Current Affairs – 04th Apr 2024

Articles Covered

  1. Restrictions imposed on pilgrims visiting Ahobilam shrine in Nallamala forest
  2. PRESIDENT OF INDIA LAUNCHES INDIA’S FIRST HOME-GROWN GENE THERAPY FOR CANCER
  3. Carbon Fibre
  4. Massive earthquake hits Taiwan: What is the Ring of Fire?
  5. Uttarakhand govt wants to evaluate the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods
  6. Pan India emergency landing facility activation by indian air force
  7. India’s PRATUSH among telescopes astronomers want to put on, around the moon
  8. Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria
  9. Near Kutch Harappan graveyard, remains of a skeleton and the key to a puzzle
  10. Indian Coast Guard evacuates critically injured crew from a fishing boat in Gulf of Khambat
  11. Marine Products Export Development Authority:
  12. New Generation Ballistic Missile Agni-Prime successfully flight-tested by Strategic Forces Command & DRDO off the Odisha coast

Restrictions imposed on pilgrims visiting Ahobilam shrine in Nallamala forest

Forest and temple officials cite heatwave conditions for the curbs, say overnight stays are prohibited to avoid man-animal conflict

  1. The Forest Department and Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Devasthanam (SLNSD) at Ahobilam have imposed certain restrictions on visitors arriving at the shrine, which is composed of nine different temples, situated within the Nallamala forest.
  2. The Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR), which was declared a tiger reserve in 1983, extends up to 3,727.82 sq km., including the core and buffer areas.

Ahobilam Temple

 According to legend, this is where Lord Narasimha blessed Prahlada and killed the demon, Hiranyakashipu. Ahobilam is one of the ancient Vaishnava shrines of India and it has a matha at Srirangam. 

  1. The idol of the presiding deity Lord Narasimha is shown in a sitting posture with jatagata or matted hair.  This is the unique posture of Vishnu and which can only be seen here.
  2. A rivulet, popularly known as Bhavanasi flows near the temple, which has crystal clear water. It is believed that there is a cave underneath the temple where sits a Swayambhu (self-manifested) Narasimha.

Architecture

 The shrine of the Ahobilam temple is situated on the top of the first range and is referred to as Upper Ahobilam and the lower ranges down below are called Lower Ahobilam.

  • A huge temple surrounded by a number of buildings can be seen at the Upper Ahobilam.
  • The main shrine or the “sanctum sanctorum” at Upper Ahobilam was carved out of a big egg-like rock with mandapams.
  • There is a tank here, which supplies water to the residents of the Upper Ahobilam temple. It is mainly for growing flowers for the shrine.
  • There is a Lower Ahobilam below which consists of a big temple and enclosures. It was built according to the South Indian style of Temple construction.
  • Apart from this, Ahobilam has abundant architectural and epigraphical evidence, chronicled right from the times of the Chalukyas in the eighth century AD.
  • Nalayira Divyaprabhandam, Abeethi Stavam, Narayaneeyam, Avanthika Parinayam (the Sanskrit play written by Yateendra Mahadesikan, the seventh Jeer of Ahobila Mutt, about the wedding of Narasimha (Ahobaleshwar) with Mahalakshmi (Chenchu Lakshmi)), Ashtapadi, Karavalamba Stotram, and Annamacharya kritis, are some of the hymns that highlight the different qualities of the deity.
  • The Telugu folk songs, (chosen in consultation with Aparna Srikanth), which are used in the production, signifies the importance of the Chenchu tribe in Ahobilam.

PRESIDENT OF INDIA LAUNCHES INDIA’S FIRST HOME-GROWN GENE THERAPY FOR CANCER

Accessible and affordable car-t cell therapy provides a new hope for the whole of humankind: President DROUPADI MURMU

The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu launched India’s first home-grown gene therapy for cancer at IIT Bombay today (April 4, 2024).

  • Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the launch of India’s first gene therapy is a major breakthrough in our battle against cancer.
  • As this line of treatment, named “CAR-T cell therapy”, is accessible and affordable, it provides a new hope for the whole of humankind. She expressed confidence that it will be successful in giving new lives to countless patients.
  • The President said that CAR-T cell therapy is considered to be one of the most phenomenal advances in medical science. It has been available in the developed nations for some time, but it is extremely costly, and beyond the reach of most patients around the world.
  • She was happy to note that the therapy being launched today is the world’s most affordable CAR-T cell therapy. She said that it is also an example of the ‘Make in India’ initiative; a shining example of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
  • The President was happy to note that India’s first CAR-T cell therapy is developed through collaboration between the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and Tata Memorial Hospital in association with industry partner ImmunoACT.
  • She said that this is a praiseworthy example of academia-industry partnership, which should inspire many more similar efforts.
  • The President said that IIT Bombay is renowned, not only in India but across the world, as a model of technology education. In the development of CAR-T cell therapy, technology is not only being put in the service of humanity, but partnerships have been with an eminent institution from another field as well as with industry.
  • This has been made possible by the focus IIT, Bombay has placed on research and development over the last three decades. She said that with the knowledge base and skills of the faculty and students of IIT Bombay and other similar institutions, India as a whole, would benefit greatly from the technological revolution underway.

Carbon Fibre

India is planning to manufacture carbon fibre for use in aerospace, civil engineering and defence as an alternative to metal which will help the country get around a proposed European Union carbon tax on steel, alloy and metal products

It is a material consisting of thin, strong crystalline filaments of carbon, essentially carbon atoms bonded together in long chains.

Properties

  1. It has a high stiffness and stiffness-to-weight ratio.
  2. It has high tensile strength and strength-to-weight ratio.
  3. It has high-temperature tolerance with special resins.
  4. It consists of low thermal expansion.
  5. It also has high chemical resistance.
  6. The fibers are extremely stiff, strong, and light, and are used in many processes to create excellent structural materials.

Currently, India does not produce any carbon fibre, relying entirely on imports from countries such as the US, France, Japan and Germany.

Applications

  1. It is essential for various applications such as fighter planes’ noses, civilian airplanes, drone frames, car chassis and fire-resistant building material.
  2. It is a critical material in technical textilesand is known for its high strength and lightweight

Massive earthquake hits Taiwan: What is the Ring of Fire?

Taiwan is prone to earthquakes as it lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — where 90% of the world’s earthquakes take place.

Ring of Fire

Taiwan is prone to earthquakes as it lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — where 90% of the world’s earthquakes take place.

  1. It is a string of hundreds of volcanoes and earthquake-siteswhich runs along the Pacific Ocean. It is a semicircle or horse shoe in shape and stretches nearly 40,250 kilometres.
  2. It traces the meeting points of numerous tectonic plates, including the Eurasian, North American, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Caribbean, Nazca, Antarctic, Indian, Australian, Philippine, and other smaller plates, which all encircle the large Pacific Plate.
  3. It runs through 15 more countries including the USA, Indonesia, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Guatemala, Russia, Chile, Peru, and the Philippines.

Why is it more prone to earthquakes?

  1. It witnesses so many earthquakes due to constant sliding past,colliding into, or moving above or below each other of the tectonic plates. As the edges of these plates are quite rough, they get stuck with one another while the rest of the plate keeps moving.
  2. An earthquake occurs when the plate has moved far enough and the edges unstick on one of the faults.
  • There are many volcanoesin the Ring of Fire due to the movement of tectonic plates. Many of the volcanoes have been formed through a process known as subduction.
  • It takes place when two plates collide with each other and the heavier plate is shoved under another, creating a deep trench.
  • Most of the subduction zones on the planet are located in the Ring of Fire and that’s why it hosts a large number of volcanoes.

Uttarakhand govt wants to evaluate the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods

Rising temperatures have increased the risk of glacial lake bursts of the kind that devastated the Kedarnath valley in 2013 and parts of Chamoli in 2021.

  1. The Uttarakhand government has constituted two teams of experts to evaluate the risk posed by five potentially hazardous glacial lakes in the region. These lakes are prone to Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), the kind of events that have resulted in several disasters in the Himalayan states in recent years.
  2. The goal of the risk assessment exercise is to minimise the possibility of a GLOF incident and provide more time for relief and evacuation in case of a breach.

