PIB Summary- 27th July, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Dholavira, the Harappan City

Context: Dholavira, the Harappan City in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Background

• India submitted the nomination dossier for Dholavira: A Harappan City to the World Heritage Centre in January 2020.
• The site was on the UNESCO’s tentative list since 2014.
• Dholavira: a Harappan city, is one of the very few well preserved urban settlements in South Asia dating from the 3rd to mid-2nd millennium BCE.

What’s in the News?

• With the inscription of Dholavira, India gets its 40th World Heritage Site.
• Now, India boasts of 32 cultural, 7 natural and one mixed property in the list.
• India joins a handful of countries including Italy, Spain, Germany, China and France that have 40 or more sites inscribed in the list.

About the Harappan city of Dholavira

• Dholavira is the 6th-largest of more than 1,000 Harappan sites discovered so far.
• It demonstrates multifaceted achievements in terms of urban planning, construction techniques, water management, social governance and development, art, manufacturing, trading, and belief system.
• With extremely rich artefacts, the well preserved urban settlement of Dholavira depicts a vivid picture of a regional centre with its distinct characteristics that also contributes significantly to the existing knowledge of Harappan Civilization as a whole.
• The property comprises two parts: a walled city and a cemetery to the west of the city.
  • The walled city consists of a fortified castle with attached fortified Bailey and Ceremonial Ground, and a fortified Middle Town and a Lower Town.
  • A series of reservoirs are found to the east and south of the Citadel.
  • The great majority of the burials in the Cemetery are memorial in nature.
• Unlike other Harappan antecedent towns normally located near rivers and perennial sources of water, the location of Dholavira in the island of Khadir was strategic to harness different mineral and raw material sources (copper, shell, agate-carnelian, steatite, lead, banded limestone, among others) and to facilitate internal as well as external trade to the Magan (modern Oman peninsula) and Mesopotamian regions.
• A classic example of a proto-historic Bronze Age urban settlement pertaining to the Harappan civilisation, Dholavira bears evidence of a multi-cultural and stratified society.
• While the earliest evidence can be traced back to 3000 BCE, this city flourished for nearly 1,500 years, representing a long continuous habitation.
• Dholavira also showcases an excellent water conservation and management method quite unique to the ancient world.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)

Context: CRPF Raising Day.

Armed Forces of India – Basic Facts

The various armed forces of the Union of India have separate mandates and are handled by different ministries. The majority of the external security threats in India are managed by the Ministry of Defence with the help of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Most of the internal security challenges and their management in border areas are also handled by both the Defence Ministry and the Home Ministry. Internal security threats such as insurgencies, separatism and riots etc are the primary responsibility of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The security forces which handle different threats in India are classified into:

1. Indian Armed Forces
2. Paramilitary Forces of India and
3. Central Armed Police Forces.

India also has dedicated Special Forces within each security force as well as two specialized Anti-Terrorism, Urban Warfare and VIP protection units.

Revise for UPSC

• India’s defence is ensured by the Government of India
• The President is the supreme command of the Indian Armed Forces
• Ministry of Defence formulates policy framework of the Indian Armed Forces

Indian Armed Forces – Introduction

The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of India. The defence services in India consist of three uniformed services:

• The Indian Army
• The Indian Navy
• The Indian Air Force

The Indian Armed Forces are supported by the Indian Coast Guard, paramilitary forces, and various other organizations.
The supreme commander of the Indian Armed Forces is the President of India. All three services report to the Ministry of Defence.

The Indian Army

Indian Army or Bhartiya Thal Sena is the land-based component of the armed forces. It is evolved from the armed forces of the East India Company, ultimately turned into the British Indian Army and the Indian Army after independence.
It is commanded by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). It is considered the second-largest active army in the world. The mission of the Indian Army is to guarantee the national security and defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and harmony of India from external aggression and intimidation. It also includes providing humanitarian support and aid to the common people during natural disasters and unexpected time.
Who is the Chief of Army Staff (2021)? – General Manoj Mukund Naravane. He is the 28th COAS and took over the 27th COAS General Bipin Rawat.

Special Forces of Indian Army – Para Commandos

• The Para Commandos are the most well known of the Indian Army’s special forces.
• It undertakes operations behind enemy lines, anti-terrorist and counterinsurgency missions as well as rescue operations during natural disasters.

