UPSC Quiz – 2024 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 6th August 2024

·       Astra is a beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile designed to be mounted on fighter aircraft.

·       It is indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Ltd. (BDL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

·       The missile was built to engage and destroy aerial targets, which have high maneuverability and supersonic speed.

·       The missile is capable of advanced air combat, which allows it to engage in multiple high-performance targets.

·       It is the best in its class of weapon systems in the world in the category of air-to-air missiles.

·       The missile is being developed in multiple variants to meet specific requirements.

Features of ASTRA Mk-I:

·       Astra is 3.6 m long and with a diameter of 178 mm, weighing 154 kg.

·       It has a range of 80 to 110 km in a head-on chase and can travel at 4.5 Mach speed (almost hypersonic).

·       The missile uses an inertial guidance system driven by a fibre optic gyroscope with terminal guidance through active radar homing.

·       It offers the pilot the option to choose between “Lock on Before Launch – LOBL” and “Lock on After Launch – LOAL” and later allows the aircraft to shoot and scoot to safety after firing the missile in the direction of the target.

·       It is based on an advanced solid-fuel ducted ramjet (SFDR) engine technology.

·       Stand-off range means the missile is launched at a distance sufficient to allow the attacking side to evade defensive fire from the target. Beyond visual range(BVR) air-to-air missile (AAM) such as Astra Mk-1 can provide large stand-off ranges to fighter aircraft. This can neutralize adversary airborne assets without exposing themselves to adversary air defence measures.

·       It is capable of operating under all weather conditions, both day and night, and offers high overall reliability and a very high “Single Shot Kill Probability – SSKP”.

·       The river is known as Dhamra in its lower reaches.

Origin:

·       It is formed by the confluence of the Sankh and South Koel rivers near the major industrial town of Rourkela in Odisha.

·       Both the sources of the Brahmani River are on the Chota Nagpur Plateau.

·       The Sankh River has its origins near the Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh border, along with the South Koel River, which also rises in Jharkhand.

·       The basin flows through Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Orissa States, draining a total area of 39,033 sq.km. before it outfalls into the Bay of Bengal.

·       It winds generally south-southeast past Bonaigarh and Talcher in Odisha and then turns east to join the northern branches of the Mahanadi River, which then empties into the Bay of Bengalat Palmyras Point.

·       The Brahmani delta that is formed at this point is the site of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, famous for its estuarine crocodiles.

·       The Brahmani River basin is bounded in the north by the Chhotanagpur plateau, in the west and south by the Mahanadi basin, and in the east by the Bay of Bengal.

·       It is one of the few rivers that cut across the Eastern Ghats and has formed a minor gorge at Rengali in Odisha, where a dam has been built.

·       Tributaries: The principal tributaries of this river are Sankh, Tikra, and Karo.

·       It was declared a reserve forest in 1971 and a wildlife sanctuary in 1987.

·       Landscape: It is dominated by alluvial lowlands and marshland.

·       The Brahmaputra River offers a natural boundary to the premises of the sanctuary on the north, while the Garanga Beel offers a natural boundary to its south.

Flora:

·       72% of Pabitora consists of wet savannah of Arundo donax, Erianthus ravennae, Phragmites karka, Imperata cylindrica, and Saccharum spp.

·       Water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) is a major problem, especially to waterfowl, as it forms thick mats on the water surface.

·       Fauna:

·       Besides rhinoceros, the other animals are leopard, wild boar, Barking deer, wild buffalo, etc.

·       It is also home to more than 375 species of resident and migratory birds, such as the Indian pied Hornbill, Osprey, Hill Myna, Kalij Pheasant, etc.

·       Vision – Healthier diets for all people, especially the most vulnerable, from more sustainable food systems.

·       Mission – To improve healthier diets for all, especially the most vulnerable, by enhancing the availability, affordability, desirability, and sustainability of nutritious and safe foods.

·       Additionally, to focus on reducing the consumption of unhealthy and unsafe foods.

·       It produced and released through a collaborative effort led by its multi-stakeholder governance structure, and it doesn’t include Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).

·       The actual publication and dissemination are managed by the Report Host (currently PATH) under the guidance of the Stakeholder Group and with content developed by the Independent Expert Group.

·       ‘The Case for Investment in Nutritious Foods Value Chains: An Opportunity for Gender Impact’ is a report launched by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).