1. INDRA-21
12th Edition of Indo-Russia joint military Exercise INDRA 2021 will be held at Volgograd, Russia from 01 to 13 August 2021.
About:
- The exercise will entail conduct of counter terror operations under the United Nations mandate by a joint force against international terror groups.
- 250 personnel from Army of both the nations will form part of the exercise.
Source : PIB
2. HELPLINE FOR WOMEN AFFECTED BY VIOLENCE
The Union Minister for Women and Child Development, inaugurated the National Commission for Women’s 24/7 helpline number - 7827170170.
About:
- The helpline aims to provide 24/7 online support to women affected by violence through referral by linking them with appropriate authorities such as police, hospitals, District Legal Service Authority, psychological services etc.
- The helpline will function with a team of trained experts. Any girl or woman aged 18 years and above can seek help by calling on this Helpline which will be operated from the premises of the National Commission for Women, New Delhi.
Source : PIB
3. DRINK FROM TAP
Puri became the first city in India where people can avail high quality drinking water directly from the tap on 24-hour basis. Henceforth, people need not have to store or filter drinking water.
About:
- No metropolitan city in India have such facility yet. Similar facilities are available only in world-class cities like London, New York and Singapore.
- The project would benefit 2.5 lakh citizens of Puri and 2 crore tourists who visit the tourist place every year. They need not have to move around with water bottle. Puri would no more be burdened with 400 metric tonne of plastic waste. Water fountains have been developed at 400 locations in Puri.
- A similar project is under various stages of implementation in 16 other urban centres of Odisha.
Source : The Hindu
4. RAKESH ASTHANA
Days before his superannuation, Gujarat cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana was appointed Delhi Police Commissioner. Mr. Asthana, a 1984-batch IPS officer, was to retire on July 31.
About:
- Asthana, who was serving as Director General, Border Security Force, will join as the Delhi Police Commissioner with immediate effect.
- While clearing Mr. Asthana’s appointment as CP, Delhi, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the inter-cadre deputation from Gujarat to AGMUT cadre.
- This is one of the very few instances when an IPS officer outside of the AGMUT cadre has been appointed as the Delhi Police chief.
- Asthana had earlier served as the Special Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation. He was the Narcotics Control Bureau chief when actor Rhea Chakraborty was arrested in a drugs case in Mumbai.
Source : The Hindu
5. DHOLAVIRA
Dholavira, the archaeological site of a Harappan-era city, received the UNESCO world heritage site tag.
About:
- While Dholavira became the fourth site from Gujarat and 40th from India to make the list, it is the first site of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) in India to get the tag.
- The IVC acropolis is located on a hillock near present-day Dholavira village in Kutch district, from which it gets its name.
Distinct features
- After Mohen-jo-Daro, Ganweriwala and Harappa in Pakistan and Rakhigarhi in Haryana of India, Dholavira is the fifth largest metropolis of IVC.
- The site has a fortified citadel, a middle town and a lower town with walls made of sandstone or limestone instead of mud bricks in many other Harappan sites.
- Some of the unique features of the Dholavira site are a cascading series of water reservoirs, outer fortification, two multi-purpose grounds — one of which was used for festivities and as a marketplace — nine gates with unique designs, and funerary architecture featuring tumulus — hemispherical structures like the Buddhist Stupas.
- While unlike graves at other IVC sites, no mortal remains of humans have been discovered at Dholavira.
- Remains of a copper smelter indicate of Harappans, who lived in Dholavira, knew metallurgy.
Source : Indian Express
6. PHOSPHORUS ROCKS
Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers informed Parliament that India will explore indigenous deposits of phosphatic rock, a step towards becoming AatmaNirbhar in fertilizer production.
What are phosphorus rocks?
- Phosphorus rocks or phosphate rocks are unprocessed ores.
- Phosphate rock deposits can be sedimentary (formed from sediment deposited by water or air) or igneous (having solidified from lava or magma).
- However, the easiest way to obtain phosphorus is by way of mining and concentrating phosphate rock from the phosphate deposits.
Used in fertilizers
- Worldwide, more than 85% of the phosphate rock mined is used to manufacture phosphate fertilizers.
- All common fertilizers have an “N-P-K” rating. Phosphorus is the “P” in fertilizers, which is essential for plants.
Where is it found?
