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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) kicked off the New Year with the launch of the PSLV-C58 X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) mission.
The PSLV, in its 60th mission, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and 22 minutes later launched the XPoSat into an eastward low inclination orbit.
The successful launch put India in an elite category as it has become the second nation to send an observatory to study astronomical sources such as black holes, neutron stars among others.
On January 1, 2024 yet another successful mission of the PSLV has been accomplished. The PSLV-C58 has placed the primary satellite XPoSat in the desired orbit of 650 km with six-degree inclination.
Editorial
Reigniting the flame of India-Korea defence cooperation (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
In the intricate tapestry of global geopolitics, defence collaboration emerges as a foundational imperative, crucial for the preservation of international peace and stability.
The recent diplomatic overture during the visit of General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Army Staff of India, in November 2023, to the Republic of Korea, signifies a critical juncture in the trajectory of India-Korea defence relations.
While this visit fortified diplomatic ties, it also unveiled the challenges, necessitating meticulous consideration. This prompts an exploration of the challenges faced by India and Korea in enhancing their defence cooperation, along with an examination of opportunities for mutual growth.
Despite recent high-level engagements, a challenge that persists is the absence of a shared vision for a new comprehensive defence framework, one that can provide a robust structure under which both nations can operate and align their policies to construct a novel and sustainable emerging regional order.
The imperative for India and Korea is to transcend the confines of bilateral cooperation, and embrace a paradigm shift that cultivates a more profound understanding of their roles in the swiftly evolving global scenario.
Responding to the new COVID-19 sub-variants (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
It is four years since the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV, later renamed as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 or SARS-CoV2) was first reported on December 31, 2019 from China.
In the months which followed, it caused severe COVID-19 waves in nearly every country, across the world. Alongside, at end December or early new year, there would be news of a new variant or sub-variant, or of a surge in cases in some countries.
At the end of 2021, it was an Omicron variant (BA.1.1.529), and by the end 2022, the COVID-19 case surge in China made news. Now, a new subvariant of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the JN.1, is making news.
The JN.1 sub-variant of Omicron has been reported from multiple countries and designated as a variant of interest (VoI) by the World Health Organization.
This has raised some concerns and caused some worries. But is it really cause for concern? The short answer is a no. The reason is that the reporting of a new variant or sub-variant is on expected lines.
In fact, in May 2023, while declaring the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO had highlighted the need for continuous tracking of the virus and its variants. The rationale was simple.
The pandemic is over, but SARS-CoV-2 was and is circulating in all countries and all settings and will continue to do so for long, and possibly forever. That is how most viruses behave.
Therefore, there is always the possibility of some seasonal changes in the number of cases, at unpredictable intervals.
A linked feature is that the genetic material of the circulating viruses — especially of the respiratory virus — keeps changing over a period. These changes in genetic structure (genome) result in the designation of new variants and sub-variants.
Opinion
Attacks in the Red Sea by the Houthis may hit India’s oil trade (Page no. 7)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea since November to show their support for the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in its war against Israel.
This has prompted major shipping companies to take the longer and costlier route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope rather than through the Suez Canal.
This is a cause for concern for India as it is a major importer of crude oil from Russia and a significant player in the export of petroleum products to Europe, both of which require transportation through the Suez Canal.
According to a recent Reuters report, at least four tankers transporting diesel and jet fuel from West Asia and India to Europe are taking the longer route around Africa to avoid the Red Sea. The diverted vessels were carrying a combined 2.4 million barrels of diesel and jet fuel.
Text & Context
Why did FIU IND act against virtual asset providers? (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
On December 28, the Financial Intelligence Unit India (FIU IND) issued show-cause notices to nine offshore virtual digital asset service providers (VDA SPs), including Binance, Kucoin, Huobi, Bitfinex and MEXC Global, among others.
This was for “operating illegally” without complying with the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
It has also been written to the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to block URLs of the mentioned entities.
In March 2023, Virtual Digital Asset Service Providers (VDA SPs) in India were brought under anti-money laundering/counter financing of terrorism regulations.
They were mandated to comply with PMLA 2002, verify the identities of onboarded clients, and maintain records of their financial positions and potentially suspicious transactions.
This obligation applies to all VDA SPs operating in India irrespective of physical presence. Non-registration made entities non-compliant despite serving Indian users.
