16 NOVEMBER 2023

Topic 1 : Gamma Ray Bursts

Why in news: Earth was hit by a massive Gamma Ray Bursts.
 

Key details:

• In a groundbreaking event, lightening detectors in India picked up a major burst of energy that slammed into Earth.
• The source of this massive burst is now believed to be extraterrestrial that had its origin outside the Solar System.
• Earth’s ionosphere experienced a significant disturbance due to an intense gamma-ray burst (GRB) from a distant exploding star.
• This cosmic occurrence is named GRB 221009A.
• The burst hailed from a galaxy nearly two billion light-years away, making it one of the most powerful GRBs ever recorded.

Significance:

• This discovery is significant as it demonstrates that cosmic events occurring billions of light-years away can still have tangible effects on Earth.
• The disturbance impacted the lowest layers of Earth’s ionosphere, similar to the effects of a major solar flare.
• The increase in ionization in the bottom-side ionosphere affected very low frequency radio signals, causing them to bounce differently along the ionosphere.
• The implications of such a GRB occurring within our own galaxy could be dire, potentially damaging the ozone layer and allowing harmful ultraviolet radiation to reach Earth’s surface.
• This scenario has been speculated as a possible cause for past mass extinction events on Earth.

What are gamma-ray bursts?

• Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful and violent explosions in the known universe.
• These brief flashes of high-energy light result from some of the universe’s most explosive events, including the birth of black holes and collisions between neutron stars. 
• Lasting a few milliseconds to several minutes, GRBs can be hundreds of times brighter than an average supernova, making them as luminous as a million trillion suns.
• Thus, when a GRB erupts, it briefly becomes the brightest source of electromagnetic radiation in the observable universe.
• The first observation of a GRB came in 1967, through the Vela 4A satellite, part of a series of X-ray, gamma-ray, and neutron-detecting spacecraft designed to monitor any nuclear testing by the Soviet Union or other nations.

What causes a gamma-ray burst?

• The cause of a gamma-ray burst depends on how long it lasts.
• GRBs that last less than two seconds are caused by the merger of two neutron stars or the merger of a neutron star and a black hole.
• Longer GRBs, which can last hours, are triggered when a massive star collapses and births a black hole.

How powerful are gamma-ray bursts?

• In just a few seconds, a gamma-ray burst can emit as much energy as the sun will put out over its entire 9 billion-year lifetime. Topic 2 : Cyrtodactylus vairengtensis

Why in news: Scientists, researchers discover new gecko species endemic to Mizoram
 

Key details:

• The new species has been named ‘Cyrtodactylus vairengtensis’ after the town in Mizoram where it was found, while the common name suggested for the new species is ‘Vairengte bent-toed gecko’
• The new species of gecko is endemic to Mizoram and it took the number of geckos native to the state to 6, and 22 across northeast India.
• There are 335 gecko species across the world, of which 42 are found in India.
• The distinct feature of this new species is the number of femoral pores which distinguishes it from other members of the Cyrtodactylus family.
• The researchers proposed that it should be categorised as ‘data deficient’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).Topic 3 : How does an electric battery work?

Why in news: The electric battery has increased the penetration of motorisation and the lack of wires in our lives.

Invention of the electric battery:

• Experiment by Luigi Galvani:
  • All chemical reactions are fundamentally about how the electrons in the bonds between atoms are rearranged.
  • Luigi Galvani conducted an experiment in 1780.
  • Galvani touched together two plates of different metals and then touched both at the same time to a frog’s leg.
  • He found that the leg contracted but couldn’t say why.
• Alessandro Volta:
  • The next major pre-industrial innovation on this front was the voltaic pile built by Alessandro Volta in 1800.
  • This cell consisted of copper and zinc plates arranged in alternating fashion, separated by sheets of paper soaked in salty water.
  • Volta found that this set-up could produce a steady current for some time.
• John Daniel:
  • The British chemist John Daniel improved on Volta’s design
  • He filled a copper pot with copper sulphate, and inside that placed an earthen pot containing a zinc electrode sitting inside sulphuric acid.
  • This more sophisticated set-up could produce an electric current for an even longer duration.
• Michael Faraday:
  • In the early 19th century, Michael Faraday worked out why these cells worked the way they did, and named its various components (anode, cathode, electrolyte, etc.).

What is an electric battery?

