July 4

July 21 – 27, 2022

COVERAGE
Presidential Election
Minority Status in India
Downfall of Rupee
I2U2
Practice Questions (Prelims based MCQs)

+91-9873643487
 INDEX
POLITY 2–5
 Minority Status in India
 Presidential Election

ECONOMY 6–9
 Downfall of Rupee
 NITI Aayog report on Gig economy

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 10 – 12
 I2U2

TECHNOLOGICAL AFFAIRS 13 – 15
 Sustainable Management of Outer Space
 Artificial Intelligence in Defence

PreVitals 16 – 20
 INS Sindhudhvaj
 Fiberization of Towers for 5G Technology
 Marburg Virus
 Large Hadron Collider
 Sun Temple Modhera
 Sarna Religion
 JLN Port
 HPV Vaccine / Cervavac
 Places in News

ANSWERS TO MCQs 21
 Minority Status in India Does the State have power to notify
Minority communities?
 Both the central and state government
Supreme Court recently in
have concurrent powers to declare minority
response to a petition, issued
status. The state government can also
a statement related to
notify minority communities within their
identification of minorities at
state level. jurisdiction.
 For e.g, Maharashtra notified „Jews‟ as a
SYLLABUS : Mechanism, laws, institutions minority community within the State. The
and bodies constituted for the protection decision was based on the Maharashtra
and betterment of vulnerable sections State Minorities Commission Act, 2004.

So, why the petition?

More about News
 A community which is provided ―Minority
 As per the Petition; the followers of Judaism,
Status‖ at state level can only avail the
Bahaism, and Hinduism are the real
benefits of Schemes and scholarships under
minorities in Ladakh, Mizoram,
state government.
Lakshadweep, Kashmir, Punjab and the
 They are not beneficiaries of Union
North-East States. But, they cannot
Government‘s schemes such as 20,000
establish and administer educational
scholarships in the field of technical
institutions because of the non-
education of minority students etc.
identification of „minority‟ at the State
level.
 As per the Census 2011, the percentage of
 In response, the Supreme Court said that
minorities in the country is about 19.3% of
religious and linguistic minority status of a
the total population of the country.
community is to be decided state-wise on the
 The population of Muslims are 14.2%;
basis of state population. Hence, Minority
Christians 2.3%; Sikhs 1.7%, Buddhists
status of religious and linguistic
0.7%, Jain 0.4% and Parsis 0.006%.
communities is “State-dependent”.
 The court said that religious or linguistic
minorities in particular states can claim
Supreme Court‟s judgement on
protection and the right to run their own Minority status
educational institutions under Articles 29 1. Re-Kerala Education Bill: The SC took
and 30 of the constitution. ‗state‘ and rejected ‗district‘ as a unit to
determine minority status of groups claiming
themselves as minorities.
Who is a minority determined by the
2. TMA Pai Foundation (2003): Any
Government of India? community, religious or linguistic, which is
The constitution mentioned the term „minority‟ numerically less than 50 per cent of the
only on two occasions in Article 29 and in Article population of a state is entitled to the
30 but the word “minority” is not defined protection of minority rights. Thus it again
anywhere in the Indian constitution. So, it took ‗state‘ as a unit to determine minority
was left at the discretion of the central status.
government to determine what constitutes 3. Bal Patil 2005: SC again repeated its stance
minorities. of TMA Pai foundation case, that ‗state‘ not
 As per section 2(c) of the National the ‗nation‘ should be the sole unit to
Commission for Minorities Act, 1992,- determine the minority status for both
Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, linguistic as well as religious minority. As
Jain and Zorastrians (Parsis) have been both the linguistic and religious minorities
notified as minority communities. are mentioned in article 30.

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 Constitutional Provisions related to thereby extending gender justice and gender
equality to Muslim women.
Minority in India
5. Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 provides
1. Article 29: Protection of Interests of
for Indian citizenship to certain persecuted
Minorities
religious minorities such as Hindu, Sikhs,
 Art 29(1): ―Any section of the citizens
Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian
residing in the territory of India or any
communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and
part thereof having a distinct language,
Bangladesh which are already in India so
script or culture of its own shall have the
that their basic human rights are met.
right to conserve the same‖. “Section of
citizens” include minorities as well as 6. The Prime Minister‟s 15 point-
the majority. programme: It aims to implement four key
 Art 29(2): ―No citizen shall be denied objectives for minority welfare that include
admission into any educational enhancing opportunities for education,
institution maintained by the State or ensuring equitable share in economic
receiving aid out of State funds on activities and employment, improving
grounds only of religion, race, caste, conditions of living of minorities and
language or any of them‖. prevention and control of communal
The first provision protects the rights of a disharmony and violence by integrating
group while the second deals with the rights various existing central schemes
of citizens as individuals irrespective of the
community to which they belong. It grants Conclusion: In a free democracy like India,
protection to both religious and linguistic minorities should never feel oppressed.
minorities. Mahatma Gandhi once rightly said that the
2. Article 30: Rights of Minorities to civilised nature of a country should not be
Establish and Administer Educational judged by the way it treats minorities. Though
Institutions the record of India in this change since
 Art 30(1): “All minorities, whether based independence does not appear to be
on religion or language, shall have the satisfactory. We still wish that democratic ideas
right to establish and administer of the Indian Constitution will someday be a
educational institutions of their choice.‖ reality for minorities as well.
3. Article 350(A): Special Officer for
linguistic minority.
Q1. In India, if a religious sect/community is
given the status of a national minority,
Measures to promote and protect the
what special advantages is it entitled to?
rights of minorities in India (UPSC 2011)
1. Creation of National commission for 1. It can establish and administer
Minorities as a statutory body under the exclusive educational institutions.
National Commission for Minorities Act 1992 2. The President of India automatically
to monitor the working of safeguards
nominates a representative of the
provided by the constitution and laws
community to Lok Sabha.
enacted by the parliament and state
3. It can derive benefits from the Prime
legislature and making recommendations for
Minister‘s 15-Point Programme.
effective implementation of safeguards.
Which of the statements given above
2. Government has launched various welfare
is/are correct?
schemes and initiatives such as Naya
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2 and 3
Sawera, Nai Udaan for promoting education
(c) Only 1 and 3 (d) 1, 2 and 3
among students of minority communities.
3. Government has launched skill development
and employment generation schemes such Q1. In the light of recent controversy
as USTTAD, Nai Roshni and Seekho aur regarding the status of minorities in India,
Kamao. highlight the constitutional provisions
4. Parliament has passed Muslim Women and measures taken by the government to
(Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act protect the rights of Minorities.
2019, to abolish the practice of Triple Talaq (150 Words / 10 Marks)

