About Section 27 of the Indian Evidence Act:

• This section creates an exception to the admissibility of confession made by the accused to a police officer while in custody.
• Sections 25 and 26 establish protection against self-incrimination and abuse of power by the police authority, deeming confessions made in police custody without the presence of a magistrate as inadmissiblebe forea court of law.
• However, Section 27 provides an exception to this rule, allowing the admission of confessions that lead to the discovery of facts.
• Section 27 states: "Provided that, when any fact is deposed to as discovered in consequence of information received from a person accused of any offence, in the custody of a police officer, so much of such information, whether it amounts to a confession or not, as relates distinctly to the fact thereby discovered, may be proved."
• In simpler terms, any confession made by a person while in police custody that leads to the revelation of a fact is considered admissible in court.
  • The confession must provide information that was not previously known to the police and that led to the recovery of evidence or the identification of witnesses.
  • The confession must be directly related to the fact discovered. This means that the information provided in the confession must be specific and relevant to the discovery.
  • The confession must be made voluntarily. This means that the person must not have been coerced or threatened into making the confession.
• The basic idea embedded in Section 27 of the Evidence Act is the doctrine of confirmation by subsequent events.
  • This doctrine is founded on the principle that every part ofthestatement made at the instance of the accused, ina police custody should necessarily be confirmed by the subsequent events of discovery, to make it admissible in court. 
• In the case of Asar Mohd. v. State of U.P, the Supreme Court held that the concept of "fact" mentioned in Section 27 is not limited to physical objects alone but also includes essential psychological or mental facts that may be directly relevant to the case.

The confession cannot be used to prove the guilt of the accused unless it is corroborated by other evidence.

Q1: What is meant by self-incrimination?

Self-incrimination is when someone provides information that suggests their involvement in a crime or exposes them to criminal prosecution. Self-incrimination can occur in various situations, such as during police interrogations, court testimonies, or other legal proceedings.

Source: S. 27 Evidence Act | Statement Of Accused Inadmissible If No New Fact Is Discovered Pursuant To Disclosure: Supreme Court

About Tantalum:

• It is a rare metal with symbol Ta and atomic number 73.
• Occurrence: Raw tantalum rarely occurs in nature. Instead, it is typically foundin the ore columbite-tantalite (usually referred to as coltan).
• Major Producers: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Brazil, and Nigeria.
• Properties:
  • Classified as a transition metal, Tantalum is a solid at room temperature.
  • It is a shiny, silvery metal which is soft when it is pure.
  • It is almost immune to chemical attack at temperatures below 150-degree celsius.
  • Tantalum is virtually resistant to corrosion due to an oxide film on its surface.
  • When pure, tantalum is ductile, meaning it can be stretched, pulled, or drawn into a thin wire or thread without breaking.
  • It belongs to a class of metals known as refractory metals, which are defined by their strong resistance to heat and wear.
  • It has an extremely high melting point, exceeded only by tungsten and rhenium.
• Applications:
  • It is most prominently used in the electronic sector.
  • The capacitors made from tantalum are capable of storing more electricityinsmaller sizes without much leakage than any other type of capacitor.
  • This makes them ideal for use in portable electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops, and digital cameras.
  • As tantalum has a high melting point, it is frequently used as a substitute forplatinum, which is more expensive.
  • It is also used to make components for chemical plants, nuclear power plants, aeroplanes, and missiles.
  • It does not react with bodily fluids and is used to make surgical equipment and implants, like artificial joints.
  • A composite consisting of tantalum carbide (TaC) and graphite is one of the hardest materials known and is used on the cutting edges of high-speed machine tools.

Q1: What is ductility?

It is the ability of a material to have its shape changed (as by being drawn out into wire or thread) without losing strength or breaking. 

