S&T - Ilearn CANA - Prelims 2021

iLearn CANA 2021
CONTENTS
1. SPACE.............................................................................................................. 6
1.1 IN-SPACe ........................................................................................................................ 6
1.2 New Space India Limited (NSIL) ..................................................................................... 6
1.3 Comet C/2020 F3 Neowise ............................................................................................ 7
1.4 Hope Mission ................................................................................................................. 7
1.5 South Pole Wall ............................................................................................................. 8
1.6 Tianwen-1 ...................................................................................................................... 8
1.7 Beidou Navigation Satellite System ............................................................................... 9
1.8 Dragon 2 ........................................................................................................................ 9
1.9 Perseid Meteor Shower ............................................................................................... 10
1.10 Sunspots .................................................................................................................... 10
1.11 Dawn Mission ............................................................................................................ 11
1.12 Sarabhai ..................................................................................................................... 12
1.13 Asteroids .................................................................................................................... 12
1.14 Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle.......................................................... 13
1.15 Solar Cycles ................................................................................................................ 14
1.16 Phosphine on Venus .................................................................................................. 14
1.17 Asteroid 16 Psyche .................................................................................................... 16
1.18 Fast Radio Burst ......................................................................................................... 17
1.19 EOS............................................................................................................................. 18
1.20 Habitable Exoplanets ................................................................................................. 19
1.21 Ariel Space Mission ................................................................................................... 20
1.22 Gravitational Lensing ................................................................................................. 21
1.23 Sentinel-6 Satellite..................................................................................................... 21
1.24 Chang’e-5................................................................................................................... 22
1.25 Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT)............................................................... 23
1.26 Hayabusa 2 ................................................................................................................ 24
1.27 Geminids Meteor Shower ......................................................................................... 24
1.28 Solar Eclipse ............................................................................................................... 25
1.29 Christmas Star............................................................................................................ 26
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2. DEFENCE ....................................................................................................... 28
2.1 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) ........................................................ 28
2.2 Rafale Jet ..................................................................................................................... 28
2.3 Pinaka Rocket System .................................................................................................. 29
2.4 Astra BVR Air-To-Air Missile ......................................................................................... 30
2.5 Nag Missile System ...................................................................................................... 31
2.6 NATGRID ...................................................................................................................... 31
2.7 Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems .................................................. 32
2.8 India’s aircraft Carriers................................................................................................. 32
2.9 Spike Missiles............................................................................................................... 33
2.10 Light Combat Helicopter ............................................................................................ 33
2.11 INS Viraat ................................................................................................................... 34
2.12 Abhyas Heat............................................................................................................... 35
2.13 Smart Torpedo System............................................................................................... 35
2.14 Rudram – I ................................................................................................................. 35
2.15 Brahmos Missile ........................................................................................................ 36
2.16 Shaurya Missile .......................................................................................................... 37
2.17 INS Kavaratti .............................................................................................................. 37
2.18 Kalvari Class Submarines ........................................................................................... 38
2.19 QRSAM....................................................................................................................... 39
2.20 Guardian Drones........................................................................................................ 39
2.21 National Command, Control, Communication And Intelligence Centre ................... 40
3. IT AND CYBER SPACE ..................................................................................... 42
3.1 Quantum Communication ........................................................................................... 42
3.2 Government E-Marketplace (GeM) ............................................................................. 43
3.3 Kris Gopalakrishnan Committee .................................................................................. 43
3.4 Black Rock Malware..................................................................................................... 43
3.5 Kurma Mobile App....................................................................................................... 44
3.6 Mausam App ............................................................................................................... 44
3.7 Bharat Air Fibre............................................................................................................ 45
3.8 Integrated Market Surveillance System ....................................................................... 45
3.9 Blockchain.................................................................................................................... 46
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3.10 Dark Net And Deep Web ........................................................................................... 47
3.11 Digi Locker ................................................................................................................. 48
3.12 Real Mango ................................................................................................................ 49
3.13 Net Neutrality ............................................................................................................ 49
3.14 Internet Of Things (IoT) ............................................................................................. 50
3.15 Osiris-Rex ................................................................................................................... 51
3.16 National Cybercrime Reporting Portal ...................................................................... 52
3.17 Param Siddhi .............................................................................................................. 53
3.18 Quantum Computing and Quantum Supremacy ....................................................... 53
3.19 Bit Coin ...................................................................................................................... 54
4. HEALTH AND DISEASES .................................................................................. 56
4.1 A3I................................................................................................................................ 56
4.2 ARPIT ........................................................................................................................... 56
4.3 Viroblock Textiles ......................................................................................................... 57
4.4 Feluda Covid 19 Test .................................................................................................... 57
4.5 Covaxin ........................................................................................................................ 58
4.6 National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority ................................................................. 58
4.7 The Global Fund To Fight Aids, Tuberculosis And Malaria........................................... 59
4.8 Bilirubin ....................................................................................................................... 59
4.9 Operation Breathing Space.......................................................................................... 60
4.10 Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network ................................................................... 60
4.11 E-Sanjeevani .............................................................................................................. 61
4.12 Arogyasetu................................................................................................................. 61
4.13 Covirap....................................................................................................................... 62
4.14 BNT162b2 .................................................................................................................. 63
4.15 Operation Warp Speed .............................................................................................. 64
4.16 Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) ................................................................................ 64
4.17 G4 Flu Virus ............................................................................................................... 66
4.18 Measles And Rubella ................................................................................................. 66
4.19 Malaria....................................................................................................................... 67
4.20 African Swine Fever ................................................................................................... 67
4.21 Human African Trypanosomiasis ............................................................................... 68
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4.22 Silicosis ...................................................................................................................... 68
4.23 Foot-And-Mouth Disease .......................................................................................... 69
4.24 Hepatitis C ................................................................................................................. 70
4.25 Tuberculosis (TB) ....................................................................................................... 71
4.26 Chapare Virus ............................................................................................................ 72
4.27 Guillain Barre Syndrome............................................................................................ 72
4.28 Plasmodium Ovale ..................................................................................................... 73
4.29 Shigella Infection ....................................................................................................... 74
5. ENERGY ......................................................................................................... 75
5.1 EESL – Maitree Program .............................................................................................. 75
5.2 iCommitt Initiative ....................................................................................................... 75
5.3 Winter Diesel ............................................................................................................... 76
5.4 Rewa Mega Solar Plant ................................................................................................ 76
5.5 Nuclear Power Plants In India...................................................................................... 77
5.6 ITER .............................................................................................................................. 77
5.7 New Nuclear Reactors ................................................................................................. 78
5.8 Barakah Nuclear Power Plant ...................................................................................... 79
5.9 Meghnaghat Power Plant ............................................................................................ 79
5.10 Biofuels ...................................................................................................................... 80
5.11 One Sun One World One Grid ................................................................................... 81
5.12 International Solar Alliance (ISA) ............................................................................... 82
5.13 Association Of Renewable Energy Agencies Of States (AREAS) ................................ 82
5.14 Tokamak And Fusion Power....................................................................................... 83
6. MISCELLANEOUS ........................................................................................... 85
6.1 Payment Infrastructure Development Fund ................................................................ 85
6.2 Coro-Bot And Covid Beep ............................................................................................ 85
6.3 New Freight Corridors ................................................................................................. 86
6.4 Anthropause Period..................................................................................................... 87
6.5 Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) ....................................................................... 87
6.6 Compulsory Licensing .................................................................................................. 88
6.7 Paddy Watch ................................................................................................................ 88
6.8 Open Credit Enablement Network .............................................................................. 89
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6.9 Unified Payments Interface (UPI) ................................................................................ 89
6.10 Htbt Cotton ................................................................................................................ 91
6.11 Cawach ...................................................................................................................... 92
6.12 Green-Ag: Transforming Indian Agriculture .............................................................. 92
6.13 Black Rain .................................................................................................................. 93
6.14 Fly Ash ....................................................................................................................... 93
6.15 Ninja Drones .............................................................................................................. 94
6.16 'Harit Path' App ......................................................................................................... 94
6.17 Novichok .................................................................................................................... 95
6.18 Zero Budget Natural Farming .................................................................................... 96
6.19 E-Gopala App ............................................................................................................. 97
6.20 Over-The-Top (OTT) Media Service ........................................................................... 97
6.21 Train-18 ...................................................................................................................... 98
6.22 Mission Shakti............................................................................................................ 98
6.23 E-Waste...................................................................................................................... 99
6.24 Pusa Decomposer .................................................................................................... 100
6.25 QR Code ................................................................................................................... 101
6.26 NEFT & RTGS ............................................................................................................ 102
6.27 Integrated Farming .................................................................................................. 103
6.28 Frontier Technologies Cloud Innovation Center ...................................................... 103
6.29 South Asian Flash Flood Guidance System .............................................................. 103
6.30 Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell................................................................................. 104
6.31 Plasma Therapy ....................................................................................................... 105
6.32 Unified Mobile Application For New-Age Governance (UMANG) ........................... 106
6.33 Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling......................................................... 107
6.34 Pm-Wani .................................................................................................................. 108
6.35 Oneweb Satellite Constellation ............................................................................... 109
6.36 Rice Fortification...................................................................................................... 110
6.37 Golden Rice.............................................................................................................. 111
Questions ....................................................................................................... 112
Answers .......................................................................................................... 136
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1. Space
1.1 IN-SPACe
In News:
• Creation IN-SPACe was cleared by the Union Cabinet as part of reforms in the
sector that is growing fast in the world.
About In-Space:
• IN-SPACe is newly announced body under the Department of Space.
• IN-SPACe is the acronym for Indian National Space Promotion and
Authorisation Centre.
• It will be the nodal national entity to drive building of satellites, rockets, or
launch services through Indian industry.
• The new vertical with its own chairman and board will function
autonomously and parallel to ISRO.
• It will be powerful enough to promote and regulate all space-related activities
of private industries.
• ISRO and its centres will focus on developing advanced technologies, human
space flights, and the like. It will share its technical expertise with IN-SPACe.
• IN-SPACe will be in place in three to six months. Meanwhile DoS will
immediately start receiving and processing applications from private sector
industries.
• The year-old NSIL NewSpace India Ltd will have a larger role and be the
industry front of IN-SPACe
1.2 NEW SPACE INDIA LIMITED (NSIL)
About NSIL:
• A Public Sector Enterprise viz. New Space India Limited (NSIL) has been
incorporated as a new commercial arm of Department of Space.
• It will tap the benefits of the Research & Development carried out by ISRO.
• The Company will spearhead commercialization of various space products
including production of launch vehicles, transfer to technologies and
marketing of space products.
• As per the scheme of things, NSIL will obtain the license from Department of
Space/ISRO and sub-license to industries for manufacturing of various
products.
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1.3 COMET C/2020 F3 NEOWISE
About Comet C/2020 F3:

• C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE), or Comet NEOWISE, is a comet with a near-parabolic
orbit discovered on March 27, 2020, by astronomers using the NEOWISE
space telescope.
• Under dark skies it can be clearly seen with the naked eye and is expected to
remain visible to the naked eye throughout most of July 2020.
About comets:
• Comets are small, fragile, irregularly shaped bodies composed of a mixture
of non-volatile grains and frozen gases.
• They contain organic and inorganic compounds and also metals and various
ions.
• They usually follow highly elongated paths around the Sun.
• It will make its closest approach to the Earth on July 22.
1.4 HOPE MISSION
About Hope Mission:

• It is a MARS mission by United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• It is also called Emirates Mars Mission and will be launched on July 16.
• With the spacecraft’s launch, UAE will become the first Arab country to
achieve this feat.
• The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars’ orbit by February 2021.
• It will be launched from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.
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1.5 SOUTH POLE WALL
In news:
• Spectacular 3D maps of the universe have revealed one of the biggest cosmic
structures ever found — an almost-inconceivable wall stretching 1.4 billion light-
years.
About the structure:
• It is a cosmic wall stretching 1.4 billion light-years across and contains hundreds
of thousands of galaxies, along with huge amounts of gas and dust.
• It stretches across the southern border of the universe (from the perspective of
Earth).
• Astronomers have long noticed that galaxies are not scattered randomly
throughout the universe
• Along huge strands of hydrogen, galaxies collect into larger groupings of massive
filaments, separated by giant voids of nearly empty space.
• Each filament is basically a wall of galaxies, stretching for hundreds of millions of
light-years. They’re the biggest structures in the known universe.
• Other identified structures include the Great Wall, the Sloan Great Wall, the
Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall, and the Bootes Void.
• Put together, these walls make up what astronomers call the cosmic web.
1.6 TIANWEN-1
In news:
• China recently launched its first mars mission Tianwen-1.
About Tianwen:
• China’s first Mars probe is called Tianwen-1, which means “Questions to
Heaven”.
• The spacecraft consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover, and the mission aims
to study the thickness and sub-layer distribution of the Martian soil.
• The spacecraft, weighing 5 tonnes, was launched on a Long March 5 rocket from
Xichang, China.
• The scientific goals of the mission include studying Martian topography and
geology and determining the composition of the surface material, climate and
environment.
• Tianwen-1 will reach the Red Planet’s orbit in February 2021. The rover will land
on Mars in May.
• The orbiter will use high-resolution cameras to search for a suitable landing site
somewhere in the Utopia Planitia region. It weighs around 240 kg and will carry
cameras, a subsurface radar, a spectrometer, a magnetometer, and sensors.
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1.7 BEIDOU NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM
In news:
• China has recently completed its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System constellation
which will now be able to provide global services.
What is BDS?
• BeiDou system is a Chinese satellite navigation system.

• It started serving China in 2000 and the Asia-Pacific region in 2012.
• It will be the fourth global satellite navigation system after the GPS (United
States), GLONASS (Russia) and Galileo (European Union).
• The positioning accuracy of the system has reached 10 metres globally and five
metres in the Asia-Pacific region.
• BeiDou offers services including accurate positioning, navigation and timing as
well as short message communication.
• India is developing its own navigation satellite system called the Indian Regional
Navigation Satellite System.
1.8 DRAGON 2
In news:
• Two NASA astronauts completed a SpaceX Demo-2 test flight mission to the
International Space Station.
• The test flight was completed in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon space craft, the passenger
variant of Dragon 2 spacecrafts developed by Space X.
About Space X Dragon 2:
• The SpaceX Dragon 2 is a class of reusable spacecraft developed and

manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX.
• It has two variants:
o Crew Dragon, a space capsule capable of ferrying up to seven astronauts.
o Cargo Dragon, an updated replacement for the original Dragon spacecraft.
• It is a successor to Dragon, a reusable cargo spacecraft.
• Demo-2 was the first crewed orbital spaceflight launched from the United States
since the final Space Shuttle mission, in 2011, and also the first ever operated by
a commercial provider.
About SpaceX:
• SpaceX is a private American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation

services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California.
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• It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing
space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars.
1.9 PERSEID METEOR SHOWER
What is it?
• The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift–
Tuttle.
• The meteors are called the Perseids because the point from which they appear
to hail (called the radiant) lies in the constellation Perseus.
How are they created?
• They originate from a stream of debris near a comet.
• The stream of debris is called the Perseid cloud and stretches along the orbit of
the comet Swift–Tuttle.
• The cloud consists of particles ejected by the comet as it travels on its 133-year
orbit.
• The shower is visible from mid-July each year, with the peak in activity between
9 and 14 August, depending on the particular location of the stream.
• During the peak, the rate of meteors reaches 60 or more per hour.
• They are primarily visible from northern hemisphere.
1.10 SUNSPOTS
What are sunspots?

• Sunspots are temporary phenomena on the Sun's photosphere that appears
visibly as dark spots compared to their surroundings.
• These sunspots can become many times bigger than the Earth.
• Sunspot regions follow the rotation of the Sun; that means a sunspot region
travels across the solar disk from east to west as seen from Earth.
Why they are dark?
• Sunspots appear dark to us because they're cooler than the surrounding areas
on the sun's visible surface.
Why they occur?
• Sun, unlike Earth and inner planets, does not rotate in one piece, since it is ball
of continually circulating hot gases.
• The interior and the exterior of the sun rotate separately.
• The outside rotates more quickly at the equator than at the solar north and
south poles.
• Over the time it distorts the sun's magnetic field.
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• Thus, the regions where twists in the magnetic field lines happens to have so
much magnetic power.
• Those regions push back the hot gases beneath them and prevent the heat
from rising directly to the surface. In other words, they become sunspots.
Sunspot consists of two parts:
• The dark part (umbra)
• Lighter part around the dark part
(penumbra)
When they commonly appear?
• Sunspots are a common sight on our sun
during the years around solar maximum.
What is solar maximum?
• Solar maximum or solar max is the period
of greatest solar activity in the solar cycle
of the Sun, where one solar cycle lasts about 11 years.
Why significant?
• Due to its link to other kinds of solar activity, sunspot occurrence can be used to
help predict space weather, the state of the ionosphere, and hence the
conditions of short-wave radio propagation or satellite communications.
1.11 DAWN MISSION
Why in news?
• Analysis of NASA data from its “Dawn mission” suggests the presence of an ocean
of ‘salty water’ on dwarf planet Ceres.
About Dawn Mission:
• Dawn was a space probe launched by NASA in September 2007 with the mission
of studying two proto-planets of the asteroid belt namely Vesta and Ceres.
• Dawn is the first spacecraft to orbit two extraterrestrial bodies and the first to
visit a dwarf planet.
• It was the first NASA exploratory mission to use ion propulsion, which enabled
it to enter and leave the orbit of two celestial bodies.
What is Ceres and Vesta?
• Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt that lies between the orbits of
Mars and Jupiter.
• Ceres has a diameter of about 950 km, which is more than one-fourth of Earth’s
moon.
• Vesta is the second-most-massive and second-largest body in the asteroid belt
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after Ceres.
• Vesta is the brightest asteroid visible from Earth.
• Vesta is rocky, while dwarf planet Ceres is icy.
1.12 SARABHAI
Why in news?
• ISRO has named a crater on the Moon, captured by Chandrayaan-2, after Indian
astrophysicist Vikram Sarabhai on the occasion his birth centenary.
About Vikram Sarabhai:
• Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (12 Aug 1919 – 30 Dec 1971) was an Indian physicist
and astronomer who initiated space research and helped develop nuclear
power in India.
• He established the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in 1947, which became
the cradle of space sciences in India.
• Most notable among the many institutes he helped set up are the Nehru
Foundation for Development in Ahmedabad and the Indian Institute of
Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A).
• Other projects and institutions initiated or established by him include the Fast
Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) in Kalpakkam, Electronics Corporation of India
Limited (ECIL) in Hyderabad and Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) in
Jaduguda, Jharkhand.
• The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was established
by Jawaharlal Nehru under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in 1962, with
the urging of scientist Vikram Sarabhai recognising the need in space research.
• Sarabhai started a project for the
fabrication and launch of an
Indian satellite which went onto
become Aryabhata, the first
Indian satellite launched.
• The lander on India's moon
mission Chandrayaan-2 which was
to land near the South Pole of the
moon on Sep 20, 2019 was named
Vikram in his honour.
1.13 ASTEROIDS
Why in news?
• NASA said that an asteroid identified as 2018VP1 is heading towards Earth.
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• It also is a 0.41 per cent chance of the 6.5 feet-long asteroid hitting the planet.
• The asteroid is expected to pass near Earth on the eve of November 2.
About Asteroids:
• Asteroids are minor planets, especially of the inner Solar System.
• Larger asteroids have also been called planetoids.
• These terms have historically been applied to any astronomical object orbiting
the Sun that did not resolve into a disc in a telescope and was not observed to
have characteristics of an active comet such as a tail.
• Asteroid are generally about 1,000 km (600 miles) or less in diameter, and orbit
the Sun primarily between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in a nearly flat ring
called the asteroid belt.
• The first asteroid was discovered on January 1, 1801 and since then millions are
confirmed to exist.
1.14 HYPERSONIC TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATOR VEHICLE (HSTDV)
Why in news?
• DRDO recently conducted a successful test flight of the indigenously
developed Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTD).
What is HSTDV?
• HSTDV is an unmanned scramjet
demonstration vehicle that can cruise
up to a speed of Mach 6 (or six times
the speed of sound) and rise up to an
altitude of 32 km in 20 seconds.
• The technology uses a scram jet
engine.
• The only other countries that possess
this technology are the US, Russia and
China.
• It has a range of uses, including
missiles, ballistic missile defence and
energy-efficient, low cost and reusable satellite-launch vehicle.
SCRAM Jets
• A scramjet is an air-breathing engine, similar to the turbojet engine on a
commercial aircraft.
• However, unlike a turbojet, scramjets do not have rotating blades on the air
intake to compress the air.
• In a scram jet air is compressed by the forward speed of the aircraft itself
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and in a scramjet (supersonic-combustion ramjet) airflow through the

engine remains supersonic.
• SCRAM Jets can travel at much higher speeds than conventional jets.
1.15 SOLAR CYCLES
Why in news?
• Scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) announced their predictions about the new solar cycle, called Solar Cycle
25, which they believe has begun.
• Solar cycles have implications for life and technology on Earth as well as
astronauts in space.
What is a solar cycle?
• Since the Sun’s surface is a very active space, electrically charged gases on its
surface generate areas of powerful magnetic forces, which are called magnetic
fields.
• Since the gases on the Sun’s surface are constantly moving, these magnetic fields
can get stretched, twisted and tangled creating motion on the surface, which is
referred to as solar activity.
• Scientists track a solar cycle by using sunspots. Solar activity varies with the
stages of the solar cycle, which lasts on average for a period of 11 years.
• The beginning of a solar cycle is typically characterised by only a few sunspots
and is therefore referred to as a solar minimum and for Solar Cycle 25 it occurred
in December 2019.
What are sunspots?
• A Sunspot is an area on the Sun that appears dark on the surface and is relatively
cooler than the surrounding parts.
• These spots, some as large as 50,000 km in diameter, are the visible markers of
the Sun’s magnetic field, which forms a blanket that protects the solar system
from harmful cosmic radiation.
• When a Sunspot reaches up to 50,000 km in diameter, it may release a huge
amount of energy that can lead to solar flares which occur in active regions
around sunspots.
1.16 PHOSPHINE ON VENUS
Why in news?
• Scientists have announced the discovery of traces of a molecule known as
phosphine on Venus.
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Why is this discovery important?

