Answer: D
Explanation
● Foreign Exchange Reserve indicates the reserves held by RBI in the form foreign currency
assets, gold, SDR and reserve tranche. Components of foreign exchange reserve:
1. Foreign Currency Assets- Currencies of foreign countries are held in foreign exchange
reserves. Apart from currency it also includes foreign currency deposit held by RBI with
foreign central banks and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
2. Gold Stock of RBI- The RBI has gold stock as a backup to issue currency and to meet
unexpected Balance of Payments (BOP) problems. (BOP problem occurs when a nation is
unable to pay for essential imports or service its external debt repayments)
3. SDR Holdings- Special Drawing Rights (also called “paper gold”) is a reserve created by the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help countries that have BOP problems. The
member countries have to contribute to this account in proportion to their IMF quota. The

SDR basket consists of five major currencies of the world - the US dollar, Euro, British
Pound, Chinese Renminbi and Yen (Japan).
4. Reserve Tranche-The reserve tranche is a portion of the required quota of currency that
each IMF member country must provide to the IMF. It can be accessed by the member
country at any time for its own purposes without a service fee.

4. The primary purpose of the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and
Discipline) Act, 2023 is

Answer: B
Explanation
● The Government of India has notified the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control
and Discipline) Act which was passed in the Parliament in 2023.
Key Provisions of the Act
● The Act empowers commanders-in-chief and officers-in-command of Inter-Services
Organisations (ISOs) with disciplinary and administrative powers that will govern the
personnel serving in or attached to such organizations.
● The Act defines ISO as a body of troops consisting of personnel belonging to at least two
of the three services: the army, the navy, and the air force.
● Till now, armed forces personnel of all three services are governed in accordance with the
provisions contained in their respective service acts -- Army Act 1950, Navy Act 1957 and
Air Force Act 1950.
● This existing legal framework had its limitations when it came to tri-services matters as
officers of one service lacked the authority to exercise disciplinary and administrative
powers over personnel belonging to another service.
● The Inter-Services Organisations Act will empower the Heads of ISOs and will promote
maintenance of discipline in inter-services establishments by eliminating the need to
revert personnel for disciplinary proceedings to their parent units.
● The Act will also pave the way for expeditious disposal of cases, avoid multiple
proceedings and will be a step towards greater integration and jointness among the
armed forces personnel.
● It should be noted that service personnel -- whether army, navy or air force -- who serve in
an ISO will continue to be governed by their respective Service Acts.
● The Act only empowers ISO heads to exercise the disciplinary and administrative powers
that relate to the service they belong to.

5. CPEC is a part of which larger initiative of China?

Answer: C
Explanation

What is the CPEC project?
● China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) refers to a clutch of major infrastructure works
currently under way in Pakistan, intended to link Kashgar in China’s Xinjiang province to
Gwadar deep sea port close to Pakistan’s border with Iran.
● Several other road, rail and power projects are associated with the corridor, and the project
seeks to expand and upgrade infrastructure across the length and breadth of Pakistan, and
to widen and deepen economic ties with China.
● CPEC is part of the larger Belt and Road Initiative.
○ China’s Belt and Road Initiative aims to strengthen Beijing’s economic leadership
through a vast program of infrastructure building throughout China’s neighbouring
regions. It was launched in 2013.
○ The plan was two-pronged: the overland Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime
Silk Road. The project initially aimed to strengthen connectivity with Southeast Asia
but later expanded to South and Central Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America.
● CPEC was launched in 2015 and it now envisages investment of over USD 70 billion in
different projects of development in Pakistan.

Significance
● The goal of CPEC is both to transform Pakistan’s economy—by modernizing its road, rail,
air, and energy transportation systems—and to connect the deep-sea Pakistani ports of
Gwadar and Karachi to China’s Xinjiang province and beyond by overland routes.
● This would reduce the time and cost of transporting goods and energy such as natural gas to
China by circumventing the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea.
● The CPEC project is also strategically important for China. Currently, eighty percent of
China’s oil has to pass through the Strait of Malacca, a narrow stretch of water between the
Indonesian island of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula.
● In the event of a conflict, the Malacca Strait could easily be blocked by a rival nation, cutting
off China from crucial energy resources. CPEC allows China to circumvent the Strait of
Malacca and reduce its dependency on the strait.
India’s position on CPEC
● India has been opposing the project as it passes through Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-
occupied Kashmir (PoK), which New Delhi considers its own territory.
● India claims that the CPEC project encroaches on sovereignty and territorial integrity of the
country.
Why in News?
● Pakistan and China have affirmed consensus on the upgradation of the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC) and advancing high-quality development of the multi-billion
dollar project in the second phase.
● The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan with China's Xinjiang
province, is the flagship project of China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

● The BRI is seen as an attempt by China to further its influence abroad with
infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments across the world.

Check out the 25th insightful article by our esteemed Polity-Faculty, Mr. R. Rangarajan ex-IAS, in The Hindu dated July 1st, 2024, titled "There have been issues surrounding NEET and NTA.". This milestone showcases his dedication and expertise in the field. Congratulations, Mr.R.Rangarajan, on this remarkable achievement!