To put it in perspective, the entities “though catering to a substantial part of Indian users were not getting registered and coming under the Anti Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Financing of Terrorism Network (CFT) framework”. Currently, 31 VDA SPs have registered with FIU IND.
India’s 1991 crisis and the RBI Governor’s role (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
S.Venkitaramanan, an IAS officer who served as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from December 1990 to December 1992 passed away recently.
Two events in which he had participated are worth recording. Both show him as a statesman who did his best for his country, for which he deserves to be remembered.
Starting in late 1990, India faced a severe balance of payments stress. This had been precipitated by a slowing of inward remittances and a rise in the price of oil following the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussain.
The current account of the balance of payments was subjected to a double whammy, a reduction of receipts and a rise in the value of imports.
In 1990-91 the current account deficit swelled to 3 percent of the GDP, a level highest by far in two decades. There was speculation that India would default on its external payment obligations.
How radiocarbon dating revolutionised science (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
From thermodynamics to GPS, from social systems theory to studies of consciousness, time plays an essential role in how we study, interpret, and understand the natural universe and the peoples and technologies that occupy it.
Keeping time in particular allows us to understand its passage and the change by which that passage is characterised.
The technique called radiocarbon dating brought the first verifiable way to do this to many fields of science, transforming them – and our world – to a significant degree.
Dating’ is a method by which the age of an object can be determined. Radiocarbon dating refers to a method that does this using radiocarbon, a name for the isotope carbon-14.
Carbon-14 is created in the earth’s atmosphere when cosmic rays – energetic streams of charged particles coming from sources in outer space – slam into the atoms of the gases and release neutrons. When these neutrons interact with the nitrogen-14 nitrogen isotope, they can produce carbon-14.
News
India and Pak. exchange list of nuclear installations (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Continuing an annual practice since 1992, India and Pakistan on Monday exchanged a list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral pact that prohibits the two sides from attacking each other’s atomic facilities.
The exchange of the list took place under provisions of an agreement on the prohibition of attack against nuclear installations and facilities. It was done simultaneously through diplomatic channels in New Delhi and Islamabad.
The exchange of the list came amid frosty ties between the two countries over the Kashmir issue as well as cross-border terrorism.
Case-by-case exemption from new MGNREGS payment system: Centre (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
Workers will get exemption on a case-to-case basis from the Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS) of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the Union Rural Development Ministry said that 34.8% of the registered workers and 12.7% of active workers remain ineligible for this mandatory payment method.
The push for the new system has also led to a high rate of job card deletions, as evidenced by anecdotal evidence and ground reports.
It reported that 7.6 crore workers have been deleted since April 2022, as per data collated by Lib Tech India, a consortium of academics and activists.
The Ministry, in its response, asserted, “Job cards of household can be deleted only in certain specific conditions but not due to ABPS. Updation/deletion of Job Cards is a regular exercise conducted by the States/UTs.”
World
Major, Japan quake triggers tsunami, residents told to run (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 1, Geography)
Tsunami waves over a metre high hit central Japan on Monday after a huge earthquake that damaged homes, set off a major fire and prompted authorities to urge people to run to higher ground.
Officials put the magnitude at 7.6 and said that it was one of more than 50 quakes of 3.2 magnitude or more to rock the region on the New Year’s Day holiday.
Television channels interrupted normal services with special programming including of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urging people in danger areas to “evacuate as soon as possible” to higher ground.
We realise your home, belongings are precious to you, but your lives are important above everything else! Run to the highest ground.
Waves at least 1.2 meters high hit the Wajima port and a series of smaller tsunamis were reported elsewhere, including as far away as the northern island of Hokkaido.
Science
Parliament security breach accused underwent psychoanalysis – what is it? (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
On December 22, the Delhi Police said the six individuals accused in the Parliament breach incident underwent psychoanalysis at a government institute in the city in order to ascertain their motives.
The term ‘psychoanalysis’ is usually restricted to the medical literature on mental health when it isn’t provoking suspicious questions.
For example, in my own practice, many of my clients have asked me, “Are you psychoanalysing my mind?” Psychoanalysis is an important tool but is often misunderstood.
Psychoanalysis isn’t a form of psychotherapy but in fact a worldview. It was the first modern Western system of psychotherapy.
The Viennese psychiatrist Sigmund Freud coined the term and developed it with many of his colleagues and peers. He developed psychoanalysis as a treatment modality for people presenting with symptoms that other physicians were unable to treat.