KUDMI COMMUNITY
1. Context
Kudmi community, which is demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status and the inclusion of their language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, lifted their agitation following assurances from the West Bengal government
The community had been sitting on protest in the Junglemahal areas of West Bengal and parts of Jharkhand. Last week, they blocked National Highways and railway tracks in Bengal’s West Midnapore and Purulia and some areas of Jharkhand for five days
2. Who are Kudmis?
- Kudmis are mainly a peasant community, with their population concentrated in the Junglemahal areas or the Chota Nagpur plateau of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha
- Some Kudmis are also found in Assam and northern West Bengal, who have migrated from the Chota Nagpur plateau region
- During the British rule, they were in the Scheduled Tribe or Aboriginal community list, and were regarded as a primitive tribe, like the Munda, Oraon, Bhumij, Kharia, Santhal, and others
3. Reasons for their Exclusion from ST list
- After 1950, when the Scheduled Tribe list was prepared in independent India, Kudmis did not find a place on it
- Ever since, they have been fighting for their identity as a Scheduled Tribe
- The Kudmis argue that in the British era, various documents listed them as a tribe and an aboriginal community of India, and they want that identity restored
- According to community members, during the British rule, some affluent Kudmis wanted to elevate their social status as “kshatriya” in the Hindu caste hierarchy, while other members opposed this “sanskritisation”
- Not only Kudmis, many other adivasi communities participated in that movement
- Unfortunately, they were excluded from Scheduled Tribe list after independence
- Now they are demanding their original identity. It is also true that, like other adivasi communities, their socio-economic condition has not changed
- Another section of the Kudmi population alleges that they were excluded from the ST list to show an increase in the population of the Hindu community
4. Demands
Over the past decade, in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha, an intensified movement was witnessed by the Adibasi Kudmi Samaj and its allied organisations, mainly led by former Jharkhand Movement crusader Ajit Prasad Mahato
Since then, the community has been vocally demanding inclusion in the ST list
Several social and political organisations also have emerged to champion the case, such as the Purbanchal Adibasi Kudmi Samaj, Kudmi Sena, Abga Kudmi Sena, Kudmi Samannay Samiti, Kudmi Unnayan Samiti, Kudmi Bikash Morcha, and United Kudumi Samaj
Source: indianexpress
LARGE HADRON COLLIDER
1. Context
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), is on the energy frontier of physics research, conducting experiments with highly energised subatomic particles.
2. Key Points
The LHC, true to its name, is three things.
- It is large so large that it is the world's largest science experiment.
- It is a collider. It accelerates two beams of particles in opposite directions and smashes them head-on.
- These particles are hadrons. Currently, engineers are warming up the LHC for its third season of operations, following upgrades that will have made the collider and its detectors more sensitive and accurate than before. It will start collecting data again from midMay.
3. The functioning of the LHC
- A hadron is a subatomic particle made up of smaller particles.
- The LHC typically uses protons, which are made up of quarks and gluons.
- It energises the protons by accelerating them through a narrow circular pipe that is 27 km long.
- Simply put, this pipe encircles two D-shaped magnetic fields, created by almost 9,600 magnets. There is a proton at the 3 o'clock position.
- It is made to move from there to the 9 o'clock position by turning on one hemisphere of magnets and turning on one hemisphere of magnets and turning off the other, such that the magnetic field acting on the proton causes it to move clockwise.
- Once it reaches the 9 o'clock position, the magnetic polarity is reversed by turning off the first hemisphere and turning on the second.
- This causes the proton to move in an anticlockwise direction, from the 9 o'clock position.
- This way, by switching the direction of the magnetic field more and more rapidly, protons can be accelerated through the beam pipe.
- There are also other components to help them along, focus the particles, and keep them from hitting the pipe's walls.
- Eventually, the protons move at 99.999999 per cent of the speed of light.
- In the process, they accrue a tremendous amount of energy according to the special theory of relativity.
4. The effects of a collision
- When two antiparallel beams of energised particles collide head-on, the energy at the point of collision is equal to the sum of the energy carried by the two beams.
- Thus far, the highest centre of mass collision energy the LHC has achieved is 13.6 TeV (teraelectronvolts).
- This is less energy than what would be produced if you clapped your hands once.
- The feat is that the energy is packed into a volume of space the size of a proton, which makes the energy density very high.
- At the moment of collision, there is chaos. There is a lot of energy available, and parts of it coalesce into different subatomic particles under the guidance of the fundamental forces of nature.
