Today in History (August 30th, 1574)
On August 30, Guru Ram Das became the fourth Sikh Guru in 1574.
TEST YOURSELF
A) What year was the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) established?
- 1988
- 1992
- 1995
- 2000
Answer: 2)
Explanation: SEBI was established by the Government of India in 1992 to regulate the securities market in India.
B) Who is the current Chairperson of SEBI?
- Mr. Rajeev Kumar
- Ms. Madhabi Puri Buch
- Mr. U.K. Sinha
- Ms. Arundhati Bhattacharya
Answer: 2)
Explanation: Ms. Madhabi Puri Buch is the current Chairperson of SEBI and is noted as the first female chairperson.
C) Where is the headquarters of SEBI located?
- New Delhi
- Kolkata
- Mumbai
- Chennai
Answer: 3)
Explanation: The headquarters of SEBI is located in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
D) Which of the following is NOT a regional office of SEBI?
- New Delhi
- Kolkata
- Bangalore
- Ahmedabad
Answer: 3)
Explanation: SEBI has regional offices in New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Ahmedabad. Bangalore is not listed as one of its regional offices.
E) What is the primary aim of SEBI?
- To promote international trade
- To protect investor interests and promote securities market development
- To regulate corporate tax policies
- To oversee banking operations
Answer: 2)
Explanation: SEBI aims to protect the interests of investors and promote the development of the securities market, ensuring fair and efficient practices.
Summary of Today’s News
U.P. Digital Media Policy, 2024
What is the Context?
The Uttar Pradesh government has come up with a new social media policy encouraging influencers to promote the State government’s initiatives, schemes, and achievements with prize payments.
Key points about the Policy
Objective: The new social media policy reflects the government’s bid to enhance its online presence while deterring undesirable content.
Key Highlights:
• The policy, created by the state’s information department, outlines a structure for providing advertisements to agencies and individuals who create and share content about government schemes and achievements on platforms like X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Influencers will be categorized into four groups based on their number of followers and subscribers.
• This categorization will determine their eligibility for financial rewards, which could reach up to Rs 8 lakh per month.
• The policy also envisions the listing of specific agencies or firms to handle advertisements, aiming to promote content relating to the state’s achievements and schemes.
Legal Action: Under the policy the government has been authorised to take legal action if such paid content shows any anti-national, anti-social, or derogatory content.
• Anti-national content would be considered a serious offence which carries a punishment of between three years to life imprisonment.
Concerns: Digital influencers running social media platforms argue it signals the government’s attempt to produce its favourable content and influence the public through the medium.
• It has prompted debates about the extent to which it may impact freedom of expression and the operational definition of what constitutes ‘objectionable’ content.
Axis of Resistance
What is the context?
• The Axis of Resistance was in the news after the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr.
Axis of Resistance
• It is a coalition of Iranian-backed groups describing themselves as the “Axis of Resistance” to Israel and U.S. influence in the Middle East.
• The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis are some of the major groups in the alliance.
How was the coalition formed?
• The roots of the ‘axis of resistance’ go back to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which paved the way for radical Shia Muslim clerics to come to power.
• To expand its political and military influence in a region where most powers (such as US-ally Saudi Arabia) are Sunni-majority nations, Iran’s new regime began to support non-state actors.
• Another reason for this was to deter threats from Israel and the US as Iran has seen Israel’s creation in 1948 as a means for the US (and the West) to influence the region for its strategic interests.
India and Russia Working Plan to Handle Emergencies
What is the context?
• Second meeting of the Joint Russian-Indian Commission on Emergency Management held in Moscow.
Working plan of the Joint Russian-Indian Commission
• India and Russia signed the working plan of the Joint Russian-Indian Commission on the Cooperation in the Field of Emergency Management for 2025-2026 .
• The meeting is significant to draw a strategy for executing the previous agreements between India and Russia, such as, Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for cooperation in the field of Emergency Management in December, 2010 and Regulation to establish the Indo-Russian Joint Commission for Cooperation (2013) in prevention and elimination of consequences of emergency situations.
• Both the countries agreed to exchange best practices in the field of Disaster Management.
• Discussion Points: Space monitoring technologies for risk forecasting and emergency response.
- Exchange of experiences in responding to large-scale disasters.
- Cooperation in training fire and rescue specialists.
• Objectives: Enhance early warning systems.
- Build mutual capacity in emergency preparedness and response.
- Align with the Sendai Framework and India’s disaster risk reduction agenda
• Future Actions: Intensify joint efforts in emergency management.
- Exchange best practices in disaster management and training.
- Extend cooperation between educational and research institutions.
- Next meeting will be held in India in 2026.
ISRO Designed Humanoid Skull
What is the context?
• Recently Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has designed the skull of the female half humanoid, Vyomitra.
Background
• The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) Gaganyaan mission in 2025 will carry the Vyomitra.
• The Gaganyaan project will launch a crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bring them back safely to earth, by landing in seawater.
What are humanoids?
• Humanoids are robotic systems designed to resemble humans and function autonomously in space.
• Robotic systems are used to assist astronauts in performing repetitive and/or dangerous tasks in space, like cleaning of solar panels or fixing faulty equipment located outside the spacecraft.
Design of the humanoid skull
• It has been made using an aluminum alloy (AlSi10Mg) known for its high flexibility, light weight, heat resistance, and mechanical properties.
• It weighs 800 grams and measures 200mm x 220 mm.
• Vyommitra will resemble the upper body of a human and will include movable arms, a face, and a neck.