Source: Tantalum Deposits

About UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission:

• It promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean, coasts and marine resources.
• The IOC enables its 150 Member States, and India has been a member of this commission since 1946.
• It works together by coordinating programmes in capacity development, ocean observations and services, ocean science, tsunami warning and ocean literacy.
• The IOC is in charge of coordinating the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030, the “Ocean Decade”.

Key facts about the underwater structures

• There are now seven structures in the Indian Ocean named mainly after Indian scientists or bear names proposed by India in this region of the Indian Ocean.
• All the three recently named structures were discovered by oceanographers from the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa.
• These are located along the Southwest Indian Ridge area of the Indian Ocean and were discovered during an international survey exploration programme.
• Since 2004, India has been undertaking the Indian Southern Ocean Research Programme with NCPOR being the nodal agency. 
• Previously named structures are
  • Raman ridge (accepted in 1992): It was discovered in 1951 by a US oil vessel. It was named after Physicist and Nobel Laureate Sir CV Raman.
  • Panikkar Seamount (accepted in 1993): It was discovered by India research vessel Sagar Kanya. It is named after NK Panikkar, a renowned oceanographer.
  • Sagar Kanya ridge (accepted in 1991): A seamount was named after the research vessel itself.
  • DN Wadia Guyot: It was named after a geologist DN Wadia when an underwater volcanic mountain, known as guyot, was discovered in 1992 by Sagar Kanya.
• Recently two structures were named after the rulers of the Mauryan dynasty namely Ashoka seamount and the Chandragupt ridge and one more was named as Kalpataru ridge in the Indian Ocean.

Q1: What is the International Hydrographic Organisation?

International Hydrographic Organisation is an intergovernmental organization that works to ensure all the world's seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted. It was established in 1921, it coordinates the activities of national hydrographic offices and promotes uniformity in nautical charts and documents.

Source: Three Indian Ocean structures named Ashoka, Chandragupt and Kalpataru

About Smithophis mizoramensis:

• It is a new species of snake identified from Mizoram.
• It is named Smithophis mizoramensis after its place of discovery.
• The new species is also given a Mizo name “Tuithiangrul” or “Mizo Brook Snake.”
• This discovery brings the total number of known Smithophis species worldwide to five.
• Two other species from this genus, Smithophis atemporalis and Smithophis bicolor, were previously recorded in Mizoram.
• The newly identified snake has been under study for 15 years due to its close resemblance to related species. 
• Genetic analysis reveals a 10-14% DNA difference from its nearest relatives. 
• The snake also exhibits unique colouration and scale patterns.
• It inhabits both lowland and highland areas of Mizoram, particularly near rivers and their surroundings.

Q1: What is Genetics?

Genetics is the study of genes. Our genes carry information that gets passed from one generation to the next. For example, genes are why one child has blonde hair like their mother, while their sibling has brown hair like their father.

Sources: New snake species discovered in Mizoram named after the state

About Silicosis: 

• It is a respiratory disease which causes a hardening of the lungs.
• Causes: It is caused by silica dust or silica crystals, which are found in soil, sand, concrete, mortar, granite and artificial stone.
• It is common in construction, mining, oil and gas extraction, kitchen engineering, dentistry, pottery and sculpting.
• People working in these industries are often exposed to silica every day, and are at higher risk of developing silicosis as a result.
• It can take a long time for silicosis to develop — typically 10 to 20 years of occupational exposure to silica dust.
• The main symptoms of silicosis are: a persistent cough, persistent shortness of breath weakness and tiredness etc.
• Types of Silicosis
  • Acute Silicosis: The symptoms of acute silicosis are cough, weight loss, and fatigue within a few weeks or years of exposure to inhaled silica.
  • Accelerated Silicosis: It occurs within 10 years of high-level exposure to the inhaled silica.
  • Chronic Silicosis: It occurs from 10 to 30 years after exposure and affects upper lungs and sometimes causes extensive scarring
• Silicosis is a progressive disease and has no cure.

Q1: What is Pulmonary fibrosis?

