Prelims Exam

Revision Notes 

Agriculture

1.Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

Launched: 2016 by Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare

Objective:

• Provide financial support to farmers for crop failure due to natural calamities, pests, or diseases.
• Stabilize farmer income and encourage modern agricultural practices.
• Ensure credit flow to the agriculture sector.

Coverage:

• All farmers including sharecroppers and tenant farmers growing notified crops in notified areas.
• Crops covered: Food crops, oilseeds, and annual commercial/horticultural crops.

Premium Subsidy Sharing:

• Central and State Government share: 50:50 (90:10 for North-Eastern States)
• Jharkhand and Telangana likely to join, potentially increasing participating states to 22 for the Kharif season.

IR

2.India: Australia’s Top Tier Security Partner

Context

• Australia’s 2024 National Defence Strategy (NDS) designates India as a top security partner.

Deepening Defence Partnerships

• NDS prioritizes partnerships with key Indo-Pacific nations like India and Japan.
• The 2024 Integrated Investment Programme (IIP) outlines specific defence capabilities for Australia to invest in, aligned with the NDS goals.

Goals of Australia’s Defence Strategy

• Strengthen Australian Defence Force (ADF) capabilities for deterrence and warfighting in the Indo-Pacific.
• Build stronger partnerships with key countries, including India.
• Support India’s regional role through practical cooperation in areas like:
  • Defence industry
  • Information sharing
  • Bilateral and multilateral cooperation

India-Australia Defence Relations

• Upgraded from “strategic partnership” (2009) to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” (2020).
• Numerous institutional mechanisms promote bilateral cooperation:
  • High-level visits
  • Annual Prime Ministerial Meetings
  • Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue
  • 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue (Defence & Foreign Affairs)
  • Joint Trade & Commerce Ministerial Commission
  • Defence Policy Talks
  • Defence Services Staff Talks
  • Many more

Focus Areas of Strategic Partnership

• Maritime security
• Counter-terrorism
• Regional stability in the Indo-Pacific

QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue):

• Informal strategic forum involving India, Australia, USA, and Japan.
• Promotes a free, open, prosperous, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

India-Australia Defence Cooperation Highlights

• Upgraded Secretaries’ 2+2 Dialogue to Ministerial level (2020).
• “Joint Guidance for the India-Australia Navy to Navy Relationship” (2021).
• Malabar Exercise (2020): India, USA, Japan, and Australia.
• AUSINDEX (Naval Exercise)
• Pitch Black Air Force Exercise (India’s first participation in 2018).
• Mutual Logistic Support Arrangement (2020).
• Defence Science & Technology Implementing Arrangement.
• Increasing interoperability through shared military platforms (C-17, C-130, P-8 aircraft, Chinook helicopters).
• Regular exchanges of military officials for training.

Conclusion

• India-Australia defence and strategic cooperation has grown significantly in recent years.
• Australia’s NDS emphasizes continued support for India’s regional role and deeper defence cooperation.
• This partnership is driven by a shared perception of China’s growing threat.

 

 Economy

3.Net Direct Tax Collections Surpass Target in 2023-24

Context

• India’s net direct tax collections reached ₹19.58 lakh crore in 2023-24, exceeding targets.

Target vs. Achievement

• Budget Estimates (BE) for Direct Tax revenue in FY 2023-24 were ₹18.23 lakh crore.
• Revised Estimates (RE) were fixed at ₹19.45 lakh crore.
• Provisional Direct Tax collections exceeded:
  • BE by 7.40%
  • RE by 0.67%

Direct Tax Collection Highlights

• Net collections (provisional) for FY 2023-24: ₹19.58 lakh crore (up 17.70% from FY 2022-23).
• Gross collections (provisional) for FY 2023-24: ₹23.37 lakh crore (up 18.48% from FY 2022-23).
• Refunds issued in FY 2023-24: ₹3.79 lakh crore (up 22.74% from FY 2022-23).

