WHAT IS REMOTE SENSING SATELLITE, EXPLAIN SIGNIFICANCE OF REMOTE SENSING FOR INDIA AND APPLICATIONS OF CARTOSAT 2 SERIES SATELLITE THEREOF. .

What is Remote Sensing:

Remote sensing is the science of obtaining information about objects or areas from a distance, Remote sensors collect data by detecting the energy that is reflected from Earth. These sensors can be on satellites or mounted on aircraft.
Remote sensors can be either passive or active. 
Passive sensors respond to external stimuli. They record natural energy that is reflected or emitted from the Earth’s surface.

The most common source of radiation detected by passive sensors is reflected sunlight.
In contrast, active sensors use internal stimuli to collect data about Earth. For example, a laser-beam remote sensing system projects a laser onto the surface of Earth and measures the time that it takes for the laser to reflect back to its sensor.
In India, Remote sensing has the following applications:
1. Coastal applications: Monitor shoreline changes, track sediment transport, and map coastal features. Data can be used for coastal mapping and erosion prevention.
2. Ocean applications: Monitor ocean circulation and current systems, measure ocean temperature and wave heights, and track sea ice. Data can be used to better understand the oceans and how to best manage ocean resources.
3. Hazard assessment: Track hurricanes, earthquakes, erosion, and flooding. Data can be used to assess the impacts of a natural disaster and create preparedness strategies to be used before and after a hazardous event.
4. Natural resource management: Monitor land use, map wetlands, and chart wildlife habitats. Data can be used to minimize the damage that urban growth has on the environment and help decide how to best protect natural resources.
CartoSat-2 Series:
Cartosat-2 Series Satellite is the primary remote sensing satellite of India at present. This remote sensing satellite is similar in configuration to earlier satellites in the series with the objective of providing high-resolution scene specific spot imagery.
The imagery sent by satellite will be useful for cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps, change detection to bring out geographical and manmade features and various other Land Information System (LIS) as well as Geographical Information System (GIS) applications.

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What is the significance of BRICS in India’s context? Can the present India-China issues negatively impact the BRICS agenda?

The HIndu 

Introduction about BRICS:

• It began as an acronym coined by investment bankers at Goldman Sachs in 2001to symbolise the engines of economic growth in the twenty first century.
• BRICS has evolved into something much bigger –a representation of the changing geo-political and geo-economic world order.

Significance to India:

• It attaches high importance to the BRICS forum for promoting global economic growth, peace and stability.
• International:
  • Being part of this grouping is the first for India to become a global power.
  • Sheer clout and hegemony expressed by these countries will show a strong voice in international relations and foreign policy issues.
  • Through G4 (Brazil, Germany, India and Japan) and through BRICS it can ask strongly for UNSC reforms to make India as a Permanent Member.
• Economical:
  • Through BRICS, the countries can have multilateral relations in their local currencies. Thus, weakening the “US Dollar”. This helps all of them directly as the forex is not depleted and their own currencies are strengthened.
  • BRICS Banks will help in infrastructure development of all countries unlike IMF or World Bank.
  • India has also played an important role in the setting up of New Development Bank.
  • India is in utmost need of Investment in Industrial and Agricultural sectors.Indians see BRICS and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which was created under its umbrella, as a source for new opportunities.
• Cooperation:
  • They promote South-South cooperation and North-South dialogue.
  • India sees BRICS as a platform to build multilateral relations with Latin American, African and Asian countries.
  • India has over the years, developed closed strategic relationship with the other member countries.
• Resolve issues:
  • India has also tried to use BRIC as a forum to resolve the age-old mistrust and complicated relationship with China.
  • Also for India, co-operation with the BRICs is very important in terms of addressing its food and energy security issues, and combating terrorism.
  • It will also help its member countries in fulfilling Sustainable development goals.

