China plans to send mission 15 crore km away from Earth to study the Sun (GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
Why in news?
- China is planning to launch a solar exploration mission to an unexplored orbit between Earth and the Sun, known as the Sun-Earth L5 Lagrangian Point.
- The mission, dubbed the Xihe-2 solar exploration mission, is expected to be launched in 2026.
Aim:
- It aims to investigate the origin and evolution of the magnetic field in solar active regions and study the three-dimensional structure and physical mechanism of solar bursts.
Why Sun-Earth L5 Lagrangian Point?
- The Sun-Earth L5 Lagrangian Point, located about 150 million kilometers (15 crore km) from Earth, is an ideal location for studying space weather and monitoring solar activity.
- It offers a unique vantage point that allows for imaging of solar activity at least three days before it can be viewed from Earth and measures the solar wind conditions four to five days ahead of Earth impact.
- The Xihe-2 will be the world's first artificial probe to reach this point, marking a significant milestone in space exploration.
- In addition to providing crucial data for scientific research, the satellite will also enhance China's ability to forecast space weather.
- This could lead to more timely warnings and accurate predictions of space weather events, which have the potential to disrupt communication systems and power grids on Earth.
Lunar projects:
- Alongside the solar probe mission, China's lunar exploration project is also making steady progress. Experts are currently discussing the construction of a long-term underground lunar research station.
- Despite the challenges posed by the moon's lack of atmosphere, researchers believe that underground caves in lunar lava tubes could provide shelter from temperature extremes, radiation, meteorite impacts, and lunar dust.
Way Forward:
- These ambitious initiatives hold the promise of yielding valuable insights into the Sun's activities and enhancing ability to predict and prepare for space weather events.
New fish species discovered in Bengal’s Digha harbour
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- The scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of a vibrant orange coloured deep water marine fish from Digha Mohana in West Bengal.
Genus:
- The new species, commonly known as gurnards or sea-robins, belongs to the family Triglidae. Named Pterygotrigla intermedica, it has characters quite similar to species like Pterygotrigla hemisticta.
- It is the fourth species of Pterygotrigla genus reported in India so far, he said, and there are a total 178 species of the Triglidae family worldwide.
Characteristic features:
- The researchers collected a total of 24 specimens from the Digha Mohana fishing harbour during their study of by-catch components along the northern part of the east coast of India.
- After thorough examinations, the specimens of this fish were found to be very distinct from other gurnad species in various aspects such as snout length, shape of the internuchal space and size of the cleithral spine.
- The scientists found a distinct pectoral-fin with black membranes on the inner surface, white posterior margin and three small white spots basally in fin, each ray creamy white on the new species.
- It had a combination of characters like a long opercular spine and a very short cleithral spine; lateral-line, gill rakers on upper limb and 12–13 on lower limb of first gill arch and a large black blotch between the 4th and 6th spines of the first dorsal fin.
Way Forward:
- They have preserved 23 at the ZSI’s Estuarine Biology Regional Center, Gopalpur and one specimen in the Marine Fish Section, Kolkata for further study.
Panel suggests GPS trackers to reduce overcrowding in prisons
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
Why in news?
- Recently, Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs released a report titled ‘Prison-Conditions, Infrastructure and Reforms’.
- A parliamentary panel has recommended ankle trackers or bracelets on prison inmates to reduce overcrowding in prisons.
Details:
- The Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs, said that technology can be explored to produce cost-effective bracelets or anklet trackers that can be worn by the prisoners who have procured bail and are out of prison on bail.
- It said mostly bail is denied on three counts; the undertrial prisoner may influence or intimidate the witness or will try to leave the country or commit another crime.
Overcrowding and delayed justice:
- The panel noted that overcrowding and delayed justice has become a pressing concern, leading to a series of consequences for both the prisoners and the criminal justice system as a whole.
- It recommended that prisoners from overcrowded jails may be transferred to other jails with vacant cells in the same State or other States.
Mobile phones:
- Many State Prisons Departments had no jammers installed or they were capable of blocking only 2G and 3G network signals.
- The committee was informed that mobile phones are one of the major contraband articles that is most frequently smuggled into the prisons.
NCRB data:
- According to the prison statistics published by the National Crime Record Bureau for 2021, there are 1,319 prisons in India, with a total capacity of 4,25,609 prisoners.
- The actual inmates are 5,54,034 which shows that the occupancy capacity rate is 130.2%.
- Of the total inmates, the number of undertrial prisoners is 4,27,165 and the number of convicted prisoners is 1,22,852.
- The occupancy of women prisoners has been increased and the prisons are understaffed by approximately 30% of the required strength.
Web Portal for General Crop Estimation Survey (GCES)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Why in news?
- Recently, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) launched the mobile application and the web portal for GCES (General Crop Estimation Survey).
Key Highlights:
- It has been developed by Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare for leveraging technology to enhance the reach, scope, and outcome of government actions in the course of development.
- The automation of the GCES process will ensure on time reporting of crop statistics and accuracy of the data.
- The agencies involved in conducting CCE in different states are Revenue Department, Agriculture Department and Directorate of Economics &Statistics.
Key Challenges Addressed:
- Delay in Reporting: Till date data collection, compilation and yield estimation is completely manual process which cause delay in reporting by states. In the new process, the field data will be collected using GPS enabled mobile application and will be stored in the server which ensures on time reporting of crop statistics.
- Transparency: GPS enabled devices provide precise latitude and longitude coordinates for data collection points. This information ensures that data is linked to specific geographic locations, leaving no room for ambiguity or manipulation of data regarding where it was collected.
Key Features:
- Comprehensive Information: The portal and the app provide a comprehensive repository of yield estimation including village wise GCES plan and plot details where the crop cutting experiments are conducted, post harvesting crop weight and driage weight of the crop.
- Geo-referencing: Geo-referencing is one of the key features of the mobile application, which enables the primary worker to draw the boundary of the experimental plot and upload photos of the plot as well as of the crops through it. This feature will ensure transparency and accuracy of the data as well.
