Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
S.NO. NEWS ITEM
SYLLUBUS
1.
Cultural parks
a) I.R
planned to lift
Hindi Chini Bhai
Bhai spirit (Pages
1 and 10)
2.
When Nehru and a) I.R
Mao met (Page 9)
3.
Xian offers a
a)
historic backdrop
for Xi-Modi tryst
(Page 10)
4.
Interpreting
Modispeak on
China (Page 9)
a)
5.
Deals for US
howitzers,
Russian copters
approved (Page
11)
a)
6.
A long march to a a)
new relationship
(Page 8)
7.
Chinas supply of a)
n-reactors against
NSG (Page 12)
8.
Centre, Assam
a)
delaying border
fencing: SC (Page b)
11)
9.
India way behind a)
on WHO health
targets (Page 11) b)
ESSENCE OF THE ARTICLE
a) China and India are establishing two sister cultural
parks (in Beijing and Bengaluru) to boost the soft power
content in and impart a holistic dimension to a rapidly
evolving relationship.
a) The Mao-Nehru conversation of 1954 can remind
present leaderships in the two countries that the founders
of both nations had wished for a future where their
mutual rise was a possibility.
I.R
a) The meeting of Modi and Xi is set to rebuild trust
after a year that has been known more for the IndiaChina flashpoint at Chumar, bad blood over India-US
moves on the South China Sea and China-Pakistan
infrastructure projects in PoK, they will have a historic
background to make that start.
I.R
a) Indications are that PM Modi will not just push an
economic agenda, but will also try and craft a strong
politico-cultural plan during his visit to China.
I.R
a) Defence Acquisition Council (chaired by Defence
Minister Parrikar) cleared major long-pending defence
deals, including an Avro replacement programme, M-777
howitzers and Kamov-228 light utility helicopters from
Russia.
I.R
a) The Indo-China relationship today is marked by low
levels of mutual trust and the lack of knowledge of the
other among the people of both countries. Modis test will
be to introduce more rationality to the relationship and to
convince his Chinese interlocutors about this.
International a) Chinas move to build nuclear power plants in
Pakistan is not consistent with the rules of the Nuclear
Suppliers Group and the US has raised this issue in its
bilateral meetings.
National
a) The Supreme Court accused the Centre and Assam
govt of dragging its feet on protecting the countrys
Polity
insecure eastern border with Bangladesh despite its
judgment last year that security fences along the border
are posing a threat to the lives of ordinary citizens.
National
a) Accoriding to new data from the WHO, India has
met only four of ten health targets under the Millenium
Health
Development Goals and has made next to no progress on
1
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
b)
another four.
National
a) In a significant change of child labour laws, the
Union Cabinet approved a proposal to ban employment
Social issue of children aged under 14 in all kinds of commercial
enterprises.
National
a) The recurrence of a major earthquake on May 12
with its epicenter near Kodari in Nepal, has once again
Geography raised questions about preparedness for such disasters in
the subcontinent.
National
a) Indias first indigenous aircraft carrier (INS Vikrant)
will be undocked on completion of structural work at the
S&T
Cochin Shipyard on May 28.
S&T
a) The May 12 earthquake of 7.3 magnitude that struck
68 km west of Namche Bazar (close to Mount Everest) is
Geography an aftershock of April 25 Nepal quake of 7.9 magnitude.
a)
S&T
b)
Geography
10.
Total ban on child a)
labour soon (Page
10)
b)
11.
Preparedness as
the key (Page 8)
a)
b)
12.
INS Vikrant
a)
launch on May 28
(Page 11)
b)
13.
Why the May 12
quake is called an
aftershock (Page
14)
Seismic networks
efficacy proved
during Nepal
earthquake (Page
14)
14.
15.
a)
Plutos faintest
a)
known moons
spotted (Page 14) b)
S&T
Geography
S.NO. NEWS ITEM
SYLLUBUS
1.
Cultural parks
a) I.R
planned to lift
Hindi Chini Bhai
Bhai spirit (Pages
1 and 10)
a) The April 25 Nepal earthquake (the first major
earthquake after the establishment of Indian Seismic and
GNSS Network in 2013) proved the effectiveness of the
system, that provides real-time data to 100 standalone
seismic stations spanning across the country.
a) NASAs New Horizons spacecraft has for the first
time snapped Kerberos and Styx – the smallest and
faintest of Plutos five moons, capturing its first-ever
family portrait of the Pluto system.
