💥Join UPSC 2027,2028 Mentorship (August Batch) + XFactor Notes & Microthemes PDF
Talk to Mentor

Civilsdaily

Login

Type: Prelims Only

  • What are Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs)?

    The CBI is in the process of sending requests to several countries seeking information under the MLATs about those involved in the online sexual abuse of minors and circulation of child pornographic material on social media platforms.

    What are MLATs?

    • The MLATs in criminal matters are the bilateral treaties entered between the countries for providing international cooperation and assistance.
    • These agreements allow for the exchange of evidence and information in criminal and related matters between the signing countries.

    Benefits of Treaty

    • It enhances the effectiveness of participating countries in the investigation and prosecution of crime, through cooperation and mutual legal assistance.
    • It will provide a broad legal framework for tracing, restrain and confiscation of proceeds and instruments of crime as well as the funds meant to finance terrorist acts.
    • It will be instrumental in gaining better inputs and insights in the modus operandi of organized criminals and terrorists.
    • These in turn can be used to fine-tune policy decisions in the field of internal security.

    Enforcing MLATs in India

    • The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is the nodal Ministry and the Central authority for seeking and providing mutual legal assistance in criminal law matters.
    • The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) may be involved in this process when such requests are routed through diplomatic channels by these Ministries.
    • Section 105 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) speaks of reciprocal arrangements to be made by the Centre with the Foreign Governments

     

    UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Chinese astronauts enter Tiangong Space Station

    Three Chinese astronauts floated into the country’s new Tiangong space station for a three-month mission.

    Tiangong Space Station

    • Tiangong means “Heavenly Palace”.
    • It was 10.4 metres long and 3.35 metres wide at its widest point, and weighed 8.6 metric tonnes.
    • It was launched on September 15, 2016 and, in late 2016, hosted two Chinese astronauts for 30 days in what was China’s longest manned space mission so far.
    • The recently decommissioned space lab followed the Tiangong-1, China’s first space station, which crashed into the southern Pacific Ocean on April 1, 2018 after Chinese scientists lost control of the spacecraft.
    • China had launched Tiangong-1 in 2011 as proof-of-concept of technologies for future stations.
    • The Tiangong will be fully operational by the end of 2022.

    Features of this Space Station

    • The significant feature of Tiangong is its two robotic arms.
    • The US has previously expressed concern over its ability to grab objects including satellites from space.
    • The 10-meter-long arm was in action previously seen in action successfully grabbing and moving a 20 tonne Tianzhou-2 cargo ship in a test.
    • One of the noteworthy tasks for the Shenzhou-14 crew is to test and operate the large and small
    • The small arm is quite flexible and can perform operations with greater precision.

     

    UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • What are eVTOL Aircrafts?

    The Union Civil Aviation Ministry is exploring the possibility of inviting manufacturers of Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft to set up base in India.

    What is eVTOL?

    • EVTOL aircraft is one that uses electric power to hover, take off, and land vertically.
    • Most eVTOLs also use what is called as distributed electric propulsion technology which means integrating a complex propulsion system with the airframe.
    • There are multiple motors for various functions; to increase efficiency; and to also ensure safety.
    • It works on electric propulsion based on progress in motor, battery, fuel cell and electronic controller technologies.
    • It is also fuelled by the need for new vehicle technology that ensures urban air mobility (UAM).

    Features of eVTOL

    • eVTOL is emerging as a runway independent technological solution” for the globe’s transportation needs.
    • There are an estimated 250 eVTOL concepts or more being fine-tuned to bring alive the concept of UAM.
    • Some of these include the use of multi-rotors, fixed-wing and tilt-wing concepts backed by sensors, cameras and even radar.
    • The key word here is “autonomous connectivity”. Some of these are in various test phases.
    • In short, eVTOLs have been likened to “a third wave in an aerial revolution”; the first being the advent of commercial flying, and the second, the age of helicopters.

    What are the developments in powering eVTOLs?

    • The roles eVTOLs adopt depends on battery technology and the limits of onboard electric power.
    • Power is required during the key phases of flight such as take-off, landing and flight (especially in high wind conditions).
    • There is a “Diamond Nuclear Voltaic (DNV) technology” using minute amounts of carbon-14 nuclear waste encased in layered industrial diamonds to create self-charging batteries.
    • There are some industry experts who are questioning the use of only batteries and are looking at hybrid technologies such as hydrogen cells and batteries depending on the flight mission.

    What are the challenges?

