Daily Factly Articles – 23/04/2022

Western Disturbances

• GS1
• Important Geophysical Phenomena

In News

• Variations in the intensity and locations of the Western Disturbances have brought heavy rainfall to Delhi during some months and kept the city dry and in the grip of a heat wave at other times.

What is Western Disturbance (WD)?

• It is an extra-tropical storm that originates in the Mediterranean region.
  • The disturbance travels from the “western” to the eastern direction. 
    • Disturbance means an area of “disturbed” or reduced air pressure. 
    • Equilibrium exists in nature due to which the air in a region tries to normalize its pressure.
    • The WD is not always the harbinger of good weather.
• In the term “extra-tropical storm”, the storm refers to low pressure. 
  • “Extra-tropical” means outside the tropics (as WD originates outside the tropical region).

Impacts 

• It brings rainfall, snowfall, and fog to northern India.
• If winds (jet stream) flow from the west to east direction at an altitude of 30,000 feet then the weather will be stable in that region. 
• A jet stream is a river-like current of air circulating across the globe at upper levels of the troposphere.
• WD is important for the agriculture of the Rabi crop in the Northern subcontinent.
• WD brings winter and pre-monsoon rain and is important for the development of the Rabi crop in the Northern subcontinent.
• Sometimes WDs can cause extreme weather events like floods, flash floods, landslides, dust storms, hail storms, and cold waves, Dense fog, killing people, destroying infrastructure, and impacting livelihoods.

Source: IE

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Postal Ballot Facility for NRIs

• GS 2
• Governance

In News

• The Chief Election Commissioner is looking forward to a proposal on postal ballots for NRIs during a recent visit to South Africa and Mauritius.

Background

• In 2017, the government proposed to remove the restriction imposed by Section 20A of the Representation of the People Act, which required them to be physically present to vote in their constituencies.
• The Bill provided for overseas voters to be able to appoint a proxy to cast their votes on their behalf, subject to conditions laid down in the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.
• The Bill was later passed in 2018 but lapsed with the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha.
• The ECI then approached the government to permit NRIs to vote via postal ballots similar to a system that is already used by service voters, (a member of the armed Forces of the Union; or a member of a force to which provisions of the Army Act, 1950 which is the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System or ETPBS.

Current Status of Voting for Overseas Citizens

• After the passing of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2010: NRIs who had stayed abroad beyond six months have been able to vote, but only in person at the polling station where they have been enrolled as an overseas elector.
• However, only a very low proportion of overseas residents actually registered or turned up to vote.
• The provision of having to visit the polling booth in person has discouraged eligible voters from exercising their mandate.
• The Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 was amended in 2016: to allow service voters to use the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS).
  • Under this system, postal ballots are sent electronically to registered service voters.
  • The service voter can then register their mandate on the ballot and send it back via ordinary mail.
  • The ECI proposed to extend this facility to overseas voters as well.
• In the case of overseas voters: their address mentioned in the passport is taken as the place of ordinary residence and chosen as the constituency for the overseas voter to enrol in.

Previous mandate

• Prior to 2010: an Indian citizen who is an eligible voter and was residing abroad for more than six months would not have been able to vote in elections.
• This was because the NRI’s name was deleted from electoral rolls if he or she stayed outside the country for more than six months at a stretch.

How has the existing facility worked so far?

• From merely 11,846 overseas voters who registered in 2014, the number went up to close to a lakh in 2019.
  • But the bulk of these voters (nearly 90%) belonged to just one State, Kerala.
• The Representation of the People Act: envisaged voters as only the “ordinary residents” in a constituency who will choose representatives to represent their local interests while meditating on larger issues in the legislature.
• Some democracies that already allow absentee voting stipulate that overseas electors are eligible to vote provided they are not abroad for a specified period of time and/or if they mention“intent to return”.
• Section 20-1A, Part III of the Representation of the People Act addresses this to some extent by qualifying “a person absenting himself temporarily from his place of ordinary residence shall not by reason thereof cease to be ordinarily resident therein”.
  • And in essence provides for NRIs who are temporarily staying abroad to be eligible to vote in their local constituencies.

What is ETPBS and how does it function?

