Relevance IN - Prelims (about Tejas Mk-1 FOC aircraft)
What's the NEWS

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) inducted Tejas Mk-1 FOC aircraft into the recently resurrected No 18 Sqn, the "Flying Bullets"

Know! more about it (The No. 18 Squadron)

• The No. 18 Squadron is known as 'Flying Bullets'.
• The Squadron is armed with newly-inducted, indigenous fighter aircraft LCA Tejas in fully operational capability (FOC).
• This is the second IAF squadron to be equipped with the Tejas fighter jets.
• The Squadron is based at Sulur airbase near Coimbatore.
• No. 45 squadron ‘Flying Daggers' at the station was the first squadron armoured with Tejas.
• No 18 Sqn was raised at Ambala on 15 Apr 1965 with the Folland Gnat Aircraft.
• The Squadron also has the unique distinction of having operated two HAL made aircraft, the Tejas and the Ajeet which it also operated from the same station.
• The Squadron falls under the operational control of Southern Air Command which is responsible for integrating the Squadron into the IAF Concept of Operations.

Know! about Tejas

• Tejas Mk-1 FOC is a single engine, light weight, highly agile, all weather multi role fighter aircraft capable of air-to-air refueling thus making it a truly versatile platform.
• In 2016, Tejas became a part of the IAF after it was formally inducted in No. 45 Squadron.
• The fourth-generation fighter aircraft is developed by Aeronautical Development Agency and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the IAF and Indian Navy.
• The Initial Operational Capability (IOC) aircraft are armed with close combat air-to-air missiles, helmet-mounted display and precision-guided weapons like laser-guided bombs.
• These aircraft are also capable of dropping unguided bombs with greater accuracy due to highly advanced indigenous mission computer.
• Aircraft with Final Operational Clearance (FOC) would incorporate beyond visual range (BVR) missiles, improved and better stand-off weapons and air-to-air refuelling capability.
  
  

Science and Technology
NGC 3895

Relevance IN - Prelims (about NGC 3895 + about hubble telescope)
What's the NEWS

• The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured this vivid image of a barred spiral galaxy called NGC 3895.
• The galaxy, located at a distance of over 161 million light-years, is a part of Ursa Major. (one light-year is equal to the distance covered by light in one year, or 6 million miles)

Know! more about NG 3895

• It was discovered by German-born British astronomer William Herschel on March 18, 1790. The galaxy has a diameter of approximately 45,000 light-years.
• The new color image of NGC 3895 was made from separate exposures taken in the visible and infrared regions of the spectrum with Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument.

Hubble Telescope

• Hubble's orbit high above the Earth's distorting atmosphere allows us to make the very high resolution observations that are essential to opening new windows on planets, stars and galaxies
• The image is one of the several images captured by Nasa's Hubble Telescope .
• The telescope is positioned approximately 570 km (354 miles) above the ground, where it whirls around Earth at 28,000 km/h (17,400 mph) and takes 96 minutes to complete one orbit.

Know! more about Hubble Telescope

• The Hubble Space Telescope is a large telescope in space. NASA launched Hubble in 1990.
• The Hubble telescope was built by the United States space agency NASA with contributions from the European Space Agency.
• Hubble faces toward space. It takes pictures of planets, stars and galaxies.
• Hubble has seen stars being born. Hubble has seen stars die.
• It has seen galaxies that are trillions of miles away. Hubble also has seen comet pieces crash into the gases above Jupiter.

James Webb Space Telescope

• NASA is building another space telescope. It is called the James Webb Space Telescope. It will be bigger than Hubble.
• Webb will not orbit Earth as Hubble does. Webb will orbit the sun in a spot on the other side of the moon.
• The Webb telescope will be able to see a different kind of light than the light Hubble sees. Webb will help NASA see even more of the universe.

Know! about Galaxy

• A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems. A galaxy is held together by gravity.
• Our galaxy, the Milky Way, also has a supermassive black hole in the middle. When you look up at stars in the night sky, you're seeing other stars in the Milky Way.

Know! about Ursa Major

• Ursa Major is the largest northern constellation and third largest constellation in the sky.
• Its brightest stars form the Big Dipper asterism, one of the most recognizable shapes in the sky, also known as the Plough.
• Ursa Major is well-known in most world cultures and associated with a number of myths

Government Schemes
ARYA scheme

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about ARYA scheme) + Mains ( GS II Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation)
What's the NEWS

• The massive reverse migration of people from urban areas to villages ever since lockdown was imposed due to COVID-19 has put focus on the Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture (ARYA) scheme of the Centre

Know! about ARYA Scheme

• ARYA scheme is presently being implemented in 100 districts in the country on an experimental basis.
• Presently, it is being implemented in 100 districts with a target of training 10,000 rural youth over three years in various aspects
• The scheme is being implemented through Krishi Vigyan Kendras
• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) took up this initiative several years ago following report by a committee of experts
• The committee looked into ways and means of wooing rural youth to agriculture and allied sectors by ensuring a dignified life for them in villages.
• The main intention of the scheme was to turn agriculture and allied sectors into attractive and profit-making proposition for the rural youth.
• The basic idea is to turn rural youth into agri entrepreneurs.

Prelims Factoids
FAITH trials
Relevance IN - Prelims (about faith trails)
What's the NEWS

• Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., has announced a new randomised, open-label study to test the combined efficacy of two antiviral drugs - Favipiravir and Umifenovir - as a potential COVID-19 treatment strategy.

Know! more about Faith trails

• Glenmark study will examine whether early administration of a combination of Favipiravir and Umifenovir enhances anti-viral efficacy on COVID-19 patients. Hence, a combined use of Favipiravir and Umifenovir acting on different mechanisms offers a comprehensive antiviral cover on pre-entry and post-entry life-cycle of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the company said.
• The new combination clinical trial will be called FAITH - (FA vipiravir plus Um I fenovir (efficacy and safety) Trial in Indian Hospital setting).
  
  

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