16 December Daily Current Affairs Updates

Konda Reddy Tribe ; GS-1(History) ▪️ Why in the News: Isolated from the modern world, the Konda Reddis rely on age-old traditions to sustain their livelihoods.

>About: The Konda Reddis are classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) residing along the banks of the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh.

> Language: The Konda Reddis primarily communicate in Telugu, characterized by their distinct accent.

> Religion: Their primary religious practice is Folk Hinduism, which includes local traditions and the worship of community-level deities.

‣ Family and Marriage:

• Family Structure: The Konda Reddis follow a patriarchal and patrilocal family system.

• Marriage Practices: Monogamy is the norm, though polygamous families are also found. Marriage arrangements include negotiation, love and elopement, service, capture, and exchange, all of which are socially acceptable within the community.

‣Political Organization:

• Social Control: The tribe governs itself through a traditional institution known as the 'Kula Panchayat.'

• Village Leadership: Each village has a hereditary headman referred to as the

'Pedda Kapu.' The headman also serves as the Pujari (priest) for the village's deities.

Jalvahak Scheme ; GS-2 (Governance) ▪️ Why in the news: The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Shri Sarbananda Sonowal recently unveiled a major scheme for Cargo Promotion - 'Jalvahak' Scheme.

‣ About: The Jalvahak Scheme has been introduced to incentivize a shift from road and rail freight transportation to inland waterways, drawing inspiration from Europe's Marcopolo initiative.

• Rationale for the Scheme:

⌲ Aims to encourage the use of inland waterways as a sustainable and efficient mode of transportation.

• Seeks to promote modal shifts from the better-funded and more developed road and rail sectors.

Duration of the Scheme: The scheme will be operational for a period of three years.

• Implementing Agency: Inland and Coastal Shipping Limited (ICSL) and Inland Waterways

Authority of India (IWAI.)

> Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Shipping, Ports, and Inland Waterways.

Scheme Design:

• Financial incentives will be provided directly to cargo owners who transition from road/rail to inland waterways.

o. The incentives will cover up to 35% of the actual operational expenditure incurred on waterways transport

o. Only applicable for long-haul cargo movement over distances exceeding 300 kilometers.

Applicability of Incentives: Initially, incentives are available for cargo movement along:

National Waterway 1 (River Ganga).

National Waterway 2 (River Brahmaputra)

National Waterway 3 (River Barak).

Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project ; GS-3 (Infra-Economy) ▪️ Why in the news: The National Dam Safety Authority is likely to submit its final report on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme soon, excluding the aspect of conducting geotechnical tests.

> About:

• KLIP is a multi-purpose irrigation project located on the Godavari River in Kaleshwaram, Bhupalpally, Telangana, India.

• The project is intended to meet both irrigation and drinking water needs, covering about 45 lakh acres in 20 out of the 31 districts in Telangana, including Hyderabad and Secunderabad

‣ It holds the distinction of being the world's largest multi-stage lift irrigation project.

Geographic and Hydrological Context:

• The project's upstream reach begins at the confluence of the Pranhita and Godavari rivers.

• The Pranahita River is a union of smaller tributaries, such as the Wardha, Painganga, and Wainganga rivers, which together form the seventh-largest drainage basin in the Indian subcontinent.

CE20 Cryogenic Engine; GS 3-Space Tech (Science and Technology) ▪️ Why in the news: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully carried out the sea level hot test of its CE20 cryogenic engine.

• About:

• The CE20 Cryogenic Engine is an indigenously developed engine by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre of ISRO.

• It is the main power source for the upper stage of the LVM3 launch vehicle, qualified to operate at a thrust level of 19 tonnes.

‣ Applications and Recent Upgrades:

• The engine has successfully powered the upper stage of six LVM3 missions to date.

• For the Gaganyaan mission, it has been qualified to deliver a thrust level of 20 tonnes.

• The thrust level has also been updated to 22 tonnes for the future C32 stage; which will enhance the payload capability of the LVM3 launch vehicle.

‣ Features of CE20:

• It incorporates a Nozzle Protection System, addressing earlier complexities in engine testing.

• It is equipped with a nozzle area ratio of 100, ensuring better performance.

• The engine uses a multi-element igniter, tested successfully by activating only the first element during evaluations.

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