#thehindu #thehindunewspaper #neet #nta #OfficersIASAcademy

LINK: https://www.instagram.com/p/C84Sb5vv6eB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Today, India implemented three new criminal laws that overhaul the country's legal framework:
1. Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
2. Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS
3. Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam
These new laws aim to modernize and streamline India's criminal justice system, addressing contemporary issues and replacing colonial-era regulations.

#law #justice #newcriminallaws #OfficersIASAcademy

link - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15OtnjzIOLYOMLkgP2j48mDWNfMj-YkxB?usp=sharing

The UPSC Prelims 2024 results are officially out! Check the link in our bio to see if you made it. Congratulations to all successful candidates!

#UPSC2024 #ResultsOut #IASJourney#officersiasacademy

1. Consider the following statements about Diphtheria
1) It is a disease caused by a bacterium.
2) It is a non-contagious disease.
3) It is a vaccine preventable disease.

Answer: B
Explanation
● Statement 1 is correct: Diphtheria is a disease caused by a bacterium that affects the
upper respiratory tract and less often the skin. It also produces a toxin that damages the
heart and the nerves.
● Statement 2 is incorrect: It is a contagious disease that can spread from person to person
when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Some people may not develop disease
manifestations but can still transmit the bacteria to others.
● Common symptoms include fever, sore throat and swelling of the neck glands.
● Statement 3 is correct: Diphtheria is a vaccine preventable disease, but multiple doses
and booster doses are needed to produce and sustain immunity.

2. Consider the following statements about Aditya-L1 mission
1) It is the first interplanetary mission of India.
2) The spacecraft was placed in a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point, L1.
3) It carries seven payloads to observe the chromosphere and the corona of the sun.

Answer: B
Explanation
Why in the News?
● ISRO has successfully launched the country’s first space mission to study the sun, Aditya-
L1.
● The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), in its 59th flight with the Aditya-L1 onboard,
took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
● The Aditya L1 spacecraft will stay in Earth's orbit for sixteen days. After four months of
journey, the satellite will be placed on the L1 point in the halo orbit around the Sun. It was
successfully parked at L1 point in January 2024. Hence statement 2 is correct.
● Aditya-L1 has a mission life of five years.
● Statement 1 is incorrect: Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) is India's first interplanetary
mission to planet Mars. (not Aditya-L1)
What are the science objectives of Aditya-L1?

● The Aditya-L1 will observe the Sun from a close distance, and try to obtain information
about its atmosphere and magnetic field. It is equipped with seven payloads.
● The main objective of the mission is to get a deeper understanding of the star closest to
us, and how its radiation, heat, flow of particles, and magnetic fields affects us.
● The payloads on the mission will study chromosphere and corona. They will also study
coronal mass ejection (CME). The magnetic field of the corona and the drivers of the space
weather will also be studied. Hence statement 3 is correct.
● Importantly, it might provide clues to scientists about a long-standing mystery: why the
corona of the Sun is a million degrees C hot, when the temperature on the surface of the Sun
is just about 5,700 degree C.
● It will also help scientists understand the reasons behind acceleration of particles on the
Sun, which leads to solar winds.
Why study the Sun from space?
● The Sun is the nearest star to us and therefore can be studied in much greater detail than
others. Studying the Sun can also help us understand more about other stars.
● While the Sun supports all life on Earth, it also has various explosive phenomena. These
can damage our satellites and communication systems. Studying the Sun may help in
providing early warnings for such events.
● The various thermal and magnetic phenomena on the Sun are of extreme nature. Thus, the
Sun provides a good natural laboratory to understand them, which cannot be directly
studied in the lab.
● It is important to study the Sun from space because the Earth’s atmosphere and the
magnetic field act as protective shields that block out harmful radiations, such as UV light.
This means studying the Sun from the Earth can’t provide a complete picture.
Value addition
Lagrange points
● Lagrange points are positions in space where objects sent there tend to stay put. At
Lagrange points, the gravitational pull of two large masses ( like the Sun and the Earth)
precisely equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them.
● These points in space can be used by spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption needed to
remain in position.
● There are five such points in the Sun-Earth system and they are denoted as L1, L2, L3, L4
and L5.

● Of the five Lagrange points, three are unstable and two are stable.
○ The unstable Lagrange points - labeled L1, L2 and L3 - lie along the line
connecting the two large masses.
○ The stable Lagrange points - labeled L4 and L5 - form the apex of two equilateral
triangles that have the large masses at their vertices. L4 leads the orbit of earth and
L5 follows.

Significance of every lagrange points
1) L1 point of the Earth-Sun system affords an uninterrupted view of the sun.
2) L2 point is ideal for astronomy because a spacecraft is close enough to readily
communicate with Earth, can keep Sun, Earth and Moon behind the spacecraft for solar
power and (with appropriate shielding) provides a clear view of deep space for our
telescopes.
a) The L1 and L2 points are unstable on a time scale of approximately 23 days, which
requires satellites orbiting these positions to undergo regular course and attitude
corrections.

3) L4 and L5 points are home to stable orbits. Objects found orbiting at the L4 and L5 points
are often called Trojans.
4) Significance of the L3 point is still unknown because it stands behind the sun.