• Given the chemical and geological composition of Venus, the presence of
Phosphine can imply the existence of life forms that release this substance
through bio-chemical pathways.
• After estimating the amount of Phosphine in Venus’s atmosphere researchers
have calculated that natural chemical processes, such as sunlight, volcanoes
erupting and lightning at most produce only a fraction of phosphine they have
detected.
• However, they do not rule out the possibility that there could be unknown
natural processes (photochemistry or geochemistry) that can produce this
amount of the biomarker.
• Therefore, more work is needed to prove that it is indeed because of bacteria,
or some sort of life, that there is so much phosphine on Venus.
Why is phosphine gas considered a biomarker of life?
• A molecule of phosphine gas consists of a phosphorus atom surrounded by three
hydrogen atoms.
• On Earth, this molecule is produced by industrial processes.
• It is also produced by some anaerobic bacteria, which live in oxygen-sparse
environments such as sewers, landfills, or even animal guts.
• If you can rule out the production of the gas through chemistry, it is the
biochemical processes that form a source of the gas — the anaerobic bacteria
— hence it is considered a biomarker in astronomy.
Has phosphine been found on other planets?
• Yes, it has been seen on Jupiter and Saturn.
• But there it is said to form deep in the interiors of the gas giant and rise to the
top, in a purely chemical process. But now, on Venus there is a doubt.
Can life survive in Venus?
• The surface temperature of Venus, at about 470 degrees Celsius, is too hot to
harbour life as we know it.
• It is hotter than Mercury which is closest to the sun.
• But high up in its atmosphere, there are clouds which can provide a cooler home
for microbial life. Even there, the atmosphere is teeming with sulphuric acid
vapour which makes it extremely hostile, thereby reducing the chance of finding
life forms.
• According to the experts, the phosphine signature could be the sign of some
extraordinary chemistry, as it could be of life forms.
• The next logical step is to actually do in situ measurements from Venus’s
atmosphere by sending space probes there.
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Space missions sent to Venus:

• There have been several space missions to study Venus, and some of the recent
dedicated missions are
o European Space Agency’s Venus Express
o JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)’s Akatsuki.
• Many space missions have flown by Venus:
o NASA’s Parker Solar Probe
• The Indian Venus mission is being developed. Though formally unnamed, it is
referred to as Shukrayaan-1.
About Venus:
• Venus is the second planet from the Sun.
• Venus does not have any moons, a distinction it shares only with Mercury among
planets in the Solar System.
• Venus is a terrestrial planet and is sometimes called Earth's "sister planet"
because of their similar size, mass, proximity to the Sun, and bulk composition.
• It has the densest atmosphere of the four terrestrial planets, consisting of more
than 96% carbon dioxide.
• The atmospheric pressure at the planet's surface is about 92 times the sea level
pressure of Earth and has the hottest surface of any planet in the Solar System,
with a mean temperature of 464 °C, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun.
1.17 ASTEROID 16 PSYCHE
Why in news?
• Nasa has found that asteroid '16 Psyche', which is orbiting the Sun, might have
iron worth $10,000 quadrillion, more than the entire economy on our planet.
What is Asteroid 16 Psyche?
• Located around 370 million kilometres away from Earth, asteroid 16 Psyche is one
of the most massive objects in the asteroid belt in our solar system.
• The somewhat potato-shaped asteroid has a diameter of around 140 miles,
according to NASA.
• It was first discovered on March 17, 1853, by the Italian astronomer Annibale de
Gasparis and was named after the ancient Greek goddess of the soul, Psyche.
• Unlike most asteroids that are made up of rocks or ice, scientists believe that
Psyche is a dense and largely metallic object thought to be the core of an earlier
planet that failed in formation.
• Researchers observed the asteroid through the Hubble Space Telescope and is
totally made of iron and nickel and have calculated that Psyche might have iron
worth $10,000 quadrillion.
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• Metal asteroids are not commonly found in the solar system, and scientists
believe that studying 16 Psyche may offer a rare glimpse of what the inside of a
planet really looks like.
1.18 FAST RADIO BURST
Why in news?
• NASA has reported that on April 28, it observed a mix of X-ray and radio signals
never observed before in the Milky Way.
• Significantly, the flare-up it observed included the first fast radio burst (FRB) seen
within the galaxy.
About FRBs:
• Essentially, FRBs are bright bursts of radio waves (radio waves can be produced
by astronomical objects with changing magnetic fields) whose durations lie in
the millisecond-scale, because of which it is difficult to detect them and
determine their position in the sky.
• The first FRB was discovered in 2007, since when scientists have been working
towards finding the source of their origin.
• The source of the FRB detected in April in the Milky Way is a very powerful
magnetic neutron star, referred to as a magnetar, called SGR 1935+2154 or SGR
1935, which is located in the constellation Vulpecula and is estimated to be
between 14,000-41,000 light-years away.
• The X-ray portion of the simultaneous bursts was detected by several satellites,
including NASA’s Wind mission, and the radio component was discovered by the
Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), a radio telescope
located at Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in British Columbia,
Canada.
What is a magnetar?
• As per NASA, a magnetar is a neutron star, “the crushed, city-size remains of a
star many times more massive than our Sun.”
• The magnetic field of such a star is very powerful, which can be up to a thousand
times stronger than a typical neutron star’s.
• Neutron stars are formed when the core of a massive star undergoes
gravitational collapse when it reaches the end of its life. This results in the
matter being so tightly packed that even a sugar-cube sized amount of material
taken from such a star weighs more than 1 billion tons, which is about the same
as the weight of Mount Everest, according to NASA.
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1.19 EOS
Why in news?
• PSLV-C49 successfully launched the earth observation satellite EOS-01 along with
nine international customer satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC)
SHAR, Sriharikota.
About EOS:
• EOS-01 is nothing but another Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) that will work
together with RISAT-2B and RISAT-2BR1 launched last year.
• EOS-01 was initially named RISAT-2BR2 and was supposed to be the third of the
three-spacecraft constellation aimed at providing all-weather round-the-clock
service for high-resolution images.
• EOS-01, like its cousins RISAT-2B and RISAT-2BR1, uses synthetic aperture radars
to produce high-resolution images of the land.
• One big advantage that radar imaging has over optical instruments is that it is
unaffected by weather, cloud or fog, or the lack of sunlight. It can produce high-
quality images in all conditions and at all times.
• EOS-01, and its sister RISATs, use X-band radars that operate at low wavelengths
and are considered best for monitoring of urban landscape, and imaging of
agricultural or forest land.
• According to ISRO, EOS-01 is intended for applications in agriculture, forestry
and disaster management support. The radar images are also considered to be
immensely useful for military requirements.
• Along with EOS nine customer satellites from Lithuania (1), Luxembourg (4) and
USA (4) were launched under a commercial arrangement with NewSpace India
Limited (NSIL).
New nomenclature:
• With EOS-01, ISRO is moving to a new naming system for its earth observation
satellites which till now have been named thematically, according to the purpose
they are meant for.
• For example, the Cartosat series of satellites were meant to provide data for
land topography and mapping, while the Oceansat satellites were meant for
observations over sea. Similarly, Resource sat series, GISAT, Scatsat, and some
more are all earth observation satellites, were named differently for the specific
jobs they are assigned to do, or the different instruments that they use to do their
jobs.
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• Land and forest mapping and monitoring, mapping of resources like water or
minerals or fishes, weather and climate observations, soil assessment, geospatial
contour mapping are all done through earth-observation satellites.
Launch Vehicle:
• For the launch of EOS-01, ISRO used a new variant of its PSLV rocket that has been
flown only once before, in January last year, when it had placed the Microsat-R
satellite in orbit.
• This Microsat-R was the one that was brought down in March last year in India’s
first anti-satellite test, a demonstration of its capability to hit an in-orbit enemy
satellite in space.
• This variant of PSLV does not become waste after depositing its satellite in the
orbit. Instead, the last stage of the rocket, the one that remains after the satellite
is separated, can acquire its own orbit and be used as an orbital platform for
other onboard instruments to perform experiments in space.
• In effect, the fourth stage acts like another satellite, with a life span of about six
months.
1.20 HABITABLE EXOPLANETS
Why in news?
• Data from the Kepler space telescope revealed that there could be at least 300
million potentially habitable planets within the Milky Way galaxy, but outside of
our Solar System.
About habitable exoplanets:
• A potentially habitable exoplanet is a hypothetical type of planet that could be
habitable for humans.
• The main feature of potentially habitable exoplanets is that they have to be
located in the habitable zone of their stellar systems.
• Mass (between 0.1 and 10 Earth masses) , Radius (between 0.5 and 2.5 Earth
radii), Temperature etc are major characteristics.
• The Earth Similarity Index (ESI) is a proposed characterization of how similar a
planetary-mass object or natural satellite is to Earth and is designed from scale
from zero to one, with Earth having a value of one.
• The most potentially habitable exoplanet discovered so far is Teegarden b, with
an Earth Similarity Index of 0.93.
About the Kepler space telescope:
• The Kepler space telescope is a retired space telescope launched by NASA to
discover Earth-size planets orbiting other stars.
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• Named after astronomer Johannes Kepler, the spacecraft was launched on

March 7, 2009, into an Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit.
• The principal investigator was William J. Borucki.
• After nine years of operation, the telescope's reaction control system fuel was
depleted, and NASA announced its retirement on October 30, 2018
1.21 ARIEL SPACE MISSION
Why in news?
• The European Space Agency (ESA) has formally adopted Ariel, the explorer
that will study the nature, formation and evolution of exoplanet
About Ariel Space mission:
• Ariel is an explorer that will study the nature, formation and evolution of
exoplanets.
• Ariel (Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey), which
scientists are planning to launch in 2029, will perform a large-scale survey of
over a thousand exoplanets over a period of four years.
• These thousand exoplanets will range from gas giants to rocky planets,
which will help them to compile a list of their compositions and properties
thereby providing insights about how planetary systems form and evolve.
• As of now the existence of more than 4,000 exoplanets is considered
confirmed, while there are thousands of other candidate exoplanets that
need further observations to say for certain if they are exoplanets.
• Therefore, a large-scale survey that Ariel will perform is required to know
more about exoplanets and exoplanetary systems
• According to the ESA, while a large number of exoplanets have already been
discovered, there is no clear link between the presence, size or orbital
parameters of the planet and the nature of their parent stars.
• Ariel is the first mission of its kind dedicated to measuring the chemical
composition and thermal structures of hundreds of exoplanets.
• Ariel will help to answer key questions like “What are the conditions for
planet formation and the emergence of life?”.
What are exoplanets?
• Planets that lie outside of the Solar System and orbit around stars other than
the Sun are called exoplanets or extrasolar planets.
• Exoplanets are not easy to detect since they are much less bright than the
stars they orbit and hence it is difficult to see them directly using telescopes.
• As per NASA, only a handful of exoplanets have been found using telescopes
and the rest have been detected using indirect methods.
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• One of these methods involves tracking the dimming of a star that happens
when a planet passes in front of it.
• NASA’s Kepler Space telescope uses this method to spot thousands of planets.
• Other methods to track exoplanets include gravitational lensing and the
“wobbling method”, which is based on the idea that an orbiting planet will
cause its parent star to orbit slightly off-centre.
1.22 GRAVITATIONAL LENSING
What is it?
• This is a phenomenon that occurs when a huge amount of matter, such as a
massive galaxy or cluster of galaxies, creates a gravitational field that
distorts and magnifies the light from objects behind it, but in the same line
of sight.
• A gravitational lens is a distribution of matter (such as a cluster of galaxies)
between a distant light source and an observer, that is capable of bending the
light from the source as the light travels towards the observer.
• This effect is known as gravitational lensing, and the amount of bending is
one of the predictions of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity
• In effect, these are natural, cosmic telescopes; they are called gravitational
lenses.
• These large celestial objects will magnify the light from distant galaxies that
are at or near the peak of star formation.
• The effect allows researchers to study the details of early galaxies too far
away to be seen otherwise with even the most powerful space telescopes
1.23 SENTINEL-6 SATELLITE
Why in news?
• The first of Two Satelites in sentinel mission, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite
was launched recently.
About the Satellite:
• The Copernicus Sentinel-6 mission is a collaboration of the European
Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA), EUMETSAT, NASA and the US
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
• Sentinel-6a will be the first of two identical satellites -- the second to be
launched in five years -- that will provide measurements of unprecedented
precision until at least 2030.
• The twin satellites will measure sea-level rise, tracking changes threatening to
disrupt tens of millions of lives within a generation.
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• Each Sentinel-6 probe carries a radar altimeter, which measures the time it takes
for radar pulses to travel to Earth’s surface and back again.
• They are designed to last for five-and-a-half years but could provide data for far
longer.
• The Sentinel-6 mission is part of the Copernicus programme initiative which is
European Union's Earth observation programme coordinated and managed by
the European Commission in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA),
the EU Member States and EU Agencies.
1.24 CHANG’E-5
Why in news?
• China’s Chang’e-5 lunar mission was launched recently.
What is the Chang’e-5 mission?
• Chang’e-5 probe, is the Chinese National Space Administration’s (CNSA) lunar
sample return mission that is set to launch on November 24 from the Wenchang
Space Launch Center on Hainan Island in China.
• The goal of the mission is to land in the Mons Rumker region of the moon, where
it will operate for one lunar day, which is two weeks long and return a 2 kg sample
of the lunar rock possibly by digging about 2 metres deep into the surface of the
Moon.
• If successful it will become the first probe in over four decades to bring back
samples of lunar rock from a previously unexplored portion of the Moon.
• The mission comprises a lunar orbiter, a lander and an ascent probe that will lift
the lunar samples back into orbit and return them back to Earth.
• Chang’e-5 comprises a robotic arm, a coring drill, a sample chamber and is also
equipped with a camera, penetrating radar and a spectrometer.
• The spacecraft is set to return to Earth around December 15.
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1.25 GIANT METREWAVE RADIO TELESCOPE (GMRT)
Why in news?
• The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) near here has received the
prestigious ''IEEE Milestone'' status that honours significant technical
achievements and excellence in unique products, services, seminal papers and
patents for the benefit of humanity,
About the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope:
• Giant Metre wave Radio Telescope is an array of parabolic radio telescopes of 45
metre diameter, observing at metre wavelengths spread over distances of upto
25 km.
• It is located in Pune and operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics,
a part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.
• In August 2018 it discovered the most distant galaxy ever known, located at a
distance of 12 billion light years.
• In February 2020, it helped in the observation of the biggest explosion in the
history of the universe, the Ophiuchus Supercluster explosion.
Other major telescopes in India:
• Devasthal Optical Telescope, Nainital (Uttarakhand):
o It is built by Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences
(ARIES) and is currently the largest reflecting telescope in Asia.
• Indian Astronomical Observatory, Ladakh:
o It is located near Leh in Ladakh
o It has one of the world's highest sites for optical, infrared and gamma-ray
telescopes.
o It is operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore.
o It is currently the third highest optical telescope in the world, situated at
an elevation of 4,500 meters.
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1.26 HAYABUSA 2
Why in news?
• Japan’s Hayabusa 2 probe has recently entered into the orbit of the Ryugu
asteroid.
About the Hayabusa 2:
• Hayabusa2 is an asteroid sample-return mission operated by the Japanese space

agency, JAXA launched in 2014.
• It follows on from the Hayabusa mission which returned asteroid samples in
2010 from a small near-Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa.
• Hayabusa2 rendezvoused with near-Earth asteroid 162173 Ryugu on 27 June
2018.
• It surveyed the asteroid for a year and a half and took samples.
• It left the asteroid in November 2019 and is expected to return to Earth on 6
December 2020.
Objectives:
• To study the origin and evolution of the solar system.
• Carbonaceous asteroids like Ryugu are expected to preserve the most pristine
materials in the Solar System, a mixture of minerals, ice, and organic compounds
that interact with each other.
• Studying it is expected to provide additional knowledge on the origin and
evolution of the inner planets and, in particular, the origin of water and organic
compounds on Earth, all relevant to the origin of life on Earth.
• Demonstrate advanced technologies such as ion engines and collision device.
Similar missions:
• OSIRIS-REx is a NASA mission to study and return with samples from the asteroid
Bennu.
1.27 GEMINIDS METEOR SHOWER
Why in news?
• The Geminids meteor shower, believed to be the strongest of the year, is active
from December 4-December 20, with December 13 and 14 considered to be the
best nights for viewing these meteor showers.
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What are meteor showers?

• Meteors are bits of rock and ice that are ejected from comets as they manoeuvre
around their orbits around the sun.
• Meteor showers are witnessed when Earth passes through the trail of debris left
behind by a comet or an asteroid.
• When a meteor reaches the Earth, it is called a meteorite and a series of
meteorites, when encountered at once, is termed a meteor shower.
• According to NASA, over 30 meteor showers occur annually and are observable
from the Earth.
• As meteors fall towards the Earth, the resistance makes the space rocks
extremely hot and, as meteorites pass through the atmosphere, they leave
behind streaks of glowing gas that are visible to the observers and not the rock
itself.
• Meteors are best visible on a cloudless night and when the Moon is not extremely
bright.
About Geminids meteor Shower:
• The Geminids meteor showers are unique because their origin does not lie in a
comet, but what is believed to be an asteroid or an extinct comet.
• The Geminids emerge from 3200 Phaethon, which meteor scientists consider to
be an asteroid.
• Discovered on October 11, 1983, the asteroid is over 5 km in diameter and was
named after the Greek myth of Phaethon, the son of Sun god Helios.
• NASA says that Geminids travel at a speed of 78,000 mph or 35 km/s.
1.28 SOLAR ECLIPSE
Why in news?
• Earth witnessed its last solar eclipse of the year 2020 on December 14.
About Solar Eclipse:

• A solar eclipse occurs when a portion of the Earth is engulfed in a shadow cast
by the Moon which fully or partially blocks sunlight.
• This occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth are aligned. Such alignment coincides
with a new moon (syzygy) indicating the Moon is closest to the ecliptic plane.
• In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon. In partial and
annular eclipses, only part of the Sun is obscured.
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• Solar eclipses happen only during eclipse seasons resulting in at least two, and
up to five, solar eclipses each year; no more than two of which can be total
eclipses.
• Since looking directly at the Sun can lead to permanent eye damage or blindness,
special eye protection or indirect viewing techniques are used when viewing a
solar eclipse.
• An eclipse season is one of only two periods during each year when eclipses can
occur, due to the variation in the orbital inclination of the Moon.
• It is safe to view only the total phase of a total solar eclipse with the unaided eye
and without protection.
1.29 CHRISTMAS STAR
Why in news?
• The solar system’s two biggest planets, Jupiter, and Saturn came in extremely
close range on December 21st evening sky.
About the phenomenon:
• After nearly 400 years, Saturn, and Jupiter – the two largest planets in our solar
system – will be brought closest in the night sky by an astronomical event called
the “great conjunction” and popularly referred to as the “Christmas Star”.
• The event will coincide with the winter solstice (shortest day of the year in terms
of hours of sunlight received) in the Northern Hemisphere and summer solstice
in the Southern Hemisphere.
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• A conjunction is not unique to Saturn and Jupiter however, it is the name given
to any event where planets or asteroids appear to be very close together in the
sky when viewed from the Earth
• The “Great Conjunction” between the two giant planets happens once in about
20 years because of the time each of the planets take to orbit around the Sun
when Jupiter (with orbital period of 12 years) catches up with Saturn (which 30
years).
• This year, because of the alignment between them, the planets will appear to be
especially close to each other in the sky to viewers on Earth at about a tenth of a
degree, a closeness that occurs only once in four centuries.
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2. Defence
2.1 INTERMEDIATE-RANGE NUCLEAR FORCES TREATY (INF)
In news:
• Ex national security adviser of USA John Bolton has said in his book that one
of the reasons for withdrawal of USA from the INF was that it didn’t limit
other countries’ missile programmes, including India.
What is INF treaty:
• INF Treaty was an arms control treaty between the United States and the
Soviet Union (and its successor state the Russian Federation).
• U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail
Gorbachev signed the treaty on 8 December 1987.
• The INF Treaty eliminated all of the two nations' land-based ballistic
missiles, cruise missiles, and missile launchers with ranges of 500–1,000
kilometers (310–620 mi) (short medium-range) and 1,000–5,500 km (620–
3,420 mi) (intermediate-range).
• The treaty did not apply to air- or sea-launched missiles. By May 1991, the
nations had eliminated 2,692 missiles, followed by 10 years of on-site
verification inspections.
Present status of the treaty:
• President Donald Trump announced in October 2018 that he was
withdrawing the U.S. from the treaty, accusing Russia of non-compliance.
• The U.S. formally withdrew from the treaty on Aug 1, 2019.
2.2 RAFALE JET
In news:
• India is set to receive six fully loaded Rafale fighter aircraft with the long-
range air-to-air missiles, amid the ongoing border disputes with China along
the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.
About Rafale:
• Rafale are twin-engine Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA).
• Manufactured by French company ‘Dassault Aviation’.
• Dassault claims Rafale has 'Omnirole' capability to perform several actions at
the same time, such as firing air-to-air missiles at a very low altitude.
• The aircraft is fitted with an on-board oxygen generation system
(OBOGS) which suppresses the need for liquid oxygen re-filling or ground
support for oxygen production.
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• It carries out a wide range of missions:

o Air-defence
o Aerial reconnaissance
o Air-to-ground precision strike
o Anti-ship attacks
o Nuclear deterrence etc.
Why India need Rafale?
• The Indian Air Force (IAF), one of the largest in the world, operates a diverse
mix of fighter jets, including MiG, Jaguar, Su-30MKI, Tejas etc.
• IAF now has 33 squadrons, much lower than the sanctioned strength of 42
squadrons.
• With the IAF set to phase out 11 squadrons of the ageing MiG-21s and MiG-
27s, the number may dip again.
• The delay in the development of Tejas and its induction meant looking for the
alternatives from abroad.
2.3 PINAKA ROCKET SYSTEM
In news:
• Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
cleared a proposal to acquire more Pinaka rocket systems for the army.
On Pinaka Rocket System:
• It is a multiple rocket launcher produced for the Indian Army.
• The launcher can operate in autonomous, remote, manual modes and stand
alone.
Range:
• The system can carry a 100 kg payload with a maximum range of 40 km for
Mark-I and 75 km for Mark-II.
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Development and production by:

• DRDO, Armament Research and Development Establishment (Pune) and High
Energy Material Research Laboratory (Pune).
2.4 ASTRA BVR AIR-TO-AIR MISSILE
In news:
• Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
cleared a proposal to acquire more astra missiles of the Indian airforce.
About Astra BVR Air-To-Air Missile:

• Astra is an all-weather beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile developed by
the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Astra missile is developed as part of the Integrated Guided Missile
Development Programme (IGMDP).
Capabilities:
• It can intercept and destroy enemy targets with a launch speed between
Mach 0.4 and Mach 2.
• It is intended to engage and destroy aerial targets with high maneuverability
and supersonic speeds.
• Launch range and launch altitudes of the weapon system are 80km and 20km
respectively.
• It is powered by a smokeless, single stage, solid fuel propulsion system.
Application:
• Astra has been integrated with Indian Air Force's Sukhoi Su-30MKI and will be
integrated with Dassault Mirage 2000 and Mikoyan MiG-29 in the future.
What is a Beyond Visual Range Missile?
• A beyond-visual-range missile (BVR) is an air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) that is
capable of engaging at ranges of 37 km or beyond.
• In addition to the range capability, the missile must also be capable of tracking
its target at this range or of acquiring the target in flight.
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2.5 NAG MISSILE SYSTEM
In news:
• India successfully conducted two rounds of testing of helicopter-launched Nag
missile (HeliNa), renamed as Dhruvastra.
About Nag Missile system:
• The Nag missile is an Indian third generation “fire-and-forget” anti-tank
guided missile.
• It is an all-weather, top attack missile with a range of 3 to 7 km.
• It is being developed by India’s Defense Research and Development
Organization (DRDO) under
the Integrated Guided
Missile Development
Program.
• The missile is launched from
the NAG missile carrier
(NAMICA) which can carry up
to six combat missiles.
2.6 NATGRID
In news:
• The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) has signed a memorandum of
understanding with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to access the
centralised online database of Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and
Systems (CCTNS), a platform that links around 14,000 police stations.
About NATGRID:
• The NATGRID will enable multiple security and intelligence agencies to
access a database related to immigration entry and exit, banking and
telephone details, among others, from a common platform.
• The project, initially started in 2009 with a budget of ?2,800 crore, is an online
database for collating scattered pieces of information and putting them
together on one platform.
• At least 10 Central government agencies, such as the Intelligence Bureau,
Research and Analysis Wing and others will have access to the data on a
secured platform.
• NATGRID was exempted from the Right to Information Act, 2005 under sub-
section (2) of Section 24.
• The NATGRID links intelligence and investigation agencies. The 10 user
agencies will be linked independently with certain databases which will be
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procured from 21 providing organisations including telecom, tax records,

bank, immigration etc. to generate intelligence inputs.
2.7 CRIME AND CRIMINAL TRACKING NETWORKS AND SYSTEMS
What is it?
• CCTNS is a project for creating a comprehensive and integrated system for
effective policing through e-Governance.
• It aims to integrate all the data and records of crime into a Core Application
Software (CAS), spread across 29 states and 7 union territories of India.
• The Project will interconnect about 15000 Police Stations and additional 5000
offices of supervisory police officers across the country
• It will digitize data related to FIR registration, investigation and charge sheets
in all police stations.
• It would help in developing a national database of crime and criminals
• National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is the central nodal agency that
would manage CCTNS.
• It is a Mission Mode Project (MMP) under the National e-Governance Plan.
2.8 INDIA’S AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
In news:
• Navy expects that a twin engine made-in-India fighter jet to replace the MiG-
29K fighters, used by it for carrier operations, will be ready by 2032.
• The new aircraft will be used by INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant eventually.
About INS Vikramaditya:
• INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier from Russia which
entered into service with the Indian Navy in 2013.
• Commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet Navy and later with
the Russian Navy before being decommissioned in 1996.
• It has an overall length of about 284 meters and over 1,600 personnel on
board.
• The ship has the ability to carry over 30 aircraft comprising an assortment of
MiG 29K/Sea Harrier, Kamov 31, Kamov 28, Sea King, ALH-Dhruv and Chetak
helicopters.
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About INS Vikrant:

• It is also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC-1).
• It is an aircraft carrier under construction by Cochin Shipyard in Kochi,
Kerala for the Indian Navy.
• It is the first aircraft carrier to be built in India.
• It is 262 metres (860 ft) long and displaces about 40,000 metric tons (39,000
long tons).
2.9 SPIKE MISSILES
In news:
• The Army is ready to place a repeat order for Spike-LR (Long Range) Anti-Tank
Guided Missiles (ATGM) from Israel as part of emergency procurement.
About Spike:
• Spike is an Israeli fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile and anti-personnel
missile
• It is considered a fourth-generation missile.
• It was developed and designed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced
Defense Systems.
• It is available in man-portable, vehicle-launched, and helicopter-launched
variants.
2.10 LIGHT COMBAT HELICOPTER
Why in news?
• HAL Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) has been deployed to Ladakh.

