General Studies Test – 06

• Parliamentarian and author, Shashi Tharoor’s latest book Ambedkar: A Life was launched at the Kitaab Kolkata event in January 2023.
• In this book, Tharoor tells Ambedkar’s story with great lucidity, insight, and admiration.
• The author traces the arc of the great man’s life from his birth into a family of Mahars in the Bombay Presidency on 14 April 1891 to his death in Delhi on 6 December 1956.

• Walker Cup is a golf trophy awarded to the winner of a competition between amateur men’s teams from the United States and the British Isles.
• The cup is named for George H. Walker, a president of the United States Golf Association (USGA) in the 1920s and a primary organizer of the event.
• The cup has been held biennially since 1922 at alternating sites between the United States and Britain.

• The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) installed and activated India’s biggest Climate Clock at the CSIR Headquarters Building in Rafi Marg, New Delhi, as part of Earth Day celebrations.
• The event reflects CSIR’s commitment to raising awareness about climate change and its adverse effects.
• Prof. Chetan Singh Solanki of IIT Bombay and Founder of the Energy Swaraj Foundation emphasized the urgent need for energy literacy among citizens and the importance of minimizing energy usage.
• Dr. Shailesh Nayak, Former Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Science, delivered the CSIR AMRIT Lecture on "Unravelling the Secrets of Triggered Earthquakes: The Lighthouse Project of Scientific Drilling in Koyna."
• The CSIR AMRIT Lecture Series aims to gather insights from India’s top S&T leaders to guide actions by R&D organizations, including CSIR.
• Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Director General of CSIR, highlighted Earth Day as a reminder to protect the environment and mentioned that through the CSIR-Energy Swaraj Foundation MoU, numerous scientists and staff at CSIR have undergone Energy Literacy Training, with Climate Clocks provided by the Foundation installed in most CSIR labs.

• The Defence Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment (DMSRDE), Kanpur, under DRDO, has developed the lightest Bullet Proof Jacket in India.
• This jacket is designed to protect against 7.62 x 54 R API ammunition, which corresponds to Level 6 of BIS 17051 standards.
• The bulletproof jacket underwent successful testing at TBRL, Chandigarh, as per BIS 17051-2018 standards.
• It is constructed using a new design approach, incorporating novel materials and processes to achieve its lightweight nature.
• The front Hard Armour Panel (HAP) of the jacket is capable of withstanding multiple hits (up to 6 shots) of 7.62 x 54 R API (Sniper rounds) in both ICW (In-conjunction with) and Standalone design.
• The front HAP is ergonomically designed and made of a monolithic ceramic plate with polymer backing, enhancing wearability and comfort during operations.
• The areal density of the ICW Hard Armour Panel (HAP) is less than 40 kg/m2, while the standalone HAP is less than 43 kg/m2.

• It is composed of Archean Granite and gneiss rocks with patches of Dharwar rock
• This region has undergone a series of upliftment, folding, and denudation
• The pat land of the western margin is converted into laterite and bauxite due to weathering
• Chota Nagpur consists of a series of plateaus standing at different elevations known as pat lands.
• The Chota Nagpur Plateau covers parts of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, and Chattisgarh.
• The region is drained by rivers like Damodar, Barakar, Subarnarekha, North Koel, South Koel
• The region is known for numerous minerals like Iron, coal, Bauxite, etc.

• President of India appointed the Financial Commission every five years.
• Under A 281- President lay recommendations of the Finance Commission before each house of Parliament.
• Composition- One Chairman and Four other members.
• Its recommendations are advisory in nature.
• Functions of FC-
  • Net tax proceeds distribution between Centre and States.
  • To make a grant in aid principles to States out of Consolidated Fund of India.
  • Provisions for resource allocations for Panchayats and Municipalities.
  • As per the Code of Civil Procedure 1908, the FC has all the powers of a Civil Court.

• Shah Jahan, whose name means "King of the World" in Persian, was the fifth Mughal emperor, who ruled from 1628 to 1658.
• Known for his patronage of the arts, Shah Jahan commissioned many magnificent architectural projects during his reign, with the Sheesh Mahal in Agra being one of them.
• Sheesh Mahal, also known as "Glass Palace", is situated inside the Agra Fort. It's renowned for its intricate mirror work.
• Shah Jahan is most famous for the construction of the Taj Mahal, built in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
• His architectural style often involved white marble and precious stones, leading to some of the most beautiful and iconic structures in India.

