ZSI names a newly discovered head-shield sea slug after President Droupadi Murmu
Time to Read :🕑 5 Mins
Why in news?
The Zoological Survey of India named a new species of marine head-shield sea slug with a ruby red spot, discovered off the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha, after President of India Droupadi Murmu.
About
This species belonging to Melanochlamys genus was discovered from Digha of West Bengal coast and Udaipur of Odisha coast.
The new species of head-shield sea slug, found nowhere in the world, is named Melanochlamys droupadi.
Species of the genus Melanochlamys are characterised morphologically by a short, blunt and cylindrical body and a smooth dorsal surface with two dorsal equal or unequal shields, named the anterior cephalic and posterior shield.
According to ZSI, species of this group are generally distributed in temperate regions of the Indo-Pacific Oceanic realm. Still, three species are truly tropical distributed, Melanochlamys papillata from the Gulf of Thailand, Melanochlamys bengalensis from West Bengal and Odisha coast and the present species.
Supreme Court rules against automatic vacation of stay orders
Time to Read :🕑 5 Mins
Why in news?
The Supreme Court of India ruled against a rule that automatically vacated stay orders granted by lower courts or high courts after six months in civil and criminal cases.
Key highlight of judgment
The five-judge Bench was deciding a reference to it about the correctness of a 2018 judgment in Asian Resurfacing of Road Agency Vs CBI. A three-judge Bench, in the 2018 verdict, had held that interim but open-ended stay orders would get vacated by default after six months unless their period of operation was extended periodically.
Putting such constraints on the power of the High Court will also amount to making a dent in the jurisdiction of the High Courts under Article 226 of the Constitution, which is an essential feature that forms part of the basic structure of the Constitution.
A reasoned stay order, if not specified to be time-bound, would remain in operation till there is a decision in the main matter or until and unless an application is moved for vacation and a speaking order is passed.
The verdict further clarified that the apex court cannot “normally” fix time-bound schedules for High Courts or trial courts to dispose of pending cases.
The reasons for pendency may vary from court to court. Pendency maybe even due to the staggering workload.
The situation at the grassroots level is better known to the judges of the courts concerned. Orders fixing the outer limit for the disposal of cases should be passed only in exceptional circumstances to meet extraordinary situations.
The judgment made it plain that the Supreme Court had no absolute power of hegemony over the High Courts. The Bench highlighted that the top court’s seemingly invincible power under Article 142 of the Constitution to do “complete justice” did not extend to excessive interference in orders passed by High Courts after due consideration. It said Article 142 should not be used to defeat justice or harm the substantive rights of a large body of people.
The jurisdiction under Article 142 cannot be invoked to pass blanket orders setting at naught a very large number of interim orders lawfully passed by all the High Courts, and that too, without hearing the contesting parties.
Article 142 can be invoked only to deal with extraordinary situations for doing complete justice between the parties before the court.
13,874 leopards in India, Madhya Pradesh leads the pack
Time to Read :🕑 5 Mins
Why in news?
Recently, the Prime Minister hailed India's leopard population's significant increase, calling it a testament to the country's unwavering dedication to biodiversity.
About report and findings
According to the Ministry of Environment report, India’s estimated leopard population rose from 12,852 in 2018 to 13,874 in 2022.
Madhya Pradesh has the maximum number of leopards in the country at 3,907 (up from 3,421 in 2018).
The number of felines grew from 1,690 in 2018 to 1,985 in 2022 in Maharashtra, from 1,783 to 1,879 in Karnataka, and from 868 to 1,070 in Tamil Nadu.
Central India shows a stable or slightly growing leopard population (8,820 in 2022 against 8,071 in 2018), the Shivalik hills and the Indo-Gangetic Plains experienced a decline (from 1,253 in 2018 to 1,109 in 2022).
In Madhya Pradesh, the leopard occupancy increased in the Chambal and Bundelkhand regions with a marginal decline from the Chhindwara forests, the report said, adding, “Panna Tiger Reserve and Kuno National Park exhibit some of the highest leopard densities in India”.
The report cautioned that while leopard populations thrive in Madhya Pradesh, “effective vigilance is essential to address both targeted and unintentional poaching, there is a need for the effective implementation of mitigation measures concerning linear infrastructure development projects to ensure the continued well-being of leopard populations in the region,” the report said.
Hydrogen-powered ferry
Time to Read :🕑 7 Mins
Why in news?
Prime Minister virtually launched India's first-ever indigenously developed hydrogen fuel cell ferry.
More detail about news:
The vessel, manufactured by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), will be deployed for service at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
Built at a cost of Rs 18 crore, the ferry will be handed over to the Inland Waterways Authority of India by the CSL after rigorous trials. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways met 75 per cent of the project cost.
Special features of the vessel?
The Hydrogen fuel cell vessel is a 24-meter-long catamaran, which can carry 50 people in its air-conditioned passenger area.
The accommodation area has been constructed with high-quality fiberglass reinforced plastic, similar to metro train coaches.
Hydrogen fuel cell vessels do not use conventional batteries as the primary storage house of electrical energy.
