Space Awareness
Indian Space Association

Relevance IN - Prelims (about ISpA)
What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister will launch Indian Space Association (ISpA) on 11th October, 2021

Know! about bout Indian Space Association (ISpA)

• ISpA is the Premier Industry Association of Space and Satellite companies, which aspires to be the collective voice of the Indian Space industry.
• It will undertake policy advocacy and engage with all stakeholders in the Indian Space domain, including the Government and its agencies.
• ISpA will help in making India self-reliant, technologically advanced and a leading player in the space arena.
• ISpA is represented by leading home grown and global corporations with advanced capabilities in space and satellite technologies.
• Its founding members include Larson & Toubro, Nelco (Tata Group), OneWeb, Bharti Airtel, Mapmyindia, Walchandnagar Industries and Ananth Technology Limited.
• Other core members include Godrej, Hughes India, Azista-BST Aerospace Private Limited, BEL, Centum Electronics, Maxar India.

Prelims Factoids
Noble Prizes 2021
Nobel Peace Prize
What's the NEWS

• Philippine journalist Maria Ressa and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov have been selected for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.
• This award has been given to him for his struggle for freedom of expression.
• The winners were by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
• Both journalists made significant contributions to the 'defense of freedom of expression' in the Philippines and Russia.
• The winners with the Nobel Prize will be awarded a gold medal with an amount of 10 million - Swedish kronor (over 11.4 million dollars). This amount will be divided equally between both the award winners.
• The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 101 times so far.

Know! about Maria Resa

• Maria Resa uses freedom of expression to expose the abuse of power and use of violence in the Philippines.
• As the CEO of her website 'Rappler' she has supported freedom of expression without fear.

Know! about Dmitry Muratov

• Dmitry Muratov has been a big advocate of freedom of expression for decades, despite the challenging conditions in Russia.
• Despite the assassinations and threats of journalists, he has refused to give up the independent policy of the ‘Novaya Gazeta' newspaper.
• Novaya Gazeta is the most independent newspaper in Russia today.
• The newspaper's fact-based journalism and professional integrity have made it an important source of information on critical aspects of Russian society.

Nobel Prize for Literature
What's the NEWS

• Novelist Abdulrajak Gurnah was awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature.
• He has been awarded this award "for his unshakable and compassionate penetration into the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gap between cultures and continents".

Know! about Abdulrajak gurnah

• He grew up on the island of Zanzibar (Indian Ocean). He was forced to flee to Britain in the late 1960s after the revolution in Zanzibar.
• Started writing at the age of 21 during exile to Britain.
• Zanzibar, known as the Swahili Coast, stretches from present-day Somalia to Mozambique on the west coast of the Indian Ocean.
• He has published ten novels and several short stories.
• Other major works: 'Paradise' (1994)

Nobel Prize in Chemistry
What's the NEWS

• The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the year 2021 was awarded to Benjamin List and David W.C. MacMillan (David W.C. MacMillan).
• The award has been given for 'Development of Asymmetric Organocatalysis'.

Asymmetric Organocatalysis

• A third type of catalyst, called 'Asymmetric Organocatalysis', was developed independently by Dr. List and Dr. Macmillan in the year 2000, separately.
• Newer catalysts are more suitable and cheaper, and ensure a 'specific' end result of a chemical reaction.
• Catalysts are substances that increase the rate of a reaction without taking part in a reaction or without changing its form during a chemical reaction.
• These catalysts do not even need to undergo a purification process, which makes it easier to obtain the desired type of compound under the reaction.
• Through organocatalysis, reagent molecules are coupled together to form short-lived intermediate molecules that are more reactive than substrate molecules.
• Organocatalysis can have many applications in pharmaceutical research and other industries.
• Helps in the development of paroxetine and respiratory infection drug 'oseltamivir' to be used in the treatment of anxiety and depression.
• New pharmaceuticals research and this will increase the environmental compatibility of chemistry experiments and research as organocatalysis process will be used in place of catalyst.

Prelims Factoids
Buddhist circuit
What's the NEWS

• The Central Government is working on a plan to start important infrastructure projects for the development of 'Buddhist Circuit'.
• The 'Buddhist Circuit' project was announced in the year 2016.

Know! about Buddhist circuit

• The 'Buddhist Circuit' is a path connecting important places related to the life of Buddha.
• Initially, the Buddhist circuit was envisaged to only connect seven major Buddhist pilgrimage sites located in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, later expanded to 21 other states to make India's 'first international tourist circuit' Gaya.
• This route passes through Lumbini (Birthplace of Buddha) in Nepal, Bodh Gaya (Acquisition of Enlightenment) in Bihar in India, Sarnath (First Sermon) and Kushinagar (Maha-Parinirvana) in Uttar Pradesh.
• Under the plan, small interstate Buddhist areas will be developed around stupas and viharas in these 21 states.
• New states to be included in the circuit: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala, West Bengal, Goa, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir.
• At present, four international and two domestic airports are functional in the Buddhist circuit, while work is in progress at two other airports.
• Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, there are plans to further develop the sites of Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Rajgir, Vaishali, Sarnath, Shravasti, Kushinagar, Kaushambi, Sankisa and Kapilvastu in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Economy
Sovereign Credit Rating
What's the NEWS

• Moody's has changed India's sovereign rating outlook from "negative" to "stable".
• Rating agency Moody's has confirmed India's rating "Baa3".
• "Baa3" rating is the lowest investment grade, one place above junk status.
• This rating can give investors insight into the level of risk associated with investing in a particular country's debt, including political risk
• Apart from issuing bonds in foreign debt markets, its role is important in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).