About LCH:
• The HAL Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) is an Indian multi-role attack helicopter.
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• It is designed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

• It is the world’s lightest attack helicopter.
• It has been ordered for both the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army.
• It was developed after Kargil War which
revealed the Indian armed forces lacked
a suitable armed rotorcraft capable of
operating unrestricted in the high-
altitude theatre.
• The flight ceiling of LCH is the highest
among all attack helicopters and hence
can operate in hostile terrains like
Siachen.
2.11 INS VIRAAT
Why in news?
• INS Viraat, is likely to be towed from Mumbai to Alang in Gujarat's Bhavnagar
district next month to be dismantled and sold as scrap.
About INS Viraat:
• INS Viraat was a Centaur-class aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy.
• INS Viraat was the flagship of the Indian Navy before INS Vikramaditya was
commissioned in 2013.
• The ship was originally operated by British Navy till 1984 and was sold to India in
1987.
• It was the second aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy after INS Vikrant, which was
operated between 1961 and 1997.
• It served for almost 30 years and was decommissioned in 2017.
• It will be dismantled at Alang in Gujarat, world’s largest ship breaking centre.
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2.12 ABHYAS HEAT
Why in news?
• India on Tuesday successfully conducted the flight test of ABHYAS - High-Speed
Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) vehicle.
About ABHYAS:
• ABHYAS has been designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development
Establishment (ADE) of the DRDO.
• This can be used as a target for evaluation of various Missile systems.
• The trial took place from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near
Odisha's Balasore.
• The vehicle has been programmed for fully autonomous flight.
• During the test campaign, the requirement of 5 km flying altitude, vehicle speed
of 0.5 mach, endurance of 30 minutes and 2g turn capability of the test vehicle
were successfully achieved.
2.13 SMART TORPEDO SYSTEM
Why in news?
• DRDO successfully tests Anti-submarine SMART missile system
About the System:
• SMART is a missile assisted release of lightweight anti-submarine torpedo.
• The system was developed by DRDO.
• It helps in extending anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations far beyond the
torpedo range.
• SMART, when launched from warship or a truck-based coastal battery, takes off
like a regular supersonic missile.
• It covers most of its flight in the air at lower altitudes with inputs from a warship
or an airborne submarine target detection system and uses the exact location of
the hostile submarine to correct its flight path midway.
• Just when it approaches close enough to the submerged submarine, the missile
will eject the torpedo system into the water and the autonomous torpedo will
start moving towards its target to take out the submarine.
2.14 RUDRAM – I
Why in news?
• India’s first indigenous anti-radiation missile, Rudram, developed for the Indian
Air Force, was successfully flight-tested from a Sukhoi-30 MKI jet.
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About Rudram-I:
• Rudram is an air-to-surface missile, designed and developed by the Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
What is the purpose of the missile?
• Rudram has been developed for the IAF’s requirement to enhance its
Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) capability.
• As one of the many aspects of SEAD tactics, anti-radiation missiles are used
mainly in the initial part of air conflict to strike at the air defence assets of the
enemy, and also in later parts, leading to higher survivability to a country’s own
aircraft.
• For guidance, it has a “passive homing head” — a system that can detect, classify
and engage targets (radio frequency sources in this case) over a wide band of
frequencies as programmed.
• Once the Rudram missile locks on the target, it is capable of striking accurately
even if the radiation source switches off in between.
• The missile has an operational range of more than 100 km, based on the launch
parameters from the fighter jet.
2.15 BRAHMOS MISSILE
Why in news?
• A naval version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully
test-fired from an indigenously built stealth destroyer of the Indian Navy in
the Arabian Sea
About the BrahMos missile:
• BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be
launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land.
• It is the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world.
• It has two stages - First stage comprising of a solid fuel rocket booster and a
second stage comprising a liquid-fueled ramjet.
Range and capabilities:
• The missile travels at speeds of Mach 2.8 to 3.0, which is being upgraded to
Mach 5.0.
• A hypersonic version of the missile, BrahMos-II, is also presently under
development with a speed of Mach 7-8 to boost aerial fast strike capability.
• The ship-launched and land-based missiles can carry a 200 kg warhead,
whereas the aircraft-launched variant (BrahMos A) can carry a 300 kg
warhead.
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• It originally had a range of 290 km which is now being extended to 400 km

after India became a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime.
Development:
• BrahMos is a joint venture between the Russia and India's DRDO.
• The name BrahMos comes from the two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and
the Moskva of Russia.
Cruise missile v/s Ballistic Missile
• A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial targets that
remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at
approximately constant speed.
• Ballistic missiles are rocket-propelled self-guided strategic-weapons system
that follows a ballistic trajectory (highly arched trajectory) to deliver a
payload from its launch site to a predetermined target.
o Though initially powered and guided they finally falls under gravity on
to its target.
• Ballistic missiles that fly above the atmosphere have a much longer range
than would be possible for cruise missiles of the same size.
• Ballistic missiles can travel extremely quickly along their flight path.
• With terminal speeds of over 5,000 m/s, ballistic missiles are much harder to
intercept than cruise missiles
• However, cruise missiles are cheaper, more mobile, and more versatile.
2.16 SHAURYA MISSILE
Why in news?
• India successfully test-fires nuclear-payload capable Shaurya missile
About Shaurya missile:
• The Shaurya missile is a canister launched hypersonic surface-to-surface tactical
missile.
• It was developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
for use by the Armed Forces.
• It has a range of 700 to 1,900 km and is capable of carrying a payload of 200kg
to 1 ton conventional or nuclear warhead.
• Shaurya missile is fastest missile in the world with a speed of 7.5 mach.
2.17 INS KAVARATTI
Why in news?
• Indigenously-Built Stealth Corvette INS Kavaratti Commissioned Into Indian
Navy
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About INS Kavaratti:

• INS Kavaratti (P31) is an anti-submarine warfare corvette of the Indian Navy
built under Project 28.
• It is the last of four Kamorta-class corvettes under various stages of induction
with the Indian Navy.
• The ship was built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata.
• Kavaratti represents a leap forward in the Navy's attempts at indigenisation
with as much as 90% of its content drawn from India itself.
What is a corvette?
• A corvette is a small warship.
• It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or
"rated") warship.
• The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate.
2.18 KALVARI CLASS SUBMARINES
Why in news?
• The fifth Scorpene class submarine, INS ‘Vagir’, of Project 75 has been launched.
About Scorpene-class submarines
• These are a class of diesel-electric attack submarines jointly developed by the
French Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) and the Spanish company
Navantia, and now by Naval Group.
• It features diesel propulsion and an additional air-independent propulsion (AIP),
to be integrated in future.
About Kalvari-class:
• The Kalvari class is based on Scorpene-class submarines built for the Indian Navy
with diesel-electric attack capacity.
• Defence Ministry of India approved Project-75 in 1997 that allows Indian Navy
to acquire 24 submarines.
• Eventually Scorpene class submarines were chosen for the project.
• A total of 6 submarines are being built under the project and the class is named
after the first ship of the group: INS Kalvari.
• INS Khanderi, INS Karanj, INS Vela, INS Vagir and INS Vagsheer (upcoming) are
other submarines in the class.
• They are being at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, a PSU in Mumbai.
• These submarines can target submarines are well as surface ships. And carry
deadly armament of torpedoes for the purpose.
About INS Vagir:
• Vagir is a Kalvari class diesel-electric attack submarine.
• INS Vagir is the fifth of six Scorpene-class submarines being built in India
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• It has been named after a sandfish which is found in the Indian Ocean.
2.19 QRSAM
Why in news?
• India successfully test-fired its Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM)
system from a base in Odisha for the second time in four days.
About QRSAM:
• Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) is a missile developed by the
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in association with
Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited for the Indian Army.
• This missile is an all-weather, all-terrain surface-to-air missile equipped with
electronic counter measures against jamming by aircraft radars.
• The missile can be mounted on a truck and is stored in a canister. QRSAM uses
solid-fuel propellant and has a range of 25–30 km.
• The single-staged missile utilized by the system is propelled using solid
propellants.
• The missile is equipped with a midcourse inertial navigation system with a two-
way data link and a DRDO-developed terminal active seeker.
• The system has the capability to search and track targets while moving.
2.20 GUARDIAN DRONES
Why in news?
• The Indian Navy has inducted two MQ-9B Sea Guardian unarmed drones
procured from the U.S. on lease.
About the drones:
• The Guardian is the maritime variant of the Predator MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle (UAV).
• The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous
flight operations.
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• It has a maximum endurance of 40 hours and a maximum flying altitude of

40,000 feet.
• It has a 3600 maritime surveillance radar and an optional multimode maritime
surface search radar.
• It was developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily
for the United States Air Force (USAF). The MQ-9 and other UAVs are referred to
as Remotely Piloted Vehicles/Aircraft (RPV/RPA) by the USAF to indicate their
human ground controllers.
About Drones in Indian Armed forces:

• Till now Indian services have been using the fixed-wing drones just for ISR
(Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) purposes.
• IAI Searcher and Heron UAVs from Israel and Guardian from USA are the main
imported drones used.
• DRDO NISHANT, Micro UAVs namely Black Kite, Golden Hawk and Pushpak are
also used.
2.21 NATIONAL COMMAND, CONTROL, COMMUNICATION AND
INTELLIGENCE CENTRE (NC3I)
Why in news?
• The Navy’s Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC), the nodal
agency for maritime data fusion set up after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks,
will soon become a National Maritime Domain Awareness (NDMA) centre
• It will thus become a multi-agency centre with all representatives having role in
maritime security having a representation.
About NC3I network:
• National Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence Centre (NC3I) is a
maritime security project.
• It was launched soon after the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, when Pakistani terrorists
managed to reach the city undetected due to gaps in coastal surveillance.
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• It enables round-the-clock surveillance of Indian coastline by radars, high-

definition electro optic cameras, maritime surveillance aircraft and satellites.
• It connects 20 naval and 31 coast guard stations along the coast.
• It also gets data from Automatic Identification System (AIS) installed on fishing
vessels as also the World Shipping Register which has data of foreign or indian
vessels passing through Indian waters.
• Under the system 46 coastal radar stations at strategic locations in all the nine
littoral states continuously monitor sea lanes.
• These stations in turn relay information to six core centres located in Gandhinagar
(Gujarat), Mumbai, Chennai, Port Blair, Visakhapatnam and Kochi.
• Final information is sent to Information Management and Analysis Centre
(IMAC) of the navy set up at Gurugram for analysis.
IMAC:
• Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) is the Command Centre or
nodal centre of the NC3I network.
• Approved by the Defence Acquisition Council in 2012, the IMAC became
operational in 2014 at a cost of ₹450 crore and is located in Gurugram.
• An officer sitting at his console in the Gurgaon centre can access real time
information on his computer screen about traffic of ships and boats in his
designated zone, be it waters of Chennai or remote islands in Andaman & Nicobar
• It uses a customised, state of the art ‘Decision making or Decision support
software’ which enables analysing various inputs and disseminating them among
concerned agencies to ensure a gapless surveillance of the entire coastline.
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3. IT and Cyber Space

3.1 QUANTUM COMMUNICATION
In news:
• Chinese scientists have achieved the world's first quantum key distribution
over 1,120 kilometers without relying on any intermediate security relays.
About Quantum Communication:
• Today, sensitive data is typically encrypted and then sent across fiber-optic
cables and other channels together with the digital “keys” needed to decode
the information. The data and the keys are sent as classical bits—a stream of
electrical or optical pulses representing 1s and 0s. And that makes them
vulnerable. Smart hackers can read and copy bits in transit without leaving a
trace.
• Quantum communication takes advantage of the laws of quantum physics to
protect data.
• These laws allow particles—typically photons of light for transmitting
data along optical cables—to take on a state of superposition, which
means they can represent multiple combinations of 1 and 0
simultaneously. The particles are known as quantum bits, or qubits.
• If a hacker tries to observe qubits in transit, their super-fragile quantum state
“collapses” to either 1 or 0. This means a hacker can’t tamper with the qubits
without leaving behind a sign of the activity.
• Some companies have taken advantage of this property to create networks
for transmitting highly sensitive data based on a process called quantum key
distribution, or QKD.
Micius Satellite:
• China launched a dedicated quantum communications satellite called
Micius in 2016.
• In 2017 the satellite helped stage the world’s first intercontinental, QKD-
secured video conference, between Beijing and Vienna.
• Recently using MICIUS the world's first quantum key distribution over 1,120
kilometers without relying on any intermediate security relays was achieved.
• Usually, QKD via optical fibers are susceptible to interference and cannot be
sent over ultralong distance without relying on intermediate repeaters to
boost the signals.
• Use of MICIUS to send secret keys has now reduced the limitation.
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3.2 GOVERNMENT e-MARKETPLACE (GEM)
About GeM:
• It is an online market platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services
by various Ministries and agencies of the Government.
• It has been envisaged as National Procurement Portal of India.
• It functions under Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals, Ministry of
Commerce and Industries.
Objectives:
• To enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.
• It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation
to facilitate the government users, achieve the best value for their money.
Womaniya on GeM:
• It is an initiative launched by the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to enable
women entrepreneurs and self-help groups to sell different products at the
platform.
3.3 KRIS GOPALAKRISHNAN COMMITTEE
In news:
• Kris Gopalakrishnan committee has submitted its recommendations regarding
data governance in India
About the committee:
• The committee was formed by Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology.
• The main purpose of the committee was to study various issues related to non-
personal data.
• The report’s proposed regulation would require companies to share their private
data, excluding “proprietary data”, at no remuneration.
• This is to reduce data monopolies and enable Citizens, startups, researchers, and
the government can request data for purposes of national security, legal, public
interest, and economic purposes to create a level playing field.
3.4 BLACK ROCK MALWARE
In news:
• Security firm ThreatFabric has alerted about a new malware, called BlackRock,
which can steal information like passwords and credit card information from
about 377 smartphone applications.
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About the malware:

• BlackRock is largely based on the leaked source code of an already known
malware known as Xeres, which itself is derived from a malware called LokiBot.
• Once installed on a phone, it monitors the targeted app. When the user enters
the login and/or credit card details, the malware sends the information to a
server.
• BlackRock steals credentials such as usernames and passwords from 226 apps,
including PayPal, Amazon, eBay, Gmail, Google Pay, Uber, Yahoo Mail, Amazon
and Netflix, among others.
• In addition, the malware steals credit-card numbers from an additional 111
apps, including Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, Instagram, PlayStation,
Reddit, Stype, TikTok, Twitter, WhatsApp and YouTube.
3.5 KURMA MOBILE APP
In news:
• Recently a number of conservation agencies launched a citizen science initiative,
a mobile-based application called KURMA, aimed at turtle conservation.
About the app:
• The application was developed by the Indian Turtle Conservation Action
Network (ITCAN) in collaboration with the Turtle Survival Alliance-India and
Wildlife Conservation Society-India.
• It serves as a digital database, with a built-in digital field guide covering 29 species
of freshwater turtles and tortoises of India, and information on turtle
identification, distribution, vernacular names, and threat.
• It also provides the location of the nearest rescue centre for turtles across the
country.
• The KURMA App is free to download.
3.6 MAUSAM APP
In news:
• Earth Sciences Minister launched a mobile application named Mausam.
About the App:
• The mobile application, Mausam, has been designed and developed jointly by
the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT),
the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and the India
Meteorological Department (IMD)
• It will provide current weather information, including temperature, humidity,
wind speed and direction, for 200 cities. The information will be updated eight
times a day.
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• It will also issue nowcasts, three-hourly warnings, for local weather phenomena,
and their intensity for about 800 stations and districts. In case of severe weather,
its impact will also be included in the warning.
• The app will provide weather forecast for the next seven days for around 450
cities in India. Weather information of the past 24 hours will also be available on
the app.
• It also has a system which will issue colour-coded alerts (red, yellow, orange) for
all districts twice a day for up to five days to warn people ahead of dangerous
weather.
3.7 BHARAT AIR FIBRE
In news:
• Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) announced the expansion of its Bharat Air
Fiber Services to Maharashtra.
What is it?
• BSNL Bharat AirFibre will enable homes in rural areas with broadband services.
• BSNL Bharat Fiber offers high-speed broadband from 256 Kbps to 100 Mbps.
• Meanwhile, Bharat AirFibre is completely wireless and offers broadband up to
10Mbps up to a distance of 5 Kms.
• It also connects the customers beyond the 5KM range but with a reduced internet
speed.
• Internet Data, Calling Features and TV services will be available under the project.
3.8 INTEGRATED MARKET SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM
In news:
• Tata Consultancy Services and two other vendors have been shortlisted for
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implementation of Integrated Market Surveillance System, according to an RBI

document.
About the system:
• RBI has proposed to implement a robust Integrated Market Surveillance System
for augmenting its surveillance capacities.
• As per the EOI, the major requirements for IMSS include capability to identify
market abuse and generate alerts by processing large number of data points
across products and markets.
• IMSS will also be able to:
o Track market developments and monitor macroeconomic parameters
o Have a dashboard to focus on specific products or markets
• Market surveillance for products ensures that products on the market
conform to applicable laws and regulations.
• This helps foster trust from consumers buying products or financial services.
3.9 BLOCKCHAIN
Why in news?
• Election commission is exploring the potential of using blockchain tech for
remote voting.
What is Blockchain technology?
• A Blockchain is a growing list of records called blocks or ledgers, which are linked
using cryptography.
Features of Blockchains:
• Blockchain keeps a record of all data exchanges and each data exchange is a
“transaction”. Every verified transaction is added to the ledger as a “block”.
• It utilizes a distributed system to verify each transaction — a peer-to-peer
network of nodes.
• Once signed and verified, the new transaction is added to the blockchain and
cannot be altered.
Applications of blockchains:
• The primary use of blockchains today is as a distributed ledger for
cryptocurrencies, most notably bitcoin.
o A cryptocurrency is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange
that uses cryptography to secure its transactions, to control the creation of
additional units, and to verify the transfer of assets.
• Blockchain-based smart contracts are proposed contracts that digitally facilitate,
verify, or enforce the negotiation or performance of a contract.
• Financial industry and banks are implementing distributed ledgers to increase
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efficiency, reduce costs and speed up back office settlement systems.

• Stock exchanges are experimenting with Blockchain technology to streamline
time-consuming and inefficient processes involved in trading securities.
3.10 DARK NET AND DEEP WEB
Why in news?
• India discussed "misuse" of the darknet and modern technology for drug
trafficking during a recent webinar conference of BRICS nations
About Dark net:
• Dark Net (or Darknet) is an umbrella term describing the portions of the Internet
purposefully not open to public view or hidden networks whose architecture is
superimposed on that of the Internet.
• "Darknet" is often associated with the encrypted part of the Internet called Tor
network where illicit trading takes place.
• Darknet works on an encrypted connection which means most of the dealings
made using the deep web are untraceable.
• For transactions, the criminals can take advantage of the cryptocurrencies like
Bitcoin, which leave no trace of where the money was sent and from where it
was originated.
• The term 'darknet' was popularised by major news outlets, despite the
terminology being unofficial.
• Dark net is closely associated with the concept of Dark web as the term dark web
is used to indicate the World Wide Web content that exists on darknets.
Dark web and Deep web:
• The deep web, invisible web, or hidden web are parts of the World Wide Web
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whose contents are not indexed by standard web search-engines.

• The opposite term to the deep web is the "surface web", which is accessible to
anyone/everyone using the Internet.
• The content of the deep web includes many very common uses such as web
mail, online banking, private or otherwise restricted access social-media pages
and profiles.
• The dark web forms a small part of the deep web although sometimes the term
deep web is mistakenly used to refer specifically to the dark web.
3.11 DIGI LOCKER
Why in news?
• EPFO has now made available the Pension Payment Orders of the EPS Pensioner’s
through DigiLocker.
What is it?
• Digital Locker is a platform for issuance and verification of documents &
certificates in a digital way, thus eliminating the use of physical documents
How does it work?
• Indian citizens who sign up for a DigiLocker account get a dedicated cloud storage
space that is linked to their Aadhaar (UIDAI) number
• Organizations that are registered with Digital Locker can push electronic copies
of documents and certificates (e.g. driving license, Voter ID, School certificates)
directly into citizens lockers.
• Citizens can also upload scanned copies of their legacy documents in their
accounts.
• These legacy documents can be electronically signed using the eSign facility.
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has started the process
of licensing private players and other government agencies to operate digital
lockers for storage of various documents issued by the government and its
bodies.
• Private players like banks can integrate the locker into their online platform.
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3.12 REAL MANGO
Why in news?
• Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Indian Railways has disrupted the operation of
illegal software called “Real Mango” used for cornering confirmed railway
reservation.
About Real Mango:
• Operation of an illegal software called “Rare Mango” (later changed its name to
“Real Mango”) was revealed during action against touts by the field units of RPF.
• Real mango software operates by:
o Logging in to the IRCTC website through multiple IRCTC IDs automatically
o Auto filling the passenger details and payment details in the forms
o Synchronising bank OTP with help of a mobile app and feeding it to the
requisite form automatically
o Bypassing captcha security systems in the website
• The information supplied by RPF will help CRIS/IRCTC to strengthen security
features in the PRS system.
About IRCTC:
• Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is a subsidiary of the
Indian Railways that handles the catering, tourism and online ticketing
operations of the latter.
• Indian Railway's shareholding in the company is 87.40% while the rest is owned
by the public.
• In 2019, IRCTC ran country’s first private train "Tejas Express" on the Lucknow-
New Delhi route.
3.13 NET NEUTRALITY
Why in news?
• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Tuesday recommended the
creation of a multi-stakeholder body (MSB) to ensure that Internet access
providers adhere to the provisions of net neutrality.
What is ‘net neutrality’?
• Net Neutrality is a principle affirming that all ISP (Internet Service Providers)
must treat all data on the internet equally.
• They must not discriminate or charge differently by user, content, site, platform,
or application.
• TRAI had released its recommendations on net neutrality in November 2017
which barred discrimination in internet access based on content.
• Under Net Neutrality regulations, an ISP cannot engage in practices such as
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blocking, slowing down or granting preferential speeds to any content.

New recommendations:
• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has recommended the formation of
a multi-stakeholder body, to be established by Department of
Telecommunications (DoT) that will monitor the services.
• The new body will check if telecom operators are complying with net neutrality
rules.
• The telcos will be required to inform DoT as well as the multi-stakeholder body
(MSB) about the traffic management practices (TMPs) adopted by them to
manage their networks and only after approval, the TMPs can be deployed.
• The MSB will comprise telcos, internet service providers, content providers,
academia, technical community, civil society, consumers and government.
Exemption:
• Telecom Commission had earlier decided that certain emerging and critical
services will be exempted from these norms; such as
o Autonomous vehicles
o Digital health care services etc.
About TRAI:
• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is a statutory body set up by
the Government of India under TRAI ACT, 1997.
• Powers and functions:
o TRAI aims to regulate telecom services, including fixation/revision of tariffs
for telecom services.
o Making recommendations on issue of license to telecom service provider.
o TRAI also has the power to fix the rates at which telecommunication services
are being provided in and outside India.
• The recommendations made by the TRAI are not binding on the Central
Government.
• The chairperson and the members of TRAI are appointed by the Central
Government.
3.14 INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT)
What is it?
• The Internet of things (IoT) is the extension of Internet connectivity into physical
devices and everyday objects.
• Embedded with electronics, Internet connectivity, and other forms of hardware
(such as sensors), these devices can communicate and interact with others over
the Internet, and they can be remotely monitored and controlled.
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What are its applications?