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  Any MP/MLA can propose or second the
Presidential Election nomination. But no MP/MLA can
propose or second more than one
The tenure of the current candidate.
President of India Ram Nath  The rule for securing 50 proposers and
Kovind is set to end in July seconders was implemented in 1974 by
this year, which is also when the EC.
the 16th Indian Presidential
election will be held to elect his successor. Returning Officer/Assistant Returning
Officer for the election
SYLLABUS : Appointment to various  By convention, the Secretary General, Lok
Constitutional posts, powers, functions and Sabha or the Secretary General, Rajya
responsibilities of various Constitutional Sabha is appointed as the Returning
Bodies Officer, by rotation.

Key Points Ballot Paper

 The President is elected in accordance with  The ballot paper does not contain any
the provisions of the Constitution and the election symbol. There are two columns on
Presidential and Vice-Presidential the ballot paper. The first column contains
Elections Act, 1952 and the Presidential the name of the candidates. The second
and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules,
column contains the order of preference.
1974.
 No ballot paper is considered invalid solely
 Election conducted by - Election
on the ground that all preferences are not
Commission of India.
marked by the electoral college member.
 Anti-Defection Law is not applicable. So,
Party whip does not apply in this election.
 Provisions of NOTA are not applicable. Value of votes
 The votes are weighted i.e., their value is
Constitutional Provisions determined by the population of each state
 Article 54: Election of President as per Census 1971.
 Article 55: Manner of election of President
(Proportional representation system by
means of a single transferable vote by
secret ballot)
 Article 56:Term of office of President
 Article 57: Eligibility for re-election
 Article 58: Qualifications for election as
President (citizen of India, 35 years of age,
eligible to be a member of the Lok Sabha,
should not be holding any office of profit)

Electoral college (Article 54 of the

Constitution of India)
 The Indian President is elected through
an electoral college system
 Presidential electoral college = all elected
members of the Parliament (Rajya Sabha
and Lok Sabha MPs) + the elected members
of the Legislative Assemblies of States and
Union Territories (MLAs) of Delhi and
Puducherry only.
 Nominated members are not part of the
electoral college.

Nomination of Candidates
 The candidate's nomination must be
supported by 50 proposers and 50
seconders.

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Thus, the value of votes of MLAs differs from state to state. The value of the MPs‟ votes is the same
(~700).

Facts
 Uttar Pradesh has the highest vote value for each of its MLAs (208)
 Sikkim has the lowest vote value for each of its MLAs (7)
The combined value of the Assemblies and Parliament electoral pool is ~10.9 lakh.

While counting, the EC totals up all the valid votes cast by the electoral college through paper ballots
and to win, the candidate must secure 50% of the total votes cast + 1.

Q2. With reference to the election of the President of India, consider the following statements:
(UPSC 2018)
1. The value of the vote of each MLA varies from State to State.
2. The value of the vote of MPs of the Lok Sabha is more than the value of the vote of MPs of the
Rajya Sabha.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

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 Downfall of Rupee

Recently, the rupee fell below the psychological Exchange Rate Level of 80 to 80.05
against the US dollar. In fact, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the rupee
to weaken past the 94 rupees to a dollar mark by FY29.

SYLLABUS : General Studies-3 - Indian Economy & Related Issues

What is Rupee Exchange Rate Causes of Rupee falling

 Russia-Ukraine War
 Rupee Exchange Rate means the number of
 Increase in Dollar index- Resulted in the
Indian Rupees that can be purchased for one rupee hitting all-time lows as it led to outflow
U.S. Dollar. of funds.
This is an important parameter of export-  US tightening monetary policy and rise
import. in interest rates- is causing investors (FPI)
seeking higher returns to pull capital away
from emerging markets such as India and
What determines the rupee‟s value? back into the U.S.
 The value of any currency is determined  Growing import costs and current
by demand for the currency as well as its account deficit- Are the key reasons for the
weakening of the rupee.
supply. When the supply of a currency
 Rise in crude oil prices to 14-year highs-
increases, its value drops. On the other aggravated the rupee fall even further.
hand, when the demand for a currency
increases, its value rises. In the wider It‟s Impact
economy, central banks determine the  Negative-
supply of currencies, while the demand  Oil and other imports will get costly
for currencies depends on the amount widening the current account deficit.
(The current account deficit measures the
of goods and services produced in the gap between the value of imports and
economy. exports of goods and services.)