BACKGROUND
a) India – China
relations
b)
Cultural parks
IMPORTANT POINTS
a) China and India are
establishing two sister cultural
parks (in Beijing and
Bengaluru) to boost the soft
power content in and impart a
holistic dimension to a rapidly
evolving relationship.
b) Fully supported by the
Chinese govt, the concept of
setting up large-scale cultural
hubs flows from the Joint
Statement signed during
President Xis visit to India.
2
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
2.
When Nehru and a)
Mao met (Page 9)
I.R
a) India – China
relations
b) India-China War
1962
c)
Tibet issue
d)
World War II
e)
World War I
c) Dana Schuppert (who is
the driving force behind the
initiative of setting up two sister
cultural parks in Beijing and
Bengaluru) said the cultural
renaissance that we are
experiencing under President Xi
is a great Buddhist renaissance.
She stressed that Modis arrival
was perfectly timed as the
Chinese leadership had taken a
strategic decision to transform
its relationship with India.
a) The period of 1954 is
fascinating and a record of
history for it was in this year
that four-and-a-half hours of
conversation (between
Jawaharlal Nehru and Mao
Zedong) revealed how two
strong-willed leaders tried to
make sense of the post-Second
World War world.
b) The minutes of the three
meetings present a compelling
picture of two equals trying to
analyse changing power
equations between the great
powers. In this, Mao frankly
admits that Chinas economic
development was lower than
that of India and it would take
10 to 20 years for industrial
development to achieve solid
results.
c) He says in spite of
differences in our ideologies
and social systems, we have an
overriding common point that is
all of us have to deal with
imperialism. Both show
3
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
themselves to be keen analysts
of the international situation exchanging notes on foreign
affairs and the likely fallout of a
possible third World War on
their two countries, the region
and the world.
d) When Nehru suggests that
India and China should play
more important roles in Asia,
an issue being discussed to this
day; Mao responds that the US
does not recognise our two
countries as great powers.
Nehru does not take a fully
blanket view and points out to
Mao that some Americans were
against British and French
colonialism but adds that since
the US had vested interests, it
was nervous and afraid.
e) Considerable time was
spent on discussing the impact
of the two World Wars and a
possible third one, with Mao
arguing that success for
communist and nationalist
parties came as a consequence
of two Wars. He is convinced
that it was World War II that
led to Chinas independence like in the case of the Russian
Bolsheviks in World War I.
f) However, Nehru takes a
different line saying that he
agreed with Mao on most points
but had reservations on a few,
which he then goes on to refer
to. He says even without the
4
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
Second World War, India
would have still attained
independence, adding that the
War was used as a tool by
Britain, prolonging its rule.
g) While discussing the
possibility of another war,
Nehru feels that with every
passing year, the chances of
war were receding. Mao
remarks that if another war
were to break out, no one could
sink China or India to the ocean
floor completely.
h) Tragically, within eight
years, India and China were at
war. However, the conversation
between Mao and Nehru shows
clearly that the 1962 war was
far from inevitable given the
commonalities and frank nature
of dialogue between two sides.
i) It displays the fact that
there was nothing inevitable
about the conflict that was to
happen. Mao does make a
reference to the agreement on
Tibet in a positive manner,
revealing that the issue was
very much on his mind.
j) The Mao-Nehru
conversation can remind
present leaderships in the two
countries that the founders of
both nations had wished for a
future where their mutual rise
was very much in the realm of
the possible.
5
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
3.
Xian offers a
a)
historic backdrop
for Xi-Modi tryst
(Page 10)
I.R
a) India – China
relations
b)
Border issue
a) Before leaving for the
ancient city Xian, PM Modi
told the Chinese media that his
visit would set a new milestone
for Asian relations.
c) Silk Road economic
b) The meeting of Modi and
belt
Xi is set to rebuild trust after a
d) Maritime Silk Route year that has been known more
for the India-China flashpoint at
(MSR)
Chumar, bad blood over IndiaUS moves on the South China
e) Xian
Sea and China-Pakistan
infrastructure projects in PoK,
f) Pakistan occupied
they will have a historic
Kashmir (PoK)
background to make that start.
g) South China Sea
c) Xian is filled with historic
significance for the India-China
relationship. It is the place
where Chinas first Emperor Qin
Shi Huang (who unified China
and constructed the first Great
Wall) was buried. He reigned in
China from 221 BC, around the
time King Ashoka ruled over
most of South Asia and
Buddhism spread from India.
d) Xian is the starting point
of the ancient Silk Route that
stretched from Changan to
Istanbul and is Xis most
important project at present.
