African Union 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-2-International Relations

Why in News?

Prime Minister of India has proposed to make the African Union a permanent member of the G-20. 

 African Union:

 · Organisation of African Unity was founded by the independent states of Africa in the year 1963. 

 · African Union was first announced in the year 1999.

· It was founded on 26^th May, 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

 · It was launched in the year 2002 in Durban, South Africa.

 · It consists of 55 member states which make up the countries of the African continent.

 · The secretariat of the African Union is located in Addis Ababa. 

 Organs of AU: 

 · The highest decision-making body of the African Union is the Assembly of the African Union. 

 · It comprises the heads of state and the government of the member countries. 

 · The Executive council assists the Assembly in making the policy decisions.

 · The EC is composed of the foreign ministers. 

 Institutions of AU: 

 · Pan-African Parliament

 · African Court of Justice and Human Rights 

 · African Commission on Human and People’s Rights

 · African Union Commission. 

 Focus Areas: 

 · It works towards: 

 · Preventing genocide

 · Promoting peace and security in Africa

 · Infrastructure development

 · Peacekeeping missions 

 · Gender equality 

 · Public health challenges etc.

PM-DevINE Scheme

Syllabus: GS Paper-2-Important Policies 

 PM-DevINE Scheme: 

· PM-DevINE stands for Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North Eastern Region.

· It is a Central sector scheme with 100% Central funding. 

 · It was announced in the Union Budget 2022-23. 

 · It has an outlay of 6,000 crores for the period of 4 years from 2022-2026. 

 Objective: 

 · To fund infrastructure convergently, in the spirit of PM GatiShakti 

 · To support the social projects based on the felt needs of NER. 

 · To enable livelihood activities for youth and women.

 · To fill the development gaps in various sectors.

 Implementation: 

 · It will be implemented by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region through the North Eastern Council or Central Ministries/Agencies. 

 Reasons for implementing the scheme:

 · The Basic Minimum Services (BMS) in Northeast India is much below the national average. 

 · There are critical development gaps in the Northeast India.

 Northeast India: 

 · Northeast India comprises of the following states: 

  1. Assam 2. Arunachal Pradesh 3. Manipur 4. Meghalaya 5. Mizoram 6. Nagaland 7. Tripura 

 · Sikkim is also a part of the Northeast India but it is not included in the Seven Sisters. 

 · It is because the seven states are contiguous but the Sikkim is sort of a neighbour which is divided by the Silguri Corridor.

· Sikkim sometimes referred as the Brother of the Seven sisters.

CERT-In 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Science & Technology

Why in News? 

CERT-In cautions against the Ransomware Akira attack. 

 Computer Emergency Response Team:

 · It was established in the year 2004

· Headquarters-New Delhi 

 · It is a nodal agency which deals with the cyber security.

 · It deals with the threats like hacking and phishing in India.

 · Ministry-Ministry of Information & Technology

 · Its main objective is to secure Indian cyberspace. 

 Functions: 

 · It collects, analyse and disseminate the information on cyber attacks.

 · It provides emergency measures for handling the cyber security incidents. 

 · It forecasts and alerts of cyber security incidents. 

 · It provides security practices, procedures, response and reporting the cyber incidents. Ransomware:

 · It is a type of malicious software or malware. 

 · It is designed to block access to computer system, network, or data until a ransom is paid. 

 · It attacks targeted critical infrastructure organizations to disrupt the services and receive the ransom payments.

 · Examples: WannaCry (2017), Lockbit, Akira etc.

 Akira:

 · It is an internet ransomware virus which steals the vital personal information.

 · It encrypts the data leading to the extortion of money from people. 

 · It is targeting Windows-Linux based system.

PSLV-C56

Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Science & Technology 

Why in News? 

ISRO will launch the PSLV-C56 carrying Singapore’s new imaging satellite. 

 PSLV-C56: 

· It is configured in its core model similar to that of C55. 

 · It will launch the DS-SAR, a 360 kg satellite into a Near-equatorial orbit. 

 · The DS-SAR will be launched at 5 degrees inclination and 535 km altitude.

 · It carries 6 co-passengers. · PSLV-C56 will be launched on July 30 from Sriharikota. 

 DS-SAR:

· It is developed under a partnership between the DSTA (represents the Government of Singapore) and ST Engineering.

 · Once deployed and operation, it will be used to support the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the government of Singapore. 

 · ST engineering will use it for multi-modal and higher responsiveness imagery and geospatial services for their commercial customers. 