• IoT has a myriad number of applications from creation of smart cities and traffic
management to monitoring of patient’s health using wearable devices.
How does it work?
• Devices and objects with built in sensors are connected to an Internet of Things
platform, which integrates data from the different devices and applies analytics
to share the most valuable information with applications built to address specific
needs.
• These powerful IoT platforms can pinpoint exactly what information is useful and
what can safely be ignored.
3.15 OSIRIS-REx
Why in News?
• In a historic event, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft touched the surface of
Asteroid Bennu on Tuesday in its first attempt to collect its sample.
About OSIRIS-REx
• OSIRIS-REx is a NASA asteroid study and sample-return mission.
• The mission's goal is to obtain a small sample from asteroid Bennu, and
return the sample to Earth for detailed analysis by 2023.
• OSIRIS-REx marks the first mission by NASA to collect and deliver to Earth
samples from an ancient Asteroid.
• The material returned is expected to enable scientists to learn more about:
o the formation and evolution of the Solar System
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o its initial stages of planet formation

o the source of organic compounds that led to the formation of life on
Earth.
• OSIRIS-REx was launched back in 2016, and it started orbiting Asteroid Bennu
in December 2018.
• For the past two years, the spacecraft had been trying to match the asteroid's
velocity, while also studying and capturing images of its surface for potential
landing sites and providing data for scientists to study how the Sun light has
been affecting Bennu's orbit.
About Bennu:
• Bennu is a Near Earth Asteroid as well as a potentially hazardous asteroids
(PHA) as there is a chance that Bennu could collide with Earth about 150 years
later.
• Bennu is an asteroid, containing carbon and several other minerals in
significant amounts.
• Due to the high carbon content, Bennu is able to reflect about 4% of the Sun
light it receives compared to about 30% for earth.
3.16 NATIONAL CYBERCRIME REPORTING PORTAL
Why in news?
• The Union Home Ministry has written to all States to examine and register FIRs
based on the complaints received on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal
• As per data available with the Ministry, only 2.5% of total complaints registered
on the portal are converted into First Information Reports (FIRs).
About the Portal:
• The government has created the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal
(www.cybercrime.gov.in) for the convenience of those who want to report
cybercrimes online.
• The portal has been created with special focus on cybercrimes committed
against women and children.
• The complaints registered on the portal are dealt by the law enforcement
agencies swiftly based on the information provided on the portal.
• The portal has a section for cybercrimes committed against women and children
like child pornography, sexual abuse among others.
• The other section deals with cybercrimes like financial fraud or hacking among
others.
• The identity is kept anonymous but for prompt action the information provided
should be accurate. You can also track the status of your complaint on the portal.
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• The portal is part of Indian cybercrime coordination centre (I4C) scheme of MHA
which has I4C Scheme, which as a nodal point in the fight against cybercrime
with an outlay of Rs. 415.86 Crore to create the physical and human resources to
fight cybercrimes.
3.17 PARAM SIDDHI
Why in news?
• India’s AI supercomputer Param Siddhi 63rd among top 500 most powerful non-
distributed computer systems in the world.
About Param Siddhi:
• It is a high-performance computing artificial intelligenc supercomputer (HPC-
AI) established under National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) at C-DAC.
• The AI system will strengthen application development of packages in areas such
as advanced materials, computational chemistry & astrophysics, and several
packages being developed under the mission on platform for drug design and
preventive health care system, flood forecasting package for flood prone metro
cities.
• This will accelerate R&D in war against COVID-19 through faster simulations,
medical imaging, genome sequencing and forecasting and is a boon for Indian
masses and for start-Ups and MSMEs.
• It is a boon for application developers and will help testing of weather
forecasting packages by NCMRWF & IITM, geo-exploration packages for oil and
gas recovery; packages for aero-design studies; computational physics and
mathematical applications and even online courses for education.
• The supercomputer with Rpeak of 5.267 Petaflops and 4.6 Petaflops Rmax
(Sustained) was conceived by C-DAC and developed jointly with support of
Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology (MeitY) under NSM.
• Param Siddhi Supercomputer is built on the NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD reference
architecture networking along with C-DAC’s indigenously developed HPC-AI
engine, software frameworks and cloud platform and will help deep learning,
visual computing, virtual reality, accelerated computing, as well as graphics
virtualization.
3.18 QUANTUM COMPUTING AND QUANTUM SUPREMACY
Why in news?
• Chinese scientists claim to have built a quantum computer that is able to perform
certain computations nearly 100 trillion times faster than the world's most
advanced supercomputer, thus crossing the quantum supremacy barrier.
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About Quantum computing:

• Quantum computing is an area of computing focused on developing computer
technology based on the principles of quantum theory, which explains the
behavior of energy and material on the atomic and subatomic levels.
• Classical computers that we use today can only encode information in bits that
take the value of 1 or 0. This restricts their ability.
• Quantum computing, on the other hand, uses quantum bits or qubits.
• It harnesses the unique ability of subatomic participles that allows them to exist
in more than one state i.e. a 1 and a 0 at the same time.
• Superposition and entanglement are two features of quantum physics on which
these supercomputers are based.
• This empowers quantum computers to handle operations at speeds
exponentially higher than conventional computers and at much lesser energy
consumption.
• The ideas governing quantum computers have been around since the 1990s but
actual machines have been around since 2011, most notably built by Canadian
company D-Wave Systems.
About Quantum supremacy
• Quantum supremacy is the point at which quantum computers can solve
problems that are practically unsolvable for “classical” (non-quantum)
computers to complete in any reasonable timeframe.
• It is an important step towards ultra-powerful computers that can solve
problems deemed impossible for current machines by using quantum physics.
• Google said last year it has built a computer that could perform a computation in
200 seconds that would take the fastest supercomputers about 10,000 years,
reaching quantum supremacy.
• One of the most promising applications of quantum computers is for simulating
the behaviour of matter down to the molecular level.
3.19 BIT COIN
Why in news?
• Prices of Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency, has breached the $20,000 mark.
About Bit Coins:
• Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency invented in 2008 by an unknown person or group of
people using the name Satoshi Nakamoto and started in 2009 when its
implementation was released as open-source software.
• It is a decentralized digital currency without a central bank or single
administrator that can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin
network without the need for intermediaries.
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• Transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography and recorded

in a public distributed ledger called a blockchain.
• Bitcoins are created as a reward for a process known as mining. They can be
exchanged for other currencies, products, and services.
• Research produced by the University of Cambridge estimates that in 2017, there
were 2.9 to 5.8 million unique users using a cryptocurrency wallet, most of them
using bitcoin.
How does it work?
• Bitcoins are generally identified with a Bitcoin address, which comprises 26-35
alphanumeric characters starting with either “1” or “3”. This address, which
remains anonymous, represents the destination of a Bitcoin, or a fraction.
• One can acquire a bitcoin by either mining or buying them.
• With mining, a chain of computers is constantly working towards authenticating
the transactions by solving complex cryptographic puzzles.
• For solving the puzzles, these systems are rewarded with Bitcoins. This process is
called Bitcoin mining.
• Purchases of Bitcoin can be made via exchanges, or over the counter, person-to-
person transactions.
• One unique aspect of Bitcoin is that only 21 million units will ever be created.
• However, transactions can be denominated in sub-units of a Bitcoin. A Satoshi is
the smallest fraction of a Bitcoin.
Use of bitcoin:
• Originally, the Bitcoin was intended to provide an alternative to fiat money and
become a universally accepted medium of exchange directly between two
involved parties.
• However, after Bitcoins picked up momentum, some entities started establishing
exchanges — on lines of stock exchanges — for people to buy and sell Bitcoins
against fiat money such as dollars or euros or pounds.
• Considering the public and open nature of the block chain ledger, proponents of
this currency system believe it could help weed out corruption and inefficiencies
in the system.
• The rapid rise in prices of bitcoins has also made it an attractive source of
investment for many people.
• Bitcoin has been criticized for its use in illegal transactions, the large amount of
electricity used by miners, price volatility, and thefts from exchanges.
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4. Health and Diseases

4.1 A3i
In news:
• Scientists have identified a genetically unique cluster of the novel
coronavirus in India called Clade A3i.
About A3i:
• Clade A3i comprises of 41 per cent of all SARS-CoV2 genomes, making it the
second most prevalent coronavirus type in the country.
• Globally, only 3.5 per cent of all the genome sequences done on the virus
have has this particular trait.
• Currently, A2a is the most dominant coronavirus clade in India.
About clade:
• A clade in simpler terms is a cluster of SARS-CoV-2 viruses that are similar in
terms of its evolution and are grouped together due to the characteristic
mutations or similarities in parts of their genomes.
• This categorization is useful in predicting the virulence of a particular strain
and to understand how they will evolve. This further helps in identifying if
certain virus strains are more or less vulnerable to particular vaccine.
4.2 ARPIT
About Arpit:
• The Indian Air Force recently inducted an indigenously designed and
manufactured pod called ARPIT, which will be used for evacuation of critical
patients suffering from infectious diseases like COVID-19 from isolated and
remote areas.
• ARPIT is acronym for Airborne Rescue Pod for Isolated Transportation.
• It is an evacuation system that prevents the spread of infectious aerosol from
the patient to another person.
• This indigenously designed system has been developed at a cost of Rs 60,000,
which is very less when compared to imported systems which cost up to Rs
60 lakh a piece.
• The isolation system has a suitable number of air exchanges, integration of
medical monitoring instruments, and ventilation for an intubated patient.
• In addition, the pod generates high constant negative pressure in the isolation
chamber for prevention of infection risk to air crew, ground crew and health
care workers involved in air transportation, the IAF noted.
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• This pod will be utilised for the evacuation of critical patients with infectious
diseases including COVID-19 from high altitude area, isolated and remote
places.
4.3 VIROBLOCK TEXTILES
Why in news?
• Arvind Ltd, the leading textile-to-retail conglomerate has entered into
technical collaboration with Swiss textile innovator HeiQ Materials AG and
Taiwanese specialty major jintex corporation to introduce anti-viral
“viroblock” textile technology for the first time in india.
About viroblock:
• HeiQ Viroblock is one of the most advanced global antiviral products created
by HeiQ, a Swiss textile innovator.
• Garments treated with HeiQ Viroblock actively inhibit viruses and kill them
upon contact.
• It significantly enhances the antiviral log reduction in textiles and reduces
viral infectivity by 99.99% including on SARS-CoV-2.
• It has been designed to stay active on treated garments for 30 gentle
domestic washes, ensuring safety for the consumer that lasts for a good part
of the garment’s life.
4.4 FELUDA COVID 19 TEST
Why in news?
• An accurate and low-cost paper-based test strip to detect Covid-19 called Feluda
has been approved for commercial launch by the Drugs Controller General of
India.
About the test:
• Feluda is acronym for FNCAS9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay.
• It uses indigenously developed CRISPR gene-editing technology to identify and
target the genetic material of SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
• According to CSIR, the test matches accuracy levels of RT-PCR tests, considered
the gold standard in the diagnosis of Covid-19, has a quicker turnaround time
and requires less expensive equipment.
• ‘Feluda’ is also the world’s first diagnostic test to deploy a specially adapted Cas9
protein to successfully detect the virus.
• Other CRISPR tests use CAS12 and CAS13 proteins to detect SARS-CoV2.
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What is CRISPR technology?

• CRISPR, short form for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic
Repeats, is a gene editing technology and finds its use in correcting genetic
defects and treating and preventing the spread of diseases.
• The CRISPR technology can detect specific sequences of DNA within a gene and
uses an enzyme functioning as molecular scissors to snip it.
• It also allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene
function.
• Moreover, the technology can also be configured for detection of multiple other
pathogens in the future.
4.5 COVAXIN
In news:
• A vaccine named Covaxin has become the first to get nod for clinical trials for
Covid-19 in India.
About Covaxin:
• It has been developed by Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech.
• It has won the approvals from Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) to start
phase I and II clinical trials.
• This is the first such company which has received a go-ahead to start the
clinical trials.
• The vaccine has been produced by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institue of Virology
(NIV) by using an inactive version of the vaccine
4.6 NATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL PRICING AUTHORITY
In news:
• NPPA is monitoring price increase of critical medical equipment for COVID-
19.
About NPPA:
• NPPA is a government regulatory agency that controls the prices of
pharmaceutical drugs in India.
• It functions under Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers.
Major objectives of NPPA:
• NPPA was established to fix/ revise the prices of controlled bulk drugs and
formulations and to enforce prices and availability of the medicines in the
country, under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 1995.
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• The organization is also entrusted with the task of recovering amounts

overcharged by manufacturers for the controlled drugs from the consumers.
• It also monitors the prices of decontrolled drugs to keep them at reasonable
levels.
Functions:
• To implement and enforce the provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order.
• To monitor the availability of drugs, identify shortages and to take remedial
steps.
• To maintain data on production, exports and imports, market share of
individual companies, profitability of companies etc. for bulk drugs.
• To render assistance to the Central Government in the parliamentary matters
relating to the drug pricing.
4.7 THE GLOBAL FUND TO FIGHT AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS AND MALARIA
In news:
• Deprived of sources of livelihood during the pandemic, sex workers,
transpersons, gay and bi-sexual men, drug users and people living with HIV/AIDS
have petitioned the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) protesting
against being ignored by government and multilateral agencies in coronavirus
(COVID-19) related emergency relief efforts.
About GFTAM:
• GFTAM (or simply the Global Fund) is an international financing and
partnership organization that aims to invest additional resources to end the
epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to support attainment of
the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations.
• The organization maintains its secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It has an investment of nearly US $ 2.0 billion.
• The Global Fund is a financing mechanism rather than an implementing
agency.
• Programs are implemented by in-country partners such as ministries of
health, while the Global Fund secretariat, whose staff only have an office in
Geneva, monitor the programs.
4.8 BILIRUBIN
In news:
• A team of researchers at SN Bose National Centre For Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS),
Kolkata, have developed a device called ‘AJO-Neo’ for non-invasive screening of
bilirubin level in newborns.
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• SNBNCBS is an autonomous research Institute under the Department of Science

and Technology (DST), Government of India
About Bilirubin:
• Bilirubin is a yellowish substance in your blood.
• It forms after red blood cells break down, and it travels through your liver,
gallbladder, and digestive tract before being excreted.
• Many babies are also born with high bilirubin, causing a condition called
newborn jaundice.
• This causes yellow-tinted skin and eyes.
• It happens because, at birth, the liver often isn’t yet fully able to process bilirubin.
• This is a temporary condition that usually resolves on its own within a few weeks.
4.9 OPERATION BREATHING SPACE
In news:
• It is a code name for a new Indo-Israeli joint mission to develop, test and deploy
rapid diagnostic tests for Covid-19.
About the operation:
• The aim of the mission is to develop rapid diagnostic tests that can provide
results in under a minute.
• The team of top Israeli defence scientists and health experts and their Indian
counterparts will jointly develop at least four different kinds of rapid tests, and
deploy it after conducting trials on Indian COVID-19 patients.
• The joint effort also plans to develop high-tech equipment to minimise exposure
of medical staff to the virus, advanced respirators and special sanitisers
developed in Israel.
• The team from Israel also carried cutting-edge equipment contributed by Israel’s
foreign ministry and private companies.
• The Israeli team will deploy robotic equipment and wrist monitors at the All India
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to help doctors and nurses monitor a patient
without increasing risks of infection to themselves.
4.10 ELECTRONIC VACCINE INTELLIGENCE NETWORK
Why in news?
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has announced that eVIN, a technology
that monitors vaccine delivery will soon be rolled-out in the remaining States and
UTs of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Ladakh and Sikkim.
About eVIN:
• eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network) is an indigenously developed
technology system in India that digitizes vaccine stocks and monitors the
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temperature of the cold chain through a smartphone application.

• The innovative eVIN is presently being implemented called across thirty two
states/ Union territories in India.
• eVIN aims to support the Government of India’s Universal Immunization
Programme by providing real-time information on vaccine stocks and flows.
• The technological innovation is implemented by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP).
4.11 E-SANJEEVANI
Why in news?
• Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare presided over a
review meeting with States/UTs on the “eSanjeevani” platform.
• Launched in 2009, it has been used extensively during current covid-19 crisis.
About E-sanjeevani:
• 'eSanjeevani', is a web-based comprehensive telemedicine solution.
• It is developed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC).
• The eSanjeevani platform enables two types of telemedicine services viz.
Doctor-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani) and Patient-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani OPD) Tele-
consultations.
• 'eSanjeevani' extends the reach of specialized healthcare services to masses in
both rural areas and isolated communities.
• eSanjeevani is a platform independent, browser-based application facilitating
both doctor-to-doctor and patient-to-doctor tele-consultations.
• It has a user-friendly interface which facilitates both tech savvy and novice
doctors/users in the rural and urban environment to access the application.
• eSanjeevani can also be used to provide medical education to interns, people
across various Common Service Centers (CSCs), etc.
• eSanjeevani's Comprehensive Electronic Medical Record (EMR) includes
demographic and other patient data like clinical examination reports, physical
examination reports along with patient's medical history, family's medical history,
etc.
• eSanjeevani also enables import and export of complete patient record
including images, files etc.
4.12 AROGYASETU
Why in news?
• Aarogya Setu app has started a new Open API Service will enable organizations
to check the status of the Aarogya Setu app of their employees and integrate it
into its various Work from Home features.
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About the app:

• Aarogya Setu is an Indian open-source COVID–19 "contact tracing, syndromic
mapping and self-assessment" digital service, primarily a mobile app.
• It was developed by the National Informatics Centre under the Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• The app reached more than 100 million installs in 40 days.
• Aarogya Setu has four sections:
o User Status (tells the risk of getting COVID-19 for the user)
o Self-Assess (helps the users identify COVID-19 symptoms and their risk
profile)
o COVID-19 Updates (gives updates on local and national COVID-19 cases)
o E-pass integration (If applied for E-pass, it will be available)
o See Recent Contacts option (Allow the users to assess the risk level of their
Bluetooth contacts)
• It tells how many COVID-19 positive cases are likely in a radius of 500 m, 1 km, 2
km, 5 km and 10 km from the user.
4.13 COVIRAP
Why in news?
• A new COVID-19 diagnostic method named COVIRAP has been approved
by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) after testing.
About COVIRAP:
• It is a new COVID-19 diagnostic method, using a low-cost portable unit
developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT),
Kharagpur.
• It has showed an accuracy level only slightly lower than the gold standard
RT-PCR method, at a fraction of the cost of RT-PCR.
• The machine cost less than ₹5,000 to make and the test kits would each
cost about ₹500.
• Once the viral RNA was extracted, the testing process takes about one
hour.
• Before this another accurate and low-cost paper-based test strip to detect
Covid-19 using CRISPR cas-9 technique called Feluda had been approved
for commercial launch.
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4.14 BNT162b2
Why in news?
• Pfizer and German biotech firm BioNTech reported that their Covid-19 vaccine
candidate, BNT162b2, is more than 90 % effective at preventing infection.
About BNT162b2:
• BNT162b2 is a COVID-19 vaccine candidate under evaluation in Phase III clinical
trials during 2020.
• The vaccination requires two doses given three weeks apart.
• On 9 November, interim analysis of 94 research participants who had been
diagnosed with COVID-19 showed the vaccine candidate was 90% effective in
preventing infection seven days after the second dose.
• BioNTech is the original developer of the vaccine while global pharmaceuticals
giant, Pfizer is one of the manufacturing partners.
• BNT162b2 is a single nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) vaccine
candidate made of a short segment of genetic material — the messenger RNA
— which provides instructions for a human cell to make a harmless version of a
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target protein, in this case the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, in order to activate
an immune response against the protein.
4.15 OPERATION WARP SPEED
Why in news?
• A United States company ‘Moderna’ reported promising preliminary results from
its coronavirus vaccine trial.
• The U.S. government provided $1 billion in support for the design and testing of
the Moderna vaccine under Operation Warp Speed.
About operation Warp Speed:
• Operation Warp Speed (OWS) is a public–private partnership, initiated by the
U.S. government to facilitate and accelerate the development, manufacturing,
and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.
• Operation Warp Speed was introduced in early April 2020 and will promote mass
production of multiple vaccines based on preliminary evidence allowing for faster
distribution if clinical trials confirm one of the vaccines is safe and effective.
• The plan anticipates that some of these vaccines will not prove safe or effective,
making the program more costly than typical vaccine development, but
potentially leading to the availability of a viable vaccine several months earlier
than typical timelines.
• U.S. Congress allocated nearly $10 billion for Operation Warp Speed through
the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security).
4.16 ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AMR)
Why in news?
• Given the current trajectory, drug resistance/ antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
could lead to 10 million deaths annually, if left unaddressed as per a report by
Wellcome Trust, an independent global charitable foundation.
What is antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?
• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of a microorganism to stop an
antimicrobial (such as antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarials) from working
against it.
• As a result, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may
spread to others.
• Irrational use of drugs, overdosing or under-dosing, self-medication, misuse of
drugs, and the inappropriate use of antimicrobials etc are the leading reasons
behind
growth of AMR.
• The term antibiotic resistance (AR or ABR) is a subset of AMR, as it applies to
bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics.
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• Resistant microbes are more difficult to treat, requiring higher doses, or

alternative medications which may prove more toxic.
• These approaches may also be more expensive. Microbes resistant to multiple
antimicrobials are called multidrug resistant (MDR)
Causes:
National level action plan:

• In April 2017, India had released its national level plan on AMR along with
Declaration in Delhi , which called for state-level action plans.
• It was framed by the National Centre for Disease Control and Indian Council of
Medical Research (ICMR).
• The action plan, drawn up with multi-sectoral coordination and in alignment with
the national and global action plans, will be implemented with the technical
support of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and a host of collaborations
with NGOs and pharma majors
About Global AMR R&D Hub:
• The Global Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Development Hub – or Global
AMR R&D Hub for short – is designed to tackle growing Antimicrobial Resistance
(AMR) across the world.
• It was created on the initiative of G-20 leaders.
• It aims to improve the coordination of international efforts and initiatives to
tackle AMR.
• It will also aim to further increasing investments into R&D for AMR.
• The Secretariat of the hub is based in Berlin and is funded by German Federal
Ministry of Education and Research.
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4.17 G4 FLU VIRUS
In news:
• In a new research, scientists from China have identified a “recently emerged”
strain of influenza virus that is infecting Chinese pigs and that has the
potential of triggering a pandemic.
• Named G4, the swine flu strain has genes similar to those in the virus that
caused the 2009 flu pandemic.
• The scientists report that the new strain (G4) has descended from the H1N1
strain that was responsible for the 2009 flu pandemic.
• China has the largest population of pigs in the world.
4.18 MEASLES AND RUBELLA
In news:
• WHO has Declared Sri Lanka and Maldives as Measles-free.
Measles and Rubella:
• Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It remains an important cause
of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and
effective vaccine.
• It spreads through coughing and sneezing of an infected person.
• The virus infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the
body. Measles is a human disease and is not known to occur in animals.
• Measles can be entirely prevented through a two-dose vaccine and had
been officially eliminated in many countries with advanced healthcare
systems.
• Rubella is generally a mild infection, but has serious consequences if infection
occurs in pregnant women, causing congenital rubella syndrome (CRS),
which is a cause of public health concern.
• CRS is characterized by congenital anomalies in the foetus and newborns
affecting the eyes (glaucoma, cataract), ears (hearing loss), brain
(microcephaly, mental retardation) and heart defects, causing a huge socio-
economic burden on the families in particular and society in general.
Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched MR Vaccination program
in 2017.
• The MR campaign targets around 41 crore children across the country, the
largest ever in any campaign.
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• All children aged between 9 months and less than 15 years will be given a
single shot of Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination irrespective of their previous
measles/rubella vaccination status or measles/rubella disease status.
• MR vaccine will be provided free- of- cost across the states.
4.19 MALARIA
In news:
• Public Sector Company, HIL (India) Ltd has supplied 20.60 tonne of
insecticide DDT to South Africa for its malaria control programme,
About Malaria:
• Malaria is a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites.
• The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected female
Anopheles mosquitoes, called "malaria vectors."
• There are 5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of these
species – P. falciparum and P. vivax – pose the greatest threat.
• World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends DDT as one of the efficient
Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) chemicals to curb malaria mosquito menace.
• DDT is widely used by Southern African countries like South Africa,
Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique, etc and India.
Malaria in numbers:
• In 2018, an estimated 228 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide and
most malaria cases and deaths (93 per cent) were reported from African
Region.
• India reported an estimated 6.7 million cases in 2018 compared to 9.6
million in 2017.
• It currently accounts for 3% of global malaria cases and 2% of malaria
deaths.
• India has set 2030 as the target year for eliminating malaria.
4.20 AFRICAN SWINE FEVER
Why in news?
• The African swine fever (ASF), which killed over 17,000 domesticated pigs in
Assam in recent months, has now been detected in parts of Meghalaya.
About ASF:
• African swine fever (ASF) is a severe viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs.
• This transboundary animal disease (TAD) can be spread by live or dead pigs,
domestic or wild, and pork products.
• Transmission can also occur via contaminated feed and fomites (non-living
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objects) such as shoes, clothes, vehicles, knives, equipment etc., due to the high
environmental resistance of ASF virus.
• ASF is not a risk to human health.
• It is responsible for serious production and economic losses.
• There is no approved vaccine against ASF.
• ASF has killed at least 17,000 domesticated pigs in Assam and an unspecified
number in Arunachal Pradesh where the disease is believed to have been
transmitted from China.
• It is different from swine flu caused by Influenza (H1 N1) virus.
4.21 HUMAN AFRICAN TRYPANOSOMIASIS
Why in news?
• Togo has become the first African country to end sleeping sickness as a public
health problem
About the Sickness:
• African trypanosomiasis is also known as African sleeping sickness or simply
sleeping sickness.
• It is an insect-borne parasitic infection of humans and other animals.
• It is usually transmitted by the bite of an infected tsetse fly, a fly common in rural
areas
• Initially, the first stage of the disease is characterized by fevers, headaches,
itchiness, and joint pains, beginning one to three weeks after the bite.
• Weeks to months later the second stage begins with confusion, poor
coordination, numbness, and trouble sleeping.
• Without treatment sleeping sickness typically results in death.
• It is classified as a neglected tropical disease.
Neglected tropical diseases:
• Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of tropical infections
which are common in low-income populations in developing regions of Africa,
Asia, and the Americas.
• Seventeen neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have been identified by the World
Health Organization (WHO).
• These include viral (Dengue, Rabies), Bacterial (Leprosy) and Parasitic diseases
(lymphatic filariasis) diseases.
4.22 SILICOSIS
Why in news?
• Rajasthan Chief Secretary directed the social justice department to conduct a
survey to identify all the silicosis patients in the state.
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About Silicosis:
• It is a lung disease caused by inhalation of silica over a long period of time.
• Silicosis is one of the most important occupational health illnesses in the world.
• Silica (SiO2 / Silicon dioxide) is crystal-like mineral found in abundance in sand,
rock, and quartz.
• Silicosis resulted in 46,000 deaths globally in 2013.
Causes, Symptoms and treatment
• Silicosis occurs most commonly as an occupational disease in people working in
the quarrying, manufacturing and building construction industries.
• Silicosis is characterized by shortness of breath, cough, fever and bluish skin.
• Exposure to large amounts of free silica may not be noticed because silica is
odourless, non-irritant and does not cause any immediate health effects.
• In India, more than 10 million workers are at risk of silicosis.
• In India silicosis is prevalent in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Pondicherry, Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal.
• Silicosis is an incurable condition and the only way to protect workers’ health is
control of exposure to silica-containing dusts.
4.23 FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE
Why in news?
• Central government scheme of vaccination for control of Foot-and-mouth
disease is being implemented across nation.
About FMD:
• It is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed
animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs.
• Wild herbivores such as bison, deer, antelopes, reindeer, and giraffes are also
susceptible. The horse is resistant to the infection.
• Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has very severe implications for animal farming,
since it is highly infectious and can be spread through contact with contaminated
farming equipment, vehicles, clothing, feed, and by domestic and wild
predators.
• Humans do not develop the virus responsible for foot-and-mouth disease.
• Its containment demands considerable efforts in vaccination, strict monitoring,
trade restrictions, quarantines, and occasionally the culling of animals.
• FMD is considered to be the most economically devastating livestock disease in
the world.
• FMD is endemic in many regions of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South
America, where traditional agricultural systems are practiced.
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4.24 HEPATITIS C
Why in news?
• Three scientists share this year’s Medicine Nobel for the discovery and
identification of the Hepatitis C virus.
About Hepatitis C:
• Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that
primarily affects the liver.
• During the initial infection people often have mild or no symptoms.
• Over many years, it often leads to liver disease and occasionally cirrhosis and
can develop serious complications such as liver failure, liver cancer, or dilated
blood vessels in the oesophagus and stomach.
Transmission and Prevention:
• HCV is spread primarily by blood-to-blood contact associated with injection
drug use, poorly sterilized medical equipment, needlestick injuries in
healthcare, and transfusions.
• Using blood screening, the risk from a transfusion is less than one per two million.
• It may also be spread from an infected mother to her baby during birth.
• There is no vaccine against hepatitis C.
• Prevention includes harm reduction efforts among people who inject drugs,
testing donated blood, and treatment of people with chronic infection.
• Chronic infection can be cured more than 95% of the time with antiviral
medications such as sofosbuvir or simeprevir.
Other Hepatitis virus:
• The Hepatitis A virus spreads mainly through contaminated food and water, and
causes a relatively milder form of liver inflammation.
• Hepatitis B is mainly sexually transmitted but may also be passed from mother to
baby during pregnancy or childbirth and spread through infected blood.
• Hepatitis D infection is largely restricted to persons at high risk of hepatitis B
infection, particularly injecting drug users and persons receiving clotting factor
concentrates.
• Hepatitis E is spread mainly by the fecal–oral route due to contamination of water
supplies or food.
• Hepatitis A, B, and D are preventable with immunization.
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4.25 TUBERCULOSIS (TB)
Why in news?
• India registered a decline in the notification of tuberculosis (TB) cases by
about 85 per cent in April this year, after the imposition of the novel
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown which led to a decline in access to
TB services in the country.
• India, has the highest TB burden across the globe, which accounts for 26 per
cent of the total global cases.
About TB
• Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that
most often affect the lungs.
Transmission:
• TB is spread from person to person through the air.
Risk of infection:
• People infected with TB bacteria have a 5–15% lifetime risk of falling ill with
TB.
• However, persons with compromised immune systems, such as people living
with HIV have a much higher risk of falling ill.
Drug resistance:
• Drug resistance emerges when anti-TB medicines are used inappropriately,
through incorrect prescription by health care providers, poor quality drugs,
and patients stopping treatment prematurely.
• Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of TB caused by bacteria
that do not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin, the 2 most powerful, first-
line anti-TB drugs.
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• MDR-TB is treatable and curable by using second-line drugs.

