What is Article 329(b) of the Indian Constitution?
28-05-2024
11:31 AM

Overview:
The Election Commission (EC) recently invoked Article 329(b) of the Constitution, which prohibits judicial intervention in the working of the commission in the middle of the election process.
About Article 329(b):
- Enshrined in Part XV of the Constitution, articles 324-329 specifically discuss elections.
- While Article 324 gives the poll panel powers to direct and control elections, Article 329, which has two clauses, concerns itself with the role of the judiciary in electoral matters.
- Article 329(a) says the “judiciary is not allowed to challenge the constitutionality of laws relating to the boundaries of electoral districts or the allocation of seats.
- Article 329(b) as amended by the Constitution (19th Amendment) Act, 1966, provides that notwithstanding anything in the Constitution, no election to either House of Parliament or the Legislature of a State shall be called into question except by an election petition presented to such authority and in such manner as may be provided for by or under any law made by the appropriate Legislature.
- It stipulates that election-related inquiries are exclusively addressed through election petitions presented to the authority designated by that law.
- The Representation of the People Act, 1951, furthers this clause as it empowers the high courts to hear and decide election petitions.
- A decision in such petitions can be challenged in the Supreme Court (SC).
- SC Rulings:
- In the 1952 Ponnuswamy judgment (Ponnuswami v. Returning Officer Namakkal), the SC held that the word “election” in Article 329(b) connotes the entire electoral process commencing with the issue of the notification calling the election and culminating in the declaration of result, and that the electoral process once started could not be interfered with at any intermediary stage by courts.
- The SC in K. Venkatachalam vs. A. Swamickan (1999) determined that Article 329(b) is inapplicable if the matter pertains to Articles 191 and 193, which deal with disqualifications and penalties related to parliamentary and legislative assembly membership, respectively.

Q1: What is the Election Commission of India (EC)?
It is a permanent Constitutional Body. The Election Commission was established in accordance with the Constitution on 25th January 1950. The Constitution of India has vested in the EC the superintendence, direction and control of the entire process for conduct of elections to Parliament and Legislature of every State and to the offices of President and Vice-President of India.Originally the commission had only a Chief Election Commissioner. It currently consists of the Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.
Source: What’s Article 329(b) invoked by EC in SC that restricts judicial intervention in poll process
Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting Initiative
28-05-2024
11:31 AM

Overview:
Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) welcomed the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) initiative by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
About Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting Initiative:
- It is a mandatory disclosure mechanism for top 1000 listed companies or businesses to report their performance on environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects and demonstrate their commitment to responsible business practices.
- It was introduced in May 2021 by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
- This initiative was intended to provide policymakers and investors with robust data to make informed decisions.
- The disclosure requirements are grouped into nine core categories, based on the principles of the National Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct introduced by SEBI:
- Environmental protection: Key performance indicators cover electricity consumption, water usage and air emissions.
- Human rights: Focus on human rights violations and minimum and fair wages.
- Integrity: Performance indicators include anti-corruption, anti-bribery and conflicts of interest policies.
- Employee well-being: Metrics focused on parental benefits, employee accessibility and the percentage of unionized workers.
- Inclusive growth: Policies favoring vulnerable and marginalized groups.
- Sustainable goods and services: Information on investments in social and environmental impacts.
- Responsible consumer engagement: KPIs encompass handling consumer complaints and feedback, product recall procedures and cybersecurity and data privacy policies.
- Stakeholder responsiveness: Describing engagement with vulnerable and marginalized groups.
- Responsible public policy engagement: Listing trade and industry affiliations and detailing issues relating to anticompetitive conduct.

Q1: What is Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG)?
ESG (Environmental, social, and corporate governance) is a term that has been coined to refer to specific data designed to be used by investors for evaluating the material risk that the organization is taking on based on the externalities it is generating.
INS Kiltan
28-05-2024
11:31 AM

Overview:
Indian Naval Ship Kiltan arrived at Muara, Brunei and was accorded a warm welcome by the Royal Brunei Navy.
About INS Kiltan:
- It is an indigenously-built anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette.
- This is the third of the four Kamorta-class corvettes being built under Project 28.
- The ship derives its name from one of the islands in the Aminidivi group of the strategically located Lakshadweep and Minicoy group of islands.
- Designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation Directorate of Naval Design and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata
- Features
- It is India’s first major warship to have a superstructure of carbon fibre composite material resulting in improved stealth features, lower top weight and maintenance costs.
- The ship hosts a predominantly indigenous cutting-edge weapons and sensors suite which includes heavyweight torpedoes, ASW rockets, 76 mm caliber Medium Range gun and two multi-barrel 30 mm guns as close-in-weapon system (CIWS) with dedicated fire control systems, missile decoy rockets (Chaff), advanced ESM (Electronic Support Measure) system, most advanced bow mounted sonar and air surveillance radar.

