Today in History (11^th May 1998)

National Technology Day is celebrated in India on May 11 every year to commemorate the historic nuclear test carried out by India on May 11, 1998, in Pokhran, Rajasthan. The successful testing of the nuclear bomb, code-named Operation Shakti, made India the sixth country in the world to possess nuclear technology.

Let’s revise

A) Find correct statement about the right to vote

1. 1. It is fundamental right under part III of the constitution
   2. It is an absolute right under fundamental rights
   3. The state has no right to deny the voters to cast their vote in any case
   4. It is a legal right and the state has power to regulate it

Ans. (d)

B) According to the National Crime Records Bureau, in 2022 Around what % of prisoners in Indian jails are under trials?

1. 1. 90%
   2. 80%
   3. 76%
   4. 15%

Ans.(c)

C) PAHAL scheme is associated with____

1. 1. Free electricity connections for the poor households
   2. An operation by Indian army to have friendly relations with Kashmiri people
   3. An initiative of government of India for friendly relations with China
   4. Direct benefit transfer scheme for LPG subsidy

Ans. (d)

D) The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) is associated with_____

1. 1. Lights in border villages of India
   2. To install LPG connection in India
   3. To provide free food in hilly areas
   4. None of the above

Ans. (b)

E) The leading producer of solar power in the world is___

1. 1. USA
   2. Britain
   3. China
   4. India

Ans. (c)

F) In 2023, which country overtook Japan to become the world’s third-highest producer of solar power?

1. 1. China
   2. India
   3. Britain
   4. France

Ans. (b)

G) Which one is a cleanest source of energy among the following?

1. 1. CNG
   2. Solar energy
   3. PNG
   4. Petrol

Ans. (b)

Summary of Today’s News

Bail to Kejriwal from the Supreme Court

• On Friday 10^th May the apex court granted Interim bail to Kejriwal, the CM of Delhi government.
• He participated in a road show. He was granted bail to campaign for Lok Sabha elections.
• This bail order has no relation with the merits of the Liquor scam case
• The court observed that this is the election year and around 700 million voters out of 970 million voters will cast their vote
• The court barred Mr. Kejriwal from any comments regarding his arrest or the ongoing case
• He cannot meet with the witnesses associated with the case
• He cannot go to the CM office of Delhi government
• He cannot go the Secretariat of the Delhi government
• He cannot sign any file as CM but in exceptional case where his sign are must to get approval of the Lt. Governor of Delhi.
• He will have to surrender on 2 June.

There are critics of this bail:-

• This is against the equality before law. Article 14
• It creates a sense that politician are special and have higher in status than the ordinary citizen and immune from arrest as a separate class.
• It will set a bad precedent for others to request for bail on the grounds of elections
• the experts say that—the farmers should also be granted such bail to harvest the crop
• the business man should be granted bail for business meetings or marketing

The court gave points in fovour of Kejriwal

• He is leader of a national party
• He is a CM and have no criminal antecedent
• He should be allowed to campaign for elections
• the farmers and business man should not be compared with this case

India has completed its troop withdrawal, from Maldives

• India withdrew its last remaining soldiers stationed in the Maldives to meet a deadline set by the Maldivian government.
• President Mohamed Muizzu, considered pro-China, campaigned on downgrading ties with India and has since shifted the Maldives’ focus towards Beijing.
• Muizzu demanded the withdrawal of at least 88 Indian soldiers stationed in the Maldives for maritime patrols.
• The final batch of 27 Indian troops left the Maldives on Friday, with no public ceremony marking the end of the Indian military deployment.
• Both India and the Maldives expressed conciliatory gestures before the withdrawal deadline.
• Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer met his Indian counterpart in New Delhi, symbolizing a “new initiative of collaboration” and reinforcing enduring friendship between the two nations.

Supreme Court bars four states from granting fresh mining leases in Aravalli hills

• Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat, have the extension of Aravali hills

Key Points about Aravali Hills

• Aravalli Range is one of the world’s oldest fold mountains stretching over about 350 miles.
• It formed during the Precambrian period.
• It features dry deciduous forests.
• Rivers: Give rise to Banas, Luni, Sakhi, and Sabarmati.
• Highest Peak: Guru Shikhar (Rajasthan).

World’s largest Direct Air Capture and Storage (DAC+S) plant

• It is much larger than its predecessor Orca in Iceland
• Its name is Mammoth
• A Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technology which capture CO2 directly from atmosphere at any location.
• It is distinct from carbon capture which is generally carried out at point of emissions.
• CO2 can be permanently stored in deep geological formations (DAC+S) or used for various applications.
• CDR refers to anthropogenic activities that remove CO2 from atmosphere and store it durably in geological, terrestrial, or ocean reservoirs.
• According to IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, CDR is necessary element to achieve net-zero CO2 and GHG emissions.

Rat Hole Mining

• Despite a ban from National Green Tribunal in 2014, none of 26,000 abandoned rat-hole coal mines in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya have been shut down.

Key Points about Rat hole Mining

• Involves digging of narrow pits into ground, typically just large enough for one person to descend and extract coal.
• Mostly prevalent in Meghalaya because of thinness of coal mines there.

Problems with Rat hole mining

• Land degradation, deforestation, Soil erosion, water pollution.
• Lacking safety measures such as proper ventilation, structural support, or safety gear for workers.
• Child Labour
• Death of children during mining activities

70^th Anniversary of the Hague Convention

• UNESCO recently celebrated 70th anniversary of adoption of Hague Convention
• It was adopted in 1954
• It is for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
• It is the first international legal framework entirely dedicated to protection of movable and immovable heritage.
• It protects cultural property whether during peacetime or armed conflict.
• 1999 protocol to the convention provides for the list of Cultural Properties under Enhanced Protection.