• The Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 was amended in 2016 to allow service voters to use the ETPBS.
• Under this system: postal ballots are sent electronically to registered service voters.
• The service voter can then download the ETPB (along with a declaration form and covers), register their mandate on the ballot and send it to the returning officer of the constituency via ordinary mail.
• The post will include an attested declaration form (after being signed by the voter in the presence of an appointed senior officer who will attest it).
• The ECI proposed to extend this facility to overseas voters as well.
  • For this to commence, the Law Ministry has to amend the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.
• In the case of NRI voters those seeking to vote through ETPBS will have to inform the returning officer at least five days after notification of the election.
• The returning officer will then send the ballot electronically via the ETPBS.
• The NRI voter can then register her/his mandate on the ballot printout and send it back with an attested declaration in a process similar to the service voter.
• Except in this case: the senior officer would be appointed by the Indian diplomatic or consular representative in the resident country of the NRI.
• The ECI has not specified whether the voter should send in the ballot through ordinary post to the returning officer or drop it off at the Indian consular office/embassy, which will then send the envelopes constituency-wise to the returning officers.

Are postal ballots a viable means of voting?

• The ETPBS method allowed for greater turnout among service voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
• With increasing mobility of citizens across countries for reasons related to work, the postal ballot method has been recognised by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (an intergovernmental organisation that works to support democratic processes and institutions) as a means to allow overseas voters to exercise their right, subject to certain conditions normally related to the time spent abroad or the work carried out abroad.
• A postal ballot mechanism that allows for proper authentication of the ballot at designated consular/embassy offices and an effective postal system should ease this process for NRIs, but rules must be clearly framed for eligibility on the basis of time spent away from the country.

Source: TH

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Booster shot to India-U.K. Relations

• GS 2
• India & Foreign Relations

In News 

• PM Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson pushed for closing the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement(FTA) by the end of the year.

Major Points

• They agreed to enhance cooperation in the defence sector:
  • The expanded defence and security partnership will help in protecting vital shared interests in the Indo-Pacific Region and will also help India strengthen its own domestic defence industry.
• Open General Export Licence (OGEL):
  • The U.K. will issue an Open General Export Licence (OGEL) to support greater defence and security collaboration in the coming decade. 
    • The OGEL will reduce bureaucratic interference and shorten delivery time for India’s defence procurement. 
      • This is the first British OGEL in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Indo-Pacific: 
  • India emphasised on maintaining a free, open, inclusive and rules-based order in the region and India welcomed the U.K.’s decision to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. 

India-UK Relations

• About:
  • UK-India relationship is rooted in India’s colonial history with the British and the relationship shared by both countries even after India’s independence. 
  • The bilateral relationship was upgraded to a strategic partnership in 2004.
• Political:
  • They share a modern partnership which was upgraded to a strategic partnership in 2004.
  • The UK supports India’s proposal for permanent membership of the UNSC and is also an important interlocutor for India on global platforms. 
• Economic Engagements:
  • Trade: 
    • UK is among India’s major trading partners and as per trade statistics of MoC&I, India’s trade with the UK in 2017-2018 was US $14.497 billion.
  • Investment: 
    • UK is the 4th largest inward investor in India, after Mauritius, Singapore and Japan with a cumulative equity investment of US $26.09 billion (April 2000-June 2018), accounting for around 7% of all foreign direct investment into India. India continued to be the third largest investor in the UK and emerged as the second largest international job creator with Indian companies having created over 110,000 jobs in the UK. 
• Defence:
  • In 2015, the two countries agreed to elevate their Defence relationship by establishing capability partnerships in strategic areas. 
  • The institutionalised dialogue to discuss defence cooperation viz. Defence Consultative Group Meeting, is held annually at Defence Secretary level. 
  • Ajeya Warrior (army-to-army biennial exercise), the Konakan (joint navy-to-navy annual exercise) and the Indradhanush (joint air-to-air exercise) happen between India and UK.
• Education:
  • Over the last 10 years, the relationship has grown substantially with the introduction of bilateral mechanisms such as the India-UK Education Forum, UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI), Joint Working Group on Education, Newton-Bhabha Fund and Scholarship schemes. 
• Science and Technology:
  • Joint investment in UK-India research has grown from less than £1 million in 2008 to over £200 million. 
  • A India-UK Clean Energy R&D Centre with a focus on solar energy storage and a collaborative R&D programme in energy efficient building materials were announced. 
  • New research partnerships worth £80 million including a new Joint Strategic group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) with a joint investment of up to £13 million have also been established. 
• Cultural Linkages: 
  • Cultural linkages between India and UK are deep and extensive, arising out of shared history between the two countries. 
  • There has been a gradual mainstreaming of Indian culture and absorption of Indian cuisine, cinema, languages, religion, philosophy, performing arts, etc. 
  • 2017 was celebrated as the India-UK year of Culture to mark the 70th anniversary of Indian independence. 
• Indian Diaspora:
  • The Indian Diaspora in the UK is one of the largest ethnic minority communities in the country.
  • As per the 2011 census, approximately 1.5 million people of Indian origin live in the UK equating to almost 1.8 percent of the population and contribute 6% of the country’s GDP. 
• Roadmap 2030:
  • The “Roadmap 2030” for India-UK future relations was launched during India-UK Virtual Summit for-
    • revitalised and dynamic connections between people; 
    • re-energised trade, investment and technological collaboration that improves the lives and livelihoods of the citizens; 
    • enhanced defence and security cooperation that brings a more secure Indian Ocean Region and Indo-Pacific and 
    • India-UK leadership in climate, clean energy and health that acts as a global force for good.