- Phosphate rock deposits can be sedimentary or igneous and are mined from sedimentary deposits formed by the deposition of phosphate-rich materials in marine environments.
- Large sedimentary deposits are located in China, Middle East, Northern Africa, and the United States.
- Meanwhile, the igneous deposits are mined in Brazil, Canada, Finland, Russia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Important Info :
Phosphorus in India
- Phosphate rocks are majorly produced only from two States in India, namely Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
- Currently, there exists 30 lakh MT of phosphorite deposits in the country, for which important steps are being taken by the Government to ramp up its production.
- These deposits are available in Rajasthan, central part of peninsular India, Hirapur (Madhya Pradesh), Lalitpur (Uttar Pradesh), Mussoorie syncline, and Cuddapah basin (Andhra Pradesh).
Source : All India Radio
7. MERCHANDISE PROGRAMME
In a bid to create awareness and kindling interest of students, children and the public in the domain of space and technology, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has come up with the customised-themed merchandise programme in partnership with multiple companies on board.
About:
- So far, eight companies have registered with ISRO on a non-exclusive basis with a registration fee regarding customised ISRO-theme-based articles/models and it includes Indic Inspirations (Pune), 1947IND (Bengaluru), and Ankur Hobby Centre (Ahmedabad).
- The collection will include authorised products that are connected to ISROs past missions and achievements, work, such as scale models, T-shirts, mugs, space-themed educational games, science toys, and more.
- Special attention would be given to 3D models and 2D drawings that are being used to make scaled models, LEGO sets, jigsaw puzzles, etc. to ensure accuracy and ISRO intellect.
Source : All India Radio
8. JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE (JWST)
NASA is set to launch the large infrared James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) touted as the “premier observatory” of the coming decade later this year.
About:
- Considered the successor of the Hubble Space Telescope, JWST will study various phases in the history of the universe, from the formation of solar systems to the evolution of our own Solar System.
- But before it launches, NASA has an important decision to make — whether to rename the $8.8-billion telescope.
- These considerations stem from allegations that NASA’s former government-appointed administrator James Webb, after whom JWST is named, had persecuted homosexuals when he had worked for the government.
- In May, four prominent astronomers wrote that Webb (1906-92) purged LGBT individuals from the workforce after he arrived at NASA in 1961 (he served until 1968). The debate marks a rare instance of astronomers making a political statement.
Source : Indian Express
9. SOUTH KOREA’S ARTILLERY INTERCEPTION SYSTEM
South Korea has approved plans to develop an artillery interception system, similar to Israel’s Iron Dome.
About:
- This new defence system will be designed and built specifically to thwart attacks by rockets and long-range missiles launched by North Korea.
- The South Korean government had announced in June that it would be spending approximately $2.5 billion on research and development of this new system, with a target to deploy it by 2035.
- North Korea deploys around 1,000 artillery pieces along the Military Demarcation Line that divides the Korean Peninsula.
Important Info :
How will South Korea’s Iron Dome differ from Israel’s?
- There are operational differences between the two systems as well, with the most significant being that South Korea’s system will be designed to intercept long-range artillery pieces.
- But more importantly, South Korea and Israel face different security threats that require different responses. While Israel contends with Hamas, which is primarily a militant group, South Korea had to contend with North Korea, a nation with its own extensive military capabilities.
Source : Indian Express
10. NAUKA
Pirs, a Russian module on the International Space Station (ISS) used as a docking port for spacecraft and as a door for cosmonauts to go out on spacewalks, was detached from the 22-year-old floating laboratory.
About:
- In its place, Russia’s space agency Roscosmos will be attaching a significantly larger module called Nauka, which will serve as the country’s main research facility on the space station.
- Nauka, which was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 21 using a Proton rocket, is scheduled to be integrated with the ISS on July 29, 2021.
- Nauka — meaning “science” in Russian — is the biggest space laboratory Russia has launched to date, and will primarily serve as a research facility.
- It is also bringing to the ISS another oxygen generator, a spare bed, another toilet, and a robotic cargo crane built by the European Space Agency (ESA).
- On the ISS, Nauka will be attached to the critical Zvezda module, which provides all of the space station’s life support systems.
Important Info :
- The ISS is a pathbreaking collaborative effort between five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe) and CSA (Canada).
Source : Indian Express