Prelims Focus – 7th February 2024

  1.Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill

In News: The Centre has recently introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha titled “The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024” to curb leaks, malpractices as well as organized malpractices in recruitment examinations

• It outlines 15 unfair practices, including leaking query papers, colluding to leak them, unauthorised ownership of materials such as question paper or an Optical Mark Recognition response sheet, providing answers by unauthorised people, assisting applicants without authorisation, manipulating exam conditions, carrying out fake checks, issuing fraudulent admit cards, and more.
• Coverage : It will cowl front examinations held through the Union Public Service Commission, the Staff Selection Commission, the Railways, banking recruitment examinations and all pc-primarily based examinations conducted by way of the National Testing Agency.
  • It may even do entrance checks including NEET, JEE, and CUET.
• Punishment : “All offences below this Act, will be cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable.
  • In case of institution determined guilty, attachment and forfeiture of property and proportionate fee of exam to be recovered from it
• Objectives and Need : In the previous few years, leaks of question papers and organised dishonest had affected the interests of lakhs of student due to cancellation of assessments and examinations
• The bill is aimed toward preventing organised gangs and institutions that are involved in unfair manner for financial gains, but it protects applicants from its provisions.
  • It is aimed to bring extra transparency, equity and credibility to the general public exam structures and to reassure the teens that their honest and genuine efforts will be fairly rewarded and their future is safe.

2.OBC Quota in J&K Local Bodies

In News:  The Union government has introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to give reservation to OBCs in local bodies in J&K.

• The invoice seeks to amend certain provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, 2000, and the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act, 2000 in consonance with the provisions of Part IX and Part IXA of the Constitution of India.
• It is supposed to deliver consistency inside the nearby bodies’ laws of the Union Territory of J&K with the provisions of the Constitution of India.
• Clause (6) of Articles 243D and 243T of the Constitution empowers the Legislature of a State to make provision for reservation of seats in any ‘Panchayat’ and ‘Municipality’ in favour of backward classes of citizens.
• The electricity to prepare and conduct local frame polls must be with the State Election Commission.
• Articles 243K and 243ZA: The superintendence, route, and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the behavior of all elections to the Panchayats and Municipalities is vested in a ‘State Election Commission’ inclusive of a ‘State Election Commissioner’.
• The number of seats reserved for OBCs will be decided by a Commission that will be formed after the legislation has been passed by the Parliament.

3.Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad)

In News:  American envoy Garcetti recently stated that the Quad summit is more likely after the U.S. Elections.

• It is an informal strategic discussion board comprising america, India, Australia, and Japan.
• The middle objective of the Quad is to secure a rules-based international order, freedom of navigation, and a liberal trading machine, in conjunction with to work for a free, open, rich, and inclusive Indo-Pacific vicinity.
• It is visible as to lessen Chinese domination within the Indo- Pacific area.
• The Quad leaders held their first formal summit in 2021.
• US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti informed that the Quad can be the ‘model for the arena’ as it’s far ‘very strong and stable’.

4.Maa Kamakhya Divya Lok Pariyojana

Recent news: The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for Maa Kamakhya Divya Lok Pariyojana, which aims to enhance access and amenities for pilgrims visiting the Kamakhya temple (under the PM-DevINE scheme).

More about the news:

• PM Modi emphasised that the government’s focus on both development and heritage has greatly benefited the youth of India.
• He mentioned the increasing interest in tourism and pilgrimages in the country and shared that there has been a significant rise in the number of visitors to Varanasi, Mahakal Lok in Ujjain, and Kedardham.
• He also highlighted the large number of people who have visited Ayodhya since the inauguration of the Ram Temple.
• PM Modi expressed his belief that a similar situation will occur after the completion of the Maa Kamakhya Devi Lok project.

About the temple:

• The Kamakhya Temple in Assam, India is a popular destination for pilgrims and is one of the country’s largest Shakti shrines.
• Situated on the Nilachal hills in Guwahati, it holds great religious and cultural importance.
• The temple is devoted to the goddess Kamakhya and serves as a hub for Tantric rituals.
• Additionally, it hosts the Ambubachi Mela, a yearly event commemorating the goddess’s menstrual cycle.

5.Ergosphere 

Recent news: Scientists believe that it may be possible to obtain matter and energy from the Ergosphere, which is the area between the event horizon and the stationary limit of a rotating black hole.

Ergosphere:

• The ergosphere is a zone around a rotating black hole where space-time is dragged along with the black hole’s rotation.
• Objects in this area are compelled to rotate with the black hole because of the strong gravitational pull.
• The event horizon is a theoretical limit surrounding a black hole where no energy can be emitted.

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