 · DS-SAR carries a Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR) payload developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

· It allows the DS-SAR to provide for all-weather day and night coverage.

 · It is capable of imaging at 1m-resolution at full polarimetry.

 Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle: 

· PSLV is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle.

 · It is a third generation launch vehicle of India.

 · It is known for being the first Indian launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages.

 · It was developed to launch India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing satellites into the sun-synchronous orbit. 

 · Some of the important payloads launched by the PSLV are: 

 a. Chandrayaan-1 

 b. Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) 

 c. Astrosat etc.

Indian Council for Medical Research

Syllabus: Prelims-Important Organisations 

Why in News?

· India has taken the first step to introduce Controlled Human Infection Studies (CHIS). 

 · CHIS is used in many countries for the vaccine and treatment development.

 · It was not implemented till now due to the ethical issues. 

 · Now the ICMR Bioethics is set to change this. 

 · It allows a new research model which involves internationally exposing healthy volunteers to pathogens in a controlled environment.

 · It is used to study the malaria, typhoid, dengue and so on. 

 Indian Council for Medical Research:

 · It is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research.

 · It is recognized as one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world. 

 · Indian Research Fund Association was setup by the Government of India in the year 1911. 

 · It was redesignated as the Indian Council of Medical Research in the year 1949.

 · Headquarters-New Delhi

 Functions: 

· It conducts, coordinate and implement the medical research. 

 · It translates the medical innovations into the products and will introduce them into the public health system. 

 Composition:

· The governing body of the ICMR is presided by the Union Ministry of Health and Family welfare.

· ICMR is assisted by the Scientific Advisory Board in the scientific and technical matters.

Paharis

Syllabus: Prelims-Important Tribes 

Why in News?

· Gujjars and Bakerwals opposes the inclusion of upper caste Paharis in the Scheduled Tribes. 

 · If the bill is passed, it will pave the way for Paharis, Gadda Brahmins and Koli to be included in the ST list. 

 Paharis: 

 · Paharis are the cover term for a number of heterogenous communities which inhabit in the Pir Panjal Range. 

 · They are found in the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. 

 · There are about 1 million population are present in the regions between the Jhelum and Chenab rivers.

· The Government of J & K had established an advisory board for the development of Pahari speaking people in the year 1989.

What should be the characteristics for a community to be identified as STs?

 · The habitation should be in less easily accessible areas 

 · They should have distinctive culture 

 · They should be backward in all respects 

 Gujjars and Bakerwals:

· They are the two unique ethnic nomadic groups

 · They rear flocks of sheep and goat between the high and low altitudes of the western Himalayas. 

 · They migrate to the upper reach of the valley in summer. 

 · During the winter season they take their flocks to the lower areas of the valley. 

 · They usually live in the hilly terrain of the North-Western Himalayas.

Securities Exchange Board of India

Syllabus: Prelims-Important Organizations 

 Why in News? 

· SEBI is working to implement instantaneous settlements in secondary market trades. 

 · It will be completed by next financial year. 

 Securities and Exchange Board of India: 

· It is a statutory body formed in the year 1992.

· It is also a quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial body. 

 · Before SEBI, Controller of Capital Issues was the regulatory authority. 

 · It has derived its authority from Capital Issues Act, 1947. 

 · Headquarters are located in Mumbai. 

 · Other regional offices of SEBI are located in Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi.

 · Its main objective is to protect the interest of the investors.

 · It promotes the development of the securities act.

 · It regulates the functioning of the market intermediaries. 

 Structure: 

· It consists of a chairperson and several other whole time and part time members. 

 · It also appoints various committees whenever required. 

 Powers and Functions:

 · It drafts regulations, conduct inquiries and impose penalties.

 · It can regulate any money pooling scheme worth 100 crore or more.

 · The chairman has the authority to order search and seizure operations.

Chandra Shekhar Azad 

 Syllabus: Prelims-Important Policies

Why in News? 

Prime Minister of India has paid tributes to the freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad on his birth anniversary on 23^rd July. 

 Chandra Shekhar Azad:

· He was born on 23^rd July in the year 1906 in Madhya Pradesh.

 · He joined the Non-Cooperation movement when he was 15-year old.

 · He was arrested during the movement.

 · When he was presented before the magistrate, he gave his name as Azad.

 · He also said that his father’s name was swatantrata and his residence as Jail. 

 · Then he came to be known as Chandra Shekhar Azad. 