Breakdown by Tax Type

• Corporate Tax
  • Gross collection (provisional) in FY 2023-24: ₹11.32 lakh crore (up 13.06% from FY 2022-23).
  • Net collection (provisional) in FY 2023-24: ₹9.11 lakh crore (up 10.26% from FY 2022-23).
• Personal Income Tax (including STT)
  • Gross collection (provisional) in FY 2023-24: ₹12.01 lakh crore (up 24.26% from FY 2022-23).
  • Net collection (provisional) in FY 2023-24: ₹10.44 lakh crore (up 25.23% from FY 2022-23).

What are Direct Taxes?

• Levied based on an individual’s ability to pay.
• Aim to redistribute wealth within the country.

Types of Direct Taxes

• Estate Tax (Inheritance Tax)
• Income Tax
• Wealth Tax
• Corporate Tax
• Capital Gains Tax

 Science and Tech.

4.Aditya-L1: India’s First Mission to Study the Sun

Mission Overview

• Launched by ISRO on September 2, 2023 (PSLV-C57).
• First Indian observatory dedicated to solar study.
• Continuously sending valuable data about the Sun.

Why L1?

• Aditya-L1 is positioned at the L1 Lagrange Point of the Sun-Earth system.
• L1 offers advantages over Low Earth Orbit (LEO):
  • Smoother Sun-spacecraft velocity change for helioseismology.
  • Location outside Earth’s magnetosphere for solar wind and particle sampling.
  • Unobstructed, continuous Sun observation and Earth view for communication.

Scientific Payloads (7 Total)

• Remote Sensing (4):
  • Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC): Studies corona, coronal mass ejections.
  • Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT): Images photosphere and chromosphere, measures solar irradiance variations.
  • Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS) & High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS): Study solar X-ray flares.
• In-situ Observation (3):
  • Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) & Plasma Analyser Package For Aditya (PAPA): Analyze solar wind particles (electrons, protons, energetic ions).
  • Advanced Tri-axial High Resolution Digital Magnetometers: Study interplanetary magnetic field at L1.

Lagrange Points Explained

• Lagrange points (L1-L5) are special positions where the gravitational pull of two large objects (e.g., Sun and Earth) balances the centrifugal force acting on a smaller object.
• L1 is an unstable point but ideal for continuous Sun observation (also used by SOHO satellite).

Geography

5.Ross Ice Shelf: Surprising Movements

• Largest ice shelf in Antarctica (size of France).
• Located in Ross Sea, extending into Southern Ocean.
• Named after explorer Sir James Clark Ross (19th century).

Sudden Jumps

• Researchers discovered twice-daily jumps in the ice shelf.
• Movement caused by pressure between ice sections, similar to tectonic plates.
• This friction may trigger icequakes (seismic disturbances in ice).

 

 Environment

6.Ethylene Oxide in Spices: Safety Concerns

What is Ethylene Oxide (EtO)?

• Highly reactive gas used as a food fumigant.
• Kills bacteria, viruses, and fungi to prevent contamination.
• Flammable, colorless gas with a sweet odor.

Health Risks

• Carcinogenic (cancer-causing) with long-term exposure.
• Mutagenic (alters DNA) if inhaled.
• Reproductive health risks at high concentrations.

Recent News

• Singapore recalled Indian spice products due to alleged EtO presence.
• This highlights a potential gap between Indian production standards and international import requirements.

 

7.World Earth Day: Celebrating Our Planet

What is World Earth Day?

• Celebrated annually on April 22nd.
• A global event raising awareness about environmental sustainability.

Origins

• Emerged in the late 1960s amidst growing environmental concerns.
• First celebrated on US campuses in 1970 (following a major oil spill).
• Today, mobilizes over a billion people in 192+ countries.

Themes

• Focus on different environmental issues each year.
• 2024 theme: “Planet vs. Plastics”
  • Highlights the dangers of plastic pollution on our planet and health.
  • Calls for an end to plastic waste, demanding a 60% reduction in plastic production by 2040.