4 December 2024

• Space: ISRO launched ESA's Proba-3 mission from Sriharikota on PSLV-XL, marking a precision formation-flying first in Indian launch history.
• Polity: Debates on South Korean martial law sharpened comparative analysis of executive emergency powers.
• Governance: MGNREGA job-card deletions and FSSAI's high-risk food reclassification were in focus.
• Science: Extrachromosomal DNA research opened new cancer-treatment directions.

GS area: Science and Technology

ISRO launched the European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, on 4 December 2024.

• Vehicle: PSLV-XL, the extended version of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. PSLV-XL uses six larger strap-on solid motors for additional thrust.
• Mission type: Precise formation flying. Two spacecraft maintain millimetre-level precision 150 metres apart in a highly elliptical orbit.
• Objective: Create artificial solar eclipses to observe the Sun's corona for up to six hours per orbit.
• Two spacecraft: The Occulter Spacecraft blocks the Sun's bright disc; the Coronagraph Spacecraft photographs the corona from behind the shadow.
• Why corona study matters: The corona reaches temperatures of 1 to 3 million degrees Celsius, far exceeding the 5,500-degree surface. Understanding it improves space weather forecasting and protects satellites and power grids from solar storms.
• ISRO's commercial role: ISRO's commercial arm, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), provided the launch service for ESA.
• Previous notable PSLV-XL launches: Chandrayaan-1 (2008), Astrosat (2015), Mars Orbiter Mission (2013).

Static linkage: Science and technology (space missions, ISRO, solar science).

GS area: Governance, Social Justice

The Supreme Court examined mass deletion of MGNREGA job cards without due process.

• Legal basis for deletions: Schedule II, Paragraph 23 of the MGNREGA Act, 2005. Deletions are permitted only on specified grounds.
• Valid grounds: Permanent migration out of the panchayat area, duplicate cards, fictitious applicants, reclassification of area from rural to urban, or proven disinterest of the worker.
• Mandatory procedure: Verification must be done in person. The worker must get an opportunity to present their case before two witnesses. The decision must be recorded in the MGNREGA Management Information System (MIS). The Gram Sabha must be informed.
• The problem: Multiple states deleted lakhs of cards without following the verification procedure, denying households the right to 100 days of guaranteed employment.
• MGNREGA basics: The Act guarantees unskilled wage employment to adult members of any rural household. The Centre bears the entire wage cost. States share material and administrative costs.

Static linkage: Government schemes (MGNREGA), governance (accountability).

GS area: Governance, Public Health

FSSAI classified packaged drinking water and mineral water as high-risk foods.

• FSSAI authority: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the FSS Act, 2006. It functions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• High-risk food classification means: Enhanced testing frequency, stricter record-keeping, and priority inspections by food safety officers.
• Existing high-risk categories: Dairy products, meat and poultry, fish and seafood, eggs, fortified foods and specialised nutrition products (infant formula, medical foods).
• Why water was added: Contamination risks during bottling and distribution, particularly microbiological. The reclassification also removed redundant dual certification with BIS.
• Prelims point: FSSAI does not come under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. A common exam trap.

Static linkage: Governance (food safety, regulatory bodies).

GS area: Science and Technology, Environment

Nano bubble technology was operationalised for water purification at the National Zoological Park, New Delhi.

• Nano bubble dimensions: 70 to 120 nanometres (one nanometre is one-billionth of a metre).
• Surface properties: Negatively charged surface that attracts positively charged pollutants. Neutrally buoyant so they stay suspended for weeks to months.
• Mechanism: On collapse, nano bubbles release hydroxyl radicals that oxidise organic contaminants, pathogens and algae.
• Applications beyond zoos: Municipal wastewater treatment, agricultural irrigation enhancement, pharmaceutical manufacturing, aquaculture oxygenation.
• Chemical-free advantage: Avoids chlorine and other chemical inputs in enclosed wildlife habitats.

Static linkage: Science and technology (nanotechnology, environmental applications).

GS area: Science and Technology, Education

SheSTEM 2024, organised by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and the Embassy of Sweden, focused on battery technology and energy storage.

• AIM: Atal Innovation Mission operates under NITI Aayog. Its key programmes are Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) in schools and Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) for startups.
• Battery technology context: Lithium-ion batteries dominate current storage. Solid-state batteries, sodium-ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells are next-generation candidates. India imports almost all battery cells, making domestic manufacturing a strategic priority.
• BEST theme significance: Battery and Energy Storage Technology is central to India's EV transition and renewable energy integration goals.

Static linkage: Government schemes (AIM, NITI Aayog), science and technology.

GS area: Art and Culture, Ancient History

Excavations at Kumhrar in Patna have revealed a 80-pillar hall linked to the Mauryan period.

• Historical significance: Kumhrar is identified with ancient Pataliputra, capital of the Magadha and Maurya empires. The Third Buddhist Council under Emperor Ashoka was held here around 250 BCE.
• The pillared hall: Initially 72 polished sandstone pillars were found, with 8 additional ones later. Total: 80 pillars.
• Pillar material: Chunar sandstone (from Chunar in present-day Uttar Pradesh). The same quarries supplied Ashokan pillar edicts found across India.
• Height: Each pillar is about 32 feet tall.
• Additional find: An Arogya Vihar (hospital-monastery) from the Gupta period was also discovered at the site.
• Prelims relevance: Questions on Mauryan administration, Pataliputra and Buddhist councils are perennial.

Static linkage: Ancient history (Mauryan period, Buddhist councils, Pataliputra).

• MH-60R Seahawk helicopters: The US government approved a support deal worth 1.17 billion dollars for India's 24 MH-60R Seahawk multi-role naval helicopters. Nine had been inducted so far. The Seahawk carries Hellfire missiles and MK 54 torpedoes.
• ICIMOD turns 41: The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, established on 5 December 1983, is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. Its eight member countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. It launched an Air Quality Dashboard for the Indo-Gangetic Plain.