 · He joined in the Hindustan Republic Association and became a prominent member in the association. 

 · HRA was a revolutionary organisation which was established in the year 1924 in East Bengal.

 · It was founded by Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Narendra Mohan Sen and Pratul Ganguly. 

 · He played an important role in the Kakori Conspiracy case held in the year 1925 by HRA. 

 · The plan of the conspiracy was executed by Chandra Shekhar Azad, Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri etc.

· HRA was later reorganised as Hindustan Socialist Republic Association in the year 1928. 

 · It was established by Chandra Shekhar Azad, Ashfaqulla Khan, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Jagadeesh Chandra Chatterjee. 

 · He was died on 27^th February , 1931.

MGNREGA 

 Syllabus: Prelims-Important Policies 

 Why in News?

MGNREGA requires that priority should be given to women in such a way that at least one third of the beneficiaries shall be women who have registered for work.

 Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act:

· It was enacted on August 25, 2005. 

 · It provides a legal guarantee for one hundred days of employment every year. 

 · The work will be provided to the adult member of any rural household. 

 · The wage for the work should be paid according to the statutory minimum wages specified under Minimum Wages Act, 1948.

· It works under the Ministry of Rural Development. 

 · Its main aim is to improve the purchasing power of the rural people. 

 · According to the scheme, at least one-third beneficiaries should be women.

 · Those who have applied for the work must get the work within 15 days.

· The adult member of the rural households should submit their name, age and address in the Gram Panchayat. 

 · The employment should be provided within 5km of radius. 

 · If it is above 5km of radius, extra wages will be paid. 

 Eligibility:

· He/she must be a citizen of India 

 · The job seeker must have completed 18 years of age. 

 · The job seeker must belong the same village from where he has employed. 

 Issues:

 · Delay in funds 

 · Insufficiency of funds 

 · Ineffective role of Panchayats 

 · Fake Job cards etc.

Questions

1.Consider the following statements regarding African Union:

 Statement-I: The highest decision-making body of the African Union is the Executive Council

 Statement-II: The Executive council assists the Assembly of African Union in making the policy decisions. 

 Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? 

 a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.

 c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect 

 d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct.

2.Consider the following statements regarding PM-DevINE: 

 Statement-I: It is a central sector scheme with 100% Central funding 

 Statement-II: It will be implemented for a period of 10 years. 

 Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? 

 a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect 

 d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct.

3.Consider the following statements regarding CERT-In:

 1. It is a nodal agency which deals with the cyber security. 

 2. It works under the Ministry of Information & Technology 

 Which of the above statements are correct? 

 a) Only 1

 b) Only 2

 c) Both 1&2 

 d) Neither 1 nor 2

4.Consider the following statements regarding PSLV C-56:

 1.It is configured in its core model similar to that of C54.

 2. DS-SAR carries a Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR) payload developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

 3. PSLV is a fourth generation launch vehicle of India. 

 Which of the above statements are correct? 

 a) Only 1

 b) Only 2&3 

 c) Only 2 

 d) Only 1&3

5.Consider the following statements regarding ICMR: 

 Statement-I: The governing body of the ICMR is presided by the Union Ministry of Health and Family welfare. 

 Statement-II: ICMR was formed in the year 1969. 

 Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? 

 a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.

 c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect 

 d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct

6.Consider the following statements regarding Paharis: 

 1. They have attained the ST status recently. 

 2. They are found in the states of Jammu & Kashmir only. 

 Which of the above statements are correct? 

 a. Only 1 

 b. Only 2 

 c. Both 1&2 

 d. Neither 1 nor 2

7.Consider the following statements regarding SEBI: 

 1. It is an executive body formed in the year 1992. 

  2. Its headquarters are located in Mumbai. 

 3. Before SEBI, Controller of Capital Issues was the regulatory authority. 

 How many of the above statements are correct? 

 a) Only One 

 b) Only two 

 c) Only three

 d) None

8.Consider the following statements regarding Chandra Shekhar Azad: 

 Statement-I: He was one of the founders of Hindustan Republic Associations 

 Statement-II: He played an important role in the Kakori Conspiracy case held in the year 1925 by HRA. 

 Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? 

 a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect 

 d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct.

9.Consider the following statements regarding MGNREGA: 

 1. It was introduced in the year 2005. 

 2. It works under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. 

 3. Those who have applied for the work under this scheme must get the work within 30 days. 

 How many of the above statements are correct? 

 a) Only One 

 b) Only two 

 c) Only three 

 d) None

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