UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | May 27 to June 2, 2024

🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the May edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨

Economy

RBI has launched three major initiatives – PRAVAAH portal, the retail direct mobile app and a fintech repository. (File photo)

— Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched three significant initiatives aimed at enhancing regulatory processes and improving access to financial services: the PRAVAAH portal, the retail direct mobile app, and a fintech repository.
• PRAVAAH Portal: PRAVAAH (Platform for Regulatory Application, Validation and Authorisation) is a secure and centralized web-based portal designed for individuals and entities to seek authorization, licenses, or regulatory approvals from the RBI.
• Retail Direct Mobile App: The retail direct mobile app is designed to provide retail investors with seamless and convenient access to the retail direct platform. This app facilitates easy transactions in government securities (G-Secs), thereby promoting greater participation in the government securities market by retail investors.
• Fintech Repository: The fintech repository is a comprehensive database containing information on Indian fintech firms. This repository aims to provide better insights into the fintech sector from a regulatory perspective, helping in the formulation of appropriate policy approaches and ensuring informed decision-making.

Environment

Cyclone Remal is the first storm in the Bay of Bengal this pre-monsoon season. (PTI)

— Cyclone Remal

• Cyclone Remal struck the coastline of West Bengal on Sunday night, May 26, resulting in the deaths of six people and damaging at least 27,000 houses in the coastal districts.
• A cyclone is a large-scale air system that rotates around a low-pressure center, typically bringing violent storms and severe weather. In the Northern Hemisphere, cyclones feature inward spiraling winds rotating counterclockwise, while in the Southern Hemisphere, they rotate clockwise. The name “Remal,” meaning “sand” in Arabic, was chosen by Oman, following the standard convention for naming tropical cyclones in the region.
• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a 185-member United Nations agency, established the Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) in 1972 to improve cyclone warning and disaster mitigation efforts in the North Indian Ocean region.
• The PTC initially included eight countries: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sultanate of Oman, and Thailand. In 2018, it expanded to include Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
• In April 2020, the WMO released a list of 169 cyclone names, with 13 suggestions from each of the 13 member countries. This list is currently used for naming cyclones in the region.

— Sundhnuksgigar

• Sundhnuksgigar, a volcano situated south of Reykjavik, Iceland, has erupted for the fifth time since December last year, making headlines due to its increasing activity.
• Iceland, one of the most volcanically active regions on Earth, typically experiences an eruption every four to five years. However, since 2021, the frequency of eruptions has surged to nearly one per year. This uptick in activity is significant, highlighting the dynamic nature of Iceland’s geological landscape.
• The heightened volcanic activity in Iceland is attributed to its location on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the longest mountain range in the world, situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. Here, the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are diverging at a rate of a few centimeters annually. Additionally, Iceland lies over a hotspot, which further intensifies volcanic activity.
• The Fagradalsfjall volcano, located on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland, is another notable example of the region’s volcanic activity.

Science and Technology

Agnikul Cosmos successfully carries out a su-orbital test-flight of its home-built 3D-printed semi-cryogenic rocket Agnibaan from its own launch pad at Sriharikota, Thursday, May 30, 2024. (PTI Photo)

— Agnikul Cosmos

• The private space company Agnikul has successfully launched its first indigenously built rocket, Agnibaan, marking a significant achievement in the aerospace sector.
• Agnibaan’s distinction lies in its power source: the world’s first fully 3-D printed engine. Launched from Agnikul’s custom launchpad at ISRO’s Sriharikota facility, this semi-cryogenic engine is a single piece of hardware without any components, moving parts, joints, welding, or fusing, making it an unprecedented innovation in rocket technology.
• India is also expanding its space infrastructure with the construction of a second spaceport at Kulasekharapattinam in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district. This facility will be dedicated to Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLVs), complementing ISRO’s primary spaceport, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
• This launch is not the first by an Indian private company; in November 2022, Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched its Vikram rocket, named after Vikram Sarabhai.

— PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment)

• NASA, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has developed a mission featuring two shoebox-sized CubeSats to study the heat radiated by the Arctic and Antarctica, two of Earth’s coldest regions, and its impact on the planet’s climate.
• CubeSats, miniature satellites with a standard design of 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm (1U), weigh no more than 1.33 kg. The PREFIRE mission consists of two 6U CubeSats, each measuring approximately 90 cm in height and nearly 120 cm in width with deployed solar panels.
• These CubeSats will be placed in a near-polar orbit at an altitude of about 525 kilometers. Each PREFIRE satellite is equipped with a Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (TIRS) to measure infrared and far-infrared radiation from the polar regions.
• The mission aims to assess the amount of far-infrared radiation trapped by atmospheric water vapor and clouds at the poles and its influence on the greenhouse effect in these areas.

