Class Notes 4 You

Debate of global warming and climate change is compelling the world to move from fossil-based energy towards clean and green energy. Issues with conventional energy generation : Coal - Carbon emission and limited supply Nuclear energy- Technological barriers and involves high risk Biofuels- Contributes to deforestation, soil erosion and unsustainable in nature. In this context Solar energy has gained immense popularity due to benefits it offers compared to conventional ones: Limitless- Sun as a source can never dry up and can be used continuously without fearing end of supply. Conventional sources such as coal may dry up in future. Clean energy- Non-polluting and zero greenhouse gas contribution. Affordable- Easy to adopt and install and has high domestic utility. Income generating- Not restricted to just large companies or governments to set up solar power plants. Individuals can also set up plants and can sell to distributing companies. Easy to transport- Minimum energy loss. Initiat...

The impact of science can be seen in all spheres of life such as: Healthcare- Antibiotics, gene therapy, vaccine, etc. Industries- Automation, Innovation, etc. Transportation. Communication. Food and lifestyle- ACs, heater, microwave, etc.  It is so deeply interwoven in material as well as intellectual aspects of human lives that today even self- discovery is technologically outsourced. Its impact on agriculture in one such aspect. Changes in Agriculture due to science-based technologies: Precision Agriculture: Use of drones, data analysis Remote-sensing. Genetically-Modified crops: Increased productivity and resilience. Green Revolution: Use of hybrid seeds, threshers, cultivators, seeders, mechanization. Water Management: Drip irrigation, cloud-automated and timed sprinkler systems and subsurface water lines. Smart Agriculture: Using data science, IoTs, robotics to analyze soil, seed quality, predicting crop yields, etc. Nanotechnology based Agriculture: Nanosensors in crop prote...

The S-400 Triumf is a mobile, surface-to-air missile system (SAM) designed by Russia. It is the most dangerous operationally deployed modern long-range SAM (MLR SAM) in the world, considered much ahead of the US-developed Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system (THAAD) and Patriot PAC-3.  Comparative Analysis of S-400 with other advanced defence system:  S-400 Triumf (Russia) Capable of firing any aerial target within a range of 400km. It has an ability to simultaneously track upto 160 objects in 600 km. It can intercept and shoot the moving targets with a maximum speed of 17km/hr. It can be assembled and deployed within five minutes. It is economical as it costs approximately only $500 million.  Patriot PAC-3 (The Phased Array Tracking to Intercept of Target (PATRIOT) Advanced Capability- Three) USA Ability to intercept aerial targets at a range of 180 km and of launching ballistic missiles upto a range of 100 km. It can track only 36 objects simultaneously. Whereas, ...

In 2014, Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources. LED invention has tremendous impact on the everyday life of human being due to following features it has:  Characteristic Features Energy Efficiency - 60-70 percent improvement in energy use with respect to regular bulbs. Longer life span- Lasts 50,000hours to 100000hours. Ability to operate in cold conditions - Perform better in cold temperatures by about 5%. Cost effectiveness.  Impact on everyday life Seen in most of the organizations- Schools, workplace, institutions, hospitals, etc. Becoming the first choice of everyone, especially in Parking lots, outdoor signage, perimeter of buildings, which needs t ofunctionals 24*7. Used in freezer, meat lockers, cold storage spaces and refrigerated display. Resulted in financial savings and improved standard of living. Other impacts of LED in daily lives Environment-fri...

Current Affairs  Important Newspaper Highlights for UPSC Civil Services Examination. 06 August 2022 The HINDU   🟠  (Page 1) : RBI raises rates, vows nimble policy 🟢 (Page 1) : China sanctions Pelosi, suspended key U.S. talks 🟠 (Page 1) : India witnessing death of democracy: Rahul  🟢 (Page 1) : SC moots verdict for 'bodily autonomy'  🟠 (Page 3) : HC questions need for ration card to avail aid  🟢 (Page 6) : Lesson for India from the Taiwan standoff 🟠 (Page 6) : Addressing the challenges in new-age digital commerce  🟢 (Page 6) : Sticking to commitments 🟠 (Page 6) : A fresh opportunity  🟢 (Page 8) : Bill To punish 'religious animosity' mooted in LS 🟠 (Page 8) : Two new Bills introduced in the Lok Sabha  🟢 (Page 8) : India on track to meet clean energy targets  🟠 (Page 8) : 'Swaraj' is not limited to just self-rule, says Home Minister  🟢 (Page 9) : India, China hole dialogue on airspace violation near LAC  🟠 (Page 9)...

Investment is defined as the total value of capital goods produced in the economy (which is also called capital formation) plus net of export and import of capital goods. Gross fixed capital formation is defined as the production of machinery, equipment, new construction and intellectual property rights. Capital formation is important for any economy as it helps in boosting output and income. Following is the past trend of Gross fixed capital formation (investment) in the economy in the last few years. When the government decides that a certain project should be done through PPP model then it first selects a private party and signs a “Concession Agreement” (also called PPP Agreement) with the private party. This agreement provides details as to what would be the roles and responsibilities of the private sector and the government sector during the entire life of the project. The following are the important factors to be kept in mind while designing these agreements : • All the risks whi...

Infrastructure has been recognized as one of the most important enablers of economic growth. The significance of infrastructure creation has all the more increased in the current context of post covid19 scenario when we have experienced a negative growth of GDP in the last financial year. Infrastructure spending leads to rapid and inclusive economic growth as it possesses strong forward and backward linkages and a very high multiplier effect. Increase in infrastructure investment like railway, roads, ports, airport affects the economy in two ways: 1. In the short run, it boosts aggregate demand and crowds in (pulls in) private investment due to the complementary nature of infrastructure services. 2. In the long run, a supply side effect also kicks in as the infrastructure-built feeds into the productive capacity of the economy. Infrastructure is considered as the backbone of the country’s economy. It leads to inclusive growth in the following ways: 1. Spending in transportation infrast...