• A voltaic, or galvanic, cell uses redox reactions to produce an electric current.
• The cell consists of two half-cells.
• Each half-cell is made of a metal electrode immersed in an electrolyte of that metal (say, a zinc electrode in zinc sulphate and a copper electrode in copper sulphate).
• The two metal electrodes are connected by a wire and the two tubs of electrolyte are connected by a salt bridge (a material that conducts ions while remaining electrically neutral).
• In the zinc half-cell, zinc ions (Zn²⁺) from the electrode dissolve in the zinc sulphate, releasing two electrons into the electrode.
• In the copper half-cell, the reverse happens:
  • copper ions (Cu²⁺) from the copper sulphate deposit onto the electrode, which now requires two electrons.
  • So the wire connecting the electrodes transports two electrons from the zinc to the copper electrode.
• Similarly, the salt bridge connecting the two electrolytes allows the Zn²⁺ and the sulphate (SO₄^2-) ions to meet and exchange electrons.
• Since the wire connecting the zinc to the copper electrodes carries electrons, an external circuit connected to it can draw the electron flow for various applications.
• A battery is a collection of such cells.

Concepts of a battery:

• Cathode, anode and the redox reaction:
  • The cathode is the positively charged electrode, the one to which electrons arrive (copper in the example above).
  • The anode is the negatively charged electrode, which ‘supplies’ electrons.
  • In an oxidation reaction, electrons are released, and in a reduction reaction they are consumed.
  • So zinc oxidises at the anode and copper reduces at the cathode.
  • This is the redox reaction at the heart of every electrochemical cell.
• Source voltage and Terminal voltage:
  • The energy imparted to the electrons by the half-cells is called the source voltage (previously called the electromotive force).
  • The terminal voltage is like a driving force that pushes the electrons from the anode to the cathode.
  • In ideal conditions, the source voltage is equal to the terminal voltage.
  • The higher the source voltage, the greater the cell’s electrochemical potential.

Problems with these batteries:

• Corrosion:
  • A well-known problem that degrades the performance of electrochemical cells is corrosion.
  • For example, in humid conditions, water droplets can condense on the electrodes.
  • If atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are high, the water can combine with the gas to produce carbonic acid, which can corrode the electrode.
• Galvanic corrosion:
  • Another source is galvanic corrosion, whereby one of the electrodes in a cell dissolves faster into the electrolyte over time because it is more reactive, before the less reactive electrode starts to erode.
  • For example, in a (non-rechargeable) carbon-zinc battery, zinc erodes preferentially as the battery is used.

Types of batteries:

• Two batteries that are often on the news these days are:
  • the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery and
  • Fuel cell batteries used in Electric Vehicles (EVs).
• Working of the Li-ion battery:
  • The Li-ion battery won the developers of its foundational principles the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2019.
  • This battery is a voltaic as well as an electrolytic cell.
    • A voltaic cell converts chemical energy to electrical energy.
    • An electrolytic cell converts electrical energy to chemical energy.
  • A battery that can do both is thus rechargeable.
  • In a Li-ion polymer cell, used in smartphones, a lithium metal oxide is the cathode and graphite is the anode.
  • The electrolyte is a semisolid polymer gel.
  • Microporous polyethylene is used to separate the two half-cells.
  • These batteries can also be used to power EVs.
• Hydrogen Fuel cells:
  • Other sources of electric power in motor vehicles include fuel cells.
  • At the anode, a catalyst separates hydrogen into protons and electrons.
  • The electrons flow through an external circuit and the protons through the electrolyte – both to the cathode.
  • At the cathode, the particles react with oxygen from the air to create heat and water.
  • A cell like this will work as long as hydrogen is supplied, and is expected to be a key component of the hydrogen economy.Topic 4 : The case of adultery in India

Why in news: The Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs has suggested that adultery should be re-instituted as a crime in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the proposed law to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860.
 

What is Adultery in India?

• Adultery in general can be understood as ‘Sexual intercourse between a married person and someone else other than the spouse, i.e. a person who is not his/her wife/husband’. 
• Adultery law in India is defined by the Indian Penal Code Section 497.

History of Adultery Law in India

• Adultery law, a pre-constitutional law, was enacted in 1860.
• Women at that time had no rights independent of their husbands and were treated as chattel or “property” of their husbands.
•  Therefore, adultery was treated as a crime against the husband, for which he could prosecute the offender.
• In 1837, the Law Commission (under Lord Macaulay) of India did not include adultery as an offence in the first draft of the IPC. 
• The Second Law Commission suspected something and recommended that keeping the offence out of the IPC would be inappropriate and was included later on. 

