Prelims Mantra (Day-8)

• Remission:
  • Supreme Court has directed states with remission policies to consider premature release of prisoners even if they don’t apply for remission beforehand. With exceptions for certain kinds of convicts, states are empowered to release prisoners before completion of their sentence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC).
  • Power of remission refers to the power to reduce the period of a sentence for a person who has been found guilty of a crime. Section 473 of the BNSS (and Section 432 of the CrPC) grants state governments the power to remit sentences “at any time”.
  • States can also choose whether to impose conditions that the convict must meet for her sentence to be remitted, such as agreeing to report to a police officer at regular intervals. If any of these conditions are not fulfilled, the provision states that the states may cancel the remission granted and arrest the convict again without a warrant.
  • This is separate from the power of the President and the Governor to remit sentences under Articles 72 and 161 of the Constitution respectively.
  • One of the restraints placed on state government’s power of remission can be found under Section 475 of BNSS (and Section 433A of the CrPC). For convicts serving a life sentence and have been found guilty of an offence punishable by death, state cannot release them from prison until at least 14 years imprisonment have been served.
• Article 101(4): If for a period of sixty days a member of either House of Parliament is without permission of the House absent from all meetings thereof, the House may declare his seat vacant. The 60 days, however, do not account for “any period during which the House is prorogued or is adjourned for more than four consecutive days”. Effectively, the period of absence is only calculated based on the actual sittings of Parliament. For long absences, MPs write to the ‘Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House’, the parliamentary panel that deals with this issue. The committee makes recommendations on each leave application, which are then ratified by the House concerned.
• Majorana 1: Microsoft has announced a new chip, called Majorana 1 designed based on Quantum computing. The biggest challenge of quantum computing is that its fundamental building block – called a qubit – is fast but difficult to control and is prone to errors. New chip’s supposed fault tolerant abilities come from the properties of an exotic subatomic particle called Majorana fermion, which has been hard to find since it was first theorised in 1930s.
• Supply – Demand Dynamics: Both the supply and the demand must move in tandem. If supply proceeds slower than demand, prices rise, leading to inflation. If demand falls behind, firms will be left with unsold inventories, which may lead to cuts in future production, job and income losses, and a worsening cycle of demand and growth slowdown. Demand or aggregate expenditure in an economy comes from four sources – private consumption, private investment, government expenditure and net exports (exports minus import of goods and services). Compared to investment, the multiplier effect arising from increased consumption is much weaker. Therefore, according to Keynesian economists, consumption is a passive component of aggregate demand. There has been a stagnation in the growth of investment by the public and private corporate sectors in India. The only segment that has shown some vitality is household investment.
• “Unity Utsav — One Voice, One Nation” event organised by Assam Rifles in collaboration with North East Association Social Welfare. It is a five-day festival celebrating the sportsmanship and cultural heritage of Northeast India. It will take place in Delhi. Theme – “One Voice, One Nation”.
• International Asperger’s Day (18^th February): Asperger’s syndrome is a developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, understand the world, and behave (poor social skills).It’s a type of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is likely caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (NIEPID) under Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment organized various programmes across its national and regional centres to raise awareness and promote inclusivity for individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome.
• Britain and France are proposing a European “reassurance force” of under 30,000 troops to protect Ukraine post-ceasefire with Russia.

 

PRACTICE MCQs

 

Q1. Which of the following statements is correct about Asperger’s syndrome?

a) It is a developmental disorder that affects the development of social skills in person.

b) It is a genetic disorder that leads to poor development of intellect of person.

c) It is a genetic disorder that leads to lower production of RBCs in the human body.

d) It is a cognitive disorder that leads to poor development of the brain.

Answer: A

Q2. Which of the following statements is incorrect about ‘Unity Utsav’?

a) It celebrates the sportsmanship and cultural heritage of Northeast India.

b) Its inaugural edition was held in Delhi in 2025.

c) It is organized by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.

d) Its theme is “One Voice, One Nation”.

Answer: C

Q3. Consider the following statements:

1. If supply of goods is more than demand in economy, it may lead to inflation.

2. If supply of goods is less than the demand in economy, it may lead to slowdown in economic growth.

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: D

Q4. Consider the following statements:

1. State governments are empowered to release prisoners before completion of their sentence.

2. This is separate from the power of the President and the Governor to remit sentences under Articles 72 and 161 of the Constitution respectively.

3. For convicts serving a life sentence and have been found guilty of an offence punishable by death, state cannot release them from prison until at least 14 years imprisonment have been served.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 2 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: D

Q5. Which of the following correctly describes ‘Majorana 1’, recently mentioned in the news?

a) It is an AI tool to efficiently translate the digital content in different Indian languages.

b) It is a new chip designed by Microsoft company based on Quantum computing.

c) It is a ballistic missile used by Israel against Houthis.

d) It is a ransomware used by Chinese hacker groups against Indian Companies.

Answer: B

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