    • As the technology so far is a mix of unpiloted and piloted aircraft, the areas in focus include “crash prevention systems”.
    • There are also issues such as ensuring safety in case of power plant or rotor failure.
    • Aircraft protection from cyberattacks is another area of focus.
    • A third area is in navigation and flight safety and the use of technology when operating in difficult terrain, unsafe operating environments, and also bad weather.

     

    UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • What is D2M Technology?

    The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and India’s public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati are exploring ‘direct-to-mobile’ (D2M) broadcasting.

    What is D2M Technology?

    • The technology is based on the convergence of broadband and broadcast, using which mobile phones can receive terrestrial digital TV.
    • It would be similar to how people listen to FM radio on their phones, where a receiver within the phone can tap into radio frequencies.
    • Using D2M, multimedia content can also be beamed to phones directly.

    Benefits of D2M

    • It allows broadcasting video and other forms of multimedia content directly to mobile phones, without needing an active internet connection.
    • It promises to improve consumption of broadband and utilisation of spectrum.

    Why need D2M?

    • The idea behind the technology is that it can possibly be used to directly broadcast content related to citizen-centric information.
    • It can be further used to counter fake news, issue emergency alerts and offer assistance in disaster management, among other things.
    • Apart from that, it can be used to broadcast live news, sports etc. on mobile phones.
    • More so, the content should stream without any buffering whatsoever while not consuming any internet data.

    What could be the consumer and business impact of this?

    • For consumers, a technology like this would mean that they would be able to access multimedia content from Video on Demand (VoD) or Over The Top (OTT) content platforms.
    • This will be without having to exhaust their mobile data, and more importantly, at a nominal rate.
    • The technology will also allow people from rural areas, with limited or no internet access, to watch video content.
    • For businesses, one of the key benefits of the technology is that it can enable telecom service providers to offload video traffic from their mobile network onto the broadcast network.
    • It thus helps them to decongest valuable mobile spectrum.
    • This will also improve usage of mobile spectrum and free up bandwidth which will help reduce call drops, increase data speeds etc.

    What is the government doing to facilitate D2M technology?

    • The DoT has set up a committee to study the feasibility of a spectrum band for offering broadcast services directly to users’ smartphones.
    • Band 526-582 MHz is envisaged to work in coordination with both mobile and broadcast services.
    • DoT has set up a committee to study this band.
    • At the moment, this band is used by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting across the country for TV transmitters.

    What are the possible challenges to the technology’s rollout?

    • Bringing key stakeholders like mobile operators onboard will be the biggest challenge in launching D2M technology on a wide scale.
    • A mass roll out of the technology will entail changes in infrastructure and some regulatory changes.

     

    UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • What are PM Shri Schools?

    Union Education Ministry is planning to set up “PM Shri Schools”.

    PM Shri Schools

    • PM Shri Schools will be the laboratory of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
    • They will be fully equipped to prepare students for the future.

    Likely features of these schools

    • It could imbibe 5+3+3+4 (to replace the 10+2 schooling system) approach of NEP covering pre-school to secondary, emphasis on ECCE, teacher training & adult education.
    • There will be an integration of skill development with school education and prioritising learning in mother tongue which are steps for preparing global citizens of the 21st century.
    • Since the NEP 2020 also increases the span of the Right to Education Act, it will now cover ages 3 to 18.

    Explained: 5+3+3+4 Schooling System

    • As per the new school education system of 5+3+3+4 outlined in NEP 2020, children will spend 5 years in the Foundational stage, 3 years in the Preparatory stage, 3 years in the Middle stage, and 4 years in the Secondary stage.
    • The division of stages has been made in line with the kind of cognitive development stages that a child goes through early childhood, school years, and secondary stage.
    • Here is the age-wise breakdown of the different levels of the new school education system:

    (1) 5 years of Foundational stage:

    For ages: 3 to 8, For classes: Anganwadi/pre-school, class 1, class 2

    • The foundational stage of education as per the national education policy will comprise 3 years or preschool or anganwadi education followed by two years of primary classes (classes 1 and 2).
    • This stage will focus on teaching in play-based or activity-based methods and on the development of language skills.

    (2) 3 years of Preparatory stage:

    For ages: 8 to 11, For classes: 3 to 5

    • The focus in the preparatory stage will remain on language development and numeracy skills.
    • Here, the method of teaching and learning would be play and activity-based, and also include classroom interactions and the element of discovery.

    (3) 3 years of Middle stage:

    For ages: 11 to 14, For classes: 6 to 8

    • As per NEP 2020, this stage of school education will focus on critical learning objectives, which is a big shift from the rote learning methods used in our education system for years.
    • This stage will work on experiential learning in the sciences, mathematics, arts, social sciences and humanities.

