Current Affairs for the date of 24 August 2023

Introduction

The hindu analysis for the day of 24 August 2023

• SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• CHANDRAYAAN-3 INDIA'S SUCCESSFUL MISSION TO MOON
• ISRO’s UPCOMING MISSIONS
• INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
• EXPANSION OF BRICS
• WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BRICS?
• EXPANSION AND NON-WESTERN GROUPING
• ENVIRONMENT & ECOLOGY
• ONE HEALTH
• GOVERNANCE
• BHARAT NCAP

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

CHANDRAYAAN-3 INDIA'S SUCCESSFUL MISSION TO MOON

India's successful landing of CHANDRAYAAN 3 with VIKRAM LANDER made India, world's 4th country for a smooth landing on the Moon and world's first country to land on the south pole of Moon. The officials of ISRO said that after the smooth landing of VIKRAM LANDER the eagle eye is on the functioning of the rover PRAGYAN. After coming out the rover will perform two important experiments with the help of its two payloads:

1. LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) - It will do a detailed elementary qualitative and quantitative analysis of the particles to derive the chemical composition of the Moon for further understanding.
2. Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) - APX will analyse the detailed composition of the lunar soil, rocks around the landing site.

• To get more detailed knowledge about the Moon's Surface, it is composition.
• To understand the geographical landforms their formation and derive possible reason.
• To analyse the past millions of years under the icecaps of the lunar south pole.
• Do detailed research about the rare earth materials hidden in the lunar surface.

ISRO’s UPCOMING MISSIONS

XpoSat: It is India’s first polarimetry mission to study the dynamism of the astronomical X-Ray radiations in different conditions.

Aditya L1: It is India’s first space-based observatory to study the Sun along with its several dynamics.

launch of a test vehicle mission for Gaganyaan: Its India’s human space flight mission to be launched.

NISAR: It is a collaboration project between India-U. S. It is a low earth orbit observatory developed by ISRO and NASA. It has the capacity to map the entire globe in 12 days and is very useful to determine and understand the changes in the earth’s ecosystem like water resources, forest cover, biomass, sea level rise, natural disaster etc.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

EXPANSION OF BRICS

Initially formalised as BRIC in 2006, group was renamed as BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) after South Africa was accepted as a full member in 2010. BRICS has decided to invite Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Islamic Republic Iran, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.

India welcomes the expansion of BRICS in the verse of the Indian Prime Minister as he declared in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

The main issue behind the decision of expansion of BRICS is the Russian intention to create an alternative to G7, driven by the present global geo-political set up where the Western nations declared economic sanctions against Russia.

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BRICS?

• It will work as the collective voice of the global south.
• Build up a strong South - South cooperation among the southern nations.
• It will help to boost up the economy of the Global South.
• Unlike the bipolar political setup of the globe, it will establish India’s stand as a distinct pillar to redirect and influence the world pollical.
• Even after the strong stand from Russia and China for De-Dollarization India did not speak aggressively though its several moves for local currency agreements for trading.

EXPANSION AND NON-WESTERN GROUPING

Though India was not in strong favour of the expansion of BRICS, officials said that it took the lead in drafting criteria for the selection of member countries. Which has led to the addition of the strategic partners of India in BRICS.

Bringing of four major strategic players from the West Asian Region that is Egypt, Iran, UAE and Saudi Arabia instead of Ethiopia and Argentina reveals the intention of creating a purely Non-Western organisation of the leaders of Global South.

ENVIRONMENT & ECOLOGY

ONE HEALTH

ONE HEALTH is a collaborative approach from local, regional, national, and global level by considering Human, Environment, and Animals under one umbrella. Where it is considered that the development and sustainability of any of these sectors are interdependent. It is a holistic approach to healthy living.

• The uncontrolled population growth, industrialisation, habitat degradation, forest fires, natural calamities, deforestation has compounded the damage of the entire ecosystem.
• This environmental degradation, habitat destruction is linked to the Zoonotic diseases from Animals to Humans.
• Researchers have estimated that 60% of the threatening diseases to humans are Zoonotic in nature like bird flu, Ebola, Rabies, and Japanese encephalitis.
• The ONE HEALTH approach will help to minimise resource destruction, antimicrobial resistance in humans, food safety etc.
• The Government of India established its standing committee on Zoonoses in 2006 under the ministry of MoHFW.
• The Department of Biotechnology launched India’s first consortium on ONE HEALTH in October 2021.

GOVERNANCE

BHARAT NCAP

Under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways an indigenous car rating system has been developed to tag every vehicle under the star rating system of one to five, indicating their safety in collision.

This BHARAT NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME will come into effect on October 1st

It is believed to ensure passenger’s safety and will lessen the destructive outcomes of collisions.