Conclusion

• Subsequent to the unveiling of FTA, the two nations should proactively and regularly engage with each other, for deliberating on the scope and coverage of the trade deal.

Source:TH

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Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)

• GS 3
• Indian Economy & Related Issues

In News

• The government is considering a regulatory framework for special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) to lay the ground for the possible listing of Indian companies through this route in the future.

About SPACs

• Meaning:
  • A special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) is a company that has no commercial operations and is formed strictly to raise capital through an initial public offering (IPO) or the purpose of acquiring or merging with an existing company.
  • They are also known as “blank check companies”.
• Aim:
  • To raise money in an initial public offering (IPO), and at this point in time, it does not have any operations or revenues.
• Participants:
  • Investors in SPACs can range from well-known private equity funds and celebrities to the general public.
• Escrow account:
  • Once the money is raised from the public, it is kept in an escrow account, which can be accessed while making the acquisition.
  • If the acquisition is not made within two years of the IPO, the SPAC is delisted and the money is returned to the investors.

Data/ Statistics on India

• Data: The gross proceeds raised by SPACs amounted to over $83 billion in 2020 and $162 billion in 2021.
  • The number for 2022 has crossed $10 billion already.
• First Indian merger: Renewable energy producer ReNew Power announced an agreement to merge with RMG Acquisition Corp II, a blank-cheque company, in what became the first involving an Indian company during the latest boom in SPAC deals.
• Regulation in India: the Indian regulatory framework does not allow the creation of blank cheque companies.
  • The Companies Act, 2013 stipulates that the Registrar of Companies can strike off a company if it does not commence operations within a year of incorporation. 

Working of a SPAC

• SPACs are generally formed by investors or sponsors with expertise in a particular industry or business sector, to pursue deals in that area.
• In creating a SPAC, the founders sometimes have at least one acquisition target in mind, but they don’t identify that target so as to avoid extensive disclosures during the IPO process.
• IPO investors typically have no idea about the company in which they will ultimately be investing.
• SPACs seek underwriters and institutional investors before offering shares to the public.
  • An underwriter is any party that evaluates and assumes another party’s risk for a fee, which often takes the form of a commission, premium, spread, or interest.
  • An institutional investor is a company or organization that invests money on behalf of other people.
• The funds SPACs raise in an IPO are placed in an interest-bearing trust account. These funds cannot be disbursed except to complete an acquisition or to return the money to investors if the SPAC is liquidated.

Challenges/ Risks associated with SPAC

• Leap of faith: An investor in a SPAC IPO is making a leap of faith that its promoters will be successful in acquiring or merging with a suitable target company in the future.
• The reduced degree of oversight from regulators: coupled with a lack of disclosure from the typical SPAC means that retail investors run the risk of being saddled with an investment that could be massively overhyped or occasionally even fraudulent.
• Low returns: Returns from SPACs may be well below expectations when the initial hype has worn off.
• SPAC bubble: dismal performance could mean that the SPAC bubble that some market experts had warned about may be in the process of bursting.
• Increased regulatory oversight: SPACs have lost some of their luster due to increased regulatory oversight and less than stellar performance.

Significance/ Importance of SPAC

• Conversion to a publicly-traded company: Through an SPAC transaction, a private company can become a publicly-traded company with more certainty as to pricing and control over deal terms as compared to traditional IPOs.
• Celebrities make them famous: While SPACs are essentially shell companies, a key factor that makes them attractive to investors is the people who sponsor them.
• Faster process: A company can go public through the SPAC route in a matter of months, while the conventional IPO process is an arduous process that can take anywhere from six months to more than a year.
• Premium price: The owners of the target company may be able to negotiate a premium price when selling to a SPAC because the latter has a limited time window for making a deal.
• Experienced management and vast market: Being acquired by or merging with a SPAC that is sponsored by prominent financiers and business executives can give the target company experienced management and enhanced market visibility.