Vaccination:
• Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a vaccine for TB.
Add ons:
• ‘End TB Strategy’, adopted by the WHO is a blueprint for countries to end
the TB epidemic.
• Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the
Sustainable Development Goals.
• DOTS (Directly observed treatment, short course) is the name given to the
tuberculosis control strategy recommended by the World Health
Organization.
4.26 CHAPARE VIRUS
Why in news?
• Researchers from the US have discovered that rare Ebola-like illness called
Chapare virus diseases.
• The virus is believed to have first originated in rural Bolivia in 2004.
What is the Chapare virus?
• The Chapare hemorrhagic fever (CHHF) is caused by the same arenavirus family
that is responsible for illnesses such as the Ebola virus disease (EVD).
• Arenaviruses like the Chapare virus are generally carried by rats and can be
transmitted through direct contact with the infected rodent, its urine and
droppings, or through contact with an infected person.
• The virus is named Chapare after the province in which it was first observed.
• It causes a hemorrhagic fever much like Ebola along with abdominal pain,
vomiting, bleeding gums, skin rash and pain behind the eyes.
• Viral hemorrhagic fevers are a severe and life-threatening kind of illness that can
affect multiple organs and damage the walls of blood vessels.
• Since there are no specific drugs to treat the disease, patients generally receive
supportive care such as intravenous fluids.
• The CDC website lists maintenance of hydration, management of shock through
fluid resuscitation, sedation, pain relief and transfusions as the supportive
therapy that can be administered on patients suffering from CHHF.
4.27 GUILLAIN BARRE SYNDROME
Why in news?
• In a rare complication, some patients infected with Covid-19 have been found
suffering from Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS).
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What is Guillain Barre Syndrome?

• It is a very rare autoimmune disorder.
• The peripheral nervous system is a network of nerves that lead from the brain
and spinal cord to different parts of the body. Attacking them can affect limb
functions.
• The syndrome’s first symptoms are a tingling or itching sensation in the skin,
followed by muscle weakness, pain and numbness.
• The symptoms may emerge first in feet and hands.
• A person then starts experiencing reflex loss and paralysis, which may be
temporary, but can last for 6-12 months or longer.
• GBS is caused by bacteria or viral infection. In the past, patients of Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome showed GBS symptoms, as did those infected with Zika,
HIV, and Herpes virus.
• In case of corona virus, the immune system, in an attempt to kill the coronavirus,
accidentally starts attacking the peripheral nervous system.
4.28 PLASMODIUM OVALE
Why in news?
• A not very common type of malaria, Plasmodium ovale, has been identified in a
Jawan in Kerala. The soldier is believed to have contracted it during his posting in
Sudan, from where he returned nearly a year ago, and where Plasmodium ovale
is endemic.
Types of Malaria:
• Malaria is caused by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito if the mosquito
itself is infected with a malarial parasite.
• There are five kinds of malarial parasites — Plasmodium falciparum,
Plasmodium vivax (the commonest ones), Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium
ovale and Plasmodium knowlesi.
• In India, out of 1.57 lakh malaria cases in the high-burden states of Odisha,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya and Madhya Pradesh in 2019, 1.1 lakh cases
(70%) were cases of falciparum malaria, according to a statement by the Health
Ministry.
• The recent World Malaria Report 2020 said cases in India dropped from about
20 million in 2000 to about 5.6 million in 2019.
Plasmodium ovale:
• P ovale malaria is endemic to tropical Western Africa. It is relatively unusual
outside of Africa and, where found, comprises less than 1% of the isolates.
• It has also been detected in the Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea,
but is still relatively rate in these areas.
• It is termed ovale as about 20% of the parasitized cells are oval in shape.
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• Plasmodium ovale rarely causes severe illness and cases of local transmission has
been rare.
• P Ovale is very similar to P vivax, which is not a killer form.
• Symptoms include fever, headache and nausea, and the treatment modality is
the same as it is for a person infected with P vivax.
4.29 SHIGELLA INFECTION
Why in news?
• Kerala is battling with Shigella, a new bacterial infection that can be fatal and is
believed to be contagious.
About the infection:
• Shigella infection (shigellosis) is an extremely contagious intestinal infection
caused by a family of bacteria known as shigella.
• The main sign of shigella infection is diarrhoea, which often is bloody, Stomach
Pain, Cramps and Fever.
• People get infected with shigella when they come in contact with and swallow
small amounts of bacteria from the stool of a person who is infected with shigella.
• Shigella bacteria can also be passed in infected food or by drinking or swimming
in unsafe water.
• Children under age 5 are most likely to get shigella infection, but it can occur at
any age.
• A mild case usually clears up on its own within a week. When treatment is
needed, doctors generally prescribe antibiotics.
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5. Energy
5.1 EESL – MAITREE PROGRAM
In news:
• On the occasion of World Environment Day, Energy Efficiency Services
Limited (EESL), in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International
Development’s (USAID) MAITREE program, launched the “Healthy and
Energy Efficient Buildings” initiative.
About MAITREE:
• The Market Integration and Transformation Program for Energy Efficiency
(MAITREE), under which this initiative has been launched, is a part of the
US-India bilateral Partnership between the Ministry of Power and USAID.
• It is aimed at accelerating the adoption of cost-effective energy efficiency as
a standard practice within buildings, and specifically focuses on cooling.
About EESL:
• Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) is a joint venture of PSUs under
Ministry of Power i.e. NTPC Limited, Power Finance Corporation, Rural
Electrification Corporation and POWERGRID.
• Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), under the administration of
Ministry of Power, is working towards mainstreaming energy efficiency and
is implementing the world’s largest energy efficiency portfolio in the
country.
• EESL aims to create market access for efficient and future-ready
transformative solutions.
5.2 iCOMMITT INITIATIVE
About the initiative:

• Ministry of Power and New & Renewable Energy initiated the ‘#iCommit’
campaign, on the occasion of World Environment Day,2020.
• The initiative is to encourage all stakeholders and individuals to continue
moving towards energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability to
create a robust and resilient energy system in the future.
• The ‘#iCommit’ initiative, is driven by Energy Efficiency Services Limited
(EESL) under ministry of power.
• The initiative will a celebrate and promote key undertakings of Government
of India such as National Electric Mobility Mission 2020, DeenDayal
Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, the Saubhagya Scheme, Atal Distribution
system Improvement Yojna (AJAY) and many others.
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5.3 WINTER DIESEL
In news:
• Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has sought approval of the armed forces for
supply of its winter diesel to the armed forces in Ladakh and other high-
altitude regions.
About the product:
• Winter diesel is a specialised fuel for use high altitude regions and low-
temperature regions such as Ladakh, where ordinary diesel can become
unusable.
• The flow characteristics of regular diesel change at such low temperatures
and using it may be detrimental to vehicles.
• Winter diesel contains additives to maintain lower viscosity can be used
in temperatures as low as -30°C .
• Besides this, it also has higher cetane rating — an indicator of the
combustion speed of diesel and compression needed for ignition— and lower
sulphur content, which would lead to lower deposits in engines and better
performance.
• Before the launch of winter diesel, consumers in areas that reached such low
temperatures were using kerosene to dilute diesel to make it usable, which
would lead to more air pollution.
5.4 REWA MEGA SOLAR PLANT
In news:
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Rewa solar power project in
Madhya Pradesh, to the nation.
About the project:
• It is Asia’s largest solar power project with a capacity of 750 MW.
• The Solar Park has been developed over a total area of 1500 hectares, by the
Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL).
• RUMSL is a Joint Venture of Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and
Madhya Pradesh UrjaVikas Nigam Limited (MPUVN).
• It is India’s first such solar project to break the grid parity barrier.
• Grid parity occurs when an alternative energy source can generate power at
a levelized cost of electricity that is less than or equal to the price of power
from the electricity grid.
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• From the project, the Delhi Metro will get 24 per cent of energy, while the
remaining 76 per cent of energy being supplied to the state DISCOMs of
Madhya Pradesh.
5.5 NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS IN INDIA
Why in news?
• The third unit of the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP-3) in Gujarat achieved
its ‘first criticality’ — a term that signifies the initiation of a controlled but
sustained nuclear fission reaction, recently.
About KAPP-3:
• KAPP-3 is the country’s first 700 MWe (megawatt electric) unit.
• It is the biggest indigenously developed variant of the Pressurised Heavy Water
Reactor (PHWR).
• PHWR reactors use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as moderator.
• Till now, the biggest reactor size of
indigenous design was the 540 MWe
PHWR, two of which have been
deployed in Tarapur, Maharashtra.
About Nuclear Power in India:
• Nuclear power is the fifth-
largest source of electricity in
India after coal, gas,
hydroelectricity and wind
power.
• Current installed capacity is
6780 MW.
• Nuclear Power Corporation of
India Limited (NPCIL) is a
Public Sector Enterprise is responsible for design, construction,
commissioning and operation of nuclear power reactors.
• It works under the administrative control of the Department of Atomic
Energy (DAE), Government of India.
• It is currently operating 22 commercial nuclear power reactors with an
installed capacity of 6780 MW.
5.6 ITER
Why in news?
• A special message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi was delivered by India’s
envoy to France during the virtual ceremony at ITER headquarters that marked
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the start of the ITER assembly.

About ITER:
• ITER (originally the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is an
international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject.
• It is an experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor that is being built in
southern France.
• The project is funded and run by seven member entities—the European Union,
China, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.
• The goal of ITER is to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of
fusion energy for peaceful use.
• The country is represented in the international project by ITER-India, which is
under the Institute for Plasma Research and governed by an empowered board
chaired by the secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)
• Construction of the ITER tokamak complex started in 2013 and the building costs
were over US$14 billion by June 2015.
5.7 NEW NUCLEAR REACTORS
Why in news?
• During the last three years and the current year, the Government has accorded
administrative approval and financial sanction for construction of twelve (12)
nuclear power reactors.
List of new reactors:
State Location
Madhya Pradesh Chutka
Karnataka Kaiga
Rajasthan Mahi Banswara
Haryana Gorakhpur
Tamil Nadu Kudankulam
• Of these all except Kudankulam consist of indigenous 700 MW Pressurized Heavy

Water Reactors (PHWRs).
• Kudankulam will have two (02) units of Light Water Reactors (LWRs) of 1000 MW
each set up in cooperation with Russian Federation.
About PHWR and LWR:
• A pressurized heavy-water reactor (PHWR) is a nuclear reactor that uses heavy
water (deuterium oxide D2O) as its coolant and neutron moderator. PHWRs
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frequently use natural uranium as fuel, but sometimes also use very low enriched
uranium.
• The light-water reactor (LWR) is a type of thermal-neutron reactor that uses
normal water, as opposed to heavy water, as both its coolant and neutron
moderator – furthermore a solid form of fissile elements is used as fuel.
5.8 BARAKAH NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
In news:
• The United Arab Emirates has launched operations at the Barakah nuclear power
plant.
About the power plant:
• The Barakah nuclear power plant is the United Arab Emirates's first nuclear
power station.
• It is also the first nuclear power station in the Arabian Peninsula, and the first
commercial nuclear power station in the Arab World.
• It consists of four APR-1400 nuclear reactors (one completed) developed by
Korea Electric Power Corporation.
• Total capacity is 5,600 MW which is intended to supply up to 25% of UAE's energy
needs.
5.9 MEGHNAGHAT POWER PLANT
In news:
• Reliance Power and Japanese energy major JERA have inked a pact with a group
of banks for full financing, totalling USD 642 million for their new Meghnaghat
thermal power project in Bangladesh.
About the Power plant:
• It is a new 745 MW natural gas combined-cycle power project in Meghnaghat in
Bangladesh.
• The electricity generated will be sold under a long-term power purchase
agreement with the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
• Reliance Power said, with this loan agreement, all major contracts required for
the development of the project have been completed.
• A combined-cycle power plant uses both a gas and a steam turbine together to
produce up to 50 percent more electricity from the same fuel than a traditional
simple-cycle plant.
• The waste heat from the gas turbine is routed to the nearby steam turbine, which
generates extra power.
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5.10 BIOFUELS
Why in news?
• A webinar on the occasion of the World Biofuel day was organized today by the
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, with the theme “Biofuels towards
Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
What are Biofuels?
• Biofuels are combustible fuels created from biomass; in other words, fuels
created from recently living plant matter as opposed to ancient plant matter in
hydrocarbons.
Types of biofuels:
• Biogas - produced by the process of anaerobic digestion of organic material by
anaerobic bacteria.
• Ethanol - produced by the action of microorganisms and enzymes through the
fermentation of sugars or starches.
• Biodiesel - produced from oils or fats using transesterification.
First-generation biofuels:
• First-generation" or conventional biofuels are biofuels made from food crops
grown on arable land. They are made from sugar, starch, or vegetable oil.
• Their feedstock (the plant or algal material from which they are generated) is not
sustainable/green or, if used in large quantity, would have a large impact on the
food supply.
Second-generation biofuels:
• Second-generation biofuels, also known as advanced biofuels, are fuels that can
be manufactured from various types of non-food biomass.
• They include lignocellulosic biomass or woody crops, agricultural residues or
waste, as well as dedicated non-food energy crops grown on marginal land
unsuitable for crop production.
• They are “greener” in that they are made from sustainable feedstock – with
lesser greenhouse gas emissions, and lesser impact on biodiversity and land use
(water, food supply, etc.).
Third-generation biofuels:
• Third Generation of biofuels is based on improvements in the production of
biomass.
• It takes advantage of specially engineered energy crops such as algae as its energy
source.
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Fourth-generation biofuels:
• Fourth generation biofuels couple carbon capture and storage along with the
benefits of third generation fuels.
• However, unlike third-generation biofuels, they do not require the destruction of
biomass.
• This class of biofuels includes technologies such as electrofuels and
photobiological solar fuels.
5.11 ONE SUN ONE WORLD ONE GRID
In news:
• The MNRE has invited proposals from consulting firms for making a long-term
One sun One world One grid road map.
About the initiative:
• India has come up with a ‘One Sun One World One Grid’ (OSOWOG) initiative.
• It aims to set up a framework for facilitating global cooperation aiming at building
a global ecosystem of interconnected renewable energy resources that can be
seamlessly shared.
• At a later stage, the project envisages getting this grid interconnected with the
African power pools.
• The idea is to utilize solar power when the sun is not shining in other parts of
the world by building a common transmission system.
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• The MNRE has invited proposals from consulting firms for making a long-term
OSOWOG road map.
• The proposal will also identify two or three cross-border projects that can be
initiated within one or two years, “preferably one with each of Middle East, South
East and Africa regions considering India as the grid fulcrum for these identified
pilots.”
• The Union Ministry of New and Renewable energy (MNRE), through this
initiative, plans to build global consensus about sharing solar resources among
more than 140 countries of West Asia and South East Asia.
5.12 INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE (ISA)
Why in news?
• India conceptualized International Solar Alliance (ISA) will be holding the first-
ever World Solar Technology Summit on 8 September.
About International Solar Alliance (ISA)
• International Solar Alliance (ISA) is conceived as a coalition of solar resource rich
countries to collaborate on addressing the identified gaps in their energy
requirements through a common approach.
• The alliance is a treaty-based inter-governmental organization.
• It was unveiled by Prime Minister of India and French President at the U.N.
Climate Change Conference in Paris on 2015.
• It is headquartered in India (Gurgaon).
Members
• The ISA is open to 121 prospective member countries, most of them located
between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
• This is the region worldwide with a surplus of bright sunlight for most of the year.
5.13 ASSOCIATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCIES OF STATES
(AREAS)
Why in news?
• Association of Renewable Energy Agencies of States foundation day was
celebrated.
About AREAS:
• Association of Renewable Energy Agencies of States (abbreviated as “AREAS) was
been formed as a society on 27 August 2014.
• It works as an association of State Nodal Agencies (SNAs) for renewable energy
(RE).
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• It aims to enable sharing of considerable knowledge and experience gained by

SNAs in planning and implementation of Renewable Energy programmes.
• SNAs can also share their best practices and knowledge regarding technologies
and schemes/programmes.
• Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) is the ex-officio
President of the Association.
5.14 TOKAMAK AND FUSION POWER
Why in news?
• China successfully powered up its “artificial sun” nuclear fusion reactor for the
first time.
About the Tokamak:
• The HL-2M Tokamak reactor is China’s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion
experimental research device, and scientists hope that the device can potentially
unlock a powerful clean energy source.
• It uses a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma and can reach temperatures
of over 150 million degrees Celsius, approximately ten times hotter than the core
of the sun.
• Located in Sichuan province and completed late last year, the reactor is often
called an “artificial sun” on account of the enormous heat and power it produces.
About Tokamaks:
• Tokamak is a device used in nuclear-fusion research for magnetic confinement
of plasma.
• It consists of a complex system of magnetic fields that confine the plasma of
reactive charged particles in a hollow, doughnut-shaped container.
• The tokamak concept (an acronym from the Russian words for toroidal magnetic
confinement) was developed in the mid-1960s by Soviet plasma physicists.
• It produces the highest plasma temperatures, densities, and confinement
durations of any confinement device.
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About Nuclear Fusion as a power source:

• Fusion power is a proposed form of power generation that would generate
electricity by using heat from nuclear fusion reactions.
• In a fusion process, two lighter atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus,
while releasing energy. Devices designed to harness this energy are known as
fusion reactors.
• Fusion processes require fuel and a confined environment with sufficient
temperature, pressure, and confinement time to create a plasma in which fusion
can occur.
• As a source of power, nuclear fusion is expected to have many advantages over
fission including reduced radioactivity in operation and little high-level nuclear
waste, ample fuel supplies, and increased safety.
• However, the necessary combination of temperature, pressure, and duration
has proven to be difficult to produce in a practical and economical manner.
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6. Miscellaneous
6.1 PAYMENT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT FUND
In news:
• The Reserve Bank of India will set up a Payments Infrastructure
Development Fund to encourage the adoption and deployment of Point-Of-
Sale devices.
About the fund:
• The fund will have a corpus of Rs. 500 crores, with RBI providing an initial
contribution of Rs. 250 crore and the remaining from card-issuing banks and
card networks operating in the country.
• The PIDF will also receive recurring contributions to cover operational
expenses from card-issuing banks and card networks. RBI will also contribute
to yearly shortfalls, if necessary.
• The fund has been created to encourage the adoption of 'Points of Sale'
machines by businesses in tier-3 to tier-6 centres and Northeastern states.
• The PIDF will be governed through an advisory council and managed and
administered by the RBI.
• The setting up of this fund is in line with the recommendations of the report
of the committee on deepening of digital payments, chaired by Nandan
Nilekani.
6.2 CORO-BOT AND COVID BEEP
About Coro Robot:

• Coro-bot is a robot which would dispense food, water and medicines to
corona patients in their wards without necessity of physical presence of
nurses and other care-givers.
• Coro-bot cuts away the requirement of physical contact of nurses and ward
boys with the patient.
• It can interact with them by using camera.
• Patients are cautioned through audio reminders to sanitize their hands before
they pick up things from trays.
• It was developed by an engineer from Thane.
About Covid Beep:
• Union Minister Jitendra Singh has launched ‘COVID BEEP’ app, India’s 1st
indigenous wireless physiological parameters monitoring system facilitated
for COVID-19 affected patients.
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• “COVID BEEP” stands for Continuous Oxygenation & Vital Information

Detection Biomed ECIL ESIC Pod.
• The COVID BEEP has incorporated NIBP (Non-Invasive Blood Pressure)
monitoring, ECG (electrocardiogram) monitoring and the respiratory rate.
• It will greatly reduce the transmission risk as well as help save resources like
personal protective equipment (PPEs).
6.3 NEW FREIGHT CORRIDORS
In news:
• Dedicated Freight corridor corporation of India has decided to terminate a Rs.
471 crore contract given to a Chinese firm.
Dedicated freight corridor project:
• The Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project involves the construction
of railway freight corridors traversing the entire country.
• The Government of India established a special purpose vehicle,
the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL), to implement
the project.
• Dedicated Freight Corridor Corp. of India Ltd (DFCCIL), is as of now building
the initial two freight corridors—Eastern Freight Corridor from Ludhiana to
Dankuni/Kolkata (1,856km) and Western Freight Corridor from Dadri to
Jawaharlal Nehru Port (1,504km)— at a complete expense of Rs. 81,000
crores.
• It would be the country’s largest infrastructure project involving almost 9000
kilometers of railway track.
• The Railways is reportedly planning to complete over 60-70 per cent of the
work in the two corridors by this financial year and fully operationalize them
by 2021.
Proposed new corridors:
• East-West Corridor (2,328km) (Kolkata to Mumbai)
• North-South Corridor (2,327km) (Delhi to Chennai)
• East Coast Corridor (1,114km) (Kharagpur to Vijaywada)
Objectives:
• De-congest already saturated road network & promote shifting of freight
transport to more efficient rail transport.
• Reduction of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions in transport sector.
• Increase the speed and transportation capacity of freight trains.
• Ease out congestion of train movement on existing Indian Railway network.
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6.4 ANTHROPAUSE PERIOD
About Anthropause period:

• Researchers in the UK are set to study the ‘Anthropause’, a term they have
coined to refer to the coronavirus-induced lockdown period and its impact
on other species.
• The unprecedented curbs imposed on millions of people around the world,
mainly due to restrictions in travel, led to reports of unusual animal
behavior.
• In their outline, researchers mention how the scientific community can use
these “extraordinary circumstance” provided by global lockdowns to
understand how human activity affects wildlife.
• Studying how human and animal behaviour may be linked can help provide
insights that may be useful in preserving global biodiversity, maintaining the
integrity of ecosystems and predicting global zoonoses and environmental
changes.
6.5 INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT TRUST (INVIT)
In news:
• National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) will soon set up an Infrastructure
Investment Trust (InvIT) to facilitate investment in the highway sector.
What is InvIT?
• An Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) is a collective investment scheme,
similar to a mutual fund, which enables direct investment of money from
individual and institutional investors in infrastructure projects to earn a small
portion of the income as return.
• The InvIT is designed as a tiered structure with Sponsor setting up the InvIT
which in turn invests into the eligible infrastructure projects either directly or
via special purpose vehicles (SPVs).
• In case of Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects, such investments can only
be through SPV.
• The InvITs are regulated by the SEBI (Infrastructure Investment Trusts)
Regulations, 2014.
• InvITs are very much similar to the Real Estate investment Trusts (REITs) in
structure and operations. InvITs are modified REITs designed to suit the
specific circumstances in India.
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• NHAI has been actively working on setting up an InvIT to monetize its

completed and operational national highways projects with the objective of
mobilizing additional resources through capital markets.
6.6 COMPULSORY LICENSING
In news:
• The Polit Bureau of the CPI (Marxist) said the government should issue
compulsory licenses for the manufacture of a generic version of Remdesivir,
an anti-viral drug being used to treat COVID-19 patients.
What is compulsory licensing?
• Compulsory licensing is when a government allows someone else to produce
a patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner or
plans to use the patent-protected invention itself.
• It is generally issued when there is an emergency and the original patent
holder cannot produce the product in required quantities or at justifiable
price.
• It is one of the flexibilities in the field of patent protection included in the
WTO’s agreement on intellectual property — the TRIPS (Trade-Related
Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement.
• Normal compulsory licenses can be granted for all types of products or
technologies, provided the conditions in TRIPS agreement are met.
• The TRIPS Agreement does not specifically list the reasons that might be
used to justify compulsory licensing and countries are free to determine the
grounds for granting compulsory licences, and to determine what constitutes
a national emergency.
6.7 PADDY WATCH
In news:
• The world’s first real time paddy field monitoring system will soon be
launched.
About Paddy Watch:
• It is world’s first real-time paddy-field monitoring platform.
• It will give information on the quantity of rice planted and the harvest
achieved.
• The app is being built by researchers from the University of Sydney in
collaboration with Google Earth and the Group on Earth Observations.
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• The project would use the Google Earth Engine to build the first real-time
mobile application that will allow management of land use to ensure food
security in the world’s rice bowls.
• The countries covered by the project include India, China, Malaysia,
Indonesia, and Vietnam.
• Indian Agricultural Research Institute under ICAR is a partner in the project.
6.8 OPEN CREDIT ENABLEMENT NETWORK
In news:
• Nandan Nilekani recently said that a new technology in the making called ‘open
credit enablement network (OCEN)’ would democratise lending.
About OCEN:
• OCEN is a common language for lenders, marketplaces to utilize and create
innovative, financial credit products at scale.
• (OCEN) enables to connect lenders to marketplaces and thereby to borrowers
through a technology system.
• It will be similar to the UPI platform used for Payments and will reduce the cost
of lending.
• It could thus increase lending to micro enterprises and street vendors by
reducing the cost.
• Some of the top lenders in the country like State Bank of India (SBI), HDFC Bank,
ICICI Bank, IDFC First Bank and Axis Bank would soon be in a state of readiness to
usher in OCEN.
6.9 UNIFIED PAYMENTS INTERFACE (UPI)
In news:
• National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched its one-stop fintech
payment solution- UPI AutoPay in a virtual event of Global Fintech Fest.
About UPI Auto Pay:
• The feature is dedicated to recurring payments and can be used for multiple
financial purposes such as utility payments, booking bus pass, train tickets,
paying DTH subscriptions among others.
• Customers can create e-mandate through their UPI ID or QR Scan for
transactions up to Rs 2000.
• In case of transactions above Rs 2000, the UPI PIN will be needed to
authenticate the payment.
What is ‘Unified Payment Interface (UPI)’?
• Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is a single-window mobile payment system
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developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