- Which particle takes shape depends on the amount and flavour of energy available and which other particles are being created or destroyed around it.
- Some particles are created very rarely. If a particle is created with a probability of 0.00001 per cent there will need to be at least 10 million collisions to observe it.
- Some particles are quite massive and need a lot of the right kind of energy to be created (this was one of the challenges of discovering the Higgs boson).
- Some particles are extremely shortlived and the detectors studying them need to record them in a similar timeframe or be alert to proxy effects.
- The LHC's various components are built such that scientists can tweak all these parameters to study different particle interactions.
5. The findings of the LHC
- The LHC consists of nine detectors. Located over different points on the beam pipe, they study particle interactions in different ways.
- Every year, the detectors generate 30, 000 TB of data worth storing and even more overall.
- Physicists pore through this data with the help of computers to identify and analyse specific patterns.
- This is how the ATLAS and CMS detectors helped discover the Higgs boson in 2012 and confirmed their findings in 2013.
- The LHC specialises in accelerating a beam of hadronic particles to certain specifications and delivering it.
- Scientists can choose to do different things with the beam. For example, they have used the LHC to energise and collide lead ions with each other and protons with lead ions.
- Using the data from all those collisions,
- They have tested the predictions of the Standard Model of particle physics,'
- The reigning theory of subatomic particles;
- Observed exotic particles like pentaquarks and tetraquarks and checked if their properties are in line with theoretical expectations; and
- Pieced together information about extreme natural conditions like those that existed right after the Big Bang.
6. What lies ahead for the LHC
- These successes strike a contrast with what the LHC has not been able to find "new physics", the collective name for particles or processes that can explain the nature of dark matter or why gravity is such a weak force, among other mysteries.
- The LHC has tested some of the predictions of theories that try to explain what the Standard Model can't and caught them short.
- This has left the physics community in a bind.
- One way forward, which is already in the works, is to improve the LHC's luminosity (a measure of the machine's ability to produce particle interactions of interest) by 10x by 2027 through upgrades.
- Another more controversial idea is to build a bigger version of the LHC, based on the hypothesis that such a machine will be able to find 'new physics' at even higher energies.
- While both CERN and China have unveiled initial plans for bigger machines, physicists are divided on whether the billions of dollars they will cost can be used to build less expensive experiments, including other colliders, with guaranteed instead of speculative results.
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For Prelims: Large Hadron Collider, European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN,
For Mains:
1. What is the Large Hardon Collider? Discuss how it works and what lies ahead of the world's largest science experiment. (250 Words)
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Previous Year Questions
1. Large Hadron Collider was in news recently for doing some scientific research to prove the presence of an elementary particle. The scientist who predicted this particle in 1964 has been awarded Nobel Prize in 2013. What is this discovery? (UPSC CAPF 2014)
A. Particles known as quarks having mass
B. Origin of Universe timings
C. Higg's Bosons or God Particles explaining mass
D. None of the above
Answer: C
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Source: The Hindu
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES
1. Context
Due to the sheer volume of information and scale of operations that the Indian Parliament is required to undertake, it is not feasible to take up all issues on the floor of the House. Thus, Parliamentary committees are constituted to delve deeper into matters of public concern and develop an expert opinion.
2. Background
- The Parliamentary committees are an essential part of the governance of India.
- They support the legislature in the discharge of its duties. Their work includes supervision, control, and vigilance, and they share the workload of the legislature.
- Also, the Parliamentary committees in India offer better insight into the issues in discussion. And they provide detailed analysis and scrutiny. There are two types of Parliamentary committees: Parliamentary standing committee and Ad Hoc Committee.
- Article 118 of the Indian Constitution deals with any subject related to these committees. Here, we discuss all Parliamentary committees of India with their types, including the Financial and Departmental Committees.
3. Standing Committees
The Standing Committees are permanent (constituted every year or periodically) and work continuously. Standing Committees can be classified into the following six categories:
- Financial Committees
- Departmental Standing Committees
- Committees to Enquire
- Committees to Scrutinise and Control
- Committees Relating to the Day-to-Day Business of the House
- House-Keeping Committees or Service Committees
4. Ad Hoc Committees
- While the Ad Hoc Committees are temporary and cease to exist on completion of the task assigned to them.
- They are further subdivided into Inquiry Committees and Advisory Committees.
