Prelims Focus 3rd September 2026

Article 142 of Constitution

In News: The Supreme Court of India has done something unprecedented and extraordinary under Article 142 of the Constitution and dismissed FIRs filed against the protesters of the NEET-UG.

• Article 142 in the Constitution is in regard to enforcement of decrees and decree orders of the Supreme Court to do “complete justice” in a matter pending before it.
• The powers under Article 142 are of an extraordinary character, yet they have been delimited and explained by the apex court over the years.
• Supreme Court held in the Prem Chand Garg case (1962) that orders issued under Article 142 must be in conformity with the fundamental rights and cannot run counter to the constitutional provisions. 

Totalisers for Vote Counting in EVMs

In News: The Supreme Court has directed the Union Government to consider the use of totaliser machines to keep the voting pattern of each polling booth confidential in the electronic voting machines (EVMs).

• A totaliser is an electronic interface which is used for combining the votes cast from multiple EVMs before declaring the results.
• It may be used to link the control units of about 14 EVMs or polling stations and only give the overall count of the votes cast for each candidate. However, no details are provided about the voting breakdown by individual booths.
• Developed by:
  • The Defence Mines and Geology Research Laboratory, Tezpur; and
  • Electronics Corporation of India Limited, Hyderabad, is the owner.

Integrated Fertiliser Management System (iFMS)

In News: The Integrated Fertiliser Management System has moved into a new stage as a series of digital initiatives to help monitor the fertiliser supply chain more effectively are introduced.

• Integrated Fertilizer Management System (iFMS) is a national-level digitized platform to monitor and manage the fertilizer supply chain in India end-to-end.
• The design and technical support have been provided by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the Department of Fertilisers, under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers.
• It is being further developed into a data-driven monitoring and decision support platform by being integrated with farmer, land and crop related databases.

IAF’S Highest-Ranking Woman

In News: For the first time in defence history and the Indian Air Force (IAF) history, Air Vice Marshal Shakti Sharma made history and became the first woman officer (non-medical) to reach the rank of Air Vice Marshal (or equivalent).

• Before creating history by her elevation to AVM, Sharma was also the first woman from the Tri-Services to command a Sainik School. She was the Principal of the Sainik School, Kapurthala.
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) granting Permanent Commission to women officers in 2010 is one of the major factors that allowed a female officer to do so. Ever since, the IAF has narrowed down avenues for their promotion and career progression, including their involvement in different career courses.
• In 2008, the Army and the Navy began to provide women officers with permanent commission in certain arms/services and branches. That was, however, expanded to several other branches in 2020, following the Supreme Court’s action.

India-Denmark MSME 

In News: The 4th meeting of the India–Denmark Joint Working Group (JWG) on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) development, innovation, and intellectual property (IP) was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 24 to 28 August 2026. 

Key Discussion Areas

The sessions focused on deep collaborative pathways for IP-led growth within the small business sector, prioritizing several critical areas: 

• Technology Adoption: Exchanging strategies on modernizing small enterprises and integrating digital tools.
• Intellectual Property Protection: Developing robust IP ecosystems to help MSMEs safeguard their innovations.
• Technology Commercialisation: Bridging the gap between developmental innovation and practical market entry.
• Cluster-Based Development: Studying established business cluster models to optimize local economic performance. 

Typhon Missile System 

In News: Russia issued a strong diplomatic warning to Japan, declaring the potential deployment of the U.S. Typhon missile system on Japanese soil unacceptable and a direct threat to its security.

Key Concerns for Russia

• Strategic Threat: The system places critical military installations in the Russian Far East within striking distance.
• Militarisation: Moscow views this as a shift away from Japan’s traditional post-WWII pacifist stance.
• Countermeasures: Russia warned it might deploy similar medium-range missiles in Asia as a symmetrical response.

About the Typhon Missile System

• Nature: It is a containerised, road-mobile, surface-to-surface mid-range capability (MRC) system.
• Developer: Manufactured by U.S. defense firm Lockheed Martin.
• Capabilities:
  • Dual Threat: Capable of engaging both land and maritime targets.
  • SM-6 Missiles: Provides intercept and strike ranges exceeding 320 km.
  • Tomahawk Cruise Missiles: Delivers deep-strike capabilities up to 1,500 km.
• Battery Structure: A standard battery consists of four mobile launchers (16 vertical launch cells total), a mobile command post, and generator vehicles.

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