Prelims Focus 3rd March 2025

Avalanche

In News: An Avalanche has struck the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) project at Mana in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli.

• • Definition: A rapid descent of snow, rock, ice, and different materials down a mountainside.
    • Snow avalanches, the maximum common type, can travel faster than 320 km/h (200 mph).
  • Causes: Avalanches arise while a volatile snowpack breaks aside, frequently because of vulnerable bonds between layers, along with ice, clean snow, or spring thaw. Added weight or vibration can cause the slide.

• Types of Avalanches:

• • Sluffs: Small, less dangerous avalanches of dry, powdery snow.
  • Slabs: More dangerous, large snow masses where the weak layer is buried deeper.
• Factors Influencing Avalanches: Storms, temperature, wind, slope steepness, terrain, and snowpack conditions all impact the likelihood and type of avalanche.
  • Most avalanches are brought on by vibrations from human beings or outside forces, along with earthquakes.

Giloy

In News: Research on Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) has seen a tremendous 376.5% rise over the last decade, driven via a surge in interest post-COVID as specialists discover its immune-boosting, antiviral, and adaptogenic properties. 

• • Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia), a local tropical plant of India, is known for its medicinal properties in Ayurveda.
  • It carries bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, steroids, and glycosides, located in its root, stem, and complete plant.
  • Giloy is cultivated throughout plains, foothills, and semi-arid regions of India, in particular in states like Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh.

• Benefits 

• • It  is known as Amrita in Sanskrit, meaning the ‘herb of immortality,’ due to its several health advantages.
  • It is known for its various health services, which include anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-stress, hepatoprotective, and immunomodulatory consequences.

Naval Anti-Ship Missile Short Range (NASM-SR)

In News: The Naval Anti-Ship Missile – Short Range (NASM-SR) is India’s first indigenous air-launched anti-ship cruise missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Navy. 

• Manufactured by Adani Defence & Aerospace, this missile is designed to replace the aging Sea Eagle missiles. 
• It features advanced technologies such as Lock On After Launch (LOAL), sea-skimming capabilities, and fire-and-forget functionality, making it effective in all weather conditions. 
• With a range of 55 km, a 100 kg multi-EFP warhead, and subsonic speeds of Mach 0.9, the NASM-SR is optimized for precision strikes on smaller vessels and critical areas of larger ships. 
• Successfully tested in 2022 and 2023, it is compatible with platforms like the MH-60R helicopters and can also be adapted for ship- or land-based launches, marking a significant step in modernizing India’s naval warfare capabilities.

Auroville

In News: Auroville, an experimental international township located in Tamil Nadu near Puducherry, was founded on February 28, 1968, by Mirra Alfassa, known as the ‘Mother,’ the spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo. 

• Designed by French architect Roger Anger, it was envisioned as a universal township promoting human unity, sustainable living, and spiritual consciousness. Initially a barren land, Auroville has transformed into a thriving 3,000-acre community with over 3 million trees, rich biodiversity, nine schools, and multiple social enterprises. 
• It currently houses around 2,700 residents from over 50 countries who live by principles of peace, harmony, and collective progress. 
• UNESCO has endorsed Auroville through four resolutions (1966, 1968, 1970, and 1983), recognizing it as a project of international importance. 
• Administered under the Auroville Foundation Act of 1988 and overseen by the Ministry of Education since 1980, the township receives partial funding from the Indian government for its development and maintenance. Auroville remains a unique global experiment in unity and sustainable living.

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