The Silk Road economic belt
and the 21st century MSR that
make up belt and road initiative
that China is preparing to spend
billions on is yet to receive
Indias approval.
e) Sources say Modi and Xi
will discuss more confidencebuilding measures to ensure
peace and calm on the border.
6
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
4.
Interpreting
Modispeak on
China (Page 9)
a)
I.R
a) India – China
relations
b)
Cultural ties
c)
Border issue
d) Chinas One Belt
One Road initiative
(OBOR)
a) Narendra Modi will make
his first visit to China as PM
from May 14 to 16. Despite the
differences in world views and
how he has gone about
understanding China, he is
probably the first PM after
Jawaharlal Nehru capable of
shaping a unique approach to
China. His forthcoming visit
will be one of many such
opportunities to do so.
b) The differences between
the two PMs also show how
both China and the Sino-Indian
relationship have changed over
time. Until the defeat of 1962,
Nehru looked at China in anticolonial and anti-imperialist
solidarity and so, promoted
communist Chinas membership
of international organisations
and participation in
international affairs. But he also
believed that India and China
had the potential to do much
together to reshape the world.
c) Modis four visits to China
as Gujarat CM were based on a
vastly different world situation
than the one that confronted
Nehru. First, while the Cold
War has ended, the two most
important powers in the world
today, US and China continue
to be rivals. Given that the
rivalry has shifted closer to
home, India is hard pressed to
formulate some sort of a
response among its own
political and economic shaking.
d)
Second, there is no doubt
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
that India has fallen
considerably behind China in
world standing. Perhaps it is the
lack of political value compared
to China that hurts India most.
India under Nehru had presence
and held attention on world
forums.
e) Third, unlike Nehru who
dominated Indias decisionmaking and thinking on foreign
policy issues, India now has
CMs of states engaging with
other countries, and they are
increasingly influential on
foreign policy. The CM from
Tamil Nadu on Sri Lanka and
that from West Bengal on
Bangladesh are examples.
f) Modis bearhug diplomacy
with Shinzo Abe of Japan,
Tony Abbot of Australia, and
Barack Obama of US stood in
contrast to the rather polite
welcome to Xi in Ahmedabad
last year. Modi clearly knows
who he thinks are Indias friends
and partners.
g) Modi appears to have a
rather audacious politicocultural agenda in his foreign
policy. He cannot but be aware
of the Dalai Lamas mortality,
the Sino-Tibetan debate over
his reincarnation, and the
puppet Chinese Panchen Lama
being hold up to rival the Dalai
Lamas influence.
h) Modis govt has maintained
silence on Chinas new Silk
Roads or one belt, one road
8
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
initiative. While engaging with
the initiative makes eminent
economic sense for India, there
are some Chinese notes that jar
historically and culturally for
India. The Indian silence thus is
a challenge and reminder of the
very different political and
religious history that the socalled Silk Roads represented.
i) What then of the boundary
dispute? Taken together, the
above aspects of Modis foreign
policy suggest that while he
might be willing to be practical
and acknowledge that Tibet is
today a part of China, his
cultural agenda might also
require that any resolution also
offer India greater, regular, and
multifaceted access to Tibet
than is the case today.
5.
Deals for US
howitzers,
Russian copters
approved (Page
11)
a)
I.R
j) The induction of Kiren
Rijiju from Arunachal Pradesh
into the Modi cabinet confirms
Indias red lines, but as with the
potential of OBOR to make
borders inconsequential, the
cultural agenda of a Greater
India too could mean that lines
on a map are unnecessary to
legitimate and further Indian
influence in Tibet and
elsewhere on Chinas periphery.
a) Indias defence ties a) The DAC (chaired by
Defence Minister Parrikar)
with Russia and US
cleared major long-pending
b) Defence Acquisition defence deals, including an
Avro replacement programme,
Council (DAC)
M-777 howitzers and Kamov228 light utility helicopters
c) Foreign Military
Sales (FMS) programme from Russia.
