10 Sep | UPSC Current Affairs: Sakthan Thampuran, BepiColombo, Teal Carbon, Silicon Carbide, and More

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UPSC GS 1

Sakthan Thampuran

  • News:  Union Minister Suresh Gopi recently expressed his willingness to construct a life-size statue of erstwhile king Shakthan Thampuran, regarded as the architect of Thrissur city.
  • Early Life:
      • Raja Rama Varma Kunjipillai, also known as Sakthan Thampuran, was born in 1751 to Ambika Thampuran and Chendose Aniyan Namboodiri of the Cochin royal family. 
  • Nomenclature: 
      • He was raised by an aunt who gave him the name Sakthan, meaning ‘powerful’. 
      • The title ‘Thampuran’ is believed to be an appropriation of the Sanskrit word ‘samrat’, meaning emperor.
  • Cochin Kingdom:
      • The Cochin kingdom, part of the Late Chera Empire, covered regions between Ponnani in Malappuram and Thottappally in Alappuzha in modern-day Kerala. 
      • Sakthan Thampuran ruled the kingdom from 1790 to 1805.

Sakthan Thampuran

  • Strategist and Ruler:
      • Sakthan Thampuran became heir apparent in 1769 at the age of 18. 
      • He advised maintaining friendly relations with both the Dutch and the English, who were competing for a larger share of trade in the region. 
      • He played a key role in Mysore’s invasion attempt on the Travancore kingdom, resulting in the Powney Treaty with George Powney
      • This Treaty freed Cochin from Mysore’s allegiance and formalized relations with the British.
      •  Sakthan Thampuran also abolished the institution of the Yogiatirippads, transferring temple management to the government, and significantly reduced crime in his kingdom.
      • Trichur Taluk was for long under the domination of the Yogiatiripppads, the ecclesiastical heads of the Vadakkunnathan and Perumanam Devaswoms.
  • Thrissur and Pooram:
      • Sakthan Thampuran moved the capital of the Cochin kingdom from Thrippunithura to modern-day Thrissur.
      •  He developed the city’s road system around Thekkinkadu Maidanam and Swaraj Round.
      • He personally managed the kingdom’s finances and revenue.
      •  In 1797, he initiated the Thrissur Pooram festival, which brought together major temples in Thrissur to pay homage to Lord Shiva at the Vadakkumnathan Temple, as an alternative to the Arattupuzha Pooram.

Read also: Understanding India’s Performance at Paris Olympics 2024 | UPSC

Poltava

  • News: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that a Russian missile strike in Ukraine’s Poltava recently resulted in at least 41 deaths and over 180 injuries. 
  • Poltava:
      • Poltava is a city located in east-central Ukraine.
      • It lies along the Vorskla River.

Poltava

  • History:
      • Early Evidence: Archaeological findings indicate the city’s existence from the 8th to the 9th century. The first documentary reference to Poltava is from 1174, where it was known as Oltava or Ltava.
      • Destruction and Recovery: The city was destroyed by the Tatars in the early 13th century. By the 17th century, it had become the center of a Cossack regiment.
  • Battle of Poltava:
      • In 1709, Peter I the Great defeated Charles XII of Sweden near Poltava after a three-month siege during the Great Northern War.
      • The battle marked the end of Sweden’s status as a major power and signaled the rise of Russian dominance in Eastern Europe.
  • Modern City:
      • The contemporary city of Poltava is largely new, having been rebuilt after suffering significant damage during World War II.
      • It is a hub of a fertile agricultural region and features various industries focused on processing farm produce.

UPSC GS 2

Swachh Vayu Survekshan Award 2024

  • News: Surat city has now bagged the top spot in the Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2024 conducted by the Union Environment Ministry.  
  • Launch and Guidelines:
      • The Swachh Vayu Survekshan guidelines were released by the MoEF&CC in September 2022 under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
      • It ranks cities based on the implementation of activities approved under the City Action Plan and air quality in 130 cities covered by the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). 
      • The ranking evaluates the cities on their efforts to reduce air pollution by up to 40% by 2025-26, based on their City Action Plans.
  • Objectives:
      • Raise awareness: To educate society on air quality and its health impacts.
      • Health impacts: Inform citizens about the risks related to air pollution exposure.
      • Compare air quality: Allow comparison of air quality conditions across various cities and locations.
      • NCAP goal: Help achieve the NCAP’s mission of ensuring “Clean air for all.”
  • Assessment Process:
      • 130 NCAP cities are assessed based on the information submitted under the ranking framework by urban local bodies (ULBs) on the PRANA portal (dashboard for tracking progress under NCAP).
  • Swachh Vayu Survekshan Awards 2024:
      • Category-1 (population over 10 Lakhs): Surat, Jabalpur, and Agra.
      • Category-2 (population between 3 and 10 Lakhs): Firozabad, Amravati, and Jhansi.
      • Category-3 (population under 3 Lakhs): Raebareli, Nalgonda, and Nalagarh.

