Prelims Pinpointer 26-01-2026

Padma Awards

Overview

• Nature: National civilian honours of India
• Instituted: 1954
• Announcement: Annually on the eve of Republic Day (26 January)
• Purpose: Recognise distinguished public service and excellence across diverse fields
• Conferred by: President of India (Ceremony in March/April)

Categories (Order of Precedence)

1. Padma Vibhushan: Exceptional and distinguished service
2. Padma Bhushan: Distinguished service of high order
3. Padma Shri: Distinguished service

Disciplines Covered

• Art and Culture
• Social Work
• Public Affairs
• Science and Engineering
• Trade and Industry
• Medicine
• Literature and Education
• Sports
• Civil Service
• Other fields involving public service

Eligibility

• Open to all persons
• No distinction of race, sex, occupation, or position
• Includes Indian citizens, NRIs, foreigners, and OCI holders

Selection Mechanism

• Padma Awards Committee reviews nominations
• Appointed annually by: Prime Minister
• Chairperson: Cabinet Secretary
• Members include:
  • Home Secretary
  • Secretary to the President
  • 4–6 eminent persons
• Final approval: Prime Minister → President of India

Key Features

• Maximum awards per year: 120 (Excludes posthumous, NRI, foreigner, and OCI recipients)
• Form of award:
  • Sanad (certificate)
  • Medallion
  • Replica for ceremonial use
• No monetary grant

Rules & Limitations

• Not a title: Cannot be used as prefix/suffix to the name
• Posthumous awards: Generally avoided
• Higher category: Minimum 5-year gap, unless waived by Committee
• Years not conferred: 1978–79 and 1993–97

Constitutional & Legal Status

• Article 18(1): Prohibits titles, except military and academic distinctions
• Supreme Court (Balaji Raghavan v. Union of India, 1996):
  • Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are not titles
  • Recognise merit and public service, hence constitutional

MuleHunter

Overview

• Nature: AI/ML-based fraud detection model
• Developed by: Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) (Subsidiary of RBI)
• Purpose: Detect and track mule bank accounts used in financial fraud and money laundering
• Status: Pilot tested with two large Public Sector Banks

Key Functions

• Mule Account Detection: Analyses transaction behaviour to flag suspicious fund movement patterns
• Real-time Monitoring: Enables prompt alerts and intervention during fraudulent transactions
• Advanced Analytics: Uses machine learning to identify trends, anomalies, and risk indicators
• Inter-Agency Coordination: Facilitates data sharing among banks, PSPs, and law enforcement agencies
• Regulatory Support: Strengthens compliance with AML and CFT norms

Significance

• Enhances digital payments security
• Improves early fraud prevention capability
• Supports financial system integrity
• Strengthens RBI’s tech-driven supervisory framework

What is a Mule Bank Account?

• Definition: Bank account used by criminals to launder illegal funds
• Ownership Pattern: Often acquired from financially vulnerable or low-tech literacy individuals
• Money Mule: Person whose account is misused for illegal transfers, often unknowingly
• Law Enforcement Challenge: Account holder becomes traceable, while actual fraudsters remain hidden

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

Overview

• Nature: Premier central investigating agency of India
• Role: Investigates corruption, economic offences, special crimes; coordinates with Interpol
• Motto: Industry, Impartiality and Integrity

Genesis

• Established: 1963
• Basis: Recommendation of Santhanam Committee (1962–64) on Prevention of Corruption

Legal Status

• Type: Non-constitutional, non-statutory body
• Governing Law: Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946

Administrative Control

• Ministry: Ministry of Personnel, Pension & Public Grievances

Organisation Structure

• Head: Director, CBI
• Assisted by: Special Director / Additional Director
• Hierarchy: Joint Directors → DIGs → SPs → Police ranks

Tenure

• CBI Director: Fixed tenure of 2 years
• 2021 Ordinance: Allows extension up to 5 years (annual review basis)

Types of Cases

• Anti-Corruption
• Economic Offences
• Special Crimes
• Suo Motu Cases

State Consent (Section 6, DSPE Act)

• General Consent: Allows CBI to investigate in a state without case-wise approval
• Specific Consent: Required for each case, if general consent withdrawn
• States withdrawing general consent: West Bengal, Punjab, Telangana, etc.

Appointment of CBI Director

• In Common Cause v. Union of India (2019), the Selection Committee for appointing the Director was created which includes:
  • Prime Minister (Chairperson)
  • Remember: Leader of Opposition / Largest Opposition Party Leader
  • Chief Justice of India / SC Judge nominated by CJI

Key Judicial Pronouncements

• Vineet Narain v. Union of India (1997):  Struck down “Single Directive”; strengthened CBI autonomy
• Subramanian Swamy v. CBI (2014):  Section 6A of DSPE Act declared unconstitutional (prior sanction removed)
• CBI v. Sanjiv Chaturvedi (2024): CBI not fully exempt from RTI; corruption & human rights info disclosable

Functions

• Corruption in public services
• High-value financial and economic crimes
• Cyber and high-technology crimes
• International police cooperation (Interpol cases)

ExoMiner++: Planet Spotter

Overview

• Nature: Deep-learning Artificial Intelligence (AI) model for exoplanet detection
• Developed by: NASA researchers
• Successor to: ExoMiner (Kepler mission-based)

