Indian astronomers to find first exo-moon using James Webb Telescope (GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Why in news?
- As the James Webb Space Telescope begins science operations, Indian astronomers are ready to peer into the edge of the universe with the observatory.
- Astronomers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru have developed a new model to trace exo-moons that have remained elusive to ground, space-based telescopes.
What are exo-moons and why they are being explored?
- Exo-moons are natural satellites that revolve around exoplanets, which itself is orbiting a star, just as planets in our own Solar System revolve around the Sun.
- Astronomers will look for habitable exo-moons as they try to understand new worlds beyond our solar system.
- A large number of exo-moons are expected to be present in the universe, and they may play a crucial role in the habitability of rocky exoplanets in the habitable zone of their host stars.
- While most exoplanets are detected through the photometric transit method, signals from exo-moons are too weak to detect, mainly because of their extremely small size.
Key Highlights:
- Astronomers from IIA has developed an analytical model that uses the radius and orbital properties of the host planet and its moon.
- The model uses their parameters and incorporates various possible orientations of the moon-planet-star system to model the photometric transit light curve of moon-hosting exoplanets.
- They will use co-alignment and non-coalignment of the orbits of the planet and the moon as parameters of model all the possible orbital alignments for a star-planet-moon system.
- Using these generic models and the analysis of photometric transit light curves of exoplanets that are being obtained by JWST, a large number of exomoons can be detected in near future.
Quest for life & water:
- Astronomers across the world are looking for habitable planets that fall in the Goldilocks zone, which marks the distance between a star and a planet where temperatures are just optimum for water and life to flourish.
- An exo-moon around a gas giant planet like Jupiter in the habitable zone of the host star where the temperature is appropriate for water to exist in a liquid state may harbour life.
Background:
- So far there have been 500 exoplanets that have been discovered outside our solar system, which have varied ranges when it comes to their composition and characteristics.
- These include small, rocky worlds like Earth, gas giants many times larger than Jupiter, and hot-Jupiters in scorchingly close orbits around their stars.
- These planets have been discovered using several ground-based and space telescopes, such as Kepler, CoRoT, Spitzer, and Hubble space telescopes.
- However, the natural satellites or exomoon around any of these planets still remain untraced, unlike our Solar System which is flooded with moons around its host planets.
Bustards adapt to produce 2-egg clutch
(GS Paper 2, Environment)
Why in news?
- Great Indian Bustards (GIBs) in Rajasthan’s Desert National Park (DNP) have laid around 20 eggs this breeding season, with four females laying two eggs each.
The authorities have given credit to natural factors and conservation efforts for this unique incidence.
Details:
- The perceived beliefs and recorded observations of egg laying habit of Great Indian Bustard (GIB) have changed after the recent excessive rains in western Rajasthan.
- The critically endangered bird species has adopted an altogether new behaviour of giving clutch of two eggs at a time after getting additional protein diet during the monsoon season.
Usual habit:
- Environmentalists have hailed it as a new record, as all experts had been reporting a clutch of single egg by GIB for more than a century.
- Bustards usually lay only one egg in a breeding season that lasts from March to October.
Ex situ breeding:
- In Jaisalmer district's Desert National Park (DNP), authorities had made an enclosure of about 18 km in circumference and 15.1 square kilometres in area.
- The enclosure was predator-proof and had minimum human disturbance, which was one of the reasons that the GIBs were able to lay eggs without any threat.
Breeding Project:
- There were around 127 birds in Jaisalmer district according to the last count of the GIB in 2018. The GIB breeding centrewas established in 2019 to protect and conserve eggs collected from the wild.
- Aimed at preserving the GIBs whose population has reduced to less than 150 in the wild, the breeding project focuses on spatial prioritisation, risk characterisation and conservation management with the endangered species.
About GIB:
- The Great Indian Bustard (GIB), the State bird of Rajasthan, is considered India’s most critically endangered bird.
- It is considered the flagship grassland species, representing the health of the grassland ecology.
- Its population is confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat. Small populations occur in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Protection Status:
- International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List: Critically Endangered
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix1
- Convention on Migratory Species (CMS): Appendix I
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule 1
First aquaculture project of TDB-DST
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Why in news?
- Realizing the potential of Fisheries sector, Technology Development Board, a statutory body under Department of Science and Technology, supports M/s Fountainhead Agro Farms Private Limited, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra for ‘Advanced, Intensive, All Male Tilapia Aquaculture Project with Israeli Technology’.