UPSC GS 3

BepiColombo

  • News: BepiColombo has completed its latest flyby of Mercury, sending back images of the cratered planet it will begin to orbit in 2026.
  • Definition & Launch:
      • BepiColombo is a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to study Mercury. 
      • Named after Italian mathematician and engineer Giuseppe “Bepi” Colombo, who made significant contributions to understanding Mercury’s orbit, the spacecraft was launched on October 20, 2018. 
  • Aim: 
      • This mission is designed to investigate Mercury’s surface, magnetic field, and its interaction with the solar environment.
  • Components of BepiColombo:
      • Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO):
      • Provided by ESA.
      • Focuses on mapping and studying Mercury’s surface, composition, and topography.
  • Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO):
      • Provided by JAXA.
      • Concentrates on studying Mercury’s magnetic field and magnetosphere.

BepiColombo

  • Mission Objectives:
      • Aims to improve understanding of Mercury’s geological history and formation processes.
      • Provides insights into Mercury’s internal structure and how it interacts with the solar wind.
      • Focuses on analyzing the composition and dynamics of Mercury’s thin atmosphere (exosphere).
      • Conducts experiments to test aspects of general relativity, enhancing our understanding of gravity.
  • Mercury:
      • Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system and the nearest to the Sun.
      • Mercury is the planet that orbits the closest to the Sun.
      • Mercury is the fastest planet in our solar system – traveling through space at nearly 29 miles (47 kilometers) per second.
      •  It has the shortest year of all the planets in our solar system – 88 days.
      • Mercury’s surface temperatures are both extremely hot and cold.
      • The first spacecraft to visit Mercury was Mariner 10. 
      • Mercury’s surface resembles that of Earth’s moon, scarred by many impact craters resulting from collisions with meteoroids and comets. 
      • There are no rings around Mercury. 
      • Mercury has no moons. 
      • Mercury’s thin atmosphere, or exosphere, is composed mostly of oxygen (O2), sodium (Na), hydrogen (H2), helium (He), and potassium (K). 

Teal Carbon

  • News: India’s first study on ‘teal carbon’ undertaken at Keoladeo National Park (KNP) in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district has highlighted the significance of wetland conservation to address the challenges of climate adaptation and resilience.  
  • Teal Carbon:
      • Teal carbon refers to carbon stored in non-tidal freshwater wetlands, including carbon sequestered in vegetation, microbial biomass, and dissolved and particulate organic matter. 
      • These ecosystems are recognized for their efficiency in carbon capture and storage, surpassing terrestrial forest ecosystems in this regard.
      •  They can store and sequester more carbon than any other type of terrestrial ecosystem.
  • Concept and Significance:
      • The idea of teal carbon is a recent development in environmental science, focusing on organic carbon in inland freshwater wetlands.
      • It is a color-based term that categorizes organic carbon based on its functions and location, rather than its physical properties.
  • Global Storage:
      • Globally, teal carbon storage is estimated at 500.21 petagrams of carbon (PgC), a significant contribution to carbon sequestration on Earth.
  • Major Sources of Teal Carbon:
      • Peatlands
      • Freshwater swamps
      • Natural freshwater marshes
  • Keoladeo National Park (KNP):
      • Keoladeo Ghana National Park is a wildlife sanctuary in eastern Rajasthan.
      • It was founded as a hunting preserve by Suraj Mal, the maharaja of Bharatpur princely state, and became a bird sanctuary in 1956.  
      • Declared a national park in 1981, it was renamed Keoladeo for the ancient temple in the park dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.
      • It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.
  • Peatlands
      • Peatlands are terrestrial wetland ecosystems in which waterlogged conditions prevent plant material from fully decomposing. Consequently, the production of organic matter exceeds its decomposition, which results in a net accumulation of peat.

Silicon Carbide

  • News: India’s first silicon carbide manufacturing facility to be set up in Odisha.
  • Definition: Silicon carbide, also known as SiC, is a semiconductor base material that consists of pure silicon and pure carbon.

Silicon Carbide

  • Unique Characteristics and Industrial Applications: 
      • High Thermal Conductivity: SiC is renowned for its ability to conduct heat effectively. It has a thermal conductivity three times higher than that of silicon, making it an ideal material for heat sink applications.
      • Electrical Semiconductivity: With its wide bandgap, SiC acts as an excellent semiconductor. It’s used in power electronic devices, such as LEDs and power transistors.
      • Hardness: Silicon carbide is one of the hardest materials known, superseded only by certain types of diamonds and boron nitride. 
      • Automotive: In the automotive industry, SiC is used in the manufacture of ceramic brake discs and other parts due to its heat resistance and durability.
      • Electronics: In the electronics sector, SiC semiconductors are preferred for high voltage and high-temperature applications, such as in inverters and power amplifiers.
      • Astronomy: Silicon carbide is also used in the astronomy field. Its mechanical stability and resistance to thermal shock make it ideal for telescope mirrors.

