30 August 2015

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ISRO to boost GSLV capability  –    (Science and Technology)

  • Flush with the successful launch of the GSLV D6 on Thursday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is geared up to add more heft to the three-stage rocket to enable it to lob satellites weighing up to 2.5 tonnes into geosynchronous orbit.
  • ISRO scientists are confident that the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) could be tweaked further to enhance the performance of the GSLV rocket. CUS which failed in 2010 scored its first success with the launch of the GSLV D5 last year.
  • The proposed modifications to CUS involve reducing the mass of the vehicle and augmenting the thrust. The GSLV D6, in its present configuration, is capable of carrying satellites up to 2.2 tonnes. The GSAT-6 communication satellite launched on Thursday weighed 2,117 kg.

 

Organic farming caught in ‘quality vs. quantity’ debate  –   (Environment)

  • Despite growing clamour for pesticide-free produce, doubts persisit about the capability of organic farming to generate high yields.
  • India’s arable land is 2.4 per cent of the total arable land in the world while the United States’ share is 6 per cent and India’s population is 15 to 16 per cent of the world’s population while the U.S.’s population is around two per cent.

 

Introspect rather than celebrate ‘victory’: Bajpai  –   (International Relation)

  • Rather than celebrating the “victory” in the 1965 India-Pakistan war on its 50th anniversary, India should introspect on the lessons of the war, K.S. Bajpai, one of India’s most famous diplomats, says.

 

‘India, France close to deal on Rafale’  –   (Defence)

  • Progress on the Rafale fighter deal is expected next week as French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will visit India on Tuesday when both sides may sign an inter-governmental agreement for the 36 Rafale fighter jets which will lead to the eventual conclusion of the contract.
  • The Air Force urgently needs new fighter aircraft to arrest the depleting squadron strength as Mig-21s and Mig-27s are phased out and induction of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft is repeatedly delayed.

 

China gets tough to tame volatile markets  –   (Economics)

  • China has launched a crackdown to counter growing economic turbulence, and taken steps to infuse fresh liquidity to ease the country’s difficult transition from export-led growth to a consumption oriented ‘new normal’ economy.
  • Faced with a cycle of stock market routs, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) — the body that supervises securities — has taken the lead to target illegal stock market operations, which Chinese authorities believe were decisive in causing the market blowouts.

 

Paradox of a dwindling world economy and a growing India  –   (Economics)

  • There are three major crisis faced by the Indian financial markets since the opening up of the Indian Economy in 1992 — The South-east asian currency crisis in 1997; global financial crisis in 2007 with the fall of investment bank, Lehman Brothers: and the slump in the Chinese economy witnessed this week.
  • While the intensity of the fall in financial markets was less in 1997 as the country was not exposed much to the global economy at that point of time, the impact was heavier in 2015