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  Result in even higher inflation rates: A  Increase the market portfolio of government
falling rupee puts pressure on the already and corporate debt.
high import prices of crude and raw  Provide relaxation in the interest rate and
materials, resulting in higher imported ceiling amount for External Commercial
inflation.
Borrowing loans.
 Import-oriented industries like oil, gas
and chemicals will be the worst hit.
o Hedging is the only way for importers Way Forward
to protect themselves. However, with  RBI as it is in charge of monetary policy
rising hedging costs which is around should focus on containing inflation.
4%, restricts its utility.  The government who is in charge of fiscal
 Companies paying foreign companies policy should control its borrowings (fiscal
royalties for franchises in India will be deficit).
affected.  As higher borrowings will lower domestic
 Sectors like auto, real estate, and savings and force the rest of the economic
infrastructure would be badly affected. agents to borrow from abroad.
 Travellers and students studying abroad
 Policymakers (government and RBI) will have
will have to spend more rupees to buy
to choose their priority: controlling inflation
dollars.
 Equity market- Outflow of foreign portfolio or reducing the exchange rate.
investors (FPI) will led to a decline in  If they choose to contain inflation then
stocks and equity mutual fund economic growth will need to be
investments. compromised.
 Positive-  The Government should speed up India‘s
 Export-oriented companies will be entry into bond indices such as J.P.
benefited. Morgan‘s Emerging-Market Bond Index.
 Competitiveness of Indian goods and  This will lead to forex inflows and have a
services will increase in the global market. gentle impact on interest rates.
o However, since most of the competing  The government should provide confidence to
currencies are also depreciating investors from making fresh investments.
against the US dollar, these benefits
 The government should encourage large
could be limited.
market cap companies to be included in the
o To avail these benefits exporters will
major global indices such as MSCI and
have to enhance efficiency and reduce
production cost, improving FTSE.
competitiveness vis-a-vis exporters  This will increase the weight of Indian
from competing countries. equities in these indices, compensating
 Travel to India gets cheaper: It will boost somewhat for foreign portfolio outflows.
tourism and benefit the local industry.
It is important to note that, at least as of now,
What should policymakers do? the rupee is more resilient than it was in
 At present, in a free system like ours, it is some of the previous crises like the Global
neither wise nor possible for the RBI to Financial Crisis of 2008 and the Taper Tantrum
prevent the falling of rupee. of 2013.
 As defending rupee will result in Although the dollar has become stronger
exhausting the forex reserves. against the rupee, the rupee has become
 RBI should let the rupee depreciate and act stronger than many other currencies such as
as a natural shock absorber to the adverse the Euro. Moreover the recent intervention by
terms of trade. RBI might arrest the fall in the rupee‘s value.
 RBI should focus on taking up such
measures which can contribute to
arresting the rupee‘s slide. Q2. How would the recent phenomena of
weakening of rupee against dollar impact
Measures taken by RBI the economy of India?
(150 Words / 10 Marks)
 Intervening in the spot and forward forex
market
Q3. Discuss major reasons behind the
 Promoting trade settlements between India
and other countries in rupee. weakening of the Indian rupee against the
US dollar. Critically examine the steps
 Offering higher interest rates on fresh
Foreign Currency Non-Resident Bank and taken by RBI in this regard.
Non-Resident External deposits. (150 Words / 10 Marks)

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 that of the low skilled and high skilled
NITI Aayog report on Gig Economy is increasing.
 Platformization of Work: Currently, more
NITI Aayog has released the than 75% of the companies have less than
report ‗India's Booming Gig
10% gig headcount, but it will rise as more
and Platform Economy‘, which
MNCs turn to flexible hiring options.
projects that the Gig
 High potential industries for Gig Workers:
workforce in India may hit
Construction, Manufacturing, Retail, and
23.5 mn by 2030.
Transportation and Logistics.
 More than half of the gig workers today
SYLLABUS : Indian Economy- Issues related
are in these sectors with retail trade and
to employment
sales being the major one.

Who is a Gig Worker?

As per the Code on Social Security, 2020, Gig Benefits of Gig economy
worker is a person who performs work or  Consumer:
participates in a work arrangement and earns  Greater convenience
from such activities outside of traditional  Cheaper goods & services
employer-employee relationship.  Worker:
 Gig workers can be broadly classified into  Flexible working hours
platform and non-platform workers.  More remote working opportunity
 Platform workers are those whose work  Better economic prospects by working for
is based on online software apps or multiple companies as a freelancer.
digital platforms.  Opportunity for personal development.
 Non-platform gig workers are generally  Business:
casual wage workers, working part-time  Reduced employee cost → More
or full- time. profitability
Thus, the platform economy is a part of the  Ability to scale and shrink business based
larger gig economy.
on opportunity.
 Greater diversity at workplace → More
Factors for the rise of Gig economy innovation and creativity.
 Pandemic gave a great push to work on a gig
basis.
Issues faced by Gig workers
 Urbanisation based trend of consumerism.
 Lack of job security and irregular wages.
 Technological advances: Increased access
 The uncertainty of work and income may
to the internet, digital technologies and
lead to increased stress and pressure
smartphones.
 Digital divide: Limited access to internet
 Lack of employment opportunities and
increasing underemployment. and digital technology can be a restrictive
factor for workers willing to take up jobs in
 Emergence of Entrepreneurial Economy:
the gig and platform sector.
Start-up culture, freelancing platforms, etc.
 The Rural-Urban Digital Gap further
 Higher employment elasticity of gig
makes platform work an Urban
workers is favourable for both employee and
employer. phenomenon.
 Lack of Occupational Safety and increased
Key Findings of the Report Health Risk due to contractual relationship
between the employee and employer.
 Workforce numbers: In 2020–21, 77 lakh
workers (1.5% of total Indian workforce) were  Increased monitoring and performance
engaged in the gig economy. evaluation on the basis of ratings leading to
 It is expected to reach 2.35 crore workers increased pressure and stress on the
(~4% of the total workforce) by 2030. workers.
 Skill Level: Currently, about 47% of the gig
work is in medium skilled jobs, about 22% Recommendations
in high skilled and about 31% in low  Catalysing Platformization through a
skilled jobs. Platform India Initiative for promoting
 Concentration of workers in medium ease of starting and doing platform based
skilled jobs is gradually declining while business.