9
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
d) Light-Utility
Helicopters (LUH)
e)
BrahMos
b) For the M-777 Ultra-Light
Howitzers, the original deal
under the FMS programme with
US govt has been approved for
145 guns worth Rs. 2,900 crore.
c) A deal for 200-plus
Kamov-228 helicopters from
Russia as LUHs for the Army
and the Air Force has got the
go-ahead. The decision for
building helicopters in India
was announced during the visit
of Russian President Putin to
India last year.
6.
A long march to a a)
new relationship
(Page 8)
I.R
d) The Indian Navy will get
six additional units of BrahMos
cruise missiles for six of its
frontline warships.
a) The India-China
a) India – China
relationship today is marked by
relations
low levels of mutual trust,
b) One Belt One Road filling uncertainty in each
countrys approach to the other,
initiative
and the lack of knowledge of
c) Asian Infrastructure the other among the people of
Investment Bank (AIIB) either country.
d) Maritime Silk Road b) Modis test is to introduce
more rationality and coherence
(MSR) project
into the relationship than there
is today, and to convince his
e) China-Pakistan
Chinese interlocutors of the
Economic Corridor
need for the same. Partnership
(CPEC)
for development between India
f) Pakistan-occupied and China is a win-win
partnership and neither side can
Kashmir (PoK)
lose in such a transaction.
g) Kashmir issue
c) The business of diplomacy
is business. Our trade with
h) Gwadar port
China has grown phenomenally
in the last decade and so has our
trade deficit ($44.7 billion at
10
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
last count). The Chinese market
has been resistant to entry by
our pharmaceutical exports and
our service industries. An
unequal relationship is an
uneasy relationship. This is a
point the Prime Minister will
have to emphatically make.
d) Another area of focus
must be tourism. Tourist
arrivals from China are very
less. There is much to be done
in terms of attracting young
Chinese particularly to our
Buddhist sites, our backwaters
and rainforests, and our Hindu
and Islamic heritage.
e) India and China must
move forward with more
purpose in areas like their
strategic economic dialogue, on
issues of military-to-military
cooperation, better connectivity
which is the spine on which
trade and investment is
positioned, consultations on
disarmament, non-proliferation
and arms control, state-to-state
relations between our provinces
and Chinas, and consultations
on regional situation, especially
on Afghanistan.
f) Chinas One Belt One Road
initiative (the AIIB is another)
is a clever way of redrawing the
map of the region on a Chinesedriven projection. The MSR
essentially provides a catchy
name to Chinas 21st century
foray into the waters of Indian
Ocean, building ports and
staging points in key stations
11
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
along the way, including Sri
Lanka, the Maldives, northern
Kenya, and Gwadar in Pakistan.
g) The benefits to India are
difficult to assess, as we
legitimately seek to consolidate
our time-tested ties and create
our own organic connectivity
with the islands and coastal
lands of the Indian Ocean. The
PMs tours in the region are a
reflection of this reality.
h) As part of its Belt initiative,
China is working with Pakistan
to construct a CPEC across the
Karakoram ranges into PoK and
connecting with the Arabian
Sea at Gwadar. The all-weather
strategic partnership of
cooperation between China and
Pakistan continues to grow
unrestricted, despite reports of
troubles in Xinjiang caused by
East Turkestan Islamic
Movement groups trained in
terror camps in Pakistan.
i) Chinas selective approach
to the issue of Kashmir, where
its actions in PoK signal
implicit acceptance of Pakistani
jurisdiction, vis-a-vis avoidance
of contacts with India on J&K
and entities based there, is
another source of difference.
j) The other major issue is
predictably, the boundary
question. Since 1993, various
agreements to maintain peace
and calm, and confidencebuilding mechanisms between
border security personnel on
12
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
both sides, have kept the peace
effectively, despite doomsday
predictions. One hopes for
adequate reserves of good sense
on the part of both governments
to ensure that peace prevails.
7.
Chinas supply of a)
n-reactors against
NSG (Page 12)
International
8.