- The Principal Ad hoc Committees are the select and Joint Committees on Bills.
5. Evolution of Committees
- Even though a structured committee system was only established in 1993, individual committees were being formed for various reasons as far back as independence.
- The Ad Hoc Committee on the Citizenship Clause, as the name suggests, was formed to discuss the nature and scope of Indian citizenship.
- Two other very significant committees were the Northeast Frontier (Assam) Tribal and Excluded Areas SubCommittee (July 28, 1947) and the Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas (Other than Assam) SubCommittee (August 18, 1947).
- Then there was the Expert Committee on Financial Provisions of the Union Constitution (December 5, 1947), which was responsible for giving recommendations on Union and Province (State) tax collection, central excise duty, liquor revenue, the divisible pool of income tax, sharing of proceeds among provinces, residuary powers, and the institutions of the Finance Commission and the Auditor General, among other things.
- Finally, the Advisory Committee on the Subject of Political Safeguards for Minorities (May 11, 1949), chaired by Sardar Patel, looked at the abolition of reservations for religious minorities.
- So, in essence, committees have been doing monumental work since the unveiling of independent India.
- Today, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have their Standing (permanent) Committees and Ad Hoc (needbased) Committees. There are also Joint Committees with representation from both Houses.
6. Role and Importance of Parliamentary Committees in Indian Democracy
- Lawmaking: Due to large the volume of the legislature, discussion of all the bills in parliament in detail is not possible. Committees do a detailed discussion and analysis of a proposed law, thus enabling that every law is for benefit of citizens.
- Executive accountability: Parliamentary committees ensure executive accountability through scrutiny of public spending and various laws. The Public Accounts Committee is concerned with the manner and results of spending public funds. It scrutinizes the accounts and the report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, thereby ensuring accountability for any misspending.
- Better informed discussion: Committee allows members for a more meaningful exchange of views as against discussions in open Houses where party positions take precedence. This allows them to take better decisions on policies.
- Expertise: Committees allow the use of input and suggestions from various experts on the subject matter of law thereby helping to formulate better policies and laws. Changes in technology and the expansion of the economy bring new policy challenges that require the assistance of experts in dealing with such situations. It is through these committees that such expertise is involved in law-making.
- Help in Economic growth: The Estimates Committee does a detailed examination of the budget estimates. It suggests alternative policies to bring about efficiency and economy in administration.
- Scrutiny of Public funds: The Public Accounts Committee scrutinizes the government accounts and the report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India. Thus reducing chances of misspending and also validating government spending statistics.
- Ensure better laws and rules: The Committee on Subordinate Legislation scrutinizes and reports to the House about regulations, rules, sub-rules, by-laws, etc., conferred by the Constitution being properly exercised within the limits of various provisions.
- Ensure Answerability: The Committee on Government Assurances Committee scrutinizes the various assurances, promises, undertakings, etc., given by ministers from time to time to report on the extent to which such assurances have been implemented. This ensures the answerability of government to the public enabling democracy in true spirit.
7. Current Progress
- Perhaps the most salient work done by a committee in recent years is on the Digital Data Protection Bill.
- Beginning in 2017 in the wake of the Puttaswamy judgment that recognized privacy as a fundamental right, the Justice Srikrishna Committee was formed and tasked with preparing a data protection framework for India.
- It presented the final 166page report in 2018, covering everything from data processing and storage to rights and enforcement on the basis of which the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 was tabled in the Lok Sabha.
- It was referred to another committee, this time a Joint Parliamentary Committee chaired by P.P. Chaudhary, whose report came out in December 2021, following which the bill was withdrawn, and a new Draft of the Digital Data Protection Bill was introduced for public consultation in November 2022.
- In each iteration, the committees’ insights have not only been invaluable but also formed the very basis of what is possibly the single most crucial legislation for a growing economy in the digital age.
- Several important laws such as the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill sought to raise the legal marriageable age of women to 21.
- The AntiMaritime Piracy Bill brings into enactment the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea for combating piracy on the high seas.
- The Jan Vishwas Bill amends 42 laws across sectors like agriculture and media, the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill that extends the scope of protected species, the Competition (Amendment) Bill, the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, and the MultiState Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill have all been referred to Committees.
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For Prelims: Parliamentary standing committee, Ad Hoc Committee, Article 118 of the Indian Constitution, Financial Committees, Departmental Standing Committees, Committees to Enquire, Committees to Scrutinise and Control, Committees Relating to the Day-to-Day Business of the House, House-Keeping Committees or Service Committees.