Yes, India China issues would affect:-

• The duration of Doklam standoff betrays trust deficit between India and China – two biggest economies of the BRICS.
• Their rivalry for global influence and fears of containment by the other threaten to overshadow those aspirations.
• Indian fears of Chinese encroachment in the Indian Ocean.
  • Recently China announced it had carried out military drills in the western Indian Ocean, advertising its growing presence there.
• China is also cooperating with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other coastal nations on port access, including for its navy which is a concern for India
• Indian wariness about the motives behind Beijing’s flagship “One Belt, One Road” infrastructure initiative.
  • That adds to Indian frustration over lopsided trade that saw China record a trade surplus of about $40 billion with India last year.
• China has thwarted attempts by India to gain permanent membership on the UN Security Council and join the Nuclear Suppliers Group, or to label Pakistani militant Masood Azhar a terrorist.
• India’s refusal to be a part of the BRI over sovereignty issues, coupled with its broader objections to the transparency and agenda of the project, was a cause for tensions.
• Beijing resents India’s providing a base for the Dalai Lama, and complained bitterly when the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader was permitted to visit an Indian region claimed by China earlier this year.
• A major challenge for India is likely to arise from China’s plan for a “BRICS-Plus” or “Friends of BRICS” grouping, to include Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Mexico to an expanded version of BRICS.
• Beijing fears what it sees as a U.S.-led encirclement of China by Washington’s allies and neighbors, including India and Japan.
• All these insecurities show that BRICS is loomed with the issues of these countries

No it will not affect because:-

• India and China lie at the helm of this new order and they realise the importance of it.
• BRICS grouping holds considerable allure for both countries, underscoring their support for regular meetings over the past decade to discuss economic concerns and issues such as climate change.
• Some observers see a multilateral arena like BRICS as being one of the few places where the world’s two most populous countries can work together despite tensions
• Both countries cannot hold the other three, as in South Africa, Russia and Brazil, hostage to our narrow nationalistic rivalries.
• The summit is a great opportunity to communicate face-to-face and exchange views on the two countries problems and contradictions and the solutions to them.
• The fact that India and China released statements indicating disengagement at Doklam just a few days before the BRICS summit shows a realisation on both sides that the opportunities in cooperation for a greater say on the world stage far outweigh individual territorial ambitionsthat either of them might have.
• lack of coherence among BRICS nations, especially India and China, has often been over emphasized in western media outlets.

Way ahead:

• Indiaon the other hand must continue to advocate for an increased joint collaboration with China in multi-lateral institutions,

Conclusion:

• Russia, Brazil and South Africa will surely count on India and China to speak in one voice in the upcoming summit and showcase the points of convergences among the BRICS nations to the world. In line with the theme of the summit, which is “Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future”, India and China must use BRICS to build a house

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Xiamen Declaration

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Why in news?

Recently adopted Xiamen Declaration of BRICS forum is seen as a triumph for Indian diplomacy.

What is Xiamen declaration about?

• It explicitly called out several Pakistan-based terror organisations and expressed concern on the security situation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.
• It also referred to violence caused by the Taliban, Al-Qaida and its affiliates, including theEastern Turkestan Islamic Movement Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan etc.
• The Chinese government, as is evident from the inclusion of the Uighur-focused Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement in the above list, is concerned about growing Islamist activity in its western provinces.

What is the significance of this?

• India-China Saw the importance of building a durable security architecture for their increasingly fraught relationship.
• People’s Republic of China a signatory to this declaration, had till recently been blocking the designation of the head of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group, Masood Azhar, as an international terrorist by the United Nations.
• This was done presumably to protect Beijing’s clients in Pakistan, where Azhar continues to move around freely and address massive rallies.
• It is not yet certain whether this declaration represents a change in China’s stand on Azhar.
• But India’s efforts to make Beijing yield its obstructive position at the United Nations should continue.
• It is a sign that relations between the India-China have not been harmed by the doklam stand-off, but remain cordial and co-operative.

Source: Business Standard

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Discuss India’s achievements in the field of Space Science and Technology. How the application of this technology has helped India in its socio-economic development

Introduction:

