Prelims Mantra (Day-17)

Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica):

• • According to report by Environment Ministry, there were 6,324 Ganges River dolphins & three Indus River dolphins.
  • Habitat: Ganges river dolphins once lived in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.
  • Common name – Susu
  • It can only live in freshwater.
  • They are essentially blind, and they hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds (echolocation).
  • Females are larger than males and give birth once every two to three years to only one calf.
  • IUCN Status: Endangered
  • Schedule-I of WPA, 1972.
  • Other river dolphins in world – Baiji (Yangtze River, China), Boto (Amazon River) and Bhulan (Indus River)

Polarimeter to Unify Corona & Heliosphere (PUNCH):

• • Solar Mission launched by
  • First-of-its-kind solar mission that will study solar corona — outermost layer of Sun’s atmosphere.
  • Four identical suitcase-sized satellites will continuously image Sun’s inner corona and provide origins of solar flares.

 

Why are so many solar missions getting launched now? (Aditya L1, India: Launched in September, 2023 and Proba-3, European Space Agency: Launched in December, 2024)

• • Every 11 years or so, Sun’s magnetic field completely flips, meaning its north and south poles switch places. This periodic change is known as solar cycle.
  • Sun is at its most active when magnetic field flips. This phase is called solar maximum. During this period, star can send out more frequent and intense bursts of radiation and particles into space.
  • During solar maximum, Sun’s surface has the most number of sunspots – small, dark and cooler areas where the magnetic field is particularly strong.
  • Solar maximum is best possible window available for physicists to both launch and observe sun. This is precisely why there has been a spike in missions to observe star.

 

Copper reserves:

• • Demand for copper, led by electric vehicle (EV) batteries and clean energy technologies is increasing.
  • Copper is listed as a critical mineral in India.
  • Chile, Peru and DRC are 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd respectively in copper production.
  • India has been looking to secure both greenfield and brownfield mineral assets in copper-rich countries such as Zambia, Chile, and the DRC.

 

Cities Coalition for Circularity (C-3):

• • Launched by India.
  • A multi-nation alliance for city-to-city collaboration, knowledge sharing, and private sector partnerships for sustainable urban development.
  • It will act as forum for sustainable solutions for waste management and resource efficiency in economies of the Asia-Pacic region.

 

12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific inaugurated in Jaipur, India:

• • Organized by: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (India), United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) & Institute for Global Environmental Strategies.
  • It was launched in 2009 to promote sustainable waste management, resource efficiency, and circular economy principles across region.
  • The last Forum was hosted in 2023 by Cambodia.
  • India has previously hosted Forum in 2018 (8th edition, Indore).
  • Hanoi 3R Declaration (2013-2023), which outlined 33 voluntary goals for shifting towards a more resource efficient and circular economy.

 

CITIIS (City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain):

• • It is a sub-component of the Government of India’s Smart Cities Mission.
  • CITIIS 2.0 has been conceived by MoHUA, in collaboration with AFD, German Development Bank (KfW), EU, and NIUA.
  • It is providing financial & technical assistance for promoting a circular economy through integrated waste management projects at city level, climate-oriented reform actions at state level, and institutional strengthening & knowledge management at national level.

 

Godavari Pushkaram:

• • It is a Hindu tradition as sociated with worship of the Godavari and is observed once in 12 years.

 

Orans:

• • They are sacred forests for local communities in Rajasthan.
  • Every oran is presided by a local deity whose idol is placed inside it.

 

Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs) will be taxed in India:

• • For first time in India, Income Tax Bill, 2025 explicitly treats Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs) (like crypto assets, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)) as property & capital assets.
  • By defining them as such, India gains ability to tax, regulate, and seize crypto assets when necessary, preventing their misuse for illicit financial activities.
  • Their sale, transfer, or exchange will be taxed under Capital Gains Tax.

 

Bose metal:

• • It is a kind of anomalous metallic state (AMS).
  • At critical temperature, electrons of superconductors ‘pair up’ without getting closer and together behave in a way that individual electrons can’t. These pairs are called Cooper pairs.
  • Below critical temperature, their electrons experience the net attractive force and pair up — but then they don’t yet condense to form a superconductor. That is, the material doesn’t become a superconductor but just a better conductor, and it conducts electricity with Cooper pairs, not electrons. In this state, the material is said to have become a Bose metal.

 

Places In News:

• • Ofunato, Japan: Japan’s biggest forest fire in three decades.
  • Parandur airport project: Proposed second airport for Chennai.
  • Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Project and Sammakka Sagar Project taken up on Godavari River in Telangana.

 

India’s Agriculture Trade:

• • India is a net agri-commodities exporter. However, the trade surplus has been fluctuating largely due to exports.
  • India’s marine exports — of which frozen shrimp accounts for roughly two-thirds — are mainly to US (34.5% share in 2023-24), China (19.6%), and the European Union (14%).
  • India’s agricultural imports are dominated by two commodities: Edible oils and pulses.
  • India is today a net importer of cotton.

PRACTICE MCQs

 

Q1. Consider the following pairs of river dolphins and the river systems with which they are associated:

1. Susu – Ganga

2. Bhulan – Indus

3. Baiji – Yangtze

4. Boto – Congo

How many of them are correctly matched pairs?

a) Only one

b) Only two

c) Only three

d) All four

Answer: C

 

Q2. Parandur Airport project recently seen in the news is coming up near which of the following cities?

a) Bengaluru

b) Chennai

c) Cochin

d) Vijayawada

Answer: B

 

Q3. Which of the following is correct reason for launching multiple solar missions by different countries in last two years?

a) The ongoing solar maximum is the best time to both launch and observe sun.

b) Sun is near to the Earth in its revolution orbit during this time period.

c) Sun has lower magnetic field activity during this time period of the year.

d) No other planet will obstruct the view of Sun during this time period.

Answer: A

 

Q4. Consider the following statements about the CITIIS initiative:

1. It is a sub-component of the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission.

2. It promotes a circular economy through integrated waste management projects at city level.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: B

 

Q5. Consider the following statements about Cities Coalition for Circularity (C-3):

1. Multi-nation alliance for city-to-city collaboration, knowledge sharing, and private sector partnerships for sustainable urban development.

2. It is launched by World Economic Forum.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: A

 

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