Vikas is a family of liquid fuelled rocket engines that powers India’s launch vehicles PSLV and GSLV.
It is aimed at improving the payload capability of PSLV, GSLV and GSLV Mk-III launch vehicles.
It is used in second stage of PSLV which consists of four stages in its operation (Solid-Liquid-Solid-Liquid).
It is used in second stage and four strap-on stages of GSLV.
GSLV is a three stage vehicle (Solid-Liquid-Cryogenic Engine) with four liquid strap-on boosters.
ISRO has recently improved the thrust of the Vikas engine which is expected to boost the rocket engine.
The main beneficiary of the high-thrust Vikas engine is GSLV-Mark III launcher, which is expected to lift 4,000-kg satellites to space.
GSLV-Mark III uses twin engine core liquid stage (L110).
GSLV – Mark III with upgraded Vikas engine would be the third Mk-III and the first working one to be designated MkIII Mission-1 or M1.
Testing of Brahmos
DRDO and the Indian Army have test fired a supersonic BrahMos cruise missile under “extreme weather conditions” from Integrated Test Range at Balasore,Odisha.
The test was under extreme weather conditions with sea state 7 (waves as high as 9 m).
Sea state is the degree of turbulence at sea, generally measured on a scale of 0 to 9 according to average wave height.
BrahMos is the supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air based platforms.
It is considered one of the world’s fastest cruise missile currently in operational use.
The missile’s range is estimated at around 300 to 400 kilometers with speeds of up to Mach 2.8 to 3.
The land-launched and sea-launched variants of the BrahMos are already in service with the Indian Army and Navy.
Recently, a new production line for BrahMos transport launch canisters in Vadodara in the western state of Gujarat,
DRDO is also working on an indigenous missile booster for the BrahMos.
Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
WPI represents the price of basket of goods at a wholesale stage i.e. goods that are sold in bulk and traded between organizations instead of consumers.
WPI is calculated by the Office of Economic Advisor, DIPP under Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The base year for the index is 2011-12.
The components of WPI include Primary articles, Manufacturing items, fuel and power with different weightages assigned to them.
The weightages are Primary Articles (Weight 22.62%), Fuel & Power (Weight 13.15%), and Manufactured Products (Weight 64.23%).
It basically indicates the rise in profitability of industries.
Recent Concern - WPI has risen to 5.77% in June, the highest since December 2013.
It is driven in large part by rising fuel prices.
The real upward push came from the crude petroleum and natural gas segment, which saw inflation surging to 48.7% in June from 26.9% in the previous month.
Similarly, the fuel and power segment saw inflation quicken to 16.2% from 11.2% over the same period and inflation in manufacturing accelerated in June to 4.17% from 3.73% in May.
Child Care Institutions
Central government has directed state government to ensure that all the child care institutions should be registered and linked to CARA.
Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is a statutory body of Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India.
It functions as the nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions.
It is designated as the Central Authority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, 1993, ratified by Government of India in 2003.
Bill against witch hunting
President has recently given assent to the Assam government’s bill against witch-hunting.
Witch-hunting involves casting a spell on women victims to gain control over them by magic.
The victim who is branded as a witch is subjected to numerous forms of torture, beatings, burns, paraded naked through the village, forced to eat human excrement and sometimes even raped.
In India, witch hunting dates back hundreds of years.
It emanated in the Morigaon district of Assam which is now infamously known as the ‘Indian Capital of Black Magic’.
Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2015 considers the act of witch hunting as cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable offense.
It prescribes a prison term of up to seven years and up to Rs. 5 lakh in fine for calling a person witch.
It also has provisions to come with Section 302 of the IPC (punishment for murder) if someone is killed after being branded a witch.