Glacial Lakes

  • Glacial lakes, like the South Lhonak Lake, are large bodies of water that sit in front of, on top of, or beneath a melting glacier.
  • As they grow larger, they become more dangerous because glacial lakes are mostly dammed by unstable ice or sediment composed of loose rock and debris.
  • In case the boundary around them breaks, huge amounts of water rush down the side of the mountains, which could cause flooding in the downstream areas. This is called glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF).

Causes Behind GLOF

  1. GLOF can be triggered by several reasons, including earthquakes, extremely heavy rains and ice avalanches.
  2. As these lakes are often found in steep, mountainous regions, landslides or ice avalanches can sometimes fall directly into the lakes and displace the water, causing it to over-top the natural dam and flood downstream.
  3. In 2013, one such event took place in Uttarakhand’s Kedarnathwhen the region witnessed flash floods along with a GLOF caused by the Chorabari Tal glacial lake, killing thousands of people.

South Lhonak Lake Become Susceptible to GLOF

  1. With the rising global temperatures, glaciers in Sikkim Himalayan have been melting rapidly, giving rise to many glacier lakes and expanding the already existing ones in the region.
  2. According to the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), there are currently more than 300 glacial lakes in Sikkim Himalayan, and 10 (including South Lhonak Lake) have been identified as vulnerable to outburst floods.
  3. Lhonak hasgrown nearly 1.5 times and South Lhonak nearly 2.5 times their initial size in 1989.
  4. An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 in 1991 near the parent glacier feeding the South Lhonak Lake and the recent earthquake (6.9) in 2011 may have weakened the boundaries of the lake.
  5. The recent incessant rains have led to the burst of the lake.

Sikkim Government take Action to Tackle the Expanding South Lhonak Lake

  1. The glacier lake has been under observation by government authorities for years now.
  2. In 2016, members of the Sikkim SDMA and Sikkim’s Department of Science and Technology and Climate Changedecided to syphon off lake water from the South Lhonak Lake.
  3. The technique was implemented under the supervision of innovatorSonam Wangchuk.
  4. Authorities installed three 8-inch wide and 130-140 metres long High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes and syphoned off 150 litres of water per sec.

Pan India emergency landing facility activation by indian air force

  1. As part of the ongoing exercise Gagan Shakti-24, Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft recently operated from the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) in the northern sector in Kashmir valley.
  2. A large number of troops were airlifted and subsequently air landed utilising Chinook, Mi-17 V5 and ALH Mk-III helicopters by night.
  3. IAF also plans to practise similar drills in coordination with administration of State Governments for activation of ELFs in other sectors.
  4. Various IAF fixed and rotary wing platforms will carry out coordinated landing and operations at these ELF, requiring good planning and coordination with civil administration employing Whole-of-the-Nation-Approach (WNA).
  5. ELF operations provide an opportunity for IAF aircraft to undertake operations from such restricted landing surfaces while also being able to undertake Humanitarian Assistance in Disaster Relief operations during times of natural calamities to provide succor and relief.
  6. The capability to operate by night at these stretches of highways, and the capability to transfer troops from such surfaces will greatly enhance the operational capabilities of Indian Armed Forces.

‘Gagan Shakti-2024’

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to commence a ‘Gagan Shakti-2024’,10-day exercise to test its capabilities and preparedness for high-intensity operations.

Key Points

IAF showcases its might and capability during the exercise “in a realistic environment “from April 1-10, 2024, involving all air force bases and assets scattered across the country.

  • ‘Gagan Shakti’ waslast held in 2018when the IAF clocked more than 11,000 sorties during the two-phase air manoeuvre that saw the concentration of the force’s deployed assets move from the western sector to the eastern front in less than 48 hours.
  • It sought to test the IAF’s readiness for a two-front war with China and Pakistan.

The IAF will host ‘Tarang Shakti’, a mega exercise that is expected to bring together 12 global air forces, with a focus on improving interoperability, imbibing best practices from one another and boosting military cooperation among the participating countries.

  1. It will be the biggest multi-nation air exercise to be conducted on Indian soil.
  2. It will involve fighter jets, transport aircraft, helicopters, mid-air refuellers, airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, and unmanned systems.

