Prelims Pinpointer — August 12, 2026 | UPSC Daily Current Affairs

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Prelims Pinpointer — August 12, 2026

Today’s high-yield facts: the Dirac Medal, the FCRA Amendment Bill’s JPC referral, NASA’s Moon Base initiative, and RBI’s BRICS payment/CBDC push.
🧮 Dirac Medal 📋 FCRA Bill & JPC 🌕 NASA Moon Base 💱 RBI-BRICS & CBDC
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Deepak Dhar and the Dirac Medal

Dirac Medal 2026: News Context

  • Deepak Dhar, Indian theoretical physicist, received the Dirac Medal 2026 for his contributions to statistical physics, particularly the Abelian Sandpile Model.
  • He is a Distinguished Professor at IISER Pune and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Dirac Medal: Key Facts for Prelims

  • Dirac Medal is awarded annually by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy.
  • It honours outstanding contributions to theoretical physics and mathematics.
  • Named after Paul Dirac, Nobel Prize winner in Physics (1933) for his work on quantum mechanics.
  • The medal is not awarded to Nobel Laureates or Fields Medal winners.
  • ICTP was established in 1964 under UNESCO and IAEA.

Abelian Sandpile Model: Concepts for Prelims

  • The Abelian Sandpile Model is a mathematical model used to study self-organised criticality (SOC).
  • Self-organised criticality: A property where complex systems naturally evolve to a critical state without external tuning.
  • The model simulates grains of sand being added to a pile until it reaches a critical threshold and topples.
  • It helps explain emergent patterns in earthquakes, forest fires, financial markets, and neural activity.
Source: The Hindu
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FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026 and JPC Referral

FCRA Bill Controversy: News Context

  • The FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026 was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) amid Opposition concerns about its impact on NGOs and minority institutions.
  • The Bill was initially introduced in Lok Sabha on March 25, 2026 but could not be passed due to Opposition uproar.

FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026: Key Facts for Prelims

  • The key provision appoints a “designated authority” to manage assets of NGOs whose FCRA registration is suspended, cancelled, or not renewed.
  • The authority has powers of a civil court and can transfer or sell NGO assets.
  • Asset vesting is initially provisional, with full restoration if registration is renewed.
  • Places of worship retain their religious character by law in all cases.
  • Appeal against the authority’s orders lies before the court of the District Judge.
  • In 2024-25, approximately 16,200 associations received ₹22,963 crore in foreign contributions.

Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC): Key Facts for Prelims

  • JPC is an ad hoc committee constituted by both Houses of Parliament for a specific purpose or Bill.
  • It is formed through a motion passed in one House and concurred by the other House.
  • A JPC differs from a Departmentally Related Standing Committee (DRSC), which is a permanent committee.
  • JPCs are dissolved after submitting their report to Parliament.
  • The composition of a JPC typically reflects the party-wise strength in both Houses.
JPC recommendations are not binding on the government but carry significant persuasive weight — notable JPCs include the Bofors scandal (1987), Securities Scam (1992), Ketan Parekh Securities Scam (2001), and 2G Spectrum (2011).
Source: The Hindu
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NASA’s Moon Base Initiative

NASA Moon Base Initiative: News Context

  • NASA unveiled plans for a permanent Moon base primarily at the Lunar South Pole.
  • NASA invited ISRO to join the Moon Base programme at the 9th India-U.S. Civil Space Joint Working Group (CSJWG) meeting in Bengaluru.
  • The Moon Base is part of the broader Artemis Program, marking the first sustained lunar presence since the Apollo era.

NASA Moon Base: Key Facts for Prelims

  • The Moon Base will serve as a habitat for astronauts engaged in long-term science missions.
  • It aims to support sustained exploration, scientific research, commercial activities, and lay the foundation for crewed missions to Mars.
  • Phase 1: Surface access and testing vital habitation technologies.
  • Phase 2: Building initial lunar infrastructure.
  • Phase 3: Fully operational Moon Base with continuous human presence.

Artemis Accords: Key Facts

  • Artemis Accords were launched in 2020, co-led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State.
  • Eight founding members: USA, Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, UAE, and UK.
  • India signed the Artemis Accords in 2023.
  • They are a non-binding set of principles for civil space exploration.
  • Seven key principles: Peaceful exploration, transparency, interoperability, emergency assistance, heritage preservation, space resource extraction (compliant with Outer Space Treaty), and safe orbital debris disposal.
Source: Indian Express
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RBI-BRICS Payment System Linkage and CBDCs

RBI-BRICS Payment Talks: News Context

  • RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra stated the RBI has a task force on payments under BRICS to improve cross-border payments and international use of local currencies.
  • RBI is exploring linking payment systems of different countries and possible use of CBDCs for cross-border transactions.
  • UPI was cited as an example of near-instantaneous payment that other countries should replicate.
  • India signed local currency trade arrangements with UAE, Mauritius, Maldives, and Indonesia.

CBDC: Key Facts for Prelims

  • CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) is a digital currency backed by the central bank, having the status of legal tender.
  • India’s CBDC is called e₹ (Digital Rupee), launched by RBI in 2022 (wholesale: November; retail: December).
  • CBDCs appear as a liability on the central bank’s balance sheet, unlike private cryptocurrencies.
  • Subhash Chandra Garg Committee (2019) recommended banning private cryptocurrencies while highlighting advantages of an official digital currency.

Benefits of CBDC: Key Facts

  • Reduces Cash-to-GDP ratio, promoting cashless economy.
  • Enhances financial inclusion for unbanked populations.
  • Enables real-time, cost-effective cross-border payments.
  • Traceability of transactions helps curb corruption and money laundering.
  • Ensures settlement finality, reducing settlement risk in the financial system.
  • Counters monopoly of private sector cryptocurrencies like stablecoins.
Source: Reuters

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