Science & Technology
CSIR-SERC, Chennai Develops Indigenous Emergency Retrieval System (ERS) for Power Lines

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Emergency Retrieval System (ERS)
What's the NEWS

• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) constituent laboratory Structural Engineering Research Centre (SERC) based in Chennai has developed an indigenous technology, Emergency Retrieval System (ERS), for quick retrieval of power transmission in the event of failure of transmission line towers.
• CSIR-SERC has signed an agreement for licensing of the ERS technology with M/s Advait Infratech, Ahmedabad.

Know! about ERS systems

• This technological development will enable the manufacturing in India for the first time, which will be an import substitute and will cost about 40% of imported systems.
• ERS has huge market requirement in India as well as in SAARC and African countries. Hence, this technological development is a big leap forward towards Atma Nirbhar Bharat and Make in India.
• ERS is a lightweight modular system that is used as temporary support structure to restore power immediately after the collapse of transmission line towers during natural calamities such as cyclone/earthquake, or manmade disruptions.
• ERS can be assembled quickly at the disaster site for restoration of power in 2-3 days, whereas the permanent restoration may take several weeks.
• This development is very significant as failure of transmission lines severely impact lives of common people and causes huge monetary loss to the power companies.
• As the total losses/damages are directly proportional to the outage duration, time is a crucial factor in reinstating or remediating the damaged/fallen structures.
• Made of structurally highly stable box sections, ERS is lightweight, modular and reusable.

Prelims Factoids
PM unveils ‘Statue of Peace' to mark 151st Birth Anniversary celebrations of Jainacharya Shree Vijay Vallabh Surishwer Ji Maharaj
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Jainacharya Shree Vijay Vallabh Surishwer Ji Maharaj
What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister unveil ‘Statue of Peace' to mark the 151st Birth Anniversary celebrations of Jainacharya Shree Vijay Vallabh Surishwer Ji Maharaj

Know! about Shree Vijay Vallabh Surishwer Ji

• Shree Vijay Vallabh Surishwer Ji Maharaj (1870-1954) led an austere life as a Jain Saint working selflessly and dedicatedly to spread the message of Lord Mahavira.
• He also worked relentlessly for the welfare of masses, spread of education, eradication of social evils, wrote inspiring literature (poetry, essays, devotional hymns and Stavans) and gave active support to the freedom movement and the cause of Swadeshi.
• With his inspiration, more than 50 educational institutions of eminence, including colleges, schools and study centres, are operational across several States.
• The Statue to be unveiled in his honour has been named as ‘Statue of Peace'.
• The 151 inch tall statue has been made from Ashtadhatu i.e. 8 metals, with Copper being the major constituent, and is being installed at Vijay Vallabh Sadhana Kendra, Jetpura, in Pali, Rajasthan.

International Organisations
15 Asian nations sign China-backed RCEP trade pact

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about RCEP agreement)+ Mains ( GS II Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests)
What's the NEWS

• Asian nations sign RCEP, a China-backed trade pact, excluding India and US
• Fifteen countries signed a sprawling Asian trade deal seen as a huge coup for China in extending its influence.
• The RCEP may further augment China's position as an economic partner in Southeast Asia, Japan and Korea, putting the world's second-biggest economy in a better position to shape

Know! about RCEP

• The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) -- which includes 10 Southeast Asian economies along with China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia -- is the world's largest trade pact in terms of GDP
• It aims in coming years to progressively lower tariffs across many areas.
• The deal marks the first time rival East Asian powers China, Japan and South Korea have been in a single free trade agreement.
• The pact will take effect once enough participating countries ratify the agreement domestically within the next two years
• These 15 countries had left a rival Asia-Pacific grouping under incumbent US president Donald Trump.
• The deal was signed on the sidelines of an online ASEAN summit held as Asian leaders address tensions in the South China Sea and tackle plans for a post-pandemic economic recovery in a region where US-China rivalry has been rising.
• The signing of RCEP will be a further blow to the group pushed by former US president Barack Obama, which his successor Trump exited in 2017.
• The United States is absent from both RCEP and the successor to the Obama-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

How it will benefit China

• RCEP could also help Beijing cut its dependence on overseas markets and technology.
• The RCEP may cement China's position more firmly as an economic partner with Southeast Asia, Japan and Korea, putting the world's second-biggest economy in a better position to shape the region's trade rules.
• It will account for 30% of the global economy, 30% of the global population and reach 2.2 billion consumers

Defence
Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) system

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

• Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) system were successfully test-fired at an integrated test range of around 30 kilometres in Chandipur off the Odisha coast
• By directly hitting a pilotless target aircraft (PTA) at medium range and medium altitude, the QRSAM system has achieved a major milestone.
• The state-of-the-art missile was launched from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha's Balasore
• The successful test-firing of the QRSAM paves the way for its commercial production.
• The system has achieved a major milestone by a direct hit on a Banshee pilotless target aircraft at medium range and medium altitudes

Know! more about QRSAM

• The system is capable of detecting and tracking targets on the move and engaging targets with short halts.
• It is designed to give air defence coverage for strike columns of the Indian Army. "The missile is propelled by a single-stage solid propellant rocket motor and uses all indigenous subsystems.
• It is capable of detecting and tracking targets on the move and engaging targets with short halts.
• The system is designed to give air defence coverage against strike columns of Indian Army
• Propelled by a single stage solid propellant rocket motor, the sophisticated missile used all indigenous subsystems.
• It is canisterised for transportation and launch using a mobile launcher which is capable of carrying six canisterised missiles.
• All QRSAM weapon system elements like battery multifunction radar, battery surveillance radar, battery command post vehicle and mobile launcher were deployed in the flight test.
• The radar tracked the target - Banshee PTA - from the farthest range and the missile was launched when the target was within kill zone and achieved the direct hit with terminal active homing by RF seeker guidance, according to the statement.
• The missile system is fully indigenous with active RF Seekers, Electro Mechanical Actuation (EMA) systems sourced from various industries.
• The radar is a four walled active phased Array radar. All range tracking stations, radar, EOTs and telemetry stations monitored the flight parameters.
• In the last two months, India has test-fired a number of missiles including a new version of the surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile BrahMos and an anti-radiation missile named Rudram-1.

Space Awareness
Crew-1 mission

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Crew 1 mission)
What's the NEWS

• SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft will lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying a crew of four people to the International Space Station (ISS) on a six-month-long mission.

Know! about the Crew-1 mission

• This is the first crew rotation mission to the space station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Programme.
• It aims at making access to space easier in terms of its cost to transfer scientists to and fro from International Space Station.
• It will launch the agency's astronauts along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission specialist , from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy.
• Crew-1 astronauts will join the Expedition 64 crew of Commander Sergey Ryzhikov, and Flight Engineers Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins.
• The arrival of Crew-1 will increase the regular crew size of the space station's expedition missions from six to seven astronauts, adding to the amount of crew time available for research.
• Scientists will be conducting research and technology demonstrations benefiting life back on Earth.
• As a part of this research, they will conduct hundreds of microgravity studies, they also deliver new science hardware and experiments carried to space with them inside Crew Dragon.
• They will study food physiology, which will study the effects of dietary improvements in the space. They will also carry a few research projects to the space station.

KEEP Learning KEEP Evolving
TEAM CL IAS