UPSC Daily Current Affairs| Prelim Bits 25-03-2025

National E-Vidhan Application (NeVA)

Syllabus

Prelims – Current events of National importance | Indian Polity.

Mains – GS II – e-Governance and applications & Parliament | State legislatures conduct of Business.

Why in News?

Delhi becomes the 28^th legislature to join the national e-vidhan application platform.

• NeVA platform – It is a work-flow system which helps the Chair of the House to conduct the proceedings of the House smoothly.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
• Umbrella Scheme – It is one of 44 Mission Mode Projects under the Digital India Programme.
• Objectives – To conduct Legislative Business of the House in a Paperless manner.
• To enhance legislative procedures by promoting greater efficiency, accessibility, and sustainability.
• Hosted on – Meghraj 2.0, India’s cloud infrastructure, ensuring robust scalability, security, and data integrity.
• Tagline – One Nation One Application.
• Features – It provides real-time access to key legislative documents, such as agendas, bills, and reports.
• It features a secure digital repository, safeguarding the confidentiality and integrity of legislative data.
• It offers multilingual capabilities, catering to the linguistic diversity across states and regions.
• Its device-agnostic nature allows it to be accessed seamlessly across smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops.
• mNeVA – It is a user-friendly Mobile App of NeVA which is available on Android as well as on iOS.
• Significance – It will help in streamlining legislative functions and enables seamless coordination among legislators and secretariat staff.
• It will contribute to enhance transparency and accountability within legislative processes across the nation.
• It would help in saving lakhs of trees annually promoting cleanliness and achievement of UNDP Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Reference

PIB| Delhi Joins NeVA Platform

Fast Track Special Courts

Syllabus

Prelims – Indian Polity & Governance

Mains – GS II – Government Policies & Interventions | Judiciary

Why is in News?

The government has extended the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) Scheme until 2026, allocating funds under the Nirbhaya Fund.

Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs)

• FTSCs were launched under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).
• Established on - October 2, 2019.
• Objective - To provide speedy justice in cases of sexual offenses, particularly under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and rape cases.
• Other cases dealt by FTSCs
  • Specific cases of heinous nature,
  • Civil cases related to women, children, senior citizen, disabled persons, persons infected with terminal ailments and
  • Property related cases pending for more than 5 years.
• Currently, 745 courts are operational across 30 States and UTs.
• These courts are established by State Governments in consultation with their respective High Courts.
• Nodal Ministry - Ministry of Law and Justice.
• Funding
  • 60:40 between Centre and States.
  • 90:10 for Northeastern, hilly States, and J&K.
  • 100% funding for UTs without a legislature.
• Role in Speedy Justice - FTSCs focus on rape and POCSO Act cases, ensuring swift legal proceedings.

Key Recommendations by Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA)

• Scheme Continuation - Essential for handling sexual offense cases.
• Specialized Appointments - Appoint trained Special Judges and female public prosecutors for POCSO cases.
• Modernization of Courts -Upgrade courtrooms with audio-video systems, digital records, and e-case filing.
• Forensic Lab Support - Increase forensic labs and train manpower for timely DNA report submissions.
• Child-Friendly Courts - Establish Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centers (VWDCs) and deploy child psychologists to support victims.

Reference

PIB | Fast Track Courts

India's First Frozen Zoo

Syllabus

Prelims – General issues on Environmental ecology

Mains – GS III – Conservation

Why in News?

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling is now home to India's first frozen zoo.

A frozen zoo is a genetic cryobank that stores genetic material (like DNA, sperm, eggs, and embryos) from animals that are typically endangered and are on the verge of extinction.

• Collaboration between – Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park and Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology.
• Area coverage – It spreads across 67.8 acres.
• Altitude – 2,150 metres (7, 050ft), it is India's highest-altitude zoological park.
• Levels of preservation process
• Genetic sampling – It requires storage at -20°C.
• Bio-banking – It is a cryogenic conservation initiative to preserve the genetic material DNA of endangered Himalayan species.
• The genetic material is stored in liquid nitrogen tanks at extremely low temperatures of -196°C for long-term preservation.
• Aim – To ensure that species such as red pandas, snow leopards, gorals, Mishmi takins, and others do not become extinct in the wild, their genetic blueprints are preserved.

The Red Panda is one of the species that will be preserved at the Frozen Zoo.

• Species conservation – The zoo is a leader in conservation breeding programs for red pandas, snow leopards, and Tibetan wolves.
• It has also undertaken conservation work for species like the Markhor (screw-horned goat), Mishmi takin, and Himalayan black bear.

