9th India International Science Festival (IISF) 2023 to be held

India International Science Festival

• It will be held at the Campus of Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) and Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB) of the Department of Biotechnology in Faridabad.
• Theme: ''Science and Technology Public Outreach in Amrit Kaal''.
• IISF 2023 aims to provide a platform for inspiring the public at large and individuals with diverse levels of interests, like students, educators, scientists, researchers, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and science communicators.
• IISF 2023 will have a total of 17 themes to showcase scientific achievements, offering diverse benefits to participants and the general public.
• The IISF is dedicated to fostering creativity in Science, Technology and Innovation for the advancement of prosperous India.
• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Earth Sciences in association with Vijnana Bharati.
• Since 2015, the IISF has hosted eight editions in different geographical regions of India and expanded as a mega science festival.
• In 2021, the Department of Space and the Department of Atomic Energy became an integral part of IISF.

Nirbhay missiles to be part of India''s all three defence forces

Nirbhay Cruise Missile

• It is a long-range sub-sonic cruise missile.
• It is India’s first indigenously-produced cruise missile.
• The missile was developed by the Bengaluru-based Aeronautical Development Establishment, a lab under India''s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• It is capable of deep penetration into adversary territory to strike high-value targets with precision.
• Features:
  • The Nirbhay measures 6.0 m in length, 0.5 m in body diameter, and weighs 1,500-1,600 kg at launch.
  • It can strike land targets at a distance of up to 1,000 kilometres.
  • It uses a solid propellant booster motor that is jettisoned shortly after launch, switching over to a turbojet engine.
  • It is capable of loitering and cruising at Mach 0.7 (sub-sonic) at altitudes as low as 100 metres.
  • It can be armed with a 200-300 kilogram warhead. It can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.
  • It can be launched from multiple platforms.
  • It is guided by INS/GPS with an active-radar terminal seeker.

Sagar Kavach to strengthen Indian coastal defence

Sagar Kavach

• The exercise, conducted semi-annually, is a collaborative effort with active participation from various central and state agencies, showcasing a unified approach to fortifying India''s coastal defences.
• Coordinated by the Indian Coast Guard, ''Sagar Kavach'' brings together an amalgamation of forces, including the Indian Navy, Coastal Police/State Police, Intelligence Bureau, Customs, CISF, Department of Port, Department of Fisheries, Directorate General of Lighthouse and Lightships (DGLL), and Kadalora Jagiratha Samithi.
• The exercise is designed to address the unique complexities of the coastal terrain, ensuring that security mechanisms are robust and adaptive to various scenarios.
• Strategic Division: Attack vs. Defence Forces
  • The participating units in the exercise are strategically divided into two teams: Attack (Red) and Defence (Blue) forces.
  • The Red Forces simulate infiltration attempts into coastal areas from seaward, challenging the coastal defences.
  • In contrast, the Blue Forces counteract these simulated threats by establishing Coastal Security Surveillance to intercept and neutralise any infiltration attempts.
  • Recognising the pivotal role of fishermen in coastal security, the exercise emphasizes the need for their active involvement.
  • Fishermen are urged to promptly report any unknown vessels operating in proximity to the coast to the Indian Coast Guard.
  • This collaborative approach aims to enhance the eyes and ears along the coastal region, turning the local fishing community into a valuable asset for security.