Q1: What are Submarines?
Submarines are specialised watercrafts capable of independent underwater operations using onboard power and systems for extended periods. They play a vital role in naval warfare due to their stealth and agility.
Source: Indian naval ships complete deployment to South China Sea
Oedocladium sahyadricum
28-05-2024
11:31 AM

Overview:
A group of phycologists from the Department of Botany at Catholicate College in Pathanamthitta has discovered a new algal species in the Western Ghats.
About Oedocladium sahyadricum:
- It is a new algal species and it is named as Oedocladium sahyadricum.
- The name ‘sahyadricum’ refers to the Western Ghats, also known as Sahyadri, which is rich in plant diversity and provides ideal conditions for the growth of terrestrial microalgae.
- Features
- It is dioecious and terrestrial, having a superior operculum, and possessing ellipsoid oogonium and oospore.
- The alga was found as a thin mat of elongatedstrands on damp soil.
- The species, which looks like moss protonema, is velvety green but turns yellowish-green as it matures. Rainy weather is likely needed for its abundant growth.
- This is the first time a species in the Oedocladium category has been recorded in Kerala.
- Species of Oedocladium have potential practical applications
- In medicine, agriculture, and in the production of a natural pigment, astaxanthin which is well-documented for its unique biological activities and health benefits.
- Algae play a significant role in ecosystems and have enormous economic importance in the world market, from high-value products to wastewater treatment.

Q1: What are Microalgae?
These are microscopic algae, typically found in freshwater and marine systems. They are unicellular species that exist individually or in chains or groups. They are unicellular algal species, e.g. green algae, diatoms, and dinoflagellates.
What is Eucalyptus?
28-05-2024
11:31 AM

Overview:
The Kerala government recently issued an order allowing the Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) to plant eucalyptus trees for its financial sustenance in 2024-2025.
About Eucalyptus:
- It is a large genus of more than 660 species of shrubs and tall trees of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae).
- Some of the tallest trees in the world are eucalypti.
- It is native to Australia, Tasmania, and nearby islands.
- In Australia, the eucalypti are commonly known as gum trees or stringybark trees.
- Many species are cultivated widely in many areas of the world as shade trees or in forestry plantations.
- Features:
- It has a gum-infused bark, long stems, and circular leaves that are hard to digest if eaten whole.
- Small flowers grow on eucalyptus trees. They come in many colors, including white, yellow, and shades of red.
- Eucalypti also have small woody capsules. Inside the capsules are seeds.
- Uses:
- It is widely used for its medicinal properties.
- Some eucalyptus leaves contain an oil that has a strong smell.
- It is useful to treat a variety of common diseases and also works amazingly when applied topically in diluted form.
- The main compound of eucalyptus oil is cineole, also known as eucalyptol. The oil also contains flavonoids and tannins, which acts as anti-inflammatory and antioxidants.
- It is known for its ability to relieve congestion and ease breathing in colds.
- It is also used as a pain reliever for sore and overextended muscles.
- It is an excellent topical remedy for aching joints and rheumatism. It helps improve blood circulation.
- Eucalyptus wood is tough and durable. It is used to build things such as furniture and fences.
- Eucalyptus Plantations in India:
- Eucalyptus tereticornis and Eucalyptus hybrid are the two most widely planted eucalypts in India.
- It is widely grown in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujrat, Haryana, Mysore, Kerala, and in the Nilgiri Hill.
- It grows well in deep, fertile, well-drained loamy soil with adequate moisture.