Way Forward

• Celebrity involvement in a SPAC does not mean that the investment in a particular SPAC or SPACs generally is appropriate for all investors.
• It is never a good idea to invest in a SPAC just because someone famous sponsors or invests in it or says it is a good investment.

Source: IE

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Decreasing Water Levels in Reservoirs

• GS 3
• Conservation

In News

• According to Central Water Commission (CWC) data, live storage of water in India’s major reservoirs has been continuously dipping.

About

• Immediate Reasons: 
  • Continuously dipping due to an early and intense heat wave as well as deficient pre-monsoon rainfall.
• Data: 
  • The storage levels in 140 major reservoirs monitored by the CWC fell to 39 percent of their cumulative capacity from 50 percent from March 17-April 21, 2022.
  • The nine major reservoirs in the northern region have the lowest live storage (32 per cent). 
  • The western region has 44 per cent live storage, followed by central with 42 per cent and southern and eastern regions with 37 per cent live storage each. 

What are the reasons for water dip?

• Increasing Rate of Evaporation:
  • It is not that evaporation losses did not happen in the past, but the rate of evaporation will now increase with the soaring temperatures
• Increased Usage:
  • Heat will drive up the use of water — from drinking and irrigation to fighting fires in forests or buildings. 
• Intense drought and floods cycles:
  • Climate change is already showing up in terms of the increasing number of extreme rain events. 
  • This means that one can expect rain to come like a flood, making the cycle of floods followed by droughts even more intense.
• Land Degradation:
  • In a country like India, where the bulk of the food is still grown in rain-fed regions, climate change will intensify land degradation and dust bowl formations.

Concerns

• Rising Water Needs: 
  • Meeting the daily water needs of cities is a major concern.
• Water Usage in Agriculture: 
  • Although industry is the largest contributor to India’s GDP, agriculture accounts for nearly 90% of water use. 
  • Two-thirds of India’s irrigation needs and 80% of domestic water needs are met using groundwater, contributing to the significant groundwater depletion rate. 
  • Low water storage due to a delayed monsoon arrival or inadequate rainfall can affect the upcoming Kharif-sowing season. 
• Electricity: 
  • In meeting the peak electricity demand as 45 of these 140 reservoirs are for hydropower generation. 
• Inefficient Water Use:
  • Although India has one of the world’s largest irrigation systems, it is characterised by high levels of inefficient water use.
  • Declining water tables mean increased cost of pumping, salty irrigation water as a result of over abstraction leading to crop and revenue losses for farmers, and long-term consequences for water availability. 
• Poor Access: 
  • Lack of access to improved water supply and adequate sanitation persists. 
  • According to the government census of 2011, only about 30% of the 167 million rural households in India have access to tap water and household toilets.
• Declining Water Quality: 
  • The discharge of untreated sewage into water bodies is the most important source of water pollution in India; eighty percent of the sewage generated goes untreated. 
• Policy Loopholes:
  • The existing policy framework lacks a clear incentive structure for efficient and sustainable water use. 
  • Intra- and inter-state water sharing and lack of adequate enforcement and monitoring of existing water policies undermine water governance. 
  • Low or absent water charging and energy subsidies for groundwater pumping drive severe depletion of resources.
• Finance for Water Infrastructure: 
  • A lack of sustainable financing for water infrastructure results in poor maintenance of existing infrastructure and limits further investment. 

Way Ahead

• Focus on Underground Water: 
  • India’s irrigation planners and bureaucracies have largely depended on canals and other surface water systems. 
  • Now, the focus needs to be on the management of groundwater systems, i.e., underground water storage, or wells.
• Vegetation Planning:
  • Water management must go hand-in-hand with vegetation planning to improve the ability of soils to hold water, even in times of intense and prolonged heat.
• Minimising Losses:
  • There is a need to work not just on storing water in millions of structures, but also plan for reducing losses due to evaporation. 
• Water Reuse:
  • Even the wastewater that is currently being left to flow down drain pipes should also be utilised.
• Improved Infrastructure:
  • As extreme rains become the norm, the structures being created under MGNREGA will need to be redesigned so that they last over the seasons.

