Tejas LCA-Mk1A

Context: Recently, GE Aerospace delivered the first of 99 F404-IN20 engines to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A. 

About F404-IN20 engines

• The F404-IN20 engine is a customized variant of the F404 family.
• Objective:  Specially designed for India’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A. 
• • It is built to offer high thrust, improved efficiency, and durability, making it suitable for modern combat needs.

About Tejas LCA Mk1A

• The Tejas LCA Mk1A, developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), is an upgraded version of India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) with over 40 improvements.
• Key Features of Tejas Mk1A
  • Modern Radar: Equipped with advanced AESA Radars – Israeli EL/M-2052 or India’s Uttam AESA Radar.
  • Enhanced Flight Control: Upgraded Digital Fly-by-Wire Flight Control System (DFCC Mk1A).
  • Electronic Warfare (EW): Features Unified Electronic Warfare Suite (UEWS) and Advanced Self Protection Jammer pod.
  • Increased Weapon Capacity: Has nine hardpoints to carry BVR missiles, Air-to-Air/Ground missiles, and ASRAAM.

Abel Prize

Context: Japanese mathematician Masaki Kashiwara was awarded this year’s Abel Prize for his fundamental work in algebraic analysis and representation theory.

About Masaki Kashiwara work

• He is credited with developing the theory of D-modules and discovering crystal bases, which simplify complex mathematical calculations using simple graphs.

About the Abel Prize

• First awarded in 2003, the Abel Prize is often considered equivalent to the Nobel Prize, which lacks a category for mathematics.
• It was modeled on the Nobel Prize to recognize outstanding contributions in mathematics.
  Prize Details:
  • Includes a cash award of 7.5 million kroner (around $720,000).
    Winners receive a glass plaque designed by Norwegian artist Henrik Haugan.
• Purpose: The Abel Prize aims to honor groundbreaking achievements in the field of mathematics.
• Naming:  It is named after Niels Henrik Abel (1802-1829), a Norwegian mathematician known for his contributions to multiple mathematical areas.

History and Administration of the Abel Prize

• Establishment:
  • Founded by the Norwegian Parliament in 2002 on Abel’s 200th birth anniversary.
  • Originally proposed in 1899 by mathematician Sophus Lie after learning that the Nobel Prize excluded mathematics.

Vertically-Launched Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VLSRSAM)

Context: The flight Test of the indigenously-developed Vertically-Launched Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VLSRSAM) for the Navy was successfully conducted.

About Vertically-Launched Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VLSRSAM)

• Conducted By: Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy 
• Location: The trail was conducted in conjunction with the Indian Navy at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur off the coast of Odisha
• The flight-test was carried out from a land-based vertical launcher establishing the Near-Boundary-Low Altitude capability of the missile system.
• Weapon Systems: All the weapon system elements  including missile with indigenous Radio Frequency seeker, Multi-Function Radar and Weapon Control System,were deployed in combat configuration
• Performance: The performance of the system was validated by the flight data captured by various Range Instruments developed by ITR Chandipur.
• Significance: 
  • The missile demonstrated its near-boundary, low-altitude capability during a test fire.

Zo Community

Context: Violent clashes broke out in Churachandpur, Manipur recently between individuals belonging to the Zomi community on one side, and those belonging to the Hmar and Kuki communities on the other.

• All the three communities ie. Zomi, Hmar and Kuki fall under the larger Zo umbrella.

About Zo People

• Etymology: The term “Zo” is means “highlander” or “people of the hills”
• Linguistic Group: The Zo people are an ethnolinguistic group who speak the Kuki-Chin languages (a group of related Sino-Tibetan languages)
  • The Kuki-Chin language is alternatively also called  “South-Central Trans-Himalayan” languages by Linguist Linda Konnerth in 2018.
• Spread: A majority of the Zo population lives in Manipur and Mizoram in Northeast India, Chittagong Hills in Bangladesh and Chin State of Myanmar.
• Origin: The Zo people trace their ancestry to the Tibeto-Burman family and are widely believed to have settled in Myanmar thousands of years ago, travelling from China via Tibet.
  • Few clans moved westward to modern-day Mizoram and parts of Manipur in the 17th century. 
• Sub-tribes  and Clans: The Zo is an umbrella community and comprise various sub-tribes and clans such as,
  • Chin, Kuki, Mizo, Lushei, Zomi, Paitei, Hmar, Ralte, Pawi, Lai, Mara, Gangte, Thadou, etc.
• Religious Beliefs: The Zo people traditionally were animists and practiced ancestral worship.
  • The proselytisation activities from the 19th century onwards, by the British missionaries converted a majority of Zo people to Protestant Christians.

India’s First Indigenously Developed MRI Scanner

Context: AIIMS New Delhi will install India’s first indigenously developed MRI scanner for clinical evaluation.

• The initiative aims to reduce dependence on imported medical devices and promote ‘Make in India’ innovation.
• Developed by: SAMEER (Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research), an autonomous R&D body under Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY).
• Developed under: National Mission SCAN-ERA (Swadeshi Chumbakiya Anu-naad Chitran – Ek Rashtriya Abhiyaan), launched in December 2014.

About MRI Scanner Working

What is MRI?

• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is a non-invasive medical imaging technique that produces detailed images of internal structures such as the brain, muscles, heart, and organs.

Principles of MRI Scanner

• Magnetic Field Alignment: A strong magnetic field aligns hydrogen protons in the body.
  • These protons behave like tiny magnets, aligning with the scanner’s field.
• Radiofrequency (RF) Pulses: The scanner sends an RF pulse, flipping the aligned protons to a higher energy state, disturbing their alignment.
• Proton Relaxation and Signal Detection: After the RF pulse stops, protons relax back, emitting radiofrequency signals.
  • MRI sensors detect these signals and analyze them.
• Image Construction: Detected signals are processed into cross-sectional images.
  • Multiple images are combined to create a 3D representation of the body.

Baalpan ki Kavita Initiative

Context: Recently, the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education has launched “Baalpan ki Kavita initiative: Restoring Bhartiya rhymes/poems for young children”

About Baalpan ki Kavita Initiative

• Create a compendium of Indian rhymes/poems in Bhartiya Bhasha (Indian languages) and English.
• Objective: Aligns with NEP 2020 goals:
  • Universal Early Childhood Education (ECE).
  • Multilingualism and inclusion of mother tongue in foundational learning.

DOWNLOAD PDF