Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – CURRENT EVENT

Context: Recently, Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the Central government’s new initiative—‘NAtional geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of urban HAbitations’ (NAKSHA).

Background: –

• Most urban areas – barring a few states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa – have outdated or unstructured land records, causing inefficiencies in governance and taxation.
• The programme addresses the issue of updation of land records in urban areas – while land records have improved in rural areas, several cities lack maps even today.

Key takeaways

• NAKSHA is a city survey initiative under the existing Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP). It is spearheaded by the Department of Land Resources (DoLR), under the Ministry of Rural Development.
• Under the new initiative, maps of towns and cities will be prepared. The programme has been launched as a pilot across 152 urban local bodies in 26 states. The cities selected meet two criteria: area less than 35 sq km, and population less than 2 lakhs. The pilot will be completed in a year.
• According to the DoLR, “The NAKSHA program aims to create a comprehensive and accurate geospatial database for urban land records. By integrating aerial and field surveys with advanced GIS technology, the program enhances efficiency in land governance, streamlines property ownership records, and facilitates urban planning. Accurate geospatial data ensures improved decision-making, efficient land use planning and smoothen and certain property transactions.”

What does NAKSHA entail?

• As per the Census 2011, India has 7,933 towns covering 1.02 lakh square km of the total 32.87 lakh square km geographical area of the country. NAKSHA will cover 4,142.63 square km of area.
• The initiative is 100 per cent centrally funded. The pilot project is expected to cost about Rs 194 crore.
• Once completed, NAKSHA is expected to provide comprehensive digital urban land records, reduce land disputes, aid in faster and more efficient urban planning, improve property tax collection, simplify property transactions and improve access to credit.
• The Centre plans to scale up NAKSHA once the pilot is completed.

How will the survey be done?

• The survey will be done through aerial photography using two types of cameras— simple cameras and oblique angle cameras (having 5 cameras) with LiDAR sensors. These cameras will be mounted on drones. The ground resolution of these cameras will be 5 cm, which is far better than any satellite.
• The NAKSHA initiative envisages a three-stage process for the survey and mapping of urban areas.
• In the first stage, an area is selected, and a flight plan for a drone survey is drawn. Once a drone flight takes place, photographs are taken from which data will be extracted.
• In the second stage, a field survey is done to verify the conditions on the ground. Details like property tax, ownership, and registration deeds will be linked with each land parcel and property. Thereafter 2D/3D models will be prepared and draft land ownership details will be published.
• In the third stage, claims and objections are accounted for and grievances are redressed. Following these, the final maps will be published.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – INTERNATIONAL

Context: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted India’s commitments to supporting Global South nations in building their peacekeeping capacities at the inaugural ‘Conference for Women Peacekeepers from the Global South’.

Background: –

• Since the 1950s, India has contributed over 290,000 peacekeepers across more than 50 UN Peacekeeping missions. Today, more than 5,000 Indian peacekeepers are currently deployed in nine of the 11 active peacekeeping missions.

Key takeaways

• The idea of UN Peacekeeping stems from the UN having no military forces. Therefore, Member States voluntarily provide the military and police personnel that are periodically required for each peacekeeping operation from their national forces.
• Peacekeepers usually wear their countries’ uniforms and are identified as UN peacekeepers only by a UN blue helmet or beret and a badge. They are tasked with protecting civilians, actively preventing conflict, reducing violence, strengthening security, and empowering national authorities to assume these responsibilities.
• Officially, they are allowed to use force at a tactical level, with the authorisation of the Security Council, if acting in self-defence and defence of the mandate. In general, a UN peacekeeping operation should only use force as a measure of last resort.
• The first UN peacekeeping mission was established in May 1948, when the UN Security Council authorised the deployment of a small number of UN military observers to the Middle East to form the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) to monitor the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbours.

Who funds UN Peacekeeping Missions?

• The UN Security Council makes decisions about establishing, maintaining, or expanding peacekeeping operations, while all UN Member States are collectively tasked with financing them. 
• Every member is legally obligated to pay their respective share under Article 17 of the Charter of the United Nations. The United States (26.95%) and China (18.69%) pay the most, partly because they are part of the UNSC. India’s share is around 0.2088%.
• Peacekeeping soldiers are paid by their Governments according to their own national rank and salary scale. Countries volunteering uniformed personnel to peacekeeping operations are reimbursed by the UN at a standard rate, approved by the General Assembly, of US$1,428 per soldier per month as of 1 July 2019.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims – SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Context: Nasa is gearing up for a new and first-of-its-kind solar mission that will closely observe the solar atmosphere and reconstruct the formation, trace origins, and map the evolution of solar winds and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), both of which influence space weather.

Background:

• The Polarimetry to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission will be launched by SpaceX on February 28.

Key takeaways

• The Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) is a NASA mission designed to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona, and its expansion into the solar wind that fills the solar system. 
• Objective: To understand how the solar corona transitions into the solar wind and how solar events, such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), propagate through space.
• Spacecraft Configuration: The mission comprises four suitcase-sized satellites operating in a coordinated constellation. These satellites will work together to create continuous, three-dimensional images of the corona and inner heliosphere. 
• Scientific Goals
  • PUNCH aims to bridge the observational gap between the solar corona and the heliosphere by:
    • Mapping the Solar Wind: Tracking the continuous flow of charged particles from the Sun to understand their acceleration and distribution.
    • Studying Solar Transients: Observing CMEs and other dynamic events to determine their structure, evolution, and potential impact on planetary environments.
    • Enhancing Space Weather Prediction: Providing data to improve models that predict space weather events, which can affect satellites, power grids, and communication systems on Earth. 
• Orbit: The satellites will be placed in a Sun-synchronous, low Earth orbit, allowing continuous observation of the Sun with minimal interruptions. 
• Mission Duration: Following a 90-day commissioning phase, PUNCH is slated for at least two years of scientific operations. 

