of this revolutionary technology has provided the foundations of our understanding of the physical world, including the interaction of light and matter, and led to ubiquitous inventions such as lasers and semiconductor transistors.
- However, despite a century of research, the quantum world still remains mysterious and far removed from our experiences based on everyday life.
- Thereby, a second revolution is currently underway with the goal of putting properties of quantum mechanics in the realms of computing.
- Conventional computers process information in ‘bits’ or 1s and 0s, following classical physics under which our computers can process a ‘1’ or a ‘0’ at a time.
- Quantum computers compute in ‘qubits’ (or quantum bits). They exploit the properties of quantum mechanics, the science that governs how matter behaves on the atomic scale.
- In this scheme of things, processors can be a 1 and a 0 simultaneously, a state called quantum superposition.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q2. The Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager is a cutting-edge technology in the field of:
Correct Code: a) 1 and 2 b) 2 and 3 c) 1 and 4 d) 2 and 4 |
Q. Which one of the following is the context in which the term “qubit” is mentioned? (2022)
(a) Cloud Services (b) Quantum Computing (c) Visible Light Communication Technologies (d) Wireless Communication Technologies Ans: (b) |
| Answer 2 D
Explanation
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Conference on ‘Bharatiya Languages and India as One Linguistic Area’ launched at CIIL
Source: the Hindu
UPSC Relevance: GS2- Polity and Governance
Context: Bhasha Sangam is an initiative of the Ministry of Education under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
Why in News
- A two-day conference on ‘Bharatiya Languages and India as One Linguistic Area’ being organised by Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL).
Key highlights
- Shailendra Mohan, Director, CIIL, who inaugurated the conference, also unveiled the Bharatiya Bhasha Parivar portal (parivar.ciil.org).
- It marks a significant milestone in linguistic exploration.
About Bharatiya Bhasha Parivar portal
- The Bharatiya Bhasha Parivar initiative focusing on 22 scheduled languages, signifies just the beginning of a broader endeavour and added that plans are under way to incorporate more languages, ensuring a comprehensive representation of India’s linguistic diversity.
- The portal currently hosts the grammatical features and vocabulary, including words and phrases, of 22 Scheduled Indian languages.
- The Bharatiya Bhasha Parivar portal aligns with the vision of fostering linguistic understanding and cultural appreciation among students and researchers nationwide.
- The Bharatiya Bhasha Parivar initiative aligns with the major objectives of the CIIL established to coordinate the development of Indian languages by promoting unity through scientific studies.
- The initiative aims to identify commonalities among these languages, thereby reinforcing the concept of Bharat as a unified nation.
Other Initiatives- Bhasha Sangam
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- Bhasha Sangam is an initiative of the Ministry of Education under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, to teach basic sentences of everyday usage in 22 Indian languages (Eighth Schedule languages).
- It is developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
- The idea is that people should acquire basic conversational skills in an Indian language other than their mother tongue.
- It is available on DIKSHA, ePathshala and through 22 booklets.
Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
- It was launched in 2015 to promote engagement amongst the people of different States/UTs so as to enhance mutual understanding and bonding between people of diverse cultures, thereby securing stronger unity and integrity of India.
- It is an initiative of the Ministry of Education.
- Every State and UT in the country would be paired with another State/UT for a time period, during which they would carry out a structured engagement with one another in the spheres of language, literature, cuisine, festivals, cultural events, tourism etc.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q3. Consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above are correct? a) 1 and 2 both b) 2 only c) 1 only d) None |
Q. Consider the following statements: (2018)
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 only (c) 1 and 3 (d) 3 only Ans- b |
| Answer 3– A
Explanation:
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An overview of the AMRUT scheme
Source: The Hindu
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/an-overview-of-the-amrut-scheme-explained/article68230075.ece
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS2- Polity and Governance, Important schemes
Context: AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme
Why in News
- The World Bank estimates that around $840 billion is required to fund the bare minimum urban infrastructure over the next 15 years.
What is the AMRUT scheme?
- The AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme was a flagship programme launched by the NDA-1 government in June 2015, with its 2.0 version launched on October 1, 2021.
- The AMRUT scheme was drawn to cover 500 cities and towns with a population of over one lakh with notified municipalities.
- Some of the challenges in infrastructure development with respect to water, mobility, and pollution were to be met by this scheme with some financial assistance from the Centre and the rest of the share mobilised by both States and respective cities.
- The purpose of the AMRUT mission was to
- ensure that every household has access to a tap with assured supply of water and a sewerage connection
- increase the value of cities by developing greenery and well-maintained open spaces such as parks and
- reduce pollution by switching to public transport or constructing facilities for non-motorised transport.
- The total outlay for AMRUT was ₹50,000 crore for five years from FY 2015-16 to FY 2019-20.
- AMRUT 2.0 was aimed at making cities ‘water secure’ and providing functional water tap connections to all households in all statutory towns.
- Ambitious targets were set up such as providing 100% sewage management in 500 AMRUT cities.
- The total outlay for AMRUT 2.0 is ₹2,99,000 crore, with the Central outlay being ₹76,760 crore for five years, and the rest of the amount to be mobilised by the States and cities.
How much money has been utilised?
- The AMRUT dashboard shows that as of May 19, 2024, a sum of ₹83,357 crore has been dispersed so far.
- This amount has been utilised to provide a total of 58,66,237 tap connections, and 37,49,467 sewerage connections.
- A total of 2,411 parks have been developed, and 62,78,571 LED lights have been replaced. These works include the contributions made by States and cities.