Read about a few bilateral exercises where Indian Army participates:

1. Sampriti Exercise
2. Mitra Shakti
3. Maitree Exercise
4. Nomadic Elephant
5. Shakti Exercise

The Indian Navy

India has a coastline of 7516.6 km. The Indian Navy secures India’s maritime borders and interests. It also safeguards Indian trading vessels by combating piracy on the high seas. Along with this, it assists the common people during disasters.
It is commanded by the Chief of the Naval Staff – an Admiral. The Indian Navy is deployed under three Commands:

1. The Eastern Naval command – Vishakhapatnam is the headquarter.
2. Western Naval command – Mumbai is the headquarter
3. Southern Naval Command – Kochi is the headquarter.

The Naval forces are used to support the foreign policy objectives, to build ‘bridges of friendship’ and strengthen international cooperation.
Who is the Chief of Naval Staff (2021)? Admiral Karambir Singh is the 24th Chief of Naval Staff. He took over Admiral Sunil Lanba who was the 23rd Chief of Naval Staff.
Special Forces of Indian Navy – MARCOS
The Marine Commando Force (MCF), also known as MARCOS is a Special Forces unit of the Indian Navy. It is involved in anti-terrorism, anti-piracy and special operations.

The Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force was officially established on 8 October 1932. It was known as the Royal Indian Air Force in recognition of its services during the Second World War. After Independence, the term ‘Royal’ was omitted.
It is considered the 4th largest Air force in the world. The primary responsibility of the Indian Air Force is to secure the Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict. Apart from the wars of independent India and humanitarian work, it has participated in many United Nations peacekeeping missions.
Chief of Air Staff (An Air Marshal) is the commander of the air forces in India.
The Air Force Network (AFNet) launched on 14th September 2010, is a digital information grid that enabled quick and accurate threat responses. It is a fibre optic-based network.
Who is the current Chief of Air Staff (2021)? Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria is the 26th Chief of Air Staff. He took over Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa who was the 25th Chief of Air Staff.
Special Forces of Indian Air Force – Garud Commando Force
The Garud Commando Force is the special forces unit of the Indian Air Force, engaged in tasks such as airfield protection during conflicts, suppression of enemy air defence, search and rescue of downed aircrew and humanitarian aid during disasters.

Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)

Paramilitary Forces in India
Central Armed Police Forces were formerly referred to as Paramilitary Forces. From March 2011, the Ministry of Home Affairs adopted a uniform nomenclature of Central Armed Police Forces to avoid confusion. There are seven central armed police forces. Each of these forces performs a separate function. They operate under the Ministry of Home affairs. Each of the forces is led by an IPS officer with the notable exception of the Assam Rifles which is headed by an Army officer of the rank of Lieutenant General.
The term “paramilitary forces” in India has not been defined in any act of parliament or by the authorities. Since 2011, the Government of India uses an unofficial definition that the Paramilitary forces are the ones that assist the military forces and are headed by Military officers, not by IPS officers.
The list of Paramilitary Forces of India is given below, followed by the description of each:

1. Assam Rifles
2. Border Security Force (BSF)
3. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)
4. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
5. Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBF)
6. National Security Guard (NSG)
7. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

Assam Rifles – Important Facts:

1. The Assam Rifles was established in 1835.
2. It is considered the oldest of all paramilitary forces and one of the six Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).
3. This force plays a crucial role in North East India, handling counterinsurgency and border security operations.
4. They are also guarding the 1,643 km long Indo-Myanmar border since 2002.
5. It is the only paramilitary force with a dual control structure
6. It is often referred to as the“Friends of the Hill People”, “Friends of the North East People” and the “Sentinels of the North East”.
7. It is headed by an Army officer of the rank of Lieutenant General. It currently reports to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
8. The administrative control of Assam Rifles is with MHA while the operational control is with the Ministry of Defence.
9. It remains the most awarded paramilitary force in both pre-and post-independent India – Since independence, it has been awarded 120 Shaurya Chakras, 31 Kirti Chakras, five Vir Chakras and four Ashok Chakras, apart from 188 Sena Medals.