The board has penned an mutual agreement, to provide loan assistance of Rs. 8.42 crores out of the total project cost of Rs. 29.78 crores to the company.
Tilapia:
- ‘Tilapia’ has emerged to be one of the most productive and internationally traded food fish in the world.
- The culture of tilapia has become commercially popular in many parts of the world and the fishery experts have dubbed the tilapia as “aquatic chicken” due to its quick growth and low maintenance cultivation.
Aquaculture Project:
- In order to facilitate the culture of Tilapia in India in responsible manner, M/s Fountainhead Agro Farms Private Limited envisages setting up of a complete production line (from breeding to full fish) in Mudhol (Karnataka).
- The company aims to produce 500 tons of Tilapia, to be grown from the imported parent broodstock ‘Hermon’ from Nir David Fish Breeding Farm, Israel.
- Hermon is a hybrid of two selected strains of Tilapia, namely OreochromisNiloticus (Male) and Oreochromis Aureus (Female), and is known for special characteristics such as high growth rate; resistance to low temperature; light (attractive) colour; all hybrid fry progeny of males only, without the conventional system of usage of hormones.
Potential of fishing sector in India:
- Fisheries is one of the fastest growing sectors amongst the primary producing sectors. The sector plays a vital role in economic and overall development of the country, also referred as the “sunrise sector”, it is poised to bring in immense potential through equitable and inclusive growth.
- The sector is recognized as a powerful engine for providing employment to 14.5 million people and sustaining livelihood for 28 million fishermen community of the country.
- Thus, the sector urges young entrepreneurs of the country to come forward and offer solutions, resolving on-ground challenges through technology interventions and innovative solutions.
Pradhan MantriMatsyaSampadaYojana (PMMSY):
- To promote fishing, the cabinet, came up with ‘Pradhan MantriMatsyaSampadaYojana (PMMSY)’ to bring about ‘Blue Revolution’ through sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector in India. The scheme targets to enhance fish production to 220 lakh metric tons by 2024-25, at an average annual growth rate of about 9%.
- The ambitious scheme also aims to double the export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crore and generate about 55 lakhs direct and indirect employment opportunities in fisheries sector over a period of next five years.
First ‘HarGhar Jal’ Certified State & UT in India
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
Why in news?
Goa and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (D&NH and D&D) becomes the first ‘HarGhar Jal’ certified State and UT in the country respectively.
‘No One is Left Out’:
- In these two places, people from all the villages have declared their village as ‘HarGhar Jal’ through a resolution passed by Gram Sabha, certifying that all households in the villages have access to safe drinking water through taps, ensuring that ‘No One is Left Out’.
- All 2.63 lakh rural households of Goa & 85,156 of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu have access to potable water through tap connection.
Jal Jeevan Mission:
- Jal Jeevan Mission is a flagship programme of Government of India which was announced from the ramparts of Red Fort by visionary Prime Minister on August 15, 2019.
- The mission aims to make provision of potable tap water supply in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality and on regular & long-term basis to every rural household of the country by 2024.
- The program is implemented by Government of India in partnership with States/UTs.
How certification is given?
- The process of certification has been detailed out in the Margdarshika of Jal Jeevan Mission according to which first of all, the field engineer submits a completion certificate regarding water supply scheme to the Panchayat during Gram Sabha meeting.
- The villages confirm through a resolution of the Gram Sabha, that every household is getting regular supply of water of prescribed quality and not a single household is left out.
- They also confirm that all schools, anganwadi centers and other public institutions also getting tap water.
Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC):
- Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC) or paanisamitihas been constituted in all the 378 villages of Goa and 96 villages of D&NH and D&D.
- VWSC is responsible for operation, maintenance and repair of water supply infrastructure developed under ‘HarGhar Jal’ programme.
- This sub-committee of Gram Panchayat also has the responsibility to collect user charge which will be deposited in the bank account and shall be used to pay honorarium of the pump operator and carry out minor repair work from time-to-time.
Water Quality:
- Water Quality is an important aspect of the mission and to ensure the same, at least five women in every village are trained to carry out water testing.
- Today more than 10 lakh women in the country have been trained to use Field Test Kits (FTKs) for testing the quality of water supplied in rural households. More than 57 lakh water samples have been tested by these women using Field Testing Kits (FTKs).
Progress so far:
- Following Prime Minister’s vision of “SabkaSaath, SabkaVikas, SabkaVishwasaurSabkaPrayas”, more than 52% rural households in the country are now connected with tap water which was only 17% at the time of launch of this transformational mission on August 15, 2019.
