National News

Airbnb Signs MoU with Goa Govt to Promote Inclusive Tourism

Why In News

Airbnb signed an MoU with the Government of Goa, to jointly promote Goa as high potential tourism destinations in India and around the world.

Key Points

 Airbnb signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, to jointly promote Goa as one of the most sought-after high potential tourism destinations in India and around the world.

This partnership is aimed at encouraging travel to unique destinations that are lesser-known and enabling economically regenerative community-led tourism in the state. On the sidelines of the official launch of ‘Rediscover Goa’, a week-long celebration of Goa’s vast cultural diversity beyond its beaches and dazzling nightlife, Airbnb and Goa Tourism Department have joined hands to scale homestay capacity across the state, and provide support to Goan homestay Hosts in delivering quality tourism experiences to guests, both domestic and international.

Significance

The announcement reflects the commitment of both parties to support the development of a sustainable tourism ecosystem in Goa, while highlighting current and upcoming tourism destinations in the state. By hosting knowledge sharing and training workshops for homestay Hosts, the partnership will also enhance the potential of tourism to create jobs and sustainable livelihood opportunities for the local communities. There will be a spotlight on unique properties that enable more domestic and international travelers to explore Goa like never before and uncover some hidden gems.

The Department of Tourism, Government of Goa and Airbnb will work together to promote Goa as a destination for high-quality tourism, by upscaling the culture of homestays in the state, while spotlighting unique destinations for hinterland tourism and homestay tourism that travellers can discover. This will be done through targeted domestic and international destination promotion campaigns.

Airbnb will support the Department of Tourism’s vision by conducting workshops and seminars to train homestay hosts and B&B owners on the importance of responsible tourism, build host capacity, seek to amplify and create awareness on the local laws and encourage host registration; while continuing to work towards onboarding more Hosts and properties on the platform. These efforts will be aimed at equipping current and prospective Hosts with knowledge and guidance to boost inclusive and community-led travel in the state.
Airbnb will also endeavor to share global best practices, periodic travel trends and insights related to home stays, from time to time, to help the DoT make informed decisions on capacity building needs, and other progressive policies that will help drive responsible tourism in the state.

India To Be First Country To Auction SatCom Spectrum

Why In News

India will be the first country to auction spectrum for satellite communication, and it should be designed to attract investments in the sector, telecom regulator Trai chairman PD Vaghela said.

Key Points

India will be the first country to auction spectrum for satellite communication, and it should be designed to attract investments in the sector, telecom regulator Trai chairman PD Vaghela said. Speaking at a Broadband India Forum summit on SatCom, Vaghela said the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will soon make recommendations to make permissions required for satellite communication from various ministries — Information and Broadcasting, Space and Telecom — seamless to enhance ease of doing business in the sector. He also said Trai has received a reference from the Department of Telecommunication for the spectrum required to be put to auction and associated aspects of satellite-based communication.

The regulator is yet to come up with a consultation paper on the spectrum auction as per the standard process meant for satellite communication.

Satellite communication:

Satellite communication refers to any communication link that involves the use of an artificial satellite in its propagation path. 
Satellite communications play a vital role in modern life.
There are over 2000 artificial satellites in use.They can be found in geostationary, Molniya, elliptical, and low Earth orbits and are used for traditional point-to-point communications, mobile applications, and the distribution of TV and radio programs.
Satellite communications tend to use high-frequency signals

TRAI is in discussion with experts and regulators worldwide for a suitable model and the consultation paper will be floated after those discussions are over. While telecom operators have proposed to allocate spectrum through an auction for satellite communication, satellite industry players have opposed it.

Intrnational  News

US Announces Historic Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough
 

Why In News

United States has announced a nuclear fusion breakthrough, a historic step towards the promise of ‘near-limitless’ clean energy and may help the fight to curb climate change.

Key Points

 United States has announced a nuclear fusion breakthrough, a historic step towards the promise of ‘near-limitless’ clean energy and may help the fight to curb climate change. US Department of Energy said, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California for the first time produced more energy in a fusion reaction than was used to ignite it, something called net energy gain.

The achievement will pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power. This is a landmark achievement for the researchers and staff at the National Ignition Facility who have dedicated their careers to seeing fusion ignition become a reality, and this milestone will undoubtedly spark even more discovery.
Scientists use high-energy laser beams to achieve these temperatures which is also called inertial fusion.

At the international collaborative project in southern France called ITER in which India is a partner used very strong magnetic fields for the same purpose which is the second method of producing this energy.The ITER project is expected to demonstrate the viability of a commercially scalable nuclear fusion reactor between 2035 and 2040.
Some countries are trying laser-based inertial fusion as well.
It is relatively easier to attain break-even energy levels through inertial fusion compared to magnetic fusion.