Centre, Assam
delaying border
fencing: SC
(Page 11)
a)
National
b)
Polity
k) For a start, border trade
needs more of a boost from
both govts, as also the opening
of more pilgrimage routes. The
route from Demchok in Ladakh
to the holy sites of Kailash and
Manasarovar is one such
example. Opening the route will
certainly create a radically new
normal in the area, allowing for
a people-centred dispensation to
ring-fence a territorial dispute.
a) China – Pakistan
a) US official said that
relations
Chinas move to build nuclear
power plants in Pakistan is not
consistent with the rules of the
b) Chinas nuclear
power plants in Pakistan NSG and the US has raised this
issue in its bilateral meetings.
c) Nuclear Suppliers
b) He said we raised this
Group (NSG)
issue both as a bilateral issue
and within the context of NSG.
a) India – Bangladesh a) Supreme Court accused
border fencing issue
the Centre and Assam govt of
dragging its feet on protecting
the countrys insecure eastern
b) Assam Accord
border with Bangladesh despite
its judgment last year that
security fences along the border
are posing a threat to the lives
of ordinary citizens.
b) Deciding to have an
independent look at what is
happening on the ground, the
Bench appointed a court
commissioner to visit border
and report back on the state of
13
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
fencing and roads along it.
9.
India way behind a)
on WHO health
targets (Page 11) b)
National
Health
a) Millenium
Development Goals
(MDG)
b)
WHO
c) In a Dec 17 2014 judgment,
the court directed the Centre to
build motorable roads alongside
the international border and
install floodlights to prevent
incursion and cross-border
trafficking.
a) According to new data
from the WHO, India has met
only four of ten health targets
under the MDGs and has made
next to no progress on another
four. The deadline for achieving
MDGs runs out this year.
b) The report finds that
globally, life expectancy at
birth has increased by six years
for both men and women since
1990. By the end of this year if
current trends continue, the
world will have met global
targets for turning around the
epidemics of HIV, malaria and
tuberculosis and increasing
access to safe drinking water.
c) The report says that it will
also have made substantial
progress in reducing child
undernutrition, maternal and
child deaths, and increasing
access to basic sanitation.
d) In India, life expectancy
grew by eight years between
1990 and 2013. While India has
sharply reduced its infant
mortality between 2000 and
2013, it still contributes for the
14
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
most infant deaths globally.
10.
Total ban on
a)
child labour soon
(Page 10)
b)
National
a) Child Labour
Prohibition Act 1986
Social issue
b)
Child rights
c) Right to Education
Act
e) In addition to finishing the
MDG agenda, the post-2015
agenda needs to tackle
emerging challenges, including
the growing impact of noncommunicable diseases, like
diabetes and heart disease, and
the changing social and
environmental determinants
that affect health.
a) In a significant change of
child labour laws, the Union
Cabinet approved a proposal to
ban employment of children
aged under 14 in all kinds of
commercial enterprises. The
Child Labour Prohibition Act
1986 imposes the ban on only
18 hazardous industries.
b) However, the Cabinet has
made an exception for work
done in family enterprises and
on farmlands, provided it is
done after school hours and
during vacations.
11.
Preparedness as a)
the key (Page 8)
b)
National
a)
Earthquakes
Geography
b)
Nepal earthquake
c) Tectonic plate
movements
c) The proposed amendment
Bill will be in sync with the
Right to Education Act that
guarantees children aged
between 6 and 14 the right to go
to school.
a) The recurrence of a major
earthquake on May 12 with its
epicenter near Kodari in Nepal,
has once again raised questions
about preparedness for such
disasters in the subcontinent.
15
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
d) Main Boundary
Thrust
b) India is divided into five
seismic zones, with Zone 5
being the most active and
e) Main Central Thrust earthquake-prone. Himalayan
regions, Assam and Burma
f) Faults
region, and the Bhuj region in
the west fall in this category.
g) Seismic zones of
India
c) The reason for earthquakes
occurring in Nepal is known h) Himalayas
the movement of the Indian
tectonic plate against the
Eurasian plate. Along the
Himalayas lie two fault-lines the Main Boundary Thrust and
Main Central Thrust. Running
parallel to the Himalayan
ranges to a width of 100 km to
120 km, this region has a
history of earthquakes.
d) In the last 120 years, there
have been four major events 1897 (Shillong), 1905
(Himachal Pradesh, Kangra),
1934 (Nepal-Bihar border),
1950 (Arunachal Pradesh, then
a part of the North East Frontier
Agency).
e) The movement of Indian
tectonic plate against Eurasian
plate has created accumulated
stress. This stress is released in
a manner that makes predicting
earthquakes impossible. When
a major event happens, part of
the stress is released at that
point but accumulates in a
different part of the belt. Thus
there is no natural escape for
the region from susceptibility to
16
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
earthquakes.
f) Measurements from the
seismological stations and
global positioning system data
now tell us the Indian plate is
moving north at a speed of 5
metres a year. This would
contribute to stress
accumulation and to seismic
activity even in Zones 2, 3 & 4.
