DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS
29 APRIL 2022
| S. No. | Topic Name | Prelims/Mains |
| 1. | DETAILS GRAVITATIONAL LENSING | Prelims & Mains |
| 2. | ABOUT OF NASA’S LUCY MISSION | Prelims & Mains |
| 3. | DETAILS INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION | Prelims & Mains |
| 4. | ABOUTRIVER RANCHING | Prelims & Mains |
| 5. | WEAPONS SUMMIT FOR UKRAINE HOSTED BY USA | Prelims Specific Topic |
1 – DETAILS GRAVITATIONAL LENSING:
GS III
Space related topic
- Context:
- The Hindu’s Science for All newsletter includes this article, which explains science in layman’s terms.
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How does gravitational lensing operate, and what is it? What is the mechanism at work here?
- Einstein’s general theory of relativity posits that mass bends light, resulting in gravitational lensing.
- Due to the gravitational field of a massive object stretching far into space, light beams travelling close to it (and hence through its gravitational field) will be distorted and refocused somewhere else.
- The larger the gravitational field of an object, the more the bending of light rays, just as using denser materials to make optical lenses results in more refraction.
-
Benefits:
- Gravitational lensing is used by cosmologists because it is directly sensitive to the amount and distribution of dark matter.
- Lensing can be used by astronomers to determine how much dark matter is present in the Universe as a whole and how it is distributed.
- The lensing technique has also been used to prove the presence of dark matter.
2 – ABOUT OF NASA’S LUCY MISSION:
GS III
Space related topic
- Context:
- Lucy, NASA’s mission to examine a swarm of asteroids orbiting Jupiter behind and in front of it, recently encountered a setback when one of its solar arrays failed to unfold.
- NASA will execute two processes in the coming months to fully expose an unfurled solar array.
-
Lucy’s mission statement:
- The Jupiter Trojan asteroids will be the subject of NASA’s first mission, which will launch in October 2022.
- Solar energy is used to power the expedition.
- It will take about 12 years, during which time the spacecraft will travel 6.3 billion kilometres to visit eight asteroids to discover more about the “early solar system.”
-
The mission’s objectives are to:
- The mission’s purpose is to determine what makes up the many asteroids that make up the Trojan asteroid swarms, as well as to seek for and investigate any satellites or rings that may circle the Trojan asteroids.
-
What exactly are Trojan Asteroids, and what are their functions? What does their surname mean?
- These asteroids are assumed to be early solar system remnants, and studying them will help scientists better understand the solar system’s origins and evolution, as well as why it looks the way it does.
- The Trojan asteroids are assumed to be constructed of the same material that resulted to the formation of planets when the solar system was formed 4 billion years ago.
3 – DETAILS INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION:
GS II/III
International Relations & Economy
- Context:
- The Medical Education and Drugs Department (MEDD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have linked up in Maharashtra under the public-private partnership (PPP) model to prioritise health care efforts with an emphasis on Medical Education.
- IFC will serve as the transaction advisor for PPPs to develop super-specialty hospitals and medical education institutes across the state.
-
The International Finance Corporation (IFC):
- It is a non-profit organisation that provides financial assistance to developing countries.
- It is a non-profit organisation that assists developing countries financially.
- It is an international financial institution that helps developing countries expand their private sector by providing investment, consulting, and asset management services.
- It is a member of the World Bank Group and is situated in Washington, D.C.
- It was established in 1956 as the World Bank Group’s private sector arm with the purpose of alleviating poverty and promoting development by investing primarily in for-profit and commercial firms.
- Although its member countries control and operate the IFC, it has its own executive leadership and personnel to run its day-to-day operations.
- It is a corporation with member countries as shareholders who contribute paid-in capital and have voting rights in its affairs.
-
Responsibilities and roles:
- Since 2009, the IFC has focused on a set of development goals that its programmes are expected to achieve. Its goals are to promote sustainable agriculture options, improve healthcare and education, provide access to financing for microfinance and business clients, improve infrastructure, aid small businesses in expanding revenues, and invest in climate health.
- It offers a variety of loan and equity financing alternatives to help firms manage risk without having to take on management obligations.
- It advises governments on ways to strengthen infrastructure and relationships to aid the growth of the private sector.
4 –ABOUT RIVER RANCHING:
GS III
Environmental Conservation related issues
- Context:
- As part of a ranching operation, the ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) in Prayagraj released around 10,000 fish fingerlings of Indian main carps — catla, rohu, and mrigal — in the Ganga near Sangam nose.
- The initiative was made to rescue and promote fish species in the Ganga that are on the edge of extinction.
-
River Ranching Program:
- Uttar Pradesh launched the National River Ranching Program in 2021.
-
What exactly is River Ranching and how does it operate?
- A method of aquaculture in which a fish population (such as salmon) is kept in captivity for the first few years of their lives is known as river ranching.
- They are then released and harvested as adults when they return to their freshwater birthplace to spawn.
-
The programme is described as follows:
- River ranching was formed as a specific activity under the Pradhan Mantri MatsyaSampada Yojana (PMMSY) programme to augment and enhance fish production and productivity by expanding, intensifying, diversifying, and utilising land and water productively.
- What is the name of the agency in charge of implementation?
- The PMMSY’s main nodal agency is the National Fisheries Development Board in Hyderabad.
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What is the goal of the programme?
- As the human population expands, so does the demand for high-quality protein and seafood. As a result, the River Ranching Program was formed to encourage the cost-effective and environmentally responsible use and conservation of fishing resources.
- This programme will help with the development of sustainable fisheries, biodiversity protection, ecosystem services assessment, habitat degradation reduction, and maximising social and economic benefits.
- It will also promote traditional fisheries, trade, and social protection for inland communities, as well as environmental sustainability.
-
The Pradhan Mantri MatsyaSampada Yojana (PMMSY) programme includes the following components:
- It’s a strategy for the country’s fisheries sector to grow in a focused and long-term way.
- A total of 20,050 crores has been sanctioned for the AatmaNirbhar Bharat Package’s implementation in all States/Union Territories over a five-year period from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25.
- The strategy focuses on benefit-oriented operations in the maritime, inland, and aquaculture sectors.
- “Cluster or area-based approaches” are a goal.
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The following are the scheme’s goals and objectives:
- Between 2024 and 2025, increase fish production by 70 lakh tonnes.
- Increase fisheries export income to Rs.1,000 crore by 2024-25.
- Fishermen and fish farmers have seen a significant increase in their incomes.
- Reduce post-harvest losses from 20 to 25 percent to less than 10%.
- By 55 lakhs, the number of direct and indirect gainful job opportunities in the fisheries sector and allied activities will be increased.
5 – WEAPONS SUMMIT FOR UKRAINE HOSTED BY USA:
Prelims Specific Topic
- Top US officials recently met with friends in Germany to discuss providing more weapons to Kyiv in order to deter Russia’s onslaught.
- The Russian invasion of Ukraine, now in its ninth week, has provoked widespread outrage among Western countries that have provided Ukraine’s embattled President Volodymyr Zelensky arms and other support.
UPSC Civil Services Daily Current Affairs 29th April 2022
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