CONTENTS
- National Science Day
- International Monsoons Project Office
- Operation Ganga
National Science Day
Focus: GS III Science and Technology
Why in News?
The Prime Minister, has greeted the scientists on National Science Day.
About National Science Day
- National Science Day (NSD) is celebrated every year on 28th February to commemorate the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’ by Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930.
- The first NSD was celebrated in1987.
- Its objective is to propagate the message of the importance of science and its application among the people.
- 2022 Theme: Integrated Approach in S&T for Sustainable Future
- Nodal Agency to Support Celebration: National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC) of Ministry of Science and Technology.
What is Raman Effect?
- Raman is the inelastic scattering of a photon by molecules which are excited to higher vibrational or rotational energy levels. It is also called Raman scattering.
- In simpler words, it is a change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules.
- When a beam of light traverses a dust-free, transparent sample of a chemical compound, a small fraction of the light emerges in directions other than that of the incident (incoming) beam.
- Most of this scattered light is of unchanged wavelength. A small part, however, has wavelengths different from that of the incident light and its presence is a result of the Raman Effect.
- The Raman effect forms the basis for Raman spectroscopy which is used by chemists and physicists to gain information about materials.
- Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation.
International Monsoons Project Office
Focus: GS I- Geography
Why in News?
Union Minister of Science & Technology has launched the International Monsoons Project Office (IMPO).
International Monsoons Project Office (IMPO)
- IMPO will be hosted at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, an institution under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt of India, initially for five years.
- Setting up the IMPO reiterates the importance of monsoons for the national economy.
- It would encompass activities and connections related to international monsoon research that would be identified and fostered under the leadership of the World Climate Research Programme.
- Both the World Climate Research Programme and World Weather Research Programme are international programmes coordinated by the United Nations World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
- It would promote knowledge sharing and capacity building in areas of monsoon research crucial for agriculture, water resources and disaster management, hydropower and climate-sensitive socio-economic sectors.
- It is a step towards making India a global hub for monsoon research and coordination in a seamless manner for addressing common and region-specific aspects of the monsoons around the world.
Operation Ganga
Focus: Facts for prelims
Why in News?
The Government of India has launched a ‘multi-pronged’ initiative named ‘Operation Ganga’.
About Operation Ganga
- It is an evacuation mission to bring back all the Indian nationals who are currently stranded in Ukraine.
- There were around 20,000 Indians including students stuck in Ukraine.
- Till now, three Air India flights have been able to bring back more than 900 Indians from Ukraine to India.
- The Indian evacuation flights are operating from neighbouring countries like Romania and Hungary.
- The government is also facilitating evacuation of stranded Indians from its borders crossing Romania, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
