Mr. Sylendra Babu IPS, Former DGP, Tamil Nadu, joins Officers IAS Academy as DIRECTOR – ACADEMICS.

Officers IAS Academy is honored to welcome the esteemed Mr. Sylendra Babu IPS, former Director General of Police (DGP), Tamil Nadu, as our Director of Academics. He is here to teach and mentor aspirants for their journey of becoming IAS and IPS officers.

Mr. Sylendra Babu will be teaching key subjects, including Modern History, Internal Security, Disaster Management, Social Issues as a part of General Studies, and Psychology as Optional.

Message from Mr. Sylendra Babu IPS:
"I extend my sincere gratitude to Officers IAS Academy for providing me with this opportunity to teach and mentor future civil servants. Coming from a humble background and studying in a government school in Tamil medium, I successfully cleared the IPS examination, embarking on a deeply fulfilling 36-year career that culminated in my tenure as the Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu.

Now, in my post-retirement phase, I am privileged to contribute to the aspirations of the next generation of civil servants. And for this new opportunity, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to Mr. Israel Jebasingh, Director of Officers IAS Academy, who himself resigned from the IAS and started Officers IAS Academy 12 years before.
Having shared a friendship of over a decade, I am honored to work alongside him in this noble mission of transforming students’ dreams of becoming IAS/IPS Officers"

1. Consider the following statements about Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC).
1. It is an independent regional navigation satellite system developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
2. It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary.
3. The constellation consists of twenty satellites.

Answer: B
Soln:
Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) – NavIC
● IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system developed by the
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Hence, statement 1 is correct.
● In 2016, with the last launch of the constellation’s satellite, IRNSS was renamed
Navigation Indian Constellation (NAVIC).

● Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.
Why was NavIC developed?
● NavIC was developed partly because access to foreign government-controlled global
navigation satellite systems is not guaranteed in hostile situations, as happened to the
Indian military in 1999 when the United States denied the Indian request for Global
Positioning System (GPS) data Kargil region.
● India could have had access to vital information had the US shared its GPS. Therefore,
the Indian Government approved the project in 2013.

Range of NavIC
● It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well
as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary
service area. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
● Beyond that lies an Extended Service Area, that can extend up to the edges of the area
enclosed by the rectangle imagined by latitudes 30 degrees South and 50 degrees North,
and longitudes 30 degrees East and 130 degrees East.

● IRNSS will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service
(SPS) which is provided to all the users and Restricted Service (RS), which is an
encrypted service provided only to the authorised users.
● The space segment consists of the IRNSS constellation of eight satellites (with one
being a replacement). Three satellites are located in the geostationary orbit and the
remaining four are located in geosynchronous orbits.
● NavIC is considered to be at par with US-based GPS, Russia’s Glonass and Galileo
developed by Europe. As far as the accuracy is concerned, the system is designed to
provide an absolute position accuracy of fewer than 10 metres on the Indian
landmass and less than 20 metres in the Indian Ocean.

2. M 23 rebels captured large parts of Goma, the biggest city in the eastern part of a particular
African country. Identify the country from the list given below.

Answer: C
Soln:
● The Rwanda-backed M23 rebels captured large parts of Goma, the biggest city in the
eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, including its airport. Hence, option C
is correct.
● The M23 rebels, who said that they captured the city on Monday after a weeks-long
advance, are one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern
Congo.

3. Consider the following statements about ITER.
1. It is a collaborative project to build the world's largest magnetic fusion device to prove the
feasibility of fusion reactions.
2. India is one of the countries which contribute to the construction of this facility.

4. Consider the following statements about the Archeological Survey of India
1) It is the premier organization for the archaeological research and protection of the cultural
heritage of the nation. 
2) It is an attached office under the Ministry of Tourism.

Answer: C
Soln:
● In southern France, 33 nations (As of 2024) are collaborating to build the world's largest
tokamak, a magnetic fusion device that has been designed to prove the feasibility of
fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy based on the same principle that
powers our Sun and stars. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
● The experimental campaign that will be carried out at ITER is crucial to advancing fusion
science and preparing the way for the fusion power plants of tomorrow.
● Thousands of engineers and scientists have contributed to the design of ITER since the idea
for an international joint experiment in fusion was first launched in 1985.
● The ITER Members—China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the
United States—are now engaged in a decades-long collaboration to build and operate the
ITER experimental device, and together bring fusion to the point where a demonstration
fusion reactor can be designed. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Answer: A
Explanation
● Statement 1 is correct: The Archaeological Survey of India is the premier organization for
the archaeological research and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation. 
● Statement 2 is incorrect: It is an attached office under the Ministry of Culture.
● Maintenance of ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national
importance is the prime concern of the ASI. 
● Besides, it regulates all archaeological activities in the country as per the provisions of the
Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. It also regulates
the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972.
History
● Archaeological and historical pursuits in India started with the efforts of Sir William Jones,
who put together a group of antiquarians to form the Asiatic Society in 1784 in Calcutta.
● The Archaeological Survey of India was eventually formed in 1861 by a statute passed into
law by Viceroy Lord Canning with Alexander Cunningham as the first Archaeological
Surveyor.

5. In which of the following regions of India are you most likely to come across the ‘Hoolock
Gibbons’ in its natural habitat?