ISRO’s Reusable Launch Vehicle aces landing test

• An Indian Air Forces (IAF) Chinook helicopter was used to drop the RLV-TD from a 4.5 km altitude and ISRO executed the landing experiment of the RLV-TD as planned.
• The release of this vehicle was autonomous as it performed approach and landing manoeuvres using Integrated Navigation, Guidance, and control system and completed an autonomous landing on the airstrip
• It is the first in the world; a winged body has been carried to an altitude of 4.5 km.
• It is the second in the series of experimental flights of the programme.

Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstration

• This programme is planned as a series of technology demonstration missions that have been considered as a first step towards realising a Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO) fully reusable vehicle.
• A Winged RLV-TD has been configured to act as a flying test bed to evaluate various technologies namely, hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, and powered cruise flight.
• These technologies will be developed in phases through a series of experimental flights.
• RLV-TD is similar to that of an aircraft and combines the complexity of both launch vehicles and aircraft.
• Features of RLV-TD
  • It consists of a fuselage (body), a nose cap, double delta wings, and twin vertical tails.
  • It also features symmetrically placed active control surfaces called Elevons and Rudder.
• RLV-TD was successfully flight tested on May 23, 2016, from Sriharikota validating the critical technologies such as autonomous navigation, guidance and control, reusable thermal protection system, and re-entry mission management.
• During this mission, the vehicle landed on a hypothetical runway over the Bay of Bengal.

Regulator pulls up companies, auditors for flouting Ind As norms

National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA):

• The NFRA was constituted on 01st October 2018, by the Government of India under the Companies Act, 2013.
• It is an independent regulator to oversee the auditing profession and accounting standards in India.
• Objective: To continuously improve the quality of all corporate financial reporting in India.
• Functions and Duties:
  • Recommend accounting and auditing policies and standards to be adopted by companies for approval by the Central Government;
  • Monitor and enforce compliance with accounting standards and auditing standards;
  • Oversee the quality of service of the professions associated with ensuring compliance with such standards and suggest measures for improvement in the quality of service;
• Composition: It consists of a chairperson, who shall be a person of eminence and having expertise in accountancy, auditing, finance, or law to be appointed by the Central Government and such other members not exceeding fifteen consisting of part-time and full-time members.
• Powers:
  • NFRA have the power to investigate, either suo moto or on a reference made to it by the Central Government into the matters of professional or other misconduct committed by any member or firm of chartered accountants registered under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949.
  • It has the same powers as are vested in a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 while trying a suit.
• HQ: New Delhi

India-U.S. air exercise ‘Cope India’ to begin next week, Japan to be observer

• It is a bilateral joint exercise between Indian Air Force (IAF) and the United States Air Force (USAF).
• Cope India began in 2004 as a fighter training exercise.
• The exercise has evolved to incorporate subject matter expert exchanges, air mobility training, airdrop training and large-force exercises, in addition to fighter-training exercises.
• The exercise will further enhance operational capability and interoperability between the two air forces..
• The last edition of the exercise was held in 2019.

Russia to form special division of Poseidon torpedo carriers, TASS reports

Poseidon Torpedo:

• It is a massive Russian, nuclear-powered autonomous torpedo armed with a nuclear warhead built to strike enemy coastal targets from great distances.
• Features:
  • It is about 65 feet long and 6.5 feet wide, making it the largest torpedo ever deployed.
  • Speed: It can also reach speeds of up to 70 knots, or 80 miles per hour.
  • It is reportedly equipped with a 2-megaton thermonuclear warhead.
  • Range: The use of nuclear power gives it nearly unlimited range.
  • It is unreachable due to its working depth—possibly 1,000 meters (3,300 feet).

Parliamentary panel asks CAT to dispose of cases pending for over 10 years on priority basis.

• The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) had been established under Article 323-A of the Constitution.
• Mandate: To adjudicate disputes and complaints with respect to recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed to public services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union or other authorities under the control of the Government.
• In addition to the Ministries and Departments of Central Government, the Government has notified about 214 organizations under section 14 (2) of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985, to bring them within the jurisdiction of the CAT from time to time.
• There are 17 Benches and 21 Circuit Benches in the CAT all over India.
• Composition: A bench consists of one Judicial Member and one Administrative Member.
• The conditions of service of the Chairman and Members of CAT are the same as applicable to a Judge of High Court.
• Salaries, Allowances and Conditions of Service of the officers and other employees of the Tribunal are specified by the Central Government.
• Powers:
  • It exercises jurisdiction only in relation to the service matters of the parties covered by the Administrative Tribunals Act 1985.
  • The Tribunal is guided by the principles of natural justice in deciding cases and is not bound by the procedure prescribed by the Civil Procedure Code.
  • CAT is empowered to frame its own rules of procedure and practice.
  • It has been conferred with the power to exercise the same jurisdiction and authority in respect of contempt of itself as a High Court.

Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary in Delhi to get 2nd native seed nursery

• Location:
  • The sanctuary covering a 32.71 sqkm area on the Southern Delhi Ridge of the Aravalli hill range on the Delhi-Haryana border lies in Southern Delhi and northern parts of Faridabad and Gurugram districts of Haryana state.
  • It is also part of the Sariska-Delhi Wildlife Corridor, which runs from the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan to Delhi Ridge.
• Vegetation: Dry deciduous,
• Flora: Consists of Prosopis juliflora as the dominant exotic species and Diospyros montana as the dominant native species in the sanctuary.
• Fauna: Golden Jackals, Striped-Hyenas, Indian crested-Porcupines, Civets, Jungle Cats, Snakes, Monitor Lizards, Mongoose etc.

Aravalli Hills:

• It is one of the oldest fold mountains of the world which runs in a southwest direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana and Rajasthan, and ending in Gujarat.
• The highest peak is Guru Shikharat 1,722 metres (5,650 ft).
• Three major rivers originate from the Aravali hills, namely Banas, Sahibi and Luni River (which flows into the Rann of Kutch).

In a first, Eravikulam National Park gets a fernarium

Eravikulam National Park:

• It is situated in the Kannan Devan Hills of the southern Western Ghats of
• This is also the land of “Neelakurinji”, the flower that blooms once in twelve years.
• The Anamudi peak is situated on the southern side of the Park.
• Flora: The major part of the park is covered with rolling grasslands, but several patches of shola forests are also found in the upper part of the valley.
• Fauna: The Nilgiri Tahr, Gaur, Sloth Bear, Nilgiri Langur, Tiger, Leopard, Giant Squirrel and wild dog are common.

Fern

• Ferns are part of the Epiphytic family. They grow naturally in a soilless condition.
• The plants obtain water and nutrients through leaching from trees.

Epiphytes

• An epiphyte is a plant that does not place roots in the ground to grow but on the surface of other plants.

Anurag Thakur congratulates Anjali Sharma for conquering Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, wearing Luanchari

Mount Kilimanjaro:

• Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s tallest mountain and the world’s largest free-standing mountain (which means not part of a mountain range) located in
• It has three main volcanic peaks namely: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira.
• Amongst these three peaks, Kibo is the tallest of the three volcanic formations which is also a dormant volcano while the other two are extinct volcanoes.
• The mountain is also known for its snow-capped peak.
• The mountain has five main vegetation zones from the lowest to the highest point: Lower slopes, montane forest, heath and moorland, alpine desert and summit.
• The Kilimanjaro National park was named a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site in 1987.

Volcano

• A volcano is an opening in a planet’s crust through which molten rock, hot gases, and other materials erupt.
• Volcanoes often form a hill or mountain as layers of rock and ash build-up from repeated eruptions.
• Volcanoes are classified as
  • Active volcanoes: These have a recent history of eruptions; they are likely to erupt again.
  • Dormant volcanoes: These have not erupted for a very long time but may erupt at a future time.
  • Extinct volcanoes: These are not expected to erupt in the future.

New butterfly species discovered in Kerala

Caltoris bromus sadasiva:

• Caltoris bromus sadasiva is the first Bromus swift butterfly to be documented in the Western Ghats.
• The species Bromus swift (Caltoris Bromus), is a skipper butterfly belonging to the Hesperiidae family of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), from the Western Ghats and Peninsular India.
• Caltoris is an Indo-Australian genus has over 15 species distributed across southeast Asia.
• Caltoris Bromus is one of them and has two other subspecies Caltoris bromus bromus and Caltoris bromus yanuca.

Vembanad Lake

• Vembanad is the largest lake in Kerala and the longest Lake in India.
• The lake has its source in four rivers**, Meenachil, Achankovil, Pampa and Manimala**.
• Vallam Kali( Nehru Trophy Boat Race) is a Snake Boat Race held every year in August in Vembanad Lake.
• In 2002, it was included in the list of wetlands of international importance, as defined by the Ramsar Convention.
• The Government of India has identified the Vembanad wetland under the National Wetlands Conservation Programme.
• The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is located on the east coast of the lake.

Indigenous Anti Tank Guided Missile, Amogha-III tested successfully

• Amogha-III is an indigenous missile which has been developed under Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
• It has a fire-and-forget capability and does not require external intervention after the launch.
• The missile also features dual-mode Imaging Infra-Red (IIR) Seeker systems with a range of 200 to 2500 meters.
• It showcases a tandem warhead, consisting of two separate explosive charges that are detonated in sequence.
  • The first charge, known as the precursor charge, penetrates the target’s armour, creating a hole for the second charge, the main charge, to detonate inside, maximizing damage inflicted on the target.
• One of the unique features of the missile is it has both top and direct attack modes