Legal position on adultery:

• Until 2018, the IPC contained Section 497, which defined adultery as a criminal offence that attracted up to five years in prison, or a fine, or both.
• However, only men could be punished under Section 497, not women.
• In Joseph Shine vs Union Of India (2018), a five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court led unanimously struck down Section 497 of the IPC on grounds that included discrimination.
• The court also struck down Section 198(2) of the CrPC to the extent that it applies to the offence of adultery under Section 497.
• Section 198(2) CrPC says that in certain cases, courts can take cognizance of a matter only if approached by an aggrieved party and, in cases of adultery, only the husband shall be deemed as “aggrieved”.
• The court held that adultery could be only considered a valid ground for divorce and should not be treated as a criminal offense.

What has the House Committee recommended?

• The report on the BNS, 2023, which was adopted by the Committee, said that adultery should be reinstated as a criminal offence, but it should be made gender-neutral — that is, both men and women should be punished for it.
• In essence, the report has argued that Section 497 was struck down on grounds of discrimination, and making it gender-neutral would address this deficiency.

Why it was struck down?

• Discriminatory in nature:
  • The discriminatory nature of Section 497, and its “manifest arbitrariness” in punishing only men for adultery, was just one of the grounds on which the court had struck down the provision.
• Violation of fundamental rights:
  • Section 497 was violative of Articles 14,15, and 21 of the Constitution:
    • Article 14 – Right to equality –
      • Adultery only prosecuted men and women and hence, it was considered to be a violation of Article 14;
    •  Article 15(1) – prohibits the State from discriminating on the grounds of sex –
      • The law only considered the husbands as to the aggrieved party;
    • Article 21 – protection of life and personal liberty –
      • Women were treated as the property of their husbands under this law, which is against their basic dignity. 
• Autonomy of women:
  • The court underlined the autonomy of women as a facet of human dignity.
  • The Court declared that the husband is neither master of his wife, nor does he have legal sovereignty over her
  • Any system treating a woman with indignity invites the wrath of the Constitution.
• Not a crime:
  • Also, adultery does not fit into the concept of crime.
  • If it is treated as a crime, there would be immense intrusion into the extreme privacy of the matrimonial sphere.
  • It is better to be left as a ground for divorce.

Can the Supreme Court’s decision in this case be undone?

• A ruling of the SC is the law of the land.
• Parliament cannot simply pass a law that contradicts a ruling of the top court.
• However, it can pass a law that removes the basis of the court’s judgment.
• Such a law can be both retrospective and prospective.Topic 5 : PM-PVTG Development Mission

Why in news: Prime Minister of India launched the PM-PVTG Development Mission for most backward of the Scheduled Tribes

Who are Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups?

• PVTGs are a more vulnerable group among tribal groups in India.
• These groups have:
  • primitive traits,
  • geographical isolation,
  • low literacy,
  • zero to negative population growth rate and
  • backwardness.
• They are largely dependent upon hunting for food and a pre-agriculture level of technology.
• PVTGs also collect Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) like honey, gum, bamboo and wax for consumption as well as sale.
• Due to their diet, these tribes often suffer diseases like anaemia, malaria, gastrointestinal disorders and skin infections.

• Government of India created PVTG list with the purpose of enabling improvement in the conditions of those communities in priority basis.
• During the fourth Five Year Plan a sub-category was created within Scheduled Tribes to identify groups that considered to be at a lower level of development.

• This was created based on the Dhebar Commission report and other studies.
• This sub-category was named “Primitive tribal group“.
• Groups that satisfied any one of the criterion were considered as PTG.

• There are total of 75 PVTGs in India.
• No new group was declared as PTG on the basis of the 2001 census.
• In 2006 the government of India renamed “Primitive tribal group” as Particularly vulnerable tribal group.
• Criteria for identifiaction of PVTGs:

• Pre-agricultural level of technology
• Low level of literacy
• Economic backwardness
• A declining or stagnant population.

• The government of India initiated the identification of these PVTGs in 1975, and an additional 23 groups were added to the category in 1993.
• Need for identification:

• Due to their vulnerability, PVTGs require greater support and development compared to other tribal groups.
• The more developed and assertive tribal groups often receive a larger portion of tribal development funds, leaving PVTGs in need of more targeted support.
• According to the 2011 Census, Odisha has the largest population of PVTGs.
  • It is followed by Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana).
  • The largest PVTG is Odisha’s Saura community.