Know! about Sovereign Credit Rating (SCR)

• It is an independent assessment of the creditworthiness of a country or a sovereign institution.
• Moody's considers a Baa3 or higher rating to be investment grade.
• A rating of Ba1 and below is considered a "junk" grade
• Standard & Poor's gives countries a BBB or higher rating it considers an investment grade, and a grade of BB+ or lower is considered a "junk" grade.

Know! about Credit Rating Agency

• A rating agency is a company that assesses the financial capability of companies and government entities.
• Fitch Ratings, Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's (S&P) are the three major international credit rating agencies.
• There are 6 credit rating agencies- CRISIL, ICRA, CARE, SMERA, Fitch India and Brickwork Ratings registered under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in India.

Prelims Factoids
New Tiger Reserve
What's the NEWS

• The combined areas of Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary have been designated as Tiger Reserves.
• This decision was taken by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
• This will be the fourth tiger reserve in Chhattisgarh after Udanti-Sitanadi, Achanakmar and Indravati reserves.
• It connects Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh and provides a corridor for movement of tigers between Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh) and Palamu Tiger Reserve (Jharkhand).

Guru Ghasidas National Park

• It is located in the Koriya district of Chhattisgarh.
• Climate zone : Tropical climate zone
• Guru Ghasidas National Park was the last known habitat of Asiatic cheetahs in the country.
• Major Vegetation: Mixed deciduous forest with teak, sal and bamboo trees
• Major fauna: Tiger, Leopard, Chital, Nilgai, Chinkara, Jackal, Sambar, Four-horned antelope etc.

Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary

• It is located in Surajpur district of Chhattisgarh bordering Uttar Pradesh.
• It is named after Tamor hill and Pingla Nala.
• Major vegetation: mixed deciduous forests, sal and bamboo forests
• Major Fauna: Tiger, Elephant, Leopard, Bear, Sambar Deer, Blue Ox, Chital, Bison

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

• It is a statutory body established in 2005 for tiger conservation , under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Prelims Factoids
Henley Passport Index-2021
What's the NEWS

• Recently 'Henley Passport Index-2021' showing the world's most powerful passport was released.
• India has been ranked 90th in the 'Henley Passport Index-2021'.

Know! the 2021 Index highlights

• Japan (for the third time in a row) and Singapore have topped and passport holders from these countries are allowed to travel visa-free to 192 countries.
• South Korea and Germany are in second place.
• Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and Yemen are the countries with the least powerful passports.
• India has reached 90th place in this ranking.
• India was ranked 85th in the index for January 2021 and 84th in 2020.
• Indian passport holders are allowed to travel visa-free to a total of 58 countries.

Know! about Henley Passport Index

• It was launched in the year 2006.
• It includes passports of 199 countries.
• This is the basic ranking of all passports in the world.
• In this, the ranking determines how many countries a passport holder of a particular country can travel to without a prior visa.
• The index was established by Dr. Christian H. Keelin, President of Henley & Partners.
• It's ranking is based on the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the world's largest and most accurate database of international travel information.

Prelims Factoids
United Nations Peacekeeping Mission
What's the NEWS

• A total of 836 soldiers of the Indian Army serving in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission were awarded the 'United Nations Medal' for their services.
• This award was given to ensure lasting peace in the world's most budding country South Sudan.
• This team assisted in important tasks such as 'protection of citizens', 'creation of conditions for the distribution of humanitarian aid', 'cooperation in the implementation of the revived peace agreement' and 'monitoring and investigation of human rights' in South Sudan.

Know! about UN Peacekeeping Mission

• It is a joint effort of the 'Department of Peace Operation' and 'Department of Operational Support' of the United Nations.
• Each 'peacekeeping mission' is approved by the 'United Nations Security Council'.
• It's financing is the collective responsibility of all the member states of the United Nations.
• Each member state is legally obliged to pay a set amount for peacekeeping operations.
• UN peacekeepers are also called 'Blue Berets' or 'Blue Helmets' because of their pale blue colored hats or helmets.
• This team can include soldiers, police officers and civilian personnel.
• Peacekeepers are contributed by member countries on a voluntary basis.
• UN peacekeeping operations are guided by three basic principles: non-use of force except by the consent of the parties, fairness and security of the mandate/self-defense.

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