Current Affairs Exam

Vital Registration India

April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by rawan239

RGI Concerns: Registrar General of India (RGI) urges hospitals to report births and deaths within 21 days due to non-compliance and aim for 100% universal registration.
Low Reporting: Around 10% of births/deaths are unregistered, hindering the goal of universal registration.
Mandatory Registration: Registration of Births and Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969 (amended 2023) mandates registration of all births and deaths.
Digital Registration: Since October 2023, all registrations must be done digitally through the Civil Registration System (CRS).
Registration Process: Government hospitals are registrars; private hospitals report events. Negligence in registration leads to a fine up to ₹1,000.
Centralized Portal: Digital birth certificates are single proof of date of birth for services like education, jobs, and marriage. Data updates National Population Register (NPR).
RGI observations The RGI said that it has been observed that some hospitals instead of registering the events wait for the relative of the baby or the deceased to approach them.
Vital Statistics Report Delay: Vital Statistics of India report, crucial for socio-economic planning, hasn’t been published since 2020.
Registration Statistics: Registered births decreased in 2020, while registered deaths increased.
Births and Deaths Outside India (for Indian Citizens): Births outside India of parents returning to India to settle can be registered with in 60 days from the child’s arrival in India. Deaths of Indian citizens abroad are registered at the Indian Consulate under the Citizenship Act, 1955, and are deemed valid under the RBD
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Act, 1969.

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IMEC: A New Trade Route

April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by rawan239

IMEC Overview: The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a transcontinental initiative aimed at redefining global trade and strengthening economic cooperation.
Strategic Importance: It is a multi-modal connectivity project launched during the G20 Summit 2023, involving India, US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, France, Germany, Italy, and the EU. It is also a part of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII).
Objective: To create an integrated network of ports, railways, roads, energy pipelines, and digital infrastructure linking India, the Middle East, and Europe, promoting trade.
Economic Benefits: IMEC aims to reduce logistics costs by up to 30% and transportation time by 40%, enhancing the competitiveness of Indian exports.
Energy Cooperation: Facilitates the harnessing of solar and green hydrogen power from the Middle East, aligning with India’s OSOWOG initiative and promoting a transition to a low-carbon economy. Includes clean energy infrastructure and undersea cables.
PPP Model: Union Minister Piyush Goyal advocates viewing IMEC through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) lens for efficiency and financial viability.
Regulatory Connectivity: Focus on aligning trade processes, customs procedures, and paperwork among participating nations, drawing from examples like the India-UAE Virtual Trade Corridor.
Innovative Financing: Calls for active involvement of multilateral financial agencies and exploring instruments like green bonds and “IMEC Bonds” to fund the infrastructure sustainably.
Industry Engagement: Recommends
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active engagement with industry bodies and trade associations to ensure the corridor aligns with businesses’ real needs.
Think Tank Involvement: Proposes bringing in Think Tanks and Academia to the visioning and design process for creativity, research, and long-term thinking.

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TN Panel on Centre-State Ties

April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by rawan239

Tamil Nadu Committee Formation: Tamil Nadu has formed a three-member high-level committee to review Centre-State relations. The goal is to strengthen state autonomy and federalism. Committee Headed by Justice Kurian Joseph and will submit report in 2 years.
Erosion of Legislative Powers: States are losing control over key areas due to subjects being moved from the State List to the Concurrent List (e.g., education, health). 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 moved key subjects like education to Concurrent list, reducing states’ control.
National Policies Override State Policies: National policies (like NEET and the National Education Policy’s three-language formula) limit states’ ability to tailor policies to their specific needs. Tamil Nadu facing fund witholding of ₹2,500
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crore under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan due
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to opposing NEP.
Fiscal Disparities: The GST system has caused revenue loss for states, reducing their financial freedom. Tamil Nadu argues it receives only 29 paise for every rupee contributed to the Centre.
Reduced Representation: States with proactive population control measures (like Tamil Nadu) feel penalized by the delimitation process. Upcoming delimitation of Parliamentary constituencies in 2026 could drastically reduce Tamil Nadu’s representation.
Exclusion from Key Decisions: States are often excluded from important national decisions, undermining participatory governance.
Historical Context: Tamil Nadu highlights its history of advocating for state autonomy, including the Rajamannar Committee (1969).
Call for Cooperative Federalism: The committee aims to ensure maximum autonomy for states while maintaining national unity and integrity. Need to strengthen cooperative federalism by reviewing the provisions of the Indian Constitution, laws, and policies related to Centre-State relations, Stalin said.

Women’s Informal Mfg.