Source: NASA

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – ECONOMY

Context: Shareholders of Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) have approved the company’s proposal to raise up to ₹5,000 crore through Qualified Institutions Placement (QIP) of equity shares, in one or multiple tranches.

Background: –

• The approval was granted by the shareholders in favour of the resolution via remote e-voting during the 22nd Extra-Ordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on Tuesday through video conferencing. 

Key takeaways

• A Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) is a capital-raising tool used by listed companies in India and other Southeast Asian countries. 
• It allows these companies to raise funds by issuing equity shares, non-convertible debt instruments, and convertible securities to Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) without having to go through the lengthy and complex regulatory compliance required for other methods like follow-on public offerings (FPOs) or rights issues.

Key Features of QIP:

• Purpose: QIPs were introduced by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in 2006 to reduce the dependence of Indian companies on foreign capital and encourage them to raise funds domestically.
• Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs): Only QIBs can participate in QIPs. QIBs include mutual funds, venture capital funds, foreign institutional investors, public financial institutions, scheduled commercial banks, insurance companies, and pension funds.
• Advantages: QIPs offer a quicker and more efficient way for companies to raise capital. They avoid the time-consuming procedural requirements and are less expensive than raising capital through American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) or Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs).
• Pricing: The issue price of a QIP must be not less than the average of the weekly high and low of the closing prices over the past two weeks. This ensures that shares are not allotted at a price lower than the market value.
• Lock-in Period: Securities allotted in a QIP are subject to a lock-in period of six months from the date of allotment. This is intended to ensure that only QIBs with a medium to long-term view participate in the issue.

Procedure:

• Approval: The company must obtain approval from its board of directors and shareholders to proceed with a QIP.
• Merchant Banker: A merchant banker is appointed to manage the issue and act as an intermediary between the company and the QIBs.
• Offer Document: The company prepares an offer document containing details about the issue, which is shared with the QIBs.
• Allotment: The securities are allotted to the QIBs based on their bids, and the funds are raised.

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus:

• Prelims – ENVIRONMENT

Context: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav recently released 10 gharials, a critically endangered species, into the Chambal river at the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary in Morena.

Background: –

• Madhya Pradesh’s decades-long conservation efforts have earned it the title of a “gharial state,” hosting over 80 per cent of India’s gharials.

Key takeaways

• The gharial is a species of Gavialis gangeticus—long-snouted, fish-eating crocodilians. 
• The name ‘gharial’ comes from the Hindi word ghara, meaning pot or vessel, referring to the bulbous snout tip of adult males, which resembles an inverted pot.
• Sandbanks, sandbars, and islands are critical to their ecology, serving as preferred sites for basking and nesting. From March to May, as river levels recede, female gharials climb onto exposed sandbanks and islands to nest communally, with many laying eggs in the same area.
• Gharials are important for a river’s ecosystem, as they clean up carrion.
• Madhya Pradesh boasts the highest number of gharials in India, with a 2024 census recording 2,456 individuals in the sanctuary.
• Wildlife researchers have said the species is likely extinct in Myanmar and Bhutan, with only small, uncertain populations remaining in Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh’s upper Brahmaputra.

What are the conservation efforts?

• Between 1975 and 1982, India established 16 captive breeding and release centers and five gharial sanctuaries. 
• Today, the species survives primarily in five refuges: National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS), Katerniaghat Sanctuary, Chitwan National Park, Son River Sanctuary, and Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary.
• Conservation efforts include captive breeding programmes to rear and release hatchlings back into the river, monitoring populations, actively managing threats like sand mining, and engaging local communities.

Why is the Chambal sanctuary crucial?

• Spanning three states, the Chambal sanctuary protects a 435-km stretch of one of India’s cleanest rivers. Apart from gharials, the stretch hosts over 290 bird species, including rare Indian Skimmers (80% of the national population).
• The sanctuary has also been helpful in reviving populations elsewhere. Gharials had disappeared from the rivers of Punjab around 1960-70. Gharials were sent to Punjab from the Deori Gharial Center of Chambal in 2017. In 2018, 25 gharials were sent to the Sutlej River, and in 2020, 25 gharials were sent to the Beas River.

Source: Indian Express

Q1.) Consider the following statements regarding NASA’s PUNCH Mission:

1. The mission aims to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere and the solar wind.
2. It consists of a single large spacecraft equipped with advanced solar imaging instruments.
3. One of its objectives is to enhance space weather prediction by observing coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
4. The satellites will be placed in a geostationary orbit to provide continuous monitoring of the Sun.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 4 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3 only
(d) 1, 3, and 4 only

Q2.) Consider the following statements regarding Gharials:

1. They are found only in India.
2. Gharials are primarily fish-eating reptiles.
3. They are listed under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 2 and 3 only

Q3.) Which of the following statements is true about Qualified Institutions Placement (QIP)?

(a) It allows listed companies to raise funds from the general public.
(b) It is a method of raising capital exclusively from Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs).
(c) It is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
(d) It requires a minimum of 50 investors to participate.

Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!!

ANSWERS FOR ’  Today’s – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs

Q.1) – c

Q.2) – d

Q.3) – c