Exercise Vayu Shakti-24:

  1. The Indian Air Force is slated to carry out three large scale war games on February 17, namely, Vayu Shakti, Gagan Shakti and Tarang Shakti.
  2. It will be a riveting demonstration of the offensive and defensive capabilitiesof the IAF, spanning across day and night.
  3. The exercise will also showcase joint operations with the Indian Army.

Exercise Vayu Shakti

  1. The IAF will first undertake the major “Vayu Shakti” firepower demonstration, which is held once every three years, with 135 fighters, aircraft, helicopters and drones at the Pokhran field firing ranges.

India’s PRATUSH among telescopes astronomers want to put on, around the moon

PRATUSH Telescope

Astronomers are looking forward to opening a new window on the universe by posting high-resolution telescopes on the moon, and in orbit around it, including one from India called PRATUSH.

  1. Probing ReionizATion of the Universe using Signal from Hydrogen(PRATUSH) is a radio telescope to be sited on the moon’s far side.
  2. It is being built by the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru with active collaboration from theIndian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
  3. Initially, ISRO will place PRATUSH into orbit around the earth. After some fine-tuning, the space agency will launch it moonwards.
  4. Main roles:It will be to detect signals from the first stars and galaxies, reveal the cosmic dawn of the universe, answering the question when the first stars formed, the nature of the first stars and what was the light from the first stars.
  5. It will carry a wideband frequency-independent antenna, a self-calibrating analog receiver and a digital correlatorto catch radio noise in the all-important signal from the Dark Ages.
  6. The target instrument sensitivity is at the level of a few millikelvin without being limited by any systematic features.

Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria

These are prokaryotic microorganisms that are capable of transforming nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into “fixed nitrogen” compounds, such as ammonia, that are usable by plants.

Types: There are two main types of nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

  • Symbiotic or mutualistic:These species live in root nodulesof certain plants. Plants of the pea family, known as legumes which are some of the most important hosts for nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
  • Examples: Rhizobium, which is associated with plants in the pea family and various Azospirillum species, which are associated with cereal grasses.
  • Other nitrogen-fixing bacteria are free-livingand do not require a host. They are commonly found in soil or in aquatic environments.
  • Examples:Cyanobacteria Anabaena and Nostoc and genera such as Azotobacter, Beijerinckia, and Clostridium.

Significance

  1. Nitrogen is a component of proteins and nucleic acids and is essential to life on Earth. Although nitrogen is abundant in the atmosphere, most organisms cannot use it in that form.
  2. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria accomplish more than 90 percent of all nitrogen fixation and thus play an important role in the nitrogen cycle.

Near Kutch Harappan graveyard, remains of a skeleton and the key to a puzzle

The presence of the skeleton, along with pottery artefacts and animal bones, that the team of archaeologists excavated from a hillock, locally called Padta Bet, point to the presence of a 5,200-year-old Harappan settlement that was 1.5 km from the mass burial ground of Juna Khatiya, an Early Harappan necropolis.

Excavation made at a burial site, spread over 16 hectares in a Kutch village- Khetia, shows that it can be considered as the largest pre-urban Harappan cemetery. 

Since 2018, a multi-disciplinary international team of archeologists has discovered 500 graves and excavated 197 of those here.

  • Findings of the excavation: A shell bangle, pottery shards, stones blades, even human skeletal remains.
  • It is established that the cemetery, believed to be 5,000 years old, belonged to the ‘pre-urban’ phaseof the Harappan civilisation.
  • Researchers are looking for clues to see if the burial ground — arguably the largest such cemetery — could have served a big human settlement in the vicinity or if it was a common facility for a cluster of smaller settlements.
  • The findings at the burial site are consistent with its pre-urban Harappan status.
  • The Khatiya puzzle: It is yet to be answered who are the people whose remains were interred in these graves and where did they come from.
  • Being a pre-urban Harappan cemetery, there is a possibility that either there was a big settlement in Khatiya or there were smaller settlements around Khatiya and the cemetery was a common burial ground for them

Phases of the Harappan civilisation:

  1. The Harappan civilisation, one of the oldest in the world, is said to have thrived along the banks of river Indus from around 5,000 BC to 1,000 BC.
  2. Pre-urban Harappan phase:  Between 5,000 BC to 2,600 BC
  3. Urban Harappan phase: Between 2,600 BC and 1,900 BC.
  4. Post-urban Harappan period: Between 1,900 BC to 1,000 BC. From here on, civilization declines.

