UPSC EXAM QUIZ 21.09.2024

Explanation:

• Union Cabinet has approved the Chandrayaan-4 mission in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 18 September 2024.
• Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM), Gaganyaan, Indian Space Station and NextGen vehicles were also approved.Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which launched Chandrayaan-1 in 2008, Chandrayaan-2 in 2019 and Chandrayaan-3 in 2023, will lead the Chandrayaan-4 mission.
• ISRO has been allocated a budget of Rs 2104.06 crore for the Chandrayaan-4 mission, which is to be completed in 36 months.
• Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM) The cost budget of this mission is Rs 1,236 crore and it will be launched in March 2028 to study the planet Venus. These missions reflect India's growing capabilities and ambitions in space research.

Explanation:

• Union Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held on 18 September 2024, has approved a new scheme, Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PMJUGA), to improve the socio-economic condition of the country's tribal majority villages and aspirational districts.
• The scheme seeks to utilise the existing central government scheme to achieve the objectives of the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PMJUGA) scheme.
• Union Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman proposed the scheme in her 2024-25 Union Budget speech.
Duration and Allocation for the PMJUGA Scheme
• The duration of the PMJUGA scheme is five years.
• The total allocation for the scheme is Rs.79,156 crore, of which the central government's share will be Rs.56,333 crore, and the State government's share will be Rs. 22,823 crore.

Explanation:

• Central government has approved the launch of the ‘Biotechnology Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (Bio-RIDE)’ scheme of the Department of Biotechnology(DBT), Union Ministry of Science and Technology.
• The two existing schemes of the DBT have been merged, and a new component, Biomanufacturing and Biofoundry, has been added to the Bio-RIDE scheme.
• The newly approved Bio-RIDE will continue from 2021-22 to 2025-26 during the 15th Finance Commission period.The proposed outlay for the scheme is Rs.9197 crore for 2021-2025-26.

Component of the Bio-RIDE Scheme

• The newly approved Bio-RIDE merges the two previous DBT schemes and includes one new component.

Explanation:

• Infosys has been selected by LIC to develop its NextGen digital insurance platform project.
• It will be an integrated end-to-end digital insurance solution.
• The digital platform will be modular, flexible, and cloud-native.
• It will have platform driven architecture that will be capable of quickly integrating new features, products, and cutting-edge technology.
• It will serve as the foundation for the development of high-value business applications including LIC's digital branch, portals, and super apps for sales and customers.
• Infosys declared that it will work with LIC to lead the DIVE (Digital Innovation and Value Enhancement) digital transformation program.
• Additionally, LIC's digital platform will function as an open platform, facilitating quick integration with partners in bancassurance and fintech.

Explanation:

• Indian Government approved mission to Venus after Moon and Mars.
• On September 18, the development of Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM) approved by the Union Cabinet, which will be a major milestone in India's space exploration efforts.
• The aim of the mission is to explore Venus, the nearest planet to Earth, and is an important step beyond the Moon and Mars in the government's vision for planetary exploration.
• Venus is the closest planet to Earth and is thought to have formed under conditions similar to Earth, providing a unique opportunity to understand how planetary atmospheres can evolve very differently.
• India's Department of Space plans to launch the 'Venus Orbiter Mission' to study Venus' surface, subsurface, and atmosphere, and explore how the Sun influences its atmosphere.
• ISRO will be responsible for the development and launch of this spacecraft.
• This mission is likely to be completed during the available opportunity in March 2028.
• The "Venus Orbiter Mission" (VOM) has been approved for a total of Rs 1236 crore, of which Rs 824.00 crore would be used for the spacecraft.