Central Water Commission

• Central Water Commission is a premier Technical Organisation in the country in the field of water resources.
• It is charged with the general responsibilities of initiating, coordinating and furthering, in consultation with the State Governments concerned, schemes for control, conservation and utilisation of water resources throughout the country, for the purpose of Flood Control, Irrigation, Navigation, Drinking Water Supply and Water Power Development.
• Central Water Commission CWC is headed by a Chairman, with the status of Ex-Officio Secretary to the Government of India. 
• The work of the Commission is divided among 3 wings namely:
  • Designs and Research (D&R) Wing, 
  • River Management (RM) Wing and 
  • Water Planning and Projects (WP&P) Wing.
• Altogether there are nineteen organisations located at headquarters in New Delhi and thirteen organisations spread over various locations in India.

Source: DTE

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Government Order (GO) 111

• GS 3
• Conservation

In News

• Telangana government is being criticised for withdrawing an over 25-year-old government order protecting the historic Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs in Hyderabad.

Government Order 111

• About: 
  • On March 8, 1996, the government of erstwhile (undivided) Andhra Pradesh had issued ‘Government Order (GO) 111’ prohibiting development or construction works in the catchment area of the Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar lakes up to a radius of 10 km.
• What does order do? 
  • The GO prohibited the setting up of industries, residential colonies, hotels, etc. which cause pollution. 
  • Development in residential zones are permitted but the order specifically classifies land use of about 90 percent of the area for recreation and conservation. 
  • About 60 percent of the total area shall be kept as open space and roads in all layouts in the villages of the catchment area.
  • The aim of the restrictions was to protect the catchment area, and to keep the reservoirs pollution-free. 
• Applicable to: 
  • It is applicable to 1.32 lakh acres of land in 84 villages, in mandals with proximity to Hyderabad, such as Shamshabad, Rajendranagar, Moinabad, Chevella, Shabad, etc. 
  • The 84 villages fall under the 10-km catchment area of Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar. 

Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar

• They were built in 1920 and 1927, respectively, under the last Nizam-era ruler Mir Osman Ali Khan, after the devastating 1908 floods in Hyderabad that killed thousands. 
• Legendary engineer M. Visvesvaraya was brought in to make the city flood-proof. Under his recommendation to control excess water during floods, these two massive storage reservoirs were built.
• The reservoirs eventually became a crucial source of drinking water as water from river Musi and Esa were stored in the storage units.
  • Musi is also known as Moosa or Muchkunda and a major tributary of the Krishna River.

Source: IE

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Europa Moon

• GS 3
• Space

In Context 

• Recently, a team of researchers from Stanford University concluded that Jupiter’s icy moon Europa is a prime candidate to find life in this solar system. 

Major Points 

• It is noted that there might be an abundance of water pockets beneath formations called double ridges.
  • The double ridges are most common on Europa’s surface and are similar to those seen on Earth’s Greenland ice sheet .

About Europa

• Europa is named for a woman who, in Greek mythology, was abducted by the god Zeus – Jupiter in Roman mythology.
• Europa orbits Jupiter every 3.5 days and is locked by gravity to Jupiter, so the same hemisphere of the moon always faces the planet.
  • Jupiter’s moons Io, Europa, and Ganymede.
• Europa is slightly smaller than Earth’s moon and its diameter is about one-quarter that of the Earth. 

• Even though Europa has a very thin oxygen atmosphere, it is considered one of the most promising places in the solar system to find present-day environments that are suitable for life beyond the Earth.
• It is also believed that underneath Europa’s icy surface the amount of water is twice that on Earth. 
• Mission: 
  • NASA is expected to launch its Europa Clipper in 2024. The module will orbit Jupiter and conduct multiple close flybys to Europa to gather data on the moon’s atmosphere, surface and its interior.

Source:IE

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FCI’s Wheat Procurement System

• GS 2
• Agriculture

In Context 

• The procurement of wheat is underway in several states. 

About 

• The government procures food grains — rice, wheat, and coarse grains — in order to ensure farmers receive the minimum support price (MSP), and a stock is maintained to distribute to the poor under the public distribution system (PDS) and other schemes.
• Prices paid by government: 
• The government buys wheat at the MSP, which it declares before the sowing of the crop every year on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP).
  • MSPs are currently applicable on 23 farm commodities, including wheat and rice. 
  • However, there is no statutory backing for MSPs, or any law mandating their implementation. 