Indian Coast Guard evacuates critically injured crew from a fishing boat in Gulf of Khambat

  1. Indian Coast Guard Station Pipavav evacuated one critically injured patient aged – 37 yrs, from an Indian Fishing Boat named Pushkar Raj, 50 Km from the coast in Gulf of Khambat on 03 Apr 2024.
  2. On receipt of information, ICG Interceptor Boat C-409 on deployment was diverted by Maritime Rescue Sub Centre, Pipavav.
  3. Interceptor Boat on reaching scene of action, established communication with the IFB and it was intimated that the fisherman had sustained fracture in his left foot and his ankle had parted. The patient was safely evacuated by the Interceptor Boat.
  4. The fisherman was administered with initial treatment by ICG medical team and was later shifted to Govt. Hospital in stable condition for further medical management.

Gulf of Khambhat:

  • It is an inlet of the Arabian Sea along the west coast of India, in the state of Gujarat.
  • Earlier, it was known as the Gulf of Cambay.
  • Stretching for about 80 miles, it divides the Kathiawar Peninsula from the south-eastern part of Gujarat.
  • Rivers: The Narmada, Tapti, Mahi, and Sabarmati rivers drain into it.
  • Geography:
  • It is a relatively shallow and enclosed body of water, characterized by its tidal movements and extensive mudflats.
  • It is known for having one of the highest tidal ranges in the world, with tides that can rise and fall dramatically.
  • There are some coral reefs around small inlets in the western part of the Gulf.

Marine Products Export Development Authority:

  1. It is a statutory bodyentrusted with the primary task of promotion of export of marine products.
  2. History: It was set up by an act of Parliamentduring 1972. The erstwhile Marine Products Export Promotion Council established by the Government of India in September, 1961 was converted into MPEDA on 24th August, 1972.

Functions:

  1. Developing and regulatingoff-shore and deep-sea fishing and undertaking measures for the conservation and management of off-shore and deep-sea fisheries;
  2. Registering fishing vessels, processing plants or storage premises for marine products and conveyances used for the transport of marine products; fixing of standards and specifications for marine products for purposes of export;
  3. Regulating the export of marine products; registering of exporters of marine products on payment of such fees as may be prescribed;
  • It has set up five full-fledged Quality Control Laboratories, at Kochi, Nellore & Bhimavaram, Bhubaneshwar and Porbandar. In addition, fifteen ELISA Screening Laboratories set up by MPEDA in the maritime states.
  • In order to reach out to the exporters in different parts of the Country, it has set up 18 – Regional / Sub Regional Divisions / Desk offices.
  • Headquarter:Kochi, Kerala
  • It has Trade Promotion offices at New Delhi, Tokyo and New York.
  • Nodal Ministry:Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique

  • It is a technique used to detect antibodies or infectious agents in a sample.Antibodies are made in response to infection and so antibody ELISA testing can indicate whether or not an animal has been in contact with a certain virus. An antigen ELISA can tell whether an animal is infected with a virus by detecting it directly.

New Generation Ballistic Missile Agni-Prime successfully flight-tested by Strategic Forces Command & DRDO off the Odisha coast

  • Strategic Forces Command (SFC), along with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), conducted the successful flight-test of New Generation Ballistic Missile Agni-Prime from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha at around 1900 hrs on April 03, 2024.
  • The test met all the trial objectives validating its reliable performance, as confirmed from the data captured by a number of range sensors deployed at different locations, including two downrange ships placed at the terminal point. The launch was witnessed by the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Strategic Forces Command and senior officials from DRDO & the Indian Army.

  • Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, SFC and the Armed Forces for the successful test. He stated that the successful development and induction of the missile will be an excellent force multiplier for the Armed Forces.
  • Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat appreciated the efforts of SFC and DRDO for the successful flight test.
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