Society 

Ministry Of Education Launches PM Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors - The Hindu 

The Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education has launched Prime Minister's Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors (PM-YUVA 3.0).

PM-YUVA 3.0

• Objective: Train and mentor young authors (below 30 years) to promote reading, writing, and book culture.

• Implementing Agency: National Book Trust (NBT), India under the Ministry of Education.
• Focus Areas:

• Indian Diaspora’s Contribution to Nation-Building
• Indian Knowledge System
• Makers of Modern India (1950-2025)

• Submission Requirement:
  • Book proposal of 10,000 words, including:
    • Synopsis (2,000-3,000 words)
    • Chapter Plan
    • Sample Chapters (7,000-8,000 words)
    • Bibliography and References
• Selection Process:
  • 50 authors to be selected by a committee constituted by NBT.
  • Previous PM-YUVA 1.0 and 2.0 qualifiers not eligible.
• Scholarship & Incentives:
  • ₹50,000 per month for 6 months (Total: ₹3 Lakh).
  • 10% royalty on book sales after publication.
• Additional Benefits:
  • Mentorship by renowned writers.
  • Participation in literary festivals.
  • Books published by NBT and translated into Indian languages.

• Platform for book promotion and encouraging reading culture.

Polity 

Why are electoral reforms necessary? - The Hindu 

The Election Commission (EC) has invited political parties to discuss strengthening the election process. This is in wake of the allegations of manipulation of electoral rolls during the recently concluded assembly elections and issues raised with respect to duplicate Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers in different States.

Legal Provisions Related to Elections

• Article 324: Grants EC authority over elections to Parliament and State legislatures.
• Electoral Roll Preparation: Governed by the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
• Voting Process Evolution:
  • 1952 & 1957: Voters dropped blank ballots into boxes assigned to candidates.
  • 1962: Ballot papers introduced with names and symbols.
  • 2004: EVMs used in all constituencies.
  • 2019: EVMs backed by 100% VVPAT slips.

Issues in the Electoral Process

• Demand for Paper Ballots & VVPAT Matching:
  • SC dismissed PIL in 2024 demanding a return to paper ballots.
  • Rejected 100% VVPAT-EVM matching but allowed 5% burnt memory verification of EVMs if requested by II/ III placed candidates.
• Electoral Roll Manipulation Allegations:
  • Opposition claimed fake voters were added before Maharashtra & Delhi elections.
  • Identical EPIC numbers in different states raised concerns of duplication.
  • EC attributed duplication to the earlier decentralized EPIC allotment system before ERONET.
• Campaign Process Violations:
  • Star campaigners using abusive language, caste/communal appeals, and false allegations.
  • Election Expenditure Violations:
    • ₹1,00,000 crore spent in 2024 as per Centre for Media Studies.
    • No spending limits on political parties.
  • Criminalization of Politics:
    • 251 MPs (46%) in 2024 had criminal cases.
    • 170 MPs (31%) faced serious charges (murder, rape, kidnapping).

Proposed Reforms

• Voting & Counting Process:
  • Scientific sample size for VVPAT matching at the state level.
  • Full VVPAT counting in case of errors in sample verification.
  • Use of Totaliser machines to aggregate votes from 14 EVMs before counting.
  • Candidates placed second or third can request verification of 5% EVMs.
• Electoral Roll Reforms:
  • Consider linking Aadhaar with EPIC after addressing privacy concerns.
  • Eliminate duplicate EPIC numbers across states.
• Campaign & Election Expenditure Reforms:
  • EC to revoke ‘Star Campaigner’ status for MCC violations.
  • Strict action under Symbols Order (Paragraph 16A) against parties violating MCC.
  • Limit financial assistance from parties to candidates within expenditure limits.
  • Cap election expenditure for political parties.
  • Strict enforcement of SC’s order on candidates declaring criminal records three times before elections.

Way Forward

• Meaningful discussions between EC and political parties.
• Reforms to restore voter confidence in elections.

Economy 

North East Center for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) - The Hindu 

Union minister of science and technology recently laid the foundation stone for the North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) permanent campus at Mawdiangdiang, Shillong.

North East Center for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR)

• About: Autonomous body under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.
• Headquarters: Shillong, Meghalaya.
• Established: 2012, through the merger of:
  • National Mission for Bamboo Application (NMBA)
  • Mission for Geospatial Applications (MGA)
• Objectives: Utilize niche frontier technologies for development in the Northeast region.
• Support applications in:
  • Biodiversity conservation
  • Watershed management
  • Telemedicine & Tele-schooling (using MESHNET solutions)
  • Horticulture & Infrastructure planning
  • Employment generation (leveraging local resources)
  • Technology-assisted decision-making for State Governments.
• Key Features:
  • Functions as a solution designer and partnership institution.
  • Provides technology support to Northeast State Governments.
  • Focuses on technology reach rather than technology development.
• Current Operations:
  • Main office: Survey of India Campus, Shillong.
  • Branch offices: Delhi and Agartala.