MKU launches new ballistic helmet

Kavro Doma 360

• It is the world-first rifle-rated ballistic helmet.
• It was indigenously developed by Kanpur-based MKU Limited.
• Features:
  • The world''s first uniform rifle protection helmet: It offers uniform protection in all 5 zones of the head (front, back, left, right, and crown) against threats like the AK-47 MSC, M80 NATO BALL, and M193 rifle bullets.
  • The only boltless rifle protection helmet to date:
    • It’s the first anti-rifle helmet in the world that does not have bolts or any metal parts.
    • When a helmet is bolted, the risk of the bolt penetrating the skull on impact is higher due to weakened areas.
    • Furthermore, there are no rifle-rated bolts at the moment.
    • It has a boltless shell, which means it provides 40% more protection area against even AK-47 assault rifles than standard helmets.
  • 20mm Back Face Signature (Blunt Impact Trauma):
    • It’s the first rifle-rated helmet that can **maintain a resulting Back Face Signature/**Trauma of less than 20 mm, against bullet impact from AK-47 bullets.
    • The ‘Back Face Signature’ is a way to measure how much a protective helmet deforms or indents on the inside due to the impact of a high-energy bullet.
    • The Kavro Doma 360 absorbs impact, substantially reducing the risk of injury due to resulting trauma to the wearer’s head.
  • Advanced Harness System with Dynamic Impact Technology:
    • It provides protection from not just straight impacts but also rotational/angular impacts, which are known to cause concussions or brain injuries.
    • In addition, it comes with top-to-chin and side-to-side harness adjustment functionality for the highest stability and a snug fit.
• Maximum Compatibility (with MACS): It allows seamless integration with all advanced head-mounted devices and combat equipment.

PM launches Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, PM Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan, PM JanMan from Jharkhand

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

• PVTGs are a more vulnerable group among tribal groups in India.
• These groups have primitive traits, geographical isolation, low literacy, zero to negative population growth rate and backwardness.
• Moreover, they are largely dependent on hunting for food and a pre-agriculture level of technology.
• In 1973, the Dhebar Commission set up a separate category for Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs). In 1975, the Centre identified 52 tribal groups as PTGs. In 1993, 23 more groups were added to the list. Later, in 2006, these groups were named PVTGs.
• Currently, there are 2.8 million PVTGs belonging to 75 tribes across 22,544 villages in 220 districts across 18 states and Union Territories in India.
• According to the 2011 Census, Odisha has the largest population of PVTGs at 866,000. It is followed by Madhya Pradesh at 609,000 and Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana) at 539,000.
• The largest PVTG is Odisha''s Saura community, numbering 535,000.

PM-PVTG Development Mission

• The Rs 24,000-crore project is aimed at the development of the PVTGs.
• It has been designed to bring critical infrastructure like power, water, road connectivity, housing, education, and healthcare to the PVTG communities living in remote villages.
• Under the scheme, about 11 interventions like the PM-Gram Sadak Yojana, PM-Gram Awaas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, and others will be taken to these target villages through the coordinated work of nine ministries.
• In addition, saturation will be ensured for schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna, Sickle Cell Disease Elimination, TB Elimination, 100 percent immunisation, PM Surakshit Matritva Yojana, PM Matru Vandana Yojana, PM Poshan, and PM Jan Dhan Yojana.

National Health Authority (NHA) organises Accelerator Workshops on ABDM Integration and NHCX Adoption in association with IRDAI

National Health Claim Exchange (NHCX)

• It is a digital health claims platform developed by the National Health Authority.
• It will serve as a gateway for exchanging claims-related information among various stakeholders in the healthcare and health insurance ecosystem.
• It is designed to be interoperable, machine-readable, auditable and verifiable, as well as help ensure the information exchanged is accurate and trustworthy.

National Health Authority (NHA)

• It is the apex body responsible for implementing Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
• It has been entrusted with the role of designing strategy, building technological infrastructure and implementation of “National Digital Health Mission” to create a National Digital Health Eco-system.
• It is the successor of the National Health Agency, which was functioning as a registered society. According to the Cabinet decision for full functional autonomy, the National Health Agency was reconstituted as the National Health Authority in January 2019.
• It is an attached office of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with full functional autonomy.
• It is governed by a Governing Board chaired by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare.
• It is headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), an officer of the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, who manages its affairs.
• The CEO is the Ex-Office Member Secretary of the Governing Board.
• To implement the scheme at the State level, State Health Agencies (SHAs) in the form of a society/trust have been set up by respective States.

Active Equity Funds Add Rs 74,000 Crore In Q2 FY 2023, Debt Funds Lose Rs 51,000 Crore

Equity Funds

• An equity fund is a mutual fund that invests principally in stocks.
• It can be actively or passively (index fund) managed. Equity funds are also known as stock funds.
• Stock mutual funds are principally categorised according to company size, the investment style of the holdings in the portfolio, and geography.