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 Proper Estimation of Gig Workers to While there is freedom, flexibility and
estimate the size of the gig economy and empowerment that comes from participation on
characteristic features of gig workers. the platform economy, a focus on productivity
 Increase formal credit access to Platform alone rather than well-being of workers may
workers: This category may be listed as limit opportunities for those on the geographical
Priority Sector Lending (PSL) and special margins in the long-term. Indian gig workers
emphasis can be given to formal credit for
need to push for legislation to protect
women, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), etc.
themselves as gig work and platforms are here
 Skill development by promoting platform-
to stay and will play a critical role in defining
led models of skilling and upskilling.
 Platforms can collaborate with the India‘s growth story.
Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship, National Skill Q3. Which of the following statements is true
Development Corporation (NSDC), etc and about the Gig economy?
converge their ideas with government (a) Platform economy is a part of the
initiatives. larger gig economy.
 Enhancing Social Inclusion through gender (b) Gig economy is a part of the larger
sensitization and accessibility awareness platform economy.
programmes. (c) Platform economy and gig economy
 Social Security to Gig workers as mean the same thing.
envisaged under the Code on Social (d) Platform economy is a totally different
Security, 2020: Measures for Paid Sick concept than gig economy.
Leave, Insurance and Other Contingency
Benefits should be adopted.
Q4. With reference to the platform economy of
India, which of the following statements
 Government can adopt the five-pronged
is/are correct?
RAISE approach to ensure access to social
1. Social security benefits are provided to
security for all gig and platform workers:
platform workers in India.
 Recognise the varied nature of platform
2. Platform economy provides flexibility to
work to design equitable schemes.
workers.
 Allow augmentation of social security
through innovative financing Select the correct answer using the code
mechanisms. given below:
 Incorporate the specific interests of (a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
platforms, while designing schemes. (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
 Support workers so that they can
subscribe to government schemes and Q4. What is 'Platform Economy'? List out the
welfare programmes through widespread
advantages and challenges of Platform
awareness campaigns.
Economy.
 Ensure benefits are easily accessible to
workers. (150 Words / 10 Marks)

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 I2U2
‗I2U2‘ is a four-nation
grouping with ―I‖ standing for
India and Israel and ―U‖ for
the US and the UAE. The first
virtual summit of I2U2 was
held recently.

SYLLABUS : Bilateral, regional and global

groupings and agreements involving India
and/or affecting India‟s interests

What is I2U2?
 This minilateral grouping was first launched
India‟s equations with other member
in 2021 but it was known as the
countries
“International Forum for Economic
 USA:
Cooperation” back then.
 Both countries are one of the world‘s
 It is also known as the ―Middle East largest democracies and share
Quad‖, ―West Asia Quad‖ and “New significant economic and cultural
Quad” relationships.
 The grouping is aimed at promoting joint  India and the US have become very close
investments in six mutually identified areas strategic partners after signing the
Nuclear deal in 2004.
of water, energy, transportation, space,
 Both the countries are strategically
health, and food security.
collaborating in various fields such as
counter terrorism, intelligence, defence,
Evolution of I2U2 maritime security, space, climate change,
 The most significant event in the initiation of etc.
I2U2 was the signing of the Abraham  Israel:
 Israel has become top defence supplier for
Accord in 2020.
India after Russia.
 Before signing Abraham accord, UAE
 Both countries cooperate on counter
and Israel did not share any formal terrorism, agriculture, science & tech,
relationship because of Palestinian space, and cyber security.
issue.  UAE:
 The Abraham Accord was promoted by  UAE, along with other West Asian
the USA leading to normalisation of official countries, have been the source for
India's energy security.
ties between the UAE and Bahrain with
 The country is one of the top destination
Israel.
countries for the Indian diaspora.
 India already had good relations with all the  Both the countries have signed historic
players in the Accord. comprehensive economic partnership
Thus, I2U2 is a formalisation of the already agreements (CEPA) to establish a duty-
existing strategic cooperation between these free mechanism to boost their bilateral
countries. trade.

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How is I2U2 different from QUAD?  The Indian Navy considers the ‗western
 While the Quad is primarily focused on Indian ocean region‘ as an ‗area of
defence and security to counter China and interest‘.
establish a rule-based world order, thus  Food security: Construction of ―integrated
QUAD has strategic significance while the food parks‖ using cutting-edge, climate-
West Asia Quad or I2U2 seems to focus more smart technologies will help to tackle food
on economic cooperation, and not security insecurity in South Asia and the Middle
cooperation, to strengthen their relationship. East.
 It may also impart a new dimension to the
How do the members benefit from India-UAE food corridor. India already
I2U2? has a ‗Mega Food Park‘ Scheme in place
 USA: since 2008, and this will help maximise
 Boost US efforts to contain Chinese crop yields, tackle food insecurity, and
influence in Asia and the Middle East. enhance our capabilities further.
 Since India enjoys friendly relations with  Technology: Israel will provide advanced
the countries in the region, as well as hydroponics technology for cultivation of
deep cultural and historical links and banana, potato, rice, spices and onion.
vibrant economic ties, it can be called a Biotechnology is also prominent.
‗natural partner‘ for the US in its efforts to  Energy: India and the West Asia region have
revitalise its alliances in the region. been traditionally engaged in the field of
 INDIA: energy security especially for oil and natural
 Now India can balance its relationship gas. Now, the grouping has come to support
with Arab states and Israel more a "hybrid renewable energy project" in
efficiently. Gujarat, consisting of 300 megawatts (MW)
 India has a decent presence in the region of wind and solar capacity.
as it is a major buyer of energy from the  Diaspora and Remittances: India has
region, and also a major supplier of many a considerable diaspora presence in each
consumer goods and human resources to
of these nations and thus I2U2 can act
the West Asian region. This can be further
as a key part of people-driven diplomacy of
enhanced.
India.
 UAE:
 Trade and Investment: USA along with the
 For the UAE, India is a source of
West Asian countries are the largest trading
diversification and modernisation due to
partners of India. It would further boost
India‘s massive IT industries.
trade and investment.
 It provides the UAE an opportunity to
get an edge in the Persian Gulf -- the  Minilateralism: This trend has been on the
maritime route that sees most of Asia's oil rise as the COVID-19 pandemic and the
passing through. Ukraine war have led to diversification of
sources and partners. This has significantly
 ISRAEL:
added more weight to ‗minilaterals‘ such as
 It provides Israel an opportunity to
I2U2.
improve ties with the Arab world. Israel
will look to India‘s assistance in bridging  Continuation of 'Look-West' policy: The
differences between Israel and other Arab I2U2 complements India‘s Look West Policy
countries and resolving problems that as it strengthens its position in the region by
have made the region volatile for decades. collaborating with UAE and Israel on
economic, oil, energy, and defence matters.
Significance of I2U2 for India Additionally, partnering with the US other
than in the Indo-Pacific enhances Indo-US
 Strategic significance
relations.
 The UAE being a country of West Asia is
strategically critical as it is near major sea
lanes and key maritime chokepoints of Key challenges related to I2U2
the Bab-el-Mandeb and the Suez canal.  On Russia: Being seen as the ―New QUAD‖ is
 The West Asia region witnesses maritime a concern as India needs to balance its
piracy, illegal smuggling of drugs, engagement with I2U2 countries as well as
weapons and terrorism. Russia and China.

