Subhash Chandra Bose

The Prime Minister inaugurated the Subhash Chandra Bose museum at Red Fort to mark his 122^nd birth anniversary on 23 ^rd January 2019.

A Brief History

• Subhash Chandra Bose was twice elected President of the Indian National Congress, (1938-Haripur and 1939-Tripuri) the country’s most important political force for freedom from the Raj or British rule.
• Owing to political differences, he resigned from the Congress Presidentship in 1939 and organised the All India Forward Bloc a faction within the Congress in Bengal. The purpose was to consolidate the political left and major support base in his home state Bengal.
• In Calcutta, Bose organised mass protests and was arrested. He was later put under house arrest from where he escaped. He went to Germany via Afghanistan.
• However, in 1943 Bose lost hope that Germany could be of any help in gaining India's independence. He then turned to Asia where he finally came at the helm of the Indian National Army (INA).
• INA found support among expatriate Indians and under its aegis Bose formed the Azad Hind government which came to produce its own currency, postage stamps, court and civil code. It was recognised by Axis states.
• While his memory is still held in high esteem in India, in the West Bose is much less revered, largely because of his wartime collaboration with the Axis powers.
• During the final two years of the war, Bose with considerable Japanese backing- led the forces of the Indian National Army into battle against the British.

Azad Hind

• In 1940’s the major inspiration for carrying on a relentless struggle against Britain came from Subhas Bose’s adventures abroad.
• Bose had set up an Indian Legion in Berlin in 1941, but developed difficulties with the Germans when they tried to use it against Russia, and decided to go to South East Asia.
• He reached Japanese-controlled Singapore from Germany in July 1943, issued from there his famous call, ‘Delhi Chalo’, and announced the formation of the Azad Hind Government and the Indian National Army on 21^st October 1943.
• The link with the old revolutionary tradition was emphasized by giving a post of honour in the government to Rashbehari Bose, who had been living in exile in Japan since 1915.
• Despite all his differences with Gandhiji, Bose did not forget to ask for the blessings of the ‘Father of the Nation’ while starting his enterprise.
• Indian prisoners of war in Japanese camps provided a ready recruiting ground for the I.N.A., which was able to rally about 20,000 out of the 60,000 prisoner of wars, and financial aid and volunteers came from Indian trading communities settled in South East Asia.
• The I.N.A. was essentially non-communal, with Muslims quite prominent among its officers and ranks, and it also introduced the innovation of a women’s detachment named after the Rani of Jhansi.
• Between March and June 1944, the I.N.A. was in action on Indian soil, besieging Imphal (Manipur) along with Japanese troops in a campaign which ended in total failure.
• The Japanese collapse in 1945 made the I.N.A. men prisoners again, while Bose mysteriously disappeared, allegedly killed in an air-crash which some still believe to have been faked.
• In November, 1945, a British move to put the I.N.A. men on trial immediately sparked off massive demonstrations all over the country.
• Even more significant was the probable link between the I.N.A. experience and the wave of disaffection in the British Indian army during the winter of 1945-46, which culminated in the great Bombay naval strike of February 1946 and was quite possibly one of the most decisive reasons behind the British decision to make a quick withdrawal.

Contribution of Bose

• The INA revealed Subhash Bose’s greatness as a military leader and an organizer too. One of the INA Brigades advanced with the Japanese army upto the frontiers of India. The Indian national flag was hoisted in Kohima (Nagaland) in March 1944.
• However with the change of fortune in the war and the retreat and defeat of the Japanese the INA collapsed. The role of INA had far reaching influences on the Indian political scene.
• When the stories of their remarkable courage and sacrifice came to the knowledge of the Indian people at the end of the war, the nation came under a wave of revolutionary upsurge.
• The British Government could realise that patriotism for Indians was greater than their service to a foreign power.
• In spite of his principle of violence Subhash Chandra Bose’s grand scheme of India’s liberation and the high idealism through INA movement inspired the people of India in an unprecedented manner.

Conference on ‘Making our Elections Inclusive and Accessible’

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has organised the International Conference on ‘Making our Elections Inclusive and Accessible’ on the occasion of 9^th National Voters Day which is observed on 25^th January every year.

• The National Voters’ Day is celebrated all over the country on January 25 every year since 2011 to mark the Foundation day of Election Commission of India, which was established on 25th January 1950.
  • The main purpose of the celebration is to encourage, facilitate and maximize the enrollment, especially for the new voters.
  • The theme of National Voters’ day 2019 is “No Voter to be Left Behind”.
• To mark the occasion, ECI also released the January 2019 issue of its Quarterly Magazine ‘VOICE International’. The magazine carries rich experiences for knowledge sharing on Inclusive and Accessible Elections across the democracies around the world.
• On the sidelines of the Conference ECI also renewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation in the field of election management with the Election Commission of Bhutan.
• ECI also highlighted its flagship programme, Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) for enhancing Inclusion among various categories of voters and to encourage their electoral participation.

Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP)

• SVEEP, started in 2009 is the flagship program of the Election Commission of India for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in India.
• SVEEP is designed according to the socio-economic, cultural and demographic profile of the state as well as the history of electoral participation in previous rounds of elections and learning thereof.

ISRO Launches Military Satellite and KalamSat

Recently, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has launched satellites Microsat-R and KalamSat onboard Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-44.

• This was also a technology demonstrator of PSLV, as this launch was the first launch done with just 2 strap-on motors and is named as the PSLV-DL, D standing for demonstration.
• It provided an alternative to its normal six strap-on motors (side rocket boosters) on PSLV. This will enable it to carry a slightly higher payload than its Core-Alone version (in which there is no strap on motors).