Border Security Force (BSF) – Important Facts

1. The BSF is the border guards of the country and is called the ‘India’s First Line of Defence’.
2. This Union Government Agency under the administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs came into being in the wake of the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war. It was established on 1st December 1965.
3. It ensures the security of the borders of India and headed by an officer from the Indian Police Service.
4. It also undertakes defensive actions during wartime to free up Indian Army troops for offensive operations.
5. Of late, the BSF has also been tasked with assisting the CRPF and army in counter-insurgency operations.
6. The current Director-General of BSF (2021) – Shri Rakesh Asthana, IPS.

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) – Important Facts

1. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was established in 1969, under an Act of Parliament, “Central Industrial Security Force Act, 1968.”
2. It provides integrated security cover to the Public Sector Undertakings, airports and SEZs on a case to case basis.
3. It is currently providing security cover to nuclear installations, space establishments, airports, seaports, power plants, sensitive Government buildings, heritage monuments and large special economic zones.
4. CISF is also responsible to provide protection to the persons classified as Z Plus, Z, X, Y.
5. CISF is the only force with a customized and dedicated fire wing.
6. CISF is a compensatory cost force.
7. The current Director-General of CISF (2021) is S.K. Jaiswal.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)

1. The Central Reserve Police Force was established by the enactment of the CRPF Act in 1949.
2. Initially, it came into existence as Crown Representative’s Police in 1939 for internal security.
3. The primary mission of the Central Reserve Police Force is counter-insurgency operations.
4. It also assists the State and Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order.
5. Apart from this, the force participates as a police force in the UN peace-keeping missions.
6. The CRPF maintains a special operation unit known as Commando Battalion for Resolute Action(COBRA) to combat Maoist insurgents.
7. The current Director-General of CRPF (2021) is Dr. A P Maheshwari, IPS.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

1. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police was established on 24th October 1962 after the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict.
2. It was created under the CRPF Act.
3. It guards the Indo-Tibetan border and the mountainous regions of the India-China border and monitors the northern borders.
4. ITBP replaced Assam Rifles in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in 2004. The Indi-China border covering the following state is guarded by the ITBP (From the Karakoram pass in Jammu & Kashmir to Jechap La in Arunachal Pradesh):
   • Jammu & Kashmir
   • Himachal Pradesh
   • Uttarakhand
   • Sikkim
   • Arunachal Pradesh
5. It detects and prevents border violations.
6. The force also keeps a check on illegal immigration and trans-border smuggling.
7. It has been deployed in UN peacekeeping missions in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Western Sahara, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Afghanistan and Sudan.
8. The current Director-General of ITBP (2021) is S.S Deswal.

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

1. The Sashastra Seema Bal was set up in March 1963.
2. They guard Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan Borders.
3. They are also deployed during elections as polling booth security.
4. Its area of coverage included 15 states
5. Previously, it was known as the Special Service Bureau and they are deployed to control anti-national activities and inculcate feelings of national belonging in the border population among others. It also acts against smuggling and other illegal activities.
6. The current SSB chief (2021) is Kumar Rajendra Chandra, IPS.

Special Forces of India

Apart from the special forces operating under army, navy and air force in the country, the special forces of India also have the following units reporting directly to the Home Ministry for counter-terrorism and VIP protection activities:

National Security Guards (NSG)

1. It was established on 22nd September 1986.
2. The National Security Guards is a special forces unit under the Ministry of Home affairs.
3. It is established to counter the surge of militancy in the country.
4. It has a highly trained force which deals with exceptional situations when local police and special forces need assistance.
5. It was raised to combat terrorist activities and to guarantee the states do not experience any internal disturbances.
6. They played a crucial role in countering the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Special Protection Group (SPG)

1. It was raised in 1985.
2. The Special Protection Group is the most elite, nodal protection agency in the country.
3. It is an armed force of the Union for providing immediate security to the Prime Minister of India, the former Prime Minister and members of their close family members.
4. The Special Protection Group (SPG) under the Cabinet Secretariat commences under Special Protection Group Act, 1988.