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 No convergence on the issue of China: The US and India would like the grouping to counter
China‘s growing influence in the Middle East. The UAE is already a signatory to China‘s Belt and
Road Initiative (BRI) and Israel is expected to gain from the initiative due to its strategic geographical
positioning as a transit country, connecting Europe, Asia and Africa.
 Israel and the UAE have no reason to rethink ties with China.
 No Convergence on Iran: The UAE and Israel would like broader support against Iran.
 More regional groupings: The formation of the New Quad may lead to economic and security
cooperation among China, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey.

Way Forward
 India must ensure that its shared interests with Israel and the UAE, does not embitter its
relationship with Iran, given its interest in strategic projects like the Chabahar port.
 Mutual cooperation among the members can help solve conflicting interests.

Conclusion: I2U2 is an ideal example of how ‗minilaterals‘ can reshape West Asia‘s geopolitical
landscape, enabling India to establish both economic relations and long-term security cooperation
through a comprehensive engagement strategy. In recent years, India‘s footprint in the region has grown
substantially, making the I2U2 alliance a natural next step for India to further consolidate those ties.

Q5. The era of multilateralism is transforming into ―minilateralism‖. In the light of this statement
analyse the formation of I2U2 and its impact on India. (150 Words / 10 Marks)

12 CA 0722_004 Byju‟s Classes: 9873643487

 As per the ISRO‘s Space Situational Assessment
Sustainable Management of report, 2021 is the year of highest number of
Outer Space launches and payloads which has significantly
increased the threat of collision.
ISRO has launched a new 2. On-earth risk:
system for safe and  Most debris falling on earth gets burned
sustainable space operations when they enter the earth‘s atmosphere
management- IS4OM, which is because of compression of atmospheric
India‘s another step towards gases, but some of it may fall on earth
sustainable management of outer space. causing severe damage to life and
property on earth.
SYLLABUS : Indigenisation of technology,
Awareness in the field of space Need for sustainable management of
Space Debris
ISRO System for Safe & Sustainable  With the increase in space debris, the risk of
collision has also increased.
Operations Management (IS4OM)
 It will aid India in achieving its SSA (Space
In 2022, about 25,000 articles consisting of
Situational Awareness) goals by providing a
fragmentation debris, spacecraft, rocket bodies
comprehensive and timely information of the
and mission related debris are orbiting Earth.
Space environment to users.
 It will bring a prompt, accurate and efficient
Country-wise contribution in
information on on-orbit collision,
fragmentation, atmospheric re-entry risk, space debris
space based strategic information, hazardous
asteroids and space weather forecast.
 It will safeguard Indian space assets from
collision.

What is space debris?

 A number of satellites and space probes are
launched every year, but not everything
returns. Thousands of non-functional ones
end up in the orbit of the Earth contributing
to what is called – space debris or space
junk.
 The US and Russia are responsible for  Orbital crowding poses a direct threat to
70% of the debris. operation and safety of space missions.
 Moving space objects after completion of a
Risk associated with space debris mission to graveyard orbit or low orbit is not
1. In-orbit risk a sustainable option in the long run.
 Objects in Low Earth Orbit travel at  Increasing space debris may increase the
speeds up to 10km/second, fast enough risk of Kessler syndrome.
to cause significant damage to satellites,
spacecrafts especially to ones with The Kessler Syndrome is a phenomenon in
humans aboard, the International Space which the amount of junk in orbit around
Station (ISS). Earth reaches a point where it just creates
 Increased density may hinder our ability more and more space debris, causing big
to use weather satellites. problems for satellites, astronauts and
mission planners.