Significance of the Mission

• Microsat-R
  • Microsat-R is a military imaging satellite, weighing 130 kilograms, was made by Defence Research and Development Organization(DRDO).
  • This was launched in low orbit. It is the first time an Indian satellite was being placed by ISRO in a low orbit at an altitude of 274 km. 
• Kalamsat
  • ISRO also launched a student satellite, Kalamsat, made by Space Kidz India, weighing just 1.26kg.
  • Kalamsat is the world’s smallest and lightest communication satellite.
  • Space Kidz India is an organization dedicated to designing innovative concepts for students in the field of education.
• Fourth Stage (PS4) Usability
  • ISRO also used this launch as an opportunity to demonstrate the usability of the fourth stage of the rocket after the satellites are ejected into orbit. 
  • The fourth and final stage of the rocket normally turns into debris after ejecting a satellite.
  • Now any agency that wants to conduct experiments in space can use the fourth stage until it disintegrates naturally. The fourth stage of the rocket will be orbiting in space for six months to a year. ISRO is aiming to use this time-frame to enable agencies to run short time experiments.
  • Kalamsat will be the first to use the fourth stage as an orbital platform.
  • The experiment with Kalamsat will start about 1.5 hours from take-off and will last for about 14 hours. Later duration of experiments with PS4 will be improved gradually.

UK to Support Nitrogen Research in India

The United Kingdom will fund the South Asian Nitrogen Hub (SANH), a group of 50 institutions to assess and study the quantum and impact of “nitrogen pollution” in South Asia.

• Eighteen research institutions in India are the part of SANH which will study the impacts of the different forms of pollution to form a “coherent picture” of the nitrogen cycle.
  
  • In particular, it will look at nitrogen in agriculture in eight countries — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives.
• This is a five-year programme established with funds from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under its Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).

Global Challenges Research Fund

• The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) is a £1.5 billion fund announced by the UK Government in late 2015 to support cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries.
• GCRF forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment, which is monitored by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Nitrogen Pollution

• Nitrogen constitutes 78% of Earth's air. In the form of gas it is colourless, odourless and generally considered as inert gas. In aqueous form also it is colourless and odourless.
  • Nitrogen makes plants grow and is an essential component for life.
• Nitrogen is potent greenhouse gas. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is 300 times more potent green house gas than carbon dioxide.
• Nitrogen pollution is caused by emission of excess of Nitrogen from the use of chemical fertilisers, livestock manure and burning fossil fuels.
• Gases such as ammonia (NH₃) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) contribute to poor air quality and can aggravate respiratory and heart conditions, leading to millions of premature deaths across the world.
• Nitrate from chemical fertilisers, manure and industry pollutes the rivers and seas, posing a health risk for humans, fish, coral and plant life.
• Other than air pollution, nitrogen is also linked to the loss of biodiversity, the pollution of rivers and seas, ozone depletion, health, economy, and livelihoods.

Need of the Study

• According to a study, nitrogen emissions in India grew at 52% from 1991 to 2001 and 69% from 2001 to 2011.

• The planetary boundary of N (nitrogen) is set at 44 Tg (Tera-grams) per year globally and current application of N, primarily through fertiliser usage, is about 150 Tg N per year.
  • Planetary boundary is the limits of the earth within which humans can thrive.
• Specially in case of South Asia, high doses of fertiliser input of nitrogen to agriculture combined with low nitrogen-use efficiency means that research on nitrogen pollution must be a priority. This is emphasised by the scale of nitrogen subsidies across South Asia at around $10 billion per year.

Important Facts for Prelims (25th January 2019)

National Girl Child Day

• The Ministry of Women & Child Development has celebrated National Girl Child Day (NGCD) on 24th January 2019 in Delhi.
• The theme of NGCD 2019 was “Empowering Girls for a Brighter Tomorrow” and was celebrated with objectives of generating awareness on the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and create a positive environment around valuing the girl child.
• The celebrations also marked the 4^th anniversary of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme which was launched in 2015.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme

• The trend of decline in the Child Sex Ratio (CSR), defined as the number of girls per 1000 of boys between 0-6 years of age, has been unabated since 1961.
• The decline from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001 and further to 918 in 2011 is alarming.
• The decline in the CSR is a major indicator of women disempowerment.
• CSR reflects both, pre-birth discrimination manifested through gender-biased sex selection, and post-birth discrimination against girls.
• Two most prominent reasons for the decline in child sex ratio are:
  • Social construct discriminating against girls 
  • Easy availability, affordability and subsequent misuse of diagnostic tools
• The government has announced the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative to ensure survival, protection, and empowerment of the girl child.
• This is being implemented through a national campaign and focussed multisectoral action in 100 selected districts low in CSR, covering all States and UTs.
• This is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Human Resource Development.
• The objectives of this initiative are:
  • Prevention of gender-biased sex-selective elimination
  • Ensuring survival & protection of the girl child
  • Ensuring education and participation of the girl child

Bio-fuel Standard for Aviation

• To use bio-jet fuel on all military and civilian aircraft, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), in collaboration with IAF and the oil industry, has brought out a new standard for Aviation Turbine Fuels (ATF).
• This standard would enable the oil companies to manufacture bio-jet fuel for the Indian aviation industry and align Indian standards with current international standards.
• This step will help in reducing the carbon emissions and will help India become a green fuel production hub.
• Increased demand of bio-jet fuel would give impetus to increase in collection of tree-borne non-edible oil seeds, which, in turn, will help generate ancillary income, increase remuneration for tribal and marginal farmers, and enthuse cultivation/ collection of oilseeds.
• This will also help in achieving global emission target under Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
  • CORSIA addresses the increase in total CO2 emissions from international aviation above 2020 levels.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

• The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a UN specialized agency, established in 1944 to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention).

India’s First Military Flight using Blended Bio-Jet Fuel