April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by rawan239

Declining Formal Participation: Women’s share in formal manufacturing fell from 20.9% in 2015-16 to 18.9% in 2022-23. This underrepresentation hinders India’s “Viksit Bharat” vision.
Regional Disparities: Tamil Nadu employs 41% of women in formal manufacturing. States like Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and Haryana have less than 6% female participation.
Informal Sector Dominance: Women constitute 43% of the informal manufacturing workforce, primarily in low-paying jobs. Over 90% of the informal tobacco workforce is female.
Sectoral Concentration: Women in formal manufacturing are concentrated in textiles, apparel, and food processing (60%). There’s a lack of diversity in sectors.
Education & Skills Gap: Only 30% of women in manufacturing have completed secondary education, compared to 47% of men. Only 6% have formal vocational training, limiting access to better jobs.
Upskilling Imperative:
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Skill training and higher education are crucial to improve women’s participation and productivity in the formal sector.
Need for Sectoral Diversification: Encouraging women’s entry into sectors like automotive and electronics can broaden opportunities.
Safe Work Environments: Creating safe,
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inclusive workplaces with hostels, transport, and childcare is essential for attracting and retaining women.
Policy Interventions: Strengthening laws like the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act can improve working conditions and promote gender equality.

Ironwood TPU

April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by rawan239

Google’s Ironwood TPU: A Leap in AI Technology: Google launched its 7th generation Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), Ironwood, at the Next ’25 conference.
Inference-Focused Design: Ironwood is designed for AI inference, enabling AI models to make predictions based on learned data.
Proactive AI Systems: Ironwood signals a shift to proactive AI systems that independently generate insights, marking the “age of inference.”
Performance Boost: Ironwood features a peak compute of 4,614 teraflops (TFLOP) per chip.
Scalability: Ironwood can scale to clusters of 9,216 liquid-cooled chips, delivering up to 42.5 exaflops of computing power.
Superior Computing Power: Ironwood’s throughput is claimed to be over 24 times that of the world’s largest supercomputer, El Capitan.
Expanded Memory: Each Ironwood chipset offers 192GB of memory, six times more than its predecessor, Trillium.
Next-Gen AI Support: Engineered
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for Large
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Language Models (LLMs) and Mixture of Experts (MoEs), essential for advanced reasoning.
Advanced Interconnect: Features a cutting-edge Inter-Chip Interconnect (ICI) network for rapid data transfer and synchronization.
SparseCore: Includes an advanced SparseCore component for applications like recommendation systems and financial modeling.
Pathways Software: Integrates Google’s Pathways software for distributing AI workloads across thousands of TPUs.
Improved Efficiency: Delivers double the performance per watt compared to Trillium, due to optimized design and liquid cooling.
High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): Features 192 GB of HBM per chip with 7.2 terabits per second bandwidth, reducing latency.
ICI Network Bandwidth: Enhanced ICI network with 1.2 terabits per second bidirectional bandwidth for efficient communication.
Broadened Applications: Supports scientific and financial domains in addition to AI-specific applications.
Availability: Set to be available later in 2025, setting a new benchmark for AI performance and efficiency.

Aryati’s Litter Frog

April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by rawan239

New Frog Species Discovered: Leptobrachium aryatium, a new frog species, has been identified in the Garbhanga Reserve Forest near Guwahati, Assam.
Named After a College: The frog is named after Arya Vidyapeeth College in Guwahati, honoring the institution’s positive impact on the community, specifically related to changing the locality’s identity.
Distinct Features: Key characteristics include fiery orange-and-black eyes, a unique reticulated throat pattern, and a smooth, rhythmic call at dusk.
Long-Term
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Study: The discovery is the result of a 21-year study by zoologists associated with Arya Vidyapeeth College.
Initial Misidentification: Initially identified as Leptobrachium smithi in 2004, further molecular and morphological studies, spurred by the recent discovery of Leptobrachium sylheticum, confirmed it as a new species. The distinct advertisement call aided its establishment as a separate species.
Genus Leptobrachium: The Leptobrachium genus comprises stocky frogs with broad heads, short hind limbs, and distinctively colored eyes, distributed across Southern China, India, and parts of Southeast Asia.
Garbhanga Reserve Forest: The discovery highlights the biodiversity importance of the Garbhanga Reserve Forest, which plays a crucial role in regulating Guwahati’s climate and water systems and supporting diverse wildlife, including elephants and various other species.
Threats to Habitat: The Garbhanga Reserve
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Forest faces threats from urban expansion and habitat destruction, emphasizing the need for conservation efforts.