Other Important Security Agencies In India

Railway Protection Force (RPF)
Railway Protection Force is a security force of India entrusted with protecting railway passengers, passenger area and property of the Indian Railways. This is the only armed force of the Union which has the power to arrest, investigate and prosecute criminals.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was set up under The Disaster Management Act, 2005. It was constituted for the function of specialist response to natural and man-made disasters. The aim of the National Disaster Management Authority is to construct a safer and disaster resilient India by rising a holistic, proactive, multi-disaster and technology-driven strategy for disaster management. It is a force composed of 12 battalions. It is manned by persons on deputation from various CAPFs and also re-employs physically fit members of the armed forces who have retired but are still under reserve liability.

Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Unnat Krishi Shiksha Yojana (PDDUUKSY)

About PDDUUKSY

• Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Unnat Krishi Shiksha Yojana (PDDUUKSY) was launched to develop human resource in organic farming, natural farming and cow based economy for environmental sustenance and soil health.
• It was started with the establishment of 100 centres. Under this scheme, 108 training programmes were organized for the awareness of the farmers during the period of operation.
• Scheme objectives:
  • To build skilled Human Resource at village level relevant to national needs towards organic farming and sustainable agriculture.
  • Provide rural India with professional support in the field of Organic Farming/Natural Farming/Rural Economy/Sustainable Agriculture.
  • To extend other activities of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Unnat Krishi Shiksha Yojana at village level through these established centres.
• The scheme was launched in 2016 and is an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare being implemented by the Education wing of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

United Nations Food Systems Summit

Context: Pre-Summit Ministerial Roundtable of United Nations Food Systems Summit held.

About the UN Food Systems Summit

• The UN Food Systems Summit aims to launch bold new actions to transform the way the world produces and consumes food, as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
• Guided by five Action Tracks, the Summit will bring together key players from the worlds of science, business, policy, healthcare and academia, as well as farmers, indigenous people, youth organizations, consumer groups, environmental activists, and other key stakeholders.
  • Action Track 1: Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all
  • Action Track 2: Shift to sustainable consumption patterns
  • Action Track 3: Boost nature-positive production
  • Action Track 4: Advance equitable livelihoods
  • Action Track 5: Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress
• The pre-summit is taking place on 27 – 28 July 2021 at Rome, Italy. The summit itself would be held in September 2021.

Marine Aids to Navigation Bill 2021

Context: Parliament passes landmark ‘Marine Aids to Navigation Bill 2021’ to repeal and replace the Lighthouse Act 1927.

Anchor
Teena Jha

Participants

• Mr. D.K. Sinha, Former Director General, Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships, Ministry of Shipping.
• Mr. Chakshu Roy, Head of Outreach, PRS Legislative Research.

Context: The government released the Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021 in Rajya Sabha to replace a nine-decade old law to pave the way for shifting from lighthouses to modern aids for marine navigation. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal moved the Marine Aids to Navigation Bill 2021 in the upper house for consideration and passing.

What is Marine Aids to Navigation?

• India has coasts on both eastern and western sides and on these coasts, many major and minor ports are located where ships come and go with cargo and sometimes with passengers.
• To aid these ships to reach the ports, some kind of guidance is required, which is known as the marine aids to navigation.

Various kinds of Marine Aids

• There are various marine aids available and the lighthouse is probably the simplest. Lighthouse is a tall tower with a light on top that guides the ship. Now, there are radar beacons which means that a ship can ping a radar beacon that is located either on sea or shore. It responds back with its position. 
• Besides this, now each phone has a GPS system that allows us to find directions. The ships also have a GPS system but sometimes the GPS does not have the accuracy to guide a ship in tight waters. Hence, we need an instrument that ensures that the GPS reading which the ships get is accurate so that the ships do not collide with a rock or face a wreck.
• There are some other forms of navigational aids such as buoys on the water. The management of all of these rests with the Central Government. 
• The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021 is trying to move from an era where navigational aids were quite simplistic to an era where navigational aids have become more complex.

Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021

• The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill is replacing an almost 90 year-old law named the Lighthouse Act, 1927. The Lighthouse Act, 1927 was providing for the regulation of lighthouses and other techniques which would allow ships to safely guide into a port.
• Now, the technology has improved, ships have improved, guidance systems have improved so, there is a need to ensure that there are mechanisms to guide ships that don’t just involve a simple light guiding a ship towards a safe passage from the sea to the land.
• The bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on March 15, 2021. The Bill seeks to provide a framework for the development, maintenance, and management of aids to navigation in India.