12.
13.
INS Vikrant
a)
launch on May 28
(Page 11)
b)
National
a)
INS Vikrant
S&T
b)
DRDO
Why the May 12 a)
quake is called an
aftershock (Page b)
14)
S&T
a)
Nepal earthquake
Geography
b) Tectonic plate
movements
c)
Faults
d)
Thrusts
e) Aftershocks of
earthquakes
g) We need to accept
earthquakes as a reality and do
everything in our power to
redefine development plans,
especially in terms of building
quake-resistant buildings. There
should be systematic resort to
disaster drills to educate the
public on what to do during an
earthquake. Preparedness is the
key to managing any more such
disasters.
a) Indias first indigenous
aircraft carrier (INS Vikrant)
will be undocked on completion
of structural work at the Cochin
Shipyard on May 28.
a) The May 12 earthquake of
7.3 magnitude that struck 68
km west of Namche Bazar
(close to Mount Everest) is an
aftershock of April 25 Nepal
quake of 7.9 magnitude.
b) The magnitude of
aftershocks will always be
lower than the main event. The
higher the magnitude of the
main event, the higher will be
17
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
the magnitude of aftershocks.
c) The magnitude of the
aftershocks will generally show
a decreasing trend with time.
Such a reduction in aftershock
magnitude was witnessed in
Nepal after the April 25 event.
d) But the May 12 Nepal
aftershock suddenly showed a
spike in magnitude. Scientists
said the aftershocks will
generally follow an exponential
decay pattern.
e) After the Dec 2004 9.1
magnitude earthquake off the
coast of Sumatra that caused the
killer tsunami waves, there
were two aftershocks of 7.2
magnitude that did not follow a
linear pattern of magnitude
decay. Similarly, there was an
earthquake on April 11 2012 of
8.6 magnitude in the Bay of
Bengal. The very same day, an
aftershock of 8.2 magnitude
was registered in the same fault.
f) But most importantly, the
May 12 Nepal earthquake
occurred in the same fault some
160 km east of April 25 quake.
The fault is in between the two
major fault systems in the
Himalayas the Main Boundary
Thrust and the Main Central
Thrust. The two fault systems
are 100-120 km apart and run
as a linear belt all along the
Himalayas from Kashmir to
18
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:14-05-15
14.
15.
Seismic networks a)
efficacy proved
during Nepal
b)
earthquake (Page
14)
Plutos faintest
a)
known moons
spotted (Page 14) b)
S&T
Geography
Arunachal Pradesh. In the
Himalayan region, 90 percent
of earthquakes occur between
these two fault systems.
a) Nepal earthquake
a)
The April 25 Nepal
earthquake (the first major
b) Indian Seismic and earthquak after establishment of
GNSS Network (ISGN) the ISGN in 2013) proved the
effectiveness of the system, that
c) IMD
provides real-time data to 100
standalone seismic stations
d) GSAT-12
spanning across the country.
e)
VSAT
f)
INCOIS
g)
INSAT-3A
S&T
a)
Pluto system
Geography
b) New Horizons
spacecraft
b) ISGN seeks to enhance the
capability in monitoring seismic
activity in India, besides
providing high quality data for
researchers.
c) All the seismic and GNSS
stations are linked through
VSAT while INCOIS and IMD
with state-of-the-art data
centres serve as Satellite Hub
Stations. While half the number
of stations is connected through
GSAT-12 to a nine-metre Hub
set up at INCOIS, remaining
stations are connected through
INSAT-3A to another ninemetre Hub at IMD.
a) NASAs New Horizons
spacecraft has for the first time
snapped Kerberos and Styx –
the smallest and faintest of
Plutos five moons, capturing its
first-ever family portrait of the
Pluto system.
NOTE: Read all articles in S&T Page 14.
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