• It eliminates the need to enter bank details or other sensitive information
each time a customer initiates a transaction.
How it works:
• The UPI is a real-time payment system.
• It is designed to enable peer-to-peer inter-bank transfers through a single
two-click factor authentication process.
• The interface is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• It works by transferring money between two bank accounts along a mobile
platform.
• UPI will use existing systems such as Immediate Payment Service (IMPS)
and Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) to ensure seamless
settlement across accounts.
• Once a single identifier is established, the system allows mobile payments
to be delivered without the use of credit cards, debit cards, net banking,
mobile wallets etc.
• There is a funds transfer limit of 1 lakh per transaction.
Features of UPI:
• Immediate money transfer through mobile device round the clock 24x7 and 365
days.
• If you are sending money instantly to another UPI account holder, UPI works
faster than IMPS and NEFT mode of payments.
• Universal Application for transaction.
• Single Click 2 Factor Authentication.
• Virtual address of the customer for Pull & Push without the need for details such
as Card no, Account number, IFSC etc.
• The user can access balances and transaction histories along with sending
and receiving money.
ADD ONS:
• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched UPI 2.0 by
adding four new features to make it attractive and safer for users.
• Features of UPI 2.0 are
o Linking of overdraft account: In addition to current and savings accounts,
customers can link their overdraft account to UPI.
o One-time mandate: Customers can pre-authorise a transaction and pay at a
later date.
o Invoice in the inbox: According to NPCI, this feature is designed for
customers to check the invoice sent by merchant prior to making payment.
It will help customers to view and verify the credentials and check whether
it has come from the right merchant or not.
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o Signed intent and QR: This feature is designed for customers to check the
authenticity of merchants while scanning QR or quick response code. It
notifies the user with information to ascertain whether the merchant is a
verified UPI merchant or not. This provides an additional security.
6.10 HTBT COTTON
Why in news?
• A report recently pointed out that Cultivation of herbicide-tolerant BT
(HTBT) cotton, which are not authorized by the Union government, is
catching up across the country.
What is HTBT cotton?
• HTBT cotton is a genetically modified, herbicide-tolerant variety of Bt
cotton.
• Unlike Bt cotton, the cultivation of HTBT cotton is illegal in India.
• It is estimated that in 2017, as much as 15 per cent of area under cotton was
planted with unapproved HTBT seeds.
• Sale, storage, transportation and usage of unapproved GM seeds is a
punishable offence under the Rules of Environmental Protection Act 1989.
• The sale of unapproved seeds can also attract action under the Seed Act of
1966 and the Cotton Act of 1957.
Why is it used?
• HTBT variety can withstand the spray of glyphosate, a herbicide that is used
to remove weeds.
• This reduces need for manual de-weeding and thus reduces labour costs for
farmers.
What is the impact of illegal use?
• Use of chemical herbicides like glyphosate can affect the ecology of the area
being used.
• In 2018, HTBT cotton was blamed for the inhalation deaths of farmers in
Vidharbha region. The farmers inhaled pesticides while spraying the cotton
plants that had grown unnaturally tall and grew close to each other and
trapped the pesticide which they inhaled.
About BT Cotton:
• Bt cotton is an insect-resistant transgenic crop designed to combat the
bollworm.
• It was created by genetically altering the cotton genome to express a
microbial protein from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis.
• Developed by US giant Bayer-Monsanto, Bt cotton remains the only GM
crop allowed to be cultivated in the country.
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6.11 CAWACH
In news:
• A Bangalore based startup Acculi Labs has been selected to develop a COVID risk
assessment profile called Lyfas COVID score under CAWACH initiative.
• Lyfas is an Android application in which, when one keeps the index finger on the
rear phone camera of a mobile phone for 5 minutes, captures the capillary pulse
and blood volume change and derive 95 biomarkers with proprietary algorithms
and signal processing techniques.
• It uses the power of smartphone processor and smartphone sensors to capture
a bunch of body signals.
• Lyfas provides cardio-respiratory, cardio-vascular, hematology, hemorheology,
neurology-based parameters that are capable of tracking minute
pathophysiological changes in the body.
• The new technology will detect the possible infection in an asymptomatic
individual to prioritise the conventional testing queue as well as carry out a risk
assessment of an asymptomatic individual to become symptomatic
About CAWACH:
• CAWACH stands for Centre for Augmenting WAR with COVID-19 Health Crisis.
• Under this the centre will identify up to 50 innovations and startups that can help
in the current covid-19 situation and support them.
• The implementing agency will be Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship,
a business incubator at IIT Bombay
• It was set up by Department of Science and Technology, under Ministry of science
and Technology Government of India.
6.12 GREEN-Ag: TRANSFORMING INDIAN AGRICULTURE
In news:
• Green-Ag project has been launched in Mizoram
What is it?
• The Green-Ag project seeks to integrate biodiversity, climate change and
sustainable land management objectives and practices into Indian agriculture.
• The project would be implemented in collaboration with the Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Locations of implementation:
• It would be done in high-conservation-value landscapes of five States:
• Madhya Pradesh: Chambal Landscape
• Mizoram: Dampa Landscape
• Odisha: Similipal Landscape
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• Rajasthan: Desert National Park Landscape

• Uttarakhand: Corbett-Rajaji Landscape
6.13 BLACK RAIN
In news:
• A Japanese court recognized dozens of victims of radioactive "black rain" as
survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bombing, clearing the way for them to receive
medical benefits just days.
• 2020 marks the 75 th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings
About Black Rain:
• The U.S. dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945,
killing 140,000 people and almost destroying the entire city.
• The bombings left tens of thousands of others to die slowly from burns or
radiation-related illnesses.
• They also caused radioactive "black rain" to fall across the region -- a mixture of
fallout particles from the explosion, carbon residue from citywide fires, and other
dangerous elements.
• The black rain fell on peoples' skin and clothing, was breathed in, contaminated
food and water, and caused widespread radiation poisoning.
6.14 FLY ASH
Why in News?
• State-run power generation company NTPC has developed the required
infrastructure at its Rihand project in Uttar Pradesh for transporting fly ash in bulk
to cement plants at a cheaper cost.
What is fly ash?
• Fly ash is a fine gray powder consisting mostly of spherical, glassy particles that
are produced as a byproduct in coal-fired power stations.
• National Green Tribunal (NGT) through an order has made it legally binding for
all thermal power plants to ensure complete disposal of or utilization of fly ash
immediately.
• The main chemical components present in fly ash are: Silicon dioxide, Aluminum
oxide, Ferric oxide, Calcium oxide (occasionally).
What are the applications of fly ash?
• Fly ash can be used as prime material in many cement-based products.
• Fly ash has been used as embankment and mine fill.
• Road construction.
• Fly ash can be used to improve soil productivity due to high concentration of
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elements like (K, Na, Zn, Ca, Mg and Fe).

What are the concerns associated with fly ash?
• Contamination of ground and surface water.
• Fly ash contains heavy metals from coal, a large amount of PM 2.5 and black
carbon (BC) and is thus prone to cause respiratory issues and other diseases in
humans.
6.15 NINJA DRONES
Why in news?
• Indian railways recently said it has procured ‘Ninja Unmanned Aerial Vehicles’
(UAV) to enhance monitoring of the railway assets and ensure additional safety
for passengers through a drone-based surveillance system.
About Ninja Drones:
• Indian Railways has recently procured two Ninja UAVs for better security and
surveillance in Railway areas like station premises, Railway track sections, yards,
workshops, etc,
• It can also be used to launch surveillance on criminal and anti-social activities
like gambling, throwing of garbage, hawking in railway premises
• Ninja UAV is known to be economical and one of the most accessible drones for
surveillance and will enable real-time tracking.
• These drones are capable of real time tracking, video streaming and may be
operated on automatic fail-safe mode.
• A drone camera can cover large areas which requires 8-10 RPF personnel. Thus,
it may lead to substantial improvement in utilisation of scarce manpower
• They will be operated by Trained personnel from Railway protection force.
6.16 'HARIT PATH' APP
Why in news?
• National highways authority of India has launched a mobile app 'Harit Path' to
monitor the plantation along the national highways.
About the App:
• 'Harit Path' is a mobile app to monitor the plantations along National Highways.
• It works through geo-tagging and web-based GIS enabled monitoring tools.
• The app has been developed by NHAI to monitor location, growth, species
details, maintenance activities, targets and achievements of each of its field
units for each and every plant under all plantation projects.
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• Plants, photographs along with data of the plants captured using Harit Path will
be uploaded every 3 months on NHAI’s AI powered Big Data Analytics platform
– Data Lake.
6.17 NOVICHOK
Why in news?
• Novichok was the nerve agent that Germany says was used to poison Alexei
Navalny, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin who is now in a coma in a
Berlin hospital.
About Novichok:
• The name Novichok means “newcomer”.
• It is used for a family of highly toxic nerve agents with a composition slightly
different from the better-known poison gases VX and sarin.
• It was developed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s.
• The weaponisation of the chemical is banned under the 1997 Chemical Weapons
Convention, of which Russia is a signatory.
• The treaty is overseen by Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(OPCW).
• Russia and the United States once ran two of the largest chemical weapons
programs in the world.
• Russia completed the destruction of a stockpile declared to the OPCW last year.
The United States is in the final stages of destroying its own stockpile.
What is it?
• Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is an arms control treaty that outlaws the
production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors.
• The full name is Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production,
Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction.
• It is administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(OPCW), an intergovernmental organization based in The Hague, The
Netherlands.
• Of the four United Nations member states that are not parties to the treaty, Israel
has signed but not ratified the treaty, while Egypt, North Korea, and South Sudan
have neither signed nor acceded to the Convention.
About OPCW:
• OPCW is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the
Chemical Weapons Convention.
• It is not a UN Agency and was awarded the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize
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6.18 ZERO BUDGET NATURAL FARMING
Why in news?
• Researches have shown that Zero-budget natural farming brought big gains
in energy, water saving and profit for farmers in Andhra Pradesh.
What is it?
• Zero Budget Natural Farming is a method of farming where the cost of
growing and harvesting plants is zero.
• It believes in natural growth of crops without adding any fertilizers and
pesticides or any other foreign elements.
• It is also a grass root level movement evolved in Karnataka as a result of Mr.
Subhash Palekar.
• He has provided four important non-negotiable guidelines: Bijamrita (Seed
Treatment using local cowdung and cow urine), Jiwamrita (applying
inoculation made of local cowdung and cow urine without any fertilizers and
pesticides), Mulching (activities to ensure favorable microclimate in the
soil), and Waaphasa (soil aeration).
Decoding the term
• The word ‘budget’ refers to credit and
expenses.
• Thus, the phrase 'Zero Budget' means
without using any credit and without
spending any money on purchased inputs.
• 'Natural farming' means farming with
nature and without chemicals.
ZBNF Practices:
• It uses biological pesticides instead of
chemical-based fertilizers.
• Farmers use earthworms, cow dung,
urine, plants, human excreta and such biological fertilizers for crop
protection.
Benefits:
• A ZBNF practicing farmer has lower cost of inputs & investments and thus
has better capacity to increase the incomes.
• At the same time, ZBNF crops helps in retaining soil fertility and is climate
change resilient.
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6.19 E-GOPALA APP
Why in news?
• Prime Minister launched the e-Gopala app recently.
About the app:
• e-Gopala App is a comprehensive breed improvement, marketplace and
information portal for direct use of farmers.
• It will help farmers in many aspects of managing livestock including
o Buying and selling of disease-free germplasm in all forms (semen, embryos,
etc);
o Availability of quality breeding services (Artificial Insemination, veterinary
first aid, vaccination, treatment etc)
o Guiding farmers for animal nutrition
o Treatment of animals using appropriate ayurvedic medicine/ethno
veterinary medicine.
o Sending alerts (on due date for vaccination, pregnancy diagnosis, calving
etc)
o Inform farmers about various government schemes and campaigns in the
area.
6.20 OVER-THE-TOP (OTT) MEDIA SERVICE
Why in news?
• 15 major OTT platforms in India have signed a self-regulation code.
About OTT service:
• An over-the-top (OTT) media service is a streaming media service offered
directly to viewers via the Internet.
• OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms, the
companies that traditionally act as a controller or distributor of such content.
• It has also been used to describe no-carrier cell phones, where all
communications are charged as data.
• The term is most synonymous with subscription-based video-on-demand (SVoD)
services that offer access to film and television content.
• Netflix, Disney Plus Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video are some of the popular OTT
media services.
Regulation of OTT media services:
• There is no regulatory mechanism by the government of India for such platforms.
• This had led to various concerns over the content including possible lack of age
sensitivity.
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• 15 OTT platforms, including Netflix, Disney Plus Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Jio
Cinema etc, have signed a self-regulation code, to govern their curated
streaming content.
• They aim to do this by adhering to disclosures such as, specifying maturity
ratings and content descriptors (e.g., language, violence, sex), and it’s effective
immediately.
• Each platform which has signed this code created by Internet and Mobile
Association of India (IAMAI) will also have to set up a consumer complaints
department and/or an internal committee.
6.21 TRAIN-18
Why in news?
• Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has advised the Ministry of Railways to drop
action against top officials who were part of the core team that made Vande
Bharat Express.
About Train 18:
• Driven by a self-propulsion module rather than a separate locomotive, Train
18, is capable of running at a speed of up to 160 kmph.
• Due to the lack of a locomotive, it is also known as the country’s first engine-
less train
• It was designed and built by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at Perambur,
Chennai.
• The service operated using Train 18 was named 'Vande Bharat Express' and
as of July 2020, the Indian Railways operates two Vande Bharat trains.
Other important trains:
• Tejas express: Tejas Express is India's first semi-high speed fully air-conditioned
train Introduced by Indian Railways. In 2019, Tejas express in Lucknow – New
Delhi route became India's first train operated by private operators.
• Gatimaan Express: Gatimaan Express is India's first semi-high-speed train that
runs between Delhi and Jhansi.
6.22 MISSION SHAKTI
Why in news?
• On the occasion of Engineers Day, a customized stamp on India’s first Anti Satellite
Missile (A-SAT) launch was released by the Department of Posts.
About Mission Shakti:
• Mission Shakti was an anti-satellite (ASAT) missile test conducted from Dr APJ
Abdul Kalam Island launch complex in Odisha.
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• The ASAT system shot down one of India’s decommissioned satellites about 300
km away from earth in Low Earth Orbit during the mission.
• The test was done in lower atmosphere to ensure no space debris. Debris
generated decayed and fell on the earth within two weeks.
Development:
• It is a joint programme of the Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• India joined a select group of nations — USA, Russia and China — with a similar
technology with the success.
6.23 E-WASTE
Why in news?
• Electronic waste (e-waste) generation in India increased by over 43 per cent
between 2017-18 and 2019-20according to ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change.
• E-waste in India increased to over one million tonnes, from an estimated 0.7
million tonnes in three years.
E-Waste:
• E-waste comprises not just electronic items, but also any electrical equipment
that involves anything with a plug, electric cord or battery.
• It may represent only 2 per cent of the solid waste stream, yet it can represent
70 per cent of the hazardous waste that ends up in landfills.
• E-waste will also contribute to carbon emissions.
• Globally, only up to 20 per cent of e-waste is recycled.
• The rest is undocumented, and experts predict that it gets buried under the
ground in landfills for centuries as it is not biodegradable
Hazardous components in e-waste:
• Brominated flame retardants (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs))
• Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Sulphur
• Hexavalent chromium
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
• Americium
• Beryllium oxide etc.
Non-Hazardous components in e-waste:
• Aluminium, Copper, Germanium, Gold, Lithium, Nickel, Tin, Zinc etc
E-Waste management in India:
• India passed the first rules on e-waste management in 2011 with the concept of
extended producer responsibility.
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• Amendments made in 2016 and 2018 have further strengthened the rules.
About Extended Producer Responsibility:
• Extended producer responsibility is a practice and a policy approach in which
producers take responsibility for management of the disposal of products they
produce once those products are designated as no longer useful by consumers.
• India is targeting 70% of e-waste generated to be collected under extended
producer responsibility after 2023, after a gradual increase of 10% per year from
2017.
• Indian rules also allow creation of producer responsibility organisations (PROs)
which can take responsibilities under EPR with permission from CPCB.
• The rules also allow a Deposit Refund Scheme wherein the producer charges an
additional amount as a deposit at the time of sale of the electrical and electronic
equipment and returns it to the consumer along with interest when the end -
of - life electrical and electronic equipment is returned.
6.24 PUSA DECOMPOSER
Why in news?
• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced an innovative technique called
Pusa Decomposer developed by the scientists at Indian Agriculture Research
Institute (IARI).
About the decomposer:
• It will be used for the speedy decomposition of stubble, left over after rice
cultivation, in the national capital and nearby states.
• Four capsules of Pusa decomposer can be used for one hectare of field and once
applied the stubbles would bio-degrade in 20 days.
• This would reduce the need for Stubble burning which contributes heavily to air
pollution in Delhi.
About Stubble Burning:
• Stubble burning is, quite simply, the act of removing paddy crop residue from
the field to sow wheat.
• It’s usually required in areas that use the ‘combine harvesting’ method which
leaves crop residue behind.
What is combine harvesting?
• Combines are machines that harvest, thresh i.e. separate the grain, and clean
the separated grain, all at once.
• The problem, however, is that the machine doesn’t cut close enough to the
ground, leaving stubble behind that the farmer has no use for.
• There is pressure on the farmer to sow the next crop in time for it to achieve a
full yield.

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• The quickest and cheapest solution, therefore, is to clear the field by burning the
stubble.
But Is Burning the Only Solution?
• Not really, but it is the easiest and cheapest method available to farmers as of
now.
• The most efficient technology to counter crop burning at the moment, seems to
be the Turbo Happy Seeder (THS). The THS is basically a machine mounted on a
tractor that not only cuts and uproots the stubble but can also drill wheat seeds
on the soil that has just been cleared up.
• The straw is simultaneously thrown over the sown seeds to form a mulch cover.
Can We Find Other Use for the Stubble?
• Traditionally, crop residue had a lot of benefits like thatching, or making beds for
livestock and cattle. However, such uses have reduced with modern housing and
dairy farming.
• One option is to produce biomass with the residue to generate power.
• The straw can similarly be used to make pellets that serve as the sub-strata for
mushroom cultivation, but the problem is not in finding alternatives to paddy
straw, as there are many.
But Why Is This Only a Problem in the Northern States?
• India relies on its northern states of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and
Uttarakhand for wheat.
• Now, states in the south use combine harvesting too. But the clinching difference
is that they don’t have the urgency to remove the stubble to make it ready for
the next crop.
• To sow wheat right after paddy, the field has to be harvested and readied for the
next crop.
• In Punjab-Haryana region farmers normally get only a period of 20 days to sow
wheat after harvesting rice to ensure wheat harvest in April, the ideal time.
• Thus, one major solution to the problem is incentivizing farmers in the north to
come out of rice cultivation.
6.25 QR CODE
Why in news?
• The government has deferred the requirement of printing dynamic Quick
Response code on business to consumer invoices by two months till Dec. 1.
• A QR Code helps users to verify the details in the digitally signed e-invoice
About QR code:
• A Quick Response code (QR code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional
barcode) first designed in 1994 for the automotive industry in Japan.

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• A QR code consists of black squares arranged in a square grid on a white

background, which can be read by an imaging device such as a camera, and
processed until the image can be appropriately interpreted.
• The required data is then extracted from patterns that are present in both
horizontal and vertical components of the image
• In practice, QR codes often contain data for a locator, identifier, or tracker that
points to a website or application.
• The QR system became popular outside the automotive industry due to its fast
readability and greater storage capacity compared to standard UPC barcodes.
• They also have higher error tolerance- the code remains readable even if
significant parts of it is damaged.
• Applications include product tracking, item identification, time tracking,
document management, and general marketing.
6.26 NEFT & RTGS
Why in news?
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to make available the RTGS (real-
time gross settlement system) round the clock on all days from December 2020.
• Currently, RTGS service window for customer transactions is available to banks
from 7 am to 6 pm on a working day, for settlement at the RBI end.
• In December 2019, the RBI had made available the National Electronic Funds
Transfer (NEFT) system round the clock on all days.
What are NEFT and RTGS?
• RTGS and NEFT are two systems of interbank transfer of funds and are
maintained by Reserve Bank of India.
• RTGS - Real Time Gross Settlement is a system where the processing of funds
transfer instructions takes place at the time they are received (real time). Also,
the settlement of funds transfer instructions occurs individually on an
instruction-by-instruction basis (gross settlement).
• Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS) is meant for large-value,
instantaneous fund transfers above ₹2 lakh while there is no minimum amount
for transfer for NEFT.
• NEFT - National Electronic Fund Transfer - This system of fund transfer operates
on a Deferred Net Settlement basis. Fund transfer transactions are settled in
batches as opposed to the continuous, individual settlement in RTGS.
• Both services are available online and offline.
• In RTGS and NEFT. there is no facility for giving stop payment instruction if the
transaction has been initiated by the bank.

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6.27 INTEGRATED FARMING
About integrated farming:

• Integrated Farming, integrated production or Integrated Farm Management
is a whole farm management system which aims to deliver more sustainable
agriculture.
• It is a farming system where high-quality organic food, feed, fibre and
renewable energy are produced by using resources such as soil, water, air
and nature as well as regulating factors to farm sustainably and with as little
polluting inputs as possible.
• It is a dynamic approach which can be applied to any farming system around
the world.
• Integrated Farming combines the best of modern tools and technologies
with traditional practices according to a given site and situation.
6.28 FRONTIER TECHNOLOGIES CLOUD INNOVATION CENTER
About the centre:

• Frontier Technologies Cloud Innovation Center (CIC) aims to address
societal challenges through digital innovation.
• It will be launched by NITI Aayog and Amazon Web Services (AWS.
• It is the first of its kind in India and is part of the AWS CIC Global Program,
which provides an opportunity for government agencies, non-profits, and
educational institutions, to come together on pressing challenges, apply
design thinking, test new ideas, and access the technology expertise of AWS.
• The centre will identify and prioritize projects as well as collaborate with local
leaders, including subject matter experts at the state and district levels, to
solve critical challenges.
• Local enterprises, start-ups, researchers, and universities in India can
experiment and build prototypes on AWS Cloud.
• NITI Aayog Frontier Technologies CIC joins a global network ofAWS public
sector cloud innovation centers across Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France,
Germany, South Korea, and United States.
6.29 SOUTH ASIAN FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE SYSTEM
Why in news?
• India Meteorological Department (IMD) launched the South Asian Flash Flood
Guidance System (FFGS).

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About FFGS:
• It is aimed at helping disaster management teams and governments make
timely evacuation plans ahead of the actual event of flooding.
• India is leading a delegation of nations, including Bhutan, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh and Nepal, in sharing hydrological and meteorological data
towards preparing flash flood forecasts.
• India’s National Disaster Management Authority and the Central Water
Commission have also partnered in this system.
• A dedicated FFGS centre will be established in New Delhi, where weather
modelling and analysis of rainfall data observations from member countries
will be done.
• Based on the rainfall and potential flooding scenario, flash flood warnings will
be issued to respective nations.
• Flash flood threat warning will be issued six hours in advance, whereas flood
risk warning will be issued 24 hours in advance.
• Warnings about watershed level will be issued 12 hours in advance
About Flash Floods:
• A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes
and depressions.
• It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm,
hurricane, tropical storm, or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice
sheets or snowfields.
• Flash floods may also occur after the collapse of a natural ice or debris dam,
or a human structure such as a man-made dam,
• Data from World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) suggest that across the
world, about 5,000 people die annually due to flash floods. Despite such high
mortality, there is no robust forecasting or warning system for flash floods,
noted the Asian experts.
• Forecasting flash floods is very difficult as an event can occur within three to
six hours over a localised area and the water run-off quantity is very high.
• Flash floods can occur in cities and hilly regions.
6.30 INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELL
What are Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)?

o Pluripotency refers to a stem cell that has the potential to differentiate into
different types of cells.
o Induced pluripotent stem cells (also known as iPS cells or iPSCs) are a type of
pluripotent stem cell that can be generated directly from adult cells.
How are iPSCs generated?