International Solar Festival 2024

  • News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the inaugural International Solar Festival 2024 hosted by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) recently. 
  • About International Solar Alliance
  • Definition:  
      • It is a treaty-based international intergovernmental organization.
      • It was launched in 2015, by the PM of India and the President of France, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Paris.
  • Aim: 
      • Increased deployment of solar energy technologies as a means for bringing energy access, ensuring energy security, and driving energy transition. 
  • Towards 1000’ strategy: The ISA is guided by its ‘Towards 1000’ strategy which aims to:
      • mobilise USD 1,000 billion of investments in solar energy solutions by 2030, 
      •  deliver energy access to 1,000 million people using clean energy solutions, 
      •  installation of 1,000 GW of solar energy capacity. 
      • mitigate global solar emissions to the tune of 1,000 million tonnes of CO2 every year.
  • Vision: Let us together make the sun brighter.
  • Mission: Every home no matter how far away, will have a light at home.
  • Members:  
      • All member states of the United Nations are now eligible to join the ISA. 
      • At present, 99 countries have signed and ratified the ISA Framework Agreement. 
  • Governance:   The Assembly of the ISA is the apex decision-making body which comprises of representatives from each Member Country. 
  • Headquarter: National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) in Gurugram, India.

Kawasaki Disease

  • News: Kawasaki disease cases among children have increased in India after COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Kawasaki Disease:
      • Kawasaki disease is a rare condition that causes fever and inflammation of blood vessels, primarily affecting children under 5 years of age.
      • It is also known as Kawasaki syndrome or mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome. 
      •  It is one of the most common forms of acquired heart disease in children.

Kawasaki Disease

  • History:
      • The disease was first described in Japan by Tomisaku Kawasaki in 1967, with the first cases outside Japan reported in Hawaii in 1976.
  • Effects on the Body:
      • The immune system attacks the blood vessels, causing them to become inflamed and swollen.
      • It predominantly affects the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle.
      • It can also impact the lymph nodes, skin, and the lining of the mouth, nose, and throat.
  • Symptoms:  Fever, rash, swelling of the hands and feet, redness and irritation of the whites of the eyes, swollen lymph glands in the neck etc.

Read also: Understanding the State’s Power to Tax Mining Activities | UPSC

Curcuma Ungmensis

  •  News: Researchers have identified a new variety of the turmeric called as Curcuma ungmensis in Nagaland. 
  • Definition:
      • Curcuma ungmensis is a plant species belonging to the genus Curcuma within the ginger family Zingiberaceae. 
      • It is named after Ungma, a village in the Mokokchung district where it was discovered.

Curcuma Ungmensis

  • Botanical Characteristics:
      • Type: Rhizomatous herb
      • Rhizome: Branched and deeply buried in the soil
      • Gardening: Potentially ideal for use as an ornamental ground cover after proper domestication
      • Flowering: Occurs during the rainy season from August to October, with flowers opening in the morning and lasting a single day. 
  • Family Zingiberaceae:
      • Genera: The Zingiberaceae family consists of 21 genera and about 200 taxa in India.
      • Significant Genera: Curcuma is one of the most important and largest genera, with well-known species including turmeric (Curcuma longa), black turmeric (Curcuma caesia), and mango ginger (Curcuma amada).
      • Distribution: Curcuma species are widely distributed in South and Southeast Asia, South China, and a few species are found in northern Australia and the South Pacific.
      • In India: The genus is represented by approximately 40 species, primarily found in the northeast, southern states, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Fath-360 Missile

  • News:   Russia was expecting the imminent delivery of hundreds of Fath-360 close-range ballistic missiles from Iran.
  • Fath-360 Missile: 
      • The Fath-360, also known as Fateh-360, is an Iranian short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) noted for its precision and mobility.
      •  It is designed for tactical strikes against military targets and infrastructure.

Fath-360 Missile

  • Features:
      • Launch Weight: 787 kilograms
      • Speed: Travels at speeds ranging from Mach 3 to 4
      • Propulsion: Equipped with a solid-fuel engine, enabling rapid deployment and quick launch times
      • Range: Approximately 120 to 300 kilometers
      • Warhead: Carries a 150-kilogram warhead
      • Design: Relatively small and maneuverable, which enhances its evasion capabilities against air defense systems 
      • Guidance System: Utilizes a combination of inertial guidance and satellite navigation, achieving an accuracy of 30 meters
      • Launch System: The missile system uses a truck-mounted Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) capable of carrying and launching multiple missiles. 
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