The Fusion Technology:

It is a powerful way of harnessing the immense energy trapped in the nucleus of an atom. Attempts to master the fusion process have been going on at least since the 1950s, but it is incredibly difficult and is still at an experimental stage.

Fission Process: The nuclear energy currently in use across the world comes from the fission process in which the nucleus of a heavier element is split into those of lighter elements in a controlled manner.

Fusion Process: Here, the nuclei of two lighter elements are made to fuse together to form the nucleus of a heavier atom.The fusion of two nuclei of a heavier isotope of hydrogen, called tritium produces at least four times as much energy as the fission of a uranium atom which is the normal process of generating electricity in a nuclear reactor.
Fusion is also a carbon-free source of energy and has negligible radiation risks.
A large amount of energy is released in both these processes, but the energy is more in fusion than fission.

ITER( (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor):

It is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject aimed at creating energy by replicating on Earth the fusion processes of the Sun.
When operational it would become the biggest machine anywhere in the world which would be more complex than the Large Hadron Collider at CERN or the LIGO project to detect gravitational waves.

India joined the ITER project in 2005. The Institute for Plasma Research in Ahmedabad, a laboratory under the Department of Atomic Energy, is the lead institution from the Indian side participating in the project.

Indo-Nepal Joint Training Exercise “SURYA KIRAN-XVI” Begins at Nepal Army Battle School

Why In News

The 16th Edition of Indo-Nepal joint training Exercise “SURYA KIRAN-XVI” between India and Nepal will be conducted at Nepal Army Battle School, Saljhandi (Nepal), from 16 - 29 December 2022.

Key Points

The 16th Edition of Indo-Nepal joint training Exercise “SURYA KIRAN-XVI” between India and Nepal will be conducted at Nepal Army Battle School, Saljhandi (Nepal), from 16 – 29 December 2022. Exercise “SURYA KIRAN” is conducted annually between India and Nepal with the aim to enhance interoperability in jungle warfare & counter terrorism operations in mountainous terrain and HADR under UN mandate.

Nepal Army soldiers of the Shree Bhawani Baksh Battalion and Indian Army soldiers from the 5 GR will be participating in the exercise. The two armies, through these contingents, shall be sharing the experiences gained during the conduct of various counter-insurgency operations over the years in their respective countries.

Indian Army troops arrived in Saljhandi, Nepal, for the 16th Joint India-Nepal Military Ex SURYAKIRAN. The exercises are a paragon for the exchange of professional experience and cementing the friendship between two armies.

Focus Of The Exercise:

The joint exercise would focus on the evolution of combined drills for the planning and conduct of tactical operations at the unit level in counter-terrorism operations and disaster response mechanisms in general, as well as the role of armed forces in the management of disasters.

During the exercise, participants will be training together to develop inter-operability and share their experience, including counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations as well as humanitarian relief operations. The joint military exercise will enhance the level of defence cooperation, which will further foster the bilateral relations between the two nations, said the release.

Surya Kiran is a bilateral joint military exercise between India and Nepal. Indian Army and Nepal Army participate in the Surya Kiran exercise.

The biannual exercise, which takes place alternately in both countries, aims to establish military relations in inaccessible mountainous areas by the soldiers of both countries; provide humanitarian assistance under disaster management; get training in anti-terrorist operations; and build interoperability and share expertise between the two countries.
The 15th edition of Indo-Nepal joint military training exercise Surya Kiran was held on September 20, 2021, at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand.

UN Ranks ‘Namami Gange’ Project Among World’s top 10 Initiatives

Why In News

The United Nations has recognised the Namami Gange initiative to rejuvenate India’s sacred River Ganga as one of the top 10 World Restoration Flagships to revive the natural world.

Key Points

The United Nations has recognised the Namami Gange initiative to rejuvenate India’s sacred River Ganga as one of the top 10 World Restoration Flagships to revive the natural world. The award was received by G Ashok Kumar, Director General, Namami Gange, at the 15th Conference of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) in Montreal, Canada.

Namami Gange was selected from over 150 such initiatives from 70 countries across the globe. They were selected under the banner of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global movement coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Significance

It is designed to prevent and reverse the degradation of natural spaces across the planet. The recognized initiatives, including Namami Gange, will now be eligible to receive UN support, funding or technical expertise.

Namami Gange:

It was approved as a ‘Flagship Programme‘ by the Central Government in June 2014.
It was launched to serve the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution and conservation and rejuvenation of the national river Ganga.

It is being operated under the Ministry of Water Resources, Department of River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Ministry of Jal Shakti.