Current Affairs 18th April 2023 for UPSC Prelims Exam

PTP-NER Scheme

Context: Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Minister will launch a scheme to promote tribal products from the northeastern region of the country.

About the ‘Marketing and Logistics Development for Promotion of Tribal Products from North-Eastern Region (PTP-NER)’ Scheme:

The PTP-NER scheme will focus on increasing efficiency in procurement, logistics and marketing of tribal products from the northeastern states of India.
It aims to provide backward and forward linkages through incubation support, aggregation, skill and entrepreneurship development, sourcing and procurement, marketing, transportation and publicity to tribal artisans in the region.
As part of the scheme, 68 Tribal Artisan Melas (TAMs) will be organized from April to May in the northeast to empanel tribal artisans from the region.
These TAMs will provide tribal artisans a platform to showcase their products and enhance their income.

Other key initiatives for the development of the North-Eastern Region

The Union Government established the Ministry of Development of North East Region (MDoNER) in 2001.
- It deals with matters related to the socio-economic development of the Northeast region.
- It promotes coordination between Central Ministries/Departments and the State Governments.
Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East (PM-DevINE): The objectives of PM-DevINE are to:
- Fund infrastructure convergently, in the spirit of PM Gati Shakti;
- Support social development projects based on felt needs of the North Eastern Region (NER);
- Enable livelihood activities for youth and women; and
- Fill the development gaps in various sectors.
NITI Forum for North East to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and to recommend appropriate interventions for the development of the Northeast.
North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme to create infrastructure to ensure water supply, power connectivity, education and health.
North-East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS) to promote MSME Sector.
North East Gas Grid (NEGG) project is underway and will improve the economy.
Act East Policy to connect the Northeast with the East Asian countries to promote development. Government Increased Infrastructure Investment in the region through various schemes.
Increase air connectivity to the Northeast Region.

Current Affairs 17th April 2023 for UPSC Prelims Exam

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Context: Researchers at IIT-Madras have found that supercritical carbon dioxide can be a good agent for carbon dioxide sequestration and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) from depleted oil and gas reservoirs.

About Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) is a fluid state of CO2 where it is heated and held at or above its critical temperature and pressure.
In this supercritical phase, CO2 exhibits properties and behaviours between that of a liquid and a gas.
In particular, supercritical CO2 possesses liquid-like densities with gas-like diffusivity, surface tension and viscosity.

Use of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

It is used in the oil and gas industry for gas injections during enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques.
- Oil can typically remain in the reservoir during water flooding due to a lack of contact between the water and the oil.
However, CO2 gas injection techniques can have corrosive side effects.
- When supercritical CO2 reacts with water, carbonic acid (H2CO3) is formed.
- Carbonic acid lowers the pH in the reserve and creates an environment that is corrosive to metal equipment.

Wholesale Price Index (WPI)

Context: India’s annual Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation declined to a 29-month low of 1.34 per cent in March 2023

Highlights of the News

WPI inflation data was 3.85 per cent in February, 4.73 per cent in January 2023, and 14.63 per cent in March 2022.
The food index inflation eased to 2.32 per cent in March from 2.76 per cent in February.
Deceleration in WPI comes in line with the easing of March retail inflation to 5.66 per cent.

About Wholesale Price Index (WPI)

WPI measures the price of a representative basket of wholesale goods in India.
The index is divided into three groups namely primary articles (22.6 per cent of total weight), fuel and power (13.2 per cent) and manufactured products (64.2 per cent).
It is released by the Office of Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Base year WPI: 2011-12.
The purpose of calculating WPI is to monitor price movements that reflect supply and demand in industry, manufacturing and construction.

Trojan Asteroids

Context: NASA’s Lucy mission is on a mission to study the Trojan asteroids of Jupiter.

About Trojan Asteroids

Asteroids can be classified into three categories:
- First category contains those that are found in the main asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter.
- The second category is that of Trojans, which share an orbit with a larger planet. There are Jupiter, Neptune, Mars as well as Earth trojans. The Jupiter asteroids are found in ‘swarms’.
- The third category of asteroids is under Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA), which has orbits that pass close to the Earth. Many of these are classified as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs).

Significance of Studying Trojan Asteroids

These asteroids are believed to be the remnants of the early solar system, and their study will help scientists to understand its origins and evolution.
Studying Trojan asteroids is expected to help in understanding the composition of the diverse asteroids that make up the Trojan asteroid swarms.
The study will help scientists learn how the Trojan asteroids reflect light from certain angles.

Lucy Mission

NASA’s Lucy mission was launched in 2021 to explore the Jupiter Trojan asteroids. It was launched aboard Atlas V 401 rocket.
The mission is named after ‘Lucy’, a 3.2 million-year-old ancestor belonging to the hominins species.
Mission: The mission will last more than 12 years and will aim to visit eight asteroids to deepen the understanding of the “young solar system”.
Instruments:
- L’Ralph is a panchromatic and color visible imager and infrared spectroscopic mapper.
- L’LORRI is a high-resolution visible imager. It will provide the most detailed images of the surface of the Trojans.
- L’TES is a thermal infrared spectrometer, which will reveal the composition and structure of the material.

SpaceX Starship

Context: SpaceX postpones maiden test flight of the world’s biggest rocket Starship.

About SpaceX Starship:

SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket – collectively referred to as Starship – represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.
It is built by SpaceX.
It will be the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes fully reusable and 250 metric tonnes expendable.
Starship is intended to evolve into a fully reusable launch and landing system.
Fuel: It is powered by methane and liquid oxygen fueled Raptor engines, a reusable methalox staged-combustion engine.
Key objectives
- SpaceX aims to use Starship to establish a self-sustaining human settlement on Mars.
- The ultimate goal is to enable humans to become a multi-planetary species.
- It also aims to make Starship reusable, reducing the cost of spaceflight and bringing down the price to a few million dollars per flight.
- In the long run, the company aims to achieve full and rapid reusability of the spacecraft.

Super Heavy rocket:

The Super Heavy booster is the first stage of Starship.
The rocket is made of stainless steel and runs on liquid methane. Stainless steel also provides heat protection during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Mangrove Pitta

Context: In the first-ever census of mangrove pitta birds carried out in two coastal districts of Odisha, 179 such birds were sighted.

About Mangrove Pitta:

Description: The mangrove pitta (Pitta megarhyncha) belongs to the family of pittas, the Pittidae.
- Mangrove pitta are colourful birds which have black head with brown crown, white throat, greenish upper parts, buff under-parts and reddish vent area.
- The mangrove pitta is a small mangrove bird, measuring 18 to 20 cm in length and weighing 90 to 120 grams.
Distribution: The mangrove pitta species is distributed in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
- India: In India, mangrove pitta birds are found in a few pockets of eastern part, including Bhitarkanika in Odisha and the Sundarbans in West Bengal.
  - The highest concentration of the birds has been found in the mangroves near the Mahipura river mouth inside the Bhitarkanika National Park.
Ecosystem and habitat: The natural ecosystems and habitats of these mangrove species include tropical and subtropical mangrove forests, tropical and subtropical wetlands, rivers, coastal marshlands, streams, creeks and estuaries.
Mangrove pitta species are non-migratory resident birds.
IUCN Status: ‘Near Threatened’.