States /UT	PVTGs
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana	1. Bodo Gadaba
	2. Bondo Porja
	3. Chenchu
	4. Dongria Khond
	5. Gutob Gadaba
	6. Khond Porja
	7. Kolam
	8. Konda Reddi
	9. Konda Savara
	10. Kutia Khond
	11. Parengi Porja
	12. Thoti
Bihar & Jharkhand
	13. Asur
	14. Birhor
	15. Birjia
	16. Hill Kharia
	17. Korwas
	18. Mal Paharia
	19. Parhaiya
	20. Sauria Paharia
	21. Savar
Gujarat	22. Kathodi
	23. Kolgha
	24. Kotwalia
	25. Padhar
	26. Siddi
Karnataka	27. Jenu Kuruba
	28. Koraga
Kerala	29. Cholanaikkan
	30. Kadar
	31. Kattunayakan
	32. Koraga
	33. Kurumba
	Total
Madhya Pradesh &Chhattisgarh
	34. Abujh Maria
	35. Baiga
	36. Bharia
	37. Birhor
	38. Hill Korwa
	39. Kamar
	40. Saharia
	Total
Maharashtra	41. Kathodi
	42. Kolam/Katkari people
	43. Maria Gond/Katkari people
	Total
Manipur	44. Maram Naga
Odisha	45. Birhor
	46. Bondo
	47. Chuktia Bhunjia
	48. Didayi
	49. Dongria Khond
	50. Juang
	51. Kharia
	52. Kutia Khond
	53. Lanjia Saura
	54. Lodha
	55. Mankidia
	56. Paudi Bhuyan
	57. Sauura
Rajasthan	58. Saharia
Tamil Nadu	59. Irular
	60. Kattu Nayakan
	61. Korumba
	62. Kota
	63. Paniyan
	64. Toda
Tripura	65. Riang
Uttar Pradesh & Uttrakhand
	66. Buksa
	67. Raji
West Bengal	68. Birhor
	69. Lodha
	70. Toto
Andaman & Nicobar Islands	71. Great Andamanese
	72. Jarawa
	73. Onge
	74. Sentinelese
	75. Shom Pen

What is the PM PVTG Development Mission?

• The Rs 24,000-crore project is aimed at the development of the PVTGs.
• As part of the mission, basic facilities will be provided to areas where these tribal groups live as these are mostly remote, scattered and inaccessible such as:
  • road and telecom connectivity,
  • electricity,
  • safe housing,
  • clean drinking water and sanitation,
  • improved access to education,
  • health and nutrition and
  • sustainable livelihood opportunities.
• Several ministries will work in tandem to implement development projects.
• The schemes include:
  • Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana,
  • Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana,
  • Jal Jeevan Mission, etc.
• The mission will be launched as part of ‘Reaching The Last Mile’, one of the seven Saptarishi priorities enlisted in the Union Budget 2023-24.Topic 6 : Central Consumer Protection Authority

Why in news: Recently, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) said that it was probing 20 IAS coaching institutes for making misleading claims in their advertisements and for unfair trade practices.
 

Key details:

• Every time the results of any competitive exam, including the UPSC Civil Services, are announced, coaching institutes would go on an advertising spree.
• Names and pictures of the top rankers are used in these ads to indicate their enrolment at the institute.
• However, they do not disclose the nature of the enrolment, that is, the course they might have pursued in the institute.
• UPSC CSE exams are conducted at three stages — prelims, mains and interview.
• CCPA has observed that most rank holders showcased in the advertisements only took mock interviews from these institutes.
• In fact, coaching institutes have been found to provide mock interviews free of cost, since it serves their own interests.
• This information is not disclosed in the advertisements, which ideally must include the course they enrolled for.
• Thus, it would qualify as deliberate concealment of important information and can be categorised as a ‘misleading advertisement’ under Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

About CCPA:

• Central Consumer Protection Authority is a regulatory authority set up under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019
• It was set up in relation to matters affectingrights of consumers by individuals or entities following:
  • improper trade practices or
  • by display of inappropriate or wrong advertisements
• These can affect public interest and helps promoting consumer trust by enforcing the rights of consumers through effective guidelines.
• Central Consumer Protection Authority replaced the previous The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 and is formed as per The Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
• The new act has been incorporated with additional consumer concerns like treating misleading advertisements and providing wrong information regarding quality or quantity of goods or provision of services as an offence.
• Composition
  • Central Consumer Protection Authority shall consist of following members appointed by Central Government.
    • Chief Commissioner
    • Two Commissioners.
      • One commissioner each will represent for goods and services.
• Powers:
  • Power of inquiry:
    • If the commission finds violations of rights of consumers or in notice of trade practices which is unfair it can inquire or cause an inquiry, either on receipt of complaint or suo moto or as directed by Central Government.
  • Order an investigation under District Magistrate:
    • If the commission finds after preliminary inquiry of an existence of a prima facie case of consumer rights violation or it is in notice of any unfair trade practice or any wrong or inaccurate advertisement which is prejudicial to public interest or to the interests of the consumers, it can order an investigation by the District Collector or by Director General.
  • Power of search and seizure:
    • The commission can call upon the person involved and can direct him to produce any document or record in his possession relating to it.
    • In addition, the District Collector or Director General under the Code of Criminal Procedure,1973 has powers of search and seizure, and authority to ask submission of any record or document.
  • Recalling of goods and services:
    • The commission can direct recalling of any dangerous, hazardous or unsafe goods or withdrawal of similar services and order refunding of the proceeds collected towards sale of goods or offering of service so recalled.
    • It can also order stoppage of any unfair practices after giving the person directed to do so, an opportunity of being heard.
  • Consumer advocacy:
    • The commission can involve in and engage in services relating to consumer advocacy by offering services of registering complaints before the National Commission, the State Commission, or the District Commission.
  • Power to discontinue advertisement:
    • The commission can direct to a trader or manufacturer or endorser or advertiser or publisher after investigation to discontinue advertisements which are wrong or misleading or prejudicial to consumers, and in such case impose penalties upto Rs 10 lakhs payable in cash.
  • Prevention of production/sale of goods/services:
    • The commission can also prevent the endorser of advertisement which is wrong or misleading from making the same in relation to any product or service for a time period ranging upto one year, and three years in case of subsequent contravention.Topic 7 : NISAR satellite

Why in news: The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is set to be launched in the first quarter of 2024 after a few tests.
 

About NISAR:

• NISAR is a low-earth orbit observatory being jointly developed by ISRO and NASA.
• The mission has a three-year duration and will survey all of the earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces once every 12 days.
• NISAR has been built by space agencies of the US and India under a partnership agreement signed in 2014.
• The 2,800 kilograms satellite consists of both L-band and S-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instruments, which makes it a dual-frequency imaging radar satellite.
• NASA provided:
  • the L-band radar,
  • GPS,
  •  a high-capacity solid-state recorder to store data, and
  • a payload data subsystem
• ISRO has provided:
  • the S-band radar,
  • the GSLV launch system and spacecraft.
• Another important component of the satellite is its large 39-foot stationary antenna reflector.
  • Made of a gold-plated wire mesh, the reflector will be used to focus the radar signals emitted and received by the upward-facing feed on the instrument structure.
• It will provide spatially and temporally consistent data for understanding changes in the planet’s ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation, biomass, sea-level rise, groundwater, and natural hazards.
• This would be the first dual frequency radar imaging mission in L-Band & S-Band using an advanced Sweep SAR technique.
  • By using synthetic aperture radar (SAR), NISAR will produce high-resolution images.
  • SAR is capable of penetrating clouds and can collect data day and night regardless of the weather conditions.
• The aim of a Synthetic Aperture Radar mission is to determine Earth change in three disciplines:
  • ecosystems (vegetation and the carbon cycle),
  • deformation (solid Earth studies), and
  • cryosphere sciences (primarily as related to climatic drivers and effects on sea level

Aims and purpose of the mission:

• Once launched into space, NISAR will observe subtle changes in Earth’s surfaces, helping researchers better understand the causes and consequences of such phenomena.
• It will spot warning signs of natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and landslides.
• The satellite will also:
  • measure groundwater levels,
  • track flow rates of glaciers and ice sheets, and
  • monitor the planet’s forest and agricultural regions, which can improve our understanding of carbon exchange.
• ISRO will use NISAR for a variety of purposes including agricultural mapping, and monitoring of glaciers in the Himalayas, landslide-prone areas and changes in the coastline.Topic 8 : AAINA Dashboard

Why in news: The ‘AAINA Dashboard for Cities’ has been made live by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
 

Key details:

• Here, where Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the country can participate in this pioneering initiative to voluntarily submit their key data on a regular basis, through a simple, easy-to-fill, data entry form on the portal.
• The primary objectives of the AAINA Dashboard are to help cities to:
  • see how they are faring vis-à-vis other cities,
  • inspire them by pointing to possibilities and areas of improvement and
  • providing opportunity to learn and engage with frontrunners.
• While not ranking the ULBs, the AAINA dashboard would serve as a tool for comparing similarly placed cities and promoting peer learning among cities.
• The Dashboard will present the data submitted by the ULBs on the basis of indicators across five broad pillars namely
  • Political & Administrative Structure,
  • Finance,
  • Planning,
  • Citizen Centric Governance and
  • Delivery of Basic Services.
• With active cooperation of all ULBs, the ‘AAINA Dashboard for Cities’ aims to create a robust database of the key performance metrics of Urban Local Bodies.
• It could be accessed by all stakeholders, and subsequently would open for public view once it gets populated.