For Mains: 1. What are Parliamentary Committees? Discuss the role and significance of Parliamentary Committees in Indian democracy.
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Previous year Question
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1. Consider the following statements: (UPSC 2013)
The Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts
1. consists of not more than 25 members of the Lok Sabha.
2. scrutinizes appropriation and finance accounts of the Government.
3. examines the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: B
2. With reference to the Parliament of India, which of the following Parliamentary Committees scrutinizes and reports to the House whether the powers to make regulations, rules, sub-rules, by-laws, etc., conferred by the Constitution or delegated by the Parliament are being properly exercised by the Executive within the scope of such delegation? (UPSC 2018)
A. Committee on Government Assurances
B. Committee on Subordinate Legislation
C. Rules Committee
D. Business Advisory Committee
Answer: B
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Source: The Hindu
HISTORY OF TRAIN TO KASHMIR
1. Context
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said last month that a Vande Bharat Express will run between Jammu and Kashmir “in December [2023] or January-February next year” after work on the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) is completed
2.History of the Project
- The line will connect Srinagar and Baramulla in the Valley with the rest of the country by train, and will provide a reliable and cost-effective all-weather alternative to the Jammu-Srinagar national highway that is frequently shut down by landslides
- The first railway line in the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was built by the British in 1897 over a distance of 40-45 km between Jammu and Sialkot in the plains
- In 1902 and 1905, a railway line was proposed between Rawalpindi and Srinagar along the course of the Jhelum, which would have connected the Kashmir Valley with the railway network of undivided India
- But Maharaja Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir was in favour of a Jammu-Srinagar line via Reasi, and neither project progressed
- After Partition, Sialkot went to Pakistan, and Jammu was disconnected from India's rail network. Until the inauguration of the Pathankot-Jammu line in 1975, the railway station nearest to Jammu and Kashmir was Pathankot in Punjab
- In 1983, work began on a railway line between Jammu and Udhampur
- The project, which was completed in 2004, has 20 major tunnels, the longest of which is 2.5 km long, and 158 bridges, the highest of which is 77 m high
- With work underway on the Jammu-Udhampur line, the government of Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao in 1994 announced the extension of the line from Udhampur to Srinagar, and then Baramulla
- This was the USBRL project, which was approved in March 1995 at an estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore
3. Challenges & Innovations
- The Himalayas are young, and the geologically unstable Shivalik Hills and Pir Panjal mountains lie in the seismically most active Zones IV and V
- The terrain is difficult and sees heavy snow in winter, and presented serious challenges in the construction of bridges and tunnels
- More than 205 km of motorable roads — including a tunnel and 320 bridges — were built at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore to transport heavy machinery, construction material, and workers to construction sites, many of which were on sheer mountain faces at inclines of 70 degrees or more
- In view of the challenges in the construction of highly complex tunnels and huge bridges in unstable mountainous terrain, engineers of the Railways devised a novel Himalayan Tunneling Method (HTM), in which horseshoe-shaped tunnels were constructed instead of the usual D-shaped ones
5. Benefits of the Project
- The train will bring down the travel time between Srinagar and Jammu to between three and three-and-a-half hours from the five to six hours that it takes by road currently
- According to Railway Minister Vaishnaw, the Vande Bharat trains will allow people to travel from Jammu to Srinagar and return that same evening
- The train will benefit the people of Kashmir by facilitating hassle-free transport of goods such as apples, dry fruits, pashmina shawls, handicrafts etc., to other parts of the country in the shortest possible time and at lesser cost
- The cost of transporting items of daily use to the Valley from elsewhere in the country is also expected to go down significantly
Source: indianexpress
TEJA SINGH SUTANTAR
1. Context
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann unveiled a statue of Teja Singh Sutantar, former Sangrur MP and revolutionary leader, on April 12, at Nihalgarh village in Sangrur district. This date marks the 50th death anniversary of the CPI leader, who not only fought against colonial rule, but waged a struggle to secure the rights of the Punjab peasantry from feudal lords
2. About Teja Singh Sutantar
- Born in 1901 as Samund Singh in Aluna village of Gurdaspur district, Teja Singh completed his schooling and joined Khalsa College in Amritsar