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o iPSCs are typically derived by introducing a certain set of genes known as

Yamanaka genes that reprogramme regular mature cells to become
Pluripotent stem cells
Applications of iPSCs:
o Pluripotent stem cells hold promise in the field of regenerative medicine.
o Since iPSCs can be derived directly from adult tissues, they not only bypass
the need for embryos (the use of embryos in stem cell research is
controversial), but can be made in a patient-matched manner as well.
o It helps in studying the cellular basis of human disease.
o Generate human organ for transplantation.
What are stem cells?
o Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells that can differentiate into
specialized cells and can divide (through mitosis) to produce more stem cells.
o They have the potential to develop into many different cell types in the body
during early life and growth.
o In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system,
dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person
or animal is still alive.
6.31 PLASMA THERAPY
Why in news?
• Recently published findings on convalescent plasma therapy on Covid-19 patients
have triggered a debate over its efficacy.
What is plasma therapy?
• Plasma is the liquid part of the blood.
• Convalescent plasma, extracted from the blood of patients recovering from an
infection, is a source of antibodies against the infection.
• The therapy involves using their plasma to help others recover from diseases like
Covid-19.
• The donor would have to be a documented case of Covid-19 and healthy for 28
days since the last symptoms
What are the trial findings?
• ICMR conducted a randomised controlled trial called PLACID in 39 hospitals
spread across 14 states and Union Territories and representing 25 cities.
• While use of convalescent plasma seemed to improve resolution of shortness of
breath and fatigue in patients with moderate Covid-19, this did not translate into
a reduction in 28-day mortality or progression to severe disease.

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6.32 UNIFIED MOBILE APPLICATION FOR NEW-AGE GOVERNANCE
(UMANG)
Why in news?
• To mark the occasion of 3 years of UMANG and 2000 plus services milestone, an
online conference was organized under the chairmanship of Minister for
Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad.
What is UMANG?
• UMANG is developed by National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• UMANG provides a single platform for all Indian Citizens to access pan India e-
Gov services ranging from central to local govt bodies and other citizen centric
services.
• The app is for everyone who needs to interact with any government or semi-
government depart at center, state or local level in India.
• It makes available online a plethora of off-line services through a single unified
app. Customer Support is available from 8 am to 8 pm all days of the year.
• It has synergies with other key Government of India schemes, such as Digital
India, National e-Governance Plan, BharatNet, Make in India, Startup India,
Standup India, Industrial corridors, Bharatmala, Sagarmala, Dedicated Freight
Corridors and UDAN-RCS.
International Version of UMANG:
• The minister of IT has launched the UMANG’s international version in
coordination with Ministry of External Affairs.
• It can be used in select countries that include USA, UK, Canada, Australia, UAE,
Netherlands, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
• It will help Indian international students, NRIs and Indian tourists abroad, to
avail Government of India services, anytime.
• It will also help in taking India to the world through ‘Indian Culture’ services
available on UMANG and create interest amongst foreign tourists to visit India.

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6.33 BRAIN ELECTRICAL OSCILLATION SIGNATURE PROFILING (BEOSP)
Why in news?
• The accused in Hathras rape case in Uttar Pradesh will undergo brain
fingerprinting.
What is BEOSP test?
• Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling (BEOSP) also known as brain
fingerprinting is a neuro psychological method of interrogation in which the
accused’s participation in the crime is investigated by studying their brain’s
response.
• The BEOSP test is carried out via a process known as electroencephalogram,
conducted to study the electrical behaviour of the human brain.
• Under this test, the consent of the accused is first taken and they are then made
to wear caps with dozens of electrodes attached to them.
• The accused are then shown visuals or played audio clips related to the crime to
check if there is any triggering of neurons in their brains which then generate
brainwaves.
• The test results are then studied to determine the participation of the accused in
a crime.
BEOSP test vs polygraph?
• The BEOSP procedure does not involve a question answer session with the
accused and is rather a neuro psychological study of their brain.

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• In a polygraph test, the accused person’s physiological indicators are taken into
account which include blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration and skin
conductivity.
• However experts say that while a person might be able to control their pulse rate
and BP even in times of distress, a BEOSP test offers a much more credible result.
Can these tests be admitted as evidence?
• Not as a standalone.
• In 2010, the Supreme Court passed a judgment in the Selvi versus State of
Karnataka case where the bench observed that narco analysis, polygraph and
brain mapping tests cannot be forced upon any individual without their consent
and the test results cannot be admitted solely as evidence.
• However, any information or material discovered during the tests can be made
part of the evidence.
6.34 PM-WANI
Why in news?
• The registrations for applying to offer Wi-Fi services under the recently launched
Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM Wani) initiative will open by
the first week of January.
About PM WANI:
• PM WANI aims to bring large scale deployment of Wi-Fi hotspots through the
country to drive up connectivity options and improve digital access.
• PM-WANI eco-system will be operated by different players described as:
o Public Data Office (PDO): It will establish, maintain, and operate only
WANI compliant Wi-Fi Access Points and deliver broadband services to
subscribers.
o Public Data Office Aggregator (PDOA): It will be an aggregator of PDOs
and perform the functions relating to Authorization and Accounting.
o App Provider: It will develop an App to register users and discover WANI
compliant Wi-Fi hotspots in the nearby area and display the same within
the App for accessing the internet service.
o Central Registry: It will maintain the details of App Providers, PDOAs, and
PDOs. To begin with, the Central Registry will be maintained by C-DoT.
• Besides generating employment, such a public Wi-Fi network will boost
disposable incomes of small and medium entrepreneurs, which in turn will have
a positive impact on the GDP.
• The Indian public Wi-Fi hotspot network will enable access to the Internet
through public access points only through electronic KYC and a mix of OTP and
MAC ID-based authentication system, thereby minimising the risk of network
security being compromised.

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How the system will be set up:

• Public Wi-Fi Networks will be set up by Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOAs)
who will provide public Wi-Fi service through Public Data Offices (PDOs) and they
will also provide the entire backend support to PDOs.
• Public Data Offices (PDOs) can be any entrepreneur/ small businesses like shops
willing to tie up with PDOA and install Wi-Fi access points and provides hotspots
in public space.
• PDOs doesn’t need a licence or registration but will buy bandwidth from telcos
and internet service providers and resell them to consumers.
• C-DoT has developed a platform to provide services to PDOAs for applications
such as authorisation, authentication, accounting, voucher management and
linking to payment gateways.
• Those who want to access Wi-Fi should open the Wani app and choose from a
list of all Wani PDOAs providing connectivity.
6.35 ONEWEB SATELLITE CONSTELLATION
Why in news?
• Bharti Global and U.K. government-led OneWeb on Friday announced the launch
of 36 communications satellites and said it aims to offer high-speed internet from
its constellation of satellites in India by mid-2022.
About the constellation:
• The OneWeb satellite constellation (formerly WorldVu) is a planned initial 648-
satellite constellation that was in the process of being completed in 2019–2020.
• It is being created with a goal to provide global satellite Internet broadband
services to people everywhere, initially aiming to start global services in 2021.
• The constellation was being deployed by OneWeb, formerly known as WorldVu
Satellites.
• The new launch takes the total in-orbit constellation to 110 satellites, part of
OneWeb’s 648 LEO satellite fleet that will deliver high-speed, low-latency global
connectivity.
• Planned global services will start with the United Kingdom, Alaska, Northern
Europe, Greenland, Iceland, the Arctic Seas, and Canada in late 2021 and with
global services in 2022.
Low Earth Orbits:
• A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an Earth-centred orbit with an altitude of 2,000 km or
less (approximately one-third of the radius of Earth), with an orbital period of 128
minutes or less and an eccentricity less than 0.25.
• Most of the artificial objects including all crewed space stations to date, as well
as the majority of satellites, have been in LEO.

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• Satellites in LEO have a small momentary field of view, only able to observe and
communicate with a fraction of the Earth at a time, meaning a network (or
"constellation") of satellites is required to in order to provide continuous
coverage.
• However, a low Earth orbit requires the lowest amount of energy for satellite
placement and provides high bandwidth and low communication latency.
• Earth observation satellites, spy satellites, Iridium satellites used for satellite
phone communication.
6.36 RICE FORTIFICATION
Why in news?
• To initiate the process of taking the country towards nutritional security,
Department of Food & Public Distribution (DFPD) has been running a “Centrally
Sponsored Pilot Scheme on Fortification of Rice & its distribution through Public
Distribution System”.
What is fortification?
• Fortification is the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential
micronutrient, i.e. vitamins and minerals (including trace elements) in a food, so
as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public
health benefit with minimal risk to health.
About Rice fortification:
• Rice can be fortified by adding a micronutrient powder to the rice that adheres
to the grains or spraying of the surface of ordinary rice grains in several layers
with a vitamin and mineral mix to form a protective coating.
• Fortifying rice makes it more nutritious by adding vitamins and minerals in the
post - harvest phase.
• Rice can also be extruded and shaped into partially precooked grain-like
structures resembling rice grains, which can then be blended with natural
polished rice.
• Rice kernels can be fortified with several micronutrients, such as iron, folic acid
and other B-complex vitamins, vitamin A and zinc.
• Rice fortification is a cost effective, culturally appropriate strategy to address
micronutrient deficiency in countries with high per capita rice consumption, like
India.
Pilot Scheme on Fortification of Rice
• Department of Food & Public Distribution (DFPD) has been running a “Centrally
Sponsored Pilot Scheme on Fortification of Rice & its distribution through Public
Distribution System”.

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• The Pilot Scheme has been approved for a period of three years beginning 2019-
2020 with a total budget outlay of Rs.174.6 Crore.
• Fifteen State Governments have identified their respective districts (1 district per
state) for implementing the Pilot Scheme.
• Already 5 states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and
Chhattisgarh have started the distribution of fortified rice in their respective
identified districts.
• FCI has been asked to come up with a comprehensive plan for procurement and
distribution of fortified rice in all the Districts of the country under Integrated
Child Development Services (ICDS) & Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme from 2021-
2022 along with 112 specially identified Aspirational Districts of the country.
• For realising the above goal, there is a need to scale up supply of Fortified Rice
Kernels (FRK), whose availability is currently is at a meagre quantity of 15,000 MT
per annum.
• Further, there are nearly 28,000 Rice Mills in the country which need to be
equipped with Blending Machines etc. for mixing of FRK with normal rice.
6.37 GOLDEN RICE
Why in news?
• The launch of GM modified Golden rice may be delayed globally.
About Golden Rice
• In the late 1990s, German scientists developed a genetically modified variety of
rice called Golden Rice.
• It was claimed to be able to fight Vitamin A deficiency, which is the leading cause
of blindness among children and can also lead to death due to infectious diseases
such as measles.
• Vitamin A deficiency is estimated to kill 670,000 children under the age of 5.
• The Golden Rice is being developed by many institutions including the
Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute.
• According to the institute, this rice variety will not be more expensive than the
conventional variety.
• Rice is naturally low in the pigment beta-carotene, which the body uses to make
Vitamin A. Golden rice contains this, which is the reason for its golden colour.
• The benefits of Golden rice have been contested over the years, with a 2016
study from Washington University in St Louis reporting that the variety may fall
short of what it is supposed to achieve.

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Questions
1. South Pole Wall, recently in (b) 2 only
news is: (c) Both 1 and 2
(a) A massive ice sheet in (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Antarctic threatened by
climate change 5. Consider the following
(b) A cosmic structure statements regarding the
consisting of many galaxies recently constituted “IN-SPACe”
(c) A solar flare close to the 1. It will function under the
sun’s south Pole control of ISRO
(d) A cluster of asteroids near 2. It aims at involvement of
Jupiter Private sector in space
development.
2. China recently launched its first Which of the statements given
MARS mission. It will be called: above is/are correct?
(a) Xinching-1
(a) 1 only
(b) Hansung-1
(b) 2 only
(c) Tianwen-1
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Zeokisa-1
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
3. “Crew Dragon” is a reusable

6. Consider the following
space craft developed by:
statements regarding ‘New
(a) NASA
space India limited’:
(b) Space X
1. It aims for commercialization
(c) Japanese space agency
of various space products
(d) European Space agency
developed by ISRO
2. It functions under the overall
control of Department of
statements regarding “Beidou”
Science And Technology
satellite navigation system:
1. It is a joint project between Which of the statements given
above is/are correct?
Japan and South Korea
2. Unlike the GPS, it is a regional (a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
navigation system offering
services in Asia pacific region (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
only
Which of the statements given
(a) 1 only

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7. ‘C/2020 F3’, a term recently in (c) Dawn mission

news, refers to a: (d) MAVEN mission
(a) Space Telescope
(b) Comet 11. Consider the following
(c) Dwarf Star statements regarding Vikram
(d) Satellite of Mars Sarabhai:
1. The lander on Chandrayaan-2
8. Consider the following is named to honor him
statements regarding Perseid 2. He aided in setting up the Fast
Meteor Shower: Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at
1. They originate from Halley’s Kalpakkam.
Comet. Which of the statements given
2. They are visible mainly during above is/are correct?
the period from January to April. (a) 1 only
Which of the statements given (b) 2 only
above is/are correct? (c) Both 1 and 2
(a) 1 only (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
12. “2018VP1”, recently in news, is
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
a:
(a) Comet
9. Consider the following (b) Asteroid
statements regarding Sunspots: (c) Dwarf Star
1. It is a temporary phenomenon (d) Earth like Planet
on the Sun's photosphere
2. They are much hotter than 13. “Mach number” is used to
the surrounding areas on the indicate the speed of an object
sun's visible surface compared to:
Which of the statements given (a) Speed of Light
above is/are correct? (b) Speed of Sound
(a) 1 only (c) Maximum speed of the
(b) 2 only same object in vacuum
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Escape velocity of earth
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

10. Which of the following statements:
interplanetary mission primarily 1. Sunspot is an area on the Sun
studies Ceres, the dwarf planet? that appears exceptionally
(a) Juno mission brighter than surroundings.
(b) Viking mission

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2. Presence of Sunspots could 17. Which of the following

indicate the presence or astrophysicist has one of Nasa’s
development of a Solar Flare. Great Observatories named
Which of the statements given after him?
above is/are correct? (a) Jayant Narlikar
(b) Meghnad Saha
(a) 1 only
(c) Subrahmanyan
(b) 2 only
Chandrasekhar
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Sandip Chakrabarti
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

15. Consider the following regarding
statements:
“Phosphine” a chemical recently
1. Department of Space, which
in news:
administers ISRO, comes under
1. It is a compound molecule
the Prime minister’s office.
consisting of Phosphorus and
Carbon only. 2. New Space India Limited is the
sole commercial arm of Indian
2. It is considered a biomarker,
Space research organisation.
or an indicator of presence of
life in astronomy. Which of the statements given
above is/are correct? (a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(a) 1 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(b) 2 only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
19. Transiting Exoplanet Survey
Satellite (TESS), a space
16. Consider the following space
telescope designed to search for
missions and their destinations/
Research object: exoplanets, was launched by:
1. OSIRIS-Rex : Asteroid Bennu (a) European Space Agency
2. New Horizons : Pluto (b) Japan Aerospace
3. Curiosity : Venus Exploration Agency
Which of the pairs give above (c) National Aeronautics and
is/are correctly matched? Space Administration
(a) 1 and 2 only (d) China National Space
(b) 1 and 3 only Administration
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1,2 and 3

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20. Consider the following major cause of Global sea level

statements regarding the rise.
phenomena called Gravitational 2. Global sea level rise will not
lensing: be uniform everywhere on
1. It is a phenomenon predicted Earth.
by Einstein’s general theory of Which among the above
relativity. statements is/are correct?
2. It was observed directly for (a) 1 only
the first time in 2020. (b) 2 only
Which among the above (c) Both 1 and 2
statements is/are correct? (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only 23. Consider the following
(c) Both 1 and 2 statements:
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 1. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are
spacecrafts launched by NASA to
21. Consider the following study Jupiter and Saturn.
statements regarding 2. OSIRIS-Rex, a NASA spacecraft
Gravitational lensing: was the first to land on an
1. It is a phenomenon that asteroid.
occurs when a huge amount of
Which among the above
matter, such as a massive galaxy statements is/are correct?
or cluster of galaxies, creates a
(a) 1 only
gravitational field that distorts
(b) 2 only
and magnifies the light from
(c) Both 1 and 2
objects behind it.
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
2. It can be used for studying
cosmic bodies.
24. The thirty-meter telescope, a
Which among the above controversial project recently
statements is/are correct? seen in news, is proposed to be
(a) 1 only located in:
(b) 2 only (a) Tibet, China
(c) Both 1 and 2 (b) Hawaii, USA
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (c) Eastern Siberia, Russia
(d) Greenland, Denmark
statements:
1. Thermal expansion of sea
water due to global warming is a

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25. Consider the following (b) 2 only

statements regarding asteroids: (c) Both 1 and 2
1. Asteroids are small planet like (d) Neither 1 nor 2
bodies that orbit the sun.
2. Majority of known asteroids 28. Consider the following
orbit outside the orbit of statements:
Neptune. 1. The rings of Saturn are an
Which among the above optical illusion created by
statements is/are correct? refraction of Sunlight
(a) 1 only 2. Currently, Jupiter has the
(b) 2 only largest number of known
(c) Both 1 and 2 satellites of any planet in the
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 solar system.
26. Consider the following statements is/are correct?
statements: (a) 1 only
1. A meteoroid is the remains of (b) 2 only
a meteor that has impacted the (c) Both 1 and 2
ground. (d) Neither 1 nor 2
2. A comet is an icy, small Solar
System body that, when passing 29. The Intermediate Range Nuclear
close to the Sun, warms and Forces Treaty (INF) is related
begins to release gases with which of the following
Which of the statements given countries:
above is/are correct? (a) South Korea and North
Korea
(a) 1 only
(b) USA and Russia
(b) 2 only
(c) Japan and China
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (d) India and China

statements about Dassault
statements:
Rafale fighter Aircrafts:
1. A solar eclipse typically lasts
1. Rafale aircrafts are of French
much longer than Lunar eclipse.
origin.
2. A lunar eclipse occurs only
2. They belong to the category of
during the night of a full moon.
Medium Multi-role aircraft.
statements is/are correct?
statements is/are correct:
(a) 1 only

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(a) 1 only 34. Nimitz class is a group of naval

(b) 2 only ships belonging to:
(c) Both 1 and 2 (a) United States Navy
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (b) French Navy
(c) Royal Navy
(d) Japanese navy
statements regarding Pinaka
rocket launchers: 35. Which of the following is an
indigenous anti-tank guided
1. It can destroy targets between
missile?
200-250 km range.
(a) Prithvi
2. It is developed by DRDO.
(b) Shourya
(c) Nag
(d) Nirbhay
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 36. Consider the following
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 statements regarding NATGRID:
1. It is primarily a platform for
intelligence collection.
32. "Astra”, with reference to the
2. For central agencies, the data
defense sector, is a type of:
access on NATGRID is restricted
(a) Air to Air missiles
to State police records.
(b) Multi Barrel Rocket
launcher
(c) Unmanned aerial combat
vehicle (a) 1 only
(d) Main Battle Tank (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
33. Who among the following (d) Neither 1 nor 2
nations are permanent
participants of Exercise Malabar: 37. Consider the following
1. USA statements regarding Crime and
2. UK Criminal Tracking Networks and
3. Japan Systems:
4. Malaysia 1. It is an e-governance project
Which of the statements given that connects police stations
above is/are correct? across the country.
(a) 1 and 2 only 2. It is managed by Intelligence
(b) 1 and 3 only Bureau.
(c) 3 and 4 only Which of the statements given
(d) All of the above

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(b) 2 only 41. Consider the following
(c) Both 1 and 2 statements regarding INS Viraat:
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 1. It was the first aircraft carrier
of the Indian Navy.
2. It has been designed and built
indigenously.
statements regarding INS
Vikramaditya:
1. It is the indigenously build
(a) 1 only
aircraft carrier of India.
(b) 2 only
2. It is being built at the Cochin
(c) Both 1 and 2
shipyard
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(a) 1 only 42. Consider the following
(b) 2 only statements regarding “ABHYAS
(c) Both 1 and 2 Heat Vehicle”:
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 1. It is primarily used for testing
efficiency of missiles.
2. The system is developed by
39. ‘Spike anti-tank’ missiles, seen in
DRDO.
recent news, are manufactured
by:
(a) Israel
(b) Russia (a) 1 only
(c) USA (b) 2 only
(d) United Kingdom (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

statements regarding Light 43. Consider the following
combat Helicopter: statements regarding “SMART
torpedo” system of India:
1. It is developed by Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited (HAL). 1. It was developed by DRDO.
2. It is the world’s lightest attack 2. It is used primarily to extend
helicopter. the range of Torpedo systems.
Which of the statements given Which of the statements given
above is/are correct? above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (a) 1 only
(b) 2 only (b) 2 only

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(c) Both 1 and 2 48. Which of the following defence

(d) Neither 1 nor 2 systems of India are fully
designed and manufactured
44. Rudram-1 recently in news is a: indigenously:
(a) Hypersonic cruise missile 1. Barak-8 missiles
(b) Anti-Radiation missile 2. Nag Anti-Tank missiles
(c) Unmanned combat aerial 3. Light Combat Helicopter
vehicle 4. Arjun Main Battle Tank
(d) Surface to Air missile Select the correct answer using
the code given below:
45. Consider the following (a) 2 and 4 only
statements regarding (b) 2, 3 and 4 only
“BrahMos” Missile: (c) 1, 2 and 3 only
1. It is a joint venture between (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
the Russia and India's DRDO.
2. It is a long-range missile with 49. Consider the following pairs of
a range of 1500 kilometers. defence platforms and their
Which of the statements given originating country:
above is/are correct? 1. Phalcon AWACS : Israel
2. S-400 Triumf : Russia
(a) 1 only
3. P-8I Aircrafts : France
(b) 2 only
Which of the pairs given above
(c) Both 1 and 2
is/are correct?
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
46. “Shaurya” recently in news is a: (c) 2 and 3 only
(a) Indian navy’s Destroyer (d) 1, 2, 3 only
vessel
(b) Surface to surface missile
(c) Unmanned Combat aerial
statements:
Vehicle
1. Indian coastline is more than
(d) Ground based radar system
6000 kilometre long.
2. Indian coast guard operates
47. “Kamorta class” recently in news under Ministry of defence.
is related to Which among the above
(a) War ships of Indian Navy statements is/are correct?
(b) Non-Nuclear Submarines
(a) 1 only
(c) A missile group developed
(b) 2 only
by Russia
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) None of the above
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

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51. ‘MICIUS’ is a satellite launched (d) A new disease affecting

by: Primates
(a) Russia
(b) Japan 55. Kurma app, recently in news, is
(c) USA for the purpose of helping:
(d) China (a) Pharmaceutical research
coordination
52. Consider the following (b) Turtle conservation
statements on Government e- (c) Inland marine navigation
Marketplace (GeM): (d) Digital education
1. It is an online market platform
to facilitate procurement of 56. Consider the following
goods and services by various statements regarding Bharat Air
wings of government. Fibre project
2. It functions under Ministry of 1. It is implemented by BSNL.
Commerce and Industries 2. It is primarily targeted at rural
Which of the statements given areas.
above is/are correct: Which of the statements given
(a) 1 only above is/are correct?
(b) 2 only (a) 1 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (b) 2 only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
53. Kris Gopalakrishnan committee
recently in news is related to the 57. Integrated market surveillance
field of: system is a proposed market
(a) Export promotion surveilance system by:
(b) Data governance (a) RBI
(c) Pharmaceutical (b) SEBI
manufacturing (c) IRDA
(d) Logistics development (d) Competition Commission
54. “Black rock”, recently in news, is 58. Consider the following sectors-
a: 1. Banking
(a) A geological landmark in 2. Agriculture
Australia 3. Healthcare
(b) A critically endangered Fish 4. Property Transactions
species 5. Education
(c) Malware affecting android Blockchain Technology can be
phones utilised in which of the above
sector(s) in India?