The vessels run on hydrogen fuel, which is stored in cylinders.
This boat has five hydrogen cylinders that can carry 40kg of hydrogen and support eight hours of operations.
The vessel is also fitted with a 3-kW solar panel.
The hydrogen fuel cell-powered vessel has zero emission, zero noise and is energy-efficient, which makes it more environment-friendly.
Since there are no moving parts, the ferry requires less maintenance than combustion vessels.
How do hydrogen fuel cells work?
A hydrogen fuel cell generates electricity by utilising the chemical energy contained in hydrogen.
It releases only pure water, not discharging pollutants.
Hydrogen is loaded into cells.
The energy within the hydrogen is converted into electricity and heat, which is then used to power the vessel’s propulsion mechanism.
In the fuel cell, the hydrogen reacts with the oxygen in the air to produce electricity. Unlike batteries, hydrogen fuel cells do not require recharging.
Provided uninterrupted supply of fuel and oxygen, these cells would work continuously.
What type of cells have been used in the vessel?
This vessel uses a 50-kW PEM (proton-exchange membrane) fuel cell, with Lithium-Ion Phosphate batteries.
The advantage is that the cells can quickly change their output depending upon the power demand.
PEM fuel cells are popular in automotive applications because they operate at a lower temperature, and are lighter and more compact.
Vikramaditya Vedic Clock
Time to Read :🕑 3 Mins
Why in news?
Prime Minister virtually inaugurated the Vedic clock mounted on an 85-foot tower within Jantar Mantar in Ujjain.
About Vikramaditya Vedic Clock
The clock is located adjacent to the Government Jiwaji Observatory.
The unique clock based on Indian ‘panchang’ calculations also provides information on planetary positions, Muhurat, astrological calculations, and predictions.
In addition to this, it also indicates Indian Standard Time (IST) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Throughout the world, the time prescribed and transmitted from Ujjayini (Ujjain) has been followed.
The shortest fraction of time is included in Indian time calculations based on the Indian astronomical theory and the motions of planetary constellations.
The Vedic clock is an attempt to restore the tradition of Indian time calculation as the clock would also provide details like moon position, Parva, Shubhshubh Muhurat, Ghati, Nakshatra, solar eclipse, lunar eclipse, etc.
The clock will calculate time from one sunrise to another.
The period between the two sunrises will be divided into 30 parts whose one hour consists of 48 minutes according to ISD. The reading will start from 0:00 with the sunrise functions for 30 hours (an hour of 48 minutes).
BioTRIG
Time to Read :🕑 7 Mins
Why in news?
Researchers say a community-level pyrolysis system called BioTRIG, which runs on villagers' waste, can provide multiple benefits to BPL rural communities.
Key Point:
A new waste management technology that allows pyrolysis at a community level could help rural Indians cut indoor air pollution, improve soil health, and generate clean power.
Pyrolysis is a kind of chemical recycling that turns leftover organic materials into their component molecules.
It works by sealing the waste inside an oxygen-free chamber and heating it above 400 degrees Celsius. Useful chemicals are produced in the process.
In the study, the researchers outlined that three products of pyrolysis — bio-oil, syngas and biochar fertiliser — could help rural Indians live healthier and greener lives. Through it, they could have more productive farmland. It also went on to lay out a series of recommendations to maximise the system’s economic viability.
Significance
The syngas and bio-oil are said to facilitate heat and power the pyrolysis system in future cycles. This, along with utilisation of surplus electricity to power local homes and businesses,
The clean-burning bio-oil to replace dirty cooking fuels in homes and using biochar to store carbon, while improving soil fertility.
Computer simulations of how effective the BioTRIG system could be in real-world applications.
It could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from communities by nearly 350 kg of CO2-eq per capita per annum, computer simulations showed.
The Civil Services Exam is conducted every year by the UPSC to select suitable candidates for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), IFS (Indian Foreign Service), IPS (Indian Police Service), IRS (Indian Revenue Service) and other Central Services like the Audits and Accounts, Railway Technical Services etc.
These services are vital for the administration of the Nation as they form the underlying basis of the policy formulation, implementation and execution in almost all the domains of the Governance. Sardar Patel had called the Civil Service the “Steel Frame of India“, the backbone of India’s Administration.
Being part of the Services is associated with prestige, power and a sense of responsibility toward the Society and the Nation. No doubt, the Services attract the best among the vast talent pool of the country.
And it is no surprise that the competition for the CSE is becoming fiercer every year. Over the last 3-4 years the number of applicants has hovered around 1,000,000 out of which approximately 500,000 appear for the Preliminary Exam. On an average 10,000 candidates qualify for the Mains Examination and less than 2,500 are called for the interview. Finally, only about 1,000 or fewer candidates qualify to be part of the Services. Thus the conversion ratio from appearing in the Preliminary Examination to the final selection in the Services is less than 0.2% (considering only the
Thus only sincere hard work may not be enough to be part of the Services. The aspirants need suitable guidance and study material to get selected and fulfil their dream of serving the Nation. Unacademy strives to provide quality content to the learners in order to supplement the guidance they receive from top Educators on the Unacademy Platform and aid their preparation.
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