Purpose

• Identifies exoplanets by analysing stellar brightness data
• Detects transit signals—dip in star’s brightness when a planet passes in front

Data Sources

• Kepler Space Telescope
• TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite)

Working Mechanism

• Analyses light curves (brightness vs time graphs)
• Differentiates true planetary transits from false positives such as:
  • Binary stars
  • Background stellar objects
  • Instrumental noise

Key Features

• Explainable AI:
  • Assigns probability score for planetary signal
  • Explains reasoning behind classification
• High-throughput:
  • Can compare thousands of stars simultaneously
• Open-source:
  • Released on GitHub for global scientific use

Achievements

• ExoMiner (earlier version):
  • Validated 370 exoplanets from Kepler data
• ExoMiner++:
  • Identified ~7,000 potential exoplanet candidates from TESS data

Scientific Significance

• Enhances speed and accuracy of exoplanet validation
• Reduces dependency on slow manual verification methods
• Supports future missions like:
  • Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

National Voters’ Day (NVD)

Observed on: 25 January (since 2011)
Occasion: Foundation Day of the Election Commission of India (ECI) (est. 25 Jan 1950)

Purpose

• Promote universal adult suffrage
• Encourage youth participation and voter enrolment
• Strengthen democratic values and informed voting

Theme (2026)

• Theme: “My India, My Vote”
• Tagline: “Citizen at the Heart of Indian Democracy”

Key Features

• Celebrated at national, state, district, constituency, and polling booth levels
• Focus on first-time voters and newly eligible youth
• Public awareness drives on electoral rights and responsibilities
• Organised by: Election Commission of India (ECI)

Forever Chemicals (PFAS)

Overview

• Forever chemicals = PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances)
• Large family of thousands of synthetic, toxic, and highly persistent chemicals
• Called “forever” due to extreme resistance to environmental degradation

Chemical Basis

• Built on carbon–fluorine (C–F) bonds
• One of the strongest chemical bonds, causing long environmental and biological persistence
• Bioaccumulate in humans and wildlife over time

Uses

• Consumer Products
  • Cosmetics and skin-care products
  • Non-stick cookware (frying pans, baking equipment)
  • Food packaging (microwave popcorn bags)
  • Textiles and fabric treatments
  • Outdoor clothing and footwear
  • Car and floor polishes
  • Dishwasher rinse aids
• Industrial Applications
  • Firefighting foams
  • Grease- and water-resistant coatings
  • Manufacturing of durable, non-stick, and anti-grease materials
• Environmental Pathways
  • Leak into soil, water, and air during use and disposal
  • Spread through contaminated drinking water, food chains, and air

Human Exposure

• Consumption of PFAS-contaminated water or food
• Use of PFAS-containing consumer products
• Inhalation of PFAS-laden air or dust
• Health Impacts
  • Immune system suppression
  • Liver and thyroid disorders
  • Increased cholesterol and hypertension
  • Developmental delays in infants
  • Elevated risk of kidney and testicular cancers
• Regulation & Global Framework: Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Sonic Boom

Overview

• Sonic boom: Loud explosive sound produced when an object travels faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1).
• Commonly generated by supersonic aircraft, rockets, or re-entering space debris.

Formation Mechanism

• Moving object compresses air molecules, forming shock waves along its flight path.
• Pressure builds up and is released suddenly, reaching the ground as a boom-like sound.

Factors Affecting Intensity

• Altitude: Higher altitude → weaker boom at ground level.
• Size & mass: Larger, heavier objects displace more air → stronger shock waves.
• Shape & design: Aircraft geometry influences wave pattern.
• Maneuvers: Turns and acceleration alter shock wave strength.
• Atmospheric conditions: Temperature, pressure, and wind affect sound propagation.

Types

• Single boom: Typical for compact or shorter aircraft.
• Double boom: Long aircraft produce two shocks (nose and tail).

Visible Phenomenon

• Vapor cone/cloud: Temporary cloud of condensed water vapour due to rapid pressure and temperature drop around the aircraft.
• Not the sound itself, but a visual effect of shock waves.

Impacts

• Can rattle structures and shatter glass at low altitude.
• Generally low direct risk to humans on the ground.

Key Terms

• Mach number: Ratio of object speed to local speed of sound.
• Shock wave: Thin region of abrupt pressure, temperature, and density change.

Java Island

Context: Recent landslide event highlights high geological and disaster risk due to volcanic terrain and dense population.

Location & Setting

• Country: Indonesia
• Region: Part of the Greater Sunda Islands (with Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi).
• Boundaries:
  • North: Java Sea (Borneo across it)
  • South: Indian Ocean
  • Northwest: Sunda Strait (separates Java from Sumatra)

Physical Geography

• Global rank: 13th largest island in the world; 5th largest in Indonesia.
• Geological origin: Volcanic island arc formed by Australian Plate subducting beneath the Sunda Plate.
• Terrain: Mountainous volcanic spine with fertile plains and river basins.

Human Geography

• Population: ~156.4 million (≈ 56% of Indonesia’s population) — most populated island globally.
• Capital: Jakarta (northwest coast).

Historical Significance

• Centre of Hindu–Buddhist kingdoms → later Islamic sultanates.
• Core of the Dutch East Indies administration.
• Major role in Indonesia’s independence movement (1930s–1940s).