Sci and Tech 

HOW MICROLIGHTNING' IN WATER DROPLETS MAY HAVE SPARKED LIFE - Indian Express

How life began on Earth has been a long-standing mystery, but according to a study the process could have been kicked off simply with crashing waterfalls and breaking waves that would have thrown up mists of water. The findings add another angle to the much-disputed Miller-Urey hypothesis, which argues that life on the planet emerged from a lightning strike.

Miller-Urey Hypothesis

• Earth's Early Conditions:
  • Formed 4.6 billion years ago, initially rich in chemicals but lacking organic molecules with carbon-nitrogen bonds.
  • These bonds are essential for proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids, and chlorophyll in living organisms.
• Experiment (1952):
  • Conducted by Stanley Miller and Harold Urey.
  • Simulated early Earth’s conditions using water, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen in a closed system.
  • Applied electric sparks to mimic lightning.
  • Successfully generated organic compounds like amino acids, essential for life.
• Significance:
  • Provided a possible explanation for the origin of life on Earth.
  • Showed that organic molecules could form naturally under early Earth-like conditions.
• Criticism: 
  • Scientists later questioned its accuracy, arguing real lightning was infrequent and mostly struck the open ocean, dispersing organic compounds before they could accumulate.

New Study 

• Key Finding:
  • Water spray alone can generate organic compounds without the need for external electricity.
• Mechanism (Microlightning):
  • Water droplets divide and develop opposite charges (large droplets = positive, small droplets = negative).
  • When these charged droplets move close, tiny sparks (microlightning) are generated, similar to lightning in clouds.
• Experiment:
  • Water sprayed into a mix of nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, and ammonia led to the formation of hydrogen cyanide, glycine, and uracil—key organic compounds.
• Implications:
  • Life on Earth may not have started due to lightning strikes as proposed in the Miller-Urey experiment.
  • Instead, crashing waves or waterfalls may have triggered the necessary chemical reactions for organic molecule formation.

Why docking-undocking capability is crucial for India's space ambitions - Indian Express 

Nearly two months after ISRO successfully docked two satellites in space, it carried out an undocking procedure on Thursday. This makes India the fourth country — after the US, Russia, and China — to boast docking-undocking capabilities.

Space Docking

• About: Process of bringing two fast-moving spacecraft into the same orbit, gradually closing the distance, and joining them together.
• Complexity: Extremely complex due to high relative velocities and precision requirements.

ISRO's SpaDEx Mission (2024)

• Objective: Demonstrate India's space docking capability.
• Satellites: Two 220-kg satellites – SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target) placed in a 470 km circular orbit.
• Process:
  • Initial distance of 20 km, gradually reduced.
  • Docking mechanism used an indigenous androgynous system (both satellites had identical docking ports).
  • Power-sharing enabled both to function as a single composite unit after docking.
  • Undocking successfully executed after two months of testing.
• Importance:
  • Enables assembly of heavy spacecraft in space, overcoming launch weight constraints.
  • Essential for space stations, astronaut missions, and supply transport.
• Future Missions:
  • Bharatiya Antariksha Station (India’s planned space station by 2035).
  • Chandrayaan-4 (Lunar sample return mission).
  • Manned Moon mission by 2040.
• First Space Docking (Cold War Era)
  • 1966: NASA’s Gemini VIII manually docked with Agena (Commanded by Neil Armstrong).
  • 1967: USSR performed first autonomous docking between Kosmos 186 and Kosmos 188.
  • 2011: China demonstrated unmanned docking, followed by crewed docking in 2012.

Defence 

Relocation of Assam Rifles from Aizawl - Indian Express

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday attended the land transfer ceremony between Assam Rifles and the Mizoram government. The event marked the official relocation of Assam Rifles establishments from the heart of the city to Zokhawsang, fulfilling a demand that has persisted for nearly 35 years.

Assam Rifles

• Overview: One of the six Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• Conduction: Conducts counterinsurgency operations in the Northeast and other regions as required.
• Operational control: Lies with the Indian Army, led by a Lieutenant General.
• Headquarters: Shillong (Unlike other CAPFs, which have HQ in New Delhi).
• 1835: Established as ‘Cachar Levy’ to protect British tea estates from tribal raids.

Later Renamed:

• ‘Frontier Force’ for border security.
• 1870: Merged into three Assam Military Police Battalions.
• 1917: Became ‘Assam Rifles’.

Key Contributions:

• World War I: Sent 3,000 troops to Europe and West Asia.
• 1962 Sino-India War: Played a combat role.
• 1987: Part of Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka.

• Growth: Expanded from 17 battalions in 1960 to 46 battalions today.