13 CA 0722_004 Byju‟s Classes: 9873643487

Measures to manage space debris space missions. Hence all the states need to
1. Clean up the mess collaborate with each other to efficiently manage
 Reducing the amount of trash by adopting the problem of space debris.
better designs of rockets and other
objects. e.g. making reusable rockets can Q6. Space debris has become a major issue in
reduce the wastage. today‘s world. Discuss the risk associated
2. Avoid future debris and measures to tackle the growing
 Developing technologies to remove space problem of space debris.
junks. (150 Words / 10 Marks)
 Use of laser to remove debris by changing
their course and making them fall
towards the atmosphere of Earth and Artificial Intelligence in Defence
later burn up.
3. Tracking space debris The defence minister recently
 Mitigate damage by tracking space debris launched 75 newly-developed
using technologies for averting disaster. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
products during the first ever
Challenges: Artificial Intelligence in
Defence (AIDef) symposium and exhibition of AI-
 Cleaning the debris that already exists comes
enabled solutions.
at a high cost, because it will take multiple
trips to remove objects from space.
SYLLABUS : General Studies-III : Artificial
International guidelines for Intelligence, Indigenization of Technology,
Awareness in the field of defence
sustainable management of outer
space:
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)
 Outer space is considered a shared natural
resource, the United Nations Committee on  AI refers to systems or machines that
the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) mimic human intelligence to perform
in 2019 adopted a set of 21 voluntary, non- cognitive tasks like learning problem-
binding guidelines to ensure the long-term solving and decision making.
sustainability of outer space activities.  Artificial intelligence has infiltrated almost
every civilian industry imaginable. It has
International organisations working changed the way people and businesses
towards management of space debris: work, and it is now becoming an important
1. Inter Agency Space Debris Coordination component of modern combat.
Committee(IDAC)
2. IAF Space Debris Working Group Application of Artificial Intelligence in
3. IAA Space Traffic Management Working Defence
Group  Training: AI combined with augmented
4. ISO Space Debris Working Group
reality and virtual reality can be used for
5. UNCOPUOS
creating simulations and training models to
India is an active member in all these
train the soldiers.
organisations.
 Surveillance: AI combined with geospatial
Other projects aimed at removal of analysis can help in the detection of any
suspicious activity, as well as alerting the
space debris
appropriate authorities.
1. Project Netra: launched by ISRO to monitor
 Ammunition and Arms: AI-enabled
space debris.
2. Astro Carta: plan of U.K for space technology like advanced missiles, can
sustainability based on artemis accord. estimate and examine the target level
3. NEO-01: a robot prototype launched by without the need for human participation.
China to clear space debris.  Logistic system: Military operations often
have to deal with logistics too. Artificial
Conclusion: Outer space is a common Intelligence plays a critical role in ensuring
resource and increasing space debris is a the safety, security and efficiency of the
matter of concern for all the states in their logistic system.

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 Cybersecurity: A hacked and malevolent  According to UN chief António Guterres -
network might jeopardise the security of the ―machines with the power and discretion to
entire country. AI is being used by defence take lives without human involvement are
agencies to forecast and protect against politically unacceptable, morally repugnant
unauthorised intrusions. and should be prohibited by international
 AI in unmanned vehicles and systems: can law‖.
be used for patrolling in harsh terrains and  AI black box and lack of explainability and
weather conditions. accountability would open it up for risk in its
application in defence environments.
Government‟s Initiatives in the field of  There exist certain ethical concerns of using
AI in defence.
AI in Defence
 Centre for Artificial Intelligence and
Robotics (CAIR), a DRDO laboratory,
Way Forward
initiated a project to develop AI-based  Developing a clear vision of the AI programme
solutions for signal intelligence which will is necessary for a middle-income country like
help to enhance intelligence and analysis India.
capabilities for the armed forces.  The Government needs to increase
 Energy Harvesting-based Infrared Sensor investment in developing critical infrastructure
Network for Automated Human Intrusion like data banks.
Detection (EYESIRa) is a project powered by  India should develop robust hardware and
AI and IoT for detecting human intrusion on data banks within the country, ensuring
borders by armed forces. strategic independence.
 The Comprehensive Integrated Border  The government should create a supportive
Management System (CIBMS) is integrated ecosystem for the AI industry.
with AI-enabled image recognition and  An Academia-industry-policy should be
automated alerts that will help the Border created to realise the strategic, societal and
Security Force (BSF) personnel with spotting cultural implications of AI in defence
intruders if they try to enter the Indian  India should seek for international
territory. partnership for developing AI based defence
 Rustom 2 UAV: A medium-altitude technology.
unmanned aerial vehicle that can carry  Rather than seeking innovation India could
different combinations of payloads. capitalise on the late-movers advantage, to
 Use of startups: Innovations for Defence fulfil its basic security needs.
Excellence (iDEX) was established to foster
innovation and technology development in Conclusion: It is important for India to
the defence and aerospace industries by recognise the dual-use nature of artificial
engaging MSMEs, individuals, startups, and intelligence and open its market to AI
academia. investments in defence. The 49% cap on FDI
policy in defence should be revisited.
Challenges Policymakers should consider the prospects of
 Policymakers must have a sound combining — Make in India in Defence and
understanding of the objectives of AI in Digital India — to bring a technological
defence. revolution in the defence industry. Lastly, India
 The lack of critical infrastructure is one of must not ignore the progress made by China in
the biggest hurdles. the field of artificial intelligence. Hence, this is
high time for India to step up in the arena of AI
 The private sector plays a very crucial role in
arms race.
making AI accessible and efficient. However,
only 49% of the foreign investment is
permitted within the automatic route. Q7. Critically examine the applications of AI
technology in Indian defence forces. What
 Issue of using AI in defence/weaponry is that
are the ethical issues involved?
it might not perform as desired, leading to
(250 Words / 15 Marks)
catastrophic results

15 CA 0722_004 Byju‟s Classes: 9873643487

  INS Sindhudhvaj has been decommissioned from the Indian navy after remaining in service
INS Sindhudhvaj

for 35 years.
 Sindhudhvaj, commissioned in 1987 was a Kilo-class submarine India acquired from
Russia.
 It was the only submarine to be awarded the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) rolling trophy for
Innovation by the Prime Minister.
The Navy includes seven Russian Kilo-class submarines, four German HDW submarines, four
French Scorpene submarines, and the indigenous nuclear ballistic missile submarine INS Arihant.

 For accessing 5G technology, the infrastructure needed requires existing radio towers to be
connected via optical-fibre cables. This process is called fiberisation.
Fiberization of Towers for 5G Technology

Optical fibre cable: Optical cables are used to transfer digital data signals in the form of
light.

 Benefits:
 It helps provide full utilisation of network capacity
 Additional bandwidth
 Stronger backhaul support
 Carry large amounts of data

Challenges
 Currently, only 33% of towers are fiberised in India.
 Unsatisfactory collaboration between local bodies and state government with respect to
Right of Way rules.
 Concerned ministries have not yet adopted the rules citing their own departmental rules.
 Variations in cost/kilometre of fibre laid vary not just from state to state, but from city to
city.