References

1. The Times of India| India's First Frozen Zoo
2. Outlook Traveller| Frozen Zoo Around the World

Spring/Vernal Equinox 2025

Syllabus

Prelims – Physical geography of world

Why in News?

March 20 marks the start of the spring season for the Northern Hemisphere and autumn (fall) in the Southern Hemisphere, with the arrival of the Spring equinox.

• Equinoxes – An equinox is a time when the Sun appears directly above the Earth's equator, resulting in roughly equal day and night lengths across the planet.
• Equinoxes happen due to the Earth’s axial tilt of approximately 23.5 degrees.
• Timing - It occurs twice a year, in the Northern Hemisphere,
  • The spring equinox, typically occurs between March 19 and 21,
  • While the autumnal or fall equinox occurs between September 21 and 24.
• In the Southern Hemisphere, the March equinox is called the autumnal equinox, and the September equinox is called the vernal equinox.
• The March equinox brings later sunrises, earlier sunsets, chillier winds, dryness, and falling leaves in the Southern Hemisphere, while the reverse happens in the Northern Hemisphere.

• Cultural Significance
• Global - The ancient Babylonian calendar began the 1^st full moon following the March equinox, celebrating the new year in the spring.
• The Persian new year, Nowruz, coincides with the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere.
• The Vernal Equinox Day is a national holiday in Japan, while Easter (Christianity Festival) is determined according to the vernal equinox.
• In the Jewish calendar, Passover, the Jewish festival begins on the 1^st full moon following a vernal equinox.
• The Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, two of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, fall in this period.
• The autumnal equinox on the other hand sees the observance of autumnal harvest festivals, such as Chuseok, celebrated over 3 days in both Koreas.
• In India - The festival of Holi, a vibrant celebration of spring, is often associated with the spring equinox.
• Parsis celebrate Nowruz, which is associated with the spring equinox.
• Ugadi falls during the spring equinox while Navaratri falls around the time of fall equinox.

Reference

The Indian Express | About the vernal equinox

Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM)

Syllabus

Prelims – Indian Polity & Governance

Mains – GS III – Inclusive growth and issues arising out of it.

Why in News?

According to the Telangana Socio-Economic Outlook-2025, the state has demonstrated strong performance, securing the 4^th position nationwide under the SPMRM recently.

Tamil Nadu topped the national rankings followed by Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana.

• Launched in – 2016.
• Predecessor scheme - Provision of Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA), 2003.
• Nodal Ministry - Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).
• Objective – Bridging Rural-Urban divide.
• To strengthen rural areas by providing economic, social and infrastructure amenities, thus leading to sustainable and balanced regional development in the country.
• Rurban Clusters - For the purposes of SPMRM, Rurban areas refer to a cluster of 15-20 villages having about 30 to 40 lakh population.
• The clusters will be Geographically contiguous
  • Gram Panchayats with a population of about 25000 to 50000 in plain and coastal areas and
  • A population of 5000 to 15000 in desert, hilly or tribal areas.
• Selection Procedure - There are 2 categories of clusters under SPMRM - Non-Tribal and Tribal.
• Rurban clusters are identified across the country’s rural areas showing increasing signs of urbanization - i.e.
  • Increase in population density,
  • High levels of non-farm employment,
  • Presence of growing economic activities and
  • Other socioeconomic parameters.
• Role of states - The State Government identifies the clusters in accordance with the Framework for Implementation prepared by the MoRD.
• Funding – Centrally sponsored scheme.
• The Ministry of Rural Development provides Critical Gap Funding (CGF), which constitutes up to 30% of the total investment.

Reference

The Hindu | Rurban mission

Strait of Hormuz

Syllabus

Prelims – Current event of International importance

Mains – GS I – Geography

Why in News?

Iran has showcased new missile systems on 3 strategic islands (Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa) near the Gulf's Strait of Hormuz, claiming the ability to strike enemy bases, vessels, and assets.

• It is a tiny strip of water located between the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Iran.
• It is in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman.
• It is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just 3 km wide in either direction.
• It flows into the Gulf of Oman, where ships can then travel to the rest of the world.
• It connects Gulf countries like Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia to the Arabian sea beyond.

• Strategic Importance – The Strait of Hormuz transmits about 30% of global liquefied gas and 25% of oil.
• OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the Strait.
• Qatar, the world's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, sends almost all of its LNG through the Strait.

Reference

The Defense Post | Strait of Hormuz