• A hydrocarbon in which two carbon atoms are joined by a triple bond is called an Alkyne.
• A hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon.

Alkyne

• These are organic molecules made of the functional group carbon-carbon triple bonds.
• Chemical Formula-C_nH_2n−2
• Alkynes are commonly used to artificially ripe fruits.

• ​The Fifth Five-year Plan emphasized the ‘removal of poverty and attainment of self-reliance.
• The fifth Five Year Plan duration was 1974 to 1978. This plan focussed on Garibi Hatao, employment, justice, agricultural production, and defense.
• This plan was terminated in 1978 by the newly elected Moraji Desai government. 
• The Electricity Supply Act was amended in 1975, a Twenty-point program was launched in 1975, the Minimum Needs Programme (MNP), and the Indian National Highway System was introduced.

Right to vote :- 

• The right to vote in India is guaranteed by the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1951, subject to certain limitations.
• Every citizen over the age of 18 has the right to vote under Article 326 of the Constitution.
• The Right to vote in India is a Constitutional Right but not a fundamental right.
• The 61st Amendment of the Constitution lowered the voting age of elections to the Lok Sabha and to the Legislative Assemblies from 21 to 18 years which was done by amending Article 326 of the Constitution.
• Article 326 of the Constitution guarantees universal adult suffrage but does not mention the right to vote.
• In India, voting is a legal right guaranteed by the Representation of People Act, 1950.

• The first Odisha Legislative Assembly met in Ravenshaw College Hall at Cuttack on 28 July 1937.
• The first session of the Assembly was presided over by Dr. Harekrushna Mahtab, who was the first Chief Minister of Odisha.
• The Assembly had a total of 108 members, of which 60 were elected by general constituencies and 48 were elected by special constituencies.
• The first session of the Assembly lasted for 19 days.

• The melting of ice is a physical change.
• The change that does not lead to changes in the chemical composition of a substance is termed physical change.
• Physical changes lead to changes in physical properties and are generally reversible in nature.
• Examples of physical changes are the melting of ice, transition into gas, textural changes, changes in size, shape, color, etc.

• First Round Table Conference-
  • The First Round Table Conference was held from 12 November 1930 to 19 January 1931.
  • The Congress boycotted the conference as its demand for a discussion on Poorna Swaraj of India was rejected by the British Government.
  • The representatives of the Princely states, minority communities, and depressed classes attended the conference.
  • But without the congress, the conference failed to reach any settlement on Indian problems.
• Gandhi Irwin Pact-
  • After the failure of the First Round Table Conference efforts were made by the Government to make an agreement with the congress so that it would attend the next Round Table Conference.
  • The Viceroy, Lord Irwin, was authorised to hold talks with Mahatma Gandhi.
  • Finally, Gandhi and Irwin reached an agreement on 5 March 1931.
  • The agreement is called the Gandhi-Irwin pact. By this pact, the Government agreed to release most of the civil disobedience volunteers, against whom there was no allegation of violence.
  • The Congress suspended the Civil Disobedience Movement and agreed to participate in the Second Round Table Conference.
• Communal Award-
  • In August 1932, the Government announced the communal Award which provided separate electorates for Muslims, Sikhs, and depressed classes.
  • Gandhi strongly opposed the order by undertaking a fast unto death in the Yeravada Jail. The nation was shocked at Gandhi‘s decision. The leaders immediately negotiated with the representatives of the backward castes and compromise was affected.
• Poona Pact and Third Round Table Conference-
  • Poona Pact (Sept 24, 1932) was signed with B.R Ambedkar as a means to end the fast that Gandhi was undertaking in jail.
  • The Third Round Table Conference (Nov. 17–Dec. 24, 1932) was shorter and less important, with neither the Congress nor the British Labour Party attending.

• When Odisha became a separate state on 1st April, 1936, it had six districts: Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Sambalpur, Koraput, and Ganjam.
• These districts were carved out of the existing provinces of Bihar and Orissa and Madras.
• The capital of the new state was Cuttack.

Partition of Bengal (1905):

• The partition separated the largely Muslim eastern areas from the largely Hindu western areas on 16 October 1905 after being announced on 19 July 1905 by Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of India.
• To appease Bengali sentiment, Bengal was reunited by Lord Hardinge II in 1911, in response to the Swadeshi movement's riots in protest against the policy and they began an angry agitation, featuring belief among Hindus that East Bengal would have its own courts and policies.