    (4) 4 years of Secondary stage:

    For ages: 14 to 18, For classes: 9 to 12

    • This stage will cover two phases classes 9 and 10, and classes 11 and 12.
    • The main change in these classes is the shift to a multidisciplinary system where students will have access to a variety of subject combinations that they can choose as per their skills and interest areas instead of being strictly divided into Arts, Science and Commerce categories.
    • This stage will again push for greater critical thinking and flexibility in the thought process.

     

     

    UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT)

    The four-meter International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) saw the first light recently, gazing out from its vantage on Devasthal, a hill in Uttarakhand.

    What is the ILMT?

    • The telescope has been built by a collaboration of scientists from Canada, Belgium and India.
    • It is located at an altitude of 2,450 metres on the Devasthal Observatory campus of the Aryabhata Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in Nainital district.
    • A large pool of mercury placed in a vessel is spun around so fast that it curves into a parabolic shape. Since mercury is reflective, this shape helps in focusing the reflected light.
    • Nearly 50 litres of mercury, weighing close to 700 kilograms, is spun hard to form a paraboloid mirror of just 4 mm thickness and a diameter of about 4 metres.
    • A thin sheet of mylar protects the mercury from the wind.
    • Once it starts making observations, the telescope will collect gigabytes of data, which will need to be analysed using artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI and ML) tools.

    It’s utility

    • The telescope will make sky surveys possible and obtain images that can help observe transient phenomena.
    • It will help analyse events such as supernovae and record the presence of space debris or meteorites — basically, watch the skies.

    What is the first image?

    • The first image made by the telescope consisted of several stars and a galaxy, NGC 4274, which is 45 million light years away.
    • The telescope, having a primary mirror that is liquid, cannot be turned and pointed in any direction.
    • It “stares” at the zenith and watches the sky as the earth rotates, thereby giving a view of different objects.
    • This property can be used to scan and survey the sky, and observe transients and moving objects such as meteorites.
    • It will work in tandem with the existing 3.6-metre Devasthal Optical Telescope.

     

    UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Back in news: Non-Resident Indians (NRIs)

    A national helpline for women deserted in Non-Resident Indian (NRI) marriages and the need for a dedicated fund to provide assistance to them are among the recommendations made at a consultation organized by the National Commission for Women (NCW).

    What are the issues faced by NRI wives?

    • Abandon after marriage
    • Inconclusive divorces filed abroad
    • Child custody disputes

    Classification of Overseas Indians

    Overseas Indians, officially known as Non-resident Indians (NRIs) or Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), are people of Indian birth, descent or origin who live outside the Republic of India:

    (A) Non-Resident Indian (NRI)

    • Strictly asserting non-resident refers only to the tax status of a person who, as per section 6 of the Income-tax Act of 1961, has not resided in India for a specified period for the purposes of the Act.
    • The rates of income tax are different for persons who are “resident in India” and for NRIs.

    (B) Person of Indian Origin (PIO)

    Person of Indian Origin (PIO) means a foreign citizen (except a national of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and/or Nepal), who:

    • at any time held an Indian passport OR
    • either of their parents/grandparents/great-grandparents were born and permanently resident in India as defined in GoI Act, 1935 and other territories that became part of India thereafter provided neither was at any time a citizen of any of the aforesaid countries OR
    • is a spouse of a citizen of India or a PIO.

    (C) Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

    • After multiple efforts by leaders across the Indian political spectrum, a pseudo-citizenship scheme was established, the “Overseas Citizenship of India”, commonly referred to as the OCI card.
    • The Constitution of India does not permit full dual citizenship.
    • The OCI card is effectively a long-term visa, with restrictions on voting rights and government jobs.

     

    UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • What is Liquid Nano Urea?

    During his visit to Gujarat, Prime Minister inaugurated the country’s first liquid nano urea plant at Kalol.

    Liquid Nano Urea (LNU)

    • Urea is chemical nitrogen fertiliser, white in colour, which artificially provides nitrogen, a major nutrient required by plants.
    • LNU is essentially urea in the form of a nanoparticle.
    • It is sprayed directly on the leaves and gets absorbed by the plant.
    • Fertilisers in nano form provide a targeted supply of nutrients to crops, as they are absorbed by the stomata, pores found on the epidermis of leaves.
    • According to IFFCO, liquid nano urea contains 4 per cent total nitrogen (w/v) evenly dispersed in water.
    • The size of a nano nitrogen particle varies from 20-50 nm. (A nanometre is equal to a billionth of a metre.)

    Significance of LNU

    • This patented product is expected to not only substitute imported urea, but to also produce better results in farms.
    • Apart from reducing the country’s subsidy bill, it is aimed at reducing the unbalanced and indiscriminate use of conventional urea.
    • It will help increase crop productivity, and reduce soil, water, and air pollution.