Diseases in News

Symptoms of whooping cough usually develop within 5 to 10 days after exposure. Sometimes symptoms do not develop for as long as 3 weeks. (Source: Freepik)

— Pertussis

• Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, has seen a significant surge in Europe, with approximately 32,000 cases reported between January and March 2024.
• Caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, whooping cough spreads easily from person to person through coughing, sneezing, or close contact.
• In its early stages, pertussis symptoms resemble those of a common cold, including a runny nose, low-grade fever, sneezing, and occasional cough. As the infection progresses, severe coughing fits develop, often accompanied by a high-pitched “whoop” sound.

Person in News

Ruchira Kamboj retired after 35 years of service. (File Photo)

— Ruchira Kamboj

• India’s first woman Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj, has retired after 35 years of distinguished service.
• She has also served as the Indian envoy in Bhutan, South Africa, and at UNESCO.
• Kamboj assumed the role of Permanent Representative and Ambassador of India to the United Nations in New York on August 2, 2022.

— Major Radhika Sen

• Major Radhika Sen, who served with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), was awarded the prestigious ‘2023 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award’ by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
• The award ceremony took place at the world body’s headquarters on Thursday, coinciding with the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.
• The International Day of UN Peacekeeping is celebrated annually on May 29th, with this year’s theme being “Fit for the future, building better together.” It pays tribute to the invaluable contributions made by military, police, and civilian peacekeepers over the past seven decades.

— Anish Kapoor

• For the sixth year in a row, London-based Indian origin artist Anish Kapoor has claimed the top spot on the Hurun India Art List, released by the Hurun Research Institute.
• This list ranks the top 50 living Indian artists based on the sales of their works at public auctions up to January 1, 2024.
• Following Kapoor in second place is Baroda-based artist and pedagogue Gulammohammed Sheikh. His 2015 canvas, Ark Kashmir, fetched an impressive Rs 21 crore last year, securing his high ranking. In third place is Delhi-based Arpita Singh, who continues to hold her position as the most successful woman artist on the list.

— Ahilya Bai Holkar

• May 31st marked the 300th birth anniversary of Ahilya Bai Holkar, the Maratha queen renowned for her exceptional administration, visionary leadership, and spiritual inclination.
• Born on May 31, 1725, in Chondi village of Ahmednagar to Mankoji Shinde, the village head, Ahilyabai was one of the few women rulers of Medieval India.
• Ahilyabai Holkar’s legacy extends beyond her role as the wife of Khande Rao Holkar. After his death in the Battle of Kumbher against the king of Bharatpur in 1754, Ahilyabai assumed control of Malwa, establishing herself as a formidable leader.
• Her reign is noted for extensive renovations and contributions to numerous sacred sites, including Somnath, Varanasi, Trimbak, Gaya, Pushkar, Vrindavan, Nathdwara, Haridwar, Badrinath, Kedarnath, and many others.

Places in News

Today, a memorial stands on the rock in which Swami Vivekananda meditated. (Wikimedia Commons)

— Vivekanand Rock Memorial

• The Prime Minister of India visited the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Tamil Nadu to meditate, marking the culmination of his party’s Lok Sabha campaign.
• The Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a small rocky islet situated about 500 meters from Kanyakumari’s Vavathurai beach, at the southernmost tip of mainland India. It lies at the confluence of the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal, making it a significant and symbolic location for this important moment in the campaign.

— Virupaksha temple

• A portion of the Virupaksha Temple in Karnataka collapsed on May 21 following torrential rains.
• This temple, a nationally protected monument, and UNESCO World Heritage Site, dates back to the 7th century and gained significant prominence during the 14th century under the Vijayanagara Empire (1336 to 1646).
• The temple, founded by Harihara I of the Sangama dynasty, showcases the grandeur of Dravidian architecture with its towering gopurams (gateway towers), the shikhara above the sanctum sanctorum, and intricately carved pillars and halls.
• The richly adorned gopuram features carvings of various deities, mythological scenes, and animals. At the heart of the temple lies the sanctum sanctorum, which houses the Shiva lingam, the primary object of worship.

Sports

— Dipa Karmakar

• Dipa Karmakar becomes the first Indian to win gold in the Asian Senior Championships. This is the first time that an Indian gymnast managed to win a gold medal in any event at the Asian Championships.
• Karmakar scores 13.566 points in women’s vault final to secure the title.
• North Korean gymnasts Kim Son Hyang and Jo Kyong Byol take silver and bronze, respectively.

— IPL 2024

• Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), led by Shreyas Iyer, secured an impressive eight-wicket victory over Pat Cummins’ Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday to claim their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title. KKR had previously won the IPL titles in 2012 and 2014.
• Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are the two most successful teams in IPL history, each with five titles. Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans, and Rajasthan Royals have each won the title once.

— Malaysia Masters 2024

• Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu faced a heartbreaking loss in the women’s singles final at the Malaysia Masters 2024 badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur. She was defeated by Wang Zhi Yi of the People’s Republic of China.
• In the men’s singles, Viktor Axelsen emerged victorious, adding another title to his impressive career.

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.

The UPSC articles of Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our Telegram channel and stay updated with the latest Updates. Also, follow us on Instagram and X.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsnxUastCeM?si=2YMvkDjH7y8v_W9j