- After the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which had stirred patriotic sentiments in Punjabi youth, he joined the Akali Dal to participate in the movement of liberating gurdwaras from degenerate mahants
- However, in September 1921 , he formed his own squad called ‘sutantar jatha’ also called as swatantar meaning free/independent
- In its maiden attempt, the jatha successfully liberated the gurdwara in a village called Teja, in Gurdaspur district, from the mahants
- This success earned him the moniker of Teja Singh Sutantar from his supporters
3. Way to Revolutionary
- In early 1923 , Teja Singh went to Kabul as a Sikh missionary. There he came in contact with a few leaders of the Ghadar Party, who, at the time, were preparing for their second attempt to overthrow the British government
- The Ghadar Movement was an early 20th century international political movement founded by expatriate Indians to overthrow British rule in India
- While it would never see the success it set out for, it would be an inspiration for many freedom fighters opposed to Gandhian ideals of non-violence
- The Ghadhar leaders persuaded Teja Singh to undergo military training – thus, in 1925, he joined the Turkish military academy under the pseudonym Azad Beg
- He was eventually be granted Turkish citizenship and be commissioned into the Turkish army
- However, Teja Singh later moved to Berlin and then to Canada and the United States, where he addressed congregations of Indians, mainly Punjabi Sikh immigrants. Those who heard him described him as a fiery speaker
- After visiting several countries and briefly joining a university in Moscow in December 1934 , Teja Singh returned to India and became a prominent leader of communist party (CPI)
- He contributed revolutionary articles to the party journal, the Kirti, frequently writing about issues that plagued peasants
- On January 16 ,1936 he was arrested along with other communist leaders for his “seditious” activities
- During his confinement, he cleared examinations to obtain a BA degree from the Panjab University, Lahore
4. Peasant Agitations
- Due to his popularity, Teja Singh was elected unopposed to the Punjab Legislative Assembly in May 1937 as a nominee of Indian National Congress, while he was still in prison
- He continued to remain the member of Punjab Legislative Assembly till 1945. He was also secretary of Communist Party ( Punjab) from 1944- 1947
- Post-independence, Teja Singh, who a prominent leader of the Kisan Sabha, led a number of peasant agitations against the government and landlords
- He was a key leader in the PEPSU Muzara movement, which started in the 1930s and went on till 1952
- The movement was started by landless peasants (muzaras) in PEPSU (Patiala and East Punjab States Union, which included the districts of Mansa, Sangrur, Barnala, and parts of Bathinda, apart from Patiala) to obtain ownership rights of the land they had been tilling for generations
- On March 19, 1949, four farmers in the Kishangarh village in Mansa were killed by security forces of the Maharajah of Patiala. The farmers would finally receive land rights in 1952
5. Post Independence Politics
- After independence, Teja Singh formed his Lal (Red) Party with the Kirti group of the Punjab Communist Party as its nucleus
- The Lal Party was an active constituent of the Punjab Riyasat Praja Mandal which campaigned for the merger of the princely states into Punjab and against the tenancy law prevalent in those territories
- Due to arrest warrants issued against him for his role in the Muzara movement, he went underground for a few years while reappearing in public only in 1963, once the arrest warrants were withdrawn
- He would go on to become a member of the Punjab Legislative Council from 1964-1969
- He edited Lal Jhanda, a monthly magazine in Urdu, Lal Savera, a Punjabi weekly and contributed to various newspapers
- In 1971, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Sangrur parliamentary constituency. He had fought on a CPI ticket. However on April 12, 1973 he died of a heart attack in the central hall of the Parliament
Source: indianexpress
JUICE
1. Context
The European Space Agency (ESA) is all set to launch the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer or Juice, mission on April 13, 2023, from its spaceport in French Guiana on an Ariane 5 launcher. Planned to reach Jupiter in 2031, the mission aims to carry out a detailed exploration of the Solar System's largest planet and its icy moons, which potentially have habitable environments.
2. Key Points
- Juice has been constructed by an industrial consortium led by Airbus Defence and Space a division of the Airbus group responsible for the development and manufacturing of the corporation's defence and space products based on the parameters provided by the ESA.
- Only two other spacecraft have ever examined Jupiter: the Galileo probe, which orbited the gas giant between 1995 and 2003 and Juno, which has been circling the planet since 2016.
- Notably, by the time Juice reaches Jupiter another spacecraft, NASA's Europa Clipper would already be orbiting the planet and scheduled to be launched in October this year, Europa Clipper would arrive at Jupiter in 2030 and aims to study its Europa moon.