It is a filovirus that causes fatal hemorrhagic fever, according to the WHO.

Filovirus is the single-stranded RNA virus.

 Fruit bats are considered to be the host of Marburg virus.

 It can spread through direct contact with blood, secretion or other bodily fluid from infected
people and contaminated surfaces and materials like bedding or clothing.
Fatality rate: fatality rate varies between 24-88% and the mortality rate is very high.
Marburg Virus

Symptoms
 The incubation period varies from 2 to 21 days.
 Severe viral hemorrhagic fever interferes with blood‘s ability to clot.
 Severe headache, Muscle ache and anxiety.
 Diarrhoea, nausea, lethargy and bleeding through vomit, faeces and from other parts of the
body.

Detection & Treatment

 Virus can be detected through antibody, antigen and polymerase chain reaction tests.
 There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments available but survival chances can be
improved by treating the specific symptoms.

16 CA 0722_004 Byju‟s Classes: 9873643487

  It is a giant, complex machine built to study particles that are the smallest known building
blocks of all things.
 It is a 27-km-long track-loop buried 100 metres underground on the Swiss-French border.
 It was constructed by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).
Large Hadron Collider

Working of LHC
 Two beams of protons are fired at a speed of light inside the ring of superconducting
electromagnet.
 Protons in a beam pipe are guided by a magnetic field created by a superconducting
electromagnet.
 Electromagnets must be kept chilled as they carry heavy current. LHC uses liquid helium to
keep its critical components ultracold at minus 271.3°C.

Achievements
 Higgs Boson or the ‗God Particle‘ was found during the LHC‘s first run.
 It is the fundamental particle associated with the Higgs field, which gives mass to other
fundamental particles such as electrons and quarks.

The Union Home Minister

recently announced that
Ahmedabad Railway Station will
be developed on the theme of
Modhera Sun Temple.

Modhera Sun Temple

 Located on the banks of
Pushpavati river in
Sun Temple Modhera

Modhera, Gujarat
 It was built by King Bhimdev
of the Solanki dynasty in
1026 AD, in honour of the
Sun God
 The Temple is divided into
three parts namely Surya Kund (the reservoir), Sabha Mandap (the assembly hall) and
Guda Mandap (the shrine hall).
 The temple is designed in such a way that during every equinox, the first ray of the rising
sun would fall on a diamond placed on the head of the Sun God.
 In 2014, Modhera Sun Temple entered the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
 A three-day dance festival is hosted every year in January, known as the Uttarardha
Mahotsav.
 Other Important Sun Temples in India: Konark Sun temple (Odisha), Brahmanya Dev
Temple (Madhya Pradesh), Suryanaar Kovil (Tamil Nadu), Arasavalli (Andhra Pradesh),
Dakshinaarka Temple Gaya (Bihar), Martand Sun temple (Kashmir), Surya Pahar (Assam),
etc.

 Various tribal communities in five states, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar and
Assam, have demanded that the Centre recognise their religion as ‗Sarna‘ and ensure their
enumeration under this category during the upcoming census.
Sarna Religion

 The demand seems a way to assert tribal identity and maintain its distinct religious,
cultural and traditional way of life.

About the Sarna Religion

 The followers of Sarna faith worship nature.
 The holy grail of the faith is “Jal, Jungle, Zameen”.
 They believe in protecting the forest area.
 They do not follow the Varna system.

17 CA 0722_004 Byju‟s Classes: 9873643487

 Jawaharlal Nehru Port becomes India‘s first full landlord port.

About Landlord Port

 The landlord port is characterised by its mixed public-private orientation. The port
authority maintains ownership of the port while the infrastructure is leased to private
firms.
 In this model, the publicly governed port authority acts as a regulatory body and as
landlord.
JLN Port

 The private companies carry out port operations like cargo-handling activities.
 The private firms provide and maintain their own superstructure and install own equipment
to handle cargo
 In return, the landlord port gets a share of the revenue from the private entity.

About Jawaharlal Nehru Port

 JLN port also known as Nhava Sheva port is located in Navi Mumbai.
 It was commissioned in 1989 and is one of the largest container handling port in India
 It is ranked 26th among the top 100 global ports (as per Lloyd's List Top 100 Ports 2021
Report).

Serum Institute of India (SII) has received approval from Drug Controller General of India
(DGCI) for the vaccine.

About Cervavac
HPV Vaccine / Cervavac

 It is India‟s first quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (qHPV).

 It is intended to protect women against cervical cancer.
 It is a VLP (virus-like particles) based vaccine, similar to the hepatitis B vaccine, and
provides protection by generating antibodies against the HPV virus‟s L1 protein.
 HPV vaccination was introduced in 2008 & is yet to be included in the national
immunisation programme.

About Cervical Cancer

 It is a common sexually transmitted infection with certain types of HPV.
 It is the second most common cancer type and the second most common cause of cancer
death in women of reproductive age (15–44), killing one woman every 8 minutes.
 Early detection and effective management can prevent it.

Places in News

The Sakurajima volcano, located on the southern tip of

Kyushu, recently erupted.

About Kyushu Island

 It is the southernmost and third largest of the four
main islands of Japan.
Kyushu Island

 It is bordered by the East China Sea in the west and

the Pacific Ocean in the east.
 Kyushu is separated from the island of Honshu by the
Shimonoseki Strait or Kanmon strait and from
Korea by the Tsushima Strait, or Eastern Channel.
 Mount Aso, one of the world‟s largest active volcanic craters, is located here.
 Being the nearest to the Asian continent, historically it act as the gateway to Japan
 Kyushu is called „land of fire‟ because of various caldera volcanoes.
Japan comprises the four large islands- Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, and other
smaller islands.

