UPSC Daily Current Affairs | Prelim Bits 09-09-2024

SAMRIDH Scheme

The Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology launches 2^nd Cohort of SAMRIDH Scheme recently.

• SAMRIDH - Startup Accelerators of MeitY for Product Innovation, Development and Growth.
• It is a flagship programme for startups acceleration under National Policy on Software Products - 2019.
• Launched in - August 2021.
• Aim - The program aims to support 300 tech Start-Ups in 3-year duration with cohort size of 5-10 Start-Ups.
• Implemented by - MeitY Start-up Hub (MSH), Digital India Corporation (DIC).
• Funding - One-to-one matching funding support of up to Rs.40 lakh.
• In the 1^st round of cohort, 22 Accelerators spread across 12 states are supporting 175 startups, selected through a multilevel screening process.
• In the 2^nd round it will support 125 startups through potential accelerators so as to achieve the target of nurturing 300 startups.
• Eligibility - Have been in the business of incubation for more than 3 years and supported more than 50 start-ups of which at least 10 have received non-public investment.
• Accelerators - Registered as section 8 company under companies act 2013/societies registered under Societies Registration Act (Not-for-profit).
• The Accelerator should have an experience of running startup program cohorts with activities.
• Features

References

1. PIB | SAMRIDH Scheme
2. MeitY | Samridh Scheme

Vertical Fiscal Imbalance

The 15^th Finance Commission had noted that India has had a larger, and rising, vertical imbalance than most other federations.

Fiscal imbalance

• It occurs when there is a mismatch between a government's future debt obligations and future income streams.

A fiscal deficit is the shortfall in a country's revenue stream compared to its spending.

• Types - Vertical and horizontal fiscal imbalance are the two types of imbalance that can impact a government's expenditures and revenues.

Horizontal fiscal imbalance

• It occurs when revenues do not match expenditures for different regions of the country.

Vertical fiscal imbalance

• It occurs when revenues do not match expenditures for different government levels.
• A vertical fiscal imbalance is a structural issue that can be resolved if revenue and expenditure responsibilities can be reassigned.
• Constitutional provision - Article 280 addresses the issue of "vertical fiscal imbalance" by establishing a Finance Commission, tasked with recommending the distribution of tax revenues between the central government and state governments.
• Finance commission reviews the fiscal conditions of the Centre and states from time to time and suggests resource transfer from the Centre to the states.
• For the transfer of central resources, the constitution itself points out what tax resources of the Centre have to be shared with the states.
• Divisible pool - These tax sources of the Centre that must be shared with the states is known as the divisible pool.
• The divisible pool consists of all taxes, except surcharges and cess levied for specific purpose, net of collection charges.

Reference

The Hindu | What is vertical fiscal imbalance?

Brunei

Modi, 1^st Indian Prime Minister to travel to Brunei on a bilateral visit recently said that he was looking forward to strong ties with Brunei.

• The country of Brunei is located along the northern coast of the Borneo Island in Southeast Asia.
• Capital - Bandar Seri Begawan.
• It is situated both in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres of the Earth.
• Bordered by - The South China Sea in the north and on all other sides by Malaysia.
• Brunei is divided into 2 non-contiguous parts by a portion of the Malaysian State of Sarawak.
• Brunei shares its maritime borders with China and Malaysia.
• Bukit Pagon is the highest point in the country along the border with Malaysia in the eastern mountainous region.
• Rivers - Belait, Pandaruan, and Tutong.
• It is a major oil producer in Southeast Asia.

Reference

Times of India | Modi looking forward to strong ties

Earth’s third energy field - Polar Wind

NASA scientists have detected and measured Earth's 3^rd energy field using a suborbital rocket as part of the Endurance Mission.

• Ambipolar Electric Field – It is a weak, planet-wide electric field, counteracts gravity and ejects particles into space as fundamental as Earth’s gravity and magnetic fields.
• Although the field is weak, it is significant to Earth as it counters gravity and lifts the skies up.
• Any planet with an atmosphere should have an ambipolar field.
• Scientists theorized this electric field should begin at around 250 kilometers altitude, where atoms in our atmosphere break apart into negatively charged electrons and positively charged ions.
• This electric field is bidirectional, or “ambipolar,” because it works in both directions.
• Ions pull the electrons down with them as they sink with gravity.
• At the same time, electrons lift ions to greater heights as they attempt to escape to space.
• The net effect of the ambipolar field is to extend the height of the atmosphere, lifting some ions high enough to escape with the polar wind.
• First hypothesized more than 60 years ago, the ambipolar electric field is a key driver of the “polar wind,” a steady outflow of charged particles into space that occurs above Earth’s poles.
• Polar wind – It was strangely made up of particles moving at supersonic speeds even though they remained cold, contrary to expectations.
• Hydrogen ions, which are in abundance in the polar wind, are pushed into space by an electric field that is 10.06 times stronger than gravity.
• It was found to push hydrogen ions into space and increase the ionosphere's density by 271%, which helps maintain its density at higher altitudes.
• The field acts like a conveyor belt which lifts the atmospheric particles into space.

Reference

Indian express | Polar Wind

Helium in Rockets

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft landed uncrewed in a New Mexico desert recently, due to Helium leakage in the rocket system.

• Helium – It is the second most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen.
• It is a colorless and odorless inert gas that does not react with other substances or combust.

• It is the second lightest element after hydrogen.

• Use of Helium in Rocket – As Helium has a very low boiling point (-268.9° C), it to remain a gas even in super-cold environments.
• Many rocket fuels are stored in that temperature range.
• Helium is used to pressurize fuel tanks, ensuring fuel flows to the rocket’s engines without interruption and for cooling systems.
• As fuel and oxidiser are burned in the rocket’s engines, helium fills the resulting empty space in the tanks, maintaining the overall pressure inside.
• Because it is non-reactive, it can safely mingle with the tanks’ residual contents.
• Leakage Prone – As Helium is small in atomic size and low in molecular weight , its atoms can escape through small gaps or seals in storage tanks and fuel systems.
• Easy to Detect - Because there is very little helium in the Earth’s atmosphere, leaks can be easily detected
• Alternatives - Argon and nitrogen, which are also inert and can sometimes be cheaper.

References

The Hindu | What is helium and why is it used in rockets?