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(a) 1 only (c) Marine navigation

(b) 1, 3 and 4 (d) Horticulture production
(c) 2, 3 and 4
(d) All of the above 62. Consider the following
statements regarding “Telecom
59. Consider the following Regulatory Authority of India
statements regarding Dark web (TRAI)”:
and Deep Web: 1. It is responsible for ensuring
1. Deep web is a subset of Dark “Net neutrality” in India.
web in concept. 2. The recommendations made
2. Dark Web can be difficult for by the TRAI are not binding on
security agencies to track. the Central Government
Which of the statements given Which of the statements given a
above is/are correct? bove is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (a) 1 only
(b) 2 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
60. Consider the following 63. In which of the following fields

statements regarding can Internet of things have
“Digilocker” App: applications in:
1. Private companies can integrate 1. Agriculture
Digilocker facility with their 2. Banking
online platform. 3. Transportation
2. The App allows citizens to upload 4. Power supply
scanned copies of their Select the correct answer using
documents into Digilocker. the code given below:
Which of the statements given (a) 1 and 3 only
above is/are correct? (b) 1,2 and 3 only
(a) 1 only (c) 3 and 4 only
(b) 2 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 64. Osiris-Rex, a NASA space
mission, aims to study:
(a) Titan
61. “Real Mango” a term recently in
news is related to: (b) Asteroid Bennu
(c) Comet Borrelly
(a) Cyber security
(d) Neptune
(b) Astronomy

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65. Consider the following 1. The concept is related to the

statements regarding the speed at which a quantum
cybercrime combating systems computer performs.
in India: 2. Quantum supremacy is the
1. National Technical Research point at which quantum
Organisation is a research computers can solve problems
organisation under the Prime that are practically unsolvable
Minister’s office. for “classical” (non-quantum)
2. Indian cybercrime coordination computers to complete in any
Centre (I4C) scheme has been reasonable timeframe.
created by Ministry of Home Which of the statements given
affairs to combat Cybercrime. above is/are correct?
Which of the statements given (a) 1 only
above is/are correct? (b) 2 only
(a) 1 only (c) Both 1 and 2
(b) 2 only (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 68. Consider the following names:
1. Ripple
66. Consider the following 2. Ethereum
statements regarding National 3. Stellar
Supercomputing mission: 4. Thanatos
1. Centre for Development of Which of the above given names
Advanced Computing (C-DAC), are famous cryptocurrencies?
Pune and Indian Institute of (a) 1 and 2 only
Sciences (IISc), Bengaluru are (b) 2, 3 and 4 only
the agencies spearheading the (c) 1, 2 and 3 only
mission (d) All of the above
2. It has a budget allocation of
Rs.4500 Crores 69. “Clade A3i” is a term recently
Which among the above seen in news in the context of:
statements is/are correct? (a) Covid-19 Pandemic
(a) 1 only (b) Artificial intelligence
(b) 2 only (c) Missile technology
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Space technology
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
70. ARPIT, an evacuation pod for

67. Consider the following medically ill was developed by:
statements regarding “quantum (a) National Disaster response
supremacy”: force

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(b) AIIMS 1. It functions under Ministry of

(c) Indian Airforce Chemical and Fertilizers.
(d) Indian Navy 2. NPPA was established to fix/
revise the prices of controlled
bulk drugs.
71. ‘Viroblock’ technology recently
in news is associated with the
field of:
(a) Pharmaceuticals (a) 1 only
(b) Air Transport (b) 2 only
(c) Textiles (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Sports (d) Neither 1 nor 2
72. Consider the following 75. Consider the following

statements about Covaxin, statements regarding Measles:
recently in news: 1. India has eliminated Measles
1. It was developed by an Indian disease among children.
company. 2. Measles is a highly contagious
2. Indian Council of Medical viral disease.
Research (ICMR) has cooperated Which of the statements given
in the development of vaccine. above is/are correct:
above is/are correct: (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(a) 1 only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
statements regarding “Global
Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria
73. G4 Flu virus, a virus with (GFTAM)”:
potential to become a pandemic 1. It has its secretariat in Geneva,
was discovered recently in:
Switzerland
(a) China 2. It is a financing mechanism as
(b) USA well as an implementing agency
(c) Poland for projects in health sector.
(d) Nigeria Which of the statements given
74. Consider the following (a) 1 only
statements regarding “National (b) 2 only
Pharmaceutical Pricing (c) Both 1 and 2
Authority (NPPA)”: (d) Neither 1 nor 2

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77. Consider the following is implemented by the United

statements regarding Malaria: Nations Development Program
1. It is a bacterial disease. (UNDP)
2. India accounts for 50% cases Which of the statements given
of Malaria globally above is/are correct?
above is/are correct? (b) 2 only
(a) 1 only (c) Both 1 and 2
(b) 2 only (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 81. Consider the following
statements regarding “E-
78. Which of the following is an sanjeevani” platform:
accurate description for 1. 'eSanjeevani', is a web-based
Bilirubin, term recently in news? telemedicine solution.
(a) A substance found in Human 2. It has been developed by Tata
Blood consultancy services.
(b) A nutrient seen in Citrus Which of the statements given
fruits above is/are correct?
(c) A component of Petroleum (a) 1 only
based fuels. (b) 2 only
(d) An atmospheric pollutant (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
79. A joint mission named
“Operation breathing space” to 82. Consider the following
combat covid-19 has begun statements regarding African
between India and: Swine fever:
(a) U.S.A 1. It is caused by a type of
(b) France bacteria.
(c) Israel 2. It is highly dangerous to
(d) Japan humans.
statements regarding (a) 1 only
“Electronic Vaccine Intelligence (b) 2 only
Network”: (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
1. It aim to support the Universal
Immunization Program of India
2. The technological innovation

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83. Consider the following (c) Both 1 and 2

statements regarding “Arogya (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Setu” mobile app:
1. It was developed by National 86. Consider the following
Informatics Centre. statements regarding “Feluda”
2. It has multiple services like E test recently in news:
pass integration, Self- 1. It is a Covid 19 test developed
assessment of symptoms etc. in India.
Which of the statements given 2. It uses the CRISPR-Cas9 gene
above is/are correct? editing technology.
(a) 1 only Which of the statements given
(b) 2 only above is/are correct?
(c) Both 1 and 2 (a) 1 only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
84. Consider the following (d) Neither 1 nor 2
statements regarding Sleeping
sickness: 87. Consider the following
statements regarding on Foot
1. It is caused by bacteria.
and Mouth Disease:
2. It is classified as a neglected
1. It is a disease caused by a viral
tropical disease.
infection.
2. It has a high probability of
transmission to humans.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(a) 1 only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
85. Consider the following (d) Neither 1 nor 2
statements regarding Silicosis:
1. It is primarily prevalent among 88. Consider the following
workers in mining and statements regarding Hepatitis C
construction industries. virus:
2. Once diagnosed, it could be 1. The virus is spread mainly
treated within a short period. through contaminated water
Which of the statements given and food.
above is/are correct? 2. The virus primarily affects the
(a) 1 only functioning of the respiratory
(b) 2 only system.

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Which of the statements given only on cereals and salt.

above is/are correct? 2. Fortification of common salt
(a) 1 only with iodine is mandatory in
(b) 2 only India.
(c) Both 1 and 2 Which of the statements given
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
statements:
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
1. Tuberculosis (TB) is a viral
disease that affect the lungs
2. It is spread from person to 92. Which of the following terms,
person through the air. recently in news, are Covid-19
Which of the statements given vaccines:
above is/are correct? 1. Sputnik V
(a) 1 only 2. Covishield
(b) 2 only 3. Lunar-COV19
(c) Both 1 and 2 Select the correct answer using
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
statements regarding COVIRAP,
(d) 1, 2, and 3
a diagnostic test used for covid-
19:
1. It was developed by United 93. “Operation Warp Speed” is a
nations along with oxford program to accelerate vaccine
university. development for covid-19 by:
2. CRISPR-cas9 technology is (a) United States Government
used for virus detection. (b) United Nations organisation
Which of the statements given (c) German Federal
above is/are correct? Government
(d) World Health organisation
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 94. Consider the following
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 statements:
1.‘MDR-TB’ is a form of
91. Consider the following Tuberculosis resistant to first-
statements: line anti-TB drugs
2. ‘Longitude Prize’ is an award
1. Food fortification can be done

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offered for research into solving (a) Vitamin A

the global problem of (b) Iodine
antimicrobial resistance. (c) Vitamin K
Which among the above (d) Iron
(a) 1 only 98. Consider the following
(b) 2 only statements regarding Malaria:
(c) Both 1 and 2 1. Most cases of Malaria are
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 caused by a parasite known as
Plasmodium Ovale
95. Consider the following 2. The most common vector of
statements regarding the malaria is Female culex
Chapera virus disease: mosquitoes
1. It was discovered first in South Which of the statements given
Africa. above is/are correct?
2. It can be prevented through (a) 1 only
vaccination (b) 2 only
Choose the correct statements (c) Both 1 and 2
from the codes given below: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only 99. Consider the following diseases:
(c) Both 1 and 2 1. Cholera
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 2. Tuberculosis
96. Consider the following 3. Plague
statements regarding Guillain 4. Pertussis
Barre Syndrome (GBS): Which of the diseases given
1. It affects the nervous system. above are caused by Bacteria?
2. It can be caused by Virus or (a) 1 and 2 only
bacterial infection. (b) 2 ,3 and 4 only
Choose the correct statements (c) 1,2 and 3 only
from the codes given below: (d) All of the above
(a) 1 only
100.‘MAITREE’ Scheme for energy
(b) 2 only
efficiency is a venture between
(c) Both 1 and 2
India and :
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(a) Asian Development Bank
(b) USAID
97. Golden Rice is a genetically (c) UNDP
modified rice designed to solve (d) World Economic Forum
the problem of deficiency of:

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101. ‘iCommit initiative’, recently in (b) Pharmaceuticals

news is associated with: (c) Energy Generation
(a) Energy efficiency (d) Public mobility
(b) Water Conservation
(c) Forest conservation 106.“Mahi Banswara” is an
(d) Pollution reduction upcoming nuclear power plant
located in:
102.Consider the following (a) Karnataka
statements regarding winter (b) Rajasthan
diesel: (c) Maharashtra
1. It has comparatively lower (d) Gujarat
Sulphur content than regular
diesel. 107.Meghnaghat power plant,
2. It is used in high altitude areas recently in news, is located in:
instead of regular diesel. (a) Bangladesh
Which among the above (b) Bhutan
statements is/are correct: (c) Nepal
(a) 1 only (d) Pakistan
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 108.Barakah nuclear power plant is
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 located in:
(a) Iran
103. Asia’s largest solar power plant, (b) United Arab Emirates
recently inaugurated, is located (c) Saudi Arabia
in: (d) Iraq
(a) Madhya Pradesh
(b) Karnataka 109.Consider the following:
(c) Uttar Pradesh 1. Reducing import dependency
(d) Gujarat 2. Cleaner environment
3. Additional income to farmers
104. Kakrapar nuclear power plant is Which of these are the expected
located in: benefits of using Biofuels?
(a) Uttar Pradesh (a) 1 only
(b) Gujarat (b) 2 only
(c) Karnataka (c) 1 and 2 only
(d) Tamil Nadu (d) 1, 2 and 3
105. ITER, recently in news is an 110. “One Sun One World One Grid”
international scientific project in is an initiative of:
the field of: (a) France
(a) Astronomy (b) USA

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(c) Russia Which among the above

(d) India statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
111.Consider the following (b) 2 only
statements regarding the (c) Both 1 and 2
“International solar alliance”: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
1. It is Headquartered in India.
2. It is open to any country which 114.In which of the following
intends to increase investments countries is the ‘ITER tokamak
in solar energy. complex’, an international
Which of the statements given research project located?
above is/are correct? (a) China
(a) 1 only (b) France
(b) 2 only (c) Italy
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) USA
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
115.Consider the following
112.Consider the following statements regarding “Payment
statements regarding infrastructure development
Association of Renewable fund” created by RBI:
Energy Agencies of States: 1. It will have a corpus of Rs 5000
1. It is presided by Minister of crore
New & Renewable Energy 2. It will aim to increase the
(MNRE) penetration of ATMs in rural
2. It is registered as a company areas.
under Companies act. Which of the statements given
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
above is/are correct? (a) 1 only
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 116.‘Coro-bot’, seen in recent news,
is a robot to:
113.Consider the following (a) Dispense food and water to
statements: Covid-19 patients
1. Natural Gas is a cleaner source (b) Disinfect Railway coaches
of energy when compared to against Covid-19
petroleum. (c) Monitor compliance of
2. More than 40% of natural gas people in quarantine
demand in India is being met (d) Provide ventilator support to
from domestic sources. Covid-19 patients

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117.Eastern dedicated freight Which among the above

corridor” connects: statements is/are correct:
(a) Ludhiana with Kolkata (a) 1 only
(b) Visakhapatnam with Kolkata (b) 2 only
(c) Guwahati with Chennai (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Chennai with Paradwip (d) Neither 1 nor 2
118.‘Anthropause’ is a term that 121.Consider the following

refers to: statements regarding Paddy
(a) The period between Two Watch, a platform recently in
world Wars news:
(b) The period of Covid-19 Lock 1. It was launched to exclusively
downs assess the threat to Indian
(c) The period between Paddy due to Locust attacks.
evolution of modern man 2. It has been developed by
and birth of first civilisations Indian Council of Agricultural
(d) None of the above Research
119.With reference to Infrastructure above is/are correct?
Investment Trusts (InvITs), (a) 1 only
which of the following (b) 2 only
statements is/are correct: (c) Both 1 and 2
1. InvITs are regulated by RBI (d) Neither 1 nor 2
2. Only public sector enterprises
can invest in InvITs. 122.Consider the following
Select the correct answer using statements regarding ‘open
the code given below: credit enablement network
(a) 1 only (OCEN)’:
(b) 2 only 1.It is a technology currently
(c) Both 1 and 2 used by NABARD for lending to
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 Commercial Banks.
2.It was developed by National
120.Consider the following Informatics Centre. (NIC).
statements regarding Which of the statements given
“Compulsory licensing” with above is/are correct?
reference to intellectual (a) 1 only
property rights: (b) 2 only
1. It is a practice prohibited (c) Both 1 and 2
under Trips agreement of WTO. (d) Neither 1 nor 2
2. It can only be issued in the
case of drugs required urgently.

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123.Consider the following (d) Ministry of Women and

statements regarding “Unified Child development
Payment Interface (UPI)”
1. It was created by the National 126.Government of India has
Payments corporation of India recently launched a program
(NPCI). called “Green-Ag” to transform
2. There is a funds transfer limit Indian agriculture for
of 1 lakh per transaction on UPI. environment benefits and
3. It is a real time payments conserve biodiversity. The
system. program has been launched in
Which of the statements given collaboration with:
above is/are correct? (a) Conservation International
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) UN Development
(b) 1 and 3 only Programme
(c) 2 only (c) Food and Agricultural
(d) 1, 2 and 3 Organisation
(d) World Food Programme
statements regarding Herbicide 127.The phenomenon of “Black
tolerant Bt (HTBT) cotton: Rain” is associated with:
1. Cultivation of HTBT cotton is (a) Mercury contamination of
banned in India. Water bodies
2. Use of HTBT cotton increases (b) Marine Oil Pollution
labor costs for farmers (c) Nuclear Bombings
drastically. (d) Unscientific Coal Mining
above is/are correct? 128.Consider the following
(a) 1 only statements regarding Fly ash:
(b) 2 only 1. It can be used for Road
(c) Both 1 and 2 construction.
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 2. It is a pollutant obtained as a
byproduct from coal powered
125. “CAWACH” an initiative to help thermal power stations.
combat covid-19 pandemic has Which of the statements given
been launched by: above is/are correct?
(a) Ministry of Home affairs (a) 1 only
(b) Ministry of Health and (b) 2 only
Family affairs (c) Both 1 and 2
(c) Ministry of Science and (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Technology

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129.Which of the following 133.“e-Gopala”, a mobile app

organisations have recently recently in news, is targeted
decided to use a UAV called mainly at:
“Ninjas” for surveillance: (a) Health workers
(a) Border Security Force (b) Livestock farmers
(b) ONGC (c) Automobile dealers
(c) Airports authority of India (d) Sanitation workers
(d) Indian Railways
130.“Harit Path” is a mobile app that statements regarding over-the-
has been developed by: top (OTT) media services:
(a) Indian Railways 1. It refers to media content
(b) National Highway authority distributed to the viewers over
of India the internet.
(c) Ministry of Rural 2. They are currently
Development unregulated by government of
(d) Ministry of Shipping India.
131.“Novichok”, recently in news is above is/are correct?
a: (a) 1 only
(a) An agricultural fertiliser (b) 2 only
(b) A Toxic nerve agent (c) Both 1 and 2
(c) A microorganism used for (d) Neither 1 nor 2
bioremediation
(d) A metal alloy used in Space 135.With reference to Train 18,
crafts recently in news, consider the
following statements:
132.Consider the following 1. It is India's first semi-high
statements regarding Zero speed train.
Budget Natural Farming: 2. It was designed and built in
1. It does not use chemical India.
fertilizers or pesticides. Which of the statements given
2. It was first formulated in above is/are correct?
Japanese agricultural industry (a) 1 only
Which of the statements given (b) 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

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136.Consider the following 2. Use of combine harvesters

statements regarding “Anti can reduce the problem of
Satellite Missile (A-SAT)” stubbles.
technology: Which of the statements given
1. Only USA and Russia possess above is/are correct?
A-SAT technology apart from (a) 1 only
India. (b) 2 only
2. India’s A-SAT technology was (c) Both 1 and 2
developed by DRDO. (d) Neither 1 nor 2
above is/are correct? 139.Consider the following
(a) 1 only statements regarding QR Codes:
(b) 2 only 1. It was first developed in India.
(c) Both 1 and 2 2.They have greater storage
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 capacity compared to standard
UPC barcodes.
137.Consider the following Which among the above
statements regarding E-waste statements is/are correct?
management: (a) 1 only
1. More than 50% of e-waste (b) 2 only
generated globally is recycled. (c) Both 1 and 2
2. Indian rules have integrated (d) Neither 1 nor 2
the concept of Extended
producer responsibility for e- 140.Consider the following
wastes. statements:
Which of the statements given 1. Real Time Gross Settlement
above is/are correct? System (RTGS) is an interbank
(a) 1 only payment system managed by
(b) 2 only Reserve Bank of India.
(c) Both 1 and 2 2. National Electronic Fund
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 Transfer (NEFT) is available to
banking customers in online
138.Consider the following mode only.
statements regarding “Stubble Which of the statements given
burning” above is/are correct?
1. Stubble, in this context, is (a) 1 only
mainly the residue left in the (b) 2 only
field after the cultivation of (c) Both 1 and 2
wheat in the rabi season. (d) Neither 1 nor 2

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141.Consider the following 2. A dedicated FFGS centre will

statements regarding integrated be established in New Delhi for
farming: this system.
1. It does not use modern tools Which of the statements given
and technologies and focuses on above is/are correct?
improvement of traditional (a) 1 only
practices. (b) 2 only
2. It can be applied to any (c) Both 1 and 2
farming system around the (d) Neither 1 nor 2
world.
Which among the above 144.Consider the following
statements is/are correct? statements regarding “Induced
(a) 1 only pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)”:
(b) 2 only 1. iPSCs can be derived directly
(c) Both 1 and 2 from adult tissues
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 2. The term “Yamanaka genes”
is associated with iPSCs.
142.Consider the following Which of the statements given
statements regarding Frontier above is/are correct?
Technologies Cloud Innovation (a) 1 only
Center (CIC): (b) 2 only
1. Its aims to address critical (c) Both 1 and 2
societal challenges through (d) Neither 1 nor 2
digital innovation.
2. In India it is implemented by 145.Which of the following terms,
ministry of Science and recently in news, are related to
Technology along with Google. detection of Covid-19 infections:
Which of the statements given 1. FELUDA
above is/are correct? 2. COVIRAP
(a) 1 only 3. Sputnik V
(b) 2 only Select the correct answer using
(c) Both 1 and 2 the code given below:
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
143.Consider the following (c) 2 only
statements regarding “South (d) 1,2 and 3
Asian Flash Flood Guidance
System (FFGS)”:
1. It has been launched by Indian
Meteorological Department
(IMD).

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146. Consider the following Mobile (c) France

apps and the sectors with which (d) Israel
they are associated:
1. Tarang: Power Transmission 150.Consider the following
2. SAARTHI: Highways statements
3. Aapoorti: Railways 1. Polar orbits are a type of Low
Which of the pairs given above earth orbits (LEOs).
is/are correct? 2. “Loon” is a project to deliver
(a) 1 and 2 only internet using LEO satellites.
(b) 1 and 3 only Which among the above
(c) 2 and 3 only statements is/are correct?
(d) All of the above (a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
147.National Forensic Sciences (c) Both 1 and 2
University is located in: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(a) Rajasthan
(b) Gujarat 151. Mausam app, recently in news
(c) Haryana has been launched by:
(d) Uttar Pradesh (a) Ministry of Science and
Technology
148.Consider the following (b) Ministry of Human resources
statements: development
1. MADAD is an app launched by (c) Ministry of Defense
government of India for (d) Ministry of Earth Sciences
providing emergency services to
women/ children in danger.
2. UMANG app bring various
departmental services of the
government under a single
application.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
149. “Hope Mission” is a Mars

exploration mission by:
(a) United Arab Emirates
(b) Japan

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Answers
1. B 49. A 97. A 145. A
2. C 50. C 98. D 146. B
3. B 51. D 99. D 147. B
4. D 52. C 100. B 148. B
5. B 53. B 101. A 149. A
6. A 54. C 102. C 150. A
7. B 55. B 103. A 151. D
8. D 56. C 104. B
9. A 57. A 105. C
10. D 58. D 106. B
11. C 59. B 107. A
12. B 60. C 108. C
13. B 61. A 109. D
14. B 62. C 110. D
15. B 63. D 111. A
16. A 64. B 112. D
17. C 65. C 113. C
18. A 66. C 114. D
19. C 67. C 115. D
20. A 68. C 116. A
21. C 69. C 117. A
22. C 70. C 118. B
23. A 71. C 119. D
24. B 72. C 120. D
25. A 73. A 121. D
26. A 74. C 122. D
27. B 75. B 123. D
28. D 76. A 124. A
29. B 77. D 125. C
30. C 78. A 126. C
31. B 79. C 127. C
32. A 80. C 128. C
33. B 81. A 129. D
34. A 82. A 130. B
35. C 83. C 131. B
36. A 84. B 132. A
37. A 85. A 133. B
38. D 86. C 134. C
39. A 87. A 135. B
40. C 88. D 136. B
41. D 89. B 137. B
42. C 90. D 138. D
43. C 91. B 139. B
44. B 92. D 140. A
45. A 93. A 141. B
46. B 94. C 142. A
47. A 95. D 143. C
48. B 96. C 144. C

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iLearn CANA 2021

1.1 IN-SPACe ........................................................................................................................ 6

1.2 New Space India Limited (NSIL) ..................................................................................... 6

1.3 Comet C/2020 F3 Neowise ............................................................................................ 7

1.4 Hope Mission ................................................................................................................. 7

1.5 South Pole Wall ............................................................................................................. 8

1.6 Tianwen-1 ...................................................................................................................... 8

1.7 Beidou Navigation Satellite System ............................................................................... 9

1.8 Dragon 2 ........................................................................................................................ 9

1.9 Perseid Meteor Shower ............................................................................................... 10

1.10 Sunspots .................................................................................................................... 10

1.11 Dawn Mission ............................................................................................................ 11

1.12 Sarabhai ..................................................................................................................... 12

1.13 Asteroids .................................................................................................................... 12

1.14 Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle.......................................................... 13

1.15 Solar Cycles ................................................................................................................ 14

1.16 Phosphine on Venus .................................................................................................. 14

1.17 Asteroid 16 Psyche .................................................................................................... 16

1.18 Fast Radio Burst ......................................................................................................... 17

1.20 Habitable Exoplanets ................................................................................................. 19

1.21 Ariel Space Mission ................................................................................................... 20

1.22 Gravitational Lensing ................................................................................................. 21

1.23 Sentinel-6 Satellite..................................................................................................... 21

1.25 Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT)............................................................... 23

1.26 Hayabusa 2 ................................................................................................................ 24

1.27 Geminids Meteor Shower ......................................................................................... 24

1.28 Solar Eclipse ............................................................................................................... 25

1.29 Christmas Star............................................................................................................ 26

2.1 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) ........................................................ 28

2.2 Rafale Jet ..................................................................................................................... 28

2.3 Pinaka Rocket System .................................................................................................. 29

2.4 Astra BVR Air-To-Air Missile ......................................................................................... 30

2.5 Nag Missile System ...................................................................................................... 31

2.6 NATGRID ...................................................................................................................... 31

2.7 Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems .................................................. 32

2.8 India’s aircraft Carriers................................................................................................. 32

2.9 Spike Missiles............................................................................................................... 33

2.10 Light Combat Helicopter ............................................................................................ 33

2.11 INS Viraat ................................................................................................................... 34

2.12 Abhyas Heat............................................................................................................... 35

2.13 Smart Torpedo System............................................................................................... 35

2.14 Rudram – I ................................................................................................................. 35

2.15 Brahmos Missile ........................................................................................................ 36

2.16 Shaurya Missile .......................................................................................................... 37

2.17 INS Kavaratti .............................................................................................................. 37

2.18 Kalvari Class Submarines ........................................................................................... 38

2.20 Guardian Drones........................................................................................................ 39

2.21 National Command, Control, Communication And Intelligence Centre ................... 40

3. IT AND CYBER SPACE ..................................................................................... 42

3.1 Quantum Communication ........................................................................................... 42

3.2 Government E-Marketplace (GeM) ............................................................................. 43

3.3 Kris Gopalakrishnan Committee .................................................................................. 43

3.4 Black Rock Malware..................................................................................................... 43

3.5 Kurma Mobile App....................................................................................................... 44

3.6 Mausam App ............................................................................................................... 44

3.7 Bharat Air Fibre............................................................................................................ 45

3.8 Integrated Market Surveillance System ....................................................................... 45

3.10 Dark Net And Deep Web ........................................................................................... 47