DUSTLIK-VI Training

April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by rawan239

Exercise DUSTLIK-VI Commences: The 6th edition of the India-Uzbekistan Joint Military Exercise DUSTLIK-VI began at the Foreign Training Node, Aundh (Pune) on April 16, 2025, scheduled until April 28, 2025.
Participants: The Indian contingent comprises 60 personnel, including troops from the JAT Regiment and the Indian Air Force (IAF). The Uzbekistan contingent is represented by personnel from the Uzbekistan Army.
Alternating Training: DUSTLIK is an annual event, alternating between India and Uzbekistan. The previous edition (DUSTLIK-V) was held in Termez, Uzbekistan, in April 2024.
Focus on Counter-Terrorism: The theme is “Joint Multi-Domain Sub-Conventional Operations in a Semi-Urban Scenario,” simulating responses to terrorist activities and territorial capture.
Joint Operations Centre: The
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exercise includes establishing a Joint Operations Centre at the battalion level for continuous joint operations.
Key Activities: Counterterrorism missions (population control, raids, search-and-destroy), employment of firepower (including air assets), securing a helipad,
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reconnaissance, Special Heliborne Operations (SHBO), Small Team Insertion and Extraction (STIE).
Air Force Support: The IAF provides logistical support to sustain operations and utilize helicopters, drones and counter-UAS measures in hostile environments.
Objective: To share best practices in tactics, techniques, and procedures for joint sub-conventional operations, enhancing interoperability, camaraderie, and defence cooperation between the two armies.

Silkyara Tunnel

April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by rawan239

Breakthrough Hailed as Historic: The completion of the Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel is considered a major achievement by the Union Road Transport and Highways ministry.
Significant Time Savings: The tunnel is expected to reduce travel time by approximately one hour.
Tunnel Details: It’s a 4.531 km long, two-lane, bi-directional tunnel with an escape passage, situated on the Dharasu-Yamunotri section in Uttarakhand. The tunnel connects Barkot and Silkyara.
Part of NH-134: The project falls under NH-134 and is being built under the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) Mode.
Challenging Geology: About 90% of the excavation occurred in phyllite, a weak rock type.
Construction Method: The New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) was employed, which uses real-time monitoring to adjust reinforcement based on the rock conditions.
Funded Under NH(O) Scheme: The project is funded by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways under the National Highway Original [NH(O)] Scheme.
Part of Chardham Plan: It’s a crucial element of the Chardham Plan, aiming to improve connectivity to pilgrimage sites.
Improved Accessibility:
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The tunnel enhances accessibility to Yamunotri (approximately 50 km away) and facilitates easier access to Badrinath and Kedarnath, especially during poor weather.

Gavai: Next CJI

April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by rawan239

Justice B.R. Gavai to be 52nd CJI: CJI Sanjiv Khanna recommended Justice Gavai for the position.
Seniority Norm: Justice Gavai is next in line based on seniority.
Second Dalit CJI: He will be the second Dalit CJI after Justice K.G. Balakrishnan.
Appointment Process: The Law Ministry seeks the outgoing CJI’s recommendation as per the Memorandum of Procedure, kickstarting the appointment process.
Background: Born November 24, 1960, joined the Bar in 1985. His father was a former Governor and Dalit leader.
Supreme Court Tenure: Elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, due to retire on November 23, 2025.
Short Tenure: If appointed, Justice Gavai will have a tenure of approximately six months.
Key Judgments:
- Part of benches that upheld the abrogation of Article 370.
- Struck down the Electoral Bonds Scheme.
- Advocated applying the creamy layer principle to SCs/STs.
- Laid down guidelines against illegal demolitions.
- Held that States have the right to sub-classify Scheduled Castes.
- Fortified right to personal liberty in Manish Sisodia bail case.
- Ordered release of Perarivalan in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
High Court Experience: Practised in the Bombay High Court from 1987, became a permanent judge in 2005.
CJI Appointment: Appointed by the President under Article 124 (2).
Qualification: Citizen of India, served as a High Court judge for 5 years or as an advocate for 10 years or a distinguished jurist.

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Mount Lewotobi

April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by rawan239

Recent Eruption: Mount Lewotobi, in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, recently erupted.
Flight Warning: The eruption triggered a flight warning and safety advisories.
Location: Located on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia.
Ring of Fire: Situated
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along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a seismically active region.
Twin Volcano: Lewotobi is a twin volcano, named “husband and wife” in the local language, consisting of two peaks: Lewotobi Lakilaki (man)
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and Lewotobi Perempuan (woman).
Active Volcano: Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki is frequently active, with ongoing eruptions.
Stratovolcano: Lewotobi is classified as a stratovolcano (composite volcano).
Past Activity: Lewotobi Lakilaki has been frequently active during the 19th and 20th centuries