India is one of the front runners in space technology .With the multi dimensional applications space technology ensures, India is moving in the right direction.
India’s achievements in space science and technology:
Recently PSLV launched 104 satellites in to space in one launch.This is the first for any space agency.
Mangalyaan, 2014:
India joined an exclusive global club when it successfully launched the Mars Orbiter Mission on a shoestring budget that was at least 10 times lower than a similar project by the US.
Chandrayaan, 2008:
India’s first unmanned lunar probe was launched almost a decade ago and was a landmark in India’s space mission.
Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, 2016:
The seven-satellite system created India’s very own satellite navigation system e terrestrial and will provide services in marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management, and navigation aide for drivers.
Reusable Launch Vehicle, 2016:
In May 2016, India successfully tested the Reusable Launch Vehicle.
Successful launch of GSLV with Indigenous Cryogenic Stage
Development of Next Generation Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III
GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation):
It is primarily being used in aviation sector for precise position information services.
With this, India becomes the third country in the world, after USA and European Union, to offer Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS) based precision approach services to civil aviation sector.
Application of space technology in socio-economic development :-
1.Economic:-
Agriculture:-
Remote sensing satellites provide key data for monitoring soil,snow cover,drought and crop development.
Rainfall assessments from satellites,for example, help farmers plan the timing and amount of irrigation they will need for their crops.
Accurate information and analysis can also help predict a region’s agricultural output well in advance and can be critical in anticipating and mitigating the effects of food shortages and famines.
Acreage and production estimates for the principal crops such as wheat, rice, sorghum, cotton, mustard, and groundnut using Forecasting Agriculture Output using Space Agrometeorology and land based observations (FASAL).
Precision farming using IRNSS.
Identification of diseases of crops through hyper spectral method.
Wasteland mapping, watershed development and monitoring as well as help in fisheries sector for augmentation of income.
Agro Metrological (AGROMET) Towers to measure soil temperature, soil moisture, soil heat and net radiation, wind speed, wind direction, pressure and humidity; Flux Tower for multi-level micrometeorological observation as well as subsurface observations on soil temperature and moisture over the vegetative surfaces.
A number of academic and research institutions as well as industries participate in the Indian space Programme.Several Indian industries have the expertise to undertake sophisticated jobs required for space systems.
Resources:
The other major application of space technology is the use of earth observation satellites for resources survey.
Investment:
Space science always puts high demands on technology and these technologies could be n important investment for sophisticating future application missions to bring increased benefits to society.
The successful conduct of planetary missions like Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan puts India in an exclusive club and this in turn gives the right credentials for international collaboration and cooperation on an equal partnership basis.This will develop both scientific and space manufacturing industry in India
Foreign Exchange source through revenue.
Commercialization of space launching technologies by ANTRIX has resulted into economic gain.
The data is used for several applications covering agriculture, water resources, urban development , mineral prospecting, environment, forestry, drought and flood forecasting, ocean resources and disaster management.
2.Social:
Disaster management:
It plays a vital role in delivering cyclone warnings and is used in search and rescue operations
Use of INSAT for e-governance and developmental communication applications is also fast expanding.
Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) to monitor severe weather events such as cyclone and heavy rainfall.
Satellite communication:
Another application of satellite communication is Satellite Aided Search and Rescue (SAS&R), as a part of India’s commitment to the International COSPAS- SARSAT programme for providing alerts and position location services for aircraft and ships in distress.
Scientific Temper :
ISRO through it’s achievements can attract millions of young minds towards science and further ISRO can ignite these young minds through collaborations with various colleges, schools and universities like NASA.
Finding prospective groundwater zones to provide drinking water in villages, providing land and water resources development plans at watershed level using IRS.
Tele-fishery:
VRCs located at coastal tracts are being provided with near real time information on satellite derived Potential Fishing Zones (PFZ). Information pertaining to inland fisheries, aquaculture, etc., is also provided through VRCs as relevant.
Telemedicine:
Introducing telemedicine via satellite for making speciality treatment accessible to people in remote areas of India.Places around Bangalore,Kolkata and Tripura are networked with a hub using VSAT terminals.
Biodiversity information system:
Use of space technological tools for characterization of biodiversity at a landscape level.

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BRICS And India’s Ideology

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What is the issue?

India being an active participant in BRICS forum, feels harder to address Chinese led globalisation.

What is the significance of BRICS?

• Building a multipolar world has been one of the central themes of India’s foreign policy.
• The construction of a “multipolar Asia” or balancing China is turning out to the search for a “multipolar world”.
• BRICS has been the main forum for the pursuit of that objective.
• India was tempted to privilege the BRICS over the partnership with the West.
• Many in India see the BRICS forum as a continuation of the past attachment to non-alignment and third worldism.
• China sees BRICS as an instrument to expand its own global economic influence.

