1. Civil defence’ drills
- Context: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) asked States to conduct mock drills up to the village level in 244 categorised districts.
How are mock drills done?
- By operationalizing air-raid warning signs
- crash blackout measures
- camouflaging vital installations
- evacuation plans
- establishing hotline with the Indian Air Force
- training civilians on the aspects of civil defence measures in the event of a “hostile attack.
Civil Defence districts:
- They are specially designated areas responsible for organising and executing emergency response strategies.
- These districts play a crucial role in training volunteers, managing local responses, and ensuring seamless coordination among civilian and security forces during crises.
- Civil Defence districts are the frontline regions tasked with organising, executing, and refining civil defence operations such as air raid drills, blackout exercises, evacuation protocols, and civilian awareness sessions.
Prelims special:
Q. Which reference to Agni-IV Missile, of the following statements is/are correct? (UPSC 2014)
- It is a surface-to-surface missile.
- It is fuelled by liquid propellant only.
- It can deliver one-tonne nuclear warheads about 7500 km away.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- 1 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Ans: (a)
2. Scheduled Castes (SCs)
- Context: Justice Nagamohan Das Commission is launching a census targeting 101 castes among the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Karnataka.
- The Chief Minister declared to implement internal reservation for the SCs.
Scheduled Castes (SCs)
- Article 366(24) of the Indian Constitution, “Scheduled Castes means such castes, races or tribes or parts of or groups within such castes, races or tribes as are deemed under Article 341 to be Scheduled Castes for this Constitution.”
- Article 341(1) empowers the President to specify, through public notification, the castes, races, or tribes deemed to be Scheduled Castes in any State or Union Territory, after consulting the respective Governor.
Prelims special:
Q. Consider the following organizations/bodies in India: (UPSC 2023)
- The National Commission for Backward Classes
- The National Human Rights Commission
- The National Law Commission
- The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission
How many of the above constitutional bodies?
- Only one
- Only two
- Only three
- All four
Ans: (a)
3. Rabies vaccine
- Context: The death of three vaccinated children due to rabies has raised concerns in Kerala.
Rabies
- It is a fatal but preventable viral disease.
- It can spread to people and pets if they are bitten or scratched by a rabid animal.
- It is mostly found in wild animals like bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes, dogs and most rabies deaths in people around the world are caused by dog bites.
- The rabies virus infects the central nervous system.
- If a person does not receive the appropriate medical care after a potential rabies exposure, the virus can cause disease in the brain, ultimately resulting in death.
- Rabies can be prevented by vaccinating pets, staying away from wildlife, and seeking medical care after potential exposures before symptoms start.
Rabies vaccine
- The vaccine is made up of an inactivated virus that is expected to induce the body into producing antibodies that can neutralise the live virus in case of infection.
- There is no single-shot rabies vaccine or one that offers permanent immunity.
- A shot of rabies immunoglobulin(rabies-antibodies against the virus derived either from people or horses) followed by a four-week course of anti-rabies vaccine, is nearly guaranteed to prevent rabies.
- There are mainly two ways of administering the rabies vaccine:
- Firstly, post-exposure prophylaxis(PEP) is given to persons who have been exposed via a bite to an animal suspected to be infected. The vaccines are administered either into the muscles, or into the skin.
- Secondly, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis(PrEP) which is given ahead of time to persons who have a high risk of being infected, such as veterinarians.
Prelims special:
Q. Which one of the following is synthesised in the human body that dilate blood vessels and increases blood flow?(UPSC 2024)
- Nitric oxide
- Nitrous oxide
- Nitrogen dioxide
- Nitrogen Pentoxide
Ans: (a)
4. Gaganyaan mission
- Context: A set of parachutes developed for the first uncrewed mission of India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme was shipped from Agra.
- The parachutes were developed by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), laboratory under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Gaganyaan Mission:
- Gaganyaan is a mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
- Under the Gaganyaan schedule:
- Three flights will be sent into orbit.
- There will be two unmanned flights and one human spaceflight.
- The Gaganyaan system module, called the Orbital Module will have three Indian astronauts, including a woman.
- It will circle Earth at a low-earth-orbit at an altitude of 300-400 km from earth for 5-7 days.
Payloads:
- The payload will consist of:
- Crew module – spacecraft carrying human beings.
- Service module – powered by two liquid propellant engines.
- It will be equipped with emergency escape and emergency mission abort.
Launch:
- GSLV Mk III, also called the LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3,) the three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle, will be used to launch Gaganyaan as it has the necessary payload capability.
Prelims special:
Q. Which one of the following words/phrases is most appropriately used to denote “an interoperable network of 3D virtual worlds that can be accessed simultaneously by millions of users, who can exert property rights over virtual items”?(UPSC 2024)
- Big data analytics
- Cryptography
- Metaverse
- Virtual matrix
Ans: (c)