{"id":162679,"date":"2025-04-19T19:02:42","date_gmt":"2025-04-19T13:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=162679"},"modified":"2025-04-19T19:02:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-19T13:32:42","slug":"news-in-shorts-19-april-2025","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/news-in-shorts-19-april-2025","title":{"rendered":"News in Shorts: 19 April 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>PAIR Program<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) has announced the <\/span><b>selection of PAIR Networks under its flagship initiative<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the <\/span><b>Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) Program.<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About the Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) Program<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Aim:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To <\/span><b>strengthen India\u2019s higher education and research ecosystem<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by nurturing innovation, building research capacity and promoting excellence across regions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Framework: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PAIR Program is designed\u00a0 in a <\/span><b>mentorship mode to pair nascent <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">research universities with well-established top-tier research institutions i<\/span><b>n a hub and spoke model.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Approach:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Each PAIR network should<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> consist of <\/span><b>a hub and 3 to 7 spoke institutions.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Each spoke institution should involve multiple departments <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and faculty members\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Thematic Areas: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research proposals can be in both basic as well as<\/span><b> applied sciences, engineering and interdisciplinary research at the interface of scien<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ce, engineering and social sciences.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Funding: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A<\/span><b> maximum of Rs 100 Cr for five years<\/b> <b>per PAIR network <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">would be considered depending on the research theme, number of spokes<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>budget distribution for Hub and Spoke shall follow a 30:70 ratio.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Established: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ANRF was established with<\/span><b> Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) 2023 Act<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as recommended by\u00a0 the<\/span><b> National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Aim:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To <\/span><b>seed, grow and promote research and development (R&#038;D)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India\u2019s scientific landscape.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>The Pinnapuram Integrated Renewable Energy Project<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy &#038; Consumer Affairs visited <\/span><b>the Pinnapuram Integrated Renewable Energy Project <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Near <\/span><b>Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh.<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About the Pinnapuram Project<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Developed by :<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Greenko<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Components:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4000 MW of Solar Power<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1000 MW of Wind Power<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1680 MW of Pumped Hydro Power<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Storage Capacity: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10,080 MWh per day (in a single cycle).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is conceived as the<\/span><b> world\u2019s largest Gigawatt Scale integrated project<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with solar, wind and pumped storage components.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>NISAR Mission<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The long-awaited<\/span><b> NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Satellite) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mission may finally be launched in June 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About NISAR<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><b> NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mission is a collaborative <\/span><b>Earth-observing satellite<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> project between NASA and ISRO.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Orbit and Launch Vehicle: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The satellite will be launched into <\/span><b>low Earth orbit <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">using ISRO&#8217;s <\/span><b>Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II (GSLV-II)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Aim:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To<\/span><b> study global environmental changes, natural hazards<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><b>ecosystem disturbances <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">using advanced radar imaging.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Dual-Band Radar Mission<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: NISAR is the first satellite mission that will collect <\/span><b>radar data in two microwave bandwidth <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ranges:<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>L-band (1-2 GHz, commonly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> used for satellite communication and<\/span><b> remote sensing)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and L-band payload is made by the U.S.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>S-band (2-4 GHz,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> commonly used for satellite communication and <\/span><b>weather monitoring). <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">S-band payload has been made by the ISRO<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Radar Technology for Earth Imaging<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u2018SAR\u2019<\/span><b> (Synthetic Aperture Radar)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a <\/span><b>remote-sensing technology<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that uses radar to capture high-resolution images of the Earth.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can<\/span><b> penetrate clouds and vegetation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to generate accurate data.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Collaboration:\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NASA will provide the L-band radar, GPS, and data communication systems .<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ISRO will provide the S-band radar, spacecraft bus, and launch vehicle .<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data will be freely available to the global scientific community.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Guindy National Park<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A neglected grassland habitat within the<\/span><b> Guindy National Park<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, known as the<\/span><b> Polo Ground<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is now set for restoration to support the <\/span><b>blackbuck population.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About the Guindy National Park<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Location &#038; Size: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><b>Chennai, Tamil Nadu<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Biodiversity: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">it is home to <\/span><b>blackbucks, spotted deer, jackals, pangolins, and over 130 bird species.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also acts as a<\/span><b> green lung for Chennai,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> preserving urban wildlife.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About the Blackbuck<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is a species of<\/span><b> antelope <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">native to <\/span><b>India and Nepal.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The blackbuck is a <\/span><b>diurnal animal (active mainly during the day).<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Habitat: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They inhabit <\/span><b>grassy plains and thin forest areas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with easily available water resources.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Protection status:<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>IUCN Red List: Least concerned.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Wildlife Protection Act of 1972: Schedule I<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Operation ATALANTA<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The commander of the<\/span><b> European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Operation ATALANTA<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, has proposed a joint exercise with the Indian Navy on his visit to India.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About Operation ATALANTA<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Beginning:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It was<\/span><b> launched\u00a0 in 2008\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Focus: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The operation primarily <\/span><b>focused on preventing piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Area of Operation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Operation ATALANTA primarily <\/span><b>operates in the Western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Authority: The European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR)<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b><\/b><b>Headquarters: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u00a0 is located at<\/span><b> Naval Station Rota (NAVSTA Rota) in Spain<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Lucy Spacecraft<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NASA&#8217;s Lucy spacecraft is set to fly past the asteroid Donaldjohanson this <\/span><b>weekend, marking an important step in its mission to explore ancient space rocks.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The asteroid is 139 million miles away from Earth, located<\/span><b> in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is named after the scientist <\/span><b>who discovered the Lucy fossil.<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>What is the Lucy Spacecraft?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Launched by:\u00a0 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NASA in 2021\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Aim:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To study<\/span><b> asteroids that have been around since the early days of the solar system.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These asteroids are <\/span><b>like fossils in space<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, helping scientists understand how planets like Earth formed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Named after the <\/span><b>&#8220;Lucy&#8221; fossil,<\/b> <b>a 3.2-million-year-old human <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ancestor found in Ethiopia.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6375%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 111.19%; text-align: center;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Also Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.797%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>UPSC Daily Editorials<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 61.393%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/daily-current-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>UPSC Daily Current Affairs<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 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About the Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) Program Aim: To strengthen India\u2019s higher education and research ecosystem by nurturing innovation, building research capacity and&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/news-in-shorts-19-april-2025\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">News in Shorts: 19 April 2025<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":162681,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[],"subject":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/162679"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162679"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/162679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162687,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/162679\/revisions\/162687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162679"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=162679"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=162679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}