    Using LNU

    • The liquid nano urea produced by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) Limited comes in a half-litre bottle priced at Rs 240, and carries no burden of subsidy currently.
    • By contrast, a farmer pays around Rs 300 for a 50-kg bag of heavily subsidised urea.
    • According to IFFCO, a bottle of the nano urea can effectively replace at least one bag of urea.

    How efficient is LNU?

    • While conventional urea has an efficiency of about 25 per cent, the efficiency of liquid nano urea can be as high as 85-90 per cent.
    • Conventional urea fails to have the desired impact on crops as it is often applied incorrectly, and the nitrogen in it is vaporized or lost as a gas.
    • A lot of nitrogen is also washed away during irrigation.
    • Liquid nano urea has a shelf life of a year, and farmers need not be worried about “caking” when it comes in contact with moisture.

     

    UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Astra MK-I Air-to-Air Missile: Features, strategic significance

    The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) for the supply of the Astra Mark-1for deployment on fighter jets of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.

    Astra Missile

    • The Astra Mk-1 is a beyond visual range (BVR), air-to-air missile (AAM).
    • The Astra project was officially launched in the early 2000s with defined parameters and proposed future variants.
    • The missile has been designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
    • It will be deployed on fighter jets like Sukhoi-30 MKI and Tejas of the IAF and the Mig-29K of the Navy.
    • BVM missiles are capable of engaging beyond the range of 20 nautical miles or 37 kilometres.

    Range and its Variants

    • While the range for Astra Mk-1 is around 110 km, the Mk-2 with a range over 150 km is under development and Mk-3 version with a longer range is being envisaged.
    • One more version of Astra, with a range smaller than Mk-1 is also under development.

    Strategic significance

    • The missile has been designed based on requirements specified by the IAF for BVR as well as close-combat engagement, reducing the dependency on foreign sources.
    • AAMs with BVR capability provides large stand-off ranges to own fighter aircraft.
    • It can neutralise adversary airborne assets without exposing adversary air defence measures.
    • Stand-off range means the missile is launched at a distance sufficient to allow the attacking side to evade defensive fire from the target.
    • Astra is technologically and economically superior to many such imported missile
    • The missile can travel at speeds more than four times that of sound and can reach a maximum altitude of 20 km, making it extremely flexible for air combat.

     

    UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • India Bangladesh Relations

    Two years after they were stopped due to the onset of the pandemic, passenger train services between India and Bangladesh resumed with the Bandhan Express setting off from Kolkata for Khulna and the Maitree Express starting its run from Dhaka for Kolkata.

    History of Rail Connectivity

    • The Bandhan Express was resumed by rebooting a long-forgotten rail link between Kolkata and the industrial hub of Khulna, the third-largest city of Bangladesh.
    • In 1965, this route was served by the Barisal Express, which was stopped due to the India-Pakistan war.
    • The Modi government along with the Sheikh Hasina regime restarted that with Bandhan in 2017.
    • The Bandhan Express was the second train to be flagged off after the introduction of Maitree Express between Kolkata and Dhaka Cantonment in April, 2008.
    • It covers the distance between Kolkata and Khulna via Petrapole and Benapole border route to cater to the demands of the people from both the countries.
    • The Bandhan Express was resumed in 2017 by rebooting a long-forgotten rail link between Kolkata and the industrial hub of Khulna.

    Beyond passenger travel

    • The governments of both the countries have been working towards strengthening the rail link between them, and not just through passenger trains.
    • In August 2021, the two sides started regular movement of freight trains between the newly-restored link between Haldibari in India and Chilahati in Bangladesh.
    • The Haldibari-Chilahati rail link between India and the then East Pakistan was also operational till 1965 and stopped due to the war.
    • This was part of the broad gauge main route from Kolkata to Siliguri at the time of Partition.
    • The two sides envisage at least 20 freight trains to cross the border per month on this link.

    Rail infrastructure

    • Once part of a single, seamless railway network under British rule, trains continued to pass between the two countries even after the Partition.
    • The infrastructure to connect the two sides through railways was, therefore, largely present.
    • Policymakers on both sides viewed this as an opportunity to deepen diplomatic ties using cross-border movements of goods and passengers.
    • Five rail links have so far been rebooted between India and Bangladesh:

    Petrapole (India)-Benapole (Bangladesh), Gede (India)- Darshana (Bangladesh), Singhabad (India)-Rohanpur (Bangladesh), Radhikapur (India)-Birol (Bangladesh) and the Haldibari-Chilahati link

     

    UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)