Active equity funds

• In this fund, the fund manager is ‘Active’ in deciding whether to buy, hold, or sell the underlying securities and in-stock selection.
• This fund relies on professional fund managers who manage investments.
• Active funds adopt different strategies and styles to create and manage the portfolio.
• They are expected to generate better returns (alpha) than the benchmark index.
• The risk and return in the fund will depend upon the strategy adopted.

Passive equity funds

• These funds hold a portfolio that replicates a stated index or benchmark.
• In a passive fund, the fund manager has a passive role in the stock selection.
• Buy, hold, or sell decisions are driven by the benchmark index and the fund manager/dealer merely needs to replicate the same with minimal tracking error.

MSCI adds 9 Indian stocks, no exits

MSCI Index

• It is owned by the multinational investment management and financial services company Morgan Stanley.
• It is an investment research firm that provides stock indexes, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools to institutional investors and hedge funds.
• It is a leading provider of critical decision support tools, including stock indexes, and services for the global investment community.
• MSCI indices facilitate the construction and monitoring of portfolios in a cohesive and complete manner, avoiding benchmark misfits. It has over 160,000 indices in its portfolio.
• MSCI has indexes for countries, regions, emerging markets, developed markets, small-cap, all cap and even Islamic indexes.
• It selects stocks for its equity indexes that are easily traded and have high liquidity, with companies having high free float getting more weightage.
• It prefers stocks that have active investor participation and are without owner restrictions.

MSCI India Index

• It is designed to measure the performance of the large and mid-cap segments of the Indian market.
• With 113 constituents, the index covers approximately 85% of the Indian equity universe.
• The index is reviewed quarterly.

Altmin inks pact with Bolivian YLB

Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF):

• It is a regional arrangement to build cooperation and economic integration in the Indo-Pacific region.
• It was launched by United States President Joe Biden on May 23, 2022.
• This framework is intended to advance resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, economic growth, fairness, and competitiveness for member economies.
• IPEF will seek to complement and build on existing regional architecture and support the global rules-based trading system.
• It currently includes 14 partner countries: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam.
• The economic framework broadly rests on four pillars:
  • Trade
  • Supply chain resilience
  • Clean Energy, Decarbonization, and Infrastructure
  • Taxes and anti-corruption measures
• The IPEF is not a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), but it allows members to negotiate the parts they want to.
• India and IPEF:
  • India has been actively participating in the IPEF, but not in all pillars.
  • India has decided to opt out of the trade pillar of the IPEF as most issues promoted by the IPEF do not align with India''s trade policies.

Armed forces to have long, intermediate-range missiles in its inventory

• It is a long-range sub-sonic cruise missile.
• It is India’s first indigenously-produced cruise missile.
• The missile was developed by the Bengaluru-based Aeronautical Development Establishment, a lab under India''s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
• It is capable of deep penetration into adversary territory to strike high-value targets with precision.
• Features:
  • The Nirbhay measures 6.0 m in length, 0.5 m in body diameter, and weighs 1,500-1,600 kg at launch.
  • It can strike land targets at a distance of up to 1,000 kilometers.
  • It uses a solid propellant booster motor that is jettisoned shortly after launch, switching over to a turbojet engine.
  • It is capable of loitering and cruising at Mach 0.7 (sub-sonic) at altitudes as low as 100 meters.
  • It can be armed with a 200-300 kilogram warhead. It can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.
  • It can be launched from multiple platforms.
  • It is guided by INS/GPS with an active-radar terminal seeker.

The Red Planet hides behind the sun

Mars solar conjunction

• It is a phenomenon which occurs when the Sun is between Earth and Mars.
• It happens once every two years.
• During this time, Sun expels hot, ionised gas from its corona.
• It could corrupt radio signals sent from Earth to Mars.
• Also, this could cause unexpected behaviour from the spacecraft on Mars.
• This year, it is occurring between November 11 and November 25.

Mars

• It is the fourth planet in the solar system in order of distance from the Sun and seventh in size and mass.
• It is a periodically conspicuous reddish object in the night sky.
• The planet’s two moons, Phobos (Greek: “Fear”) and Deimos (“Terror”).
• It has a very thin atmosphere.
• The bright rust color Mars is known for is due to iron-rich minerals in its regolith — the loose dust and rock covering its surface