It is a lung disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred. This thickened, stiff tissue makes it harder for the lungs to work properly. Pulmonary fibrosis worsens over time. Some people can stay stable for a long time, but the condition gets worse faster in others.

Source: Why silica dust could become the ‘new asbestos’ health risk

About Grain ATM: 

• It is known as Annapurti Grain ATM which is designed and developed by the World Food Programme India.
• The Annapurti provides universal access: anyone with a Public Distribution System ration card valid in India, regardless of the State and Union Territory, can access their entitlement.
• It can dispense grain up to 50 kilograms in five minutes 24 hours a day, reducing waiting time by 70 percent.
• It is an automated multi-commodity dispensing solution that provides fast, clean and precise access to commodities (rice, wheat, grains) to beneficiaries, post biometric authentication.
• Once biometric authentication is completed, it provides consistent access to the full food ration.
• The modular design allows easy assembly based on available space. Annapurti is energy efficient, and can be connected to solar panels for automatic refilling.
• Benefits
  • Eliminates long queues at traditional distribution points.
  • Reduces issues related to theft and black marketing.
  • Ensures accurate weight and prevents potential cheating.
  • 24/7 access to rice, reducing waiting times by 70%.

Q1: What is the World Food Programme?

World Food Programme is a branch of the United Nations that deals with hunger eradication and promotes food security in the world. It is a member of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Source: India's first round-the-clock grain ATM opened at Mancheswar in Odisha

About NEOWISE Telescope: 

• It was launched in 2009 by NASA as the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE.
• The space telescope was originally designed to survey the sky in infrared, detecting asteroids, stars and some of the faintest galaxies in space.
• It had completed its primary mission in February 2011.
• Observations resumed in December 2013, when the telescope was taken out of hibernation and re-purposed for the NEOWISE project as an instrument to study near-Earth objects, or NEOs, as well as more distant asteroids and comets.
• It was formerly orbited at an altitude of 310 miles, NEOWISE now sits just 217 miles above Earth’s surface, its descent spurred by increasing solar activity.
• During its primary mission, NEOWISE detected more than 158,000 minor planets, 34,000 of which had never been discovered previously.

Significance of its data: NEOWISE data have been used to set limits on the numbers, orbits, sizes, and probable compositions of asteroids throughout our solar system, and enabled the discovery of the first known Earth Trojan asteroid.

Q1: What is an Asteroid?

Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets, are rocky remnants left over from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago.The current known asteroid count is at least 1,351,400.

Source: NASA closes the WISE but aging eyes of an orbiting telescope

About Omkareshwar Floating Solar Project:

• It is located at Omkareshwar in District Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh.
• The floating power plant was developed on the backwaters of Omkareshwar dam (it is a gravity dam on the Narmada River).
• It is the biggest solar park in India and the largest floating solar project in central and north India, generating 90 MW energy.
• This project was developed under the Union Ministry of Renewable Energy.
• The project is executed by SJVN Green Energy Limited (SGEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of SJVN, a joint venture between the Government of India and the Government of Himachal Pradesh.
• Project Cost: Rs. 646 crores
• It is projected to generate 196.5 million units of electricity in its initial year of operation and a cumulative 4,629.3 million units over 25 years.
• On commissioning, it will reduce 2.3 lakh tons of carbon emissions and will significantly contribute to the Government of India’s mission of net zero carbon emissions by 2070. 
• The project will also help in water conservation by reducing water evaporation.
• The project has been developed through competitive tariff bidding on Build Own and Operate basis for 25 years at a rate of Rs 3.26 per unit.

Q1: What is a gravity dam?

A gravity dam is a type of dam that relies on its own weight and mass to resist the horizontal pressure of water, thereby preventing the flow of water. These dams are constructed using concrete or masonry and are designed in such a way that their massive weight provides the stability needed to withstand the forces exerted by water.

Source: North India's largest floating solar project commissioned in MP's Omkareshwar: Minister