Wheat Procurement System of FCI

• The Food Corporation of India (FCI), along with state government agencies (SGAs), procures wheat. 
• The FCI’s wheat procurement system can be decentralised (DCP) or centralised (non-DCP).
  • Under the centralised procurement system, the procurement of foodgrains in Central Pool is undertaken either by FCI directly or by State Govt. Agencies (SGA). 
    • Central pool refers to stocks procured through MSP operations for welfare schemes and calamity relief. 
    • Quantity procured by SGAs is handed over to FCI for storage and subsequent issue against GoI (Government of India) allocations in the same State or movement of surplus stocks to other States. 
    • The cost of the foodgrains procured by State agencies is reimbursed by FCI as per Provisional per cost-sheet issued by GOI as soon as the stocks are delivered to FCI.
• Under the decentralised procurement system, state governments or their agencies procure, store, and distribute — against the GoI’s allocation for the targeted public distribution system and other welfare schemes (OWS) — rice, wheat, or coarse grains in the state.
  • The excess stocks (rice & wheat) procured by the State/ its agencies are handed over to FCI in the Central Pool. 
  • The expenditure incurred by the State Government on procurement, storage and distribution of DCP stocks are reimbursed by Government of India on the laid down principles.
    • The expenses such as MSP, arhatiya/society commission, administrative charges, mandi labour charges, transportation charges, custody & maintenance charges, interest charges, gunny cost, milling charges and statutory taxes are reimbursed on actual basis. 
  • The cost of excess stocks handed over to FCI is reimbursed by FCI.

Source:IE

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DefConnect 2.0

• GS 3
• Defence

In News

• The Defence Minister of India  inaugurated DefConnect 2.0 organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence, Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO).

About DefConnect 2.0

• It is a one-day event to bring together start-ups, big companies and armed forces personnel to boost indigenous innovation in the defence sector.
• The event will attract a large number of innovators and investors from the country’s leading industries in the defence sector. 
• It will provide a unique opportunity for innovators associated with iDEX-DIO to showcase their capabilities, products and state-of-the-art-technologies to the target audience of the industry leaders. 

Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO)

• The iDEX, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, essentially provides a unified platform for various stakeholders in the defence and aerospace sectors. 
• It acts like an umbrella organisation to oversee technology development and potential collaborations in this specific field.
• It will be funded and managed by a ‘Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO)’ which has been formed as a ‘not for profit’ company as per Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013 for this purpose, by the two founder members i.e. Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) – HAL & BEL. 
• iDEX aims at creation of an ecosystem to foster innovation and technology development in Defence and Aerospace by engaging Industries including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes & academia.
  • Till date, iDEX has launched five rounds of Defence India Start-up Challenges and three rounds of Open Challenges receiving more than 2,000 applications from individual innovators and start-ups.

Source:TH

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Reusable Launch Vehicle

• GS 3
• Science & Technology
• Space

In News

• ISRO is aiming to carry out a landing experiment (LEX), a critical component of the Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstration (RLV-TD) programme, in the next few days.

About Reusable Launch Vehicle

• Meaning:
  • A reusable launch system is a launch system that allows for the reuse of some or all of the component stages.
  • The vehicle returns to earth intact after a mission.
• The experiment:
  • RLV-LEX involves taking an unmanned, winged prototype to an altitude of about 2.3 km to 2.4 km on a helicopter and releasing it to land.
  • It must travel the distance autonomously, gain velocity, maintain control and come in like any typical aircraft, touching down with the rear wheels first.
• Phases:
  • The first in the series of experimental flights is the hypersonic flight experiment (HEX) followed by the landing experiment (LEX), return flight experiment (REX) and scramjet propulsion experiment (SPEX).
• Benefits of RLV:
  • Cheaper access to space is what makes an RLV attractive: A major hurdle in space exploration is the prohibitive cost, which can be slashed if the launch vehicle is a reusable one.
• Challenges of RLV:
  • Extra weight: Reusable stages weigh more than equivalent expendable stages. This is unavoidable due to the supplementary systems, landing gear and/or surplus propellant needed to land a stage.
  • Refurbishment: After the launcher lands, it may need to be refurbished to prepare it for its next flight. This process may be lengthy and expensive. The launcher may not be able to be recertified as human-rated after refurbishment.
• RLV Orbital re-entry Experiment (ORE):
  • ISRO is working on ORE.
  • In ORE, a wing body called Orbital Reentry vehicle (ORV) will be taken to an orbit by an ascent vehicle derived from the existing GSLV and PSLV stages and stay in orbit for a stipulated period, re-enter and land in a runway autonomously with a landing gear.

Source: TH