What are the issues with BRICS?

• The willingness of both Russia and China to cut deals with the US makes the BRICS less about ideological posturing, more about repositioning India in changing great power equations.
• The internal changes within the BRICS and external environment altered the dynamics of the BRICS and posing new challenges for India’s engagement with the forum.
• India seems more inclined towards judging BRICS by implications for its national interest rather than the metric of a presumed ideological correctness.

How china intervenes India’s Ideology?

• China’s rapid rise has compelled India to rethink the virtues of a multipolar world.
• It becomes a lot more assertive in the bilateral disputes.
• China’s economic weight in BRICS is nearly $12 trillion is now more than twice that of the other four members put together.
• Rise of China dramatically altered the orientation of the BRICS, the internal favour of the nation within the forum has elevated.
• B&RI has become the main vehicle for Beijing’s economic power projection, has added to India’s concerns about China’s rise.
• India has a hard time endorsing the free market, due to a massive annual trade deficit of nearly $50 billion with China.
• How the issues can be addressed?
• India should conscious of the fact that the BRICS is not about North-South politics.
• Nor is it about staying away from the great powers and maintaining equidistance between them.
• India should stand up to China where necessary and cooperating with it where possible.
• Retrieving the essence of the long-standing partnership with Russia and recognising its own imperatives is needed.
• Deepening the strategic ties with Washington and acknowledging its sharp internal divisions is important to counter china.
• 
  

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Source: Indian Express

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Nirmala Sitharaman: India’s first full time woman Defence Minister

Nirmala Sitharaman (58) became first full time woman Defence Minister of India after she was promoted to the Union Cabinet. She takes charge of the crucial ministry from Union Finacne Minister Arun Jaitley.

Ms Sitharaman is second woman to become Defence Minister of India. First was former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was holding additional portfolio as Defence Minister from 1980-82.

Nirmala Sitharaman

Nirmala Sitharaman was born 18 August 1959 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Currently, she is Rajya Sabha MP representing Karnataka. She hails from Andhra Pradesh. She had obtained BA degree from Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy College, Tiruchirappalli and MA degree in economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University followed by Ph.D in Indo-European textile trade within GATT framework and MPhil. She has served at Pricewaterhouse Coopers as a Senior Manager and later for the BBC World Service.
Before her elevation to Union Cabinet in NDA Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she was Minister of State (MoS) for Finance and Corporate Affairs and Minister for Commerce and Industry with independent charge. Before that she was national spokesperson for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She was member of National Commission for Women (NCW) from 2003-05. She is founder member of Pranava School in Hyderabad

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Good and service tax -Yojana magzine (PDF )

‘Yojana’ is a very useful and essential magazine for UPSC /JKPSC CSE aspirants where they find the discussion on problems of economic and social development of our country. Many UPSC JKPSC CSE aspirants end up losing a lot of time to extract major discussions from it. Hence, we provide you a comprehensive gist of the Yojana Magazine.

GOODS AND SERVICES TAX
G.S.T. is the highlighted issue of August 2017 Yojana Magazine
Features of Yojana Magazine August 2017
Summary of 10 Articles

CONTENTS OF YOJANA SUMMARY

1. GST Regime -A Fillip to Make In India
2. Creating a Unified Taxation Regime
3. GST- Dawn of a New Era
4. Creating A Strong It Backbone
5. Removing Cascading Effect of Taxes
6. Balancing Federal Fiscal Relations
7. GST Means Ease of Doing Business
8. Profiteering, A GST Implementation Challenge
9. National Anti-Profiteering Authority
10. Transitional Challenges Ahead

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Indian polity and constution PDF mcqs

Hello guyz, iam going to share some Pdf of important Multiple choice questions from indian polity and constution, which are important for Jkpsc prelims jkssb and various other upcomming exams eg Sub inspector J&k police and banks etc

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Indian constution 3000+ Questions and answers, to get PDF click here

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Indian and World Geography by Majid HusainPdf Download

Indian and World Geography by Majid Husain (Tata Mcgraw Hill)

• Author Majid Husain
• Language English
• Subject : College Books Geography
• Publisher Tata Mcgraw Hill

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India and World Geography contains all the information on Geography required by students to crack the UPSC JKPSC Preliminary and other Examinations. India and World Geography (Paper-1) is exhaustive in and covers all aspects of Geography required for cracking the UPSC and JKPSC Preliminary Examination.