Need for AMRUT Mission
- It is estimated that about 2,00,000 people die every year due to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene.
- In 2016, the disease burden due to unsafe water and sanitation per person was 40 times higher in India than in China.
- This has not improved much. Huge amounts of waste water and little treatment enhances the vulnerability and incidence of diseases.
- The 150 reservoirs monitored by the central government, which supplies water for drinking and irrigation, and are the country’s key source of hydro-electricity, were filled to just 40% of its capacity a few weeks ago.
- Around 21 major cities are going to run out of ground water. In a NITI Aayog report it was stated that 40% of India’s population will have no access to drinking water by 2030.
- Nearly 31% of urban Indian households do not have piped water; 67.3% are not connected to a piped sewerage discharge system; and average water supply per person in urban India is 69.25 litres/day, whereas the required amount is 135 litres.
- Additionally, air quality in AMRUT cities and in other large urban settlements continue to worsen.
- A National Clean Air Programme was launched by the central government in 2019, as AMRUT 2.0 focused only on water and sewerage and because the air quality concerns of AMRUT 1.0 were far from addressed.
Concerns Associated with AMRUT Scheme
- The basic fundamental of the scheme was erroneously constructed. Instead of a holistic approach, it took on a project-oriented attitude.
- AMRUT was made for cities with no participation from the cities. It was quite mechanical in design, with hardly any organic participation of the elected city governments, and driven by mostly private interests.
- The project was owned by bureaucrats, parastatals, and large technology-based companies.
- Similarly, the State level high powered committee is headed by the chief secretary with a private nexus of consultants and professionals.
- Peoples’ representatives are completely missing, in violation of the 74th constitutional amendment.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q4. Consider the following statements
Which of the following options is correct with regards to statements? a) Both statements are true. b) Statement 1 is true, but statement 2 is false. c) Statement 1 is false, but statement 2 is true. d) Both statements are false. |
Q. Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding Smart India Hackathon 2017? (2017)
Select the correct answer using the code given below: Code:
Answer: (b) |
| Answer 4 C
Explanation
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Instability and chaos persist in Haiti
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS 2- International Relations
Context: Resignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry
Why in news
- Following a three-month forced shutdown, Haiti’s main international airport in Port-au-Prince reopened, sparking hopes for shipment of essential products.
Key Highlights
- A gang violence persists in the capital, though most of the gangs’ demands have been addressed.
- Meanwhile, after months of delay due to legal obstacles and violence, an advance team of the Kenyan special forces police landed in Haiti to combat the instability.
What is being done for stability?
- After Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation on April 24, the formation of a Council with seven members was the first major development.
- The Council has been tasked with restoring order in Haiti, setting the agenda of a new Cabinet, forming a national security council, and appointing an electoral commission to help conduct polls.
- It enjoys the backing of the Caribbean countries and the U.S. Caricom, a Caribbean trade bloc which helped form the council, said that the installation of the “politically inclusive council signals the possibility of a new beginning for Haiti.”
- While Finance Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert was appointed as interim Prime Minister, on April 30, former Minister Fritz Bélizaire was chosen for the post by the Council.
What is the situation at present?
- Though there is a Council, there is also a divide. During its first task of choosing a Prime Minister, four of the seven voting members chose Mr. Bélizaire.
- This decision to appoint the little-known official was taken without consulting the rest of the council or holding a formal vote.
- This divide has reportedly strengthened worries of the Council using its position to further its own corrupt needs, following a pattern consistent with previous political officials in Haiti.
- Moreover, gang violence continues. The insufficiently armed national police are still unable to counter the violence.
- Gang violence has become a part of daily life in Haiti over the last two decades, enabled by a weakened security apparatus, lack of effective law enforcement and widespread impunity.
- In the first three months of 2024, as per UN estimates, more than one person was killed due to gang violence every hour.
Why does gang violence continue?
- One of the driving forces behind gang violence was the continued control exercised by Mr. Henry, and it was expected that his resignation would allow for a semblance of peace and stability.
- However, not only has the violence continued (though there has been a reduction), there are new concerns.
- In May, UNICEF’s Representative in Haiti, Bruno Maes, noted that the health system is on the verge of collapse as it is faced with violence, mass displacement, dangerous epidemic and increasing malnutrition.
- About 1.6 million of the 4.4 million in Haiti face emergency levels of food insecurity, and the expected arrival of the monsoons will bring with it waterborne diseases such as cholera.
Way Forward
- There are three specific challenges for Haiti. First, the divide within the transitional Council underscores the inherently fragile political landscape of the country.
- A rocky start may set the tone for the rest of its decisions and the country’s faith in it.
- Second, the persistent threat posed by armed gangs continues to loom large over Haiti, perpetuating a cycle of violence and insecurity that hampers efforts to restore law and order.
- Gangs have warned of more violence if they are not given a seat at the table with the Council, and if their demand for amnesty for their crimes is not granted.
- Third, the deployment of a UN-backed security mission, comprised of Kenyan police forces, has sparked controversy and raised concerns about potential violation of human rights.
- While the mission aims to bolster efforts to combat gang violence and restore stability, there are fears that it may inadvertently exacerbate tensions and contribute to human rights abuses.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q5. Consider the following statements with regards to Haiti:
Which of the statements given above are correct? (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 1 only (c) 2 only (d) None |
Q. Turkey is located between (2014)
(a) Black Sea and Caspian Sea (b) Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea (c) Gulf of Suez and Mediterranean Sea (d) Gulf of Aqaba and Dead Sea Ans: (b) |
| Answer 5 B
Explanation
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