Salient Features of the Bill

• The bill aims to regulate state-of-the-art technologies of marine navigation, which earlier used to get tangled up in statutory provisions of the Lighthouse Act, 1927.
• The Bill proposes to update the legal framework for new technologies used in vehicle navigation like radar, radar beacons, vessel traffic service (equipment used to monitor vehicle locations), and Long Range Identification and Tracking systems also used for monitoring ship locations.
• The Bill provides for punishing those who knowingly damage a lighthouse as well as equipment in a lighthouse.
• The Bill also proposes to legally synchronize norms in India with the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities Maritime Buoyage System. India is a member of the association.
• Additionally, the Bill provides for the administration and safety of this equipment.

The role of Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL)

• The tasks performed by the DGLL have gone through massive changes because of technological advancements. These changes were not encompassed in the Lighthouse Act, 1927.  Hence, it was required to incorporate the activities under a legal framework.
• The Marine Aids to Navigation bill provides for empowering the DGLL with additional power and functions such as vessel traffic service, wreck flagging, training and certification, implementation of other obligations under international conventions where India is a signatory. It also provides for the identification and development of heritage lighthouses.
• The DGLL can also establish the training issue under Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) personnel which our country does not have. 
• Earlier, there was no standard system of functioning to manage the VTS, and the DGLL in the absence of any legislation was not able to fully evolve a uniform system of functioning, mining pattern, uniform training, and certification. Now, the Bill provides strength to the DGLL to incorporate all these things in the system.

Does the bill meet the global standards?

• India is divided into lighthouse districts as one is in Jamnagar, the others in Calcutta, Kochi, and Bombay. 
• Now, all these districts and all the personnel working there, and the equipment that is present there should be standardized. It will give a standardized response to all the ships that are coming from either Panama or China or the United States. These responses will not only be received in the ports in India but also in the other ports of the world.

Compartmentalization of different areas under the New Bill

• The new bill has compartmentalized different areas:
  • The bill says that it is going to establish an authority under the central government which will be in-charge of taking care of all these marine aids of navigation. It implies that they will decide what are the requirements, training, and certification matters, establishment of institutes where people will learn how to operate these instruments, etc.
  • Under the Lighthouse Act, 1927, if certain equipment was not covered in the definition of the lighthouse and somebody tampered with it, then it was not able to punish him or her. With the new bill, the definition of marine aids has been changed and modern navigational aids are being brought into the ambit of the definition. If anyone tampers with this equipment or hampers these instruments, there will be an authority that can prescribe how to punish that person.
  • There will be an authority for training and setting up of standards.

Budget for Navigational Aids

• In the budget of 2020, the amount allocated for lighthouses was about Rs.480 crores. Now, maintenance of these navigational aids requires money so, the bill provides what kind of charges will be levied on ships that will enter our country because they will be using these navigational aids.
• The central government will prescribe those charges that could be based on the size of the ship, how big a tonnage of the ship is, etc. The money recovered from this will then augment the budget of the country in taking care of these navigational aids, improvement, and maintenance of the aids, and installation of new aids.

Heritage Lighthouses

• There is one interesting aspect of the bill which is regarding heritage lighthouses.
• The government has listed about 18 lighthouses that are more than 75 years old. The Marine Aids to Navigation bill provides that there are certain lighthouses that will be identified as heritage lighthouses which implies that they will not be actively used for navigation of the ships but as they are part of our heritage, they can be used for educational, tourism and cultural purposes. 
• There are some lighthouses which are more than 150 years old. 

Role of the Central Government

• The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021 provides a framework for the Central Government so that it can pass orders and notification and the authority established by the Central Government under the Ministry of Shipping will then be able to carry out these duties under the mandate of the law. 
• Similarly, the law also provides for a number of things. For example, what will happen to the money collected as the maritime dues?
• The Central government also has the power under the new bill to provide notifications about the streamlining of the mechanism for ensuring traffic through ports or through navigational channels.
• This entire mechanism is controlled by the central government and not by the state governments, so it will be common across all states.