3. About Juice Mission
- The Juice "Will make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons Ganymede, Callisto and Europa", by using remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments.
- Scientists for quite some time have known that these three moons of Jupiter possess icy crusts, which they believe contain oceans of liquid water underneath, making them potentially habitable.
- The juice will help probe these water bodies by creating detailed maps of the moons' surfaces and enable the scientists for the first time, to look beneath them.
- Although the mission will examine all three moons, the main focus will be on Ganymede, as it is the largest moon in the Solar System larger than Pluto and Mercury and the only one to generate its magnetic field.
- Juice, which will move into Ganymede's orbit after approximately four of arriving at Jupiter, will use its suite of ten sophisticated instruments to measure how Ganymede rotates, its gravity, its shape and interior structure, its magnetic field, its composition and penetrate its icy crust using radar down to a depth of about nine km.
- Another primary goal of the mission is to create a comprehensive picture of Jupiter by trying to understand its origin, history and evolution.
- Scientists believe that this would help them provide "much-needed insight into how such a planetary system and its constituents are formed and evolved, as well as revealing how possibly habitable environments can arise in Jupiter-like systems around other stars".
- The juice will also analyse the chemistry, structure, dynamics, weather and climate of Jupiter and its ever-changing atmosphere.
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Image source: Airbus4. Is Juice capable of Detecting life?
- As mentioned before, as the three moons, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa are believed to hold immense amounts of water, which could be around six times more than the volume of water in Earth's oceans, there is a possibility that life is present on them.
- According to ESA, life on these moons could be in the form of microbes. More advanced species might also be present like the ones we detect in deep-sea trenches and at hydrothermal vents on Earth, such as various kinds of coral, worms, mussels, shrimp and fish.
- However, Juice isn't equipped to detect life. What it is capable of is finding out whether there could be places around Jupiter, inside the icy moons, where the necessary conditions, such as water, biological essential elements, energy and stability, to sustain life are present.
- If life exists on these moons, we expect it to be in the water and that's very hard to access. This is because it's not yet possible to go very deep underneath the ice crusts, where life might be present.
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For Prelims: European Space Agency, Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer or Juice, mission, NASA's Europa Clipper, Ganymede's orbit, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa,
For Mains: 1. What is the European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer Mission? Discuss its objectives and significance. (250 Words)
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Previous Year Questions
1. Consider the following pairs: (UPSC 2014)
Spacecraft Purpose
1. Cassini-Huygens Orbiting the Venus and transmitting data to the Earth
2.Messenger Mapping and investigating the Mercury
3. Voyager 1 and 2 Exploring the outer solar system
A. 1 only B. 2 and 3 only C. 1 and 3 only D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: B
2. What is the purpose of 'evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA)' project?
(UPSC 2017)
A. To detect neutrinos
B. To detect gravitational waves
C. To detect the effectiveness of missile defence system
D. To study the effect of solar flares on our communication systems
Answer: B
3. “The experiment will employ a trio of spacecraft flying in formation in the shape of an equilateral triangle that has sides one million kilometres long, with lasers shining between the craft.” The experiment in question refers to (UPSC 2020)
A. Voyager-2
B. New Horizons
C. LISA Pathfinder
D. Evolved LISA
Answer: D
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Source: The Indian Express
SERIOUS FRAUD INVESTIGATION OFFICE (SFIO)
1. Background
The Serious Fraud Investigation Office is a statutory corporate fraud investigating agency in India.
As per the Companies Act, 2013, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has been set up by the Government of India
It is a multi-disciplinary organisation under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, comprising experts in the fields of accountancy, forensic auditing, banking, law, information technology, investigation, company law, capital markets and taxation etc. for detection and prosecution . Recommending prosecution of white-collar crimes/frauds
2. Objectives
Take up for investigation cases characterized by:
- Complexity and having inter-departmental and multi- disciplinary ramifications
- Substantial involvement of public interest to be judged by size, either in terms of monetary
- The possibility of investigation leading to or contributing towards a clear improvement in systems, laws or procedures
3. Investigations
- Investigation into the affairs of a company is entrusted to the SFIO where the Government is of the opinion that it is necessary to investigate into the affairs of the company:
- On receipt of the report of the Registrar or Inspector under section 208 of the Companies Act, 2013
- On intimation of a special resolution passed by a company that its affairs are required to be examined
- In the public interest; or at the request of any department of the Central Government or a State Government
