Abstract Competition Solutions

What is a Select Committee?
(Read this article from Indian Express dated August 9, 2023 to know about Select Committee which is in news as 4 MPs complained that their names were included in a proposed select committee (proposed by AAP MP in Rajya Sabha Raghav Chadha) for the Delhi Services Bill without their consent. RS deputy chairman Harivansh announced a probe on August 7, 2023)

Article 370 of the Indian Constitution

ISRO’s PSLV-C56 LAUNCH

• On July 30, 2023, ISRO’s workhorse PSLV-C56 placed 7 Singapore satellites (DS-SAR satellite and 6 co-passenger satellites) in to the near equatorial orbit (NEO) after its successful launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) at 6:31AM.
• After the launcher placed all the seven satellites into a 535 km circular orbit, to reduce space debris, PS4 stage was brought back to a lower orbit of 295 km x 300 km orbit so that it re-enters atmosphere in less than 2 months.
• The main payload that went up on the 145-foot-tall (44 meters) PSLV was DS-SAR, a 794-pound (360 kilograms) satellite designed to image Earth in radar light. (SAR - Synthetic Aperture Radar). The DS-SAR satellite was developed under a partnership between the Government of Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and ST Engineering. Once deployed and operational, it will be used to support the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the Government of Singapore.
• The co-passengers on the missions are VELOX-AM, a 23 kg technology demonstration microsatellite, ARCADE Atmospheric Coupling and Dynamics Explorer (ARCADE), an experimental satellite, SCOOB-II, a 3U nanosatellite flying a technology demonstrator payload, NuLIoN by NuSpace, an advanced 3U nanosatellite enabling seamless IoT connectivity in both urban and remote locations, Galassia-2, a 3U nanosatellite that will be orbiting at low earth orbit and ORB-12 STRIDER which is a satellite developed under an International collaboration.
It is the 58th flight of PSLV and 17th of PSLV in core alone configuration.

13th International Tiger Day (Global Tiger Day)
• It is celebrated every year on 29 July since 2010 to raise awareness for tiger conservation.
• It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia by nations that are home to tigers. The Global Tiger Initiative (GTI), a grouping of nations, international organisations, and conservation organisations committed to tiger conservation, organised this summit.
• The 29th July was chosen as International Tiger Day because it represents the halfway point between the first and last days of the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit.
• Thirteen Tiger Range Countries (TRCs), or nations with wild tiger populations, gathered during this summit to discuss the alarming decline in tiger numbers at global level. 13 countries are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.
• These countries came together to create Tx2 – the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2022. (India met its target in 2018, 4 years ahead of schedule).
• India launched ‘PROJECT TIGER’ on April 1, 1973 to promote tiger conservation. (50 years completion in 2023)

All India Tiger Estimation -2022: Release of the detailed Report In 1973, the Government of India launched Project Tiger, an ambitious, holistic conservation project

• The highest number of enemy properties are in the state of Uttar Pradesh (6255) followed by West Bengal (4088), Delhi (659), Goa (295) and Maharashtra (208).

SUMMER PARALYMPICS 2020/XVI SUMMER PARALYMPIC GAMES/ TOKYO 2020 PARALYMPIC GAMES

• Being held between 24 August and 5 September 2021.

BHAVINA HASMUKHBHAI PATEL (From Mehsana, Gujarat)

• Won India’s first medal at Tokyo Paralympics 2020
• Won Silver medal in table tennis class 4 category (Zhou Ying of China won the Gold medal, 3-0)
• First-ever Indian table tennis player to win a Paralympic medal
• Only second Indian woman to win a Paralympic medal (First woman was Deepa Malik, Silver medal in women’s shot put in 2016 Rio Paralympic)

NISHAD KUMAR (From Badaun, Himachal Pradesh)

• Won Silver medal in men’s T-47 high jump event (2.06m high, Asian record) (Roderick Townsend of USA won Gold medal with a jump of 2.15m)

VINOD KUMAR

• 41-years old BSF man won Bronze medal in Men’s Discus throw (F52) event (19.91m distance, Asian record)
(Piotr Kosewicz of Poland won Gold medal with 20.02m;
Velimir Sandor of Croatia won Silver medal with 19.98m distance)