Wreck Marking

• The Bill recommends that in case of a vessel sinking in the open sea, it is the responsibility of the Director-General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) to mark it if it sinks beyond the sea and the responsibility of the respective ports if the sinking occurs within the port.
• Occasionally, on the request of the ports, the DGLL comes into action for this task but only after receiving the directives from the central government.
• Once the sink is beyond the port water, then the DGLL comes with emergency wreck marking.
• This task was not a direct responsibility of the DGLL as per the Lighthouse Act of 1927 but this task was performed nevertheless. The new bill strengthens the DGLL by including this task under its ambit.

Conclusion
The Lok Sabha passed this bill in March 2021 and now this has been tabled in the Rajya Sabha to get approval for implementation. With the advent of modern technologically-improved aids to maritime navigation, the role of authorities regulating and operating maritime navigation has also changed drastically. The proposed legislation encompasses a major shift from lighthouses to modern aids of navigation.

National Commission For De-Notified And Nomadic Tribes

Context: This information was given by the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

About the Commission

• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment had constituted the National Commission For De-Notified And Nomadic Tribes to study various developmental aspects of denotified and nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes in India.
• The commission was first set up in 2003 and then reconstituted later on.
• Terms of reference of the commission:
  • To specify the economic interventions required for raising the living standards of Denotified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Tribes by asset creation and self-employment opportunities.
  • To recommend measures to utilize the existing channelling agencies set up for the economic development of SC/STs and OBCs for extending an economic development package to these groups, keeping in view their specific requirements.
  • To identify programmes required for their education, development and health.
  • To make any other connected or incidental recommendation, that the Commission deems necessary.

Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNT Communities (SEED)

• The Department for Social Justice and Empowerment is also implementing the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNT Communities (SEED).
• Components of SEED:
  • To provide coaching of good quality for DNT candidates to enable them to appear in competitive examinations.
  • To provide health insurance to them.
  • To facilitate livelihood initiative at community level; and
  • To provide financial assistance for construction of houses for members of these communities.

National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP)

About the Programme

• The Government of India is implementing the National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP) to promote organ donation and transplantation across all States/Union Territories.
• The provisions under the programme include:
  • Setting up of State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisations (SOTTOs) in each State/UT.
  • Setting up of National/Regional/State Bio-material centres.
  • Financial support for establishing new Organ Transplant/retrieval facilities and strengthening of existing Organ Transplant/retrieval facilities.
  • Training to transplant experts including surgeons, physicians, transplant coordinators, etc.
  • Financial support for hiring of Transplant Coordinators to medical colleges and trauma centres.
  • Post-transplant immune-suppressant drugs to Below Poverty Line (BPL) patients.
• The Transplantation of Human Organs Act (THOA), 1994 was enacted to provide a system of removal, storage and transplantation of human organs for therapeutic purposes and for the prevention of commercial dealings in human organs.
• The scheme is under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.

Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB)

Context: Indian astronomers on team which spotted shortest Gamma-Ray Bursts from dying star.

Details

• A group of astronomers, including from India, has detected a very short, powerful burst of high-energy radiation that lasted for about a second and had been racing towards the earth for nearly half the present age of the universe.
• The burst detected by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope on August 26, 2020 turned out to be the shortest gamma-ray burst (GRB) caused by the death of a massive star.
• The GRB has been named GRB 200826A, after the date on which it occurred.
• GRB 200826A was a sharp blast of high-energy emission lasting just 0.65 seconds. After travelling for eons through the expanding universe, the signal had stretched out to about one second long when it was detected by Fermi’s Gamma-ray Burst Monitor.

About Gamma Ray Bursts

• GRBs are the most powerful events in the universe, detectable across billions of light-years.
• Astronomers classify them as long or short based on whether the event lasts for more or less than two seconds.
• GRBs are immensely energetic explosions that have been observed in distant galaxies.
• They are the brightest and most energetic electromagnetic events known to occur in the universe.
• The intense radiation of most observed GRBs is thought to be released during a supernova or superluminous supernova as a high-mass star implodes to form a neutron star or a black hole.
• All observed GRBs have originated from outside the Milky Way galaxy, although a related class of phenomena, soft gamma repeater flares, are associated with magnetars within the Milky Way.
• It has been hypothesized that a gamma-ray burst in the Milky Way, pointing directly towards the Earth, could cause a mass extinction event
• GRBs were first detected in 1967.