18 CA 0722_004 Byju‟s Classes: 9873643487

  A small island country in the
western pacific ocean.
 Federated States of Micronesia
(FSM) consists of four island
states, Yap, Chuuk, Kosrae
and Pohnpei all in the
Caroline Islands.
Micronesia

 Micronesia has the 14th

largest exclusive economic
zone in the world.
 It shares its sea borders with
other small island nations like
the Republic of Marshall
Islands, Palau, Kiribati, and
the Mariana Islands.
 Neighbouring states:
Philippines in the west,
Hawaii in the east, Papua New Guinea and Australia to the south, Japan to the north.

Q5. Which one of the following is the best Which of the statements given above
description of ‗INS Sindhudhvaj‘, that was is/are correct?
in the news recently? (a) Only 1
(a) Amphibious warfare ship (b) Only 2
(b) Kilo-class submarine (c) Both 1 and 2
(c) Torpedo launch and recovery vessel (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(d) Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
Q9. Which of the following is/are famous for
Q6. With reference to the religious practices in Sun Temples? (UPSC 2017)
India, consider the following statements: 1. Arasavalli
1. The ―Sarna religion‖ is a sub-sect of 2. Amarkantak
Jainism. 3. Omkareshwar
2. The people of Sarna faith follow a Select the correct answer using the code
distinct varna system. given below:
3. The followers of Sarna faith worship (a) Only 1
nature. (b) Only 2 and 3
Which of the statements given above (c) Only 1 and 3
is/are correct? (d) 1, 2 and 3
(a) Only 1 and 2 (b) Only 1 and 3
(c) Only 3 (d) 1, 2 and 3 Q10. With reference to Modhera Sun
Temple, consider the following
Q7. Consider the following statements: statements:
1. Fruit bats are considered to be the 1. It was built during the reign of
host of Marburg virus. Kachchhapaghata Dynasty.
2. Marburg virus is a Rhabdovirus. 2. It is included in the list of UNESCO
Which of the statements given above World Heritage Sites.
is/are correct? 3. It was meant to promote the Vaishnava
(a) Only 1 cult in the region.
(b) Only 2 4. Ahmedabad Railway Station will be
(c) Both 1 and 2 developed on the theme of Modhera
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 Sun Temple.
Which of the statements given above are
Q8. Consider the following statements : correct?
1. Filoviruses have single-stranded RNA (a) Only 1 and 2
genomes. (b) Only 2 and 3
2. Marburg virus is sometimes caused by (c) Only 2 and 4
a filovirus. (d) Only 3 and 4

19 CA 0722_004 Byju‟s Classes: 9873643487

Q11. Which one of the following statements is Q15. Consider the following statements:
correct regarding the landlord port model? 1. The Sakurajima volcano is an active
(a) A Private company maintains volcano located in Kyushu, Japan.
ownership of the port. 2. Kyushu island is called ‗land of
(b) Out port operations like cargo-
fire‘ because of various caldera
handling activities are handled by the
volcanoes.
port authority.
3. Kyushu island is the northernmost
(c) The port authority acts as a regulatory
body cum landlord. and third largest of the four main
(d) Jawaharlal Nehru Port becomes the islands of japan.
second landlord port in India. Which of the above statement(s) is/are
correct?
Q12. Fiberization of towers, which was in news (a) Only 1
recently in context of 5G technology, is (b) Only 1 and 2
necessary because: (c) Only 3
1. It provides full utilisation of network (d) Only 1 and 3
capacity.
2. It provides additional bandwidth and
Q16. Consider the following pairs of regions
stronger backhaul support.
sometimes mentioned in news:
3. It carries large amounts of data.
Islands Regions
Select the correct answer using the codes
1. Tiran Red Sea
given below:
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2 and 3 2. Micronesia Atlantic sea
(c) Only 1 and 3 (d) 1, 2 and 3 3. Kyushu Japan
Which of the pairs given above are
Q13. With reference to Large Hadron Collider correctly matched?
(LHC) experiment, consider the following (a) Only 1
statements: (b) Only 2 and 3
1. LHC is an experiment to study the (c) Only 1 and 3
smallest known building block of the (d) 1, 2 and 3
matter.
2. It was constructed by the European
Q17. Consider the following pairs:
Organisation for Nuclear Research
1. Caroline Islands — Micronesia
(CERN).
2. Hokkaido — Japan
Which of the statements given above
is/are correct? 3. Pohnpei — Spain
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2 Which of the pairs given above are
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 correctly matched?
(a) Only 1 and 2
Q14. Consider the following statements : (b) Only 3 and 4
1. The Serum Institute of India produced (c) Only 1, 2 and 3
a Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (d) Only 1, 2 and 4
(HPV) vaccine named Cervavac.
2. Cervavac is India's first quadrivalent Q18. Which one of the following pairs of islands
human papillomavirus vaccine.
is separated from each other by the
3. It is a VLP (virus-like particles) based
Kanmon strait:
vaccine.
(a) Kyushu and Honshu
Which of the statements given above are
(b) Palau and Kiribati
correct?
(a) Only 1 and 2 (b) Only 2 and 3 (c) caroline and Marshall island
(c) Only 1 and 3 (d) 1, 2 and 3 (d) Sumatra and Java

20 CA 0722_004 Byju‟s Classes: 9873643487

1. Ans. : (c) 10. Ans. : (c)

2. Ans. : (a) 11. Ans. : (c)

3. Ans. : (a) 12. Ans. : (d)

4. Ans. : (b) 13. Ans. : (c)

5. Ans. : (b) 14. Ans. : (d)

6. Ans. : (c) 15. Ans. : (b)

7. Ans. : (a) 16. Ans. : (c)

8. Ans. : (c) 17. Ans. : (a)

9. Ans. : (a) 18. Ans. : (a)

21 CA 0722_004 Byju‟s Classes: 9873643487