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Rohingyas – The Citizens Of Nowhere

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Why in news?

Rohingyas Muslims of Myanmar are fleeing their homes for Bangladesh in the face of an intensive state supported pogrom & rising insurgency.

What is the current situation?

• A state supported pogrom of the minority Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is snowbowling into a major humanitarian crisis.
• The recent clashes in the western State of Rakhine has claimed over 70 lives and forced thousands of Rohingya to flee across the border into Bangladesh.
• The latest flare-up began when militants suspected to be from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army attacked military outposts.
• Most of the victims are women and children, according to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration, which has called for additional aid to cope with Dhaka’s refugee situation.

What are the underlying political currents?

• A high-headed attitude in the corridors of power to address the Rohingya issue was what had led to the rise of insurgency.
• The government’s failure to act decisively and urgently to protect civilians from the raging crossfire between the security forces and insurgents is another shocker.
• Als0, an excessive counter-insurgency operation is currently underway, which has been widely condemned as disproportionate.
• The UN had described the slaughter of thousands and displacement of even larger numbers as crimes against humanity.
• But, on the contrary, the radical Buddhist nationalists who have traditionally refused citizenship to the Rohingyas, have demanded even tougher action from the government.

What has Ms.Suu Kyi done?

• It has been perceieved that Nobel peace laureate and “Foreign Minister Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi”, has failed to exert any moral pressure to secure humanitarian assistance for the systematically persecuted Rohingya.
• She has rightly come under criticism for her continued silence over the army brutalities and for irresponsible statements that could potentially disrupt aid and relief activity.

What does the future hold?

• The Myanmar government has an obligation to act on the recommendations of the UN appointed Commission, on the guarantee of citizenship rights to the Rohingya, freedom of movement and enforcement of the rule of law.
• While democracy was restored in Myanmar some years ago, a further consolidation will remain an arduous task so long as a large minorities are systematically excluded from the political process.
• While, stopping the crisis is the urgent need, a pro-active work to ensure that ethinic peace is established is the needed for the l0ng run.

Source: TheHindu
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BRICS – The Core Agenda

Why in news?

Ninth BRICS summit is going to be held in Xiamen, China.
China has invited Egypt, Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico and Thailand as guest countries for the summit.

What is BRICS?

BRICS is the acronym for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
BRICS countries represents 40% of the world population and account for 22% of global GDP.
Since 2009, the BRICS nations have met annually at formal summits.

What are the problems faced by the BRICS countries?

• Bilateral relations among BRICS nations have mainly been conducted on the basis of non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit.
• The future of this partnership has lately come under serious interrogation due to various internal and external problems experienced by them.
• Brazil and South Africa have experienced prolonged internal instability.
• Russia has had to face continuous distractions from Georgia, Ukraine and Syria to the current US sanctions.
• Also, the recent China-India military standoff at Doklam became formidable stumbling block.
• Hence, the theme of the current Summit “Stronger Partnership for Brighter Future” is very apt to the present situation for the group.

What is its agenda?

• Originally, BRICS was envisioned to usher in reforms in the global financial governance.
• At a broader level, it was to pursue democratisation of international relations and provide developing nations a greater say in global governance.
• Of late, BRICS has drastically expanded its scope & become more of a political forum, thereby diluting its founding principles.
• The expanded agenda now includes several non-financial issues from climate change and terror to women empowerment, human trafficking and so on.
• While these issues are indeed pressing, experts allude that expansion of agenda takes a toll on efficacy.

What is the best path for BRICS?

• Experts feel that focus should be on consolidation of the agenda and not expansion.
• Creating a dedicated organisational structure with its own cadre of BRICS personnels should be prioritized.
• To nourish cohesion and momentum, the organisation should be a mission oriented framework rather than being a vague conglomerate.
• People to people contacts & co-operation in other fields shouldn’t dilute the core issues at hand.

Source: The New Indian Express

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