INSAT-3D, the Advanced Meteorological Satellite of India Launched Successfully

INSAT-3D, the advanced meteorological satellite of India was launched successfully by the European rocket, Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket, from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana on 26 July 2013.
The satellite will give a push to the weather forecasting as well as help in facilitating disaster warning services.
Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket of European space consortium launched the Alphasat satellites as well as INSAT-3D. Alphasat is the largest-ever telecommunication satellite of Europe.
This satellite is the result of large-scale public-private partnership between Inmarsat as well as European Space Agency.

Features of INSAT-3D

• The new satellite, INSAT-3D will be operational for next seven years, i.e., up to 2020.
• The aim of the satellite is to make a crucial difference to the disaster warning systems as well as weather forecasting of India.
• INSAT-3D will also provide monitoring of the ocean as well as land areas, apart from providing meteorological observation.
• INSAT-3D will facilitate new dimension to the weather monitoring because of its atmospheric sounding system. The atmospheric sounding system provides the vertical profiles of integrated ozone, humidity as well as temperature, from top of the atmosphere.
• It is important to note that the imaging system and mechanism of INSAT-3D has a lot of improvement in comparison to INSAT-3A as well as KALPANA.
• The satellite has the lift-off mass of 2060 kg.
• It will facilitate continuity to the previous missions as well as also help in increasing the capability of providing meteorological and search and rescue services.
• INSAT-3D carries the newly developed 19 channel sounder, which is the first payload of this kind to be flown to the ISRO satellite mission.
The primary users of the Satellite Aided Search and Rescue service in India include Directorate General of Shipping, Defence Services, fishermen, Indian Coast Guard as well as Airports Authority of India.
The alert services include a wide area of Indian Ocean region, as well as covers Sri Lanka, Tanzania, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Seychelles, Bhutan and Maldives.

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1. Airtel has announced the launch of their voice service, “Apna Chaupal”, that will provide information in regional languages on agriculture, devotion, jibs, health and education.
2. ‘One Billion Rising’ was a campaign held on February 14, 2013, to protest violence against women.
3. India’s first wildlife skywalk will come up in Maenam wildlife sanctuary in Sikkim.
4. The Union Budget 2013 has proposed setting up of two ports—one in Sagar, West Bengal and the other in Andhra Pradesh
   The new communication satellite launched by NASA on 31 January 2013 to stay in touch with its space station astronauts- TDRS(Tracking and Data Relay Satellite)
5. Solicitor-General of India, who resigned from his office on 4 February 2013- Rohinton F Nariman
6. President of Republic of Mauritius who visited India from 3 Jan 2013 to 10 Jan 2013 and was honoured with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award- Rajkeswur Purryag
7. The King of Bhutan who visited India from 23 to 30 January 2013 and was the Chief Guest for the Republic Day Celebration- Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
8. Code name given to secret plan for executing Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Afzal Guru in Tihar Jail on 9 February 2013 -Operation Three Star
9. The Country which banned the Japanese cartoon Doraemon in the third week of February 2013 because of the fears of Hindi invasion- Bangladesh
   
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Scheduled Tribes

• The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are two groups of historically-disadvantaged people recognised in the Constitution of India.
• During the period of British rule in the Indian subcontinent, they were known as the Depressed Classes.
• Gandhiji has given the name HARIJAN to scheduled castes.
• The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes comprise about 16.6 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively, of India's population (or about 25.2 percent altogether, according to the 2011 census).
• The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 lists 1,108 castes across 25 states in its First Schedule, and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 lists 744 tribes across 22 states in its First Schedule.
• Since independence, the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (the three categories combined constitute about 60 percent of India's population) were given reservation in India.
• In the original Constitution, Article 338 provided for a special officer (the Commissioner for SCs and STs) responsible for monitoring the implementation of constitutional and legislative safeguards for SCs and STs and reporting to the president.
• Seventeen regional offices of the Commissioner were established throughout the country.
• To effectively implement the various safeguards built into the Constitution and other legislation, the Constitution under Articles 338 and 338A provides for two statutory commissions: the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
• The chairpersons of both commissions is ex officio on the National Human Rights Commission.

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The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Amendment Rules, 2012

• The Act recognises and vests forest rights and occupation of forest land with Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers.
• These rights include the right to collect and sell minor forest produce and the right to live in the forest land for habitation or self-cultivation for livelihood, etc.
• The amending Rules introduce the process to be followed by the Gram Sabha and district level committee, the process for the recognition of rights and amends certain definitions.
• Some of the key amendments include:

1. The Gram Sabha shall monitor the committee constituted for the protection of wildlife, forest and biodiversity.
2. It has to approve all decisions of the committee pertaining to the issue of transit permits to transport minor forest produce, use of income from sale of produce, or modification of management plans.
3. The collection of minor forest produce is to be free of all fees. 
4. The committee has to prepare a conservation and management plan for community forest resources.
5. The Forest Rights Committee (FRC) of the GramSabha shall not reexamine recognised forest rights or interfere in the verification of claims that are pending.
6. The number of Scheduled Tribes represented on the FRC has increased from one-third to two-thirds.
7. The quorum of the Gram Sabha meeting has been decreased from two thirds to one-half of the members,At least one-third of the members present shall be women While passing a resolution regarding the claims of forest rights, atleast 50 percent of the claimants to forest rights or their representatives should be present.
8. Following monitoring committees are formed.

•           District level committee
•          State level monitoring committee

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Gram Sabha

• The Gram Sabha is a meeting of all adults who live in the area covered by a Panchayat.
• Anyone who is 18 years old or more and who has the right to vote is a member of the Gram Sabha.
• Every village Panchayat is divided into wards ,smaller areas.
• Each ward elects a representative who is known as the ward member.
• All the members of the Gram Sabha also elect a sarpanch who is the Panchayat president.
• The Ward Panchs and the Sarpanch form the Gram Panchayat.
• The Gram Panchayat is elected for five years.
• The Gram Panchayat has a secretary who is the secretary of the Gram Sabha who is known as GRAMSEVAK.
• This person is not an elected person but is appointed by the government.
• The Secretary is responsible for calling the meeting of the Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat and keeping a record of the proceedings.
• The Gram Sabha is the key factor in making the Gram Panchayat play its role and be responsible .
• It is the place where all plans for the work of the Gram Panchayat are placed before the people.
• The Gram Sabha prevents the Panchayat from doing wrong things like misusing money or favouring certain people.
• It plays an important role in keeping an eye on the elected representatives and in making them responsible to the persons who elected them.

The works of Gram Panchayat includes

• The construction and maintenance of water resources,roads,drainage,school buildigns and other common property resources.
• Levying and collecting local taxes.
• Executing government schemes related to generating employment in the village.

Sources of funds

• Collection of taxes on houses,market places etc.
• Government schemes funds received through various departments
• Donations for community works.