Q1: What are flavonoids?
Flavonoids are phytochemical compounds present in many plants, fruits, vegetables, and leaves, with potential applications in medicinal chemistry. Flavonoids possess a number of medicinal benefits, including anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. They also have neuroprotective and cardio-protective effects.
Source: The controversy over eucalyptus planting in Kerala | Explained
What is ZiG?
28-05-2024
11:31 AM

Overview:
Recently, to address its long-standing economic instability, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has launched a new gold-backed currency called the ZiG.
About ZiG:
- The Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) is a new gold-backed currency launched by Zimbabwe.
- The ZiG, now the sixth currency used by Zimbabwe, has been in circulation since April 5, 2024.
- Key features of ZiG
- The ZiG stands out as a new currency backed by gold reserves, ensuring its value is supported by the physical gold held by the government.
- ZiG notes and coins will be available and issued in denominations: 1ZiG, 2ZiG, 5ZiG, 10ZiG, 20Zig, 50ZiG, 100ZiG, and 200ZiG, with the gold backing aims to provide stability and prevent currency devaluation.
- Reasons for launching new currency
- Zimbabwe has grappled with high inflation, with rates surpassing 500% in recent years.
- Consequently, the Zimbabwean dollar, introduced in 1980, lost its value due to hyperinflation. Following this, the country relied on various currencies, primarily the US dollar, leading to limited control over its economy.
- The collapse of the Zimbabwean dollar in 2009, with hyperinflation peaking at 5 billion per cent, marked one of the most severe currency crashes in history.
- Banks in Zimbabwe have been converting the previous national currency, the Zimbabwe dollar, into ZiGs, aiming to promote simplicity, certainty, and predictability in monetary and financial matters.

Q1: What is Inflation?
Inflation measures how much more expensive a set of goods and services has become over a certain period, usually a year. It may be one of the most familiar words in economics. Inflation has plunged countries into long periods of instability.
Astronomical transients
28-05-2024
11:31 AM

Overview:
Recently, the Indian-American astronomer Shrinivas Kulkarni was awarded the Shaw Prize for Astronomy in 2024 for his work on the physics of astronomical transients.
About Astronomical transients:
- In astronomy, a ‘transient’ is any celestial object whose brightness changes in short spans of time.
- There are many kinds of astronomical transients, all of them united by phenomena that are violent in some measure.
- Astronomers study transients to understand where their violence comes from and what that can tell us about non-transient event.
- Examples of transients
- Supernovae: When the outer layers of large stars blow up while their cores implode because the stars have run out of elements to fuse. Many a supernova has been known to become so bright that it emits light more intensely than the stars in the rest of its host galaxy combined.
- Active Galactic nucleus (AGN): The centres of massive galaxies host supermassive black holes. Sometimes, these black holes actively feast on matter in their orbit. Interactions between the black holes and the matter in this process cause the latter to acquire energy and glow with a changing brightness.
- Fast Radio Burst (FRB): It was discovered in 2007 and it can emit more than 10-times as much energy as the Sun in a few milliseconds.

Q1: What is a Supernova?
A supernova is the name given to the cataclysmic explosion of a massive star. They are the largest explosion that takes place in space.
Source: Astronomical transients: bright in the blink of an eye
What is Strain Rate?
28-05-2024
11:31 AM

Overview:
Researchers has reported in a study that when pure copper is heated and also subjected to an extreme strain rate, it behaves like a much harder material would.
About Strain Rate:
- Strain is how much a material deforms when stress is applied. It is a measure of the change in shape or size of an object relative to its original shape or size.
- It has units of meters divided by meters, so it ends up without physical units.
- Strain rate is the rate of deformationcaused by strain in a material within a corresponding time.
- It is a measure of how quickly a material is deformed over time.
- It involves both the rate wherein a certain material expands and shears.
- Strain Rate = Change in Strain / Change in Time
- The unit of strain rate is per second.
- Importance:
- It is an important factor in materials science and engineering because it influences the mechanical properties and behavior of materials.
- It can be highly beneficial in the field of metallurgy and corrosion engineering.
- Since materials may undergo deformation in various rates and directions, learning how to gauge strain rate with respect to certain elements like time, velocity, and others is vital in determining the material strength and the point at which corrosion, specifically stress corrosion cracking, could take place.
- The use of low strain rates is now a widely used technique in evaluating the response of materials against stress.

Q1: What is corrosion?
Corrosion is the process of decay on a material caused by a chemical reaction to its environment. The reaction is typically in the form of oxidation. Corrosion of metal occurs when an exposed surface comes in contact with a gas or liquid, and the process is accelerated by exposure to warm temperatures, acids, and salts. Most metals are susceptible to corrosion, but all materials are subject to degradation. For example, corrosion of the polymers used to insulate coatings on electrical wiring has been a concern in older airplanes.
Source: Copper becomes unexpectedly hard under extreme strain rate